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.

Enjoy your considerably less roller coaster ride of a chapter. This should answer a couple questions that were asked about the stalker and the actions of certain people…

oOo

Alfred's stalker (or Joe Brown if you wanted to use real names) was no longer a part of the school. He was now locked up somewhere far, far away where doctors poked him with needles and kept him hopped up on more meds than a suicidal elephant in a gun shop.

…Or at least that's what Lovino told himself.

Joe had been carted out by the cops and taken away to a special institute for nutjobs with obsessive disorders, where he was to remain until the court date. The rest Lovino had made up to get himself to sleep easier. The tsundere refused to admit it was getting to him until Feliciano caught him sleeping downstairs again.

"Fratello, you know you can talk to me about it," he offered, a worried smile on his lips. "It might do you some good to get it off your chest."

"Cheh, I don't feel like talking to Dr. Smiles about my feelings and shit," Lovino scoffed, waving him off and turning away from him.

Feliciano huffed and flopped onto the pile of blankets, squishing his brother.

"What the hell, Feli?! Get your scrawny ass off me!"

"I will when you open up to me about this whole stalker incident!" he stubbornly latched onto Lovino's waist, refusing to move.

"Go bother Alfred about it!" the older Vargas growled. "He was the one getting stalked!"

"And you were the one who nearly fell from a building because of it!"

Lovino bit his bottom lip. He couldn't really argue that a psycho tried to off him recently.

"If you don't want to open up to me about it, that's fine…" Feliciano began. "But I'm not leaving you alone until you talk to someone about it!"

"What's there to talk about?" his fratello shot back.

"Your newfound fear of sleeping on the second floor?"

"I…I just like the air down here better."

"You locked the windows and closed the curtains, fratello."

"I…you…shut up and go to sleep then!" snarled Lovino. He hated admitting defeat. "You'll probably end up rolling onto the floor and start bawling about it. See if I care."

oOo

The following morning, Alfred found himself answering the door during his healthy breakfast of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs and a piece of toast. His dad was away for the next two days, so he had no idea who it could be. The blonde peered through the eye hole and saw a government-issued agent in a government-issued suit. He nodded politely when Alfred opened the door in confusion.

"Good day, Mr. Jones,"

"Uh, hi?"

"I am Senior Operative Johnson, and on behalf of the Agency, I would like to offer our condolences for your recent situation."

"I guess bad news travels fast…" Alfred scratched his head, still unsure why the Agency man was here.

"Yes, to prevent any further incidents of that nature, we would like to offer you increased protection."

"What kind of protection…?" The blonde wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going.

Instead of answering, the man in the suit stepped aside and a shiny, new Jaguar F-Type came into view. The red sports car was sleek, outfitted with leather-wrapped 14-way power sport seats, and a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine that purred like a kitten. Alfred's jaw dropped. Government Crony Number 91 rattled off a few safety features, like GPS tracking and a built-in panic button Alfred could use to bring a battalion of soldiers to any location within nine minutes.

"You guys realize I'm only 15, right?"

"Don't worry, we've made the necessary arrangements," the man spoke, handing Alfred a driver's license with his face on it.

"You're giving me a fake ID?"

"Not quite. Think of it as a present for all of the hard work you've done for the Agency over the years," Suit Man gave a calculated smile. "We want to recognize your abilities and that includes all of them outside your Iris. According to your Driver's Ed teacher, you've made great progress in class."

"Well, yeah, but…isn't this illegal?"

"Think of it as bending the rules for an exemplary young man," the agent smiled again. "If you have no further questions, I bid you a good day. I trust you know how to contact us?"

"Y-Yeah! Thanks!" Alfred beamed, waiting until the agent pulled away in a second car before busting out his victory dance. "Lovino is going to be so stoked!"

oOo

"What the hell is that?" Lovino asked, staring at the strange red car parked in his driveway.

"My new ride," Alfred proclaimed with pride. He may or may not have added sunglasses to his usual uniform, despite the cloudy skies.

"You don't have your license. You're not old enough."

"Special exception to the rule," Alfred flashed his new driver's license. "My Driver's Ed teacher must really like me."

Lovino gave him a disgusted look.

"N-Not like that!" the blonde's face turned bright red. "I mean my driving skills! He really likes my driving skills!"

"Are you sure you're not secretly selling your body for—"

"Lovi, I'm not above tossing you over my shoulder and dragging you to school without coffee, no matter what kind of week we've been having."

The Italian couldn't help but smirk. His boyfriend really was good at defusing any negative situation and lightening his mood. As suspicious as the whole thing still was (he couldn't help but think it had something to do with the weird phone call Alfred had two weeks ago), Lovino decided to let it slide…for now. May as well enjoy the free ride to school. He hadn't exactly slept well on the cramped couch with his little brother's tendency to toss and turn in his sleep like a tiny steamroller.

Having never seen Alfred in action behind the wheel, Lovino wondered what kind of driver he was. The Hero played it safe and obeyed all the rules of the road on their way to school. Alfred preferred driving faster, but decided not to push his luck or worry his boyfriend…even when said boyfriend gave him crap for driving slower than his dead grandmother. In no time, they arrived at the student parking lot. Lovino reached for his door handle, but was stopped by Alfred and the annoying auto-lock feature.

"Wait!" the blonde's hand quickly grabbed the brunette's.

"What?"

"I didn't get a chance to kiss you yet!" he grinned.

"Idiota…" Lovino sighed, but still found himself leaning over the driver's seat and into Alfred's good morning kiss.

At school, Alfred was happy to be extra affectionate now that they were officially dating. Over the four days they were together, there were lots of hugs, nuzzles, and kisses (usually on the forehead or cheek when in public, otherwise Lovino got embarrassed and Alfred usually got hit). One content sigh from the blonde later, and they both stepped out of the car. Alfred was instantly at his side.

"Hey, Lovino?"

"Hm?"

"You're hand looks heavy. Let me hold it for you."

If Lovino thought Alfred was just milking their new boyfriend status as a way for him to get away with being more 'touchy-feely' with his Italian, he'd only be half-right. After nearly losing Lovino to another student of all things, Alfred struggled with how protective he should be. The prideful spitfire was more than well-equipped to take care of himself, but that didn't mean Alfred stopped worrying. He didn't want to seem overprotective, but he didn't think he could live with himself if he put Lovino into so much danger again by not taking a situation seriously enough.

Alfred knew that the tsundere was still upset after the roof incident too (who could blame him?), but unfortunately, every time the blonde brought the topic up, Lovino changed it. The Hero made sure he put extra effort in being there for him to show Lovino how much he cared with his actions. If words couldn't make Lovi feel safe, maybe this could…

oOo

Vash Zwingli was known for never arriving too early or too late to any of his classes. Like some kind of wizard, he always arrived precisely when the bell rang, often as he was walking through the doorway. Without their teacher's watchful eye in the classroom, his students typically chatted until his entrance. Today was no different. Lovino avoided eye contact with his blonde professor (who seemed more interested in glaring at the boy walking far too close to Lily for his liking) and went straight inside. The buzz of chatter and laughter died the moment he entered.

By now, Lovino knew how to ignore his classmates. Get to his desk. Put on his headphones. Let the music tune out the idiots. He wasn't going to let their stares and slack-jawed expressions get to him. The Italian didn't even mind when they started whispering among themselves and looming closer. Around then, several students broke the Don't Talk to the Iris Zero Rule to ask him if it's true some crazy guy nearly shoved him off the school roof.

"Of course not," Lovino replied, irked they started their yammering before he got out his iPod.

"I knew it was a lie," a boy claimed.

"Yeah, just a dumb rumor…" another agreed.

"That 'crazy guy' didn't nearly shove me off, he did shove me off," Lovino clarified. "If I hadn't caught the ledge and Alfred didn't get there when he did, I'd be dead right now."

The others were silent as that slowly settled in.

"So sorry," Lovino apologized sarcastically. "I know most of you would've been happier with that outcome. Better luck next time."

For a few moments, no one answered. Nobody knew what to say or how to respond. It was true that many of them had done their share over the years to let the Iris Zero know how unwelcome he was at school. A good chunk of them had even gone as far as to wish he was gone or leave notes and messages scribbled on his desk telling him to die. The threats and the teasing had escalated over the years, but nobody honestly expected someone to go as far as to act on them. Finally, Tino spoke up, his steady voice ripping through the silence.

"That's not true."

"Oh, really?" Lovino blinked. What was his angle? Fake kindness? "You'll have to forgive me for not believing that, given the way you assholes treat me."

"I…I apologize on behalf of the others," Tino lowered his head. "And I meant everything I said in the letter I left in your locker a few weeks ago…I think that you're a good guy and didn't deserve to be treated the way you were."

Lovino was surprised Tino was one of the mystery writers. He wouldn't have guessed someone from his homeroom wrote it. This was the same group of people who all signed their names on a petition to have the resident Iris Zero placed in a different class for their own protection during freshmen year. Further discussion was cut off by Vash entering the room.

All throughout class, Lovino caught people looking at him, but did his best to ignore it. He had been catching the same glances in the hallway – a bizarre combination of confusion and disbelief with a hint of guilt. It was annoying, but the Commissioner thought things would eventually blow over if he paid no attention to it. He'd rather not think about the whole dangling off the roof of the school thing, anyway.

oOo

With the roof completely locked up for the time being, Lovino was forced to eat lunch in the cafeteria like a normal student. Ugh. Naturally, he protested and was dragged over by Alfred and Feliciano.

The few who had gathered at the table before their arrival greeted them like always. Despite the weight of everything that happened, everyone at the table tried to keep things as normal as possible for everyone's sakes.

Feliciano had made extra pasta for lunch that day. Lovino started eating plate after plate of the delicious noodles, Feli following suit. That was the day both were unquestionably revealed to be stress eaters. Even Alfred with his seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach was impressed. Where did they put it all?

"Uh, Lovi?" Antonio tried to pull his cousin's 6th helping away. "Maybe you should take it easy there…"

Lovino nearly stabbed him with a fork.

"Don't tell me how to live my life."

Antonio wisely backed down and let his cousins devour mounds of pasta until Arthur showed up (i.e. was practically carried over by Francis). The spiky-haired blonde seemed unsure of whatever he came over to say, so he shifted from foot to foot, glaring at his hands.

"Are you here to ask me how to be a supportive and helpful older cousin?" the Spaniard couldn't help but smirk.

"Coming from the wanker who sees danger and never bothered to warn his cousin?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "Great advice."

"At least I wasn't the one who tried to help them by breaking them up, cabron!"

"Sure, you just abandoned them while you went on a wild goose chase! Very inspiring…"

"Would you bastards shut up?!" Lovino shouted at them. "Let's just all agree that you're both shitty cousins!"

"But, Lovi…I was just trying to help…" Antonio pouted.

The Italian sighed. It was true that his dumbass cousin had intentionally said nothing to him, in case the cause behind the danger was near him while the Bad Touch Trio were escorting him to class the other day. Having grown up together, Antonio knew that Lovino would be able to read his facial expressions and figure out that a Grim was near. As much as he hated to admit it, Toni was smart enough to tip him off without letting any potentially dangerous people around him realize Lovino was now on high alert…not that it did any good in the end. Nobody thought the danger the Grim was foretelling was some psychopath out to kill him.

"And I…er, was also trying to…bloody hell, why does this have to be so unnecessarily difficult…?!" Arthur ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "What I'm trying to say is…bollocks, you know what I'm trying to say! Why do I have to spell it out for you?!"

"Why, indeed?" the Italian arched an eyebrow. A small part of him had to admit it was entertaining to see the typically business-professional Brit sputtering for words like an angry child.

"Look, I'm s-sorry for what happened, okay?" Arthur managed to snarl before storming off, muttering something about stupid frogs and pasta prats. People in the aisle quickly cleared out before they ended up painting the walls with their lunches.

"Sorry about that…" Francis laughed lightly. "Arthur's an idiot, but his heart is in the right place."

"Could've fooled me," Lovino shot back.

"It may sound a bit strange given his age, but he's still learning how to properly use his Iris…" the wavy-haired blonde explained. "Or rather, he's learning how to use it to help others, especially his friends and family…"

"Is he really?" Alfred asked, intrigued. As long as he'd known his cousin, Arthur tried to deny his Iris as much as possible…almost to the point of being accused as an Iris Zero himself.

"Yes," smiled Francis, tucking a strand of his wavy hair behind his ear. "It's been difficult for him and he still struggles with being upfront about it, but that's because the straightforward approach didn't help any when his mother was terminally ill."

"Hmph…" the brunette still wasn't completely convinced Arthur did it just because he was an asshole.

"I'm not trying to make excuses for him or force forgiveness on any of you, I just wanted you to see things from his perspective too," Francis turned to leave. "We all know how challenging it is for certain members of our group to fully express themselves, non?"

It was still a struggle and quite a bit of guesswork, but Lovino thought he understood Arthur a little better now. The blonde didn't seem too happy to use his Iris and only recently started using it for good...like with that rabbit Alfred kept insisting they go visit sometime. Lovino was the first person remotely close to him since his mother to be engulfed by black butterflies. Nobody believed Arthur as a kid, warning them about his mother's illness being more severe than anyone thought; no matter how certain he was. This experience most likely made it difficult for Arthur to be upfront and honest about what he saw with his Iris when another human being was involved, for fear of being ignored again. Instead, the Brit tried other methods to break the chain of events that started drawing the black butterflies – Lovino returning Alfred's feelings.

God, what an idiot.

oOo

Ludwig eyed his daily schedule once school was over. The Student Council meeting had been cancelled this week, due to the court date tomorrow taking precedence. Ludwig felt out of the loop, as he wasn't present for the stalker incident or was close enough to Lovino, Alfred, Arthur, or Matthew to ask about it. He was certain they were getting enough questions from the rest of the school and didn't want to bother them. Instead, he checked in with Feliciano to see how everyone was holding up.

"They all seem kind of tense…" the Italian admitted. "So, I'm making a special dinner tonight!"

"I see…," Ludwig scratched his chin. "Would you like assistance?"

"Ve~ That would be great!" Feli brightened.

The duo headed to the nearest store to purchase the ingredients. The whoosh of the automatic doors welcomed them to the Shinatty Superstore, where you could buy anything from pasta noodles to speedboats. Feliciano smiled happily as he chose a cart and Ludwig offered to push it.

"What do we need to pick up first?" Ludwig asked, instinctively steering towards the grains and breads. It was his personal habit to pick up the dry, non-perishable foods first and gradually make his way over to the refrigerated items last.

"Ooh! Let's look at all the cheese first!" Feli clapped his hands together excitedly. "They have a really good international selection here! And I think eggs are over that way too…"

The German gave him a strange look. Did his amber-eyed friend not understand how this went against the natural order of things? If they got the eggs and cheese first, they would be exposed to room temperatures longer…

"Are you okay, Ludwig?" the worried Italian asked.

Ludwig sighed. Here he came along to make Feliciano feel better and only succeeded in worrying him. Even if the Italian boy insisted on shopping for groceries backwards, he needed to comply in order for Feliciano to smile again.

"Of course," he forced a smile. It wasn't a complete lie. Feliciano made pleasant enough company. "Just lead the way…"

It was worse than Ludwig had initially thought. Instead of picking up food in the reverse order, they went back and forth down the countless aisles to get things that seemed to pop into the brunette's head randomly. Ludwig was fairly certain they'd passed the produce section no less than twelve times already before Feli decided to pick up tomatoes and some miscellaneous veggies. When he asked to see Feliciano's list, the boy merely smiled and tapped his head.

"Relax, Luddy! It's all up here~!"

…That explained a lot.

They returned to the Vargas house before anyone else made it home. Ludwig carried in the bulk of the grocery bags and the two began working immediately. Feliciano pulled out all the ingredients while Ludwig thoroughly washed each vegetable about three times, dried them with paper towels, and meticulously lined them up by color. Feli couldn't help but giggle to himself. His German friend was really getting into this.

"What shall we begin with?" Ludwig dried his hands with the towel provided to him.

"Ve~ probably the noodles, so they have enough time to cook…" Feliciano scratched his chin. "Yeah…I usually begin with the noodles~!"

"How many are we using?"

"The whole box!" the Italian boy laughed, dumping the entirety of the noodles into a large pot.

"…And how much water?" asked Ludwig.

"Oh, about halfway full should be good!"

"W-What does your recipe say…?"

"Relax, Luddy~!" the brunette giggled again, repeating himself from earlier. "It's all up here!"

Ludwig's brain wanted to shut down. No supply list…no recipe…how were they supposed to know what to add and when? Never mind the amounts! Was there any method to this madness? How did Feliciano get anything done at all? Still…no one could deny what a great cook he was. Ludwig spent the rest of the time peeling potatoes and watching the Italian sing random songs as he made his way around the kitchen. It didn't even bother the brunette that he had three pots cooking, a salad dish half-made, and something else entirely in a mixing bowl off to the side.

Maybe if he tried really hard, Ludwig could convince himself that Feli had made this meal so often he didn't need to rely on a recipe. Perhaps he had memorized it? …Or maybe he was just winging it. At least Feliciano was happy. That alone brought a smile to Ludwig's lips despite the disorder in the kitchen.

"Annnnd…done~!" Feliciano cheered, testing the soup by taking a small sip of it. "Delizioso!"

Ludwig decided not to comment on the failure to comply with basic sanitation rules by doing that.

"Would you like to try some, Luddy?"

The German froze. Double-dipping aside; that was the same spoon Feliciano himself had used. Wouldn't that almost be like an indirect kiss? His face turned a little pink and words escaped him. Feli took that as a 'yes' and shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

It was uniquely textured from the rotini noodles, yet savory from the variety of vegetables. For all the randomness involved with its creation, everything from the spices to the juices flowed together perfectly. Ludwig could find absolutely no fault with it and almost asked for seconds.

Somehow Feliciano's imaginary recipe and blind-luck cooking methods paid off and they had a delicious dinner before them.

The clock above them chimed five o'clock and Ludwig realized he had to leave before dinner would be served. Biting back the regret building in his chest, he did his best to inform Feliciano in a neutral voice.

"Aw, that's too bad…" a flash of disappointment washed over Feli's features, but a smile came soon after. "You have to at least take some home with you!"

Not taking no for an answer, the Italian boxed his friend up some to-go containers. After bagging them up with a leftover grocery bag, Ludwig found himself with enough food to feed an army.

"Th-Thank you, Feliciano, but I couldn't possibly eat all—"

"Then you have lunch for tomorrow taken care of~"

Ludwig nodded his thanks again and prepared to leave. Before he could walk out the doorway, the tiny Italian surprised him with a hug. For an instant, the blonde was stunned and had no clue what to do. Finagling the bag of dinner into one arm, he brought his other over Feliciano's shoulder and patted his back slowly.

"Thanks, Ludwig. I needed that!" Feli smiled softly, finally releasing his friend. "I feel much better now…"

Ludwig could only nod curtly and bid him farewell, a little red in the face.

At dinner, all of the usual suspects trailed in. Romulus sat at the head of the table, giving speech after speech of encouragement to both of his wonderful grandsons. They would walk into that courtroom tomorrow as proud warriors and win with ease! Feliciano sat next to him and cheerfully agreed with every word. Lovino sat across from his brother, ignoring them both. He took a bite of soup and glared at Feli.

"Feliciano…" he growled slowly.

"Hm?"

"Why are there potatoes in the tomato rotini soup?"

"V-Ve?!" he squeaked, nervously.

oOo

The court proceedings were surprisingly quick. It had taken longer for Romulus to find a lawyer willing to work with an Iris Zero, than the case to be settled. Lovino was still pissed off that their lawyer charged extra for 'occupational hazards' but was glad he didn't have to represent himself. Of course, he was more grateful that Alfred had gone too, even if he was expected to as a witness. Somehow, the blonde's reassuring smile and occasional thumbs-up were enough to get him through both attorneys berating him with questions.

"What were you doing on the rooftop, if you knew it was against the rules for students to be up there?"

"Are you certain you had absolutely no idea that someone was stalking Mr. Jones?"

"Why did you respond to the text messages if there was even the smallest inkling of doubt about the sender?"

"Can you give us any proof that you didn't intentionally agitate Mr. Brown by flaunting your 'relationship' with Alfred Jones?"

"Why did you let yourself be pushed over the ledge? Are you sure you didn't just jump for attention?"

"You're not exactly a pleasant person and you have a history of being prescribed anti-depressants that you never bothered to take according to your former doctor…How can we be sure that Mr. Brown was the mentally unstable one?"

Leave it to the defense attorney to dig for anything he could possibly throw at him. It came as no surprise he was Joe Brown's uncle, after he played the concerned family card. Even after Lovino explained he was prescribed medicine seven years ago, has been off them just as long, and was completely sane, the ambulance chaser had the nerve to try to blame Lovino for Joe's mental instability. The very instant the slimy lawyer tried to pin the entire thing on Lovino's Iris Zero status, Matthew, Arthur, and Aunt Isabel had to quickly restrain Alfred, Feliciano, and Antonio. If those three had their way, they'd have to move next door for a murder case.

Although several other witnesses had clearly stated it wasn't Lovi's fault and Alfred had given a very detailed and well thought-out statement about courtrooms being places for finding truth, not blindly following un-scientific superstitions, the brunette could still see uncertainty flashing in the eyes of the jury. Nothing Alfred, Matthew, or Arthur said seemed to fully reach everyone in the jury box. Teary-eyed, pitiful Joe seemed to be all they could focus on. It didn't seem to matter that Lovino was nearly pushed to his death or that all three key witnesses explained the situation practically word for word in his defense. No, what really mattered to the bastards tasked with 'fair judgment' was poor, misunderstood Mr. Brown, who was clearly bullied by some cruel Iris Zero, who had the nerve to start dating the person he was illegally stalking.

At one point, Lovino began to feel sick to his stomach. From his seat in the plaintiff's table, he could feel members of the supposedly unbiased jury casting him the same dirty looks as the kids from school. Lovino even recalled a few giving Joe Crazypants pitying looks during his testimony, which was more of a confession of love to Alfred and his oath to 'save' him. Did they completely miss the part about the psych eval coming back positive for everything from depression to latent schizophrenia? Were they seriously trying to pin this on him? Could he really be punished for someone trying to kill him?

That is so fucking twisted…I hate the way the world works…

Romulus noticed his grandson's discomfort and rubbed his back reassuringly. They would get through this meeting and then he would make a few calls to some old friends of his. He couldn't help but notice which fancy car the defense attorney and his bastardo client got out of this morning. Sure would be a shame if something…happened to it.

Lovino just wanted this whole thing to be over and the stalker to be out of their lives forever.

The jury was dismissed to discuss the situation in a separate room. Twenty agonizing minutes later, they returned to the courtroom. After much deliberating (and possibly a few threats from the friendly, neighborhood mafia that Romulus may or may not have a hand in), Joe Brown was sentenced to be locked away in a mental institute, and the press couldn't get their dirty hands on any names or info, since all of the people involved were minors. Lovino felt a weight lift from his shoulders when the judge's gavel dismissed them all from the stuffy courtroom. His Nonno and Aunt Isabel went to settle things with the lawyer (Romulus with his checkbook, Isabel with her ways of gentle persuasion i.e. the 21 inch, steel, expandable 'dance' baton she kept in her purse) while the boys waited in the hallway.'

"U-Uh, thanks for showing up, bastards…" Lovino tried to thank them awkwardly. "I mean, I know most of you had to, but…uh, it was…dammit."

Alfred, Feliciano, Antonio, and Matthew quickly trapped the protesting Italian in a group hug, while Arthur scoffed at them for being childish.

The group soon found themselves in the parking lot, getting ready to head home. Most were exhausted from the day's events and eager to relax. More waves and hugs were exchanged. At the end, Alfred excused himself to use the restroom, but Feliciano caught him and pulled him aside while the others were distracted by Isabel pulling churros from thin air.

"What's up, Feli?" Alfred tried to sound normal. Something about the boy's eerily cold eyes was making him uncomfortable.

"That guy…he sat up in that chair and stared at my brother without any remorse or guilt. He looked at him like he wasn't even there…Like he shouldn't even exist…" Feliciano steadied himself with a deep breath, looking up at Alfred with an unforgiving expression. "I want you to make him regret that."

Alfred didn't even question how Feli knew where he was actually going. He just nodded and promised to pass on the message.

oOo

Being part of the Agency had certain benefits. Although, Alfred wasn't privy to most of them, Captain Wilson actually approached him, offering support in this instance. Jett was able to pull some strings to allow Alfred to visit his stalker before the bastard was sent to the crazy house for the rest of his life. The Aussie assured Alfred it would be a nice, private visit, so they could talk uninterrupted.

The blonde quickly took him up on the offer.

Inside the chilly holding room, Joe sat on a wooden chair with his hands bound to the table in front of him. The cold steel of the handcuffs and the limited range the chain granted him didn't leave the stalker much room to move. Not that he'd want to move. The room was only deceptively pleasant. All of the nicer pieces of furniture (and the thermostat) were for visitor-use only. Prisoners like Joe couldn't reach them if he wanted to. His uncle/lawyer had already apologized and said goodbye. Apparently, the rest of his family would see him off later at the institution he was going to be transported to. Until then, all he could do was escape into the fantasy world inside his head with a maniacal grin.

A noise at the door jolted him back to reality. Joe had been expecting an officer to take him away forever as the door slowly creaked open. His jaw dropped when Alfred stood in their place. Beautiful, wonderful Alfred…there to see only him. He was so happy, he wanted to cry…but why wasn't Alfred smiling?

"A-Alfred, I-I-" Joe began to ramble. His spirits were crushed when the blonde angel before him only frowned deeper, as if the sound of Joe's voice somehow offended him.

The stalker began rambling, causing Alfred to suddenly pull the chain of his handcuffs down with great force. Joe crashed face-first into the table, feeling a flash of white-hot pain explode inside his head. The senior student shot up quickly, sputtering through his bloody, possibly broken, nose. Alfred's eyes remained ice-cold. He didn't even flinch when the older boy broke down crying in front of him.

"I don't want you to ever send me another letter, you little piece of shit," his words sliced through the other like a razor.

Joe began to protest, but was cut off immediately.

"I'm in love with Lovino and will never be able to forgive you for what you did…no one will," Alfred warned him. "You disgust me and if I ever see you again, I'll make you regret it."

To demonstrate his point, Alfred punched a hole through the solid oak table with ease.

"Let's go, Jett…" Alfred spun on his heel, signaling the Captain guarding the doorway. "I'm done wasting time here."

The Aussie eyed the decent-sized hole Alfred left in both the table and the crazed prisoner's heart as he escorted him out. Jett knew Alfred's rejection would echo throughout that stalker's damaged psyche for the rest of his secluded life. Really, death would have been less painful in the long run…It was the first time he'd seen a storm like that take over the boy since he started watching over him years ago. Sure, Alfred was always a strong, talented kid, but to see those skills show up like this…

He was starting to realize just how important this 'Lovino' was to Alfred…

oOo

A/N –It takes a very special kind of hobby where you can't get into the mood to look over something because you have to "brush up on your working knowledge of psych evals." Yep. Pretty sure it's a toss-up between writers and sociopaths over who has the stranger internet browser history… I know within the last 5 chapters, I've researched how to write creepy letters from a stalker's perspective, mental illnesses, fun names for a zombie apocalypse, government conspiracies, and a general overview of a cult/religion formed around a fictional character personifying a landmass.

-Rajikka

Translations

Joe Brown – Not named after anyone in particular. I just used a common American name and surname. This guy wasn't worth the research. (Eng.)

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.)

Delizioso – Delicious (It.)

Che cazzo – What the fuck (It.)