Ten-Faced

Chapter 8 – The Fourth Face – Tsundere

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I don't own any of it; I'm just in it for the Romerica ;)

Warning: MPD/DID!Lovi, male x male pairings, harsh language, and AU.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who left reviews! You are all fantastic! I was so excited that I got you this chapter a lot earlier than expected. It was a relatively quick write and edit, since this Face is very similar to the true Lovino. I still wanted to make him distinguishable, so I made his moods shift faster and more drastically.

Here's a list of all the identified Faces so far: 1 – Lovi, 2 – Shy, 3 - Charisma, 4 - Tsundere, 5 - Charmer, 6 - Tactician, 7 – Fighter, 8 - ?, 9 – Sweet, 10 - ?

oOo

After overhearing Alfred's conversation with his brother, Tsundere was not in a good mood. To prove it, he stormed back to his locker, glaring at anyone foolish enough to get in his way. If looks could kill, at least a quarter of the school would have been dead by the time he got there.

Why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he just get through to Alfred how he felt about him? It shouldn't be this hard… Why the hell was everyone so blind to him?! Nothing he'd tried had worked so far and Lovino could feel it tearing him apart inside.

Do I have to beat it into him?

The current Face briefly entertained the thought of clobbering the oblivious blonde until he understood how much he really cared. He managed to chuckle at the mental image, but knew he could never really do that. The brunette sighed. Fate had a way of completely screwing him over when it counted the most.

Besides, if Prince-fucking-charming couldn't get through to that hamburger bastard, what chance do I have…?

Even his thoughts were beginning to tire him out. Really nice of the other stupid Faces to go and exhaust the body on him again. Tsundere just wanted to go home and isolate himself from society for the next few hours. Lovino desperately needed to recharge after socializing for so long. He shut his locker door and let his arm lazily fall to his side. His forehead rested against the cool metal with a soft thunk. No human contact for the rest of the night sounded exactly like what the doctor had ordered.

Bordering on the edges of his consciousness, Tsundere could feel the voices of the other Faces. Some were grumbling, some were whispering, some were screaming. They were annoyed that he was in control and wanted a turn for themselves. The other personas sounded just like everyone else to the current Face. Everyone always judged him without looking at the real him, told him what to do, how to act, never considering that he acted the way he did for a reason, it was a part of who he was, and they should just accept it. He knew he wasn't perfect; he knew he didn't always interact with others very well, but he also knew he didn't deserve the constant reminder. The other Faces got louder and louder inside his mind, until he felt himself snapping.

"Back off!" he shouted, not realizing he'd said it out loud.

While effectively shutting the other Faces up, he'd also managed to startle the few students loitering in the hallway. They gave him strange looks and quickly continued on their way.

Great…now they think I'm crazy too…Oh. I guess I kind of am. Dammit…

Lovino sat down on the nearest bench to recover for a moment. He was so tired, he was tempted to curl up right there and take a siesta. The few Faces that actually gave a shit about his body would probably be enough to keep the other idiotic Faces at bay, so nobody would take over while he was asleep. Just a quick nap wouldn't hurt, right? Tsundere was so out of sorts, that he didn't even notice Alfred until he was sitting beside him, his sky blue eyes filled with worry.

"Lovino, you alright?" was all he asked.

"Fine," he spat angrily to cover up his surprise.

"Look, if…if you're in some kind of trouble, you can tell me, y'know?" Alfred didn't even flinch. Instead, he carefully placed a comforting hand on the Italian's shoulder.

"I said I'm fine, hamburger bastard," he snapped back, but looked away to hide his blush. "Like I'd need your help anyway."

"Maybe, but—"

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't need it," Lovino forced himself to stand up. "I don't need anyone's help, dammit. I'm fine all on my own."

"Lovino…"

"I got myself this far, didn't I?!" he could feel his emotions flare up, but he was starting to lose his grip on them. He didn't want to yell at Alfred, he really didn't, but it was too late. The flood of emotions Lovino built up during the long day of fake smiles, dealing with people, and acting like everything was sunshine and fucking rainbows was beginning to crack. If he didn't get away from Alfred now, he knew he'd say something else he'd regret. "I don't need anyone's help! Maybe you fuckers are the ones that need to change!"

Ignoring Alfred's startled expression and the tears that began to burn in his own eyes, Tsundere tore off down the long hallway. The American was left on the bench, speechless. Alfred could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He felt like it was choking now that he was seeing more and more of the damage all these different moodswings were doing to Lovino. As crazy as Lovino's behavior had been the last couple days, Alfred had to agree with him on one thing – he wasn't the one who should change. If Lovino was having problems and the people around him weren't helping, it wasn't Lovino who was in need of an attitude adjustment. His friends and family were the ones who needed to change up their act to help him. So far, it looked like none of them were.

But Alfred would help. He would become the hero Lovino needed to save him. If Lovino was struggling, at least he wouldn't be alone anymore. Alfred didn't know if he could solve all of the boy's problems, but he would damned well try.

I swear I'll get to the bottom of this so Lovino can feel better and just be himself…!

oOo

Not even caring where he was, Lovino slammed through the front doors and ran out of the building. He was barely aware of all the people around him. All that mattered to Tsundere was putting as much distance between himself and all these idiots as possible. If interacting with people who didn't really give a shit about him was so important, Charisma and Charmer could have the job. Tsundere wanted nothing to do with the shallow liars around him. He shoved past pedestrians until he made it to the crosswalk.

SCREEEEEEECH!

His eyes widened as a pale blue car headed straight for him. In an instant, Fighter took over and practically threw himself to the other side of the road, but Lovino's physical body got tangled up in their mental battle. This caused him to stumble over the curb and land on his ass.

As Tsundere evaluated the damage done to his scraped-up hand, the car pulled over and the Bad Touch Trio poured out.

"LOVI!" a worried Spaniard shouted and rushed over immediately.

"Mon dieu! Is he alright?!" Francis followed, panicking. "I didn't hurt you, did I?!"

"Holy shit, Lovino!" Gilbert exclaimed, still stunned. "What were you doing in the middle of the road?"

When the brunette realized he was alive, he watched the small trickle of blood spill from his hand to the pavement. He was transfixed…the car, the blood…it was almost like…

"Lovi? Lovi!" Antonio's shouts grew more anxious as he shook his unresponsive friend's shoulders. Was Lovino going into shock? That would be bad…He tried to sound calmer in hopes it would somehow transfer over to the Italian as well. "Look at me, Lovi. Mírame. Can you hear me?"

Images from the car accident that stole his parents' lives sprang to life in the back of Lovino's mind. The comforting Spaniard crouched beside him contorted into the mangled image of his limbless and lifeless father. The effeminate Francis waving a hand in front of his face became the twisted vision of his mother, staring at him with what was left of her smashed in face. Lovino started to sweat under the pressure of it all. It was too overwhelming on his already drained body. He thought he was going to be sick.

No…not here…not now…

Quickly pulling himself together, Lovino shook the others off, pulled away, and stood up on his own, despite how unsteady his feet were.

"Che cazzo!" he cursed. "The goddamned hell is wrong with you shitheads?!"

Gilbert and Francis were surprised by the complete lack of charm. Sure, he had nearly been hit by a car, but where was the suave Italian they spoke with earlier? Both could only stare as Lovino went ballistic. Antonio, on the other hand, hugged the younger boy, exclaiming he was so happy Lovi was back to his cute, old self. As a crowd of students began to form, Lovino grew more and more uncomfortable. Everyone's eyes on him only made him more insecure. He had wanted to get away from others, not be surrounded by them!

"Lovino! There you are!" Alfred made his way past the BTT and small crowd of students as if he was expecting him. "C'mon, we gotta get going or we'll be late for our group project!"

"W-What?" the typically hostile Face was thrown off by Alfred's sudden appearance. Was he trying to help him? After all the crap he just said to him not 10 minutes ago?

"Relax, we'll still make it if we hurry," the blonde smiled, guiding Lovino away from the panic attack-inducing crowd. "Let's go."

"Whatever…" Tsundere grumbled, but allowed Alfred to lead him away from the growing crowd. He had felt like a fly in a spider's web. Anything was better than being stuck there one second longer.

Well…almost anything.

oOo

"No," Lovino shook his head. "Hell, no. There is no fucking way you're getting me in there."

"Do I really have to bribe you with candy?" Alfred asked, pouting slightly.

"Wouldn't do you any good if you did," Tsundere insisted. "I was nearly hit by a car just now. There's no way in hell I'm getting in one."

"C'mon, it's just me! It's not like I'm some kind of creepy stranger or something!"

"Oh? Well, you did just offer me candy to get in with you…"

"Please?"

"No cars. See you later, hamburger bastard."

Alfred's eyes widened as Lovino turned to leave, still a little shaky. Before he knew what he was doing, Alfred had rushed up to him and nearly crushed him in a giant hug.

"I am so sorry…" he spoke, his arms remained wrapped around the struggling brunette. "How could I have been so stupid? Of course you don't want to be in a car after that…Why would you? That's gotta be the last place you want to be…"

Lovino stopped clawing at the American's arms, when he realized Alfred wasn't talking about the incident with the Bad Touch Trio. He hadn't said a word and yet, somehow Alfred already knew. Of course, most of the school knew that the Vargas boys lost their parents in a car accident, but they all seemed to forget and still joked about being crazy drivers or killing people with their driving around both. Tsundere felt a little taken aback that Alfred remembered and actually cared. It was a lot more than he could say about most people.

"Would it be okay if I walked you home then?" the blonde asked. "No cars, I promise."

"Why?" the Face snapped, finally free of the bone-crushing hut that he may or may not have secretly enjoyed. "Your car is here, bastardo."

"I can always walk back and get it."

"That's stupid, even for you."

"If backtracking a few blocks is all it takes to know you made it home safe, I'm more than happy to," he laughed, snatching up Lovino's bag. "Look, I'll even carry your stuff! You know I'm good at that!"

Tsundere found himself speechless for a moment. Alfred was willingly offering to put up with him just to make sure he was safe? He could feel his heart tug inside his chest. It was a small action, but it made him feel just the tiniest bit more important and a little less worthless. Lovino wasn't sure how to express that to the blonde, so he decided to take him up on his offer instead.

"Well, I suppose since you offered to carry all my crap, I guess I could let you walk with me…" replied the brunette. "B-But only just this once!"

"'Kay!" Alfred beamed, happily falling in pace with his friend. "Oh, one more thing though!"

The blonde pulled something out of his own bag. It was a small white box about the size of Alfred's hand.

"What's that?"

"First aid kit. Mattie doesn't let me leave the house without one since my last football injury."

"Huh?"

"You hurt your hand, didn't you?" Alfred raised his eyebrows. "Lemme see."

Before he could protest, Lovino felt Alfred take his wrist and pull upwards to inspect it.

"Hmm…It doesn't look too bad, but we should take care of it, just in case," he nodded, pulling out some antiseptic wipes. "This'll sting a little…"

Tsundere refused to make any kind of noise when the chemicals on the wipe came into contact with his hand. It wouldn't have hurt as much if he had less scrapes covering his hand, but the Face was determined to save face in front of Alfred. In the end, the blonde noticed how hard Lovino was struggling not to make a sound and chuckled a bit.

"You're so brave, Lovi," he laughed. "These things always make me howl."

"Don't call me 'Lovi' or I'll make you howl…"

"Oh, really?" Alfred winked, enjoying the shade of red spreading across Lovino's face as he realized what he said. "You promise?"

"Shut up and give me my hand back already!"

"Hang on, I want to add some bandages, just to make sure it doesn't get infected."

Lovino sighed, but resigned to allowing his doctor-of-sorts pull out a roll of bandages and quickly cover his hand in them. At first it seemed like Alfred knew he was doing, but after he spent half the roll on something as minor as a few scratches, Lovino was beginning to have his doubts.

"There!" Alfred bit the loose strand, tearing off the excess bandage. He tucked the roll back in the kit and finished tying the bandage on Lovino's injured hand into a bow. "All better!"

"I don't think it's supposed to be in a damn bow."

"Nonsense, that helps it get better faster," he grinned back and placed a quick kiss on the bow. "Now it'll get better extra-fast!"

Tsundere's face turned beet red and he was unable to stammer out a response.

"Something wrong?" asked Alfred, completely unaware that the same method of healing injuries his mom used for Matthew and himself as kids would have any kind of odd reaction when administered to another teenage boy.

"L-Let's go already, bastard!"

"Just lead the way!"

oOo

Walking home with Alfred was a bizarre mix of relaxing and terrifying all at the same time. Lovino didn't feel any of the stress or criticizing stares he normally felt around others. Despite being a giant ball of optimistic energy, Alfred's presence was surprisingly soothing. Tsundere wasn't sure if it was because the chatty blonde took all the pressure of initiating and leading the conversation away or not, but he found himself content to listen to Alfred go on about homework, crazy teachers, and his plans for the weekend (which was ironic, since it annoyed him to no end when his own brother did that).

What really surprised the Face was whenever he spoke up. During those times, Alfred, chatterbox incarnation, was completely silent (save for the occasional 'Really?' and 'Yeah') and was hanging on his every word. It was one of the few times Lovino felt like his opinion really mattered…not that he was going to make a big deal about it or anything. That would be lame.

"I was going to re-watch Captain America: The First Avenger with Mattie to get ready for the next Captain America movie that'll be out soon!" Alfred beamed with excitement. "The Winter Soldier is going to be so good!"

"Oh, I've never seen it…" The Face admitted.

Alfred stopped walking for a moment and stared. So much for not judging him.

"You poor guy!" the hero enthusiast pretended to cry. "You've had a hard time, haven't you?"

"What the hell, it's just a movie!"

"Lovi, Lovi, Lovi…" Alfred patted his back. "It is not just a movie. Captain America is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American Way! The movie had everything! Action! Romance! Honor! Dancing Heroes! It even pulled off a cool retro vibe!"

"Whatever you say, bastard."

"That kind of attitude is unacceptable!" Alfred teased him. "You wouldn't say that if you'd seen it!"

"Well, I haven't seen it, so too bad."

"That settles it, then!" exclaimed the blonde. "This weekend, you're coming over to my place and we're watching Captain America!"

"Y-You can't just go and decide that for me!"

"We'll have popcorn, candy, and soda! Just like a real movie theater!" Alfred winked, ignoring all protests. "And if you're really good, we'll order pizza from that Italian restaurant you like so much! Ha, ha, ha! It's perfect!"

Lovino found himself instinctively pressing a hand to his heart in a vain attempt at making it slow down. Any faster, and the damned thing would probably burst from his chest. Why the hell did something as little as talking to his crush make him feel like bolting to avoid cardiac arrest?

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, a bit worried. "You've been clutching your chest for awhile now. You didn't hurt it, did you? I still have my first aid kit; want me to take a look?"

"No!" Tsundere responded quickly. He didn't mean to practically scream in Alfred's face, but the blonde's request to take his clothes off wasn't really helping him avoid a heart attack. Lovino ripped his hand from its resting position and forced himself to look forward and avoid Alfred's eyes at all costs. "Er, I mean, no, it's nothing."

"If you say so."

It wasn't long before they arrived at Lovino's house. Alfred was still a little concerned about the Italian's obvious distress, but also saw how hard he was trying to hide it. Deciding that he was in no danger at the moment, the American figured baby steps were the way to go. He got to walk Lovino home (something he never thought he'd be able to do) and didn't want to push it.

"Here's your bag, Lovi," he grinned. "Thanks for letting me carry it."

"D-Don't call me 'Lovi' you hamburger-brained idiot!" a flustered Lovino grabbed his bag. "It's n-not like I needed you to carry the damned thing! I was just proving that it's all you're good at is all!"

Alfred laughed and Tsundere most definitely did not compare it to music in his mind.

"Fair enough!" he turned and waved. "If you ever need a pack mule again, you know where to find me."

"Y-You wish!" the blushing Face stormed into his house, barely managing a wave back. Romantic feelings weren't his forte. He usually left that up to Sweet and Charmer. Tsundere was more of a defensive Face. But two chance encounters with Alfred and even his walls were starting to crumble. He sighed. His nerves were so frazzled, he could practically feel them short-circuiting on him. That siesta was sounding better and better.

oOo

Lovino entered his house, still wearing his Tsundere Face. His talk with Alfred had only heightened his emotions. For some reason, he felt like a rubber band ready to snap from being stretched so far today.

"Ciao, fratello!" Feli greeted him.

Great. Just great.

"How are you?" his younger brother batted his big Bambi eyes at him. A sure sign that he wanted something.

"Fine," Lovino snarled.

Feliciano couldn't help but flinch. It had been awhile since he'd last seen that side of his brother. Quickly, he recovered his sunny disposition and took the older boy's hand to keep him from retreating to his room so soon. He noticed the cute bow on it, but knew better than to say anything.

"Ve, I'm worried about you, Lovi…" he said softly. If his brother was in a bad mood, he needed to get to the point right away. "I think you have too much on your plate right now with your violin recital, filling in on the soccer team, helping the Culinary Club, and creating scenery for the Theater Department."

"I said I'm fine," Lovino snatched his hand back. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Later."

"B-But I have dinner almost done."

"Not hungry!" was his only response, as he stomped towards the stairs.

Feliciano tried to block his exit before he lost him.

"Fratello, I really, really want to talk to you…" he insisted. "I was in your room earlier and—"

"Why?" Lovino silenced him with a glare.

Feli shivered, claiming he only wanted to talk. It wasn't like he went in there to invade his brother's privacy. He began rambling about the mug on the floor and the hostile Face cut him off.

"We're done talking, Feliciano," he growled, pushing past him and towards the stairs. Almost as an afterthought, he turned back to his brother with a glare. "…And stay out of my room."

oOo

Lovino entered his room, angrily tossing his bag on the floor. He collapsed on the bed, exhausted, thinking Feliciano may have been right about overdoing it.

He just wanted Alfred to notice him and was willing to try a couple different ways until he got it right. Even if the rest of the world didn't accept him, he was fine as long as Alfred did. Lovino covered his face with his arms, feeling like a stupid child. As long as he kept acting like some dumb kid, Alfred was never going to like him. His emotions spiraled inside him and a new personality rose.

oOo

Downstairs, Feliciano continued worrying over his brother as he stirred his pasta noodles. Lovino almost seemed like a different person every time he saw him now. It was different than when he went through his phases of which classes he wanted to take at school. This was also too intense to be following a person or magazine's suggestions for winning the love of your life over. Even his room was crazy and unlike him.

Didn't his brother know how important he already was? How much everyone already loved him? He didn't need to change himself one bit to win over Alfred or anyone he chose. Lovi was Lovi, and that was good enough in Feli's book.

If Lovi wouldn't talk to him about it, Feliciano decided it would be worth it to ask his friends for help.

oOo

A/N

More car trauma. I actually had written something else, but changed it to this after nearly getting hit by a car myself ^_^;

Crazy Driver Who I Imagine Is Also A Crazy Soccer Mom: (speeds around icy corner, despite obvious crosswalk) Screw you, traffic laws!

Me: ?! (dodges car like a boss, still lands on her ass)

Crazy Soccer Mom: (drives/slides away quickly)

Random Pedestrian: Are you okay?

Me: (stands, brushes ice off) Peachy. (blinks) I can use this!

Random Pedestrian: ….?

Because naturally, my first logical thought after a near-hospital experience is how I can best use the situation in a Romerica fanfic. I may or may not have my own pending psychological issues XD

Not that I'm saying Francis is a crazy soccer mom, mind you. Ahem. Probably.

I also added the car to leave the reminder, that it wasn't just Alfred and the people at school that caused the Faces to emerge in Lovino. Poor guy had seen and been through more shit by the time he was four than some people do in their entire lives. People have already taken notice, but now we see them trying to help in their own way. Alfred tries to be the hero, Feli tries to be the comforting brother, and the BTT nearly run him over with a car…accidentally, of course!

Any guesses for the next Face? Or who Feliciano decides to ask for help?

-Rajikka

Translations:

Tsundere – A tsundere is a type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

Fratello – Brother (It.)

Mon dieu – My god (Fr.)

Amigo – Friend (Sp.)

Mírame – Look at me (Sp.)

Che cazzo – What the fuck (It.)

Bastardo – Bastard (It.)