So, not a whole lot happens this chapter, but things should pick up at the end and starting next chapter.
Oh and I'm excited~! On Thursday, I'm going with my father to his little sister's wedding reception. The best part? She got married to her girlfriend~. AND HOLY FUCKING SHIT THEY ARE SO CUTE AND SWEET AND LITERALLY JUST THE BEST PEOPLE EVER.
But then, next Monday, I'm going to be at camp. I'm a bit worried about bringing my laptop, cuz if I don't have WiFi, then there won't be a chapter next week...
So if next Monday there's no update, it's because I couldn't get reception and I'm super sorry but I promise I will update as soon as I get home!
Hopefully, this won't be a problem.
Happy Monday, guys~!
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Lovino snapped as the two continued to search for Matthew. "Why is it so fucking hard to find that bastard?!"
After Antonio had explained himself a little to Lovino, the two had stayed on the bench for a shirt while, Lovino laying his head on the Spaniard's lap and Antonio watched the sky as he gently petted his hair and relaxed. Finally, the two had decided to get back to searching, deciding they could discuss what had happened later. Right now, locating Matthew was a far more pressing matter.
"Being a ghost makes it easier to hide... Maybe he's hiding from those guys that got us?" the vampire suggested. "I mean, you can't put a... a... a whatever they did to us on someone if they can't find you!"
"That reminds me…." Lovino muttered, glancing over at Antonio. "What the hell did they do to YOU? We still don't fucking know yet! And you're acting normal enough right now."
Antonio shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't feel any different than I did before they got me," he admitted.
"So did I, bastard," Lovino said as he rolled his eyes. "And look what happened to me." As he said this the Italian spotted a cat sitting near them grooming its fur and lost interest in whatever Antonio had to say back.
The Spaniard blinked as Lovino's attention suddenly shifted and he snapped his fingers in front of the Italian. "Lovi? Come back to me, Lovi. Come back," he said, moving around and standing in front of his boyfriend, blocking his view of whatever he had been looking at.
Lovino shot him a glare before trying to look around him to watch the cat.
The Spanish vampire smiled. "I can always just carry you away from here if I need to, querido," he said, giggling a little, yet meaning what he said. They didn't have time for Lovino to get distracted. They had to find Matthew.
"Bastard…." Lovino grumbled.
"…. elp…. help….."
Antonio jumped in surprise. He whipped around, looking for the source, recognizing the feeble voice as Matthew's. "Hey!" he called, worried by how weak their friend sounded. "Matthew! Where are you? I can hear you, but I can't see you!"
Lovino scowled as he looked around for the source.
"… mirror…. On the ground….."
"Qué? Mirror?" The two looked around and finally they spotted on the ground, hidden partially under a bush, a small compact mirror, like one a woman would carry around to touch up their make-up. They went over and picked it up.
"Matthew...?" Antonio asked tentatively.
The Canadian's image appeared on the smooth surface, causing Lovino to jump and hide behind Antonio. "I-It's me…. But I don't know what happened….! Some men showed up… did something…. A-And now I'm stuck in here! I can't come out…!"
"We'll take you back to Yao's. We may not be able to fix this, but Al and Gil will be happy to see you, and Yao might have an idea," Antonio said.
"T-Thank you….."
The three arrived back at the Chinese man's shop and went in. Antonio looked around in confusion. "Hey, Yao? Where did Francis go?" he asked, setting the small mirror into an awakening Alfred's hand. The American blinked at it, obviously confused.
"Oh, Feliciano asked if Francis could go to lunch with him. You just missed them. They left only a few minutes ago," Yao informed them.
"What?! You let them go alone?!" Lovino growled and bared his teeth slightly.
"Calm down, Lovino," the nature spirit said. "I believe Francis took him to that Italian restaurant. It was the strangest thing though. When he was asked what he wanted to eat, Feliciano denied the pasta offered him and told Francis to pick where they went to eat. I checked to be sure he didn't have a fever, and he didn't, so they left. I hope he isn't coming down with anything."
Lovino frowned then rubbed the back of his head. "…. M-Maybe it's the same damn thing as me…. W-Wanting to please everyone right now…."
"Perhaps."
Lovino groaned and gritted his teeth before asking, "Well? You have any fucking clue what the hell happened, you bastard?"
"What, Lovino?" the spirit asked, confused by the question.
Lovino growled before snapping. "What the fuck do you mean by WHAT?! Did. You. Find. Out. Anything. NEW. About. This. Fucked. Up. Magic. SHIT?!"
"You should take some deep breaths, Lovino. You're going to hurt yourself," Yao said gently. "I have not found out anything new, and I haven't been looking. I've been making sure everyone in my home is doing alright instead."
Lovino blinked, looked away, then heading back to the door. "I'm going to go find Feliciano."
Yao nodded. "Remember to check the restaurant," he said.
"I know that, bastard!"
At the restaurant, Francis and Feliciano were sitting in a booth, waiting for their orders to be taken. The Frenchman had indeed taken the werewolf to the Italian place, hoping that perhaps the food would entice the teen to tell him what was wrong.
"F-Francis, are you sure you want to eat here?" Feliciano asked for the up-teenth time.
"Oui~."
Feliciano bit his lip, obviously still unsure.
Francis sighed and placed his order to the waiter, then waited for Feliciano to place his.
After shifting around in discomfort for a moment, Feliciano finally mumbled in soft Italian his order, which the waiter wrote down, then disappeared to take to the kitchen. A couple minutes later, they were brought there drinks as they waited for the food.
"Hmm… I haven't been to this place before… Have you been here, Feli?" Francis asked, trying to make conversation.
"S-Si. Lovi brought me here after exams."
"Oh? Really?"
"Si. He did," another, more annoyed Italian accented voice spoke up behind them, Lovino appearing, his arms crossed, foot tapping against the ground. "Now why the fuck did you kidnap my damn brother?!"
Feliciano let out a frightened screech, falling out of the booth, surprised by his twin's sudden pop up. "F-Fratello!?"
"Why the hell are you here with this damn pervert?! Alone?!"
"I-I was hungry and F-Francis o-offered to bring me, a-and we're friends and he h-hugged me w-when Luddy wouldn't..." Feliciano's voice had steadily raised in pitch with each word until he was squeaking, his eyes watering dangerously.
Lovino growled as he glared at the door. "That damn potato's dead…."
Watching them, Francis laughed and excused himself to go to the bathroom.
Feliciano got back into the booth seat and curled up, sniffling softly as he thought about the German vampire.
Sighing to himself, the older twin squeezed himself into the seat and pulled Feliciano into a hug.
The Italian curled up in his brother's lap, tears beginning to run down his face. "W-Why doesn't Luddy love me...?" he cried.
"Because he's an asshole," Lovino growled, scowling. "You can do better than him. And a hell of a lot better than the French pervert."
"B-But no one else likes me…" Feliciano said, curling up tighter. "Luddy won't give me kisses or hugs, but F-Francis will."
Lovino glared at him, then sighed before holding out his hand to his brother and in a commanding tone ordered, "Feliciano! Shake!"
Instantly, the younger of the two reached up and grabbed his brother's hand. He blinked, then sat up, looking at his twin in confusion. "What was that for?"
Lovino sighed. "Now tell ME to do something a dog would. Anything," He grumbled, not answering the question just yet.
Feeling completely lost, Feliciano said the first thing that came to mind. "Lovino, play dead."
Immediately, the older twin acted like he had been shot and slumped over, laying across the bench motionlessly for a few moments before jumping back up and looking his brother in the eye. "Now you get it?"
Feliciano shook his head, feeling even more confused than he had only a moment ago.
Lovino groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "Feliciano, you just gave me your hand like it was a damn PAW and I just played fucking dead. We're both fucked up right now because of this shit. Don't you think maybe you wanting all of those kisses and shit all the fucking time has something to do with it? Normally, even you aren't that fucking bad about it. It's just this dog shit fucking with your damn mind is all."
"But…" Feliciano's eyes filled with tears yet again. "I still want them…"
"Feliciano, PLEASE," Lovino practically begged. "We have to stay strong with this! Don't you fucking get it?!"
The Italian was barely keeping his tears at bay. "I-I can't help it! I can't help how I feel right now!" he cried.
"I know that!" Lovino snapped back. "I fucking know that! And guess what! I'M feeling the exact same way about shit like this too! It's fucking ingrained in us right now! Y-You just have to grow a fucking pair and beat it back! Because we CAN'T let those assholes do whatever the fuck they want, dammit!"
Feliciano flinched away, hiding his face in his hands as he began to cry again. "D-Don't yell at me!" he sobbed. "I'm not strong like you are! I-I can't just 'beat it' like you can!"
Lovino blinked, then sighed as he pulled Feliciano into a hug before gently making his twin look him in the face. "I'm not asking you to beat it. I'm asking you to TRY. And you might not know this, but for me, YOU'RE the strongest person that I know."
Feliciano sniffed. "W-What….?" he asked, his voice filled with shock. "You t-think… I'm strong…?"
Lovino glanced away and nodded. "I'm always getting pissed and blowing up about the stupidest of shit. Hell, nine times out of ten, I end up punching the bastard unless I'm stopped beforehand. But… you don't do that. You can control yourself and let it go just like that. Be the better person than them… and me. Makes me jealous at times to watch."
"But… fratello…" The smaller reached out and gently took Lovino's hand. "I-I've always admired how you fight back. Y-You don't let anyone treat you badly, you get right in their face and make them stop. B-But I'm too scared and weak to do that. I let stuff go because I can't do anything about it.. I wish I could be brave and strong like you are… I look up to you, fratellone."
Lovino stared at him a moment, then cracked a smile and laughed lightly. "Damn…. We're some pair, huh? But give yourself some more credit, va bene?"
Feliciano managed a little smile back. "Only if you do."
Lovino nodded and held out his hand. "Deal?"
Feliciano took his hand and nodded back. "Deal."
Lovino went to say something, but tensed up and looked around. The smell of magic was in the air.
"What was that….?" Feliciano asked, looking around them for the source of the scent. "Is it coming from the bathroom...?" His eyes widened. "Francis went to the bathroom!" He jumped out of the booth and ran to the door, crashing through it, adrenaline coursing through him at the thought of his friend being attacked.
Lovino cursed and chased after him, only to almost trip over Francis's unconscious body. "Fuck! They got him too?!"
"F-Francis!" Feliciano cried, dropping down next to the vampire.
"Dammit! We have to get him back! Now!"
Showing a sudden, rare strength, Feliciano easily picked Francis up, slinging the teen over his shoulder. "Let's go!" Without waiting for another word from his twin, he took off running for Yao's shop.
As soon as they reached the shop, Lovino held the door open for his brother and called out, "All of you bastards who are awake and able to, get your asses in here right this fucking second!"
As ordered, everyone who could entered the room. Alfred, still dazed, was holding the mirror protectively. "What the hell happened to Francis?" Gilbert asked, standing near the merman. The two had apparently figured out that Matthew was in the mirror and both wanted to stay close to him. Yao made his way over to the twins, gently taking the Frenchman from Feliciano and laying him down on the floor and beginning to check him over.
"We don't know…" Lovino answered as he pulled Feliciano, who was trembling harshly, close and started rubbing his back to calm him down. "Bastard walked off to go to the damn bathroom. Then… well… this shit happened. Guess they got all of us now."
Feliciano shifted closer to his twin, the gentle motion on his back having the desired effect and relaxing him.
"Yes, it would seem so," Yao agreed.
Lovino growled and bared his teeth slightly. "I don't like this. It feels wrong. Like something else is going to happen now, but I have no fucking clue what it is…."
"W-We have to find Arthur," Alfred croaked. "I-If there's magic involved, h-he would be the one t-to help us the most."
"Ja, but the question is WHERE is he?" Ludwig spoke up.
"Those bastards are using him. Or his magic at least," Lovino said quietly. "I caught a bit of brow bastard's scent when they were attacking the French fuckface."
"Using his magic? But… how is that possible?" Feliciano asked.
"Wizard magic is a curious thing," Yao answered.
"How the fuck should I know that?" Lovino retorted and crossed his arms. "I'm just telling you what I fucking smelled!"
"I-I was asking them how it was possible, fratello, not you," Feliciano whimpered, inching away from the irate teen.
"If you have enough wizards of mild strength, then they can over power one of great strength, such as Arthur. If the right restraints are used and the correct spells are placed on him, they can turn the captured wizard's magic against his own will and direct it as they please. Judging on the strength of the spells that have been using on all of you, I think it's safe to say this is exactly what happened," The nature spirit explained.
Lovino winced at Feliciano's expression and moved over to him, hugged him, then glanced at Yao. "So how the hell do we fix this shit?"
"We have to save him," Alfred cut in, his strength returning fully to his voice, a clear tone of anger present as he processed what had happened to his lover. "We have to get him back."
Lovino stared at Alfred, then turned to Antonio. Grabbing his arm he dragged him into the kitchen.
Antonio look at him in confusion. "What is it, Lovi?" he asked.
Lovino ignored him as he searched for something. "We're doing some scouting. Drink some damn blood already and hurry up before I lose the damn scent."
Antonio frowned a little. "I don't want any."
Lovino frowned himself and looked back at him. "You're a damn vampire. What the hell DO you want then?"
"I don't know… but for whatever reason, blood doesn't sound… appealing. At all."
"What does sound good? Eat that, dammit."
"But I don't know what I want!"
"Figure it out, dammit! And then you have to get me to change!"
"Huh? Why?"
"... My sense of smell is better as an animal…" Lovino mumbled as he looked away.
Antonio nodded. "Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."
"So eat something."
"But I don't know what I want…"
"Look around and see what looks good, bastard."
Antonio pouted, but began to poke around the kitchen, looking for anything that struck his fancy.
Lovino huffed and leaned against the counter to watch.
Finally, the vampire took a can of tomato juice from the fridge.
Lovino raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, bastard?"
"It's only thing that seems good. Don't judge me," Antonio pouted as he popped the top and took a drink.
Lovino stared at the can, then inched over and sniffed it. "It does smell good…."
Antonio smiled. "Because it's tomatoes, Lovi. Of course it smells good." He took another drink. "There are more; I don't think Yao would mind if you had one."
Lovino ignored him as he began reaching for the can to steal it.
Antonio held it away from him. "Lovi, you don't need to take mine. I just said there are more in the fridge."
Lovino pouted with his hand in mid air. "Yours is out already, dammit."
"It's also half empty. If you get your own, you get it all for yourself," he pointed out.
"I want yours," Lovino said, continuing to pout.
"What if I get you a different one?" Antonio offered, holding his drink high above his head where Lovino couldn't reach.
Lovino ignored him and continued watching the can in his hand.
Antonio set it on top of the cupboard, the one place Lovino couldn't reach, then took the Italian's hand and went to the fridge. He took out another, opened it, then handed it to his boyfriend. "Here you go, Lovi~."
Lovino blinked, then looked at the can and frowned. "You think I'm stupid right now, don't you… Just a damn dog…"
The Spaniard stared at him with wide eyes, shocked. "What? No, of course not!" he said, hugging the other close.
Lovino snuggled close, then pulled away. "J-Just help me change, dammit... So we can get out of here and start searching..."
"O-Okay, how though?"
The Italian shrugged. "Getting excited about something works. Really excited."
"Well, what would do that?"
Lovino shrugged again, unaware of the squirrel passing by the window behind him.
Seeing the little animal, an idea formed in Antonio's mind. He quickly pointed to it. "A squirrel!"
Lovino jumped and whipped around so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash. His eyes narrowed and he growled, the dog ears and tail popping out.
"Well hey, that worked," Antonio commented cheerfully.
Lovino ignored him as he changed entirely, then, he was done shifting, darted for the door and started to scratch at it, barking and wanting to get out and get the squirrel.
Antonio chuckled, then leaned down and scooped Lovino up. Before either could do anything else, Gilbert appeared in the doorway. "Get back in here," he demanded. "We're trying to make an attack plan but we can't really make a good one without both of your input-!" He saw Lovino and groaned, slapping a hand over his face. "Fucking... Just get in here. Both of you."
Nodding sheepishly, Antonio quickly followed Gilbert back into the living room, hoping Feliciano would be able to translate for his brother once again.