Thanks to Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love, Cat on the table and Praise's Waterfall for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 61

"What's this White Dance?" Lovino asked.

Lovino had seen posters throughout the day, and at lunch decided to ask about it.

"It's this yearly dance the school has," Gupta replied. "The dance is notable for two things: everyone wears white, and the girls ask the boys to the dance."

Lovino considered it for a moment. He didn't think that anyone would want to ask him to a dance, and although he was curious about going to a school dance, he didn't think that going without a date would be a nice experience. His gaze immediately fell on Miguel, who looked bemused.

"In case you're wondering, Miguel tends to be very popular during this time," Vlad said. "Heracles and Gupta too, actually."

"It's a bit painful to watch, actually," Yao said.

"And, like, what about you two?" Feliks asked.

"A lot of the girls think more of me as their brother," Yao said. "Especially the CS girls."

"And I'm too freaky-looking for most people's tastes," Vlad said. "But I think you and Lovino would be pretty popular this week."

"I highly doubt it," Lovino sighed.

"Why's that?" Miguel asked.

Lovino didn't answer, and the others seemed to catch on to the meaning of the silence. They exchanged nervous glances, and after a while seemed to drop it. They then turned their attentions to Feliks.

"And what about you?" Miguel asked. "If a girl invited you, do you think you'll go?"

"I… don't know," Feliks said. "It might be awkward since… I'm… into guys…"

The table was silent, and Lovino stared at Feliks with some concern. This was the first time he told the others, except for Heracles. And he was worried about their reactions. He didn't think that they would hate Feliks, but things might be uncomfortable for a while.

"Oh," Vlad said, blinking in surprise. He turned to Heracles. "I was wondering about your closeness. So, are you two a couple?"

Feliks's face changed colours faster than a traffic light. Lovino couldn't help but smirk when he realised that the Pole's face actually resembled a red traffic light.

"We… we're not like that," Feliks quickly defended. "Like, Hera just helped me out. That's all."

"Helped you out with what, exactly?" Miguel asked, a teasing smile on his face.

Lovino sighed. Perhaps he should help Feliks out a bit.

"It was one of the reasons why he was bullied at his old school," Lovino said.

The others sobered, though the teasing had helped break the awkward tension.

"Ah, I see," Gupta said. "That's also why you waited so long before you told us, right?"

Feliks nodded.

"I totally told the wrong person that I liked him, and he told other people, and they started to hate me," Feliks said.

"That's horrible," Yao said. "But you don't have to worry. And if someone gives you trouble, you can just come to us, okay?"

Feliks nodded, a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"So, what are you going to do if a girl does ask you to the dance?" Gupta asked.

"I don't know," Feliks sighed.

"Well, if you want to go, you do look cute when you dress as a girl," Lovino said.

Feliks's face grew even darker than earlier, and Lovino grinned. And so did the others.

"I think I've found a solution," Miguel said. "If it turns out that no one asks Lovino, then the two of you could go together. And we get to see what Feliks looks like if he's dressed as a girl."

"And if someone does ask Lovino?" Yao asked.

"Then Feliks can choose between you and Vlad. It would be nice if all of us could go together."

"And if Lovino is dateless otherwise, then Yao could dress up too," Heracles said. "You look pretty cute too."

Yao glared at Heracles darkly.

"You crossdress too?" Feliks asked.

"It was one time," Yao huffed. "And it was because I lost a bet with my brother and sister."

"I've got a picture, if you'd like to see it," Vlad said.

"I thought you said you deleted that!"

Lovino couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and the others all turned to him with puzzled looks. Lovino wasn't one to usually burst out into laughter, but the atmosphere he found himself in… Months ago, this would have been a foreign experience for him. And now… Now, this felt oddly natural, and he was so happy to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

Vlad smirked, before he pulled out his phone. Yao wanted to protest, but Miguel shot him a look, and Yao sulked. Vlad then showed a picture to Feliks and Lovino, and Feliks's eyes widened.

"Like, you do look good in those clothes," Feliks said. "You should like totally wear it. And, like, I could even help you with makeup."

"Lovino, you need to get a date," Yao said hastily. "Because I am not dressing like that again."

Feliks pouted, and Lovino shook his head, a smile on his face. Why was he the one that had to be the determining factor? Still, seeing that look on Yao's face was pretty entertaining.

But he still didn't think that any of the girls would be interested in him in any way. Surely not enough to spend a night with him at a school dance.

But still, he was happy for Feliks. He knew that this was a matter of grave importance for him, and knowing that their friends accepted him was a huge relief. Just as Lovino had needed someone to accept him for who he was, and allowed him to be himself, Feliks needed that too.

If only they didn't have to suffer so much before they reached this point.

…

Lovino was packing up after the bell rang. Another day was over, and he had an appointment with Matthew. He looked up when he sensed someone in front of him and realised that it was one of their classmates.

"Lovino, could I ask you something?"

Her name was Lien, a quiet Vietnamese girl who shared a few of Lovino's classes. She didn't socialise much, and Lovino didn't think that he ever heard her saying anything.

"Sure," he said, confused about being approached.

"You've heard about the White Dance, right?" she asked. "I was wondering… would you like to go with me?"

Lovino's jaw dropped. Did… did he hear her correctly?

"W-what did you say?" he asked.

"I asked if you would like to go with me," she repeated, her cheeks reddening.

Was… was she serious? Did she really just ask him if he would like to accompany her to the dance?

"Are… are you sure?" he asked. "I-I mean… why would you want to go with me?"

"Why not?" she asked. "Unless you were already asked by someone else?"

"N-no, it's just… I w-wasn't even sure if I would go to the dance."

He could see her staring at him expectantly, and he wondered how hard it was for her to ask in the first place. He couldn't just say 'no', but he still wasn't sure about it.

"Could… could I give you an answer tomorrow?" he asked. "This… this never happened to me before and I… I don't know what's going on."

Everyone was aware of Lovino's history by now, and so she simply nodded her head.

"Please think about it, and I'll see you tomorrow," Lien said, before she walked away.

…

"What, someone already asked you to the dance?" Feliks demanded.

Lovino averted his gaze, looking out the window and seeing his own blushing face in the reflection.

"S-si," he stammered. "I don't know what I should say."

"Like, you should totally say yes!" Feliks said. "I mean, you thought no one would ask you, and now this happened! Like, you should totally accept the invitation."

"And what about you? Do you want to go too, and are you going to go with Vlad or Yao?"

"Like, I still want to see Yao dressing up in girls' clothes. Like, I think he'd be really cute."

Lovino noticed that Feliks appeared far more cheerful than usual. It was probably due to being accepted by all of their friends for being who he was. Feliks no longer had to worry about being rejected. And Lovino was happy for him. After the pain in his past, Feliks deserved total acceptance.

"Well, he likes the same things as you," Lovino said. "And if anyone can convince him, there's a chance you might."

"Like, I'll totally show him that it's fun to do," Feliks said. "And he totally has the looks for it."

"Just make sure you don't push him away."

"Like, now I'm curious about what you would look like in a dress."

"I could do it when I was little, but not anymore."

"Wait, so did you actually wear dresses when you were little?"

"My mom dressed us up once or twice. Feliciano looked the best out of the three of us. He was bubbly enough to make it work."

"Okay, please tell me you have pictures!"

Lovino chuckled.

"Why did I have a feeling that you would ask me something like this?" Lovino teased. "Still, I don't look good like that anymore. My hair's too short to make it work, and my face is too sharp."

"Like, nothing that makeup can't fix," Feliks insisted. "And a lot of girls have short hair, but we could always try a wig for you."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Totally not."

Lovino sighed. It would seem that now he had to avoid an opportunity for Feliks to get him to crossdress.

…

"So, did anything interesting happen at school today?" Romulus asked, looking at each of his sons.

"Well, there's this dance on Friday," Lovino said. "One where the girls have to ask the boys."

"That sounds interesting," Feliciano said.

"And I guess it's kind of a way to promote gender equality," Romulus said. "So, are you going?"

"Well, I was already asked to go," Lovino said.

"By a girl?" Marcello asked, looking excited.

"Si."

"And did you say yes?" Feliciano asked, looking just as eager as the youngest brother.

"I… I asked her to give me a chance to think about it."

"What's there to think about?" Romulus asked. "This is a new experience for you, and if you don't go, you might end up regretting it."

"I'm just worried. I tried to make friends with a girl, and those three convinced her that I was just trying to make friends because it would 'give me perks'. And after that, the girls at school all thought I was some sort of pervert, so…"

"All the more reason for you to go," Feliciano said, though he looked a little perturbed. "You need something to replace all the bad things."

"Is she pretty?" Marcello asked.

"I guess so," Lovino said. "She's a bit shy, so I don't really know her really well."

"If she's really that shy, then I guess it's even more important for you to accept the offer," Romulus said. "It takes a lot of courage to ask something like that in the best of circumstances."

Lovino nodded. It would be the polite thing to do. But he might benefit from having a word with Yao first.

…

He approached Yao at the start of the first class the two had together. Yao smiled when he saw Lovino.

"Hey, what's up?" Yao greeted.

"By any chance, you didn't happen to ask someone to ask me to the dance so you can avoid going to the dance dressed as a girl?" Lovino asked.

"No…" Yao said, frowning. "I mean, there's no way they're going to force me. Why?"

"Because I was asked to the dance. By Lien."

Yao's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "She's pretty shy, so she wouldn't do it impulsively. What did you tell her?"

"I just asked for some time to process everything," Lovino asked. "The girls at my last school treated me like a pervert because of what happened with Bella."

"Oh, I see. But Lien wouldn't do something like that. So, I think you can accept her invitation."

Lovino pursed his lips and nodded his head. They had to settle in for class, and the next class he had with Lien. He took the opportunity to accept her invitation, and she smiled in relief. Lovino was struck by how pretty she was when she smiled.

…

"Hey, Feliks," Heracles said, "do you mind if we talk first?"

They were on their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Vlad and Gupta were with them as well, but upon hearing Heracles's request, they hesitated for a moment before going on ahead.

"Okay, sure," Feliks said.

Heracles led them over towards the stairway, where they could have some privacy.

"So, like, what's up?" Feliks asked.

"Listen, it's about the dance," Heracles said. "I think it would be better if the two of us went together."

"Huh? Wait, I thought we were…"

"I was asked three times, but I decided that I want to go with you instead. Well?"

Feliks's face heated up. He had been feeling closer to Heracles lately, and for the other to come and ask him specifically to go to the dance with him…

"Y-yeah," Feliks stuttered. "S-sure."

Heracles smiled, before he walked away, most likely to join the others. Feliks took a while to compose himself, and once he was sure that his face wasn't as red as before, he hurried to join the others in the cafeteria.

…

"Does it look okay?" Lovino asked.

Since the dress code was semi-formal, Lovino didn't have to wear a suit, but instead wore a white dress shirt and a pair of faded grey jeans. His three family members beamed, and Lovino blushed at their reactions.

"Ve, you look great Vino," Feliciano praised.

"So, can we call her your girlfriend now?" Marcello asked.

"I don't think she's interested in me beyond the dance," Lovino said simply.

"Well, you never know," Romulus said. "You're meeting her there, right?"

Lovino nodded. Since he still had to go in from a different town, and since they still had to get Feliks as well, it was decided that it would be easier to simply meet at the school.

Romulus would also be acting as chaperone, again due to having to drive to another town. And not at all because he was anxious to see his son's first school dance.

"Alright, so are you ready to go?" Romulus asked.

Lovino nodded.

"Have fun Lovino," Feliciano called out, which was echoed by Marcello.

Lovino nodded in gratitude, before he followed after his father. The drive to Feliks's house was silent, with Lovino trying to work on his nerves. He didn't want to earn the hatred of another girl, and he didn't want to have a similar reputation among the female population of the school again.

Well, Feliks managed to serve as a good distraction.

"What the…?" his father asked.

"Feliks likes to wear girls' clothes," Lovino said. "And… he definitely makes it work."

Feliks wore a flowing white dress with a bodice, obviously designed to give the illusion of a bust. His hair was curled slightly at the ends, and small twin ponytails decorated the top. White and soft pink flowers also served as decorations for Feliks's hair, and when he was inside the car and Lovino could see him up close, he noticed that Feliks was wearing makeup. In short, Feliks looked a lot like an actual girl.

"Like, you look nice, Vino," Feliks complimented by way of greeting.

"You do too," Lovino complimented. "It's a bit disturbing to see how good you look like that."

Feliks beamed. It wasn't the first time that Lovino had seen him in clothes like this, and whenever Lovino said that it was disturbing how he could pull it off, Feliks knew that it was Lovino's way of complimenting him. It started when Lovino was less open about his feelings, and evolved into their own code.

Lovino glanced towards his father, daring him to make a remark about Feliks's attire, but Romulus didn't say anything as he started the car again. Hopefully he was just in shock, and wasn't being prejudiced against Lovino's first real friend.

The drive to Lovino and Feliks's school wasn't as silent as the drive to Feliks's house had been, with the two teens chatting excitedly about the evening to come. When Lovino looked back at his father, he saw a faint smile on Romulus's face.

Once they arrived at the school, Lovino immediately set out to search for Lien. The two of them had agreed to meet in front of the statue at the front of the school. Feliks and Heracles had also agreed to meet somewhere, so Feliks had gone to search for his own date. Lovino was still a bit worried about him. While their friends accepted him, there might still be fallout from the other students.

Lovino found her easily enough, and he was momentarily struck by how pretty she was when she let her hair down. So far, he'd only seen her wearing her hair in a ponytail, so this was something completely new. Her clothes were pretty modest, consisting mainly of a white shirt and a flowing white skirt, but it was the modesty that made her look pretty. Somehow, it made her look innocent and pure, and Lovino wondered again why she wanted to be at the dance with him.

"H-hi," Lovino greeted. "I'm sorry to make you wait. Y-you look beautiful."

Lien gave a small smile, and again, Lovino realised how pretty she actually was.

"Thank you," she said. "And you look handsome as well. Shall we go in?"

Lovino nodded, holding up his arm for her to take. She blushed at the action, before accepting the arm and allowed him to escort her inside. His eyes found his father, who was grinning ear to ear.

He did not look forward to going home at that moment.

The idea for the dance just popped into my head, and my greatest dilemma was figuring out who his date would be. Vietnam kept making her presence known, and so I decided to go with her. Canon female characters are a rare thing, and I didn't want to use a Nyo character or an OC.

Don't know if I'm going to make Vietmano an official couple or anything, but I think GrePol might be becoming official.

I don't recall an earlier scene where Feliks climbs out of the closet in front of the rest of their friends, so if there is, I apologise, and I'll fix it.

And an interesting fact: in South Africa, traffic lights are referred to as robots. Afrikaans especially prefers to use this term, since it's less of a mouthful than verkeersligte.