Mercy Rule

Summary: Two rival football teams battle it out to get to the Nationals. But what happens when opposing players become star-crossed lovers? Mainly Spamano, USUSK, GerIta with side pairings.

Rating: T

Pairing(s): SpaMano, USUK, GerIta, PruCan, hints of FrancexEveryone

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.

Note(s): The term 'football' is being used to describe the American sport, 'soccer'. Sorry for those who came looking for a North American football playing fic, but there will be no pig-skin throwing here.

Football.

A sport of passion and beauty, played in the barren streets of the poor and the rich fields of green spread miles wide and long.

It was the ultimate connector; a melting pot of adults and children alike.

It didn't matter where you came from or why you were there; once your foot makes that first step to jab into the ball and send it flying wherever it may land, you were initiated into the game and became a part of the team.

The current football team of Orbis Terrae High School was gathered in the close-quarter halls of the locker room. They sat in a loose circle, the eyes of all focused on an average sized man by the name of Romulus Vargas.

"Alright, team. This is the last big game before the championship, so I need you to keep focus," he said, an excited sparkle in his muddy brown eyes.

"So, basically, you're saying to pass the ball to the twins," stated a rather snarky blond sitting to the left of the coach. Romulus gave the boy a nervous smile.

"Well...it wouldn't hurt," he replied in an apologetic tone. The blond, also known as Arthur Kirkland, rolled his eyes before crossing his arms in displeasure.

"Well, they just so happened to inherit my stamina and foot-eye coordination, which is apparently a little above average," the man explained, every word laced with pride and adornment. A swarm of groans filled the locker room, making the man frown. He sighed and brought his trusty whistle to his lips, letting out a sharp screech to silence his team.

"Now all of you listen because I'm tired of saying this," the man scolded, "You are all excellent football players and I'm not saying that you're not. All I'm saying is that it would be in our best interest to pass the ball to more experienced players when in situations like this one."

Romulus scanned the room, hoping that the teammates understood his logic. A few nodded begrudgingly while others just sat in annoyance. He figured they all thought he was just favoring his beloved grandchildren, but their talent couldn't be wasted. He knew that with the brothers on the team, they would skyrocket to success. Which proved to be an accurate assumption considering how close they were to becoming national champions.

"Ve, how much longer do we have to wait?" A small auburn-haired boy asked. Romulus looked over at the boy, unable to fight the instantaneous lifting of the corners of his lips. The boy was the younger Vargas brother, known as Feliciano. His upbeat personality made it virtually impossible to hate him, despite how annoying he could be. Though the moment his feet touched the ball, his disposition turned from sunny to hailing in seconds.

"Just a minute or two," Romulus answered. Feliciano nodded and waited, swinging his legs to the beat he hummed quietly.

"Finally! We've been in here forever," the boy next him complained. Unsurprisingly, this boy happened to be the elder Vargas brother, Lovino. He was the shadow to his brother's shine, always tip-toeing on the darker side of life. Whereas Feliciano was upbeat and charming, Lovino was boisterous and rowdy. This was beneficial to the team, however, as he never seemed to run out of anger and let football become a therapeutic session on his bad days.

"We've only been here for around five minutes, hothead," a taller boy commented. The elder Vargas rolled his eyes.

"Well it feels like it's been at least an hour, Lars," he responded.

Finally, Romulus blew his whistle, signaling for the team to get moving. They obeyed without hesitation, hopping onto their feet and moving automatically as they had so many times before. The brunette man patted each player on the shoulder and gave them a smile. When he finally got to his grandsons, who were the caboose of the line, he gripped each of their shoulders firmly and gave them a warm smile.

"Remember, boys. Italians can never win a game against you, but you can lose the game against the Italians."

The duo nodded before walking on to join the other players. Romulus took a deep breath and walked over to the field to watch his team.

His eyes shined with admiration as he peered across the field at the team. Not one of them had a smile on their faces, save for the devilish smirk that would often find itself on Lovino's lips. He tore up the field alongside his brother, basking in the cheers belted out by loyal fans.

Romulus couldn't help but grin, there was no way they were losing this game. The opposing team was stumbling around, seemingly dazed and discombobulated as the Vargas brothers led their team to yet another victory. It wasn't long before Feliciano kicked the ball one last time, giving them the final total they needed to win.

The crowd rejoiced and as did Romulus, who never grew tired of that burst of excitement that came with winning. He greeted his team with a grin, joining them as they clustered together around an open stand that held a sign with the word 'water' printed on it. Arthur nonchalantly handed each player a bottle of water, congratulating each one as they reached him. Once the Vargas brothers approached the stand, however, he wore a deep scowl.

"Ve, thank you Arthur~!" Feliciano said as he gently took a cool bottle of water from the blond. The only response was a stubborn grunt of acknowledgment. As many would have predicted, this didn't sit well with Lovino.

"Oi, show some respect, water boy. Feli scored a shitload of goals and without him we wouldn't be anywhere near as far as we are now," the Italian scolded, "You're just bitter because you couldn't even make a goal if your life depended on it!"

Arthur clenched the bottle in his hand in an attempt to stop himself from going off at the boy. He took a deep breath, counted to ten in his head, and calmly replied.

"You know I have a medical condition. Had it not been for you two, I would still be able to run without spraining anything."

The blond took another deep breath before narrowing his eyes.

"I was a star player on my old team, but you already knew that. Of course you would know, since you were the one that broke my ankle and got me kicked off the team for being handicapped," he continued bitterly.

Feliciano looked between the two in desperation. He pulled on his brother's hand, pleading for him to stop arguing. Lovino ignored him and continued instigating the fight he'd wanted to ensue. He was so close to being able to punch the snarky Briton straight in the face, all he had to do was get the other to hit him first. Which he undoubtedly knew how to do.

"For being handicapped? Really? I could've sworn the coach got rid of you to make room for that Jones kid," he replied, a smirk forming on his lips. Arthur trembled in anger, trying to calm himself.

"You bloody fucking twat," he mumbled under his breath.

There was a moment of pure tension before he launched himself onto the brunette, knocking the stand over in the process. Lovino grinned at the action, indulging himself in his victory. The blond showed no mercy as he attacked the Italian with full force, punching and kicking with all the might he could muster. Lovino never stopped grinning as he took a few hits, letting the smaller boy think he had a chance at winning before effortlessly crushing such ridiculous hopes. The brunette simply flipped their positions, straddling the other boy's waist as he threw a punch to his face.

This was about the time Romulus decided to step in. While he knew that the boys could handle a few punches, he refused to watch the moment his grandson drew blood. Lovino, who was struggling as Arthur began to fight back, was torn away from the blond by a surprisingly calm Romulus. He was handed to Lars, who put the boy into an arm-lock to stop him from rebounding. Arthur was picked up off the ground by a slightly frazzled Yong Soo, who grabbed onto the blond's shoulder in an attempt to stop him from attacking the elder Vargas brother.

Romulus put Lars in charge as he took hold of his grandson and led him away. Feliciano, who was worried beyond belief, knew better than to follow his grandfather when he wanted to talk to Lovino alone. There was bound to be yelling on both sides, which always scared the young Italian. He sighed and looked over at Arthur, who was being coddled by a worried Elizabeta.

"Hold still, Artie. I know it stings, but you have a lot of dirt that I have to wash out of the cut," she mumbled to him as she dabbed a wet piece of fabric over his cheek. Arthur didn't protest but listened instantly, flinching every time the fabric came in contact with his face.

"Oh, fratello," Feliciano sighed as he watched. He knew his brother would often get riled up after a game, but he had never seen him start a fight over something so trivial. It was known by all team members that he and Arthur didn't get along too well, but it was only due to their first encounter with one another. Had they met on friendlier terms, they were sure to be good friends.

"Feliciano."
The young Italian snapped his head up at his name being called, his eyes looking around to find the source of the voice. He found Romulus waiting patiently a few feet away and walked over to him.

"Where's fratello?" He asked curiously. The man closed his eyes for a moment, a look of shame washing over his features.

"Don't worry about him, Feli. He just needs to calm down," the brunette said lowly. The boy nodded and stood quietly in thought. Romulus took this moment to blow his whistle and summon his team over to him.

"Alright guys, I have some good news and some bad news," he started.

"What's the bad news?" Yong Soo asked anxiously. Romulus took a deep breath and braced himself for the team's reaction.

"Well, it turns out that because of the...argument that took place a few minutes ago, we were disqualified," he answered slowly.

Silence.

A few glances were directed at Arthur, who held a look of disbelief on his features.

"However," Romulus added before the uproar could start, "We will be granted a second chance of getting to the championship."

The team stood in silence, thinking over the change in plans.

"So, we just have to win again and we'll be okay?" Elizabeta questioned. The coach nodded.

"And will there be some form of punishment for Lovino and Arthur?" Lars inquired. Romulus nodded once more and held up a finger.

"Both of them have to give the opposing team a gift basket," he answered seriously. There was a pregnant pause as the team members processed what their coach had announced.

"A gift basket?" Arthur asked almost mockingly. It was obvious that he deemed the idea stupidity-filled but felt the need to voice his disbelief.

"Yes. It will show that you two can be good sports and you'll get a sneak peek at the team you'll be facing off against," Romulus explained. Arthur sighed and acquainted his forehead with his palm.

"Now, let's head back to the locker room and get cleaned up, hm? I'm starting to get nauseous standing around you smelly teens," the coach joked. His team agreed and migrated back to the locker rooms in something of a pack.

Romulus followed slowly, walking leisurely as he contemplated the outcome of his decision.

'One of the brothers need to see what they're going up against', he thought to himself, 'this isn't going to be another easy win. Not with Aldrick as the coach.'

/AN/: Jeez, I should NOT be typing this =_=; But a plot bunny has been gnawing away at my creativity valve, so I had to type this up. The team names will be announced next chapter, which I actually have planned out so it shouldn't take too long to come out thanks to spring break.
For those who might be having trouble figuring it out, Team 'Romulus'(Rome) = Feliciano (Italy), Lovino (Romano), Arthur (England/UK), Im Yong Soo (Korea), Lars (Netherlands), and Elivabeta (Hungary).