Ten-Faced
Chapter 9 – The Eighth Face – Adult
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.
I figured a Tsundere Face would be acceptable. As one reviewer put it, Lovi's a tsundere at heart :) This Face will be a little different.
I dunno. Romano as a Hetalia character and Lovino as represented in this fic seemed to have to grow up quick to survive in the world. I figured that justified having a sort of mature or adult-ish side. It may be a smaller part of his personality, but it's still there. This Face has mastered a lot of skills that you'll see him show off later, but has a cynical view of the world and is less optimistic and carefree.
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 - Adult, 9 – Sweet, 10 - ?
oOo
Feliciano had gotten up extra early to make Lovino his favorite breakfast – crepes with cherry tomatoes for the smiley face. By the time Lovino descended the stairs and made his way into the kitchen, he could only chuckle at his little brother's efforts.
"Ve! Look, Lovi!" Feliciano handed him a plate. "Your favorite!"
"Thanks," the Adult Face graced him with a small smile. "Only you could get away with acting like such a kid…"
Feli smiled, happy Lovino seemed calmer and wasn't upset with him. He was still a little concerned however, and tried to make conversation.
"How are you feeling about the Winter Showcase tonight?"
"It's just a recital," the older Vargas brother shrugged it off, taking a small bite of food. "It'll be fine."
"But it's the Winter Showcase! It's a big deal, especially your solo! Not everybody has a solo, right?"
"In a few years, nobody will even be able to remember it," Lovino stated, absently taking a bite of tomato.
They finished breakfast quickly after that. Lovino mentioned he had to get to school early today. The brunette deposited his dishes into the sink and grabbed his bag from the hallway. He was going to the Theater Department to begin working on their scenery. Adult had already arranged to use paint from the Art classroom, but he packed his own brushes. The Face was picky about what brushes he used, preferring his own to the ones picked over by countless art students over the years.
After a short walk, Lovino arrived in the smaller practice auditorium (the main one was being used tonight for the Winter Showcase, after all). Several members from the backstage crew had already brought out the giant canvases for him to work on. He nodded his thanks to the few still there and began taking out his supplies.
"Uh…don't you need your sketches?" a skinny boy asked. Normally, the art students who came to help out brought countless sketches with them to bicker over until a final sketch was chosen.
"I brought them."
"Where are they?"
"Right here." Lovino tapped the side of his head and started mixing his paints.
"So, you're just going to start painting?" the boy asked, even more unsure of the artist in front of him. Didn't most art students draw everything out in pencil first?
"That's the idea," Adult smirked. "You need this done quickly, don't you?"
"I…I guess so?"
"Then I better get started."
During this, a few cast members dropped in to watch him work. They watched in awe as he began, turning each paint stroke into a masterpiece.
Before long, Lovino turned the blank canvases into Juliet's elegant home and ballroom, Verona's lively piazza (complete with detailed Roman monuments), and the ominous crypt befitting of the title. As Lovino climbed a ladder to put the finishing touches on the flowers trailing up the famous Capulet balcony, several girls swooned. It was almost as if Lovino was climbing up the balcony himself. Had the scrawny stage manager not had the stage on lockdown, there would have been a flood of girls clawing to get to the top of the balcony to play Juliet to the handsome painter's unknowing Romeo.
"These are incredible! It looks just like Verona!" The director walked over to Lovino once he had begun packing up for the day. He was amazed by the boy's professionalism. "It's hard to believe you're not in the Art Department! How did you do all this without a reference or source to look at?"
"I've been to Verona before, so I just painted it without all the cars and scooters," Lovino quipped, recalling his vacation there with Feliciano and their Grandfather a few years ago. "It's not as amazing as some of the cities in South Italy, but it still has its own charm...Oh, that reminds me…"
"Yes?" inquired the director.
"I based the piazza after the Piazza Bra in Verona," the wise Face began. "There's a garden nearby that has several cedar and pine trees. If you want to add to the atmosphere, you could probably ask the music department to lend you the pine trees they use in the Winter Showcase after tonight."
"Marvolous!" The director proclaimed. "I'm sure Edelstein wouldn't mind…We could even add a faint pine scent for an even bigger effect. Wonderful! You truly are a gifted student!"
Lovino merely shrugged and packed up the rest of his tools. He still had to properly wash his brushes and change out of his painting clothes before the bell rang.
oOo
Alfred had arrived at school earlier than usual to track down Lovino. He knew Lovino had soccer practice, but that was after school, so he should be at his locker or nearby that area. The American cut down a short hallway to get to the Music Department wing of the school. For some reason, the original Headmaster of World Academy decided assign lockers by each student's focus area, not their year in school. This meant that Lovino was in the Music Department wing of the school in the northeast area. It was on the exact opposite side of the building as Athletics, so Alfred had always tried to come up with excuses to visit it.
He crossed his fingers that Lovino would still be around, but couldn't find him. Alfred looped around the area again, waving to a few of his friends on the way. The blonde kept moving and just outside the small aud he saw a familiar hair curl bobbing in a sea of students. Alfred smiled and ran over.
"Hey, Lovino!" he greeted him. As he got closer, Alfred noticed all the paint splatters on his friend. "Why are you covered in paint?"
"I was helping the Theater Department out with a project."
"You're just full of surprises!" Alfred laughed, ruffling his friend's hair. "I'll have to check it out sometime."
"Yeah…" Adult managed a smile, but was a little irritated that he was being treated like a kid again.
"Hey, Lovino…"
The bell rang and the Italian silently cursed. He should've started packing up sooner. There was no way he'd make it to class on time now. Of course, then he wouldn't have met up with Alfred, so it was worth it. It's not like one tardy mark was going to be that big of a deal anyway.
"Ciao, Alfred," Lovino waved. "See you in Algebr—"
Alfred cut him off by suddenly hugging him. Even though the current Face was equipped to handle embarrassing, nerve-wracking, stressful situations, the abruptness of the hug caught him off guard and caused him to blush a bit. He had never felt Alfred's arms wrapped around him quite like this before.
"Sorry," grinned the blonde, still holding tight. "You looked like you needed that."
"Y-You're getting paint on your clothes…"
"Worth it."
Although a few people stopped to stare, giggle, or stealthily take pictures from behind a potted plant, (coughKikucough) the majority of the students were in a hurry to get to class. By the time Alfred finally released Lovino, the final bell was only minutes away. The Italian quickly led him to the nearest bathroom to try to get the paint out of Alfred's uniform before it stained.
"Give me your shirt," the Face commanded, not really paying attention to what he was asking as he began to run water in the sink.
"What?" Alfred asked, a little embarrassed.
"Your shirt," Lovino gave him a look. "We have to get the paint out before it dries and you have to walk around looking like a damned rainbow exploded on you."
"Are you calling yourself a rainbow?" the blonde laughed, pulling his shirt over his head.
"Careful or you'll get paint in your hair next," Lovino rolled his eyes and reached for the shirt. "Hand it over."
Alfred obeyed and Lovino assessed the damage while he ran it under the water. The paint was coming off easily enough, which was good, but Alfred didn't have a spare set of clothes to wear. He was lucky he only got paint on his shirt. Hell, Lovino was lucky the blonde only got paint on his shirt. Adult was able to tolerate being in the same room as a shirtless Alfred, but a pantsless Alfred would be a different story.
Adult was grateful the bathroom was deserted with everyone trying to get to class. He didn't need any more distractions. It already took a lot of effort to keep Charmer from taking over and seducing the attractive blonde behind him. It seemed like even the innocent Sweet and the timid Shy were trying to get him to crane his neck over for a better view.
Cheh, kids…
By the time Lovino was done saving Alfred's shirt, he came up with the idea of lending the American his painter's shirt (which was large enough to fit the taller boy) so he could be clothed on his way to the locker room. From there, he could wear his jersey or gym uniform until his shirt dried out more.
"Thanks, buddy," Alfred smiled, buttoning up the paintshirt.
"Don't thank me; just don't hug me while I'm covered in paint next time."
"I promise!" Alfred flashed him a grin and wrapped his arms around the Italian once more.
"W-Wait—!"
"You never said I couldn't hug you when you weren't covered in paint!"
"Alfred…"
"Yeah?"
"There's still wet paint on the paintshirt."
"Uh…oops?"
It was nothing short of a miracle Tsundere didn't take over and go ballistic.
oOo
Alfred was feeling a little bad about the paint incident this morning as he wandered the hall on his way to lunch. He hadn't meant to get paint all over Lovino's uniform, he was just so focused on his plan of being there for Lovino, that he had completely forgotten about the paint on the shirt Lovi lent him. Alfred only wanted to make him feel better in any way he could and figured a friendly hug was the way to go. Who doesn't love getting hugs?
Well…hugs that don't involve getting covered in paint, anyway.
Luckily, Lovino took it really well. Alfred had thought he'd yell at him for sure, but after a few sharp breaths, the brunette told him he was fine and would be joining him on his walk to the locker rooms to get his own gym uniform. What was really amazing to Alfred was how calm his friend was the day of his recital-thing. That had to be really nerve-wracking (especially having a solo), but Lovino was taking that (and Alfred's slip-ups) in stride. It only made him want to try harder to make it up to Lovino and show him that the Hero was there for him.
Alfred was passing one of the Quads where students gathered to chat or hang out when he picked up on his brother's voice. He couldn't believe he had passed by without saying hi. Some days he could swear Matthew used an invisibility cloak. Or was a ninja. He was about to laugh it off when he noticed who innocent little Mattie was surrounded by – The Bad Touch Trio.
In Gilbert's defense, it seemed like Francis and Antonio were teasing him just as much as the shy blonde, but it didn't change the fact that Matthew looked like he wanted to crawl into a corner and die. The Hero would not stand for this. He was ready to swoop in to save them, er, Matthew, and beat the others to a pulp, but Lovino beat him to the punch.
Alfred later would admit he had wished that was less figurative and more literal.
"You're wrong," Lovino intervened, approaching the group without a care in the world. "You should have recommended silk tie-ups. Bonding tape can't even compare."
This made jaws drop and Gilbert and Matthew's faces burn brighter than a maple leaf.
"I meant they could use it in a Stairway to Heaven position!" Francis protested.
"Actually, if they would use restraints at all, it would be for the actual bed. They'd want to do something like a Butterfly or Double-Decker position." Lovino cut him off, correcting him again. "That was an easy one, you should have known that."
The Frenchman began to grind his teeth slightly.
"Instead of teasing Gilbert and Matthew, you should be asking them for advice," The Face suggested, absently adjusting his watch.
Francis stormed off and Antonio followed, worried about his friend, after waving adios to the others. Gilbert kind of stared in wonder. Matthew continued to stare at his feet in embarrassment, wishing this entire experience was just a bad dream. The albino was the first to break the silence.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone able to challenge Franny's knowledge of sex toys…"
"He talks big, but he's still a kid," Lovino shrugged, as the other nodded despite the fact that he was even younger than Francis.
"So, Lovino…" the self-proclaimed Prussian scratched his head somewhat reluctantly. "What did you mean by a Double-Decker?"
"Oh, it's—"
"H-Hi, Alfred!" A blushing Matthew all but shouted across the Quad, waving his hand wildly in an attempt to change the topic. "W-We were just on our way to lunch! I bet you want to join us, eh?!"
oOo
The lunchroom was crowded with students jabbering about everything from this morning's math test to pasta cars. (Feliciano would later be disappointed he wasn't a part of that conversation.) Instead, he was telling his two closest friends about what had been going on with his brother lately. All of the moodswings, strange behavior, and exhaustion that was happening every single day (but leaving out the blatantly obvious crush Lovino had on Alfred out of brotherly honor). Feli wanted to help him, but was afraid he couldn't do it alone. He needed his friends help if he was ever going to get his brother back to normal.
"Ve…I just don't know what to do about it," the Italian admitted. "I want to help him, but he won't let me. Every time I try, he gets angry and defensive about it…"
"Hmm…Maybe you could take something off his workload, if possible," suggested Ludwig.
"S-Si! I could talk to the Art Department," Feliciano nodded. It was a less direct approach, but if it worked, it would be one less thing tiring his fratello out. "If I asked them to, I'm sure I could get some people to help the Theater Department out!"
"If you'd like, I could try talking to him," Kiku offered, his studies all focused on human psychology, after all.
"I'd really appreciate that!" the Italian flashed him a grateful smile. "Are you free this weekend?"
"Yes," Kiku gave his friend a small smile. After seeing Lovino and Alfred hugging in the hallway this morning, there was no doubt in his mind that the two cared for each other. Poor Lovino was probably just trying to impress the blonde by doing everything he could think of. A lot of teenagers went through the same thing at one point or another. With Lovino's fiery personality, he was probably just coming on too strong or going overboard. If Kiku could convince him to just be himself; he was sure all parties would be happy.
Especially him when the two finally did hook up and he got it on camera.
oOo
The day flew by and in no time, the hour of the Winter Showcase arrived. Romulus had pulled some strings so he, Feliciano, Ludwig, Alfred, Matthew and Gilbert (who decided to come when he heard his Birdie was going) could sit front and center with the best view of the stage.
Everything inside the large auditorium was arranged to look like the audience had arrived in a winter wonderland. Pine trees covered with lights and fake snow was spread across the stage and surrounding area. Brightly lit icicle decorations hung from the ceiling and doorways. Even a few springs of mistletoe were sprinkled around the auditorium and main lobby. Ludwig watched his brother in envy, as the albino pulled his boyfriend under one and gave him a peck on the lips (He was a little less jealous when Alfred returned from the refreshments table and offered Gilbert a knuckle sandwich). A part of him longed to lead Feliciano under one himself, but he had been warned/threatened by Lovino against it when he was in a particularly dangerous mood earlier that week. Even with the older brother nowhere in sight, Ludwig had a feeling he'd find the violinist's bow lodged in his throat if he tried anything.
And that had been one of Tactician's kinder threats.
Regardless, the setting looked beautiful and once the crowd had settled, Roderich Edelstein, the head teacher and director of the Music Department began by introducing the senior students as they played a medley of Christmas songs to welcome everyone.
Once they had finished, each grade level performed, beginning with the freshmen. Alfred had started getting antsy and was elbowed by his brother twice to settle down before Lovino and the other juniors took the stage in their fancy uniforms consisting of a white button-down shirt with a black vest, black slacks, and a black tie. There were about 16 of them on the stage, but Alfred's eyes never left Lovino. Even with seven other violinists playing, Alfred could have sworn up and down he could tell Lovino's apart from the others. He was incredible!
Alfred watched in amazement as Lovino's fingers flew up and down the neck of his beautifully polished violin. Compared to the two nervous students on each side of him, Lovino's expression was completely composed and almost unnaturally calm. He kept his eyes on the music stand in front of him and performed flawlessly. Alfred realized he'd barely heard the middle part of the song because he was so focused on Lovino. His bright blue eyes lit up when he finally opened up his ears to the music being played; he couldn't wait for his solo!
When the song was over, the crowd clapped heartily. Alfred tore his eyes off Lovino for a fraction of a second to watch Feliciano force his grandfather back in his chair, reminding him to wait until after the solo to give Lovino the giant bouquet of flowers they brought him. Instead, Romulus settled on loudly cheering his grandson on, causing Lovino to roll his eyes a little on his way offstage.
oOo
Being bottled up for more than a day never sat well with Fighter. He had been looking forward to soccer practice offering him some kind of release, but it was cancelled due to unexpected maintenance on the field that afternoon. By the time the coach found out about it, he was unable to book any of the indoor gyms and was forced to cancel practice for the day. If Fighter was angry before, he was pissed off by now.
As Adult sat on his stool alone in the dressing room, Fighter decided he couldn't take another second of this painfully boring show. He wanted full reign so he could lash out at something...anything! Being a strong personality in his own right, he pushed his way to the surface while the other Face was distracted by rosining his bow.
"Finally, dammit…!" Fighter leaned back and rested his feet on the table, smug look on his face. He tried loosening himself up by unbuttoning his vest and loosening his tie. "I thought I was going to fucking die if I had to put up with any more of that boring bullshit!"
The other Faces were quick to tell him to shut up and change back to either Adult or Charisma.
"Didn't you dipshits hear me? I'm tired of all this crap!" He growled and stood up. "I want out of here now!"
That will be impossible, Number VII. I locked the door and am not about to tell you where the key is.
"What the fuck, Tactician?!" Fighter snarled. "When the freaking hell did you even have time to do that?!"
You're forceful, but slow. I took over a little before you did. Didn't even notice, did you?
"Do you really think that's enough to stop me?" Fighter approached the exit, rolling up his sleeves. He wasn't about to let that dick get the best of him.
Fighter was about to bust down the door when it opened on its own. A surprised girl met his gaze and looked back down on her clipboard.
'Wait, wasn't that supposed to be locked?' Fighter thought, realizing he'd been had. 'Fucking bastard!'
"U-Um, Roderich's about to call your name, Lovino," she said, watching a slew of angry expressions flit over the boy's face. "You need to be onstage now."
"Yes, of course," Adult took advantage of Fighter's surprise and took over again. "Thanks for coming to get me."
oOo
After waiting another fidgety eternity, Alfred was relieved to hear Director Edelstein finally start calling students up for their solos. Only a few had made the cut from each grade level, but Lovino was one of them. Whether it was because he barely made it in or because he frequently pissed off his teacher, Roderich had the Italian perform last. Not that it mattered much.
As his name was called, Lovino made his way across the stage with practiced ease (also ignoring the stink eye Rode was giving him about his roughed up appearance, he didn't exactly have time to fix himself up after Fighter's little outburst). If he had even the slightest bit of stage-fright or worry, it was impossible to tell by looking at him. His current Face took care of that. This time there was no music in front of him, but Lovino continued looking out at the audience with a stoic expression. Roderich finished his introduction and the Italian brought his bow to the violin resting under his chin.
The entire auditorium went silent as their eyes fell on the Italian onstage. As he began to play, he closed his eyes, managing to gently sway with the rapid movements his arms were making. The tempo was quick, but Lovino made it look like child's play. Alfred closed his eyes and felt like it was just him and Lovino in the concert hall. He never knew such a sound could come from any instrument. For Lovino to create something so good, he must be using some kind of magic. Or at least Alfred thought so.
Lovino performed magnificently, with the maturity of someone twice his age. Even though he spotted Alfred in the audience, he made sure not to tear his concentration from the violin. He had played this piece countless times before. By now, he could probably do it in his sleep. Making it look effortless was easy.
Director Edelstein was actually in tears after his rendition of Bach's Presto from Sonata No. 1. The entire crowd rose to their feet, applauding the young musician with a well-earned standing ovation. Ludwig helped Feliciano restrain Romulus from running onstage to glomp his grandson.
"That was wonderful!" Matthew exclaimed.
"Yeah, I don't really like classical, but Lovi's awesome! Alfred admitted, then cursed himself for not picking a better adjective when he realized he sounded like Gilbert.
oOo
After the recital, the others were allowed to congratulate Lovino after Romulus and Feliciano were done hugging him and showering him with praise. The eldest Vargas then got pulled away by a parent group (and he never could resist bragging about his grandsons to pretty ladies). Lovino ended up giving his flowers to a fellow performer, saying they suited her better. The group wandered around talking to other musicians for a little longer before heading outside.
"That was nice of you," Alfred grinned, falling in step with the Italian.
"I'm not really a flowers kind of guy…"
"What about tomatoes?" the American asked. "Would you object to receiving a bouquet of tomatoes?"
"You can't make a bouquet of tomatoes," Lovino smirked back.
"Challenge accepted!"
"Kesesese! We're almost there!" Gilbert cheered, ending all of the side conversations going on around him. "I parked by the trees over there!"
"And why do we have to go to your car to celebrate?" a bored Lovino asked.
"Simple…" Gil popped the trunk of his black Astra. "I brought beer!"
Ludwig facepalmed while Feliciano looked a little interested. Lovino shrugged, but Alfred protectively put an arm over Lovino and Matthew, declining for them.
"They both might act older than they look, but they're still underage," he frowned. "And they're way too important to risk expulsion over a night of drinking with a loser like you…"
When Gilbert couldn't even stammer out a comeback, Alfred guided both away. He hoped this would show Lovino that he could trust him. Then he wouldn't feel like he had to be someone else around him. He knew Lovino had been acting extra-strange today, almost like a grown up. Alfred knew that's how musicians were supposed to act during a recital, but wasn't sure how much had simply been practice earlier.
Meanwhile, Lovino appreciated the show of concern, but was disheartened that his Adult persona wasn't the right Face for Alfred either.
oOo
A/N
It was so unbelievably hard to give Lovino a "normal" violin solo piece and not the main theme from Game of Thrones. Irene's Theme (the song BBC Sherlock played in "A Scandal in Belgravia") was a close second. Or any orchestrated version of RPG music. In addition to being a huge geek, I'm also a sucker for video game music :)
This chapter was originally a lot shorter, but then Alfred had to go and hug Lovino, leading to the bathroom scene…and shirtlessness and boom! There goes a page and a half!
Also, not sure if I mentioned it, but even though emotions can vary from Face to Face, overall skills like athletics, art, and music are the same for each of them. The level of success they have performing that skill varies on which Face is in control. So, Fighter does well at aggressive sports, but is so utterly bored by playing the violin, he'd sooner skip out than lift the bow. On the opposite end of that, Adult is more internally-motivated and prefers the company of a few to a crowd, so painting and playing the violin are right up his alley, whereas sports are a giant waste of time to him (he can be snarky around others when the mood strikes though). Tactician has a similar mindset, but more willing to get out of his comfort zone if needed for one of his schemes/goals. Then, you have Charisma and Charmer, who love to show off and use any talent needed to gain the most amount of attention. And while I'm at it, Shy and Sweet tend to prefer cooking, spending time with friends, and reading/learning because it allows them to help others (but Sweet tends to be more successful, as his confidence in himself is higher). And Tsundere? Tsundere does what he wants! XD
Only one more Face left! Any idea what it will be?
-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.)
Piazza – A city square, roughly the equivalent of a Spanish 'plaza.' (It.)