Matthew (April 21, Friday)
It was an awkward silence. The one where you knew something had to be said but you didn't know how to say it. Except, it wasn't me nor was it Alfred who had to say anything. It was the two men in front of us. Our aunt and uncle. I didn't know what to think. They were an odd pair. Both were blonde but one had bright violet eyes and the other had stern blue eyes. One was ridiculously tall and the other about Alfred's height. They were Aunt Tino and Uncle Berwald.
Tino was the first to speak, a bright smile on his face. "It's really good to see you again..." His voice wasn't as soft as I'd expected but instead a comforting, purely him voice. I knew that if I had heard it five years ago in the supermarket, I would have recognized him just from his voice immediately. "You don't know how much it means to see you both alive and well again. After so many years, who could have guessed what had happened?"
Alfred smiled. "We sure didn't. Not for a long time. It's weird, huh?" He laughed the way he always did when he wasn't sure if he'd said the right thing and didn't want another awkward silence.
"It's very odd..." Tino admitted and Berwald nodded. He hesitated then, seeming not sure whether or not he wanted to say what was on the tip of his tongue. "It's odd that we – along with your parents – have to get to know you all over again. It's not something we ever imagined having to do." I nodded, knowing that very well. It was something that no child should have to ever do. But I didn't say any of this. Instead, Tino continued to talk, telling us all about how much they'd worried about us and how much hope they'd had had to muster when so much time had passed.
It was the same basic thing I'd heard from Francis and Arthur but it seemed so different coming from my aunt's mouth with Berwald nodding and looking away every once in awhile. It was odd to think that more than just our parents had been affected by our disappearance. I realized that, of course, the rest of our family must have been worried.
I felt so small here, knowing now that there were more people Alfred and I would have to meet who would be so happy to see us. I was a lucky child. One who could have easily been killed but instead was raised by a couple that wasn't related to me at all. How was this fair? I was struggling to fall back into the normality of life, to figure out who I was. I had had several years ripped from under my feet and now I had to steady myself before I was pushed out the door into the adult world. I felt sick.
That night, memories flashed in and out of my half-conscious mind as I fell asleep. Some were good, some were bad, some were day-dreams I'd had to pass away the time. But all of them reminded me that I had left something familiar behind to live in something new.
Alfred (April 24, Monday)
There was a different atmosphere in the school as Matthew and I walked in that morning. I listened to all the chatter but it sounded the same as every other day. We wandered into the auditorium and found the source of the change. The entire ballroom team was spread out on stage and in the seats near the stage, looking frustrated and put out. Their friends who weren't on the team sat in the back, quietly seeming to wait for some sort of signal that they could start talking again. I glanced at my brother before walking over to Mathias. "What's going on?" I inquired when he'd looked up at me.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "They're all brooding over the fact that they lost about four members who kept goofing off during the practices and everything. The teacher apparently got pretty fed up over it and cut them. Except, the team has that dance concert here at the school coming up and they're missing those guys."
I glanced back at the stage, imagining their frustration. I didn't understand why the instructor had decided to cut them that soon to a concert. That wasn't fair to the rest of the team. I sat down on one of the chairs near the isle and thought about their dilemma. They needed replacements and fast. But how were they supposed to get them without holding auditions that would probably take too long? Unfortunately, I knew the answer before the rest of the team did. I knew how they could get the extra members and I knew they would ask. Luckily, I knew I had one escape: I had no partner.
Feeling triumphant as the bell rang, I kind of forgot about the team's problems and instead was focusing on how I'd gotten out of my own. That is, until Feliciano caught me and Matthew with an overly-hopeful expression on his face. "Ve, Alfred, Matthew! I have an idea!" he declared happily, much to the dismay of his brother who yelled from the stage that it wasn't all Feliciano's idea.
"What's your idea?" Matthew asked timidly. I wondered if he had any idea what was coming.
The brunette beamed and clasped his hands together against his chest. "You two can join our team!" he cried happily.
Matthew looked startled so I took over. "Hey, that's a great idea except we don't have partners so you're still out two," I reminded him, to which he assumed a rather confused expression. "Sorry. Until I get a partner, I can't help." I picked up my backpack and fled the auditorium. I had reason to my madness and it was quite simple to me. I was getting into a new life and trying to create that. It was coincidental that most of my new friends were on the ballroom team but I didn't mind that so much. It was the idea of putting myself into a similar pattern from my old life that I didn't like. Ballroom was off my list of things I could do. Maybe I'd look into track or something along those lines.
At lunch, I felt a little guilty of how casual and rude my response to Feliciano had been that morning. It had had time to soak and my friends looked more depressed than ever before. Feliciano and Mathias tried to cheer them up but they seemed to be the only cheerful ones there. Even Feliks had nothing more to say than, "This, like, totally sucks big time..." I sat down in my usual seat between Gilbert and Heracles but didn't feel like eating anymore. I had no ideas and no way to help them so I didn't know why I was letting it get to me so bad.
After several minutes of muttering and overall gloom, Antonio suddenly perked up and looked between me and Matthew. "Why don't you two find partners? That would be easier for you and we can get the members we need!"
Taurys smiled and added, "It would only need to be until after the concert and then we can look for more permanent members. The concert is in two weeks and we don't have time..."
It was tempting but I still had nowhere to look. Just because my friends hung out with the ballroom team didn't mean they could dance. I just shrugged, for once lacking any answer. Matthew seemed to take it more seriously than I did however. He stared at his tray, pushing food around as he thought. "If I can find a partner by Wednesday, I will join until after the concert," he finally decided and at least half the table cheered in relief.
I wanted to so badly because I missed dancing already. But I didn't want to because I was trying to make my new life and if I went back to dancing, I wouldn't be able to give it up again. I didn't know what to do so I let my indecisiveness hang in the air while everyone else chattered about Matthew's decision on the matter.
Gilbert (April 25, Tuesday)
The lack of members for the ballroom team gave me a wonderful inspiration that I thought was pure gold. I wasn't often struck with such convenient moments and I wasn't going to let it just pass by me as if I hadn't seen it. The idea was awesome and I won't deny it that. Matthew was already looking for a partner and I was pretty sure he'd easily find one just within our "non-dancing" part of the group. That left Alfred. I was getting used to our random conversations on our way home from school every day and stupid arguments over nothing at lunch. But instead of getting put off by all this, I would wake up each morning with an excitement that had my brother terrified for his life. It was pretty funny and worth being tired the rest of the day just to get up before him and see his horror-struck expression.
This was very much a part of my idea. The ballroom team needed new members and I was going to get Alfred to be my partner so we could join. Even if it was only until after the concert, it presented hundreds of opportunities to pursue him – particularly those cheesy, "we need more one-on-one practice time to make sure we have our part right" excuses. I was going to help my friends and make Alfred fall for my awesome self in two weeks.
Yes, I did think of all this at five in the morning when I was pulling myself out of bed to go sit at the table and wait for Ludwig to come downstairs.
My plan was simple. I arrived a little later than Alfred and Matthew since they came with their mom. I knew that they'd hurry to the auditorium to hang out with anyone who was already there so I scurried to Mr. Kirkland's room. He was sitting there grading papers so I knocked lightly before walking in. He looked up and narrowed his eyes at me. "Hey, I need a favor. And I know no one else could pull it off so I decided to ask you!"
He sighed, setting his pen down. "I don't owe you any favors, Gilbert. But amuse me and tell me what it is you want."
I huffed slightly and crossed my arms. His attitude momentarily made me forget what I had been planning. When I remembered, however, I broke into a grin. "I need you to go home late and say that you need Matthew and Alfred to stay here too. For whatever reason you want but I need it."
Mr. Kirkland frowned. "What for?" He looked troubled and I could almost hear the accusations he wanted to throw at me. I briefly explained that the ballroom team had lost some members, that they were looking for new ones, and I planned to get Alfred to be my partner until after the concert when they wouldn't need us anymore. He made a humming sound, and then gave a small smile. "Alright. I have an idea so you've got your wish."
I grinned childishly and thanked him before leaving the room and going to the auditorium. If this afternoon went perfect – like I knew it would because I was awesome enough to pull it off – then everything else I had planned would go perfectly as well. "Ich bin so überwältigend..." I muttered to myself as I entered the room and took a seat next to Alfred who gave me an odd look. He had no idea what was coming but I did. And I would be successful. There was no room for failure when I was so close to getting what I wanted.
A/N: Ah, yes... I am still living. Apologies for taking so long to get this chapter out. I was lacking inspiration and tried several times to get something going. This was the only draft I could stand and I'm sorry if it isn't very amazing. The next chapter should be easier for me to write and it should also flow better. I don't have a time-frame yet though...
As to why Tino and Berwald are their aunt and uncle? It was preplanned before I put out the Christmas one-shot connected to this where I added more relatives. They are now close friends to Francis and considered related because that's what Arthur and Francis deemed them. Hopefully they won't be too nonexistant in this story.
Alright, the translation for the German:
Ich bin so überwältigend... – I am so awesome...
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or characters thereof.
Hope this wasn't too much of a disappointment. Please review if you feel so inclined. They make me happy, though, in case you were wondering. :)