To celebrate no homework, I wrote a chapter. :]
And possibly worked on Lovino. Maybe. Your mileage may vary.
"We're back!" Antonio smiled happily when Gilbert announced their return. "And Feli was right, that was awesome!"
"Nothing is awesome until the winter," Lovino replied. "Idiot."
"Then we'll go back in six months." Gilbert dismissed it.
"You pushed me in!" Ludwig snapped, making the Spaniard jump in surprise. He boarded the bus, no longer soaking wet, but that might be because Feliciano was frantically trying to dry him off, andwas failing because Ludwig kept waving him off. "Don't worry about it, Feliciano."
"Ve, but you're all wet now!"
"I'm fine."
Lovino burst out laughing.
Alfred giggled, Matthew smiled sympathetically, and Arthur and Francis both smirked ever-so-slightly in amusement. Only Vasch and Lili kept all their seriousness. And Feli.
"See, Luddy, they find it funny!" Gilbert said. "C'mon, don't worry, little bro! I knew you didn't have anything in your pockets, 'cause you don't have a phone and you keep all your money in this jar in your closet!"
"… How do you know where I keep my money?"
"… That's not important."
"And I did have change from the café."
"Yes, but no dollars!"
"My receipt?"
"Why do you need that?" Ludwig sighed and muttered something very close to a "nevermind"—in Lovino-language.
"Do you need to go home, Ludwig?" Arthur asked. "You won't catch a cold or anything, I don't think, but going around in wet clothes is pretty uncomfortable."
"I'll be fine, I think."
"You've gone around in wet clothes?" Gilbert asked.
"When it rains, when I go swimming in the pond, when that loud blonde git who lives on Cross Boulevard sprays me with his garden hose…" Arthur shrugged.
"I always knew there was a reason I liked that place." Francis commented innocently.
"Can it, frog."
"Aw, Arthur, don't be such a stick in the mud."
"Yeah, you'll end up like Ludwig," Alfred chimed in. Arthur set his glare on the boy, but it softened and stopped after a minute.
"Anyway, c'mon, we gotta go home." Gilbert said, "Toni, Luddy! Antonio, you wanna stay at my house tonight? We'll hide Ludwig's dogs!" This was in reference to a past event where one of Ludwig's two dogs decided he really didn't like Antonio and proceeded to chase him back outside.
Antonio hadn't been over since. But if they hid the dog, why not, right?
... Ludwig should get some turtles. They were much better than dogs!
"Ve, you have dogs?"
"Two of them, yes." Ludwig replied, a little happier now that he was talking about his beloved (demonic) pets.
"Ve~, Lovi, do you remember that one time there was that dog in Freestate Alley and—"
"Feliciano, when did you go to Freestate Alley?" Vasch asked suddenly, sharply, like someone somewhere was in trouble and Vasch was likely to shoot them. Feliciano's eyes widened and he suddenly looked like he was about to cry.
"It was a long time ago, relax." Lovino replied before his brother could attempt an answer. "We don't go there anymore."
"Why not?" Antonio asked.
"It doesn't matter," Vasch answered quickly. "You said you had to go?"
"Bye!" Gilbert waved, even though they were all within fifteen feet of him.
"See ya guys soon! You should come by whenever you want! Maybe we'll see you in the city!" Alfred grinned.
Goodbyes went along for quite a long time before they left.
There was that tension again. Matthew really hated that tension.
It radiated off Vasch (Surprise, surprise, he noted sarcastically), Lovino (once again, not really a shocker), and a little from Arthur. Francis and Lili looked more-or-less relaxed, but Matthew could tell they saw something was up, too.
And then, for once, Alfred wasn't talking, meaning he, for once, sensed something.
And Feliciano's expression was a puzzle he couldn't read—which bothered him, because Feliciano was someone who was very in touch and expressive with his emotions.
"Lovino," Vasch said, jerking Matthew from his thoughts. "What did you mean earlier about a question?" The older twin remembered how angry Lovino had been, and said something... what was it?
"What about my question?"
"Ve?" Feliciano also snapped to attention. "Question?"
"Does it matter?" Lovino asked. No, we're just your family, aren't we? Matthew replied in his mind.
"Oh yeah," Alfred spoke up. "What was that earlier? When Antonio and them came over."
"Does it matter?" He repeated.
"Lovino," Francis looked dead-serious, "Did you say something to Antonio?"
"Why?"
"Because you're avoiding questions. Did you?"
"Shut up." His ability to avoid questions is amazing, thought Matthew's inner sarcasn. Outer politeness didn't voice this thought.
"Non. Did you?"
"Lovi, c'mon," Alfred said. "Did you say something to Antonio?"
"Ve~… Lovi, does it have to do with what you asked me?" Feliciano asked.
"Feli, I ask you a lot of things." He wasn't looking at any of them—Wonderful job acting like nothing happened, Lovino. Matthew wondered if he should silence that inner voice. It really was quite the rude thing.
"Ve, no! You know, that question about why Antonio comes to the bus! That was, like… a week ago? Ve~ I don't remember."
"Did you ask him that?" Arthur asked. "I mean Antonio."
Lovino paused, examining a spring that stuck out of one of the seats (Francis, Arthur, and Vasch all warned them and each other repeatedly not to touch the little rusted metal). "… And if I did?" It really didn't help that he now sounded guilty—probably for not telling them.
"Why didn't you talk to us about it?" Lili asked. Lovino ignored her.
"Lovi?" Lovino also ignored his little brother.
"Why are you being difficult?" Vasch asked. Have you met him?
"It's just none of your business."
"Why did you ask him?" Arthur questioned, and then quickly added, "Out of pure curiosity." Matthew's inner sarcasm found much to snark at there.
Lovino looked at him straight in the face. Of course, the minute he gets to talk about his point of view. "My own dad didn't want me. Why the hell would some stupid bastard come and talk and act like my friend when I'm not wanted? I'm not stupid, I know when people don't care about me." Clearly you don't. Did he think they didn't care about him, either?
"Do you remember when I found you?" Vasch prompted suddenly.
"What?" Lovino frowned (more than usual), puzzled.
"When I found you. You were trying to steal my food." Lovino nodded, silenced by the memory and the strange time to bring it up. "You started yelling at me in Italian, and I didn't get it, but once you said 'brother' in English, I finally got the picture. You to show me what you were trying to talk about, and here we are to today. You remember that?" Lovino just nodded again, clearly confused. "Well, Lovi, remember that people don't always need a reason. Me? I just saw two boys who needed my help or they were going to die. I don't like him all that much either, but not because I think he doesn't care about us. Maybe Antonio sees a cranky little brat who could be his friend." Lovino paused, keeping eye contact with Vasch for a long time. Then he looked down and just stayed silent.
"Vasch, that's so nice!" Matthew blinked, and remembered Lili had never heard that story. Matthew himself hadn't heard it in a while.
They didn't talk about their stories often.
Not even Francis.
His mind flashed back to a time they were surrounded by children like them. A messy brown head and bright green eyes and a soft smile. Then people who weren't like them. Those people sneered and scolded and called themselves caretakers even though they weren't all that good at their job.
His mind flashed back to yellow and orange, relief and fear and amazement, both good and bad.
"Mattie, you okay?" Alfred asked, garnering the attention of Arthur as well. They both stared at him with confusion. "You're spacing out."
Matthew shook his head. "I'm fine."
A/N- "That loud blonde git who lives on Cross Boulevard" was supposed to be Denmark. I just didn't feel like putting him by name. His jokes… yeah… it was all good natured~!
And I know in canon Germany has three dogs. He gets his third one for his eleventh birthday. So goes this!canon.
"Lovino-language" = loaded with curses.
Lovi's daddy issues are so... goodness, Lovi.
And sarcastic inner!Matthew is sarcastic.