A/N: Hey you guuuyyss :D Finally got this up lol. But before I start rambling, ANNOUNCEMENTS!
1) Just a quick reminder that there will be no update this coming week because I'll be gone with no acess to my computer.
2) If any of you remember, I promised that if you guys got me to 250 reviews I'd give you something, and you amazin people you, you did :D so hopefully, I'll have that up for you sometime before I leave. If not, I'll put it up along with the next chapter ^^ You'll see what it is when I post it... it is related to this story though lol.
3) I can't believe we lost! TT^TT *sigh* oh well, at least it was to Japan, who really deserved a win... and at least we beat france XD
4) NEW CHARACTER :0 Sooo many good guesses ^^ Fane: Romania 3 Gosh I love him. He'll be popping up a lot more as the story goes on... :)
Jenn06807: Lol me too XD My teacher is going to be so mad at me when she finds out I haven't been working on my philharmonic audition peices... gahh and allstate! *runs around* imgoingtodiethereisnodoubt XD Clarinets... in my band they have something of a repuation for being the slackers XD I of course, play the most epicful amazing instrument ever! No it's not a trumpet, I'm not that egotistical *shot* I play the french horn, aka mellophone in marching band lols. Band geeks ftw!
Bakura From School: Even with band competitions, projects, and AP tests, I will ALWAYS make time to write ^^ Don't worry guys, this story isn't going anywhere but forward :)
Anywho! i'll be honest this chapter was troublesome at times... and most of it was written while speeding down the highway XD But I think it turned out ok, for what it's worth.
Onward :)
O ~ O ~ O
Alfred rolled leisurely over onto his exposed stomach, letting out a tired yawn. It was already twelve at night (or would in the morning be the most appropriate way to refer to it?) and there had yet to be a single person to come knocking on the doors. He silently hoped that Matthew and Soren weren't too worried about him, and that the group hadn't gone looking for the pair. As the night progressed, the storm that had chilled them in the early afternoon had picked up momentum, and the wind whipped mercilessly against the windows of the library, accompanied by the fierce patter of rain, and the ever-constant crashes of thunder and lightning. To go searching for them in this sort of weather wasn't dangerous: it was suicidal.
He picked up a lavender book from the stack beside him. Arthur had single-handedly decided that while they were in the library, they might as well take the time to accomplish what they'd gone there for. And so, thereafter, the Briton took it upon himself to gather piles upon piles of literature for the pair of them to look through, hoping that reading might spark some sort of idea for their play. Alfred was skimming through his eighth book, and was already sick of it. He had never been one for reading anyway, but the stuff Arthur had picked out... well, it was a far cry from what he usually read.
He furrowed his brow in annoyance, smacking the crown of his head against the side of a bookshelf. If he had to read anymore, he was going to explode. "So, any ideas?" he inquired, glancing over at Arthur in hopes that the British boy had found something.
Arthur ignored him for a moment, continuing to flip through the pages of the pale gray book he was absorbed in, however after a loud cough from Alfred, he looked up, blinking slowly at him.
"Yes, well, I have found some interesting ideas, but I don't think anything I have will quite work for a tragedy..."
"You're still on about that?" Alfred groaned. "Give it a rest, would you? We're not doing a tragedy."
"Well then what would you propose?" Arthur snapped. "And if you say action, or anything akin to that subject, I swear I will rip that obnoxious lock of hair off the top of your head."
"Hey, don't bring my cowlick into this," Alfred grumbled, cupping his hand around it protectively. "And I don't know! How about a comedy?"
"No good, Gilbert's doing that," Arthur muttered, eyes darting across the page of his novel.
"So? I'm sure there are plenty of other people who are doing the same thing!" Alfred protested.
"Yes, but we're in the same house," Arthur pointed out, setting the book down beside him. "It won't look good if any of us have the same theme, will it?"
"I guess not," Alfred grumbled begrudgingly. "So then, what do we do?"
"Ah, well..." Arthur trailed off, entwining his fingers in a nervous fashion and glancing away. "I've been thinking about what Matthew said, and perhaps, a romance is the best way to go."
Alfred stared blankly at him, unsure if he'd heard the emerald-eyed boy correctly. "You want to do... what?"
"You heard me you tosser," Arthur sighed. "A romance. Look, I've been giving it some thought since he suggested it, actually, and I think it would be a good idea. It's a theme we can do a lot with, and it would work relatively well with the dialogue."
"Yea, but-but-" Alfred sputtered. "A romance? That's not really my forte. Besides, are you really OK with us just giving direction from the sidelines?" Arthur shrugged.
"It doesn't bother me. And since we can use other students as actors, we might as well take advantage of it."
Alfred cocked his head and gazed at the boy incredulously. Was he really serious? It beats a tragedy, but I don't know if I'm really comfortable with writing a romantic story with this guy, he thought. But they really didn't have any other ideas, so...
"Alright," he agreed, holding his hands up in defeat. "A romance it is. Now the question is, where do we start?"
"Well," Arthur ran the pad of his thumb across his lip thoughtfully. "I think it would be best to do some sort of forbidden type romance, since the original story is about a man breaking the law." Alfred suppressed a frown. He'd never really been one for the forbidden romance type stuff. He preferred the sweet kind of romance, where the couple ended up with their happy ending and all went right with the world. Yea, it was cheesy. But secretly, he'd always envisioned himself ending up like the pairs in those movies one day.
"Is there any way we could make it have a happy ending?" Alfred pressed. Arthur shook his head.
"I seriously doubt it. Besides, happy endings like that aren't practical. They don't happen in real life, so I see no reason to include one in a mere play."
"God, you're so negative," Alfred muttered, falling back on his hands to support himself. "I'd like to know what got all those girls to fall for you, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't your personality. Do you even know anything about romance?"
"More then you, obviously," Arthur snorted. "Have you ever even kissed a girl?"
"Of course I have!"
Lies, obviously. He'd been the boy in second grade that ran around the play ground in fear of getting cooties as the class girls chased him about. Not that most boys hadn't been that way, but Alfred had always been particularly adamant about the subject. Then, as he got older, he decided that he only wanted to give those first, most important things, away to his special person. That was why he was so picky when it came to girls, and why he never dated, despite the pressure from Soren to just go ahead already and get a girlfriend. He didn't want just any girl- he wanted his first girlfriend to be his last one. Matthew called him a hopeless romantic. Soren called him and idiot. Either way, that was what he wanted, even given his lack of experience in the field.
"Oh really?" Arthur inquired skeptically. "Well, how about a boy?" Alfred blanched.
"A-a boy? No way dude, that's weird."
"Even so, there are plenty of straight guys who have. And if you remember in old England, women weren't allowed to act, so men played all the parts, even in romances."
"Oh." Alfred crinkled his nose. "That's right, I remember reading about that... but uh... have you ever, I mean..." he trailed off, staring at the floor. The current topic of conversation was making him somewhat uncomfortable, but he couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit curious about what the small Briton had already done in regards to that.
"Me?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Yea, only a handful though, and girls are much preferred. I didn't particularly enjoy any of them, but its not like it disgusted me."
"Oh..." Alfred's mouth went dry. Well, the boy had said that despite his being straight, fooling around with guys didn't bother him.
"But that's irrelevant to the current subject," Arthur interjected. "We were discussing the play."
"Oh yea, ahaha right."
Arthur tossed him a curious look, but abandoned it quickly with a shake of his head. "Lets get started."
O~O~O
"Clearly, you have never done theatre before," Arthur grimaced. "The stage direction we decided on is right there on the paper, just do what it says!"
"It's two o'-frickin-clock in the morning!" Alfred whined, slumping against the library door. "And besides, it's too fucking dark to see where I'm going. Can't we just call it a night?"
"And do what? No way, we're so close to being done, its pointless to go to sleep now," Arthur argued fervently. Once they'd finally decided on a theme, the ideas had rushed out in a whirlwind, and in no time flat, they were nearly finished. Arthur could have happily continued for hours, however, his American partner was less the enthusiastic about their progressing work, and was on his fifth monologue that night about how tired he was. It was grating Arthur's nerves.
"But Artieeeee," Alfred groaned. Arthur twitched at the nickname.
"For the last time, no. We're getting this done tonight. I have other classes I need to be worrying about, you know."
"Yea, so do I. That's why I'm not enjoying the staying up until all hours thing here. I'm gonna flunk my bio test on Monday at this rate!"
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Arthur retorted. Even in the dark, he could make out the American's frustrated and, admittedly, tired glare. He looked as if he was going to fall off his feet. "Oh fine," he relented. "Just one more scene and we can go to sleep."
"Yaaaay!" Alfred exclaimed softly, a grateful smile flitting across his lips. "God I'm so fucking tired... OK what scene?"
"The one where the pair are dancing," Arthur explained nervously. It was the only one they had yet to go through, and Arthur felt compelled to practice it at least once before they eventually put the whole thing together. On the other hand... his stomach churned uncomfortably. Practicing stage direction and line correlation was, of course, absolutely necessary. And it wasn't like they would be doing it in class. Even so, the idea of- of dancing with that idiot, play or not, didn't sit well with him.
"Cool," Alfred yawned. Clearly the bloke was completely out of it. Just an hour before, he'd been resisting the dancing scene with all his heart. And now here he was complying with it like it had been his own idea.
"Ah well, alright," Arthur muttered. "So, six paces to the left, and then you come forward, and..." There they were again, those damned butterflies of disgust.
"Yea yea I know," Alfred cut in, taking his hand. "It's ballroom dancing right?" he asked, words tumbling awkwardly out of his mouth. He sounded, in all honesty, drunk off his ass. Well, everyone's different when they're tired, Arthur reminded himself, and was about to grab the boy's side, when Alfred slipped his other hand around his waist.
"Hold on, why do you get to lead?" Arthur growled. "Clearly I'm the guy here."
"Nuh-uh," Alfred laughed good-naturedly. "'Cause you're shorter, so you get to be the girl." What was with this change of character? He was acting the way he might around Matthew and Soren, all playful and happy. It was setting Arthur on edge. Alfred yawned again, covering his mouth this time. "Damn, I really am tired."
"Really, I couldn't tell," Arthur rolled his eyes. The boy wasn't lying. He'd been up nearly every night that week, pacing around the room until all hours in silence, only glancing at his books on occasion and then going right back to wearing the wood down. It was driving Arthur out of his mind.
"You should really be more observant then," Alfred chuckled. "And if it gets me to sleep sooner, I'll let you do this your way. So, what are your orders, captain?"
"I lead," Arthur grumbled, yanking the American's to large hands off his side. "And you stop talking except for when you're supposed to."
"Not a problem. You going to start?"
"No, since you're the girl and your lines come first."
"Oh." He gave him a lopsided grin. "Right! OK uh what was it..."
"Alfred."
"Right right, I remember. Man you sure do like saying my name tonight." Arthur reddened at the suggestive nature of the words, and resisted the urge to elbow him in the gut. If this was how the twat got when he was tired, Arthur couldn't even begin to imagine him when he was drunk.
"OK, here we go." Alfred cleared his throat, and looked down at Arthur, giving him a nod. Taking the cue, he stepped backwards, and they began their silent waltz about the room.
"Nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? For it is only my love for you, dear sir, that makes me as I am. If you would only take me, then perhaps this monster within me would cease to exist."
Arthur ignored the sensation of his skipping heart. It sounded so odd, those words that should have been a woman's coming out of Alfred's mouth. He made no alterations in his voice, as he had been jokingly doing earlier. There were no awkward glances as a young girl might give when saying such a thing, not the slightest flickering of his eyes. If anything, his voice had obtained a rich, yet whispering baritone effect due to his exhaustion, vibrating the air around them like the strings of a viola. And his eyes- they stared into him, never faltering or breaking away. Haunting him, like the vulture's eye of which the main character spoke in the true story of the Tell-Tale Heart.
"Indeed, you speak of foolish things, but I cannot deny your feelings are true. For even now, there has come to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. Your heart, my dear, is it not?" Arthur replied, not missing a beat. He stepped forward again, narrowly missing Alfred's feet. It was a little clumsy, their dancing, but he had to give the boy some credit. He was a boy, acting the dancing role of a girl. A boy who he assumed hadn't even had practice dancing as the male before. He'd stepped on a toe or two, but his rhythm was steady and movements were fluid.
"What else could it be? Inside my chest, it drums so loudly that I fear someone will discover us. But what is this? I believe that I can feel your heart as well. For my head aches, and I fancy a ringing in my ears at the sound of yours pounding with my own."
"To say that I have not enjoyed your company would be a lie most vile. But, I find myself getting pale and somehow wishing you gone, my love. For if you were not here with me, perhaps this dangerous feeling that has risen in my chest, this violent pounding of my heart, would have remained only as a spark, or a flicker. But now, I find that it is on the verge of consuming me whole." Arthur shuddered at his own words, despite himself. One last line; he just had one more line and they would finally be done. He opened his mouth to speak, but found the voice of his partner cutting off his own.
"It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain," Alfred began, voice, barely rising above a ghost of a whisper, mouth lowering dangerously close to his own. "But once conceived, it haunted me day and night. This notion, that perhaps, most possibly, I may love you." They were no longer dancing. In fact, Arthur found that somehow, he had run himself into the side of a bookshelf, and his back rested gently against the cool wood as Alfred loomed over him, hands on either side of his head, and their lips just a breath apart.
Arthur's heart raced furiously in his chest, reminding him terribly of the scene they had just acted out. When had they gotten to close? So mind-numbingly close, that he could smell the cocoa from earlier on the other's breath, and taste the mint gum that he had been chewing not an hour before. Arthur stared, hypnotized, into those electrifying cerulean eyes that held him through a half lidded stare. Neither of them moved. Arthur couldn't even tell if he was breathing. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of stillness, he found it in him to speak.
"Those were my lines, you wanker," he said softly, pressing back further against the shelf so as to avoid meeting the others mouth when he spoke. "Remember correctly, would you?"
"Oh, yea," Alfred murmured. "Sorry about that. It's weird, I knew that was your line, I just spaced and felt like I needed to say that. Anyway, it's over so when... can... I..." He trailed off brokenly, head inching in a jerking motion toward Arthur's shoulder until it finally fell sideways onto him. Wild strands of hair tickled the Britons neck, and alas, he could still feel the boys breathing on his neck for their closeness, but this was certainly an improvement. Now to just get my heart to calm down, he thought bitterly.
The organ was thudding so loudly and quickly in his chest, it nearly pained him to breathe, and he was forced to take quick, sporadic breaths just to get oxygen in. Alfred, damned git, was already asleep on his shoulder, body slumping unsteadily against his own. He'd never seen someone sleep standing up, but at this rate, he wasn't going to be seeing it much longer. The American was bound to fall over eventually, and there was no way in hell Arthur was going to stand there acting as a pillow for the spoiled brat all night.
Slowly taking deep, calming breaths, he finally managed to relax. It had been a long while since he'd been that close to anyone's face, and the idea of it beingthat person was enough to make him anxious. Who wanted their arch-enemies lips that close to them? Gently, he carried Alfred's weight on his shoulders and lifted the boy away from the shelf, setting him lightly down on the floor a couple feet away. Well, if that wasn't the most traumatic experience he'd ever been through, he didn't know what was.
Arthur lowered himself tenderly onto the floor beside him, sitting cross-legged as he watched the other boy sleep. There wasn't much light in the room, as they hadn't managed to get the lamps on, and there was no moon because of the still thrashing storm outside. But even in the darkness, it was becoming more and more impossible for Arthur to deny how handsome Alfred was, especially considering the close proximity at which they had just been standing.
His eyes, bright and illuminated (when they were open), lit up the entirety of his face, making it glow in an impossible way. His teeth were straight and white (Americans and their damnable obsession with dental hygiene) and when he smiled broadly, a set of dimples ingrained themselves into his cheeks. He face was long, well structured and sharp, cheek bones high, and showing off the way that his glasses perched on his nose just so that they added to the ever present gleam in his eye, whether he was in a good mood, or a foul one. And then there were his lips, that had been so close just moments ago, that, if he had wanted, Arthur could have... no, stop it, he scolded himself. What a ridiculous idea. He glanced down at the boy again, completely vulnerable as he lay curled against a stack of books. And suddenly, Arthur wanted nothing more then to do just as that dangerous voice in his head was telling him. To try that ridiculous idea.
He couldn't really pinpoint why. Perhaps, it was the fact that it had been so long since he'd even had a proper snog, that his body was simply acting on its own accord. Or maybe, it was just out of curiosity, boredom- a desire to push the boy into getting angry, into showing a reaction. But, as Arthur leaned his face ever closer to that of his teammate's, he began to think, that it was certainly none of those things.
No, Arthur supposed, it was more likely then not the idea of taking something from the boastful American that drove the continuous downward motion of his face. That, in some sort of sick, twisted way, he suddenly wanted to snatch away everything that Alfred had, that he himself had lost long before. He wanted to see the horrified expression on his face when he realized that his first kiss (because there was no way he was buying that crap about having kissed a girl before) had not only been stolen right from under his nose, but by a boy, and Arthur no less. He wanted an ounce, a mere drop, of that purity and perfection that the boy seemed to hold about him- that air that Arthur himself had been for years so desperately trying to obtain.
He wanted to snatch something of Alfred's away, something he'd never even know he was missing, and never give it back.
But all those thoughts made him sound quite mad. So he settled on the idea that he simply enjoyed seeing the other boy squirm, for as of late, it seemed to be Arthur that was getting placed in all the uncomfortable situations, not him.
Arthur felt his own fatigue wearing heavy on him as his mouth inched closer to Alfred's, and for a split moment, his rational broke through, and he froze. This was ridiculous. He was tired and his brain was completely worn out from writing, of course he would be thinking like this. He didn't want to kiss that slimy twat. The idea made him grimace in displeasure. Even so, his mouth was so close, so... there, that Arthur couldn't help but ghost his lips gently across the others before pulling away.
"I've been reading way to much Poe," Arthur muttered under his breath, touching the tips of his fingers to his mouth. "That's the only explanation for such things. And I'm tired." And he really was. He could feel his eyelids falling slowly over his emerald orbs, and ever so slowly, he lay himself down beside the snoring American, a brief heartbeat away from falling into a deep slumber.
And that's when the doors swung open.
O ~ O ~ O
Alfred tugged his covers fiercely over his head, letting out a tired groan and desperately trying to rid himself of the mute daylight that was seeping through the window.
"Come on Alfred, you have to get up, it's nearly eleven! Feliciano cooked breakfast and it's going to get cold if you don't hurry," Matthew sighed, plopping himself down on the bed and shaking Alfred's sleeping form. "I know you had a long night, but you have work to do, right? Even Arthur's already up."
Alfred furrowed his eyebrows and rolled over in bed, peaking out from under the sheets to blink at his smiling friend. Matthew was still in his pajamas, clad in a dark red t-shirt and plain gray bottoms whilst hugging his precious white bear closely to his chest. He looked well rested and at ease. Alfred envied him.
"Yea, alright," he grumbled, forcing himself out from under the blankets and letting out a loud yawn. "How long have you and Soren been up?"
"A couple hours," Matthew mused, standing up so as to give Alfred room to move. "Gilbert's still asleep. So are Kiku, Francis, Yao and Roderich. Berwald just woke up a few minutes ago, and is in the process of waking everyone else so that Feliciano's food doesn't go to waste."
"That many people are still asleep?" Alfred sputtered. "Then why can't I go back to sleep?"
"Because it's already too late, and you're the one who caused us so much trouble last night, so you owe it to at least help with the dishes."
Oh yea. Last night had happened. For a moment, Alfred wondered if perhaps it had all just been a terrible dream. In all honesty, he couldn't remember much towards the end of it. He was vaguely aware that he and Arthur had begun to work on one of the scenes, but he couldn't recall which one, or if they even finished it before he'd fallen asleep. The only thing he remembered from the night before was Matthew shaking him awake, and the sprint back to the cabin through the pouring rain. Apparently, Alfred's wishes had not gone out, because the team had been searching for the duo almost the entirety of the night up to that point, wandering through the rain in search of their lost teammates. It took them a while to find a way into the castle, Soren had explained, because the front doors were locked. Fortunately for them, one of the teachers had left a window open on the second floor, and after something akin to a human ladder, the team had hauled themselves up and began their search for the library.
"Sorry," he apologized, sliding out of bed and rubbing his eyes. "Really, I am. We weren't paying any attention and before we knew it, well..."
"You had us worried out of our minds," Matthew informed him sternly. "Really, we looked all through the forest, and around the castle. We even managed to find Laura's cabin and knocked to ask if she had seen you guys. Fortunately it was her that answered, as it was about twelve at that point. Ludwig remembered you said you'd be in the library, so we figured you must have gotten locked in. But still... even after we knew that, Soren and I were so scared! What if something terrible had happened? It wouldn't be the first time you got yourself hurt and lost this week."
"I know," Alfred murmured, twisting his hands together. "I'll be more careful, I promise. I hate to worry you guys, it's just... this stuff always seems to happen to me."
Matthew gave him a tired smile and a quick hug. "Just as long as you try. And don't get yourself killed, OK?"
"Can do!" he grinned, saluting his friend. Matthew laughed and shook his head.
"What are we going to do with you?"
"Let me switch rooms?" he offered. "Cause I gotta tell you, after everything that's happened this week, I don't know how much more of this guy I can take. Even with the play wri-oh!" he exclaimed. "We actually managed to finish it! And we used your idea Matt, you know, to go with the romance thing? We figured as long as we have access to the extra actors, we might as well used them to put a girl and a boy into the main parts."
"That's great!" Matthew beamed. "But, weren't you guys worried about not being able to direct things properly because you wouldn't be the leads?"
"At first," Alfred admitted. "But we practiced and went over it so much, I think that we should be OK to just direct from the sidelines."
"Well, I'm glad you two reached a consensus," Matthew chuckled. "Now come on, Feliciano's got breakfast on the table, and I certainly don't want to miss it."
"Damn straight, I'm starving," Alfred groaned, starting toward the door. "I mean, no lunch yesterday, and no dinner cause we were locked in the freaking library! Maaan I wanted that gelato."
"Don't worry, Feliciano saved you guys some, it's in the freezer," Matthew informed him. "We did eat without you though, cause we figured you were just taking a while, and Gilbert was getting impatient. Sorry about that."
"It's cool. As long as I get breakfast. Speaking of food..." he glanced at his friend as they started down the steps. "How was... I mean, how was your cooking thing with that guy?" Matthew brightened, giving a nonchalant shrug and pulling Kuma closer to him.
"It went... well," he smiled. "I don't think he's mad at me anymore, so I'm happy. He seems to be in a better mood overall, actually. I wonder what happened that made him so cheery all of a sudden?"
"You still want to talk with that guy?" Alfred pressed. "Even with his personality?" Matthew frowned.
"I don't think his personality is... that bad. I mean, the flirting is a bit of an issue I suppose. I have math with him and he's always coming on to some girl. And I suppose he is a little bit of a trouble maker, but then again, so are you and Soren. Also, he's kind of a pervert but..."
"But?" Alfred asked incredulously. "Where's the but here?"
"I'm not sure he's really such a bad person, once you get to talk to him. He told me a lot about France yesterday, and it was really fun to listen to. And then I told him about Canada, and he asked if I liked hockey, and-"
"That still doesn't change how he acted towards you at first," Alfred cut in. "You're just going to forget all that?" Matthew glanced slowly at him and, to Alfred's surprise, shook his head.
"No, I don't think I can forget the way he treated me. But, if he were to change, maybe I could forgive him?" The line was formed as a question, as if, perhaps, Matthew was asking himself just that. Alfred felt his heart sink. He didn't want his friend to be unhappy, so if Matty wanted to be friends with Francis, it really wasn't his place to stop him. Even so, he worried.
"Well, never mind that," he said quickly. "Look, you do whatever you, whatever you think is right, OK? But if he ever starts bothering you..."
"I know, I know," Matthew chuckled. "You and Soren will be right there."
"Oh, Alfred, Matthew, good morning!" A quiet voice exclaimed from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Kiku standing there, tugging at the ends of his pale white shirt and smiling politely. "How are you feeling, Alfred? Your cold hasn't come back from having to walk through the rain, has it?"
"I should be asking you that!" Alfred grinned. "You guys were the ones up all night looking for us in that downpour. If a single one of you sneezes, I promise I'll be there in an instant with a tissue. It's my fault after all."
"Ah thank you!" Kiku exclaimed bowing his head. "But it's not necessary to go to such lengths. We were all very happy to have found you both. It was no trouble!"
"Yea, the hardest part of it all was just waking you up," Matthew snickered. "You kept whining and rolling around and telling Arthur to shut up. It took us ten minutes to even get you to open your eyes."
Kiku let out an amused chuckled. "You were quite a handful to get back to the cabin. You and Arthur were bickering the whole way, although I think you were probably half asleep for most of it."
"Yea I don't remember that," Alfred admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh well, what are you gonna do? You just woke up right? We were on our way to get breakfast. You too?"
Kiku nodded. "Feliciano was quite excited about what he was cooking for breakfast today, and it would be a shame if I didn't get to try it," he smiled warmly. "Is Ludwig already awake as well?"
"He was the third one up," Matthew informed him as they began down the stairs again. "He woke Feliciano after that and it's been kind of a slow progression since then. Surprisingly, Romano woke up relatively early, not long after his brother. He was grumbling about having something to do."
"Wonder what that could be?" Alfred mused, hopping off the last step and into the living room.
"None of your damn business." The reply came from the kitchen. Romano scowled at them as he reached into the cabinets, grabbing a stack of plates. "Feli and I are going to go out in a little while, so don't wait up for us to eat."
"Ve~ Fratello, don't be so mean!" Feliciano chirped carrying a large platter covered in, well, some sort of food, toward the kitchen island. "Roma and I are going to head down to the school in a couple minutes and see if we can't catch the train."
"Whatever for?" Kiku asked curiously.
"And how do you know the school's even open? It was all locked up last night," Alfred reminded him.
"Oh, I checked the train schedule when we got back yesterday," Feliciano replied. "It runs on Sundays, so I can only assume that means the school is open, right?"
"True," Alfred agreed.
"Anyway," He turned to Kiku and wiped his hands on the plain white apron that covered his front. "Romano and I are going to church. It is Sunday of course, and I feel bad for missing last week. Grandfather would have scolded us if he knew. When we were wandering around the town the other day, I noticed they had one, a church I mean. It was too rainy for me to tell weather it was Catholic or not, but either way, we should still go and say a prayer at least, even if we don't stay for mass."
"You're Catholic?" Matthew blinked. Feliciano nodded.
"Yes, it is quite uncommon to find an Italian that is not, though not impossible by any means. Antonio said he might join us, but he's still taking a shower so I don't know if he'll make it in time."
"You guys are good," Alfred admitted, flopping down on the couch. " I don't remember the last time I went to mass. I think it was Easter."
"Oh?" Feliciano perked. "You're Christian then?" Alfred shrugged.
"I'm the once a year kind. But anyway, you guys aren't going to get to eat breakfast with us? Even though you cooked it?"
"That's the idea," Romano grumbled.
"We'll save some for you," Matthew offered. Feliciano laughed brightly.
"Ve~ thank you! But really it's all right; I'll make something for brother and I when we get home. At that point it will be more like lunch. It's already eleven now, and we'll probably be back around twelve thirty, if we stay for all of mass."
"Sooo what did you make?" Alfred asked, jumping up to get a better look at the food.
"Brioche," Romano informed him, shoving a plate into his hands. "It's an Italian sweet bread."
"We made coffee and hot chocolate too!" Feliciano grinned.
"Man, there seems to be a lot of hot chocolate lately," Alfred blinked, grabbing a roll and placing it on the porcelain plate. "Speaking of hot chocolate, where's Arthur?"
"What does Arthur have to do with hot chocolate? And when did you two get so friendly with each other as to use your names?" Matthew teased lightly.
"Between you and Elizaveta..." He grumbled.
"What about me?" she asked, appearing suddenly beside them.
"Oh, nothing," Alfred smiled innocently. "Where is everyone else? I was getting the riot act about being one of the last ones up, but I'm not seeing any of our team mates rushing down the stairs."
"They're coming," Elizaveta assured him. "The line for the shower is pretty long today, and everyone's hanging out in their rooms until Antonio, Arthur and Ludwig finish up." She took a sip of coffee and scrunched her nose. "Feli, do we have cream and sugar?"
"Arthur too?"
Elizaveta's eyes lit up mischievously and she nodded. "Yea, I ran into him a little bit before he went in. He was mutter something about feeling disgusting, 'bloody yank' this and 'damn git' that. You want to tell us what happened last night? How was your little date?" She grinned, drumming her fingers on the counter.
"Alfred and Arthur went on a date?" Feliciano cried, clapping his hands together happily. "Ve~ I'm so happy for you both!"
"I-idiot!" Alfred stammered. "Who said anything about that? We were trapped in a library!"
"Well he's mad at you for some reason," Elizaveta pointed out. "So you must have done or said something that upset him."
"The hell should I know," he grumbled. "He's always mad at me."
"Who is?" Francis inquired, slipping past them and grabbing a pastry.
"God you people sure do like to pop up out of nowhere and scare a guy!" Alfred muttered, flinching at the sound of the French boy's voice. "I didn't even hear you come down!"
"Right, that's because I'm a ghost," Francis joked, dipping the roll into a yellow mug filled with cocoa. "Now, who were you talking about?"
"Nothing, nothing, never mind," Alfred grumbled, taking a bite of his own breakfast. His stomached warmed at the feeling of food, and he licked his lips. "Whoa, hey this stuff is pretty good!"
"If you actually dip it, it tastes better," Francis told him, taking a sip of his drink. "Is Matthew down here?"
Alfred scowled. "Who wants to-"
"Ah, I'm over here!" Matthew called, popping up from behind a chair where he had been sitting with Kiku on the floor. Francis laughed and walked over to the pair, settling down beside them. Alfred, annoyed gaze still locked on the boy, followed suit, sitting cross-legged next to Kiku. Even if Matthew had decided to trust him, he wouldn't.
"Well, you're certainly awake this morning. I didn't expect that, after the night we had. Are you sure you're feeling all right? You're not sore or anything?" Francis asked gently.
"Yes, of course I'm fine!" Matthew insisted. "It was just a bit of rain."
"Yes," Francis chuckled, and odd sort of smile coming across his face. "Just a bit of rain."
"Matty, where's Soren?" Alfred cut in. "Is he in his room?" Matthew shook his head.
"Last I remember, he said he was going upstairs, you know, to the third floor. That was just before I went in to wake you up, so he should still be there."
"Will you come help me look for him?" Alfred begged, searching for any excuse to get the two away from each other. He really did want to find Soren, but if he could get Matthew to come along, well, that would be a bonus.
"You'll find him, Alfred," Matthew chuckled. "It's not that big of a house."
"Right..." He sighed, defeated, and set his dishes on the floor. "I'll be back in a few. And don't worry about the dishes, I'll get them." With a wave of his hand, he stood and retreated up the stairs. Damn, that hadn't worked so well. He didn't hate Francis, per se. He just didn't like the idea of him getting close to Matthew, especially since the boy clearly had those types of intentions in mind. His friend had a habit of giving himself up to every person he met. It wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't really a good thing either, when it came to people like Francis. Oh well, he thought, letting out a frustrated sigh. I'll just watch them closely. As long as he's not being a bother, there shouldn't be any harm in letting them become friends, but I'll have to make sure he doesn't start acting the way he was before. After all, Matthew was practically his brother, and brothers looked out for one another, no matter what.
"Are you kidding me?" he heard a terrified hiss echo softly down the third floor hall as he reached the top of the stairs. "But, how?"
"I have no idea!" A voice replied in quiet panic. "I was in the office, and saw your name on it so I grabbed it. It was addressed to the principal."
"Damn it!"
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know!"
Alfred inched slowly across the floor towards the upstairs living room. The whispers were quite and short, barely audible, but he recognized them. What on earth were Lukas and Tino going on about?
"Well you have to do something, because if there's no reply, they'll send another one, and we might not intercept it next time," Tino murmured.
"I know, I know!" Lukas growled. "Ugh, I can't believe...so fast...what about you?" his voice was fluctuating, becoming louder and softer as he tried to keep his tone down. Alfred strained to listen.
"I'll see what I can do. But there might not...I can try... don't know."
"Alfred?"
Alfred fought back a surprised yelp (although couldn't help jumping into the air) at the voice that had whispered so suddenly into his ear. Who the hell...?
"Soren." He breathed in relief, backing into Kiku's room where the blonde was hiding out. Gently, he shut the door, careful not to make a sound that might alert the duo that they were there. When it was closed, he turned to him.
"What the fuck man that was not cool." He growled, keeping his voice low.
"Sorry sorry!" Soren laughed quietly, throwing his hands up in defense. "I saw a shadow move across the floor and I was wondering who else was up here, 'cause their voices hadn't gotten any closer."
Alfred gave him a suspicious look. "How long have you been up here?" Soren shrugged.
"Couple minutes."
"You've been eavesdropping this whole time? Soren!"
"Hey, you were listening too," Soren muttered, flopping down on Kiku's bed. "Anyway, did you get what they were talking about?"
Alfred furrowed his brow. "Something that arrived at the office for Lukas. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. I'm assuming it was a letter."
"Yea, that's what I got," Soren agreed. "I was on my way up to pull him down for breakfast when I over heard the two of them talking. I literally got up here like, five minutes ago."
"So after Kiku and Elizaveta came down."
He nodded. "Yea, Kiku was actually on his way down when I started up."
"What were they saying before?"
"It was mostly Tino trying to get Lukas to calm down. Then he took out this piece of paper and let him read it which lead to a lot of swearing from Lukas..." He glanced at the door. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen that guy show so much emotion. Whatever's going on, it must be important."
"Think we should ask?" Alfred muttered. Soren shook his head.
"No, I think we should stay out of it for now. Maybe it'll work itself out. I don't want to barge in on his private matters."
"That's another thing!" Alfred exclaimed quietly. "You brushed me off last time, but I want to know what's been going on with you lately. Ever since Monday you've been acting all careful around him and weird. What the hell is up Soren?"
His friend sighed and gave him a weary glance. "Ah... well..." Alfred cocked his head curiously.
"Yea?"
"Remember how I said that he had been looking for something all over the corridors that day?"
Alfred nodded. How could he forget? The boy had to be carried home on Soren's back he was so tired.
"Well, what he was looking for... he kept going on and on about this cross that he'd lost. I thought it might have been a necklace, or something he kept in his pocket, so I asked if he could tell me what it looked like so I could lend a hand..." Alfred listened intently.
"And then... he gave me this look. Like I'd gone crazy, and he said 'what are you stupid? I've worn it in my hair everyday since we met."
Alfred frowned. "A cross? He's never worn a cross in his hair."
"Exactly. And that's not even the strangest part." Soren paused, eyed shadowed in worry. "When I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, he laughed, actually laughed and told me to go see a doctor."
"Because you couldn't remember?" Alfred asked. Soren shook his head.
"Because apparently, I'm the one who gave it to him."
O ~ O ~ O
A/N: Finished! Not a long chapter, but not a short one either so I'm ok with that lol. Confused? You should be XD I'm so evil lol.
*Runs from tomatoes* I'm going to get killed for the downplay of the Library scene huh? Lol. Oh well, I'm actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. can you guy's pick out which lines are from The Tell Tale Heart? Each of them have at least one line every time they , and if you were wondering about what's going on in the particular scene they created, two lovers are meeting outside the girls home. It's lined with gaurds, and it's the first time they've seen each other in a while, so they're dancing quietly in one of the gardens and they notice that they can hear each others hearts beating. That last line that Alfred said (the part that was from the original TTH) is actually what inspired a lot of how their relationship is going to develop, just a hint XD
ahahahahaha XD Francis you pervert... props to anyone who figured out the not so innocent undertone to something he said XD
Thank you sooooo much for all your reviews! It feels like I get more each chapter and it makes me unbearably happy ^^
Until next time! :D