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 was really entertaining to hear your stalker guesses. But you don't care about that. You care about what's about to happen one paragraph down. Enjoy!
oOo
The following morning, Alfred opened up his locker to find several letters addressed to him. He had already decided to stop opening the creepy letters after the last one. Clearly, this was some asshole's idea of a bad joke. There was no point in reading them because they always made him upset. That was probably the goal of whoever was sending them, so he decided to not give them the benefit of the reaction they were going for. Without a second thought, he tossed them into the garbage.
If there was a day that nothing could ruin, it was today. This was the day Alfred F. Jones was going to confess his love to Lovino Vargas. It was long overdue and nothing was going to get in his way. Before heading over to the fieldhouse, Alfred tossed his phone, backpack, and Nintendo DS in his locker.
The Hero was having a difficult time trying to walk like a normal human being the entire way there. His whole body felt like it was tingling with electricity. Alfred decided it wasn't a bad feeling and only a small part was nerves. He was just too excited to walk slower or let anxiety weigh him down. This was his big moment!
He arrived about the same time as his moody Italian.
"Hey, Lovi!" Alfred greeted him brightly.
"You better have a good reason for wanting to meet outside in the cold, bastard…" Lovino grumbled, pulling his jacket tighter. "Why did you want to meet here, anyway?"
"Because it's a secret area!" the blonde grinned. "I wanted to make sure we were alone."
"Huh? Why?"
It was a place Francis had found his Freshman year at World Academy. The upperclassman had shown it to both Alfred and Matthew when he gave them a school tour. He immediately regretted it as he had planned on using it as a secret make-out spot with Arthur this very morning. From the bushes, he sulked.
"How unfortunate…I knew I never should have shown this place to Alfred and Mathieu…"
"Why did you show them this place?!" Arthur hissed at him, the wind just barely covering up his voice to the boys in the distance.
"Don't worry about it, mon cher."
"I will worry about it, frog!"
"Shhh! They'll hear us!" Francis clamped a hand over Arthur's mouth, intently watching the show before them.
Alfred appeared confident (all those botched confession attempts had clearly paid off) and took Lovino's hands with ease. The tsundere didn't object, Alfred's hands felt warm against his chilly fingers. He couldn't cover up the blush from overtaking his face when the blonde placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles to spread even more body heat.
"The truth is, Lovino, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a really long time now…"
"W-What's that, bastard?"
"Ever since I first met you, I thought you were amazing," Alfred smiled. "You're funny and smart and can tear up the dance floor like no one I've ever seen…! You can always make me smile and are really sweet, no matter how much you try to hide it. Heh, I could go on, but we'd be here all day if I listed off all of the great things I admire in you…"
Lovino took some comfort in the fact that his face couldn't possibly get any redder.
"It took me way too long to realize those feelings have another name," the blonde looked him directly in the eye. "Lovino, I love you…"
From the bushes, Francis was rapidly punching Arthur in the arm to make sure he was seeing this, while internally squealing.
"So…uh, if you don't feel the same way, that's okay, I just wanted to tell you how much I—" Alfred was cut off by Lovino accepting his feelings in a different way than he expected.
The Hero was practically floating by the time he realized Lovino's lips were pressed against his own. He honestly wasn't sure the Italian was going to return his feelings or not, and he definitely didn't think Lovino would be the one to initiate the kiss. Almost reluctantly, the tsundere pulled away, never taking his eyes off Alfred.
"…If anyone asks, that was our first kiss."
Still a little shocked by everything that happened in the last few minutes, Alfred began putting two and two together. When he seemed to understand, Lovino spoke up.
"I'm sorry…I didn't want to tell you because of what I am, but I do remember the kiss from Homecoming…" Lovino admitted. "Are you…mad?"
Alfred just laughed. He tried to sound angry, but couldn't stop smiling.
"Yes! I'm so mad; I'm going to ingrain our next kiss in your memory, so you never forget it, no matter how hard you fall."
The blonde pulled Lovino closer again, deepening their kiss. Steamy puffs of air filled the space around them when their breathing became heavier. He felt the Italian slowly slide his hands under his unzipped jacket, eliminating any space between them. For the first time since autumn hit, Lovino actually felt warm.
Francis silently cheered them on, but Arthur backed up in confusion. The wavy-haired blonde saw Arthur's face contort in pain.
"There's no way I'm letting this happen…" his voice shook slightly.
Arthur took off in anger and Francis could only follow. He thought Arthur was just being an overly-attached cousin/friend/brother-figure. The Brit was smart enough, but not so much in matters of the heart. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting Alfred to fall in love and not even mention it to him. Alfred wasn't used to having the conversation with anyone, including his cousin who had always been more of a friend their whole lives. He had probably assumed Arthur knew because Francis found out.
Francis knew he'd have to find a way to make this right before either did something stupid.
oOo
To say Alfred was happy with the way his morning was going would be like saying Michael Phelps was mildly pleased to be the most decorated Olympian of all time. Suddenly, the wait and the face-palming agony of his failed confession attempts had only felt like brief seconds leading up to this one, impossibly special moment. By the time he stopped spinning around his significant other and planting kisses to the side of his head, Alfred figured out the lightheadedness may have been more from the G's they were pulling for the last five minutes.
…Nah, it was all Lovino returning his feelings.
"About time, bastard!" the tsundere tried to look less dizzy than he felt. The spinning around had done wonders to help make his heart stop beating so fast. Somehow in his moment of sheer bliss and blind ecstasy, he managed to forget that Alfred liked to show his enthusiasm for something by spinning around like a yo-yo in a tornado.
"Sorry, just excited!"
"That, I gathered," Lovino rolled his eyes and held out a hand towards Alfred. "Here."
"Huh?"
"Aren't you going to walk your boyfriend to class?" he arched a brow, smirking.
Alfred's eyes lit up like he was just given a lifetime pass to Comic Con. He eagerly grabbed the Italian's hand, happily swinging it back and forth on their way inside.
oOo
By lunchtime, half the school seemed to know Lovino and Alfred were officially dating. Lovino had given up even attempting 'Low Exposure' for the day. Most people continued to ignore him or cast strange looks his way, but they were all easy to ignore. Their friends were supportive enough for the whole damned school.
"Ve~! I'm so happy for you, fratello~!" Feliciano gleefully hugged his brother at the lunch table.
"Took you guys long enough! Kesesese!"
"This coming from the guy who tried to hide his relationship?" Lovino retorted.
"Hey, that was because—"
"I'm just glad my brother will have someone to keep him in line now," Matthew cut in, hoping to avoid more fighting between Alfred and Gilbert. "I leave the rest to you, Lovino."
"Geez, bro, you make it sound like you're shipping me off somewhere!" complained his twin. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
Nobody said a word.
"This is the part where you defend your boyfriend, Lovi," pouted Alfred.
"I thought you wanted to have an honest relationship," the tsundere responded, taking a bite of his pasta.
The others laughed as Kiku, Mei, and Elizabeta strolled over, arms filled with flowers. The trio deposited their mountain of fragrant roses on the table to congratulate the new couple. Everyone knew better than to ask where the hell they got so many flowers at a moment's notice. By now, everyone knew not to question SHIP logic or resources.
"Congratulations, you two~!" they chorused.
"I knew you'd make the perfect couple!" the SHIP club president beamed. "Although, if you would have asked me for my expert help, you could have been dating weeks ago!"
"I-Is it okay if I post on my doujinshi site that you two ended up together in real life too?" Mei asked shyly, a blush dusting her cheeks.
"Dough-what-sheep?" Lovino asked.
"Go for it, Mei," Alfred laughed. "Just avoid using names or anything."
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, taking out her phone. "Thank you so much!"
"I admit I am greatly looking forward to our Student Council meetings from now on," chuckled Kiku.
"What? Are you saying you don't think we can behave ourselves, now that we're dating?" Alfred grinned.
"As an official member of the World Academy Student Council, I strongly encourage you not to," Kiku smiled. "Unless my cameras aren't working or the Headmaster is present. Then I expect you to be on your best behavior."
The two laughed as the dark-haired boy took a seat. Mei had quickly rushed off to update her website, so the Hungarian made herself comfortable beside the tsundere. Before he could complain, she shoved a 'Congrats on Completing My OTP' cookie in his mouth.
"All joking aside, I can see that you're really happy for a change," Elizabeta poked Lovino in the chest where she could see a beautifully blooming flower with her Iris. "You've more than earned it."
oOo
The following day, Lovino noticed the dirty looks and whispered insults increased around him. He would have told more than a few people off, but was distracted by his Police Force. The three idiots were following him around, asking him 500 questions at once, and giggling like a pack of teenage girls.
"So have you gone on a date yet~?" Francis asked, poking his shoulder. "I'd be more than happy to suggest a few places…"
"What the hell, you perverted bastard?!" Lovino spat back. "We just became official yesterday!"
"So have you gone on secret dates before that?" the blonde grinned mischievously, waving his hands about dramatically. "How very scandalous…a forbidden meeting between the Commissioner and the President for secret—"
"—Finish that sentence and I will break every single one of your fingers…"
"Just think about it, Lovino!" the albino officer patted his back. "Obviously me and Birdie are a done deal, but if you and Alfred stick together, we can be brothers-in-law! Wouldn't that be awesome?"
"Are you bastards trying to get me to break up with him?" Lovino sighed before answering Gilbert. "And I'm pretty sure that's not how it works, thank god…"
"That's right, Feli would have to marry Ludwig for that to—" Antonio was cut off by his cousin kicking him in the shin. "O-Ow! Lovi, that hurt!"
"Good. It was supposed to."
Commissioner Vargas undoubtedly had the most irritating Police Force ever. They were nosy, obnoxious, didn't know when to shut up, and spent the majority of their time annoying the crap out of their superior officer than handling actual police duties. This morning was no different. But still…Lovino stopped asking them to go away once he caught them each taking turns glaring at the Iris Zero haters when they thought he wasn't looking.
"Have a good day, Lovi!" Antonio enveloped his cousin in a giant hug.
"Yeah, whatever…"
"Try to be careful, okay?" the Spaniard almost reluctantly let him go.
"I always am," Lovino waved off his concerns, noticing the worried look in his cousin's eyes and the fake smile plastered on his face.
Shit…he sees a Grim on me…
The BTT took off, now that their Commissioner had arrived at his Homeroom class safe and sound. Lovino entered the room early enough that only one other person was in the classroom. He blinked when he realized it was Arthur. The blonde was staring out the window, as if he was trying to avoid looking at the other boy.
"What are you doing here, eyebrows bastard?" the brunette took his normal seat. "I didn't forget about a meeting did I?"
"I'm here to tell you to end things with Alfred or you'll regret it."
"What the fuck?" Lovino began cursing him out, pissed that people couldn't just let him be happy. He was also a little surprised that the Brit of all people was picking a fight with him. "You don't scare me, asshole."
Arthur grit his teeth. Without warning, he slammed his hand on Lovino's desk, glaring at the surprised tsundere.
"Then I promise I'll find what does scare you, if that's what it takes…"
Without another word, the blonde stormed off, leaving a slightly worried Lovino behind. Was this the danger his Grim foretold? The Italian took out his phone, bringing up Alfred's contact info. He stopped short of calling him, however. If this was between him and the eyebrows bastard, he'd try to keep it that way. Lovino didn't want to go stirring up family trouble for his boyfriend unless it was worth it.
oOo
Alfred had been walking to his next class during passing period. Even he noticed a few people cast strange looks his direction, but so far nobody had given him any trouble. The Hero hoped Lovino wasn't getting any rude treatment. Now that Lovi was his boyfriend, it gave him an excuse to be more…outspoken to anyone who was giving the brunette any trouble. Nobody would be able to mess with his boyfriend on the Hero's watch!
"A-Alfred?" a timid voice called to him.
"What's up?" the blonde turned around to see the owner of the voice – a tan girl with a pair of pigtails. Alfred knew she was a transfer student from an island country (Seashell, Say'Cheese, something like that…), but couldn't quite recall her name.
"U-Um, I'm not supposed to talk to people involved with Iris Zeroes, but…" the girl looked flustered. "I-I think you two make a good couple!"
Without warning, the Freshman took off, pigtails trailing behind her. Even though she couldn't see him anymore, Alfred smiled and waved.
"Thanks…"
On his way into his Algebra class, he bumped into Ludwig and Roderich, who were exiting the room. Ludwig nodded politely while Roderich gave him an earful.
"Alfred! Good timing for a change," the Austrian frowned. "I've been hearing terrible rumors about you and the Ir—Lovino—all morning!"
"Hopefully, they don't involve deflowering him, because I can assure you, I've been nothing but a gentleman."
Ludwig actually snorted at this to cover up his laughter, but Roderich didn't seem to catch on.
"People have the nerve to say you two are dating! Dating!" the senior tossed his hands in the air in disbelief. "Can you believe that? We clearly need to squash these rumors before they get too out of hand and—"
"Roderich, chill," Alfred laughed. "We don't have to do anything because they're true. I confessed to him yesterday."
The appalled dark-haired boy looked as though he was going to say something, but Ludwig cut him off quickly.
"Congratulations, I'm happy for you both."
"Thanks, bro."
"Now that you've solved that mystery, we really should be getting to our next class, wouldn't you say, Roderich?"
Again, the Austrian looked like he had lots to say about the matter, but swallowed his pride at the disapproving look Ludwig sent him. He merely nodded and took off without another word. This discussion would have to wait for another time…
oOo
During his free period, Lovino headed to the Library to check his email and get some much-needed peace and quiet. He admitted that he was expecting some retaliation from Arthur, but not 50 emails all saying the same thing.
Don't take Alfred seriously.
It's just condescending compassion, not love.
Alfred only latched onto you because you're an Iris Zero in need of a hero.
Lovino sent him a reply, asking why the hell he was doing this. It wasn't like Arthur had any say in their personal lives. If he had a problem with him, he should just come out and say it. Arthur responded instantly by resending all of the previous hate mail. He didn't explain his sudden antagonism towards Lovino, nor did he mention why he seemed to instantly believe every bad thing he ever heard about Iris Zeroes.
Lovino deleted each email with great gusto.
"…Are you alright?" a soft voice asked him.
"Huh?" Lovino spun around to see Matthew. He silently cursed himself for not sitting in a darker corner of the library if he was going to cause a scene. "Yeah, I'm fine, dammit."
"But…you were…um, you were close to breaking the keyboard in half…" Matthew winced. Lovino's wings were covered in a storm of angry red and anxious yellow. What happened to the happy blue from before? "Are you sure you're alright, eh?"
"Never better."
oOo
Lunch couldn't come soon enough for the angry Italian. It would be a welcome relief to temporarily escape all of the gossiping eyes watching him. Anyone who sent a glance his way made sure it was filled with anger or disgust. Others would just stare, working out their own flawed conclusions with their Irises. When Lovino tried to escape into his phone, he was bombarded with 'checking in' texts from Antonio, annoying texts from Feliciano, and 'I hate your face' texts from the tea bastard. Not surprisingly, he ran into Arthur again.
"Alfred doesn't love you…he pities you," the blonde spat. "He wants to play hero and needed a victim, you see?"
"Go to hell, bastardo."
"Even if it's well-intended, he does it for himself, not you. Being your defender makes him feel heroic and helps you out in the process," Arthur continued, stinging the brunette with every word. "He'll never truly love you or take you seriously."
"Che cazzo! What the fuck is your problem?!"
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" the blonde shrugged, his green eyes cold. "It's impossible for someone to love an Iris Zero…"
Lovino clenched his fists so tightly, he nearly drew blood. He knew Arthur was lying, but still felt a burning sensation fill his chest. Having thought every one of those things at some point in the last few months, each word slowly tore through his defenses like acid. Still, he wasn't about to show any weakness to the asshole. Lovino managed to fight back tears and told Arthur to get lost.
The Italian stormed off towards the roof, where he knew he'd find Alfred. He had really, really tried to settle this man to man with Arthur, but there was no reasoning with stupid. Lovino didn't care if talking to Alfred made him seem weak or made things difficult between the cousins. He didn't deserve to be treated like shit, just because Arthur disapproved of Alfred's taste in boyfriends.
Lovino found his boyfriend laying down an old blanket in a very picnic-like fashion, despite the cold. The Italian almost felt bad telling Alfred how shitty Arthur had been making his day, but one glance at Lovino's troubled face and the blonde was already asking what happened.
"He said what?!" Alfred exclaimed. Not wanting to upset his boyfriend any further, the blonde forced himself to take a deep breath and get himself under control. He smiled at Lovino. "I'm sorry, Lovi…Arthur takes after the Kirkland tendency to troll people."
Alfred started rubbing slow circles on the Italian's back.
"I'll go talk to Arthur and beat some sense into him if need be, okay?"
Lovino still seemed conflicted, so Alfred winked at him, cupping his face in his warm hands.
"I'm not doing it to 'protect' you, Lovi. Lord knows you're strong enough for that," he chuckled. "I'm doing it because I love you. When you're sad, I'm sad. We'll both feel better after I knock some sense into my idiot cousin."
The Italian's mood seemed to improve after that, but it wasn't good enough for Alfred. He knew all too well that Lovino had a tendency to bottle things up. The blonde felt obligated to replace all that stress and anxiety with happiness and relaxation...at least until he could have a nice, long chat with Arthur and change Lovino's mood to normal.
"And look! I brought you meatballs!" Alfred held up the partially dented container of meatballs with pride. "You know you love meatballs~! I even knocked Sadik and his little gang out of the way to get it."
"Wow," Lovino managed a smirk. "I must be the luckiest guy in the whole world…"
oOo
Lovino wasn't exactly sure how long it would take Alfred to have his little heart to heart with Arthur. A part of him was disappointed he wouldn't get to see it. Instead, he had to settle on imagining the inevitable shouting match and threats to dump all of Arthur's tea into the school fountain. He was a little surprised when his phone buzzed to life, shortly after the last bell of the day. It ended up being a text from Alfred.
Meet me on the rooftop. The usual spot :)
Lovino was still impressed how fast Alfred handled that. It was a relief that the British bastard would stop bothering him now. He texted back he'd be there as soon as he gathered his things.
I'll be waiting…
oOo
Arthur's final class of the day was Economics, a relatively boring class that attempted to teach him things he already presented in staff meetings at the Kirkland Corporation. In his boredom, Arthur supposed he had been half-expecting some kind of retaliation from Lovino. He was a little disappointed there hadn't been anything yet. Maybe that was why he took his time at his desk and slowly checked his email while other students hurried to their friends or afterschool clubs. By the time he was making his way to the door, the room had all but cleared out.
He found himself face to face with his cousin. His visibly upset, Hulk-smash angry cousin. The one who also had a hand firmly clamped around Arthur's shirt collar.
"Are you the one behind the letters?" he growled, shoving the Brit back a bit.
"Of course not, you imbecile. I have better things to do with my time," Arthur moved to swat Alfred's hand away. It didn't move.
"Then why the hell have you been threatening Lovino?" he confronted the Briton.
"Because I can't allow you to be together!" something snapped inside Arthur.
"I'm not a child anymore, Arthur! You can't boss me around like when we were kids!" protested the taller blonde. "If you really care about me at all, you'll stand down and let me be happy with Lovino!"
Arthur looked down. His hands began to shake.
"You're being an arrogant little brat…this isn't about you at all!"
"It's not?" Alfred was thrown for a loop.
"You git! This is about Lovino, not you!"
"Lovi?"
"Yes, dimwit! I've been trying to get him to leave you, so the black butterflies would leave him!"
"The black…butterflies…" Alfred's eyes widened, his grip on his cousin's collar loosening.
"You know what my Iris is and the very second you confessed your feelings to Lovino and he accepted, a black butterfly appeared. The more time you spend together, the more butterflies I see on him!" Arthur's entire frame shook. "Right now he's engulfed by them. If you care about him, you'll release me, so we can find him before it's too late!"
oOo
You should hurry! I have something important to tell you! :) Make sure you turn your phone off so we don't get interrupted :)
Lovino thought it was an odd request for Alfred to make. Normally, the idiot didn't care about the state of his phone. Maybe this was some new boyfriend thing? Something felt a little off, but Lovino brushed it off as his inexperience at being in any kind of relationship. Still, with the bad luck he'd been having all day, he texted Alfred back a request.
OK. Mine's silenced. Just keep yours on in case I need to call you before I get there.
He got a smiley face in response.
oOo
Alfred and Arthur wasted no time rushing out of the room and towards Lovino's locker. It wasn't too far away from Arthur's Economics classroom, so there was a good chance he'd still be there. Their faces fell when they arrived and there was no sign of him around. Dozens of people walking past Alfred's eyes qualified as people who had some kind of clue about where Lovino went, but nobody seemed willing to talk about the Iris Zero. Both blondes were silently (and not so silently in Arthur's case) cursing their luck (and classmates), until Mathias and Lukas walked by, hand in hand.
"Yeah, I saw him, but I didn't see where he went," Mathias shrugged. "He seemed like he was in a big hurry to get somewhere."
"He might have gone to your locker!" Arthur suggested to his cousin.
"Y-Yeah! I'll call him and…crap!"
"What?"
"I don't have my phone on me…"
"A fine time to lose your phone, wanker!" Arthur spat, using his phone instead.
"I didn't lose it! I just left it in my locker yesterday!" Alfred defended himself. "And do you seriously think he's going to answer you after all the crap you put him through?"
"You…You might have a point."
"C'mon! We'll swing by my locker and see if he's there!" Alfred shoved the shorter blonde to get him moving. "If anything, my phone's there and I can call him!"
In less time than you can say salami, subs, and scones, the duo made it to the President's locker. Alfred's heart sank. He found it Loviless and phoneless.
"I'm sure I left it here…" he insisted. "I didn't want my phone going off when I confessed to Lovino…"
"Well, how do you normally find your phone?"
"Mattie!" Alfred perked up. "He can track it with the Bluetooth sticker synced up with his phone!"
"Good. I'm calling him now!"
oOo
Lovi please answer your phone! It's important!
Lovi you need to call me!
At least text me back. You're in a lot of danger right now!
With his phone silenced, the Italian never heard any of the texts or calls Antonio and the others sent him. Lovino wandered up to the rooftop, pondering what Alfred would want to talk to him about. Maybe he was going to tell him how he finally knocked some sense into his crazy cousin? Or maybe he wanted to go to a restaurant to celebrate? That would be a strange reason to go on their first date…which made it right up Alfred's alley.
"Alfred?!" he called out, receiving no answer. "Where are you, hamburger bastard?!"
The wind made him shiver.
"If you don't answer me, I'm heading back inside where it's warm!"
Lovino faintly heard Alfred's phone ringing. His ringtones were nothing if not distinctive. For whatever reason, the blonde let it ring instead of answering it. What kind of a game was he playing at? The Italian suddenly felt very alone on the rooftop, which made no sense. Alfred could usually make the entire area come alive with just his presence alone...so where was it? Why did he feel so uneasy? Lovino followed the sound behind the entryway and noticed an entire section of the protective fencing had been ripped out.
"What the hell…?"
He had no time to react. Before Lovino could step back, a set of hands pushed him towards the newly made hole in the fence. The surprising amount of force sent the Italian tumbling through the gap and his heart caught in his chest. He could feel the wind whipping past him.
He was falling…
oOo
"I tried calling your number and Lovino's, but everything is going straight to voicemail!" Matthew reported, as he joined his brother and cousin in the race to find Lovino. "Antonio already asked Gil and Francis to help him search too."
Alfred's heart sank. He couldn't shake the sick feeling growing in his stomach. It didn't help any that Antonio of all people was rattled over this. If he remembered correctly, Lovino's cousin could see potential danger around people. That didn't bode well…
"Don't worry, Al! Your phone is just ahead!" Matthew tried to comfort him. "You must have left it on the roof during lunch!"
"The roof?!" Alfred's eyes widened. He knew for a fact he didn't have it on him then. The dread building inside him only worsened and he took the stairs three at a time. A cold sweat that had nothing to do with running trickled down his back, like melted ice.
His heart was racing and his brain was reeling. He only hoped he was in time.
oOo
By some miracle and the magical reflexes the good lord granted Italians, Lovino had managed to catch the ledge of the building. He struggled to increase his grip with a second hand, but knew in his heart it wouldn't be enough. Lovino thought he heard mumbling above him.
"You don't deserve Alfred…You don't deserve to live… I'm protecting him… I'm saving him…"
From out of the shadows, a creepy-looking upperclassmen appeared. His eyes were as wide as saucers with dark rings etched around them. The boy's hair was greasy and stuck to his forehead in matted clumps. Even his uniform was wrinkled and dirty, as if he had been rolling around in the bushes. Lovino couldn't think of his name, but vaguely recalled seeing him in one or two of Antonio's classes, which made him a senior. A creepy-as-fuck senior who had it in for him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Lovino shouted at him.
"Iris Zeroes are a curse…You want to curse Alfred…I won't let you!" the boy's voice grew louder and more hostile.
"That's bullshit!" Lovino tried to use the combination of adrenaline and rage to tighten his grip on the ledge. If he could manage to find his footing, he could outwait the bastard three feet above him. Lovino kicked at the side of the building, trying to find any kind of foothole. His shoes scraped against the brickwork, knocking several fragments loose, and dropping below. He didn't want to think about how far that was.
"Alfred would be better off without you…The world would be better off without you…" the stalker repeated his words from an earlier letter. His nostrils flared, as a wicked smile spread across his face. "This is what you deserve!"
"Th-That's not true…!" Lovino snarled back. "Alfred said he needs me! H-He loves me, so screw whatever crap you have against Iris Zeroes!"
"Alfred would be better off without you…The world would be better off without you…"
Lovino felt his fingers slip.
"Alfred!" he called out, squeezing his eyes shut. Flashes of the blonde smiling at him, holding him close, and kissing him filled the Italian's mind.
"Lovino!" a familiar voice called back.
The blonde was there to grab his hand just in time. Lovino held on tighter than a soldier to a gun. The ground was a dizzying ways below, but Alfred made a better lifeline than anything he'd ever seen on TV or in real life. Alfred's hero talk wasn't all bark. The World Academy Fall was officially avoidable.
Lovino knew he was going to be okay.
"I'm gonna pull you up now, so don't go anywhere!" Alfred somehow managed to smile reassuringly. It was almost like his boyfriend wasn't precariously dangling over the side of a very tall building.
"W-Where else would I go, bastard?" Lovino managed to return the smile, despite the terrifying situation he was in.
True to his word, Alfred easily pulled the brunette up to safety in seconds. If he wasn't so preoccupied teetering between life and death, Lovino might have admired the sheer amount of strength and willpower Alfred displayed all for his sake (okay, he might have anyway). They landed in a collapsed heap of tangled limbs, breathing heavily for a few moments while the adrenaline wore off. When they were able to stand, Alfred helped his boyfriend to his feet.
"Th-Thanks, bastard…" Lovino hugged the blonde tightly.
"Just don't ever scare me like that again," Alfred responded with a shaky laugh. "I wasn't planning on having a heart attack until at least the second or third date…"
Lovino buried his face in the crook of Alfred's neck and shoulder. He had already started to feel tears of relief slipping down his cheek. His breathing was still a little ragged, so the best he could do was choke out some kind of affirmative sound. The tsundere felt like a complete mess, but somehow found himself unable to care. He was back with Alfred and right now that was more important than his pride.
"I love you…" he murmured.
"Love you too…" Alfred held him tighter.
Arthur looked up from his current position of jamming his kneecap between the stalker's shoulderblades in the most painful fashion he could think of. His mood lifted. The faintest of smiles graced his lips as he saw Alfred embrace Lovino while the butterflies floated off into the sky.
oOo
A/N – And…dating. A bit of attempted murder charges to sort out in the next chapter, but dating! FINALLY. Thanks for your patience, I can now tell you that the stupid stalker delayed Alfred's confession the most. He had to have the chance to creep Al out with all the letters and such. There were other factors too (trust/self-esteem issues to work out, bad timing, family/friends getting in the way, etc.), but that little bastard was the biggest one.
So why'd I keep him in the story, if he was going to be so much trouble? …I'll tell you in a couple more chapters. Until then, enjoy the ensuing storm of Romerica fluff coming your way :)
-Rajikka
Translations
Fratello – Brother (It.)
Bastardo – Bastard (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.)
Che cazzo – What the fuck (It.)
Doujinshi – A self-published work (Jp.)