APH: Put On Your Masquerade (3/?)
Title: Put On Your Masquerade (3/?)
Author: grosse_averse
Characters: ...a lot D: - in this part, America, England, France, Canada, Prussia, Germania, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg (OC), Russia, Ukraine, Belarus (Fffffff what they're like all in here)
Rating: Probably PG-13, for some make outs
Summary: The All Hallow's Eve dance is a great way to meet up, break up, make out. Based on a prompt from 52_flavours, and in the Le Lys & La Rose universe.
Prompt:"For one crowded hour you were the only one in the room"
Notes: Third part! I have no idea how long this story is going to go on - a pity, because I have two other stories in this AU that I have started D: Sorry for the MIA-ness. I wish I had an excuse and I wish this was only a one time thing but guh I have nothing.
Also, for anyone who cares - I got the job! My summer will be filled with French and Vieux-Montréal and general misunderstandings and expensive apartments. Hooray!
Part One
Part Two
"Dad, seriously, no one is expecting you to dress up." Alfred all but begged when Arthur walked into the kitchen with a bag from the local costume shop. "Seriously, no one even wants you to dress up."
Arthur glowered, first at his son, then at Francis who was preparing dinner. "This is for your papa, for your information." he sniffed. "My costume is already done."
"Oh." with a very obvious look at the paring knife in Francis's hand, Alfred asked, "And where would you be keeping this costume?"
"Stop it, you brat." Arthur snapped. "You won't be seeing it until the dance. It's a surprise."
"I don't even know what it is," Francis offered helpfully from his place by the stove, adding with a sly grin, "Though I have a pretty good idea...."
Arthur sent his husband a very pointed look, before asking, "Is Matthew looking after the pub?"
"Something like that." Alfred replied, stealing an apple from the counter. Francis pointed the knife at him.
"Cher," he warned teasingly. "What did I say about eating before meals?"
Alfred's puppy dog eyes went unheeded.
--
Matthew held his breath as he heard Arthur walk into the empty pub.
"Matthew?" his father called. "Where are you, lad?"
"I - in the back!" Matthew yelled. "The pub was empty so I thought I'd t-tidy! I'll be out in a minute."
"Take your time, I'll take over." there was a rustling as Arthur tied on his apron and Matthew exhaled shakily. His back was pressed uncomfortably against a shelf of mayonnaise and molasses. Gilbert had one of his hands pinned to the shelf, one leg between Matt's. Matt stifled a groan and pushed himself more securely against the shelf. Why couldn't his father just go away??
Gilbert stopped nibbling at Matt's ear long enough to laugh softly, "Is he gone?"
"No, he's behind the bar." Matt hissed. "Maybe we should sto - ah!" he pressed his hand over his mouth as Gilbert rocked against him.
"Matthew? Are you all right?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, sorry, I almost dropped something!" Matt pushed at Gilbert. The shelf creaked dangerously. "Gil, seriously, cut it out. If he catches us, I'm dead!"
Gilbert huffed and reluctantly let go of Matt's wrist. Running a hand through his hair and attempting to straighten his apron, Matt offered his boyfriend an apologetic smile.
"My father's really good at bad timing." he sighed, and kissed Gilbert sweetly. The older boy pulled their bodies flush together, and their tongues touched, briefly; Matthew pulled away before anything got out of hand. When they parted, Gilbert grinned at him.
"Give me another kiss and I'll forgive him." he declared - Matthew rolled his eyes but complied. He didn't even complain when Gilbert's hands slid down his backside.
"Matthew." Arthur's voice interrupted them before they got distracted. "Either Gilbert leaves right now, through the front door, or he is never coming back here again."
Matthew winced. Gilbert fixed the collar of his motorcycle jacket and pecked Matthew on the lips.
"Sorry, babe." he apologized, before walking out into the pub. Arthur, arms crossed, watched his son's boyfriend with lowered eyebrows - unfazed, Gilbert waltzed past him with a casual goodbye. As soon as Arthur heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, he turned to the door that led to the back room.
"Well?" he asked. "You'll have to come out sometime. Dinner's almost ready."
"Can't I just sit here until you leave?" Matthew muttered miserably into his hands.
"When you stop using the storage for a make out spot, maybe." Arthur hummed. "If you don't come out now, I am going to tell your papa and you will have to deal with him for the rest of the evening."
Matt peeked out from behind the door. "You're so mean." he accused.
"I'm not being mean, I'm parenting." Arthur pointed out. "There's a difference."
"Hardly." was Matthew's sullen reply. Arthur graciously pretended not to hear that.
--
"I am going to dress up as Robin Hood." Gilbert's father said over dinner.
"If you do I'll kill myself." Gilbert countered, stabbing viciously at his boiled potatoes.
Even Ludwig looked a little uncertain. "Why?" he asked. Their father stared at them.
"I still have my Legolas costume from last year." he said. "It shouldn't be too hard to make alterations."
"That was the greatest Halloween ever." Gilbert remembered fondly. "I thought you getting drunk and shooting an arrow at Feliciano's dad was a nice touch - "
"Eat your dinner." their father ordered, and the brothers returned to their meal.
"If you're going to be Robin Hood, you should at least cut your hair...."
"No, Gilbert."
There was awkward silence, broken only by Ludwig's attempt to talk about football practice. Gilbert entertained himself by imagining his father with ridiculous haircuts.
"Oh." his father spoke up as Gilbert was thinking about a platinum blond mullet. "Kirkland from the pub phoned, Gilbert. Wants you to phone him back."
Ludwig frowned at his brother. "What did you do?" he asked. Gilbert puffed out his chest.
"Nothing you've ever done." he teased. "I'm done, Dad, can I phone now?"
His father gestured with his fork. "Go."
When Gilbert called the pub from the phone in the hallway, the other line was awash with the shouting and general ruckus that came with nighttime customers.
"Hello?" Gilbert grinned at the sound of Matt's voice, soft and a little out of breath.
"Hey little girl is your daddy ho~me..." Gilbert sang obnoxiously into the phone and Matt snorted with laughter.
"Gil, why are you calling?"
"Your dad phoned my house? Said he wanted to speak to me." Gilbert leaned on the table. "So? You gonna put him on or would you like to talk to the awesome me some more?"
"My dad...?" Matt sounded apprehensive. "I, uh, okay I'll go get him. Hold on Gil."
Gilbert felt bad for the kid - he could only imagine what he would be feeling if it had been his dad who had caught them. Then again, he would rather take his dad over Arthur Kirkland any day.
"Ah, you called back. Hello, Gilbert." Arthur's crisp voice came over the line and Gilbert winced.
"Yeah, hey Mr. Kirkland, what's up?"
" 'What is up' is that I need your help."
"What?" Gilbert asked. "...help with what?"
"I am chaperoning the All Hallow's Eve dance," Arthur continued as if Gilbert hadn't spoken, "And every parent who has come into my pub has kindly decided to share every story they know about what goes on at these dances." Arthur's voice was getting progressively distasteful as he continued. Gilbert was starting to regret phoning him back. "So I would like you to tell me everything that people usually get away with at these dances."
Gilbert found his voice. "Why?"
"So that I am better prepared." Arthur's voice was calm. "Francis tells me that it will be a 'piece of cake' but I pride myself in knowing teenagers a bit better than that. The more I know about what's going on, I can be a better chaperone."
"Yeah, but..." Gilbert laughed weakly. "C'mon Mr. K, kids will be kids right? Or whatever. We don't get in too much trouble, it's fine..."
"Maybe previously you could get away with a lot more," Arthur pointed out. "But not this year."
"Mr. K you are such a spoilsport." Gilbert grumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Hey okay so I'll tell you some stuff. So usually when we get to the dance......"
--
"Sorry, you what?"
Margot looked over her shoulder in annoyance. She could just see the top of Lars' spiky head peeking over the edge of the sofa.
"Don't sound so surprised," she grumbled, turning her attention back to the dinner dishes. "I am capable of asking boys out, you know."
"Yeah, I know." Lars had now clambered over the back of the sofa and was blinking owlishly at her. "But Alfred? You know he's taken, right?"
Margot whirled around to face him. "What?" she asked. "He didn't say anything about that! He said yes when I asked him!"
"Well, yeah." Lars agreed. "He's not...officially taken. But you know that big guy that always hangs around him? Kat's brother?"
Margot thought back to the tall, baby-faced boy at lunch, the one that had stared at her so curiously. "Yes." she agreed. "What about him?"
Lars raised an eyebrow. "So?" he prompted. "You never noticed the way he acts? The kid's got a crush. Practically everyone knows it except..."
"Except Alfred." Margot groaned in realization. It was true the team captain was known for being a little...oblivious but Margot never thought Alfred wouldn't see something like that.
"So what do I do?" she demanded. "I already asked him and he said yes. It would be rude to cancel."
But Lars had that face on - the one he used when he was either deciding to get high or he had an idea. Margot sincerely hoped it was the latter.
"No, I think this is good." he declared. "It could give Ivan the motivation he needs to just tell the idiot already."
"Oh!" Already Margot's mind was working. "Lars, sometimes I'm surprised you can be so smart."
"Love you too, sis." Lars grumbled good-naturedly. Margot gave him a grin.
"So what about you? Are you going to ask Antonio to the dance?"
Lars snorted. "Are you kidding? That little Italian bulldog at his heels would kill me. No, I'm probably going solo."
"Poor baby." Margot simpered. "You should take your brother with you."
Noah, who had been passing through the living room with his school books, grimaced. "That suggestion makes me ill." he noted.
"Me too, don't even worry, jerk." Lars called distastefully as his younger brother disappeared around the corner. "Seriously, does that kid do anything but study??"
"Leave him alone, Lars, I think he's trying for a scholarship." Margot turned back to the sink. "Come help me dry dishes."
Lars groaned and reluctantly rose to his feet. "Why don't you make Noah dry them?" he whined.
"Because if mum knew we were "distracting" him she'd kill us. Now c'mon."
"The kid gets all the breaks." Lars grumbled, snapping the dish towel teasingly at his sister.
This dissolved into a soapsuds-throwing fight, which Noah had to intercept and help clean up (but not before Lars managed to get some in his snobby little brother's hair).
--
"Okay, I need the pins now."
"And what if the person I like does not like me back?" Ivan continued to grumble, handing a few sewing pins to his elder sister. Katya nodded absently to indicate she'd heard him, waiting for Nataliya to stay still before she hemmed.
"Well, have you asked them?" she asked as Nataliya squealed something unintelligible into her ear. "Natasha, hush."
"...No." Ivan admitted. "But I want to know before I ask!"
Katya stopped pinning her sister's Halloween costume long enough to give her brother a fondly exasperated look. "Sweetie, if life were that easy, people would be a lot less confused." she told him. "Sometimes you have to ask yourself, is this person worth risking the unknown for?"
Ivan peered at his sister. "Are you speaking from experience?" he asked accusingly. "Who is this person you risked the unknown for?"
Katya sighed. "Please, Vanya, not now." she begged. "I have to finish this costume - I don't know when she's going to be this still again."
Ivan examined his little sister, who right now was swimming in a mass of white fabric. "What is she dressing up as, again?" he asked.
"A bride." was Katya's answer.
"Mawied!!" Nataliya shrieked.
Ivan groaned. It was going to be another long Halloween.
--
to be continued
--
Note: I'm having such fun thinking up what everyone should dress up as...
Also, that PruCan was more fun to write than it should be. Am I the only person who gets turned on by illicit teenage!Prussia and teenage!Canada messing around? Yes? OK cool.
Author: grosse_averse
Characters: ...a lot D: - in this part, America, England, France, Canada, Prussia, Germania, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg (OC), Russia, Ukraine, Belarus (Fffffff what they're like all in here)
Rating: Probably PG-13, for some make outs
Summary: The All Hallow's Eve dance is a great way to meet up, break up, make out. Based on a prompt from 52_flavours, and in the Le Lys & La Rose universe.
Prompt:"For one crowded hour you were the only one in the room"
Notes: Third part! I have no idea how long this story is going to go on - a pity, because I have two other stories in this AU that I have started D: Sorry for the MIA-ness. I wish I had an excuse and I wish this was only a one time thing but guh I have nothing.
Also, for anyone who cares - I got the job! My summer will be filled with French and Vieux-Montréal and general misunderstandings and expensive apartments. Hooray!
Part One
Part Two
"Dad, seriously, no one is expecting you to dress up." Alfred all but begged when Arthur walked into the kitchen with a bag from the local costume shop. "Seriously, no one even wants you to dress up."
Arthur glowered, first at his son, then at Francis who was preparing dinner. "This is for your papa, for your information." he sniffed. "My costume is already done."
"Oh." with a very obvious look at the paring knife in Francis's hand, Alfred asked, "And where would you be keeping this costume?"
"Stop it, you brat." Arthur snapped. "You won't be seeing it until the dance. It's a surprise."
"I don't even know what it is," Francis offered helpfully from his place by the stove, adding with a sly grin, "Though I have a pretty good idea...."
Arthur sent his husband a very pointed look, before asking, "Is Matthew looking after the pub?"
"Something like that." Alfred replied, stealing an apple from the counter. Francis pointed the knife at him.
"Cher," he warned teasingly. "What did I say about eating before meals?"
Alfred's puppy dog eyes went unheeded.
--
Matthew held his breath as he heard Arthur walk into the empty pub.
"Matthew?" his father called. "Where are you, lad?"
"I - in the back!" Matthew yelled. "The pub was empty so I thought I'd t-tidy! I'll be out in a minute."
"Take your time, I'll take over." there was a rustling as Arthur tied on his apron and Matthew exhaled shakily. His back was pressed uncomfortably against a shelf of mayonnaise and molasses. Gilbert had one of his hands pinned to the shelf, one leg between Matt's. Matt stifled a groan and pushed himself more securely against the shelf. Why couldn't his father just go away??
Gilbert stopped nibbling at Matt's ear long enough to laugh softly, "Is he gone?"
"No, he's behind the bar." Matt hissed. "Maybe we should sto - ah!" he pressed his hand over his mouth as Gilbert rocked against him.
"Matthew? Are you all right?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, sorry, I almost dropped something!" Matt pushed at Gilbert. The shelf creaked dangerously. "Gil, seriously, cut it out. If he catches us, I'm dead!"
Gilbert huffed and reluctantly let go of Matt's wrist. Running a hand through his hair and attempting to straighten his apron, Matt offered his boyfriend an apologetic smile.
"My father's really good at bad timing." he sighed, and kissed Gilbert sweetly. The older boy pulled their bodies flush together, and their tongues touched, briefly; Matthew pulled away before anything got out of hand. When they parted, Gilbert grinned at him.
"Give me another kiss and I'll forgive him." he declared - Matthew rolled his eyes but complied. He didn't even complain when Gilbert's hands slid down his backside.
"Matthew." Arthur's voice interrupted them before they got distracted. "Either Gilbert leaves right now, through the front door, or he is never coming back here again."
Matthew winced. Gilbert fixed the collar of his motorcycle jacket and pecked Matthew on the lips.
"Sorry, babe." he apologized, before walking out into the pub. Arthur, arms crossed, watched his son's boyfriend with lowered eyebrows - unfazed, Gilbert waltzed past him with a casual goodbye. As soon as Arthur heard the sound of a motorcycle engine, he turned to the door that led to the back room.
"Well?" he asked. "You'll have to come out sometime. Dinner's almost ready."
"Can't I just sit here until you leave?" Matthew muttered miserably into his hands.
"When you stop using the storage for a make out spot, maybe." Arthur hummed. "If you don't come out now, I am going to tell your papa and you will have to deal with him for the rest of the evening."
Matt peeked out from behind the door. "You're so mean." he accused.
"I'm not being mean, I'm parenting." Arthur pointed out. "There's a difference."
"Hardly." was Matthew's sullen reply. Arthur graciously pretended not to hear that.
--
"I am going to dress up as Robin Hood." Gilbert's father said over dinner.
"If you do I'll kill myself." Gilbert countered, stabbing viciously at his boiled potatoes.
Even Ludwig looked a little uncertain. "Why?" he asked. Their father stared at them.
"I still have my Legolas costume from last year." he said. "It shouldn't be too hard to make alterations."
"That was the greatest Halloween ever." Gilbert remembered fondly. "I thought you getting drunk and shooting an arrow at Feliciano's dad was a nice touch - "
"Eat your dinner." their father ordered, and the brothers returned to their meal.
"If you're going to be Robin Hood, you should at least cut your hair...."
"No, Gilbert."
There was awkward silence, broken only by Ludwig's attempt to talk about football practice. Gilbert entertained himself by imagining his father with ridiculous haircuts.
"Oh." his father spoke up as Gilbert was thinking about a platinum blond mullet. "Kirkland from the pub phoned, Gilbert. Wants you to phone him back."
Ludwig frowned at his brother. "What did you do?" he asked. Gilbert puffed out his chest.
"Nothing you've ever done." he teased. "I'm done, Dad, can I phone now?"
His father gestured with his fork. "Go."
When Gilbert called the pub from the phone in the hallway, the other line was awash with the shouting and general ruckus that came with nighttime customers.
"Hello?" Gilbert grinned at the sound of Matt's voice, soft and a little out of breath.
"Hey little girl is your daddy ho~me..." Gilbert sang obnoxiously into the phone and Matt snorted with laughter.
"Gil, why are you calling?"
"Your dad phoned my house? Said he wanted to speak to me." Gilbert leaned on the table. "So? You gonna put him on or would you like to talk to the awesome me some more?"
"My dad...?" Matt sounded apprehensive. "I, uh, okay I'll go get him. Hold on Gil."
Gilbert felt bad for the kid - he could only imagine what he would be feeling if it had been his dad who had caught them. Then again, he would rather take his dad over Arthur Kirkland any day.
"Ah, you called back. Hello, Gilbert." Arthur's crisp voice came over the line and Gilbert winced.
"Yeah, hey Mr. Kirkland, what's up?"
" 'What is up' is that I need your help."
"What?" Gilbert asked. "...help with what?"
"I am chaperoning the All Hallow's Eve dance," Arthur continued as if Gilbert hadn't spoken, "And every parent who has come into my pub has kindly decided to share every story they know about what goes on at these dances." Arthur's voice was getting progressively distasteful as he continued. Gilbert was starting to regret phoning him back. "So I would like you to tell me everything that people usually get away with at these dances."
Gilbert found his voice. "Why?"
"So that I am better prepared." Arthur's voice was calm. "Francis tells me that it will be a 'piece of cake' but I pride myself in knowing teenagers a bit better than that. The more I know about what's going on, I can be a better chaperone."
"Yeah, but..." Gilbert laughed weakly. "C'mon Mr. K, kids will be kids right? Or whatever. We don't get in too much trouble, it's fine..."
"Maybe previously you could get away with a lot more," Arthur pointed out. "But not this year."
"Mr. K you are such a spoilsport." Gilbert grumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Hey okay so I'll tell you some stuff. So usually when we get to the dance......"
--
"Sorry, you what?"
Margot looked over her shoulder in annoyance. She could just see the top of Lars' spiky head peeking over the edge of the sofa.
"Don't sound so surprised," she grumbled, turning her attention back to the dinner dishes. "I am capable of asking boys out, you know."
"Yeah, I know." Lars had now clambered over the back of the sofa and was blinking owlishly at her. "But Alfred? You know he's taken, right?"
Margot whirled around to face him. "What?" she asked. "He didn't say anything about that! He said yes when I asked him!"
"Well, yeah." Lars agreed. "He's not...officially taken. But you know that big guy that always hangs around him? Kat's brother?"
Margot thought back to the tall, baby-faced boy at lunch, the one that had stared at her so curiously. "Yes." she agreed. "What about him?"
Lars raised an eyebrow. "So?" he prompted. "You never noticed the way he acts? The kid's got a crush. Practically everyone knows it except..."
"Except Alfred." Margot groaned in realization. It was true the team captain was known for being a little...oblivious but Margot never thought Alfred wouldn't see something like that.
"So what do I do?" she demanded. "I already asked him and he said yes. It would be rude to cancel."
But Lars had that face on - the one he used when he was either deciding to get high or he had an idea. Margot sincerely hoped it was the latter.
"No, I think this is good." he declared. "It could give Ivan the motivation he needs to just tell the idiot already."
"Oh!" Already Margot's mind was working. "Lars, sometimes I'm surprised you can be so smart."
"Love you too, sis." Lars grumbled good-naturedly. Margot gave him a grin.
"So what about you? Are you going to ask Antonio to the dance?"
Lars snorted. "Are you kidding? That little Italian bulldog at his heels would kill me. No, I'm probably going solo."
"Poor baby." Margot simpered. "You should take your brother with you."
Noah, who had been passing through the living room with his school books, grimaced. "That suggestion makes me ill." he noted.
"Me too, don't even worry, jerk." Lars called distastefully as his younger brother disappeared around the corner. "Seriously, does that kid do anything but study??"
"Leave him alone, Lars, I think he's trying for a scholarship." Margot turned back to the sink. "Come help me dry dishes."
Lars groaned and reluctantly rose to his feet. "Why don't you make Noah dry them?" he whined.
"Because if mum knew we were "distracting" him she'd kill us. Now c'mon."
"The kid gets all the breaks." Lars grumbled, snapping the dish towel teasingly at his sister.
This dissolved into a soapsuds-throwing fight, which Noah had to intercept and help clean up (but not before Lars managed to get some in his snobby little brother's hair).
--
"Okay, I need the pins now."
"And what if the person I like does not like me back?" Ivan continued to grumble, handing a few sewing pins to his elder sister. Katya nodded absently to indicate she'd heard him, waiting for Nataliya to stay still before she hemmed.
"Well, have you asked them?" she asked as Nataliya squealed something unintelligible into her ear. "Natasha, hush."
"...No." Ivan admitted. "But I want to know before I ask!"
Katya stopped pinning her sister's Halloween costume long enough to give her brother a fondly exasperated look. "Sweetie, if life were that easy, people would be a lot less confused." she told him. "Sometimes you have to ask yourself, is this person worth risking the unknown for?"
Ivan peered at his sister. "Are you speaking from experience?" he asked accusingly. "Who is this person you risked the unknown for?"
Katya sighed. "Please, Vanya, not now." she begged. "I have to finish this costume - I don't know when she's going to be this still again."
Ivan examined his little sister, who right now was swimming in a mass of white fabric. "What is she dressing up as, again?" he asked.
"A bride." was Katya's answer.
"Mawied!!" Nataliya shrieked.
Ivan groaned. It was going to be another long Halloween.
--
to be continued
--
Note: I'm having such fun thinking up what everyone should dress up as...
Also, that PruCan was more fun to write than it should be. Am I the only person who gets turned on by illicit teenage!Prussia and teenage!Canada messing around? Yes? OK cool.