Cliché School Romance
Summary: Romania is an eccentric new student eager to make friends. Bulgaria is the school delinquent who hangs out with the wrong people. Against all odds they form a friendship which transforms into something more. Bulgaria x Romania
Warning: Coarse language, underage drinking, some violence in later chapters but nothing overly graphic
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
Chapter 4: Alin the Senpai
The next day Nikolai doesn't show for any of the classes and Alin makes a mental note to give him hell for it later as he's already starting to feel a little responsible for his education. Still, at the very least the Bulgarian has the decency to write him on Facebook that he'll come for lunch and then they can head over to his place.
Alin sighs – that at least. This brings him to his current situation where he's leisurely chatting with Feliciano while having lunch. The Italian is kind enough to offer to wait with him…that or he needs some excuse to order a second serving of pasta.
(Alin has some serious doubts that the Vargas brothers are the reason why the school offered pasta for lunch in the first place.)
"Did I tell you Ludwig won second place in the math tournament?" Feliciano exclaims with a dreamy expressing painted over his tan face and he chuckles to himself – the Italian couldn't be any more transparent when it came to his feelings about their classmate.
"No, you didn't," he responds with a sly smile, enjoying the other's sunny demeanor.
"Oh, I didn't?" the brunette nearly cries out from his seat, as if forgetting to give praise about something the German has done is a crime by itself, "He is so good at math! I swear Ludwig is a genius and-and"
The short teen rambles and on and Alin can't even make out some words because the other talks so fast and his slight accent peaks from the edges of most words. Still, he basks in the admiration he has for Ludwig. Feliciano's brown eyes are filled with nothing short of awe and love and it's so obvious he has a crush on the German, it makes him smile.
Then however the familiar bitterness washes over him and he frowns. He has to wonder – will anyone ever love him in such a way? He bites his lip, at the moment he can't even picture anyone liking him, let alone loving.
Before long he speaks up, trying to run away from his own thoughts.
"So, when do you plan on telling Ludwig you like him?"
"I always tell him I like him!" the Italian beams at him, his face the epitome of innocence and oblivion.
"No, not like him as a friend, I'm sure you tell him that a thousand times a day"
"More than that actually, he sometimes even gets annoyed" Feliciano remarks with a grin.
"No, I mean, when will you tell him you have a crush on him?" the Romanian challenges, feeling a little sheepish that he has to spell it out like that.
"Oh!" the Italian goes red in the face and looks away, "Uh…I don't like him like that" he mumbles, turning his gaze to his expensive sneakers.
"Sure, you just talk non-stop about him and look at him the way characters in movies do!" a third voice comes in and Alin looks up to meet Antonio's mischievous olive green eyes.
"I didn't see you there" he mumbles as the Spaniard drops his backpack, full of his football gear on the table, and takes a sit next to them.
"I get it we're sharing about our love lives?" Antonio asks, raising an eyebrow as he shoots them a devious smirk, "Ah, as if teens can talk about anything else!"
"Uh, no, I was just telling him about Ludwig and-" Feliciano stammers, his cheeks still a deep shade of red.
"Si, si, of course you were!" the more muscular teen nudges him in the ribs and chuckles.
"Dude, the whole damn school knows that you and Ludwig have the hots for each other!" he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air, overdramatically. Something in his behavior reminds the Romanian of the Spanish dramas he'd watch with his mum when he was younger.
"I'm new in town and I already know." Alin says conspiringly and Antonio shoots him a look of appreciation for siding with him on that.
Feliciano's blush deepens and he averts his gaze,
"Just like the whole school knows about you and my sister but you won't make it official?"
"Hey, it's not my fault she wants to keep it a secret!" he chimes in, "Trust me I would love to make out with her on every occasion but for whatever reason she wants to keep it secret!"
"Well, maybe that way it's more exciting" Alin chimes in, words slipping by his lips before his brain has managed to think them through.
"Aaall right then!" Antonio shoots him an interested look, "Does our mysterious new classmate have a secret boyfriend of their own?" he demands with a curious look behind his vivid eyes.
"Of course not!" the Romanian defends himself, crossing his hands over his chest, "I wish!"
"Well, maybe you aren't searching hard enough!" Antonio points out, like the master of everything love-related he is, "You know the good ones won't just fall onto your lap!"
"Alin's not searching because he only has eyes for Nikolai!" Feliciano chirps, faking innocence as Alin sends him a death glare. He's starting to think that maybe the Italian isn't as childlike as he pretends to be.
"Well, you certainly have a taste for danger." the Spaniard muses, face lost in thought.
For a second Alin thinks he might say something very profound or intelligent but then Antonio grins, "I bet he's into all the kinky stuff!"
"Oh, that's just gross!" the Romanian cries out but his classmate doesn't seem bothered at all.
He tries very hard not to imagine Nikolai and all the kinky things that flood his mind.
"You know like…spanking, choking and everything BDSM" he continues to explain, voice serious as if he's talking about the most important thing in the world.
Alin can feel his cheeks warm up, he's never been with anyone, hasn't even kissed a guy or a girl for that matter so all of this talk makes him feel like a child.
"I bet Arthur is into that kind of stuff as well" Antonio adds as he keeps talking about his classmates' sex life as if it's the weather. Apparently there is no word for shame in Spanish.
"Well you'll have to ask Alfred about that" another voice comes in and Lovina makes her way to take the last free seat at the table.
"What no hello?" the Spaniard complains with puppy eyes but she just shoots him a glare, "No loving kiss?"
"In your dreams' the girl shoots back, rolling her eyes.
"In my dreams we do a lot more than just kissing," Antonio mumbles which earns him a smack over his shoulder.
"By the way, do you think there's really something between Alfred and Arthur?" Alin takes the opportunity to investigate, even though he feels a little guilty for gossiping like this.
"Duh!" Antonio remarks, as if that's the most obvious thing in the world, "They're totally having sex in the lockers but since Arthur's a huge…how do I say it-" the brunette pauses, searching for a proper word.
"Asshole" Lovina finishes for him, never one run away from being blunt.
"Thank you, mi amor, but I was looking for more meek word, sweetheart."
"Don't call me that." She threatens, casting him another pissed off look.
Although Alin finds the girl a little threatening and somewhat demanding, he still can't ignore the small smile playing over her plump lips as she looks at Antonio when she thinks no one is around.
"Well, yeah, Arthur's an asshole and he doesn't want to make it official, no matter how much Alfred begs him to."
"Alfred's really nice" Feliciano muses as Lovina scoops up a big portion of his pasta and he sends her the closest thing to a glare his personality allows while she just sticks her tongue out to him.
"No one's really nice.' The girl says, voice a little harsh.
Alin shoots her a studying look, she is one of a kind for sure and he has to wonder if he'd be able to be friends with her. Then again the brunette casts him a mean look, mouthing a "What the fuck are you looking at?" and he changes his mind.
"Alin, do you want to hear another public secret?" Antonio asks with a conspiring expression as he scoots closer to him. Lovina only rolls her eyes at the idiotic behaviour of her secret boyfriend but that doesn't seem to lessen his enthusiasm.
Before even hearing his answer, the Spaniard proclaims, "Francis has the hots for Arthur!"
"Uh, doesn't he have the hots for everyone?" the Romanian asks, raising an eyebrow as his classmates let out a collective laugh.
"Well, si, mi amigo, but I bet he really wants to get the Brit to bed. They're all tangled in some sort of creepy live triangle and-"
"And you are all tangled in some disgusting gossip."
A familiar voices comes in, words drenched in strong Eastern European accent. Alin knows who said voice belongs to right away, even before he shoots up a glance only to meet Nikolai's cold green eyes and a small frown painted over his pale face.
"Hello to you too." He greets, feeling a little awkward that the other has caught him gossiping.
Feliciano digs into his plate and he looks almost afraid of the Bulgarian. Antonio offers his trademark "Hola!" but Alin doesn't miss the apparent switch in his behaviour. And Lovina? She just sends him a not so polite stare before muttering something in Italian under her breath that doesn't sound nice at all.
"Are you done acting like a bunch of twelve year old girls in recess?" Nikolai asks, a smirk playing over his lips.
Alin only rolls his eyes, why does he feel such a strong urge to be an asshole? Whatever, sad backstory he has, it's a little unnecessary and it sometimes makes him sometimes question their friendship.
Then again he simply can't stay away from the strange Bulgarian since he is after all the most interesting person he'd met so far. Not getting to know him seems like nothing short of a missed opportunity.
"Of course if you're not done, maybe you should talk about the sex life of the teachers as well, once you're done gossiping about other students…"
"Enough of you being a smartass or I'll change my mind on tutoring you." Alin shots back, giving him a dirty look.
The other frowns for a portion of a second but then his lips roll into a perfect smirk as he mutters, "Touché."
Alin gets his backpack, bids goodbye to his classmates under their bemused looks and they leave. He doesn't miss the glares everyone sends in the direction of Nikolai who pretends not to see them for the most part but then flips off a few people, namely Arthur.
It makes the Romanian wonder – could he get into trouble just from hanging out with him?
xxx
Alin makes sure they're home alone. His mother is at work and his little sister has ballet that day so it's all good, not that he's planning on having sex with the other or anything of that nature.
Then again, he realizes he's not as opposed to the idea as he probably should be.
As they walk into the elevator Nikolai looks like a kid in a candy shop, staring at the expensive mirror and the overall luxury of the apartment complex he lives in.
Alin smirks, for whatever reason he wants to impress the Bulgarian, even if his living situation is not in any way his merit. He should be grateful for all of this to his grandfather, he was the one after all to make them come here so that they could have a fresh start.
They walk in silence up to his door and Alin absentmindedly thinks how good the other looks good in his jeans. His eyes linger on his ass and he wonders how will the other look in his underwear? But that concept is a big no, so he forces it out of his head.
Even if the other was gay or bi which he doubts, Alin thinks there's no chance in hell he'd ever be attracted to someone like him.
"Home sweet home." he declares with a grin as they enter the apartment and Nikolai kneels so that he can take off his snickers which are pretty much falling apart.
"How on Earth can you afford this place?" Nikolai asks, as blunt as ever. He walks down the hall, staring at the expensive paintings.
"My grandpa owns a well-known winery back in Romania." the shorter teen explains, shrugging it off, "And besides, my mum has a nice job here so she pays for a lot of the bills as well."
"This is so beautiful," Nikolai remarks out of the blue, staring at one of the pictures, almost as if he is hypnotized.
"You like it?" Alin asks, raising a brown eyebrow as he walks up to his classmate, standing a little too close to him perhaps.
"Why would you be surprised?" the Bulgarian grumbles, still keeping his eyes on the painting.
It really is a beautiful painting. A simple rural house and the endless meadows surrounding it, nothing like the overly fancy post-modern paintings that get all the fame these days. But the colours blend well and for whatever reason in reminds Nikolai of Bulgaria, almost a little too much.
The familiar feeling of nostalgia almost overwhelms the Bulgarian but before it does, he's torn away from his thoughts by his classmate's voice.
"Well, no offense, but you don't exactly strike me as the guy who'd be interested in art." Alin says and he can sense the other doesn't like the answer but brushes it off regardless.
It's almost as if Nikolai has already accepted the kind of place society has given him in the world and doesn't intend on fighting to change it.
"You'd be surprised." he replies in the end, taking one final appreciating look of the picture.
"I really like realistic paintings. I hate the abstract, life's too damn interesting too waste any time creating no-sense art that stands for nothing." The Bulgarian muses, voice thick and sultry and making the Romanian think of things he probably shouldn't.
Alin stares at him, taken aback by the information the other has shared. He lets out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
"Did I say something funny?"
"No, it's just that…you seem like an interesting guy" the Romanian admits, caught in a rare moment of honesty. He might later regret being so blunt with the other but in the end of the day he's never been so interested in anyone.
Nikolai stares away, unable to receive a compliment. Alin makes a mental note that the other looks downright adorable when he does it. Adorable seems like a strange word to describe a tall and muscular criminal with possible connections to the fucking Russian mafia but it's true.
"You sound so gay sometimes." Nikolai mumbles in the end, shaking his head.
Alin stares at him, squinting his eyes.
"Is there anything wrong with being gay?" he demands, voice a little harsher perhaps then intended.
The green-eyed teen keeps silent for what seems like forever in the small, well lit hall of his apartment.
"I…I don't know." he says in the end, voice shaking a little.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Alin pushes, wanting the other to reassure him he's not homophobic at least.
He already knows he probably doesn't stand a chance with Nikolai. The guy looks straight as hell but at very least, he doesn't want to be friends with a person who hates him for who he is.
"Just forget what I said." Nikolai waves off in the end, offering him a small smile.
Alin sighs, that gives him somewhat of an answer but he doesn't want a fight and so he tries to shrug it off and plasters on a fake smile because that's what he does best. They quietly enter his room as he searches for a way to dispel the awkwardness between them.
"Make yourself comfortable," he says as he points in the direction of his firniture, trying to inject some cheerfulness into his voice and full himself it was there in the first place.
His wallpapers are a nice blend of white, gray and burgundy with some complex geometric pattern to them while the drapes are a deep wine colour, falling almost the ground. The rest of his furniture is nice, not overly expensive but still in good taste. He's proud the entire apartment is his and his mum's idea, with little suggestions made by his seven-year-old sister.
Nikolai stares at the room, turning to face him with an unreadable expression.
"Uh, your room's certainly not the typical teenage guy choice." He points out with a grin.
"I'm not much of a typical teenage guy." Alin admits, thought that much seems obvious. Still he relishes in the feeling of freedom the other has to offer, the way he doesn't judge him about his peculiar taste.
(It almost makes him forget the possibility that Nikolai might be homophobic).
American society is like walking in egg shells, everyone is offended by everything. But the Bulgarian… he's different, he's nothing like anyone he's ever met, like a breath of fresh air, a bright spot in the mash of grey that the world has become.
Ivanov starts looking through his stuff, stopping at his rich collection of books, as he gently runs his fingers over them, almost as if he's afraid he'd somehow tarnish them. Most of his Romanian books are back at his home and so the ones on the raft are mostly in English.
"You a bookwarm?" the taller teen asks, cocking an eyebrow.
The sunrays, streaming from his window hit his eyes, bringing in the turquoise in them nicely. The small turquoise flecks contrast sharply against the forest green and Alin needs to take a deep breath, pushing some thoughts in the back of his mind but still knowing he'd have to deal with them later.
To say the other is beautiful seems like an understatement.
"Uh, Earth to Alin! Are you there?" Nikolai waves a hand before his face, effectively bringing him out of his trans-like state.
"Sorry, I got distracted." He murmurs, offering him a bright smile.
"I could see that."
"Is being a bookworm a bad thing?" Alin challenges, taking a step closer to him until they're only a few inches apart.
"Не." The Bulgarian replies curtly, his voice firm, "Just the opposite."
He turns around, facing the bookshelf once again as he goes through the titles of the books, "I've always loved reading."
"You don't look like the kind of guy who does." Alin blurts out, words slipping from his mouth before his brain can fully think them through.
Nikolai shoots him a glare, "You believe too much in those American clichés." he begins, "You know the ones about nerds and jocks and delinquents."
The Romanian stares at him, unable to think of a reply on spot. What should he say – should he apologize?
"Life's more complicated than that, you know." The green-eyed boy muses as he picks up "Les Miserables", the book's translated in English.
"Always wanted to read it but unfortunately they don't have it in Bulgarian here." He frowns, opening the novel and flickering through the pages, "Not to mention I don't know English well enough to be able to read through it."
Alin can feel his heart race as he watches the Bulgarian. A small smile creeps up his lips, the other looks like a kid on the Eve of Christmas. He has yet to fully comprehend his complex personality and he briefly wonders if that is even possible.
While Feliciano is simple – bubbly and cheerful, Nikolai seems like a well-made maize. His personality is like a blend of qualities which normally never go well together and yet the Bulgarian makes them blend perfectly, like the colours of a pretty painting.
"You know what?" he says as an idea flashes through his mind.
"What?"
"Once I finish tutoring you in English you can take the book and read it." He promises, voice sincere.
Nikolai's expressive green eyes widen, pupils standing sharply against his light irises, "Really?" he asks in an almost childish manner. And then he claims Alin is immature!
The Romanian nods, "Promise. That way I know you're going to put effort into learning English since I can clearly see you don't care about your school performance."
"Thank you, Alin." The taller teen responds and he can read the gratitude in his face which makes something in his chest flutter.
"Okay, then let's get to work!" the Romanian urges to which his classmates responds with a sigh of disappointment.
He points him in the direction of all the great books he's eager to read and that seems to be convincing enough.
They plop onto his big comfortable bed, maybe a little too close to one another for classmates. Alin takes out an old English textbook of his sister, opting to go for the basics.
When Nikolai leans in, he inhales in his smell, one of cigarettes without filter and some almost washed out alcohol. Surprisingly enough, he doesn't mind the mix, he finds foreign and intoxicating and he's left wanting more.
Their fingers brush and Alin his brain tells him that's entirely coincidental while his heart tries to argue otherwise, even if it knows it is.
"This is going to take some time." He muses and he's not entirely certain if he's referring to the tutoring or something else between them.
Author's Note: So what did you think of Alin beginning to tutor Niko? Wouldn't he be a great teacher xD?
Shout out to: Elizaveta Hedervary – Hungary, maryranstadler1, GarGoyl, decoris, GrimSickness
Elizaveta Hedervary, yes the fandom definitely needs more of the small nations! And by the way not to spoil anything but Hungary will be part of the fic later on because the country has quite the relationship with Romania and from what I've read a relatively nice one with Bulgaria (well in comparison at least ;)
GarGoyl As someone who speaks two languages besides my mother tongue I really hate it when people hurt those who are still learning a new one…it seems very cruel and diminishing…that's part of why I wrote the argument with Arthur…
Next chapter a lot will happen and let us learn more about Nikolai's world as well as the pace picking up! I hope you're excited ^^
Please review, any feedback serves as great motivation ^^