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.
It's long, but it's fluffy.
oOo
By the following week, everything was back to normal at World Academy…Which wasn't saying a whole lot, given the students who went there. Under the guise of a regular interview with everybody's favorite Student Council, Kiku, Elizabeta, and Mei tag-teamed each session, slipping in SHIP-related questions to the list of standard inquiries. The Queen of Fujoshi couldn't be more pleased. Every person on the council was either one of her best friends or part of a pairing she supported. Kiku felt the same way. The Taiwanese student was looking to get more material for her Song of Storms doujinshi, in particular. It had been gaining a lot of popularity on her website and she didn't want to disappoint the fans.
"Could you describe Alfred for me in five words or less?" she asked Lovino.
"Giant-Five-Year-Old…" The Italian began, adding a final word as an afterthought. "…Bastard."
Not long after, she found herself asking Alfred the same question about the Police Commissioner.
"Hmm…let's see…Living-Proof-Dreams-Come-True," the blonde grinned, tallying each word on his fingers. "Or is that too cheesy? I could say Touching-Hair-Causes-Instant-Death if that works for your article better."
"N-No!" Mei blushed. "Your first answer is perfect!"
The others answered most of the questions asked of them with ease. Arthur had a few choice words to say about his git cousin and other tossers he worked with while Kiku came up with clever haikus for each Student Council member. It broke the 5 words or less rule, but the reporters were willing to make an exception for him. Ludwig was intentionally cut and dry when Mei asked him about the others, but couldn't understand why she kept asking him increasingly personal questions about Feliciano. He wasn't even on the Student Council!
"What's the fastest way to clear out the meeting room?" Elizabeta asked each member separately.
"Raising my voice," stated Ludwig.
Elizabeta smiled and nodded.
"Taking out my camera," Kiku grinned.
Elizabeta smiled and nodded.
"Pulling the fire alarm," Lovino looked at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Elizabeta smiled and nodded.
"Telling the others Roderich wants to talk," Arthur smirked.
Elizabeta gave him a look.
"Putting a chef hat on Artie's head!" Alfred proclaimed.
Elizabeta stopped writing and snorted at this. That answer would be going in the article.
And so the morning went on, with the Newspaper reporters catching the five members when they least expected it (well…when Alfred, Lovino, Arthur and Ludwig least expected it, anyway) for another round of interview questions. When the members of the Student Council were either exhausted from interviews or seriously contemplating filing a restraining order, the reporters moved on to speaking with other groups who worked closely with the Student Council, such as the World Academy Police Force, and those who were close to the individual members, such as Feliciano and Matthew.
By the end of lunch, it was time to compile the video footage. Mei quickly made her way to Elizabeta's office. The Hungarian had called Mei and Kiku in to help her decide what footage to use and what footage to keep for SHIP purposes during their shared media class. Mei ducked past the desks in the front of the newspaper office, overhearing some photographers complaining about their assignments.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to photograph the entire football team in one group shot?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to photograph the Student Council and make them look normal at all?"
"Well, the football team is huge! I barely managed to fit them all with all their equipment and stupid trophies!"
"If you think equipment and trophies are bad, you should have seen the props Jones and Kirkland were requesting! Everything from lightsabers and explosions to wings and a giant blue box! I'm lucky I made it out alive!"
oOo
Because this article was going to be posted in the school newspaper as well as several mini-interview video clips on the school website, the Student Council was treated to a preview of the video clips before it went school-wide. The five members gathered in the meeting room Friday afternoon (such a shame Roderich had piano lessons). The magnet that was Lovino Vargas caused Alfred to sit beside him with a giant bowl of popcorn. He passed the snack bowl around as Kiku started the videos.
"Alfred, you've been rated one of the most popular and accomplished presidents our school has had in years. What do you attribute to your success?" asked Kiku.
"Well, gratuitous amounts of coffee and the greatest team ever!"
"Are you sure you're not saying that just because I'm interviewing you?" the dark-haired boy chuckled.
"No way, dude! Read my mind if you don't believe me!" the president leaned the top of his head towards Kiku's, not knowing the action was unnecessary.
"Hmm…I agree that Ludwig makes a loyal second-in-command, but somehow I don't think Arthur would approve of being called a 'cranky sidekick with a spending problem' very much…"
"Hey, if the shoe fits…"
"Many students look up to you as a leader," Kiku quickly changed the subject. "Are there any leaders who you look up to in particular?"
"I'd have to go with Captain America," Alfred scratched his chin. "Yeah, my goal is to be a Hero just like him! Did you see the part in Winter Soldier when he—!"
The viewers groaned. Arthur shot his cousin a nasty look. Kiku regretted not cutting that section out. Maybe he still could on the grounds of movie spoilers. For some reason, the SHIP president had been determined to include as many clips with jabs at the Brit as possible…Not that the others didn't have their moments.
"What is something you'd like to see improve on the Student Council?" Mei asked everyone seperately.
"We could prevent tardiness by ensuring certain members lost their cellphones less…" Kiku replied politely.
"Supergluing the hamburger jerk's phone to his freaking hand!" exclaimed an exasperated Lovino.
"I would appreciate it if Alfred remembered his phone more often," Ludwig sighed.
"That git keeps better track of his socks than his bloody phone!" Arthur roared.
"I dunno…maybe more snacks at the weekly meetings?" shrugged Alfred.
"You guys suck…" the American crossed his arms and refused to look at the laughing audience around him.
The next interview was done outside. All three members of the Bad Touch Trio appeared in all their Police Force glory. Mei was conducting the interview again.
"Who do you most admire on the Student Council?"
"Arthur, of course~" Francis winked.
"None of them!" the albino cringed. "Birdie's not on the Student Council."
"And neither is Be—"
Antonio's friends quickly covered his mouth, before he gave away his crush on Ms. Mertens.
"It doesn't have to be romantically," Mei sounded almost disappointed. "It can be interpreted as who do you look up to."
"In that case, Lovi~!" The Spaniard cooed. "He's so smart and is such a good leader! He learned that from me!"
"Huh, I guess, but I still don't really admire any of them…" Gilbert shrugged. "It's more like they all admire the Awesome Me."
More collective groaning from the audience. Lovino and Ludwig were especially embarrassed by their family members.
"So, Ludwig, what can you tell me about Feliciano's sleeping habits?" Elizabeta's voice could be heard in the background. The camera was focused on Ludwig's annoyed expression.
"What do you plan on doing with that knowledge?" he frowned.
"Oh, nothing…"
"Elizabeta, I can see when you're lying!"
Next came one of Gilbert's solo clips. He had just heard from Kiku how even Ludwig referred to Alfred as 'Captain America' before (to boost his morale before the pep rally speech) and the albino wasn't afraid to lay on the ego. He was the most awesome guy on campus and wouldn't let anyone forget it.
"Well, I guess if you want to call Alfred 'Captain America' you could call me 'Captain…Awesome.' Kesesese!"
"Seriously?" Alfred fought the urge to facepalm. "He wants to be called Captain Awesome?"
"I think that's why you aren't supposed to give yourself a nickname," Lovino agreed.
oOo
Near the end of the video, Alfred's phone buzzed to life. Naturally, he took the opportunity to show off to the others how he had it on him for a change. He would have flaunted how he didn't lose it nearly as much as they all thought, but recognized the number and answered immediately.
"Hello, this is Alfred Jones," he stood up, walking to the other side of the room. "How can I help you, sir?"
The others watched the President, a little confused by his professional tone. Even Arthur was so caught off guard, he forgot to lecture his cousin on the fact that he should have said 'how may I help you' instead of 'how can I help you' to the recipient.
"I understand," Alfred nodded in the corner. "Thank you, sir."
After he hung up, the others were quick to ask what that was all about.
"Sorry, guys, but I can't say," he grinned. "Let's finish the video, I can't wait to see Captain Awesome's final interview answers!"
Ludwig buried his head into his hands in shame, but the others were sidetracked easily enough…or so he thought.
oOo
Lovinoshut his locker door after the video-interview session. It had been more fun to watch than he thought it would be, he just didn't expect it to go so late or he would have brought his backpack and homework with him to the meeting room. He turned to begin his walk home (it had stopped raining, thankfully) and he caught sight of something loud and persistent jogging in his direction.
"Heya, Lovi~no!" Alfred greeted his friend.
"What do you want?" the Italian arched an eyebrow.
"Ouch, who says I wanted something?"
"You always want something when you correct saying that stupid nickname mid-sentence."
"Touché!" laughed Alfred. "I wanted to invite you over to my place for the night."
"For…the night?"
"Yeah, my dad's away on business, Mattie's too busy to hang out, and I'm booooored!"
"I don't know…" Lovino was on the fence.
"Please?" the blonde pouted. "You don't know how dull it gets at my house when it's just me, dude! I'll die of boredom if I have to spend another weekend alone!"
Lovino figured his Low Exposure wouldn't be compromised with no one else around. Nobody was even here to see Alfred inviting him…Plus, he secretly wanted to go horseback riding again.
"…Fine," sighed the tsundere. "But only because I didn't have anything better to do."
"Woohoo!" Alfred cheered. "That's awesome! If you pack right away, you should be able to catch the 5:00 bus…but I can call and ask them to change the bus schedule for you, if you want. There's a guy or two at the bus depot who owe me a favor, and—"
"I'll just take a taxi."
oOo
After packing for his unexpected overnight trip, Lovino realized how hungry he was. He wandered over to the kitchen, confident that his little brother was distracted by whatever was on TV. Lovino devoured the simple ham and cheese sandwich he made, wrote a note for his Nonno about where he was going, and did his best to sneak out of the back door before Feli noticed him. Unfortunately, Feliciano had crazy-good hearing when someone was trying to hide something from him. Also, it was a commercial break.
"Where are you going, fratello?"
Cazzo!
The amber-eyed Italian tilted his head in confusion. It was rare for Lovi to go out unless someone (usually himself) was forcing him to.
"…Fratello?"
"I don't have to answer that!"
Feli saw the bag and immediately assumed the worst. He collapsed to the floor in a full-out, flailing meltdown.
"W-Why are you running awaaaaaay?!" he wailed.
"Holy shit, shut up already! I'm not running away, dammit!" Lovino pried the younger boy off his legs. "I-I'm going to Alfred's place for the night, okay?"
Feliciano quickly brightened and started chattering endlessly about that while Lovino gathered the last of his stuff. He couldn't believe he almost left without his toothbrush. That would have been tragic. His fratello continued following him around the house like a lost puppy, going on and on about…something. Lovino stopped listening awhile ago.
"Selfie~!" chirped the younger Vargas.
"Don't ever let me hear you say that again…" Lovino cringed.
"Ve~ Sorry, fratello!"
"Why are you even taking a picture in the first place?" he asked, noticing he was in it too. "Feli…"
"Huh?" the cheerful boy looked up from his text, trying to play dumb. He accidently hit 'send' and the pic as well as the Lovi's first sleepover~! :D message was out.
"Who did you send that to?!"
"N-Nobody!"
"Liar!"
Feliciano's phone lit up with a lively flamenco tune. He took off the second he saw his fratello's green eyes narrow.
"Get back here, you little shit!" Lovino hollered, chasing him.
Feli managed to race around the house, avoiding his big brother and texting Antonio at the same time. They vaulted over couches and ducked under tables in their chase. Feliciano accidentally knocked over an armchair when a well-timed pillow was thrown into his face. Eventually, Lovino got sick of it and decided to head out, ignoring his idiot fratello's happy waving and 'Ve-ing.' He wisely put his phone on silent. He didn't want to deal with his dimwitted brother and cousin constantly texting him all night.
oOo
Lovino arrived via taxi and could only stare at Alfred's house for the first few moments. The distinctly American country home stared back at him. It had a large, asymmetrical design, gabled roof, and a porch big enough to be a spare bedroom. Lovino took a deep breath as the cabbie drove away. Truth be told, he wasn't a fan of new places. They put him on edge. His nervous stomach twisted awkwardly, as if to remind him of this.
It'll be fine… he told himself, walking towards the entryway. It's just Alfred's place. I bet it's lined with superhero wallpaper.
Alfred excitedly greeted his friend with a huge hug at the door. He had been alternating between staring out the porch window and pacing around the living room in anticipation. It was a small wonder the carpet was still intact and he hadn't worn a hole through the floorboards.
"So whaddaya want to do?" Alfred asked, open to anything. "We could make a pizza, play some video games, watch a movie..."
"Could…Could we ride horses again?" Lovino looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed.
"That's a great plan!" Alfred was initially surprised, but ended up beaming. "Eclipse really misses you!"
The resident cowboy led the way to the stables. He opened the large wooden doors and brightly announced to the inhabitants that Lovino was here to see them. Giving his friend a few sugar cubes, Alfred demonstrated how to hold them up for the horses to eat. Any other day, he gave them apples or carrots, but figured a visit from Lovino warranted special treats.
"Go ahead, Eclipse gets really fussy when she doesn't get treats right away."
"She's not going to bite my fingers off, is she?"
The pale grey filly gave him a look, snorted, and practically inhaled the sugar cubes before Lovino even knew what happened. She may like treats, but she wasn't low enough to resort to nipping or biting for them.
"Haha, see what I mean?" Alfred laughed, feeding the others.
They saddled up and began heading down the well-worn path, Alfred leading the way. Lovino quickly got his bearings again and started remembering all of tips and tricks he learned the first time he rode Eclipse. Heels down, back straight, thumbs up... He did his best to keep his hands steady. The Italian really didn't want to be responsible for smacking Eclipse in the mouth with the bit, just because his hands were a little shaky. After passing through the pasture, the boys entered the woods.
"Don't worry, Lovi, the Hero is here if you get nervous," Alfred said over his shoulder, trying to reassure his friend as the forest began to swallow them up.
"I trust you to get us back…"
"Aww, that's sweet of you—"
"I was talking to Eclipse," he elaborated, causing the blonde to pout. "I trust her to get us back."
oOo
With autumn setting in, the trees were starting to burst into bright colors. The beech glowed yellow-orange and the sugar maples blazed red. Lovino could only imagine how beautiful the scenery became when autumn was in full effect. He never cared much for the cold, but the sights were always worth it. Next time, he'd be sure to bring his camera.
Alfred was right at home in the forest. He'd taken this trail hundreds of times before, but could always find something new, whether it was an animal or secret grove. It was a nice chance to temporarily get away from the stress of being an honor roll student smack dab in the middle of his crazy teenage years. The sun and stars became his light, while the twigs snapping and leaves crunching underfoot became his music.
"This is…this is nice, bastard," Lovino spoke softly, as he gazed out into the stretch of treetops lining a nearby hill. "I didn't know we had a place like this in town…"
"Yep, although it's technically private land," grinned Alfred, happy his friend was enjoying one of his favorite trails. "Of course, you can visit anytime you want."
"Cheh…maybe I will."
An uplifting feeling swept across Alfred's chest and he felt like he could fly. Either Rocket had turned into a freaking Pegasus or Lovino was doing things to his heart only the Italian could do. Much more of this, and he was going to start wearing Lovino's trademark blush.
The brunette struggled to tear his eyes off his guide once he realized his attention had turned from the scenery to the American. His own heart had begun beating a little faster and he had to remind himself of the phrase he had been hearing for most of his life.
Nothing good can ever come from getting involved with an Iris Zero…
Alfred looked over his shoulder to beam at the brunette, excitedly informing him the next part of the trail took them over a creek. If the hamburger bastard could be this happy around him, was it really so wrong to be together? Alfred was one of the few people who seemed to genuinely care about him regardless of what his eyes could or couldn't see. Lovino had initially thought he was doing the blonde a favor by avoiding him, but that only made them both feel like crap. If Alfred wanted spend time with him despite of what he was, who the hell was society, school, or the bitchy old ladies who lived down the street to tell them any different?
A few beams of sunlight started poking through the clouds concealing Lovino's long-buried true self…
"Hey, bastard?"
"Mm?"
"I'll race you…"
oOo
At first, the glorified tour guide thought he'd heard him wrong. Newbies never wanted to go faster than a trot when starting out. He must have misheard him. That thought lasted about as long as it took Lovino to spur Eclipse on, tearing past Alfred and Rocket like the wind. The silvery filly neighed in delight, happy for any opportunity to show off her speed and run her competition into the dirt. She wasn't a race horse. She was better.
"Eat our dust, hamburger bastard!"
"Hold on, Lovi! I don't think you know what you're doing!"
Rocket did his best, he really did, but even with an inexperienced rider, the grey horse ahead of him was the superior runner. This meant Alfred had no chance of cutting them off or snatching the reins away from the joyrider.
"Whoa, girl! That's enough! Slow down, already!"
"Ignore him, Eclipse!" Lovino smirked, wind whipping across his face. It had been a long time since he felt a surge of freedom like this. "Run his ass off the road!"
She brayed a tone of unmistaken arrogance and raced on. Multicolored leaves and dirt were kicked up and flung to the side of the path.
"E-Eclipse!" her trainer/owner watched in disbelief as she ignored him in favor of Lovi's reckless commands. If this kept up, something bad could happen and Lovino might get hurt. He couldn't let that happen.
Alfred had to resort to drastic measures.
"Eclipse! If you don't slow down right now, there'll be no more sugar cubes or Lovi for the rest of the month!"
She snorted in annoyance, but eventually complied and came to a trot just before they passed the creek and left a tidal wave in their wake. Alfred had been fully prepared to explain to Lovino about how reckless that was (which was an extra-serious offense coming from the guy who thought riding motorcycles through fiery hula hoops was a better pep rally publicity stunt than simply walking onstage without catching fire) and how he could have been hurt since he doesn't know all the ins and outs of horseback riding. Alfred was ready to give a lecture intense enough to put even his uptight cousin to shame…and then he heard Lovino laughing. The Italian was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath, which made him laugh even harder.
Alfred lost his nerve and joined in.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em…
oOo
Squirrels and mice skittered about the leaves. Back on the trail, the cowboy noticed one squirrel in particular with a missing ear, a bulging eye, and what looked suspiciously like tinfoil weaving around patches of its tail. This critter was either mental or trying to communicate with aliens.
"Heh, look at the cute squirrel," Alfred joked.
Eclipse and her rider took one look at the repulsive rodent and snorted in disgust. Alfred was going to tease them about their similar reactions, but thought better of it. The last time Lovino was on a horse, he ended up falling off and losing a few memories. Alfred had been worried his friend would never want to ride again after that. He was just happy Lovino was having a good time, minus the slightly deranged-looking squirrel.
Lovino helped with the conversation by trying to get info out of Alfred about that serious phone call he took earlier. It bugged him when he couldn't figure something out. Like that irritating feeling of having an itch on your back you can't reach without yoga mastery or dislocating a shoulder.
"Heh, sorry, but if I told you, I'd have to kill you…" his cowboy guide laughed. "Which would suck, since we're best friends and all."
They finished their trail and the two American Quarter horses followed Alfred's silent commands to head back home. The leafy carpet thinned out as they approached the exit. Lovino was almost disappointed at the sight of the stables. He didn't realize until now how much of a rush racing horses could be. For once in his life, he felt completely unrestrained. He wasn't tied down by stereotypes and double-standards. Dismounting felt more like settling back into the tedious, socially-awkward daily grind of things.
"Let me know anytime you want to take the horses out again," the cowboy smiled, offering a steadying hand to his friend, just before the brunette's feet hit the ground. "I'll be lucky if Eclipse doesn't follow you home!"
Lovino allowed himself a smile…just a tiny one. As if on cue, the grey horse gently nuzzled Lovino's shoulder, her silky mane tickling his face. Of course, the second the Italian tried to make eye-contact with her, Eclipse whipped her head back and pretended to be very busy with the bale of hay in her stall. Obviously, her rider must have imagined the entire thing.
oOo
Making their way back inside, both boys decided they were hungry. They poked around the kitchen, gathering all of the ingredients for pizza. Alfred had wisely picked up ingredients on his way home from school.
"I kind of figured you'd prefer making a pizza over ordering one."
"You got that right, bastard," Lovino shuddered at the thought of crappy pizza chains bringing some greasy garbage clumsily boxed up, leaking week-old toppings onto the ground.
The Italian would admit he was biased. Half-assed pizza aside, he had a grudge against pizza delivery services ever since that time his then-innocent brother accidentally discovered The Pizza Delivery Man & The Babysitter on some restricted channel and both got an earful. Even if Romulus's lecture was weak and slowly devolved into something about being a healthy Italian boy, it was better than having to lie to Feli about why the Pizzaman was spanking the Babysitter. Lovino tried to shake off the memory.
"You actually did a halfway-decent job on finding pizza toppings," the brunette praised his friend.
Naturally, Alfred began to gloat. Lovino told him not to let it go to his head as they rolled up their sleeves to knead the dough. Together they stood, side by side, sprinkling flour all over the countertop to prevent the dough from sticking. Lovino explained to the blonde that normally you can tell when the dough is ready to be kneaded by when the spoon has difficulty moving through the mixture. However, given Alfred's unbridled enthusiasm and the size of his biceps, the master chef told him to just go by whenever he couldn't see flour sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl.
When they were ready for the next step, both began to gather the dough to press the heels of their hands into it. It took awhile and Alfred had to mix in some extra flour to keep his from falling apart. To pass the time, Alfred began humming a tune Lovino didn't quite recognize. The Italian tried to ignore him, but the earworm had already done its work, lodging itself inside his brain. Before he realized it, Lovino had accidentally harmonized with him, causing Alfred to laugh when he suddenly stopped humming to listen to Lovi.
"Shut up, asshole," Lovino's face burned slightly. He rammed his shoulder into Alfred's arm, firmly enough to make his point, but not hard enough to body-check the blonde and compromise the other half of their pizza dough. "It's not my fault your stupid songs are affecting my sanity!"
"You know you love it," smirked the American, playfully resting the side of his head on Lovino's shoulder. The tsundere replied in kind, by wiping a smidge of pizza dough on Alfred's nose.
When they left the dough to rise for a half hour, they began working on the sauce. Almost immediately, the brunette began making changes to the recipe Alfred printed out.
"You want to use water?" he arched an eyebrow. "Hell, no. We're using tomato juice, instead."
"Are you sure you're not just trying to make spaghetti sauce?"
"Oi, who's the one with a passing grade in Culinary Arts 101, you or me?" Lovino dared him to retort.
"You are…" Alfred pouted. He wasn't exactly failing, but he would be if a certain Italian wasn't his lab partner. He sulked a bit more and found a pot flung in front of his face.
"Try it for yourself, if you don't believe me."
"Can I try it even if I do believe you?" the blonde grinned, catching a whiff of the perfectly seasoned sauce.
After a single taste, Lovino had to forcibly stop him from eating the entire pot. He banished him to dishwashing duty, so he could add the finishing touches to their pizza without Alfred devouring it uncooked. Once he slid the pan into the oven, it really hit him how fancy many of the kitchen appliances were. The oven, fridge, sink, and dishwasher were all top of the line. Even the countertops were a polished granite. It seemed like such a waste to have an amazing kitchen like this in the house of two guys who could barely manage making cereal unsupervised…
About twenty minutes later they ended up with the best damned pizza Alfred had ever eaten in his entire life. The sauce was delicious even with the cumin and chili powder Alfred insisted on (a tip he got from Bella) and despite starting out as 'spaghetti sauce' it thickened well and provided the perfect texture. Normally, Alfred was content with lots of cheese and lots of pepperoni, but given his company, didn't object to the peppers, olives, and whatever else the chef snuck in. If all vegetables tasted this good, he might start eating them more often. Bite after bite, Alfred couldn't get enough of their pizza. Even Lovino admitted that it tasted pretty good.
oOo
The boys fought off the beginnings of another food coma by heading over to the living room. To keep them from slowly fusing with the couch, Alfred turned to his video game collection. He pulled out Black River Run, a zombie game he was borrowing from Kiku. Surely it would be enough to wake them up a little. Black River Run was the first survival horror game of its kind – using a headset and mic, any sound the player or players created was instantly transmitted into the game. If they were quiet, nothing happened. If they were loud or spoke at a crucial moment of silence, zombies would be alerted to their character's location and proceed to attack.
"It can do all that?" Lovino asked in disbelief.
"Sure! Or at least that's what everybody says," Alfred shrugged, hooking everything up. "I haven't actually tried it out yet. It's better to play these kinds of things 2-Player, since AI always sucks."
Little did they know what the night had in store for them…
At first everything was okay. The controls were easy to learn and the game opened up in a normal, pre-Zombie Apocalypse city. Streets were filled with cheerful neighbors and the sun was always shining. They played through the tutorial stage with ease, Lovino picking up the basics relatively quickly.
And then the undead showed up.
"Holy shit! If the zombies chase us, I'm tripping you!" Lovino waved the controller around wildly, as if his character would somehow pick up on that and move accordingly.
"Shh! Shh! Lovi, they can hear you!" Alfred failed at keeping his own voice down. "Oh, my god! Here they come!"
"Get us the fuck out of here!"
"I'm trying! I'm trying!"
Somehow they still made a decent enough team and got farther and farther into the game as the night wore on. Alfred's character was built like a tank. Even if he was a little slow, he had access to the heavy arms and could take a beating. Lovino's character complimented his partner well, being fast and sneaky. He could snipe zombies from afar, quickly collect med kits, and assist his allies without having to directly jump into the fray. After the first few levels, the two created an attack strategy of Lovino's guy shooting something on the opposite side of the map to distract the zombies, so that Alfred's tank could jump out and make good use of the chainsaw he'd recently acquired.
But mostly they just failed at being quiet and freaked out every time the zombies ambushed them in the dark.
The game had many twists, turns, and enough deception to sink a battleship. Friends became foes. Enemies became allies. The only people the duo could really count on was each other. Every light in the living room (and the surrounding rooms, just to be safe) was turned on. The boys had gone from sitting a comfortable distance away from each other to practically on the other's lap. Without thinking, Lovino had even shouted for 'Alfredo' to give him some 'motherfucking back-up' before the hideous zombies 'ate their asses.' Alfredo himself had a difficult time biting his lip to keep from smiling or busting out a victory dance. It made dealing with the mindlessly shambling undead in search of brains and human flesh a little easier.
When they reached the ending sequence, Alfred felt Lovino take his hand for support. The blonde was more than happy to oblige. As soon as the Italian made contact with him, a comforting warmth began to spread throughout his body.
"I-I'm just doing this to make sure you don't get scared, bastard!"
"Uh-huh."
"I mean it!"
"Okay, Lovi, whatever you say."
"I hate you…" he grumbled, but still remained attached to the blonde, even after Alfred slowly draped his arm over the Italian's shoulders.
Unfortunately, both ended up scared shitless as the cutscene carried on. What should have been a happy ending, set the stage for the sequel. It was heavily implied that the evil corporation behind the outbreak wasn't as finished as everyone had thought. Several vials of the synthetic plague that wiped out over half the population were unaccounted for and mysteriously mailed out to an ambiguous location. It could be New York, it could be Chicago, it could be their town…
This terrified the crap out of both of them and sleep didn't come easy. Alfred had gone from casually putting his arm over Lovino's shoulder, to holding him for dear life. Neither wanted to move for fear that the zombies were hiding in the shadows or under the couch.
"How the hell did I go to sleep without a shotgun under my pillow before this…?" the tsundere shivered.
Alfred whimpered in agreement, tugging his friend closer. Here, he had been planning on confessing to Lovino after the game too. The American had a whole speech in his head about how they made such a great team together, worked well as partners, and blah, blah, blah…now he was too terrified to even speak. Considering his typical talk-your-ear-off nature, that was saying something.
They finally fell asleep huddled together in fear, which is how Matthew found them the next day.
"What the…?" the wavy-haired blonde readjusted his glasses.
He had come to check on Alfred to make sure he hadn't starved to death. Instead he found him curled up beside Lovino pulling him close. It would have been sweet, but both had slightly worried sleeping expressions on their faces and Alfred was mumbling something about saving his ' hot/loud' partner before they were all killed. He then proceeded to squeeze Lovino tighter, but the tsundere was thankfully a deep-sleeper and only snuggled closer, grateful for the body heat. Matthew could only sigh at the two chickens. It was obvious they were rooted to the spot and hadn't moved in hours.
The main menu of Black River Run flashing zombies, destruction, and blood was another dead giveaway.
"How can two top World Academy students be so stupid?"
oOo
After waking up both sleeping beauties (fresh coffee for possessed-by-the-devil Lovino, an ice cube down the shirt for 'Five-more-minutes-Mattie' Alfred), the trio settled in for some breakfast. Alfred insisted on cooking for everyone, despite fear and objections from the others. He wanted to show Lovino how much he cared about him and read cooking was good for that. Not nine hours ago, they had bonded over homemade pizza. Heck, he had a whole chapter in his Tomato Note on how he'd win Lovino over with the new cooking techniques he learned from Ms. Mertens. Alfred may or may not have stayed afterschool a few times to get extra help from her. He was incredibly sneaking about it, saying it was to impress someone he liked (completely forgetting the fact the Belgian professor could easily see the 'best friend/secret crush' stickers on both himself and Lovino that gave him away). The American's insistence won and he entered the kitchen, not even coming out when smoke appeared.
"Should…should we do something?" the green-eyed boy asked.
"If he hasn't burned the house down yet, it's probably okay," Matthew opened a window nonchalantly.
Alfred entered the dining room with a plate full of maple syrup coated…something.
"Look! I made pancakes~!"
"Just because you put syrup on something doesn't make it pancakes…" his twin poked at the thing Alfred placed in front of him.
To his shock, the guest across from him actually took a bite of blackened breakfast cakes. Even more shocking was the fact that Lovino didn't spit it out in disgust. Instead, he managed to swallow his forkful of…stuff…and wash it down with an entire glass of milk.
"Do you like it?" Alfred asked, eyes glittering in anticipation.
"It's not the worst thing you've ever made…" shrugged the green-eyed boy, holding his glass out for a refill.
"See, Mattie!" the Hero/Chef proudly proclaimed while fetching the milk for his friend. "Lovi likes them!"
"I didn't say I liked it, I just said it wasn't as bad as those terrible cookies you doused in salt during our first Culinary Lab."
"Ah, there's the moody Italian we know and love…" Alfred snickered.
oOo
Mid-afternoon Alfred found himself on route to a military base, as a result of yesterday's call. One of the classic black Tahoe vans with tinted windows (Alfred liked to call them "Spy Cars") had picked him up from his home and took him down a narrow road to a black ops site. Contrary to popular belief, his government-issued escorts were nice enough people, for the most part. They didn't cover his head with a bag (the windows eliminated that need), shoot him with a tranq gun (or put any kind of disorienting drug into his system), and if he was really good, he got to choose the music.
The Company was so good to him because they relied on Alfred's unique Iris to assist them. With intelligence and counter-terrorism being priority one, someone like Alfred could easily identify staff who posed a threat, determine who would be successful for a mission (and who would screw up so badly, they'd trigger World War III), and evaluate who was best-qualified for various promotions and leadership roles. The fact that Alfred could use his Iris without ever coming into direct contact with a person made him an invaluable asset when secrecy was on the line. He also came in handy when discovering Company traitors before they got a chance to reveal their chronic backstabbing disorders.
Today Alfred entered a less-familiar military base. However, his favorite captain and group of three familiar soldiers were escorting him, so he wasn't bothered in the slightest. He knew he could trust this group. He'd gone out for ice cream with all of them before after various assignments (it was impossible for him not to trust someone after bonding over ice cream). They set him up in a small office connected to an interrogation room via door and large observation mirror. The Hero's mission today was to oversee a simple promotion interview between Captain Jett Wilson and several candidates for the team. Alfred's task was to sit through each interview and report his findings to the brainy-looking agents next to him. They then recorded his findings and reported the results to someone higher on the food chain.
Although it could get kind of dull, these assignments were far less intensive and nerve-wracking than the few Alfred assisted with concerning moles and terrorists. Even with an infallible Iris, those could get a little…over-the-head-oh-shit-I'm-drowning. It was no surprise that those were the cases his escort team tended to reward him with ice cream for. Still, the blonde was proud to do whatever he could to help his country. It was that pride that got him through the same 20 interview questions four times in a row. He was 110% done with interview anythings by the time it was over.
"We are pleased to report to you that Candidate Iveta Galante is the most qualified person for the position."
There was brief applause on both sides of the observation glass and Alfred was escorted out. He knew it was security protocol (that's why staff tried to refrain from naming ranks and positions around him) and it used to bug him, but not anymore. Now, he was eager to be getting home and sending a barrage of angry texts to Kiku for letting him play Black River Run at night. Another pair of security guards met him in the lobby and took him back to the Spy Car. On the way out, a few officials walked by to thank him.
"You have our thanks for your assistance again, Mr. Jones."
"Yes, you are a true patriot! Your efforts are helping to keep the country safe."
"Thank you, sir," Alfred saluted them like he'd seen the others do a million times. "I'm happy to help."
They bid him farewell and the blonde relaxed. Truthfully, he couldn't stand the stuffy atmosphere here. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the old men muttering to themselves.
"When does the boy graduate?"
"Are you interested in recruiting him, Anderson?"
"Why, of course!" the old man replied. "It would be…unfortunate for another agency to get their hands on someone with his particular talent."
Alfred enjoyed his ride back home via military car, where the original team of escorts had gathered. Once they hit the road, the adults took turns telling funny stories from their various assignments. Captain Wilson had been stationed all over the world, but spent most of his time in Australia. Jett didn't wrestle crocodiles as often as Alfred thought, but insisted he could hold his own. His Iris could see the greatest strength of any animal (humans included) via a faint gold glow. When he knew his opponent's trump card, he knew what to watch out for in battle. Jett pulled the van into a gas station to refuel and give the others a few minutes to stretch their legs. The Hero wandered around the gas station to kill time. He passed by the keychains and one in particular caught his eye.
"This is perfect for Lovi!" Alfred snatched it up.
"Who's Lovi?" asked his escort.
"My best friend," beamed the blonde.
The woman with him nodded, knowingly. Escorting Alfred Jones and other government assets had been one of her jobs for years. She had watched him grow from an uncoordinated child to a confident young adult. It was about time he found himself a nice girl…or was this 'Lovi' a guy? Before she could ask, Alfred was already at the cash register buying the souvenir.
"Remember to use cash," she reminded him politely.
"I know, I know…"
oOo
It had been a very, very long night for Lovino. His obnoxious little brother kept pestering him about his not-a-sleepover with Alfred. From the few details Lovino was willing to part with, he learned about Black River Run's use of a microphone in gameplay. Feliciano was interested in the game, so he headed over to Kiku's place to try it out. The younger Vargas thought it would give him something else to talk about with his fratello, but he was horribly wrong. About an hour into the game and the damage had been done. Feli was scared stiff, unable to speak louder than a whimper for fear the zombies would get him. Even after the game was shut off, Feliciano was unable to disconnect his brain from it and Kiku ended up walking him home to make sure he made it alright. The second he shuffled through the door, the Italian began bawling and clung to his brother for dear life, while Kiku explained what happened to Lovino. Having played through the game himself, Lovino could see where Feli was coming from, but still regretted the fact that he was stuck taking care of the little dork until it blew over.
Unfortunately for both brothers, it took awhile to blow over; most of the night, in fact. Feli insisted on sleeping in Lovi's room because his big brother had beaten the game before and would surely protect him if the zombies burst through the bedroom window. That was how Lovino spent most of his night – comforting his restless, frightened little brother who had gotten into something he shouldn't have. This didn't please the older Vargas at all. He had gotten maybe three solid hours of sleep and wasn't in the best of moods when he sat down for Homeroom. The warning bell rang, signaling students that they had ten minutes to get to class. This did wonders for the tsundere's headache and he found himself massaging his temples, wondering how his day could get any worse.
"Hey, Lovi~!" a cheerful voice called out.
"Oh…that's how," the brunette responded to his internal dialog without looking up. "What do you want, Alfred?"
"I got you a present!"
"Huh?" Lovino shakily accepted the keychain heart that was shoved into his hands. It was one of those breakaway hearts that fit together like a puzzle, one for each person. Speaking of people, the Commissioner could feel all of the eyes in the room watching him.
"Do you like it?" asked Alfred, noting the faint blush dusting over his friend's cheeks.
Lovino took the opportunity to actually examine the thing. It was a sturdy, red waterproof material in the shape of a heart. Instead of 'Best Friends' or something clichéd, it read 'Zombie Apocalypse Partners.'
"I must be the luckiest guy in the whole world…" Lovino replied sarcastically, handing one half of the keychain set back to Alfred before he had to ask.
"I'm glad you like it! I saw it in a store and thought of you right away," grinned the American. "Because we made such an awesome team the other night."
Lovino fought back another sigh. True, both were terrified, but pride didn't let them back down until they got to the ending credits…and kind of wished they hadn't. Either way, they ended up working well together. Lovino was always surprised by how easy it was to get along with Alfred, all his dorky Hero habits aside. The big, blonde puppy dog was way too energetic, but was always there for Lovino when he needed him the most. Even when the tsundere was too proud or stubborn to ask for help, the President always seemed to know what he needed – a compliment, a coffee, some time away from home… Being able to trust someone as much as he trusted Alfred was kind of…nice.
Now he just had to start trusting himself half as much.
oOo
A/N – I know Alfred still didn't get to confess, but at least they got some long, overdue fluff. With a healthy dose of terror thrown in for good measure! Black River Run is not an actual series (as far as I know). It's what happens when you get a bunch of video game nerds talking about video game ideas at three in the morning. I couldn't remember if we ever came up with a name, so I just typed the first thing that came to mind when outlining this…Okay, second thing that came to mind. The first being Run, Bitch! Run!
Yes, there was a reason I didn't name the agency Alfred was assisting and yes, you'll learn more about them later. Until then, feel free to guess away.
-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.)
Bastardo – Bastard (It.)
Doujinshi – A self-published work (Jp.)
Jett Wilson – I know Australia is usually Jett Kirkland, but I didn't want him related to the Kirkland family in this, so I gave him another popular Australian surname instead.
Iveta Galante – Iveta is a common Latvian girl's name, meaning "yew." It's also the made-up name I came up with for fem!Latvia.