A/N: Finally posting my first Hetalia fic! This one has a few chapters in reserve, so hopefully there won't be a long hiatus like Abandoned Driveways had. Also, I actually have a beta on this and time to edit, but if you notice any spelling/grammar errors or inconsistencies, please let me know!

This is Spamano, PruAus, and France/Jeanne d'Arc with background/implied other pairings. Human AU. Title comes from "Fools Like Me" by Vanessa Carlton and the chapter titles are the lyrics.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or "Fools Like Me".

1-Beware the Danger

"You can't do that! Ach! Toni, you bastard!" scowled Gilbert Beilschmidt, leaning to the side as if it would help him guide his virtual car around the bright yellow one that had cut him off.

"No? But the game let me do it," Antonio Fernandez defended himself, frowning at the game as if it had lied to him.

"It's just common decency!" Gilbert snapped back even as his own red-and-black car attempted to nudge Antonio's off the road on the screen.

Behind them, the third friend rolled his eyes and swept his long blond hair away from his face. "Mes amis, I think you've been playing that game too long. We're all going to die of starvation if you don't order something, Antonio. And Gilbert, you have no decency, common or otherwise."

Gilbert stuck his tongue out at Francis Bonnefoy for his comments, but it quickly turned into a pout as Antonio followed Francis' advice and paused the game. Antonio ignored him, searching through the pillows spread out on the floor around them for his phone. He finally located it and hit the fourth number on his speed-dial-the pizza place down the street.

While he ordered, Francis and Gilbert located their own phones and checked through their messages. The three had been holed up in Antonio's house all afternoon since his parents were out of town. Francis had said something about throwing a party, but in the end, they spent the night like every other weekend, playing video games in Antonio's basement. Gilbert, as always, was a sore loser.

Gilbert flipped through his texts lazily. There were several from his overprotective younger brother, mostly about whether the trio was going to actually get a decent meal that night, when Gilbert would be home, and other pedantic details that Gilbert didn't care much for. He did send one text back to soothe Ludwig's nerves, however. The other texts he ignored, deeming the people who had sent them to be less awesome than the two he was already with. They were mostly about homework anyway, and Gilbert never troubled himself much with things like that.

Francis, meanwhile, had surprisingly few texts. He preferred to use his phone only for those close to him, though his email was open to anyone and everyone and was connected to his phone through one of several apps. He scrolled through the emails, but decided they could wait until he left or the others went back to the game. His philosophy had always been that the people he was with deserved all his attention. He took the time to reply to his mother and his friend Jeanne, then tucked the device back into his pocket.

Simultaneously, the three flopped back onto the couch. Without looking at either of his friends, Antonio suddenly asked, "Do either of you ever get tired of doing the same thing every weekend?"

"What? No way!" Gilbert declared, sitting up to give Antonio an incredulous look. His eyes betrayed him, however. They darted around the small, dark room, restless and dissatisfied.

"Of course," Francis answered simply, twirling his long hair around his index finger. He didn't mind being with his friends, of course, but he did wish they could find a new activity every once in a while.

They lapsed back into their own silent thoughts. Gilbert fiddled with the controller he still held, but the TV was turned off.

The silence continued until the bell rang, signaling the arrival of the pizza. Gilbert jumped up to answer it while the other two trailed behind him, Antonio searching through his pockets for his wallet.

Gilbert flung the door open hard enough that it bounced against the wall, coming back in a valiant attempt to crush Francis, who stopped it with a slender, pale hand. Antonio peered around Gilbert to see the pizza boy, his eyes widening as they took in the sight.

The boy was shorter than the trio, and his terrible posture caused him to appear even shorter. He had soft-looking, straight, dark red-brown hair and vibrant, challenging hazel eyes. His skin was tan and perfect, a rosy tint coloring his cheeks. His face was petulant and feminine, and the look he fixed the trio suggested he wanted nothing more than to go home for the night.

"Nice to see you, Lovino," Francis spoke suddenly, drawing Antonio's attention. The blond was watching the pizza boy with a fond expression, recognition and familiarity clear in his crystalline blue eyes. Francis knew a lot of people, but Antonio couldn't help but be especially curious as to how he knew this particular character.

"Che, of course I'd have to see you," the newcomer retorted, any possibility of a friendly, customer-facing demeanor dissolving with the mutual recognition.

Gilbert, on the other hand, wasn't watching the exchange. He didn't even seem to be listening. Instead, he was leaning out the door, staring intently at the house next door. Antonio didn't know his neighbors particularly well, but he'd heard that the girl had been childhood friends with Gilbert.

Tonight, however, Gilbert's attention wasn't focused on her. Instead, he was staring at the figure standing on the front porch with her. The two were looking up at the stars, Elizaveta pointing out constellations to her new stepbrother.

It was the stepbrother, Roderich, that Gilbert found his eyes drawn to. The boy was a few inches shorter than him and had a delicate build. Their shared gym class had informed Gilbert that he tired easily, but there were rumors that he was an excellent pianist. Despite his own feminine appearance, girls flocked to Roderich no matter what he did.

Gilbert had only met the boy when he and Elizaveta had moved in next to Antonio with their newly-married parents a few months back. He and Liza had picked up their old friendship right where they'd left off, but he couldn't seem to reconcile her brother into the equation. The third party added tension to the relationship and Gilbert still wasn't sure how he felt about the kid. Making up his mind, he left his friends with the pizza boy and began marching across the space between Antonio's house and the one next door.

"Gilbert?" Francis asked as the albino slipped away from them. He pushed out past Lovino to watch Gilbert move away, watching over him like a mother hen.

Lovino cleared his throat, frowning up at Antonio. Antonio offered a bright smile. He recognized Lovino now; the younger boy was in one of his classes, but he mostly kept to himself.

Instead of returning the smile, Lovino scowled at him suspiciously. "Are you going to pay, or are we going to stand here all night?"

Antonio blinked, suddenly remembering why the other was there. He'd been so fascinated by him that he'd managed to forget the reason for his presence. "Oh, sure," he laughed, reaching for his wallet, "Your name is Lovino, right?"

"What gave that away?" Lovino retorted sarcastically, "Surely not my nametag. Or my idiot cousin." Francis frowned over his shoulder at the remark, faking a deeply hurt demeanor.

Antonio chuckled, finding himself drawn in by the fiery personality and the gorgeous, flashing eyes. "I'm Antonio," he told the other, "I think we have History together."

Lovino rolled his eyes, but the way his lips tightened into a thin line suggested he had realized where Antonio was going with this line of conversation. "Fantastic, let's be buddies and trade notes in class," he snorted sarcastically, "Or not. I like that option. Now, will you fucking pay me so I can get out of here?"

Flinching slightly at the tone, Antonio handed over a twenty and tried one last time. "I can give you my number if you want to get together sometime and work-"

"No." Lovino cut him off flatly, glaring at Antonio as he tucked the money into the designated bag he carried and began to sort out his change.

"Ah, but Lovino," Francis began, turning to face them with a grand gesture, "Why would you ever try to escape the beauty of young lo-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Lovino snapped, cutting his cousin off as his cheeks flared bright red. He turned without another word, stomping down the steps of the porch. His shoulders were tense, and he didn't look back as he slipped into his car and drove away. Antonio frowned at the taillights until they turned the corner and disappeared.

Meanwhile, Gilbert was oblivious to the scene unfolding behind him. When he was close enough to the other house, he called out to get Elizaveta and Roderich's attention.

Elizaveta looked surprised to see him, though there weren't many other places he could be found on a Friday night other than Antonio's house. Once the surprise wore off, she smiled brightly and swept her long brown hair over one shoulder.

Roderich, on the other hand, turned his nose up at the lower-class boy. He turned away to fiddle with his phone, leaving his stepsister to deal with the albino nuisance. He'd never admit it, but he couldn't help but fear that even the slightest interaction would be the first step to giving away everything he'd spent years hiding from his prim and proper mother. She was usually very accepting, but Roderich couldn't help but fear that one day he would overstep even her boundaries.

"What are you doing over here?" Elizaveta asked curiously, leaning against the porch railing to peer down at Gilbert.

"I wondered what you and the sissy-boy found so interesting up there," Gilbert replied nonchalantly, gesturing vaguely up at the sky, "Haven't seen any UFOs, have you?"

Roderich's shoulders stiffened at the nickname, but he refused to turn. Elizaveta rolled her eyes and sighed. "Gil," she began warningly.

Before Gilbert could continue his teasing or Elizaveta could continue her reprimanding, Francis' voice called out from behind Gilbert, "Hey, quit bullying them and come eat."

Gilbert scowled but starting to turn, giving Elizaveta a short wave. He stopped suddenly, as if he'd forgotten something.

"Hey, Roddy," he called, waiting until the brunet reluctantly turned around before he continued, "Try not to think about me too much tonight!" He accompanied the comment with a waggle of his pale brows, smirking at the blush it brought to the other boy's face.

"Your vulgarity is not amusing," Roderich mumbled in a tone Gilbert was sure he had intended to be reprimanding. Unfortunately, the blush and obvious discomfort took away from the effect. Feeling smug, Gilbert turned and ran back to Antonio's place, jumping over the steps and catching the door that Francis held open for him.

Glancing back before he disappeared into the depths of the house, he caught Roderich's brilliant violet eyes. Feeling pleased with the effect he was clearly having on the stuffy prick, he smirked widely in return.

Having watched both exchanges, Francis smiled fondly to himself. He was always pleased to see the seeds of love being planted and couldn't help the urge to help them along. He waited until Gilbert and Antonio had both turned their backs, then quickly slipped his phone from his pocket.

They grow up so fast, don't they? he typed, hitting send before the others could catch him.

Moments later, his phone vibrated with a reply. What are you talking about? read the innocent message.

Gil and Toni are in loooove~ Francis sent back, feeling giddy at the idea of finally being able to use his favorite word in reference to his best friends.

When it came, Jeanne's reply got straight to the point. Tell me everything. How much help are they going to need?

A/N: This is the part where the lonely author begs for reviews.