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Chapter Twelve: Je Ne T'aime Pas

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Ludwig was outside of his little hole of a kitchen, working the register during lunch because he had nothing better to do. Come to think of it, he could have gone and sat with Francis, who was eating alone since his two friends had bailed on him. It was only 11:30 on a Friday afternoon, and he knew that his busboys wouldn't be back, as it was now their afternoon off. On Fridays, Alfred and Arthur doubled themselves as busboys as well as their primary jobs (Arthur was a waiter/barista, and Alfred was a cook). But what was Francis still doing here?

Suddenly, Feliciano crashed in, followed closely by one… Kiku Honda, was his name? Kiku smirked as he noticed Francis was alone, and pushed the Italian toward the Frenchmen. "Tell him so you can have some closure…" Kiku said.

Feliciano whined without words and went over to Francis. Ludwig suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and turned away into the kitchen. Kiku looked up from his internal thoughts and saw the tall blond go into the kitchen. He looked back at Feliciano, who was stuttering at Francis, and then slipped into the kitchen undetected.

Ludwig was watching Francis and Feliciano from the window where orders were usually given to Ludwig or Alfred, whoever was there at the moment. He looked sad, and so he should: his crush was telling someone else of his affections.

But what about Arthur? Kiku thought just as the German man saw him.

"What are you doing in here?" Ludwig asked suddenly, frightening Kiku slightly.

"I wanted to be there for you…" Kiku replied, nodding his head and then looking at his feet. Why was had he been so blunt?

"What? I have a boyfriend… Feliciano means nothing to me…" Ludwig said, putting a large hand over his mouth to hide his blush.

Kiku blinked, casting his eyes upward at the other male, "I know… but you still need closure. I can tell you still have feelings for Feli…"

Ludwig was surprised, "Your… your name is Kiku, right?"

Kiku nodded and bowed, something his mother had engrained in his mind even before he had moved with her and his father to Monde, which was halfway around the world from Tokyo: "Yes. Kiku Honda. Pleased to finally speak to you…"

Ludwig laughed, "I think that last time we spoke was when Gilbert was looking for that paper straw you put in Easter baskets…"

Kiku blushed, "Work… doesn't count…"

Ludwig laughed again, actually liking being around the short Japanese man… What about Arthur? his inner Gilbert asked, crossing his arms.

Oh… Ludwig thought. Something was off about the whole situation. He was sure he loved the Brit but… Ludwig glanced out at Feliciano and Francis. Kiku came close to him and went on tiptoe to watch through the window. Ludwig blushed at how close they were, confused about why he was so attracted to the short Japanese man.

"I love you, will you go out with me?" Feliciano was saying quickly, as if the whole sentence was one word.

Francis seemed to know what was going on and looked up lazily from his text message. "Je ne t'aime pas, Feliciano-cher," he said with an unfeeling monotone. "I… I cannot go out with you… please move on from me…"

Ludwig and Kiku both went wide-eyed: Ludwig at Francis's blatant refusal, and Kiku because of the words Francis had chose. Je ne t'aime pas? I don't like you? Or I don't love you? He thought, remembering looking up words when he and Matthew had been text messaging. Matthew often switched into Quebecois to confuse the poor Japanese man, especially since Kiku's phone didn't do the Japanese characters so well, and Kiku really couldn't get the other back. (Not that Kiku remembered a lick of his first language, mind you…)

Feliciano knew Francis would say something along those lines, but they still made him sad. So he started sniffling. And Kiku ran out of the kitchen to comfort his friend and Male!Rory. Feli stopped Kiku from hugging him, as his phone had rung. He took it out and opened it. "C-Ciao?" he asked, "Hey, Lovi. … No! Nothing's the matter! … O-Okay… I'll see you in a moment…" he snapped the phone closed.

Kiku glanced first at Feliciano, then at Ludwig, and then at Francis, who looked as hurt as Feliciano. "Let's still be friends, Francis," Feliciano sniffed, and then he bolted out the door. Since Kiku was his ride, he gave Ludwig a shy little wave before running out after the blubbering Italian.

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Kiku had dropped off Feliciano without another word. After he had backed down the steep incline that was the Italian's driveway, he headed on home to Oriental drive.

Poor Feli unlocked his door and opened it, walking in the door to find his adopted brother waiting for him.

"You told him, didn't you? And what did the wine bastard say?" Lovino asked, seething lightly.

"He told me what I needed to hear," Feliciano replied simply, placing his keys on the table. He went to take off his coat, but his eyes were blurry with fresh tears. Lovino saw this a jumped up from the couch. He delicately removed his brother's coat before Feliciano really started to cry again.

Feliciano turned around so that they were chest to chest and threw his arms around his brother. Blushing, it took the other a while to return the gesture, but when he did, it was soft and loving, a touch he had only given one other person at that moment: Matthew.

"… Are you still hung up on that guy?" Lovino asked, as Feliciano's sobs turned into almost frightened hiccups.

"Not (hic) anymore. It was (hic) mostly clos—(hic)—sure for me (hic)," Feliciano whimpered.

Lovino nodded and put one hand on the back of his brother's head, pushing it into his shoulder. Feliciano clutched at Lovino's shirt. Lovino began to sing lightly, an old lullaby he had learned from listening to Marcus calm his son's fears after a nasty nightmare.

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Translations:

Je ne t'aime pas – "I don't love (like) you."

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-flails- OMG~ Kiku x Ludwig AND Lovino x Feliciano? Oh la freaking vache!

Yeah, here's another quick chapter for you before school consumes my soul for another week. Be proud of me ^^

Oh, and review. I know you want to. -pokes-

Adieu~

Ana-chan