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.
I just about died from all of your Moon Moon love! Thank you wonderful readers for making me laugh, choke on ramen, and laugh again! I tried to be a bit more serious (or at least story-focused) for this chapter, but President Moon Moon wasn't having any of that when it was his turn in the spotlight.
oOo
Lily Zwingli carefully walked down the crowded hallway. It was busy because it was the end of the day and people were in a hurry to get home or to a club, but it was congested because of all the word clusters forming around others. No matter how much Lily tried to ignore them or will them away, the pulsing words never left.
Most people had three or four clues about their Iris floating around them for Lily to see in a flashy, bold font. It didn't seem to matter if she looked during the day or night. Even when she wore sunglasses, she could see each word clearly. The descriptions were often short, but to the point.
As she rounded the corner, she saw Ludwig and Feliciano, two boys from her grade. It looked like the Italian had been trying to convince his friend to have an afterschool snack with him, but Ludwig had declined due to Student Council duties. Feli laid on the puppy eyes, forcing the tall German to sigh and assure the other he would eat lunch with him tomorrow. The brunette brightened and waved his friend off, promising to make something delicious. As Ludwig passed by the small girl, she noted he carried the words of 'lie detector' 'the devil favors liars' and 'forked tail.'
Being the sweet-on-girls guy that he was, Feliciano greeted Lily, just as bubbly as ever. She found this odd. His kind nature was at odds with his serious Iris clues. Feliciano was surrounded by 'secret crush' 'buried feelings' 'true love can bring pain' and 'family, friend, or otherwise.' Lily couldn't recall ever learning his Iris, so she built up her courage to ask.
"Um…What did you say your Iris was again?"
"I thought your Iris told you that," Feli tilted his head. Maybe he misunderstood?
"It, um, it gives me clues…but yours are confusing…"
"Oh, so you still have to guess them?" Feliciano frowned, feeling bad for her. "That sounds like a hard Iris…no wonder Lovi pretended to have it, he likes challenges, you know!"
"Huh?" Lily blinked her large green eyes.
"Oh, when we were kids, fratello pretended to have an Iris to fit in and not draw attention to us…" he saddened. "Even then, he knew what would happen to both of us if he was revealed to be an Iris Zero. He was always looking out for me…"
"Both of you? But I thought only he was an Iris Zero."
"He is, but as soon as somebody gets outted as an Iris Zero, their entire family is suspected as well," explained the Italian. "For a week or two in 2nd grade, my whole class thought I was an Iris Zero just because Lovi and I are brothers. I think Lovi knew that would happen and tried to trick everybody to keep us both safe…"
"That must have been difficult," Lily dropped her gaze, at a loss of what else to say.
"Not for Lovi! My fratello is really smart, even if he doesn't think so!" Feliciano replied, all fired up. "I don't remember the details, but he was only found out by someone's Iris that told them about his act."
"I see."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ramble!" the boy blinked. "Fratello always tells me I do that! You wanted to know about my Iris, right?"
"Right."
"I can see the name of the person you care about the most above your head."
"Really?" she looked confused. "It detects romantic love?"
"Sort of. It can be any kind of love, I guess…family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends…It's hard to tell sometimes," he beamed. "But I still like it! It's fun!"
Lily had to agree. It seemed like the perfect Iris for someone who liked spreading as much happiness as Feliciano. She wished her own Iris suited her better. Hers always made her feel like she was prying into the lives of others. It would be nice to have something that let her help others somehow. The two made their way down the hallway together, content to chat idly. Or in Lily's case, listen to Feliciano talk idly. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
…Or was it?
"Another one…?" hissed a voice from behind the corner. "Why do these unruly boys keep flocking to my innocent little sister?"
Vash poked his head around the corner, frown deepening on his face. Although, Feliciano had done nothing wrong (and had more fun flirting with girls than actually pursuing them), the Swiss professor with a trigger finger deemed anyone who so much as uttered a kind word to Lily to be a potential suitor. While sometimes this was true, other times it was the mother of all misunderstandings. The employee at the coffee shop near the Zwingli apartment was still in therapy after complimenting Lily on her cute ribbon ended with him starring down the barrel of Vash's shotgun. Needless to say, Lily wasn't exactly thrilled with her brother's overprotective behavior and he still didn't see what the problem was.
"…I better get my SIG…"
oOo
"What in the name of all that's magical is that?!"
"It's my new chair, Artie! Do you like it?"
"What kind of daft idiot thinks something like that constitutes a typical student's chair?!"
"But you're the one always telling me that people don't take me seriously!"
"And this is an excellent example of why, you bloody idiot!"
Ludwig's hand lingered on the door. Why, oh, why did he accept the role of Vice-President? If he would have known how much time he'd be spending with crazy people, he may have reconsidered at the time it was offered…
"If you're not going in, move your ass so I can," an angry voice growled behind him.
Ludwig didn't even have to turn his head to know that voice belonged to Feliciano's less-than-pleasant older brother. Between him and the horrors that lay beyond the door, Ludwig was caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Are you deaf or something, potato bastard?" the brunette was losing his patience. "Move it, already!"
"Apologies…" Ludwig mumbled, opening the door and stepping inside bravely.
He immediately regretted it.
"Yo, Ludwig!" Alfred called from his new perch. "Isn't this chair the most badass thing you've ever seen?!"
"Er…"
The President was currently sitting on what appeared to be a slightly raised metal chair with several dozen swords jutting out from the back of it. Some were turned inwards so the hilt was visible, but the majority were 'pointy side up.' The way the swords were spread out made Alfred look like the world's most dangerous peacock. In the German's opinion, the chair looked more like something that belonged on the drama department's medieval set than a meeting room. Gilbert would have loved it, but Ludwig…not so much.
"The shop guys in the advanced class made it and said I could have it!" he practically bounced with glee. "I think they called it the Steel Throne or something."
"The Iron Throne, imbecile!" Arthur snapped at him. "The Iron Throne!"
"That's what I said."
Ludwig easily caught Lovino's sleeve and dragged him into the room before he could run away. If Ludwig had to suffer through this, so did he. Lovino shot him a murderous look, but took a seat next to Kiku. The German took his usual spot next to Alfred, ready to redirect the meeting off whatever tangents their zany President went off on.
oOo
Mei walked through the busy editorial office of the school newspaper towards her Editor-in-Chief and best friend's office. She wasn't aware of the details, but had received an urgent text from Elizabeta to come in as soon as possible. She knocked carefully on the door and waited. Receiving no response, the long-haired girl tried again. Still nothing.
"Elizabeta…?" she called out, knocking a little louder.
Growing a little concerned, Mei opened the door slowly and made her way in. She gasped as she saw Elizabeta collapsed on her desk, a shallow pool of blood forming around her head. The brunette's eyes were closed and her expression was hidden behind long strands of her hair.
"Oh my god! Elizabeta!" Mei rushed to her side.
The older girl stirred at the sound, but remained unconscious. Mei's fingers flew to her friend's wrist and found a strong pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed Elizabeta's hair out of her face before any more of the sticky red blood could stain it. The Hungarian was completely out, but she seemed very much at peace. She even had a smile on her face.
Mei searched for the cause of her injury, but found none. It almost looked like Elizabeta had a severe nosebleed and passed out sometime after that…but what could have caused it? Mei noticed the Chief's computer was in sleep mode (and thankfully far enough away from the pool of blood), so she shook the mouse to see if there was any clue here.
There was.
Several images of a grinning Alfred holding hands with a blushing Lovino filled the screen. There were shots of Alfred laughing and others of Lovino trying to play it cool in a blushing tsundere fashion. As Mei scrolled through them all, she saw they weren't alone. In several of the shots the boys were carrying baby red pandas. Baby red pandas! Squealing with delight, Mei noticed a third panda curled up around Lovino's neck, snuggling in for an afternoon nap. However it was the shot of Alfred nuzzling the third panda (and therefore his Italian friend by default) that did her in.
Mei promptly fainted in sheer bliss.
oOo
As they neared the end of their meeting, Kiku requested Alfred hand over the group's confidential files containing private surveys, test scores, officer personal information and the like. The Secretary hadn't gotten a chance to take the info off Alfred's flashdrive to encrypt it.
"You're in luck," the blonde said with a hint of pride. "I put it in the safest place I knew to hide it from thieves."
"Who the hell would want to steal the damned thing?" grumbled Lovino.
"Are you sure you want me to take it out of hiding?" Alfred asked Kiku with a serious expression.
"Yes, that would probably be for the best."
"And Kiku's encryption is better security than any half-baked hiding spot you came up with," Arthur added.
"Okay, if that's what you really want…" the American replied somberly, rolling up his sleeve in a dramatic fashion.
The rest of the table gave him confused looks as he stood up and walked towards the back of the room…and stuck his exposed hand into the piranha tank. Instantly, the others shouted out in a panic while the water turned a grisly red. Alfred himself grimaced from what could have been anywhere from 10 to 20 hungry piranhas feasting on his flesh. A horrified Lovino was at his side in an instant to pull his arm out, not even thinking about the evil fish that would probably attack him too.
As Lovino pulled his friend's arm out, he found Alfred's skin to be completely unharmed. The American laughed and tossed the fake treasure chest accessory to Kiku, saying it was just a joke. All four onlookers were as white as a sheet, still letting that process in their heads.
"I kept the flashdrive sealed up inside the treasure chest for protection," Alfred grinned. "Nobody would think to look in a fish tank of herbivore piranha look-alikes that I rigged to release a harmless red dye when the hidden button is pressed…Heh, you should have seen your faces!"
Realization finally set in completely and the others were less than pleased. Lovino was quick to answer, furious enough for all of them.
"You put a tank full of fake piranhas in our meeting room for a fucking GAG?!"
"…It doesn't sound quite as funny when you put it like that, Lovi…" winced Alfred.
"That's because it isn't, you bloody idiot!" the Briton shouted.
"Why is it you two can only agree on something when it involves making fun of me?" the President pouted.
"Fuck you!" both exclaimed in unison.
Alfred continued to pout. Ludwig rearranged his personal notes and pretended he was somewhere less chaotic. Kiku could only sigh. He was running out of creative ways to edit the official meeting notes around the tsundere duo's…colorful vocabulary.
oOo
The next day, Gilbert decided to walk his no longer secret boyfriend to class. Trees, fences, and people passed by while they made easy conversation. Gilbird fluttered around above them, enjoying their company.
"I'm still trying to figure out how our dear brothers and the rest of the student council manage to get anything done…" laughed the albino.
"They're like a family on a road trip," Matthew explained with a smile. "It may take a long time and lots of shouting, but they eventually get there."
"Huh, explain that for me, Birdie."
"Alfred and Lovino are like the hyperactive kids constantly getting into trouble…Kiku's the bored teenager…"
"Kesesese! And Arthur's the cranky mom who is going to throw someone out the window the next time he hears 'Are we there yet?!'" Gilbert exclaimed, getting into it.
"What role do you think your brother has?"
"That's easy! He's the unamused father driving the car!"
"Kids, stop it this instant!" Matthew lowered his voice, trying to sound gruff and impatient. "I'm serious, kids!"
"If you don't stop it, I'm going to turn this car around, I swear to god!"
Gilbert always treasured their conversations.
They found themselves laughing all the way to Matthew's homeroom. When they finally collected themselves, Gilbert found himself nearly getting lost in his boyfriend's beautiful violet eyes. He could remember a time not too long ago when he couldn't even imagine himself caught up in sappy things like pretty eyes and silky hair. It was funny how meeting the right person could change all that.
"U-Um, thanks for walking me to class today," Matthew said bashfully, giving the albino a kiss on the cheek. It was nice to feel free and not have to hide their relationship anymore.
"R-Right! Anytime!" Gilbert scratched his neck, not sure when they cranked up the heat in this building. He leaned forward, not willing to be outdone by Matthew, placing a surprisingly soft kiss on his forehead. "Have an awesome day, Birdie."
oOo
The Homecoming dance was right around the corner and it was all anyone could talk about. Alfred was busy discussing it with his lab partner in their culinary class as they made a simple batch of sugar cookies together. The Student Council President was stressed because he was trying to balance playing in the game the football team roped him into while planning everything on top of that.
"Ha, the second you actually have to work, you hate being President," Lovino smirked at him while stirring the frosting they would later add to the cookies.
"Hey, you helped get me elected, so you have to help me out here."
"I never agreed to that," the brunette huffed, then became serious. "And nobody would help you if they knew I was involved."
"That's not true! Lots of people would help – me, Mattie, Kiku, your brother, Toni, and all those guys!" Alfred insisted. He switched tactics when he saw his words weren't quite reaching his friend. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"
"I'd make other people deal with it…" he replied. "I'd create a planning committee or something. Like hell I'd have time to plan a stupid party on my own."
"Well, that solves one of my problems, but I think it created a new one."
"What's that?"
"Our cookies are burning."
"Dammit, Moon Moon!" Lovino cursed, racing over to save what was left of their project of the day.
oOo
"Ludwig! Ludwig!" Feliciano practically skipped down the hallway to catch up to his German friend. He wrapped his arms around Ludwig's forearm and tugged gently.
"Yes, Feliciano?" the blonde asked. It was only years of experience that allowed his superior balance reflexes to kick in and prevent him from being bowled over by the pasta fanatic.
"I made you something in Art class!" he exclaimed brightly.
"You did?" Ludwig was a little taken aback, as they walked into the History class they shared and took their seats next to each other.
"Si, I finished my painting ahead of time, so I tried making a bracelet with the left-over materials from my art professor's other class!" chirped the brunette with pride. He quickly slapped the piece of jewelry on Ludwig's wrist, grateful he made it extra-large.
It was the girliest, most mismatched string bracelet in existence.
"I…I think it's nice," the German managed to say. For all Feliciano's artistic talents, jewelry-making was not one of them…but he had still thought of him. It was the thought that counts.
"Ve, really?!"
"Uh, yes. It's very…unique."
Feliciano cheered and settled into his desk as the bell rang to begin class. He smiled at his friend one more time before trying to focus on what their professor was telling them. The amber-eyed boy was so happy Ludwig liked his present! He even smiled a little! Twice! Feliciano added it to his mental tally list of Ludwig's Daily Smiles. His goal was to get his German friend to smile at least ten times each day! Now that he got at almost half his quota in for the day, he was able to pay attention to the older man talking about World War II in the front of the room.
For once, the tables had turned and it was Ludwig who had difficulty focusing on the material their professor was going over. He couldn't stop stealing glances at his very…interesting pink, orange, and neon green bracelet (complete with dangling heart and flower charms) and the artist who crafted it for him.
He had wanted to thank Feliciano, but those kind of words were difficult for the blonde to express. Ludwig didn't want to say the wrong thing and confuse or anger his friend…even if it was hard to imagine Feli getting mad at anyone. It didn't help that Ludwig continued to carry the one secret that could potentially set even the soft-hearted Italian off – he was the one who revealed Lovino was an Iris Zero all those years ago. He was the reason they both suffered so much, that they had to transfer to a different elementary school. He was the one that ruined the fake lives the Vargas brothers worked so hard to keep and the reason their relationship was so strained now…even if Feliciano couldn't remember it.
It was his cross to bear, but a part of him desperately wanted to tell Feliciano in hopes of gaining some kind of forgiveness. Even if it was shooting for the moon, Ludwig would give anything for some of the guilt to be alleviated…but fear of losing Feliciano's friendship always won out over telling him the truth.
Ludwig hated lying to his only true friend.
It took him the entire period to do so, but Ludwig had finally built up the courage to thank Feliciano for his random act of kindness. If that went over well, he might even go as far as to hug him… Ludwig watched his bubbly friend jump up as the bell rang. His amber eyes sparkled with excitement and met the blonde's gaze.
…Or just give him a handshake. That always works too.
"Feliciano," Ludwig cleared his throat.
"Ve?"
"Like, there you are, Feliciano!" a loud voice burst into the room.
Ludwig looked up in shock while Feli waved to his friend happily.
"Ciao, Feliks!" he greeted him. "I love your new skirt, did you make it yourself?"
"Heh…Let's just say I, like, managed to remake the school's totally boring design."
"It's really cute! I like it!"
"Totally!" Feliks spun around to show off his work. Feliciano clapped while Ludwig stared in disbelief at the lean blonde who had curves no male should have. "Are you, like, ready to present our gala designs next period?"
"Si!" he chirped, turning to Ludwig and giving him a hug. "See you later, Ludwig!"
"Ja…"
Feliciano started walking off with Feliks, chatting happily on their way to class. The Italian pulled out his sketchbook and they squealed at his finished designs. Ludwig watched them leave; trying to ignore the ache that suddenly filled his chest. It wasn't like this moment could get any worse…right?
"Bruder!"
Wrong.
"What's the matter, Lutz?" Gilbert threw his arm over his younger brother's shoulder, glancing around. His eyes rested on the retreating forms of Feli and Feliks. "Ah."
"Not a word, brother."
"Then how about a narrative?"
Ludwig groaned. Gilbert cleared his throat.
"Hallo, my name is Ludwig Beischmidt," the albino began, in a deep, stoic voice. "I'm one of the top goody-goody honor students at World Academy as well as its most-awesome Vice President."
"Bruder…"
"Over there is that fine Feliciano Vargas and Feliks Łukasiewicz, who is a skank and doesn't love him like I do."
"I don't love him, brother!"
"Yeah, well say that in front of a mirror…" Gilbert dropped his hand and waved as he walked away. "Betcha anything you'd be wearing one of those forked tails you hate so much…"
oOo
All of World Academy's physical education classes had been scheduled to be outdoors, in the pool area, or weightlifting room this week. This was to allow for the homecoming decorations to go up in the main gymnasium, the largest room in the entire school.
While stretching on his own near the track, Lovino gave this more thought. The Italian had no idea what their idiot President was planning for decorations…probably something stupid like heroes or hamburgers. He crushed the small part of him that thought it was endearing the way Alfred got all fired up over something as simple as that.
"Cheh…"
After class was over, Lovino discovered someone had turned the inside of his gym locker into a water park. He had luckily stored his uniform inside his bag (that he had long since waterproofed). His shoes were another story. They were soggier than a sponge in a rainstorm. It wasn't even worth reporting to his teachers. It wasn't like they'd listen to him anyway. The second Lovino would start pointing fingers, the Phy. Ed. teacher from hell would just try to find a way to blame him for it. Because this was obviously a healthy and logical way for someone who enjoyed being antisocial to seek attention of all things. Cheh, that was at the top of his list, just under become a famous idol and learn motorcycle daredevil stunts to perform in front of large audiences. Lovino made the executive decision to continue wearing his gym shoes and just glare at anyone who gave him trouble.
He managed to make it out of the locker room and down the hallway with minimal laughing and sneers directed his way. Most people didn't pay him too much attention in general as long as he kept his low exposure going. However, his luck ran out when he ran into Alfred.
"I like the new look," the blond greeted his friend. "Pretty soon everyone's going to be wearing gym shoes with their school uniform."
"I'm a rebel. I'm dangerous," he rolled his eyes. Best not to tell the hamburger bastard the real reason he was wearing them. "What did you want, anyhow?"
"I took your advice, Lovi!"
"Yeah?"
"Mm-hm! I put Elizabeta in charge of a homecoming planning committee! She's really stoked about it!"
"You put who in charge?!" Lovino's jaw dropped.
We cut to Elizabeta in the gym giving crazy orders to her minions… As the boys walked in they saw just how…enthusiastic she was about the whole thing. In one corner of the gym, several students were hauling stone columns over to a garden display. The three columns that were already standing were being wrapped in ivy and small blue flowers. On the opposite corner, a crew of minions were shoveling fake snow into artistically displayed piles. There was even a boy leading a reindeer over to the area. On the far right of the room was a concentration of spotlights aimed at several sandcastles. At a nearby table, a few volunteers were seated, happily stringing flower necklaces together. The fourth corner was still covered by a tarp and the center of the room consisted mostly of a mountain of boxes tossed on a long table. Throughout the gymnasium a jumble of music was playing at the same time, making it sound like a classical, jazzy polka with a hint of ukulele.
"Wow…Check out this place…" Alfred gave a low whistle.
"It's worse than I thought…" Lovino facepalmed.
"Boys!" Elizabeta called out, walking over to the duo at a brisk pace, clipboard in hand. "What are you doing over there?!"
"Are we not supposed to be here?" the blonde asked.
"Somehow I don't think I'd complain if you made me leave," the tsundere shrugged, assuming he was the problem.
"Oh, Lovino…I'm far more interested in your chemistry with Alfred than whatever your eyes don't see…" The SHIP president grinned, recalling the pictures Kiku sent her.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" the Italian felt his cheeks redden slightly.
"Because our school is so diverse, we're doing a special theme this year!" she exclaimed dramatically. "Instead of the usual formal wear, attendees are to wear traditional clothing from their homelands!"
"…That doesn't answer my question, dammit."
"It's up to the individual if they want to go ancient or modern!" the long-haired girl carried on. "It will be a great opportunity for everyone!"
…Especially the SHIP Club…but Elizabeta didn't see the need to inform either boy how it was basically a good excuse for her club to get pictures of their targets in costumes.
oOo
A/N – So…much…fluff…! I don't have a whole lot of Gerita experience, so hopefully it didn't go over too badly… I suppose it doesn't really help that Ludwig's still being difficult at this stage, either.
And no, Feliks is not a skank. Gilbert was just joking. I still have yet see someone who can wear a miniskirt better than him, though.
-Rajikka
Translations
Fratello – Brother (It.)
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.)
Si – Yes (It.)
Cazzo – Damn/Shit/Fuck/Generic Italian Swear Word, but actually roughly translates to "cock"
Hallo – Hello (Ger.)
Ja - Yes (Ger.)