I Can't Dance!
It was a cold December morning and frost was beginning to form on the grounds and all the window panes of the castle. The male Axis members had gathered up in the library, and Gilbert was smirking like a cat...if cats could do that, which they can't.
"Vhy zhe hell have you been smirking like zhat for zhe past four days?!" Ludwig asked, getting fed up with his brother's annoying tick.
"I have a date to zhe Yule Ball und you don't. Kesesese~" Gilbert answered. Ludwig sighed as Lovino held a book closer to himself.
"I'm surprised you aren't dead yet," said the Italian.
"So am I, but I think it's because I've been avoiding Basch at all costs," Gilbert turned to his brother, "Anyvay, don't you have to do somezhing, too?" Ludwig placed a firm hand on Gilbert's shoulder before pushing him off his chair and onto the floor.
"Ow!" Gilbert exclaimed as he hit the stone, "Mein awesome ass!"
"What ass?" said Lovino in a monotone voice, "Your as flat as my sister's chest." Gilbert stood up.
"Hey!" He said defiantly and offensively as he slid back into the chair.
"Where is sorella anyway?" asked Feliciano as he put something away in his bag.
"She said something about tarking with Professor Jones," said Kiku as he switched out his books in the two small stacks next to him. Feliciano blinked in confusion.
"When did she say that?" Lovino swung his hand around and dropped it sharply on Feliciano's head.
"This morning," Lovino said without taking his eyes off of his book.
"Oh," said Feliciano as he rubbed the small bump now forming on his head. "I was eating pasta. I wasn't paying attention."
"Idiota." The elder twin seethed.
"Are we forgetting zhat embarrassment on zhe tenth degree is coming for someone?" said Gilbert as he poked Ludwig's shoulder. Ludwig pushed him out of the chair again. "Stop making me fall on mein awesome ass!"
"Your nonexistent ass," Lovino reminded.
"No offense, but it doesn't compare to Big Brother Antonio!" added Feliciano.
"Kesesese~" Gilbert laughed as he picked himself up, "True!"
"Vould you two knock it off?" Ludwig asked, annoyed.
"Nien."
"But...wasn't breakfast three hours ago?" asked Feliciano as he brought the group back on topic.
"Now that you mention it..." Kiku muttered loud enough for the group to hear.
"She's on her way here," Lovino cut in. The Axis looked over at their tsundere member.
"How zhe hell do you know zhat?" Ludwig asked.
"Ve, fratello has been spying on sorellina!" Feliciano explained. Lovino closed his book and hit his twin over the head with it before going back to his previous task.
"Ow!"
"Vhy are you stalking your sister?" Gilbert asked. "Even I vouldn't do zhat. Not like Vest needs protection or anyzhing." Lovino sighed and shut his book. He looked over at the Slytherin.
"Have you seen my sister?" He said, "She's close to the spitting image of my madre, who was a very beautiful woman if you remember. It's no surprise that I'm expecting boys to be asking her to go to the ball with them, and because of her naïve nature...well...you can expect that I have every right to be doing what I'm doing."
"So...you're stalking your sister."
"Yes."
"Even I wouldn't do zhat."
"Well, I'm not you."
"Did sorella say were she was going?" Feliciano asked Kiku.
"The Greenhouses," Kiku answered.
"She loves zhat place doesn't she? She spends vay to much time zhere," Gilbert said as he drew circles in the table with his finger.
"You've being spend too much time in zhe Room of Requirement lately," Ludwig pointed out. "Vhat's your point?"
"I have a good reason for zhat."
"Und it vould be...?"
"To hide."
"Is there a reason for that?" Kiku asked.
"Swiss vith a gun. Zhat is all I'm saying," said Gilbert as he leaned back slightly.
"Swiss with a gun?" Feliciano repeated curiously before he finally understood. "Why are you hiding from Basch?" The whole group stared at him.
"Vere you not listening to vhat I just told you?" Gilbert asked. Feliciano shook his head. The Prussian facepalmed. "Zhat I have a date for zhe Ball."
"Three...two..." Kiku muttered to himself.
"Right..." sighed Feliciano.
"Idiota," added Lovino. "And another thing, someone should interrupt us in three...two..."
Rosaria came bounding from around the corner and fell into the table the boys were sitting at. Without even looking, Lovino grabbed her arm and pulled the fourth year to her feet. The boys noticed something different about her appearance. Rosaria had dirt on nearly every visable part on her skin, hair and clothing.
"Vhat zhe hell happened to you?" asked Gilbert. Taking notice of the dirt, Rosaria hastily dusted off her skirt.
"I tripped and fell down the hill on my way to the Creature Pens," she said quickly.
"I thought you were in the Greenhouses?" Lovino said, his eyes like daggers pointed at the Sicilian. Rosaria looked up.
"Professor Jones wasn't there. She was helping out Professor Kirkland with something. But nevermind that. Ludwig, I think I found a solution to that little problem of yours."
"You mean how he can't get a date?" Gilbert snickered
"I vill push you out of zhat chair again," Ludwig said, aggravated by their behavior. "Und I don't need your help."
"Fine, be that way," said Rosaria in defeat. "Just take a look at this." She pulled a flyer from her pocket and slid it over to the center of the table.
"Vhat?" Rosaria tapped the flyer with one of her dirt smudged fingers.
"This is about your dance issue."
"What?" Feliciano said. Everyone- nearly everyone anyway- was confused by the girl's statement. Gilbert snickered.
"Zhis man can do everyzhing except dance," he explained, gesturing to his brother. Ludwig pushed him to the floor. "Hey!"
"Professor Jones and Kirkland are holding a dance class, and I signed us up!" Rosaria said cheerfully.
"Us?" Ludwig asked.
"I hope you guys don't mind but...I signed all of us up..."
"Why?! Feliciano and I can dance just fine!" Lovino protested, causing the girl to take a step back.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just thought it would be more comfortable if we all did it." Gilbert grinned.
"Vell, I don't know about you, but I'll be laughing zhe entire time vatching zhat-" he pointed to his brother- "try to dance."
"You're doing it too, bastard," Lovino reminded him. Gilbert opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came to mind. He had no way to worm out of this one.
"From what I overheard, armost the entire schoor is taking it," Kiku said.
"Exactly," Rosaria said, "It won't be so bad. Oh, and I need to speak with Kiku and Gilbert in private for a moment." Kiku and Gilbert quickly glanced at each other.
"Arright..."The Japanese and Prussian slowly stood up from the table and followed the Hufflepuff toward a quieter section of the library.
"Vhat do you need?" Gilbert asked as soon as they stopped. Rosaria sighed.
"Ludwig can't get a date, can he?" She asked. Both boys shook their heads. "That's what I thought. I need both of your help."
"You're going to herp Rudwig-san, correct?" Kiku asked. Rosaria nodded confidently.
"I suppose you have a plan for zhis?" Gilbert asked, crossing his arms and leaning against a bookcase. Rosaria nodded once more.
"But why don't you go with him?" asked Kiku again.
"I can't," said Rosaria, "I already have a date." The three heard a loud slam come from the other side of the library. Gilbert wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye.
"Mein little girl is growing up!" He teased, "Who is he?"
"I am not going to say because I know Lovino has been spying on me." Another slam echoed throughout the library.
"What is your pran?" asked Kiku curiously. Rosaria ushered them closer and whispered her plan to the two boys.
The day of the dance class (and impending embarrassment according to Gilbert) had arrived. The students had gathered into the Great Hall for the lesson. All the tables had been removed, leaving a wide enough space for the class. Over with the Axis, Lovino is poking his sister, trying to get that sliver of information out of her, like he had been doing for a week and a half.
"Who is it?" Lovino demanded with each prod.
"I'm not telling you," Rosaria said. She had been asked this question repeatedly and was determined to keep it a secret. "I don't even know why you're asking me this. I haven't told you yet, and I don't plan to."
"Because big brother wants to know if he needs to kill someone or not."
"Fratello, please," intervened Feliciano, "I don't want you two to argue again. The last time lasted a month!"
"As long as she tells me, and it's not who I think it is everything will be fine."
"It depends," Rosaria sighed. She leaned back so she was looking up at the Italians, "Who do you think it is?"
"That Bulgarian Bastard." Kiku- whom was sitting beside Feliciano- sighed and closed the manga he was reading.
"Are you stirr trying to get her to terr you?" He asked.
"You know she's not going to," Gilbert added as he leaned on Lovino's shoulder. Lovino threw him off and into Ludwig, who immediately threw him into his seat.
"It's not Aleksander," Rosaria said with a sigh, "I can tell you that much."
"Then who is it?" Lovino said, puncuating each word with his aggravation.
"Vould you stop?" Ludwig asked. This had been going on for too long and it was actually starting to not only annoy the Axis, but everyone else as well. Lovino turned to say something- probably something among "shut up potato bastard," but Professor Kirkland and Jones entered the Hall. Professor Kirkland called for everyone's attention but the students didn't hear.
"Can I have your attention, please?" Kirkland tried again. Very few students actually stopped talking, with the greater number still chatting away.
"SHUT UP!" Professor Jones yelled. Silence fell over the students like a wave. Kirkland looked over at her sister before she spoke.
"Thank you. Now, Professor Jones and I have received permission from Professor Vargas to start up this class again. In this class, we shall be teaching you how to dance. We shall also be pairing you up with partners. Since more males then females signed up, Professor Jones and I had to pair up most males together." Groans and complaints from around the room suddenly rose up like a volcano.
"Enough complaining!" shouted Professor Jones, restoring order to the bunch. "Kirkland and I have assigned you each a dance partner at random, so don't get your panties in a twist." Professor Kirkland rapped her sister with the clipboard she had in her hand. Jones ignored it. "Right. Now, when I or my stick-in-the-mud co-teacher call you, please come up and once you get with your partner, come out onto the dance floor." The lightly tanned woman gestured over to the clearing in the middle of the hall, which was completely empty. Professor Kirkland cleared her throat and read off the names of the first pair.
"Francis Bonnefoy and Arthur Kirkland."
"Mum!" Arthur shouted as he stood.
"The partners were selected at random, sweetheart." Francis, meanwhile, had snuck up behind Arthur and grabbed his hand.
"Merci, Professeur Kirkland!" The French said with a smile.
"Shut up, you bloody git." The two crossed over to the dance floor.
"Ivan Braginsky and Yao Wang," read Professor Jones as she leaned on Kirkland's shoulder.
"Aiya!" The Mandrian exclaimed in anger, "What the hell, aru?!"
"Yao will become one with me, da?" Ivan added as the two arose from their places. This sent a shudder through all the students and the teachers.
"Méiyǒu!" snapped Yao as the two joined the other Allies.
"Alfred F. Jones and Lien Chung," said Kirkland. Alfred pulled the Vietnamese prefect to her feet with a smile and the two walked out onto the dance floor. Jones sighed at her child before reading off the next name.
"Matthew Williams and Katyusha Braginskaya." The Canadian turned a shade of bright red as he and the Ukrainian walked out to meet each other. Kirkland laughed a bit before continuing.
"Kiku Honda and Mei Xiao." The Gryffindor took the Ravenclaw by the hand and pulled him away from his manga and toward the dance floor. This time, it was Jones who laughed before reading off the next pair.
"Ludwig Beilschmidt and Feliciano Vargas." At the sound of the two names, the German froze.
"I think he's broken..." Gilbert said as he shook the boy's shoulder. Jones walked up to Ludwig and snapped her fingers in front of him.
"Yo! Kid! You there? I really don't want to have to explain this to your dad." Gilbert pushed his brother out of his seat. Ludwig stumbled out of his place, still rigid and stiff like a stone.
"He's fine." Feliciano took Ludwig by the hand and walked out with everyone else.
"That just happened," Professor Kirkland muttered before continuing. "Lovino Vargas and Michelle Bonnefoy."
"What?" asked Lovino.
"Don't you hurt my sœur!" Francis said defensively.
"Shut up, Francis," Michelle shot back as she and the Italian walked out. Luckily, Michelle had led them away from the previous set of partners.
"If there's a fight," Professor Jones remarked, "I'm betting on the Italian!"
"Kaya! You're not supposed to encourage fighting between students!" Kirkland reminded her colleague.
"And? Since when am I responsible?"
"Nevermind," Professor Kirkland sighed.
"Exactly," Professor Jones said victoriously. "Next up is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and Emma de Viers." Antonio pulled Emma closer to him as they walked over to the dance floor. He was from the country of passion, so the teachers let it slide.
"Gilbert Beilschmidt and Lili Zwingli," read Professor Kirkland. The Prussian took Lili by her hand and lead his date onto the dance floor, spinning her once as he did so.
"Show off..." Ludwig muttered.
"Yay!" cheered Feliciano, "You're okay!" The shorter put his arms around the taller. Ludwig's body tensed as he pushed Feliciano off him.
"Next victims-" Kirkland hit Professor Jones with the clipboard- "Ow! Next pair is Vladimir Popescu and Rosaria Vargas."
"What the hell?!" exclaimed a shocked Lovino. Rosaria smiled as Vladimir took her by the hands and spun her as they walked out on the dance floor. The Romanian played with the loose stands of auburn that had fallen into the Sicilian's face before the girl clipped them back into place. Gilbert snapped his fingers as a realization entered his mind.
"I think I understand now..." he said.
"Understand what?!" Lovino asked from next to him.
"A vhile ago, she vas talking vith him. Elizabeta hit him in zhe face and I zhink I understand vhy now. At least you don't have to bozher her about it anymore. A certain vampire caught your Schwester's heart in his net."
"I did not picture my sister saying yes to a vampire of that's what you mean."
"Enough talking," Professor Kirkland called out, "Mathias Kølher and Lukas Bondevik."
"Oh dear god," the Norwegian said.
"I'm not that bad!" The Dane retaliated.
"Yes, you are. If you try and pull anything, I will not hesitate to choke you." The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor walked onto the floor.
"Mr. Bondevik, pleae try to contain yourself," Professor Kirkland asked her student.
"I make no promises." The teacher sighed.
"Berwald Oxenstierna and Tino Väinämöinen." Tino squeaked as the Swede took him by the hand to the others. Professor Jones smiled.
"Emil Steilsson and Hanna Kølher," she read.
"I'm sorry," Emil said, confusion in his violet eyes, "What?"
"You heard her," the pale, blonde Slytherin said as she took Emil by the hand.
"My sister isn't so bad!" Mathias said, offended.
"What my idiot of a brother said."
"Fine," sighed the Icelandic. They walked over to where the other Scandinavian students were.
"Toris Laurinaitis and Feliks Łukasiewicz," said Professor Jones with a smirk.
"Great..." the Lithuanian muttered.
"It's not so bad you can't, like, keep up with me," the Polish Gryffindor laughed.
"And finally, Roderich Edelstein and Elizabeta Héderváry," Professor Kirkland announced. The Austrian lead his Hungarian girlfriend by the hand and onto the dance floor.
"Stupid show off aristocrat," Gilbert muttered to himself.
"Now. Let's begin!" Professor Kirkland said with a clap of her hands.
"Just follow me and my sister here and you shouldn't screw up," said Professor Jones casually. "I really don't care if you do, unless you are my own sons or my nephew." Professor Kirkland facepalmed herself.
"Kaya, you really are an idiot. Now I see where your son gets it from."
"What can I say? Matthew got his father's brain, and Alfred took after me. Now stop talking about Robert, or I will hit you in front of everyone." Professor Kirkland took a step away from the American woman as her two nephews sighed at the mention of their Canadian father's name.
"Let begin...for real this time," Professor Kirkland said as she placed her list on the floor. "So there's no confusion; whom ever name was called first will lead."
"Alright my fellow leads," instructed Professor Jones with a smirk, "Stand in front of your partner and take them by the hand. Put a hand around your partner's waist. Leads are to follow me and anyone else will follow Professor Kirkland. Got it?" All of the students nodded and followed the instructions that were given, although some were more hesitant than others.
"Ready?" The two professors said in unison, "And...begin!" Music began playing as all students tried to follow their movements to begin the dance.
Ludwig was as stiff as a brick as he and Feliciano danced.
"Luddy, just relax," Feliciano said to his friend, "Dancing isn't so bad!"
"To you, maybe," replied the German.
"Come on, Ludwig! You have me! I can teach you!" Ludwig sighed.
"Fine." Feliciano smiled brightly.
"Just take it one step at a time! Then it won't be so hard!" Feliciano said cheerily. Ludwig nodded and kept his eyes on the ground, trying not to misplace his steps at all. Feliciano put his fingers under Ludwig's chin and lifted it up so icy blue met honey brown.
"I want you to look directly at me, si?" The Italian asked. "It looks really strange with you staring at the floor!" Ludwig gave a slight nod and kept his eyes on Feliciano. He felt his face warm as he did so. "Are you sure you're alright? We can stop if you want to."
"N-Nien," Ludwig said, "I vant to get zhis right." Feliciano gave a slight nod as the pair continued. They fell into a sort of rhythmic motion, each movement in sync with the other's.
"You're really good at this!" Feliciano said happily, "I don't understand why you were so worried."
"Zhat is because in zhe past I've alvays ended up making a fool of myself in front of everyone," the German said with a inaudible sigh. "Every. Single. Time." Feliciano laughed a little, which added confusion to Ludwig's expression.
"Maybe you didn't have the right partner," suggested Feliciano, "And if you had trouble, you could have asked me to teach you. I had the best dance partner when I was a bambino. Of course...everyone thought I was a girl back then." Ludwig raised one of his blonde eyebrows.
"People zhought you were a girl?"
"Heh heh heh...si. Almost everyone, at least. La mia famiglia, Antonio, Francis and Elizabeta knew I was really a boy." A blurry image of a little girl- who had a surprising resemblance to Feliciano- in a green dress flashed through Ludwig's mind briefly. Why he had thought of that, the Gryffindor had no clue.
"Do you mind If I ask why?" He said, trying to get his mind away from image.
"I looked like a girl and sounded like a girl, so I guess people thought I was a girl!" Feliciano explained. "Then my voice started to change right before I started school! A lot of people were surprised when they found out."
"It makes sense." Feliciano nodded with a smile.
"You're getting really good!" The Italian said, taking notice of their movement. "Are you sure no one taught you how to dance?" Ludwig shrugged slightly, hoping not to break the rhythm.
"Someone might have," he said, "I can't really remember much about my childhood. All of my memories from before I started school are almost alvays a blur." His partner nodded, as if he understood the situation.
"Ve~ You dance as well as my first dance partner!" said the small boy.
"Und who vas zhat?" Feliciano's face fell.
"An old friend," the Italian said sadly, "His name was Sebastian. He used to come and visit us everyday. But one day he just...stopped. We didn't find out until later that he had died in a terrible accident."
"I'm sorry..." Well, this just became a little depressing.
"It's alright! The past is in the past, si?" Feliciano said, returning to his normal, smiling self. "Although no one can replace him...I found a new friend a few years later who became as close to me as he was." Ludwig became confused.
"If you don't mind me asking, but who vas it?" He asked. Feliciano leaned in closer.
"It was you," he whispered loud enough for just the two to hear. Ludwig at first looked stunned bit, but slowly a small smile appeared on his face. "You're my best friend! You make me feel brave and happy and strong whenever I'm near you."
"Danke, Feliciano." Ludwig's face began to warm up again. Feliciano finally took notice that the German he always relied on, was blushing.
"Are you alright?" Feliciano asked, "You're face is all red!" Ludwig felt the warmth radiating off his face, and sighed.
"I'm fine." Feliciano nodded and bit his lip. Something was growing inside of his mind- an idea that had been planted there a few days ago. Feliciano picked up all of his courage.
"Ludwig...I was wondering..." the Hufflepuff stuttered.
"Vhat is it?" Ludwig asked. The Italian began to blush until his face was like one of Antonio's precious tomatoes.
"Y-You still need a d-d-date for the Yule Ball, right?" Ludwig nodded. He was confused as to why Feliciano had began to stutter and act like this.
"I do. Vhy?"
"Well...I...uh...I wanted to know if...um...er..." Feliciano hands began to shake slightly. The nervous feeling he had was making him feel nauseous, but Feliciano continued on. He had to. "WillYouGoToTheBallWithMe?"
"Vhat?"
"I-I-I asked if...you wanted...to go to...the ball with me..." Feliciano's honey brown eyes fell to the ground. "It's alright if you don't want to. I mean, there is probably someome else who-"
"Feliciano," Ludwig said sternly, stopping the Italian's rant. He lifted up Feliciano's face so the two were looking each other directly in the eye. "I vas going to ask you the same thing." Feliciano looked at Ludwig in surprise. "But since you managed to ask before I did, zhen yes." Feliciano smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around the German.
"Grazie, Ludwig!"
The dance continued on for several more seconds, until Professor Jones signalled the end.
"Alright! The lesson is over!" She called out to the students, halting the music. "I hope you all learned something! Oh...and Alfred? Stay here. I need to talk to you."
"What I do now?" The American asked. The Axis clearly knew what their American teacher had found out about that her son had done wrong. Either that, or it was something entirely different.
"Matthew and Arthur, you as well!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING IT WAS ALL ALFRED'S FAULT!" yelled the Brit.
"You two do realize they could just want to talk, and that you may not in trouble for once," Matthew sighed.
"It's always about trouble with Mom!" Alfred said frantically.
"Class dismissed!" snapped Professor Jones.
"That may have gotten you in more trouble, Alfred."
The students- minus the Brit, Canadian and the American- exited the hall rather quickly. The Axis found each other as Lovino had cornered Rosaria.
"You said yes to that vampire bastard?" He asked the girl.
"He's not a vampire!" Rosaria insisted, still trying to get Lovino to drop the subject.
"Then why does he have a fang, genius?"
"He told me Elizabeta cracked his tooth, and he never got it fixed."
"Wrong answer," said Lovino, "He's a vampire."
"Vladimir isn't a vampire!" exclaimed Rosaria.
"Stop lying. It isn't good for you." Lovino put a hand in his sister's auburn waves before having his hand be shaken off.
"Other than his tooth, what other proof do you have?" The girl asked. Lovino looked into her dirt-like eyes before giving his answer.
"What about his eyes? They're red as blood! Is that a coincidence? I don't think so!"
"...I don't know. Asking that is like asking why Gilbert is an albino."
"Don't drag me into this," asked the Slytherin as he walked as few paces behind them, "Bitte."
"Fratello, tell her I'm right!" Lovino asked his younger brother.
"I really don't want to be in this either!" Feliciano said, raising his hands defensively.
"He is not a vampire," stated Rosaria, "Can we please change the subject?" Lovino opened his mouth, but was stopped from speaking by a pale hand covering his mouth.
"To what?" Feliciano asked.
"I have a subject," said Kiku "It's more of question, honestry."
"Vhat is it?" Ludwig asked as he paced himself beside Feliciano.
"You seem...srightry more...erm...what's the word...?" Kiku, for once, couldn't really seem to find the right word to describe the Axis's leader at the moment.
"Ve~ What is it Kiku?" Feliciano asked.
"Awesome?" Gilbert suggested.
"Happier, I berieve," the Japanese finally said.
"Kiku's right," Rosaria added with a smile, "Even I've noticed to change in your attitude since we left the dance class."
"Now zhat you mentioned it, Vest does seem happier..." Gilbert said.
"I don't know vhat your talking about," said Ludwig, slightly angered. "My mood is zhe same as it has been all day."
"No, it hasn't," the Sicilian inquired with her smile, "While we were dancing, I caught you smiling and blushing."
"Are you sure we're talking about zhe same person?" the Prussian added, poking Ludwig in the shoulder. Rosaria nodded.
"Positive. I saw him dancing with Feliciano, and I don't know anyone alive who looks exactly like him."
"He was being sarcastic," Kiku explained with a sigh.
"Oh." Lovino, meanwhile, had broken free of Gilbert's hold and added his own view on the subject.
"And why are we acting like we care if the potato bastard is happy?" He asked.
"Because my little bruder is alvays acting like he has a stick up his ass," Gilbert said with a laugh.
"I'm right here," Ludwig said, now fully pissed off, "I can hear everyzhing your saying."
"And? No one asked you for your opinion!" Lovino said annoyed.
"Big Brother...please stop being so rude. It's not good for you," Rosaria said with a sigh. She made a point in reusing Lovino's earlier words.
"I. Don't. Care," Lovino said, poking the girl with every punctuated word. "Feliciano, why is the potato arsehole so...different? You were the one with him, unfortunately." Feliciano looked down at the floor and played with the sleeve of his robes.
"Well...you see...um..." stuttered Feliciano nervously. Ludwig placed a hand on Feliciano's tensed shoulder.
"You don't have to answer zhe question," he told Feliciano, trying to get him to relax.
"Yes, he does," Lovino snapped. "Now answer the goddamn question!"
"Well...I...sort of...maybe...kind of...erm..." Feliciano stuttered once more. He didn't want to tell his brother, no matter what.
"Yes...?" Feliciano looked at Lovino before muttering the answer rapidly in Italian and turning away from him. "Che cosa?" Lovino grabbed Feliciano's shoulder and spun him around so they two were staring each other in the eye. "Repeat that my fratellino." Feliciano shook his head.
"You're only older than him by six minutes. Other than that, I'd say you both are-" Rosaria corrected before Lovino covered her mouth.
"I'm still not finished talking to you," Lovino said to her before turning back to Feliciano. "Ripeti quello che hai appena detto." Feliciano shook his head. "Yes. Tell me, now."
"I...I..." stuttered the middle child. Inside of his head was a debate. While his brain told him not to tell Lovino, Feliciano's heart felt like that his brother should know.
"Spit it out!" Feliciano leaned onto Ludwig, giving an unintentional signal for help. The German Gryffindor sighed.
"He asked me to go to zhe Ball vith him und I said yes," he stated, "Happy now?"
Silence filled the other four. While Feliciano's body relaxed, Lovino's tensed with anger.
"WHAT THE LITERAL HELL?!"
"Rovino-kun, prease carm down!" Kiku begged, trying to stop Lovino from starting a fight. He put a hand on the Italian's shoulder. Lovino violently shook him off.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! Feliciano Veneziano Vargas, are you insane?!" Feliciano bit his lip, holding back a cry.
"This is why I didn't want to tell you!" He said, his voice wavering.
"What were you going to do? Wait until the freaking ball to tell me?!" Lovino yelled harshly.
"Maybe..."
"Lovino, if you want to blame anyone, blame Gilbert, Kiku and I!" Rosaria said over all of the noise. The commotion ceased as three separate icy blue, honey brown, and hazel gazes fell upon the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Lovino's expression darkened as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder, sending chills up her spine.
"Why on this freaking Earth would you think to do something like this?" said the older brother, tightening his grip.
"Lovino-"
"WHY?" Lovino's fingernails dug into Rosaria's flesh.
"Big brother, please! You're hurting me! Per favore! Stop it!" At the girl's cries, Lovino removed his hand almost immediately, as if her shoulder was a hot stove. "I saw something between them. So, I asked Professors Jones and Kirkland to pair them up on purpose. In return, I had to help clean up the Greenhouses for three weeks. Then, I asked Kiku and Gilbert to help."
"I persuaded Fericiano-kun the thought of going with Rudwig-san," explained Kiku.
"Und I did zhe same with Vest, only in reverse," Gilbert added. "So if you have anyone to be mad at, it's us." Lovino stared at the three with a cold gaze.
"Rovino-kun?" The boy's hands tightened into fists as he turned on his heels and stormed away in the opposite direction. Silence gripped the Axis.
"How long until he calms down?" Feliciano asked.
"My estimation is about...three and a half hours minimum," Kiku answered
"Vhat's zhe maximum?" asked Gilbert curiously.
"...Three days." Feliciano sighed. He leaned against the wall and slid down it.
"I knew I shouldn't have told him," Feliciano sighed as he buried his face in between his knees. Rosaria sat down beside him. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing Feliciano to look at her with a teary eyed gaze.
"Don't worry, fratello," she said tenderly, "Knowing Lovino I'm sure he'll calm down...eventually."
"Do you remember how mad he was when someone tried to flirt with you?" he said with light cries, "This is a thousand times worse!"
"Remember how pissed he vas when he found out she got asked to zhe ball?" laughed Gilbert.
"Ret's not remember that," Kiku sighed.
"My point is," said Rosaria, "You're his brother, his twin brother may I remind you. Lovino can't stay mad at you forever. You two have been together since day one! Sure, Lovino gets mad at you, but it's never for long."
"Feliciano, don't vorry about it," Ludwig said, taking Feliciano's hand and pulling him to his feet. "t's nozhing to get vorked up about."
"How would you feel if your brother was angry at you for asking the person the hates most to a dance?" said Feliciano tearily. The German brothers looked at each other.
"I vould be mad as hell, but I vould calm down eventually," Gilbert said with a grin.
"Like my bruder said, he nevers stays mad for long," added Ludwig.
"Yeah, but your brother and not mine," Feliciano said, wiping away the salty tears, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up though."
"It wirr be arright, Fericiano-kun," reassured Kiku. Feliciano nodded.
"I hope so. But let's not mope. Let's talk about something else!"
"I have a suggestion," Ludwig said, "You zhree vere doing vhat exactly?"
"Seeing as you two vere taking to long to get together, ve set you up," explained Gilbert, "Vere you not listening?"
"Gilbert," Rosaria said as she stood to look the Prussian in his red eyes, "if I recall, and I don't mean to be rude, but I put the entire thing together."
"So?"
"You put this together?" asked Feliciano. Rosaria nodded. Feliciano smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around his sister. "Grazie, sorella."
"It makes me happy to see all of you happy," the girl said happily, "I saw the way you two looked at one another, not to mention that a little bird told me something, and that all you two needed was a little push in the right direction."
"How did you see all of zhat?" Ludwig said as Feliciano released her.
"Like with Kiku observations, I am a very good listener, comandante." Rosaria smiled and laughed a little.
"What?" Feliciano asked.
"Nozhing. Nozhing at all." Ludwig said with a sigh. From now on, he would have to be careful on who he spoke certian things about to.
Alright, so, ever partner pair are the pairings we decided on. Complain about it and this angel will show no mercy.
Woo! Matchmaking! Not to mention, Romano is being a drama queen.
Well...he can be a b*tch.
I just hope he gets over it soon. Christmas is coming up soon!
Do you have any plans for the Yule Ball?
Um...yes?
Kitten...you don't have anything, do you?
Nothing. We have two weeks! I'm sure we'll have something by then! In the meantime, we'll just dig into our filler stores and-
And what, genius? ... Why are you smiling like a Cheshire cat?
Heh heh...nothing. Just get ready for plot to happen, my dear readers!
I'm a little scared.
Next Time on Hogwarts from Around the World!
Girls' Day Out!
We'll see you then