~*~

Chapter Five: A Not-So Successful Dinner Party, pt 2

~*~

After the lively conversation before dinner, the beginning of dinner was silent between the four. The German and the American had come to terms with the past, at least, and the Canadian and the Italian were trying hard not to look at the older blondes. Finally, Matthew couldn't help but giggle, "This is almost as awkward the time Lovino ran around the house screaming about the Non-Intercourse Act…"

Feliciano laughed into his pasta, "Oh God, Mattie~"

Alfred and Ludwig paused with their forks half-way up to their lips. "What?" Alfred asked, "The Non-Intercourse Act was just a law passed by the American Congress opening trade with all nations except war-torn Britain and France…"

"Ah, yes, the American history buff, eh," Matthew said, but was still smiling, "It wasn't 'just a law' to Lovino…" he looked up at the ceiling as he began his story:

It was when we were learning about American history sometime late in high school, eh. I was studying over here, and Lovino was asking me questions. When he asked me about the Non-Intercourse act, he began to giggle. When I told him that it was a law passed by the American Congress opening trade with all nations except Britain and France, he immediately turned that into a sexual innuendo and started screaming:

Feliciano and Matthew both stood up and shouted "BRITAIN AND FRANCE, WHO BROKE UP, DOESN'T GET SMEX!"

"Was he sugar high or something?" Ludwig asked, once again face-palming.

"Pixie sticks are like poor kids' crack," Alfred replied, laughing too hard. He held his sides finally and kept laughing.

"Ve~ It's like Arthur and Francis, almost," Feliciano pointed out.

Alfred became gloomy at the mention of Arthur, so Feliciano said no more. Matthew, feeling the tension, finally got up and cleared the table. Feliciano stood and followed Matthew into the kitchen to help load the dishwasher. Alfred and Ludwig, with nothing better to do, followed the two younger boys.

"Musica, bella?" Feli asked, pointing to the tiny green iPod sitting in its speakers.

"Oui," Matthew replied, reverting to French Canadian for the hell of it.

You lucky, lucky ding, Francis… hee knows your language… Devil Ivan said.

Thank God the French devil didn't say anything. Feliciano turned on the iPod and just pressed play, letting fate make the song played a good one. To Matthew, the female voice was perfect.

"This is from the--" he paused as Feliciano nodded. They sang together, "Don't say it isn't awesome, because I'm AWESOME!" and Matthew continued, "—CD I gave you for your Sweet Sixteen birthday, eh?"

Alfred and Ludwig chuckled once again as the two younger men sang their little mantra.

"Ve~ si, bella. I put it immediately on my iPod. It's a lovely mixture of Canadian and Italian singers… Aselin Debison is an absolute DREAM, bella," Feliciano replied.

The lyrics drifted over the silence that followed:

…I will bring to you the sweetest blossom

Bearing precious melody and all

When it's time to dance we far too often

Get wrapped up in the worry of the fall

And I will catch you…

As the fiddle filled room, Matthew clutched at his heart with a dreamy sigh and said, "Mi amore, Feli! She's taken my heart!"

Feliciano laughed as soap-suds got on Matthew's shirt, "She was twelve when she sang this, bella! That's just little creepy, non?"

"Ah, désolé! It is…" Matthew sighed, and returned to filling the dishwasher.

Ludwig chuckled, "Tell me, do you two often switch to each ozer's language when you speak to each ozer?"

"Si!" Matthew called over his shoulder. The song changed to a female Italian. Alfred was the one to face-palm this time.

"You just HAD to have the Italian belle right after the Canadian belle. Really, Feli, really?" he asked.

"No! This is on 'shuffle!' Honest!" Feliciano shouted, "Don't eat me!"

"I won't… I'm full," Alfred replied, smiling.

Matthew closed the dishwasher and said, "Do you have maple syrup and stuff to make Matthew's Famous Maple Bars?"

"No! No! You are not making dessert at MY house, young man!" Feliciano shouted.

"Yes, I AM, Mom," Matthew said.

They had a mini-stare-down before Feli finally pointed to a cupboard, "Ve~ We bought too much last time. Have at it, bella…"

Matthew pulled his fist into his side before opening the cupboard and getting to work, "It's not as if we have to call a cab at midnight, Feli. We live just across the street. At least, I do, eh?" Matthew told his childhood friend.

"Ve~ I was just being…" Feliciano paused for effect, "…awesome…"

"Don't say it isn't awesome… because I'm AWESOME!" Matthew and Feliciano yelled.

Ludwig and Alfred chuckled again. Ludwig then, feeling a little useless, asked, "Can I help you vith anyzing, Matt?"

"Ja—I mean, yeah. Can you mix the dough? Feli… can you make the icing? Just like I showed you, bella… Alfred… just stand there and keep an eye on the fire extinguisher, just in case…" Matthew almost barked. Alfred was a little surprised that little Mattie was taking such control. Matthew himself turned on the oven to the right temperature.

In no time at all, the maple bars were ready and cool. They sat around the (clean) kitchen and ate them in silence. They were eating in a clean kitchen, because Ludwig had insisted they clean the kitchen (for once) while the donuts cooled. They were sitting silence because the song playing was an especially… interesting one…

See we still keep talkin' after you're gone.

You still with me then feels so good in my arms.

They say you go blind, maybe it's true.

We've all got our junk, and my junk is you…

"Ahh… ze classic 'unrequited love' song," Ludwig said as the song ended.

"Except they find love at the end of the musical… even if one girl's love dies, and the girl who first sang dies, eh," Matthew replied, "The other girls might or might not have had relationships by the end, though. The second boy who sang got some, though. A kiss, at least, eh."

"Spring Awakening was kind of risqué…" Feliciano replied, "I remember trying out for that musical. I wound up getting the part of Moritz. I died… Though, that wasn't as bad as Vash and Heidi having to take their clothes off right on stage, with us singing around them…"

"You're funeral scene made me cry. And yes, Vash and Heidi were great, but that was awkward, eh. I always thought that the community theatre doing that musical was odd. I got the part of Ernst, eh."

Alfred chuckled, "And I got Hanschen… I got to kiss you twice… sometimes four times a day… that was…" he cleared his throat, "Uh… interesting."

"You could say you were technically my first…" Matthew paused to count, "one hundred or so kisses…"

"Ve~ Even if they were staged? Damn, Mattie~"

"Yeah… a lot of kissing…" Alfred replied, not daring to look at Matthew.

"You're zolo vaz my favorite… during 'Touch Me'?" Ludwig told him, "I vaz in the audience that one night you decided to actually touch yourself during zat part…"

"Who's to say I didn't do that every time, Ludwig, eh?" Matthew asked.

"Vere you?" Ludwig asked.

"No, eh…" Matthew replied sheepishly.

"Sing for us, Mattie~" Feliciano cried, pausing the iPod.

"Umm… okay, eh…" Matthew replied, blushing as he remembered the solo:

Touch me-just like that.

And that-oh, yeah-now, that's heaven.

Now, that I like.

God that's so nice.

Now lower down, where the figs lie...

"You surprise me, Mattie," Alfred replied, "Even without the back ground music, your voice is… is…"

"Bellisimo!" Feliciano finished, hugging his friend.

Matthew blushed, "Well… we should go get some sleep, eh?" he asked, the blush still apparent on his face, "Thanks for dinner, Feli…"

"Yes, thank you, Feliciano," Ludwig replied, "I have in vork in ze morning."

Ludwig saw them to the end of the path before he turned to go to his own house, right next door to the Italian boy. Matthew and Feliciano waved like lovers, pretending to cry, all the way until Matthew shut the door to his house across the street. Alfred gave him a look, and Matthew smiled, almost skipping up the steps to his room.

~*~

Um... the songs mentioned in this chapter are "The Dance You Choose" by Aselin Debison, "My Junk" from Spring Awakening, and "Touch Me" from Spring Awakening. I don't own any of them.

And yes, this has an explanation of the title and where I got it from. Have fun with that.

And if you couldn't guess where this is going: Please review. The more you guys review, the faster I am inclined to actually write.

~Ana~