Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it
Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga Iris Zero, there may be some minor spoilers for it.
Glad you all seemed to like the mystery that is Alfred's middle name. Unless Himaruya comes up with something canon, I'll come up with something…suitable when the time comes. I've already got several good ideas from you guys XD
oOo
Gilbert Beilschmidt walked down the hallways flanked by his two best friends/wingmen. People quickly stepped aside to let the three boys who had come to be known as the Bad Touch Trio through. Gilbert smirked. Was it his awesome swagger? His awesome Iris? The sheer amounts of awesome his awesome body seemed to give off in waves? Probably...But to give credit where it's due, most of them just wanted to shield themselves from Antonio's dazzling smile or avoid Francis's wandering hands.
"C'mon guys, we better get going," Gilbert's eyes flickered over a group of underclassmen chatting nearby. "Kesesese! We can watch our masterpiece from a distance!"
The trio picked up their pace and seconds later stream after stream of soda erupted from the chemistry room. Someone had rigged a system to lower Mentos tablets into several deep pans of Dt. Coke, causing them to shoot off in staggered intervals. Several people were caught up in the crossfire and began shrieking as they were drenched in sticky soda. By the time the custodian could intervene, other students and pranksters-in-training saw only the aftermath. Whatever device the jokers had used destroyed itself in the soda blasts, successfully eliminating any evidence or way to copy them. Everyone knew who the culprits were, but so far, nobody had ever been able to prove it.
The custodian angrily slammed his mop to the floor, reminding himself once again that Beilschmidt, Carriedo, and Bonnefoy were in their senior year. He just had to make it through the rest of this year and he would be free of the little spawns of Satan forever.
oOo
Far away in Gotham City, its newest Police Commissioner was powering up the Bat-Signal until it was shining bright enough to be seen anywhere in the city. Dark clouds spiraled overhead and rain threatened to spill from the stormy sky. The young Commissioner fidgeted with his sleek trenchcoat (he looked extra-cool in a trenchcoat) as he anxiously waited for the hero to show and save the day.
"What seems to be the matter, Commissioner?" the Dark Knight asked, smirking as the other man jumped slightly.
"It's a damn good thing you came, Batman…" Lovino spat out the toothpick he'd been clenching between his flawless white teeth. "Gotham City needs you now more than ever!"
"What seems to be the problem?" Alfred mumbled, not realizing he was responding to his inner-monologue.
"…Alfred, are you even listening to me?" Roderich's stern voice snapped the American out of his daze.
"Oh, Roderich! When did you get here, dude?"
The Austrian grumbled something into the palm he was introducing to his face. Tino and Feliciano chuckled good-naturedly at the sight. The handful of other student representatives who gathered at school early after Roderich had them contacted for an emergency meeting appeared to be just as tired as their President. They were eager for the Student Council to hold their first official meeting and take over general affairs, so the Austrian would take them off of speed dial.
"I said you need to be more aware of the Academy's current situation!" fumed Roderich.
"Oh, are you talking about the Coke and Mentos prank the Bad Touch Trio pulled?" he asked. "I heard the Engineering students get extra credit if they can figure out how the Mentos machine worked…One of Gilbert's creations, right?"
Ludwig ignored the question directed at him. He'd long since given up trying to talk sense into his brother. It was times like these that he pretended he was adopted.
"You probably shouldn't brush it off like it's nothing," Elizabeta defused the situation before Roderich snapped. "Just last week they somehow got enough instant Jello into the water fountain outside to make it solidify. It still smells a little like strawberries…"
"B-But we don't actually know it's them…" Feliciano offered. He hated to accuse them without evidence. What if they were actually innocent?
"Don't be naïve, Feliciano," Roderich frowned. He felt confident without Arthur there to protect his French boyfriend from the Austrian's accusations. Roderich had been less confident at six in the morning when he woke the Brit up from what must have been 3 hours of sleep if the very 'ungentlemanly' language he all but snarled at him was anything to go by. "We all know they're the ones causing this chaos."
"Then…why are you bringing it up now?" Alfred asked. "They've been doing it for years, haven't they?"
"That's right! They've gotten away with it for years!"
"…So?"
"So, it's now your job to do something about it!"
"Figures…" Alfred grumbled, wishing he had taken the time to stop for coffee, before showing up. All this pressure forming in his brain was going to give him a headache.
Roderich was a good student and a hard-worker, which is why he usually made Student Council. However, Roderich was also uptight and unwilling to embrace change of any kind, which was why Alfred avoided choosing him as his second-in-command. Ludwig could at least be convinced to have fun when the need called for it…or someone called for a certain energetic Italian. Feliciano could get anyone to loosen up, even if he wasn't as cool as his older brother. Before Feli, Alfred had been certain both Ludwig and Kiku's stoic expressions were carved onto their faces like stone. Even Feliciano would have been a better choice for any position over Roderich (in the American's opinion).
Yet somehow, despite all odds, Roderich still wormed his way into Student Council affairs. Taking a cue from Alfred, he created a new position for himself – Student Council Adviser Assistant. Naturally, his uncle/current Student Council Adviser was all for it. He backed his nephew's claim that he was very busy, so Roderich could help act in his stead when he was unable. Initially, a few suggested electing a new Adviser, but the Headmaster declined. Headmaster Shinawatra said Professor Edelstein had been an upstanding Adviser for several years now. He believed there was no harm in letting Roderich help out every now and then. It would shape him to be an equally good Adviser down the road.
"…Do you think you'll be able to do something about them, Alfred?" Elizabeta asked Alfred with a grin. She had her own ideas of why he was so distracted today.
"All right, I'll do it!" Alfred agreed, in full Hero mode. "Freedom prevails! Let my shield of justice protect what is important! Ha, ha, ha! Remember, even demons run when a good man goes to war!"
The room was filled with a couple cheers, some clapping, more than a few grumbles, and one very rabid fangirl hastily scribbling down notes for the fantasy doujinshi the American had just inspired.
oOo
Alfred wasn't the sort of guy who liked to beat around the bush. He figured the best way to get Gilbert and the others to ease up on the pranks was to talk to them directly. They'd probably be understanding enough when Alfred explained the situation to them. He didn't know them all that well, but knew they weren't as bad as Roderich was making them out to be.
'I'm sure we'll be able to work something out…' Alfred thought, as he turned a corner and nearly crashed into them. He blinked. '…Is that Lovino?'
Sure enough, Lovino was currently cussing the trio out while Antonio glomped onto him saying something about tomatoes. The others laughed and Alfred couldn't help but recall all the terrible pranks the trio had pulled in the past…Lovino was in real danger!
'I'm gonna kick their asses!'
Lovino wasn't aware of the blonde as he drove the top of his head into Antonio's chin in order to free himself from his overprotective cousin's grasp. He didn't need that Spanish jerk to make him look weak and cause a scene in front of Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber, much less any actual bullies who passed them in the hallway. As Antonio stumbled backwards, he bumped into Alfred, surprising them both.
"Sorry, amigo!" the brunette apologized, still holding his now-injured chin. "Didn't see you there!"
"Alfred?" Lovino blinked. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came here to save you!" the blonde intervened heroically, pulling the Italian away from the pranksters and closer to his side. "Don't worry, I won't let them do anything to you!"
"Wait, what?!" Lovino blushed despite himself. "W-What the fuck do you mean by that, bastard?!"
"I thought they were going to pull a prank on you," Alfred explained. "The last one ended up flooding half the science wing, so I was a little worried…"
"Kesesese! Isn't that just precious?" Gilbert barked. "The hero swoops in to save the day!"
"Does that make us the villains?" Antonio asked, troubled by the term. He didn't think of himself as a bad guy.
"You bastards aren't exactly model students…" Lovino rolled his eyes.
"But we would never dream of doing anything to you, mon cher," Francis purred. "Unless you wanted us to, of course. Ohonhonhon!"
"Whatever, creepy bastard," Lovino shot back, but still ducked behind Alfred ever so slightly. Better safe than sorry, even if Alfred and his own cousin were there to keep the frog's wandering hands in check. The Italian typically didn't have to deal with that kind of attention, so he was unused to handling it in ways that didn't involve threats and cursing.
Alfred felt Lovino's unease and interpreted it as feeling unsafe as long as those three delinquents were on the loose. The brunette already had enough on his plate without having to worry about the Bad Touch Trio playing some dumb prank on him. The blonde's inner-Hero was fueled further and he was ready to go all Captain America on the trio without a second thought.
"You guys need to back off with the practical jokes," he began. "Not everyone is laughing about them."
"Then they have a shitty sense of humor," Gilbert shrugged. "Did Roderich put you up to this?"
"I'm the Student Council President. That means it's everyone's problem, not just his."
"Kesesese! I knew it!" grinned the albino. "He's such a dick. I swear his only goal is to crash the Jenga tower that is our life."
"You still need to quit pulling your stunts at school," was all Alfred could say. He couldn't exactly argue Gilbert's point about Roderich.
"It's not like we're hurting anyone…" added Antonio.
"And you can't prove it was actually us," Francis winked.
"Doesn't matter. It still needs to stop."
"Hmm…Tell ya what, Herr Präsident, you've got balls standing up to us, so we'll make this interesting…" Gilbert's face broke into a wide grin.
"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, ignoring the groan from the Italian behind him.
"Let's make a bet!" the self-proclaimed Prussian's eyes lit up. "If you win, we'll cease and desist with the pranks, but if we win, then everyday is April Fool's day."
"Depends on the bet…" the blonde crossed his arms.
"Oh, it's real easy – you just have to figure out what my Iris does by the end of the day."
"Hmm…sounds simple enough…" Alfred mulled it over.
"Exactly!" Gilbert held out his hand to shake on it. "You figure that out and we'll be perfect little angels for the rest of the year!"
"You can't be serious," Lovino huffed. "Alfred, this is obviously a trap to make the school free territory."
All three seniors looked aghast that Lovino could even insinuate their motives were any less pure than the first snowflake of winter. Alfred thought they looked genuinely shocked. Lovino thought they looked full of shit.
"I think it'll be okay, Lovino," Alfred smiled. "This is the easiest way to end their reign of terror."
"And what a reign it's been," Gilbert couldn't help but laugh.
"Dammit, Alfred!" the tsundere growled. "Don't be an idiot! It's a tra—"
"You've got yourself a deal!" the President shook hands with the Prussian.
oOo
The warning bell had caused the crowds to head towards their respective homerooms, but Lovino hung back to yell at Alfred for being such a moron. Why didn't he listen to him? He knew what kind of games the Bad Touch Trio liked to play and this was one of them. Why couldn't he get this through the blonde's thick skull?
"I'm sure it'll work itself out, Lovino," Alfred patted his back, to reassure his friend. "I've got all day to figure it out."
"Fine, but at least let me help you," the tsundere crossed his arms. "Lord knows you'll need it."
"That's okay, buddy. I can handle it!" the American puffed out his chest. "I'll figure it out in no time!"
"Don't be an idiot!" snapped Lovino. "If I'm going to bother to offer you help, the least you can do is graciously accept it!"
Alfred laughed, thanking his friend again, but insisted he try to figure out Gilbert's Iris on his own. He was still in protective mode and didn't want to pull Lovino in any deeper than he was already. This was also a great chance for Alfred to prove himself to be a good president! Excitement rippled through his body. He could do this!
By the time Alfred made it to his homeroom class, there was enough time to tell Ludwig, Kiku, and Feliciano about the great deal he worked out with Gilbert. Feliciano beamed and agreed it was a nice way to settle the argument fair and square. He hated fighting. As Alfred was about to thank him for having his back, Ludwig flat-out offered to tell Alfred his brother's Iris to get Gil to behave, but Alfred declined, saying it was something he had to do himself. He couldn't take the easy route out of his bet with Gilbert. That wouldn't look good for the new president.
Kiku shared Ludwig's concern and offered to help him figure it out. He said he didn't know what it was either, but he's good at gathering information. That way, it would be fair. Nothing in the bet said Alfred had to do it alone. There wasn't anything wrong with using the resources at his disposal, right? If anything, he would be expected to do so. Still, Alfred thanked him, but declined the black-haired boy's offer.
Feliciano cheered Alfred on, while the other two Student Council members shared a look. As the bell rang, they silently agreed to tell Arthur about the situation. Maybe he could talk some sense into his cousin before it was too late…
oOo
The stakes were high on Alfred's first official mission as the Student Council President, but he believed in himself. He waved good-naturedly to Gilbert and the others in the hallway when he passed them. They waved back, but began howling in laughter as he passed.
Alfred had planned on waiting for his study period to look up Gilbert's school file, but something about that laughter didn't sit right with him. He whipped out his phone and brought up his internet browser. A few button presses later got him nowhere. Listing your Iris upon enrollment was optional and it looked like Gilbert chose to opt out of it. Alfred had figured he'd be the bragging sort, but didn't let it bother him. He opened up every social networking program from facebook to Xbox Live to some random battle MMORPG he and the albino played from time to time…Nothing.
This didn't make any sense. Gilbert was the kind of guy who bragged about his pet bird's girlfriend…how the hell could he keep his mouth shut about his own Iris?! No, no…nothing to worry about. He must have missed something. There was no way the albino could keep a secret this well. Everything was fine.
…Okay, maybe he was getting a little worried.
During gym class, Alfred felt someone nudge his shoulder. Was it his turn to bat already?
"Al, you okay?" his brother asked him from his spot next to him on the wooden bench in the dugouts.
"Mattie? When did you get here?"
"I've been here the whole time, you're the one who's been zoned out," Matthew's cheeks puffed out slightly. Dealing with his older brother was such a pain, sometimes.
Normally, Alfred would just wave off his worry, but Matthew was his brother. He'd see through him anyway. No sense in lying about it because deep down he was feeling troubled. The day was almost half-over and he was nowhere closer to figuring out Gilbert's Iris. Alfred sighed and filled in his brother on the whole thing. He told him about the request to have the BTT stop pulling pranks, the bet with Gilbert, and how crappy his investigation was going so far.
"I just want to do a good job and show people I can be reliable," Alfred hung his head, staring at his shadow hopelessly. "I want them to feel like they can depend on me."
"Have you tried using your Iris?" his brother asked, his voice wavering slightly.
"It's kind of hard to, since the only people who know for sure are Ludwig, Antonio, Francis, and Elizabeta."
"Is there anyone else?"
"Nah, I stopped searching for that," Alfred shrugged as they stood up to switch positions and take the outfield. "I'm mostly searching for clues now."
"Good luck, Al," Matthew patted his back as they jogged out.
"Thanks, bro!" Alfred managed to smile, pulling the brim of his hat further down. The sun was at that annoying angle of peeking over the school building and shining directly in his face. At least it was still warm out...
Even though he was pitching for his team, the Hero still found the time to go over what he knew about Gilbert's mysterious Iris. Maybe it was because baseball was like second nature to him? Maybe it was because he knew next to nothing about the albino's Iris? Damn…
The batter hit a pop fly towards left-field where Matthew was standing. The younger Jones brother was less focused on the game and more focused on his brother's dilemma. He didn't even see the ball flying his direction until it was too late.
"Heads up, Birdie!" Gilbert called from the bleachers of the second field.
"Eh?" Matthew snapped back to attention and managed to shield himself with his glove, catching the ball and avoiding a concussion. "Th-Thanks!"
Alfred watched the scene unfold from the pitcher's mound. Gilbert had been a couple hundred meters away! How did he even see that? Maybe his Iris gave him extra-good vision? Or warned him when others were in trouble? That would be cool… Alfred would have loved an Iris like that. Then he'd really be like a hero!
"Ugh…this is no time to think of Irises I want…" the American cleared his head by shaking it. "I gotta figure out what his Iris is…"
oOo
Lunch rolled around and Alfred was beginning to feel that sense of drowning in a problem that was over his head. Arthur had even tracked him down to support him in that special, compassionate way only he could manage.
"You bloody idiot! What the hell were you thinking?! Of course it was a trap!"
"Thanks, Artie," Alfred groaned, resting his head on the table. "That never crossed my mind."
"Apparently not, or you wouldn't have taken the stupid bet! Even a child could have figured that one out!" Arthur fumed. "You'd get in a car with a stranger if they offered you enough candy, wouldn't you?"
"Leave it to you to make me feel better."
"I wouldn't have to chew you out as much if you actually used what little common sense you possess, git!"
"I don't suppose you have any suggestions that involve not yelling at me, do you?" Alfred asked.
"Besides consulting the other Student Council members when you're making such reckless decisions?!"
"Well…Lovino was there," protested the American. "He counts."
"Oh? And he agreed that taking Gilbert's brainless bet was a good idea?"
"Uh…no, actually he didn't."
"Well, there you go!" Arthur raged on. Unlike his oblivious cousin, he knew exactly how crazy Francis and the others could get with their 'practical jokes.' If they were given free reign of the school...he didn't want to think about the chaos they would cause. "You never listen to anyone else's opinion when it counts! You're always getting yourself ass-deep into trouble and making things worse before they get any better! I'll never understand how someone so irresponsible ended up being the Student Council President! You have a team, use them!"
"You're a fine one to talk…" Alfred mumbled. "You'd use a drowning teammate as a stepping stone to cross a raging river and call it teamwork…"
"Why you—"
Alfred tuned him out for the remainder of lunch, feeling worse about not listening to Lovino. He had been right about the whole thing, after all. If only he'd listened to him instead of getting so caught up in proving he was the best President in all the land.
"Damn…I really messed up…" the blonde groaned.
"That's what I've been telling you!" Arthur threw his hands up in exasperation.
oOo
Alfred had tried asking around some of the staff he actually trusted about Gilbert's Iris when asking students got him nowhere. He had even devised a fake report and played if off as a survey for his marketing class to learn about the school's population. Alfred had been so proud of it…he even fooled his old marketing teacher! Things were starting to look up…and then he ran into Gilbert.
"Ooh, nice ploy, but not good enough."
"What do you mean?" Alfred snatched his fake report back from the Prussian.
"I'm saying it's a good try, but next time you need to try…gooder."
Alfred tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head (that had familiar British accent for some unfathomable reason) that complained about Gilbert slandering the English language.
"Kesesese! Are you ready to give up?"
"Not a chance!" Alfred's voice sounded a lot more confident than he actually felt.
"I can just imagine all the fun I'm going to have once you lose the bet and the school is mine for the taking…" his red eyes gleamed. "First I think I'll dump itching powder in everyone's gym uniforms and—"
The albino stopped short, stared at the wall in front of them, and hightailed it out of there in a flash.
"Gotta run! Good luck, Herr Präsident!" he waved over his shoulder. "You'll need it, kesesese!"
Alfred was about to open his mouth to ask why he was bailing so suddenly when he heard Roderich approach…and he wasn't alone. No, that would be too easy. Beside him was none other than Headmaster Shinawatra.
"There's our star president in the flesh!" Kasem Shinawatra chortled. "How are you doing, Alfred?"
"Fine, sir…" the blonde forced a smile and hoped that the jolly man didn't notice how fake it was.
"I heard you're personally handling the school pranking situation…" Roderich narrowed his eyes as if to subtly tell Alfred somebody squealed on him and he knew all about the stupid bet with Gilbert and boy, was he pissed about it.
"I have a feeling it will be resolved by the end of the day!" Alfred said brightly. At least he was honest about it being resolved…maybe not the way the Headmaster or Roderich would like, but resolved nonetheless.
"…That is good news, Alfred," Roderich seemed thrown for a loop. Once he found his footing, he resumed his façade of confidence and butt-kissing. "As I said, Headmaster, we can expect great things from our new President…right, Alfred?"
"You bet!" Alfred winced a little. If the looks Arthur sometimes shot him could be considered 'snake-like' Roderich's current expression was 'python-biting-a-baby-bunny's-jugular.'
Alfred watched the current group leave him and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. When did his job get so complicated, anyway? He sure hoped they let him keep it if he somehow screwed this up. Surely, Roderich would find it in his heart to not blame him for everything in his report to the Headmaster.
And of course reality was there to crush his dreams like a disgruntled dentist in a candy store.
"…Balls."
oOo
Alfred's fears were only growing when he was no closer to solving the case as the 5 PM bell drew near (Gilbert had given him an extra hour out of the kindness of his heart). He really wanted to do a good job, but was worried he might fail his very first assignment. He didn't want to disappoint anyone…especially those who helped put him in the presidential role.
Alfred could still recall when he reported he couldn't find the next president, the majority of the room started to turn on him. In the sea of X's, only Arthur, Kiku, Feliciano, and a handful of others believed in his power. Lovino had even embarrassed himself to give him (and the non-believers) the final clue that led to Alfred getting elected. That couldn't have been easy for any of them, so while he did his best to put on a smile and a positive attitude, Alfred felt like he was letting them down.
Fortunately, the cracks in his armor didn't go unnoticed.
From his perch on the second floor lobby, Lovino scoffed. He had glanced out the large window to his right, catching glimpses of (no way was he actually watching) Alfred, as he ran around the school. The blonde still hadn't given up his hunt to solve the mystery of the albino idiot's Iris.
How hard is it to search for someone qualified to tell him and then get them to spill?
Lovino was glad he wasn't being dragged around by him…that would have been a pain. He certainly wasn't feeling left out or anything. What did he care that the crazy blonde wanted to do this all on his own? That would just be stupid. Who would want to be caught up in another one of Alfred's dumb "missions" or whatever?
"Cheh…He looks worried…" the Italian thought out loud. "Hmph. Serves him right. Arrogant bastard."
Lovino was only able to watch Alfred fret for a few more minutes before he stood up to track him down in the Main Commons area the blonde just entered. The brunette had never seen him look so anxious…not that he was worried about him or anything. It's not like Lovino would lose any sleep over the stupid bet Alfred got himself suckered into. He was just going to check on him because he was the Police Commissioner and was apparently supposed to care about the well-being of other students (or whatever bullshit Alfred sold to the Headmaster).
He found Alfred slumped on a bench outside the Clocktower, waiting for the BTT to show. Lovino sat beside him with a huff.
"I can't believe you…" he complained. "You're always telling me to open up and accept help, so you should do the same…especially with your Police Commissioner."
"You're right," Alfred managed a weak laugh. "I wish I realized that sooner and spent the day trying to figure it out with you instead of by myself."
Lovino just blinked, not expecting the American to admit that so easily.
"I'm sorry, Lovino," he apologized. "You're dependable, I should have relied on you more. I learned my lesson, but now it's too late and Gilbert's going to win the bet."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" Lovino's lips twitched upwards into a grin.
"Huh?"
"Are you ready to admit defeat, Herr Präsident?" the albino asked smugly, walking over with the others.
Alfred sighed and his shoulders drooped. Gilbert's eyes flickered to the floor and smirked.
"I see you never figured it out! You probably don't even have the slightest clue about my awesome power!"
Alfred gritted his teeth, about to admit defeat when Lovino cut in.
"You see a person's future by looking at their shadows."
For a few seconds, everyone stared at the Italian in stunned silence.
"That's impossible! How the hell did you figure that out?!" Gilbert shouted, shooting a glare at Antonio.
"Wasn't me, amigo!"
Gilbert's glare traveled to the French boy on his left.
"How could you suspect moi?" Francis gasped dramatically.
"Did you forget, Potato Bastard #2?" Lovino's grin only grew. "I practically did this for a living through half of elementary school."
"Fine then. Explain it, if it was so easy."
"I'll even use little words, so that you understand…" he rolled his eyes. The four boys watched him expectantly as Lovino cleared his throat. "You always look down on others."
"What?!" the albino exclaimed. To be fair, the others looked just as confused.
"Some could argue that's in your nature, but you look even lower than that," the tsundere clarified. "Every time you make a decision about someone or something you glance at their shadow. That means shadows are important somehow."
"How do you know I'm not looking at the actual person?"
"Because you look past them. And a few times, you were too far away to see the person or anything on them clearly, so you had to of been watching something else—their shadow," he continued. "In the field, you knew that Matthew was going to get hit by the baseball before it happened, but he should have been too far away for you to see him clearly. The only thing that was big enough for you to see was his shadow because it was early morning and the sun made it longer."
"How do you know I see what's going to happen, instead of what already happened or—"
"Because that's too much info for your tiny potato brain to process," Lovino cut him off. It had also been his experience that Irises focused on one big aspect, not multiple ones. "You always know what will happen and you proved it by bragging about it – like with Alfred. You saw his shadow look bummed about not figuring out your power, so you took the bet, even extending the time limit. With Roderich, you saw his shadow appear on the wall with the Headmaster before you saw them, so you bailed to avoid a lecture. And I already told you how you called out to Matthew in the field before the baseball could hit him."
"Well, shit," Gilbert had nothing more to say. He hadn't even realized Lovino was around when he was rattling off all his prank ideas to Alfred earlier. Was this part of Alfred's secret plan? Maybe Kiku was training Lovino to be a ninja too? Dammit, he knew he should have had Toni and Franny spy on the other Student Council members.
"I guess this means no more pranks…" Antonio sighed gloomily.
"Back to being boring…" Francis agreed.
"Actually…don't worry about it."
Everyone turned to face Alfred.
"I like pulling pranks too," he admitted with a grin. "As long as you guys don't get too out of hand, it should be okay."
"R-Really?" both brunettes said simultaneously with different levels of enthusiasm in their voices.
"Woo hoo!" Gilbert cheered. "I'm glad I voted for you after all!"
"You didn't vote at all, idiot," Lovino reminded him. "You're not a Class Rep."
"Well, time to go, boys!" Francis smiled, pulling his friends away before Alfred could change his mind. "Adieu Alfred, Lovino!"
"Seeya!" Alfred waved back. He was glad things had worked out for the best in the end.
"You're way too nice for your own good, bastard."
"Then it's a good thing I've got you on my side to look out for me!" the blonde chirped, catching the Police Commissioner by surprise.
"I-I…that's…shut up, bastard!" Lovino punched Alfred's shoulder and silently swore he would learn to control his blushing sooner than later.
"Oh, that reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something about your new job…" the blonde grinned.
"What is it?" he raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to ask why a punch in the arm of all things reminded him of official Student Council business.
"…How do you feel about trenchcoats?"
oOo
A/N – …Because I can't very well write a school fic with the BTT not raising hell, can I?
This one ended up being longer than originally planned, so hopefully nobody died or fell asleep in the process of reading this chapter… ^^ I was trying to avoid a cliffhanger and didn't have enough stuff for two chapters, so…you get this extra-long chapter! XD
-Rajikka
Translations
Tsundere – 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.)
Kasem Shinawatra – A made-up human name for Thailand. "Kasem" means "Happiness" in Thai, while "Shinawatra" means "Does good routinely" (Thai)
Mon cher – My dear (Fr.)
Herr Präsident – Mr. President (Ger.)
Amigo – Friend (Sp.)
Moi – Me (Fr.)
Adieu – Farewell (Fr.)