I made it through my first year as a Senior! I'm actually looking forward to my classes this year. Hopefully, that doesn't come back to bite me in the ass...
Happy Labor Day!
"Heh. Too easy," Lovino laughed as he twirled the gold coin in his hand from the bag that he had pick-pocketed. The ship was currently docked in a harbor as they made repairs from the attack a week ago. A lot had changed in the brothers since then. "Bastard had no fucking clue what hit him. What do you think, Feli? Wanna split this loot or go get your own?"
Feliciano shrugged. "I can't pickpocket as well as you. I get caught half the time. Besides, that guy was rich; it should be enough for us to share," he said, looking around at the people milling at the harbor. "How long are we staying here? Captain forbid me from starting any more brawls before he let me off the ship." The younger twin crossed his arms and pouted. "There's nothing fun to do if I can't fight someone."
"So don't start one. Just finish it if they come after you," Lovino stated with an eye roll. "Plenty of these assholes are dumb enough to fall for something. Then it's self fucking defense and if you kill them? Good. One less stupid asshole in the world. And I don't know how fucking long. Captain's 'negotiating' prices and shit. You have to ask one of them."
The older twin suddenly paused and frowned. "Do you feel… different? At all? Or is it just all that alcohol I downed last night?"
The younger shrugged again. "I don't feel different. Maybe whatever you drank was bad." Feliciano stretched his arms over his head, then started towards the tavern. "I think I'll take up your advice. A well aimed elbow or a nicely timed chair kick could do wonders."
"Don't get caught though, dammit. Think of it as practice for stealth," Lovino warned. "Oh, but can we stop in the market first though? I found this great sword I've had my eye on. It's really a beaut. This money should be enough for it. Then I guess I'll go back to working the streets after that." Lovino snorted and added, "Have to earn a 'honest' living somehow, right?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Feliciano agreed, changing direction and starting towards the market place. "Why do you use a sword, anyway? What's wrong with using your claws and teeth? Holding a weapon feels strange to me."
Lovino smirked as he counted off his fingers. "Well, for the first reason, longer reach. So the bastards won't get to me as easily; two, the claws and teeth can be kept as secret weapons; and three, I look so fucking badass using one, it's scary and awe inspiring."
Feliciano rolled his eyes. "Uh huh," he muttered. "Whatever you say, fratellone."
Lovino shot him a glare back. "You wanna fucking fight?"
"Yeah, that's the whole point, remember?"
"I meant fight some bastard OTHER than me," The older twin scoffed. "We both know I'll kick your ass. It wouldn't be fair to a poor innocent brat like you."
"Only because you're the alpha of our pack. I can't really fight you."
"If you fucking have it, use it," Lovino taunted, referring to the control he had over Feliciano as Alpha. He casually picked the pocket of a man walking past them. "See? Asshole's not going to miss this," He cackled when the man was out of ear shot. "Damn, this is the life. Why the hell were we scared of this again?"
Feliciano frowned, looking confused. "If I have what, use what?" he asked.
Lovino's smirk grew. "Get it and you'll find out." Pocketing the money he stretched. "Ugh…. I'm bored…. After we get that damn sword I might join you in a fight. Need to break the sword in anyway."
"Fine by me," the lookout agreed.
"Heh. Good. Now let's go get that sword."
The brothers entered the market place and made their way to the weapons dealer.
After haggling over prices, finally Lovino walked away with the shining new sword tied to his side. "Well, Feli? How do I look?"
"Like yourself but with a new sword."
"Asshole. Keep up that fucking attitude and I'm keeping all the damn fights to myself."
Feliciano rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's go."
"I am, dammit. I am."
The twins started towards the tavern again, a smirk growing on Feliciano's face as he imagined the great brawls he was about to get into.
"Actually try to look innocent will you?" Lovino grumbled with an eye roll.
The younger teen scowled for a split second, then smiled brightly. "Come on, fratello~! I want more of that soupish stuff~!"
"Seriously?" Lovino snorted. "What are you? FIVE?! How's that fucking believable?"
Feliciano stuck out his tongue. "Deal with it."
"And what if I don't fucking want to?" the older twin challenged.
"Tough."
"Brat."
"You, good sir, are an ass. But that's alright. To each his own," the younger responded cheekily.
"And you're the farthest thing from a 'gentleman', so why the fuck are you pretending?" Lovino snorted back.
"Who said I was trying?"
"What. The. Fuck. Ever." Lovino rolled his eyes as he shoved Feliciano into the tavern. "Just get your ass in there!"
Feliciano took the chance presented to him. He threw himself forward with the push, slamming into the back of a huge, muscular man, knocking the other's drink over.
"Not even five fucking seconds…." Lovino grumbled as he watched the man let out a growl and begin rising out of his chair, turning around and grabbing Feliciano's shirt collar.
"You owe me a new drink, swine," The man growled, tightening his grip.
Feliciano smirked. "I don't owe you anything. I think you owe me an apology for wrinkling my nice shirt~."
"You heard him bastard," Lovino added, a smirk on his face, as he calmly moved forward. "Get off my brother or it's your ass in trouble."
The man snarled. "Why should I?"
The younger twin's smirk darkened. "I bite~."
"Don't. Asshole's not worth it," Lovino retorted. "Just beat the shit out of him. Maybe…" He smirked darkly himself. "an inch from death works."
The man growled and swung his fist at Feliciano's head. Before the other had time to even blink, Feliciano's hand shot up, caught his punch, and exchanged it for an even more powerful one of his own, knocking the man out cold onto the tavern floor.
Lovino growled to himself, then kicked Feliciano in the leg. "You fucking brat! I fucking TOLD you to leave some for me!" he snapped.
Feliciano rolled his eyes. "I don't care. Go find your own fight, don't mooch off of mine," he retorted.
"Says the brat who's mooching off MY hard earned money," Lovino retorted, then smirked. "And you should be nicer to your fratellone you know. After all… the captain might want to talk to me later… and I'd just hate to see it 'accidentally' slip out that YOU got into yet another bar brawl. I wonder what he would think about that…."
Feliciano scowled, "Don't you dare threaten me," he growled.
Lovino's smirk grew. "Oh? Is that what I'm doing? Are you sure?"
"Yes," the younger spat, bristling angrily, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Aww…. Is poor wittle Feli getting angwy?" Lovino taunted, laughing.
The Italian bared his teeth, the ends sharpening, another growl rumbling in his chest.
Snapping out of the taunting mode, Lovino bared his own teeth back at Feliciano, his eyes shinning bright gold. "Knock that shit off right now. Get your ass back to the fucking ship," He growled, his voice thick with the authority of the alpha wolf.
Gritting his teeth, Feliciano straightened, turned, and walked out of the tavern, heading towards the harbor, rage bubbling inside him.
"Will all of you wankers stop badgering me about this? I've JUST bloody well woken up!" Arthur growled as he rubbed his forehead, having woken up from his forced nap ten minutes before. "If you're really that concerned then we have to sit down and plan out our moves that way! We can't afford to be reckless!"
"My brother is dying, so pardon my wanting to get things sped up!" Gilbert snapped.
Arthur rolled his eyes as he turned back to his pile of charts, paper, and open books. "Very well. Go get Francis and Alfred and bring them here. We need everyone. I'll be sure to explain it then."
The albino raced around the house, finding and telling the two to get off their asses and get down to the basement with Arthur.
Once they were all gather, Arthur walked over and dropped a large leather-bound book on the table in front of them. "I've found a way to bring the two back… but… there's a few complications….."
"Like what?" Alfred asked, worried.
"Well… for starters…. The Feliciano and Lovino we'll be bringing back won't be our Feliciano and Lovino. They're being warped by the bond and the time period they were forced into. Second, we need Ludwig and Antonio's help, but if they're to weak, we'll have to find some way of doing it on our own. And third…. There's no doubt in my mind that when we bring them back… those Italians WILL try to kill us all."
The news shocked everyone in the room and the group was silent for a moment.
"But… why?" Alfred finally ventured. "We're their friends, why would they try to hurt us?"
Arthur sighed then glanced Gilbert. "Gilbert? You're the better one to explain about your group's pirate days. You should take over explaining this bloody mess."
The vampire frowned. "I honestly don't know, Arthur. Why will they want to hurt us?"
"They won't at first. But, back when you were a pirate how would YOU react if someone was keeping you away from your ship and crew? And also doing this against your own will?"
"I would have been pissed. But seeing as Toni and Ludwig are so sick, I don't think they will be so against just waiting until they're better. It would be suicide to sail when both the captain and navigator are too sick to run the ship."
"Ah. But that IS part of the problem," Arthur added. "They don't know the condition of the present day ones. The last THEY will have seen those two, they will have been perfectly healthy. In their eyes, WE did something to their captain and navigator to make them be this way. And combine that with the bond leeching pirate nature into them along with their own natural werewolf instincts, they will be very dangerous. They'll have to be restrained until our time period begins to fix them again." He sighed. "If there are no more questions, I'll begin the spell to call them back. But be prepared for a fight."
The gathered teens nodded and Kiku went to give Yao fair warning of what was going to happen.
Wordlessly, Arthur walked over to a large circle in the room and stood just in front of, but not touching, it. Taking a deep breath, he began the spell. The circle began to shine brighter and brighter until two very familiar silhouettes started to appear directly in the center of the circle.
The group inched closer, holding their breath in anticipation.
Finally, the glow dissipated, leaving being a dizzy Feliciano and Lovino wearing old fashioned clothes, although Lovino had a sword tied around his waist, holding their heads as they waited for the world to stop spinning around them.
Feliciano was the first to recover. He looked up at everyone, then glared. "Keep staring, I might do a trick," he snapped. The others' eyes widened in shock. Since when did Feliciano say things like that?
"What the fuck is this shit?" Lovino growled as he staggered to his feet, pausing as he smelled the air, then snarled. "Why does it smell like our captain's fucking sick?! What did you assholes fucking do to him?!" Then, with another snarl, he darted forward with his sword drawn and ready to swing.
Alfred jumped forward and grabbed Lovino's arm, holding the weapon up in the air.
Feliciano growled, his teeth sharpening. "Get off him!" he hissed, snapping at the merman.
Acting quickly, Matthew jumped into Feliciano's body and began fighting the werewolf for control.
Lovino growled as his own teeth and nails started lengthening, the latter of which he used to rake down Alfred's arm. "Get the fuck off me! You're fucking dead!"
"Gilbert! You take Lovino! I'll go help Mathieu with Feli!" Francis called out as he ran over to help the ghost with his own fight.
Feliciano's body was shaking, his mind fighting hard to keep control from Matthew, his limbs flailing about spastically.
Alfred cried out in pain, losing his grip on the elder Italian as he held his bleeding arm to his chest, even as Gilbert grabbed him from behind.
"Knock it off, you little shit!" the albino yelled angrily.
Lovino froze for a second as he stared back at Gilbert, then his face morphed into a furious look as he hissed, "Traitor." He kicked back into Gilbert's vital regions before twisting around to kick Gilbert in the stomach as he got ready to run the Prussian through with his sword.
Gilbert hissed and bared his fangs, dodging the attack. Then, he sucker punched Lovino. Hard.
"Hold them still!" Arthur snapped over the commotion even as Lovino stumbled back, coughing and holding his stomach with both arms, struggling to take in air. "I'll cast a spell to subdue them!"
Feliciano struggled harder against Matthew, letting out a howl at Arthur's words.
Gilbert held onto the elder Italian tightly, keeping him in place.
Arthur quickly started the spell, which hit Lovino first, causing the Italian to yawn before slumping in Gilbert's hold, a blank sleepy look on his face as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Next, Feliciano's eyes slid shut and he collapsed to the ground.
Gilbert looked down at Lovino. "What do we do with them now?" he asked.
"We lock them in one of Yao's storeroom. Separated from each other. And we put Antonio in with Lovino and Ludwig in with Feliciano," Arthur said calmly as he watched Matthew leave Feliciano's body. "They'll have to be in very close contact for the moment in order to fix all of them."
"How do we get them from their beds?"
"The bond should have fixed them enough by now for us to move them. Just set up more beds in the storeroom. But we should do it quickly before they wake up again."
The teens nodded and ran off to do as the mage said.