23Disclaimer: I don't own Celeste Bradley's Liars Club
Inspiration? My new glasses =w=
Chapter Ten – Heracles
"What's your name?"
He looks at the person talking to him, wondering why anyone would bother talking to him—let alone want to talk in a loud voice in the library at DeVry® University.
"Yes, I'm asking you what your name is. Normally when someone asks what another person's name is, the person asked answers back."
The speaker says, making sure that he was focusing Matthew with a steady stare.
Matthew gulps, suddenly feeling nervous about answering, not use to someone looking so intently at him.
"M-Matthew, my name is Matthew. A-And your name would be?"
Matthew asks, trying his best to keep the surprise out of his voice.
The speaker smiles at him, making Matthew's earlier tension leave temporarily.
'He has a really warm smile…'
"My name is_. It's nice to meet you Matthew."
The speaker says, giving Matthew a dazzling smile, making Matthew blush in embarrassment.
"Mind if I sat next to you Matthew?"
The person asks, making Matthew automatically shake his head, not noticing that a group of people near the back of the library were smirking at his direction.
"N-Not at all! Please, sit down!"
Matthew squeaks, trying to focus on his paper, completely oblivious as to the person sitting next to him was giving a thumbs up to the people near the back of the library.
"So what are you working on?"
The speaker asks innocently, knowing that Matthew was studying to become a business owner and that they were in the same economics class that was being taught by Romulus Vargas, pretending to not know what Matthew was writing about concerning quantity and demand with consumers.
Matthew, knowing that he was probably acting too much like a nerd with how well his paper was looking like, quickly tries to cover up his paper by flipping it over and places the latest Celeste Bradley romance novel within The Liars Club Series: The Spy on top of said paper.
The speaker laughs, making Matthew feel even more like a retard for doing that in the first place, as he ruffles Matthew's hair, making him blush in embarrassment.
"It's alright kid; I wasn't gonna like copy off of you! Just wondering what you're writing, that's all."
Matthew smiles at him, bringing out his paper from under his romance novel, missing the way that said person was memorizing his paper word for word as he starts to point out what he's writing about.
"You see, when you think about demand, you would think that…"
And so it began…
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"It sounds stupid right?"
Matthew shakes his head.
"Don't get the feeling that you're not funny enough, you'll get the hang of it soon enough!"
The person smiles at Matthew, making his heart beat in happiness.
Even though they've known each other for a few months, it feels like they've known each other throughout their entire life.
Or at least, that's what Matthew believes.
He feels happy that someone besides Alfred is able to notice him and treat him as an actual individual, even if the person sitting next to him forgets his name every so often.
Although his parents tend to forget from time to time, it's not like this was the first time someone important in his life would forget his name on purpose.
"What are you thinking about?"
Matthew shakes his head, smiling at the person next to him under the oak tree outside of the library.
"Just about my brother again."
The person nods his head, trying to appear as if he didn't want to know who Matthew's brother was, leaning more heavily against the tree in what to any other person would assume as boredom. But Matthew knows that it's more like exhaustion instead of boredom.
Matthew frowns slightly, thinking it over.
Usually, whenever he would mention Alfred in the beginning of when they first met, the person next to him would suddenly become interested and ask a million questions—making Matthew feel like he was fading into the background or something. But then he told Matthew that it was because Matthew was such a sweet person, that he wanted to know if Alfred was the same way.
Recently though, he would notice the person not try as hard anymore, it's like that person doesn't care about wanting to hear what Matthew has to say. He was interested in Matthew…up until their last finals for Economics. After that, it seemed as if he didn't even want to be near Matthew anymore.
As if he's done using Matthew and now he'll toss him aside and go find someone else to mess around with.
Matthew shakes his head, thinking that he's over thinking on something that isn't there.
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"MATTIE!"
Hearing a familiar voice, Matthew suddenly stops talking to the person next to him as his eyes start brightening up with joy at the thought that his most favorite person was here, and starts to run in the direction where the voice was coming from.
"AL?"
Matthew shrieks, making people passing-by look at the usually quiet and reserved Matthew screaming like a normal boy of twenty, running with his arms open towards his twin.
"MATTIE!"
Alfred says, running into Matthew's arms, never once noticing the dark look of possessiveness flash in Matthew's friend's blue eyes.
"I'm so glad that you came all the way over here to see me!"
Matthew says making Alfred release him and smile at him with happiness.
"Dude! Do you know how hard it was to find this campus? It was really hard!"
Alfred says, making sure to let Matthew know how much trouble it was to get to DeVry® in the first place.
Matthew pouts, but quickly smirks.
"I thought that the Awesomely Heroic Alfred F. Jones wouldn't have minded to let his not-as-heroic brother bask in his heroic presence!"
Alfred blinks at Matthew in confusion before he starts to laugh, bringing Matthew into another one of his hugs as Matthew does the same.
"So! Who's this_ that I've heard so much about?"
Alfred asks looking behind Matthew, his arm around Matthew's shoulder tightening slightly, as he sees the person that Matthew was talking to before Alfred started shouting.
Matthew starts to get nervous, hoping that Alfred likes_ as much as he does, tries to free himself from Alfred's grip.
"T-This is_. _, this is Alfred. He's my twin brother."
Alfred smiles brightly, sticking his hand out to_, making sure to look into said person's eyes the entire time while doing so.
The person gives a tentative smile, slowly bringing his hand out to shake it with Alfred's, his eyes flickering with mild disgust before they show no hint of emotion what so ever.
Seeing the look of disgust on said person's face, Alfred tightens his grip to bone-crushing for a whole three seconds; he quickly pumps the hand in front of him and releases it, making Matthew wonder what just recently happened.
"So…"
Matthew starts, hoping that he could relieve the suddenly tense atmosphere between Alfred and _.
Alfred, happy to ignore the feeling in his gut telling him to knock the shit out of the guy before him, looks over at Matthew and starts to ask him a million questions about how he is doing at DeVry®, who his teachers are, if the assignments are too hard, and etc.
"—and then you'll never guess what happened next! He totally thought that I came from outer space! I mean, who the hell does he think he is? He has no right to be judging someone like that right off the bat! I mean sure, I did come off as a bit too strong, but—"
"A bit? You probably came off as too strong."
Matthew says, trying his best not to laugh at the facial expression that was placed on Alfred's face. It was like a mix between embarrassment, humiliation, and shame.
Matthew looks at Alfred in surprise, trying his best not to seem too much like Alfred, but feels it faltering as he grins in comprehension.
"Oh, I see…"
Alfred, who was busy looking at the floor, quickly looks up at Matthew in shock, before blushing in what Matthew ended up guessing as a "yes" and resumes his interest with the floor.
"Al I'm so happy for you! I'm a bit freaked out, I will admit, but I'm happy for you none the less. As long as he makes you ha—"
"He's not my boyfriend Mattie."
Alfred said with such an intense face, that if Matthew didn't know him any better, he would have thought that he was serious. But Matthew does know him well enough to tell that there was a "yet" hanging in the air, making Matthew smile at Alfred as he gives him a thumb up.
"Fight the good fight Alfred."
Alfred grins at Matthew and does a thumb up of his own.
"And that's what makes you an awesome back-up Mattie!"
Matthew pouts, laughing as soon as he hits Alfred on the shoulder playfully.
"As if I would want to be your back-up!"
Alfred gives Matthew a look of fake horror, making them both crack up at their stupidity.
"I hate to be rude, but I have to go now. I'll see you later Matthew. It was nice seeing…your brother."
Both Matthew and Alfred look at the person speaking, about to say "good-bye", but both get quickly brushed off as the speaker walks at a brisk pace.
Two pairs of eyes watch the retreating back of the speaker as he heads into what seems to be the library.
Alfred, once confidant that the speaker was gone for good at the moment, looks at Matthew with a wide frown on his face.
"Now I know it looks bad—"
"Looks? Wha—that doesn't even begin to describe how much of an ass he is! You may have not noticed how he looked at me, but I sure as hell did! He looked like he didn't even want to put up with me. Lord knows how he is with you…"
Matthew clenches his fists and tries to prevent himself from punching Alfred in the face. Almost.
"How would you know? He's not the type to be social! If you've only listened to me from the beginning—"
"I did."
Matthew, having moved from the entrance of the main building and towards the parking lot to find his Smart Car®, looks at Alfred in surprise. Until he saw that Alfred was actually looking at him in a serious way.
"How long did it take for you to realize that Al? A few minutes ago, or when he didn't even introduce himself?"
Alfred walks up to Matthew, and knowing that he was going to punch him for what he was about to say, and grips on him hard enough for it to be confused for another bear hug. But they both know that it's to restrain Matthew from lashing out at Alfred out of anger.
Matthew breathes in deeply. He releases his breath slowly. He closes his eyes as he nods his head to Alfred. Signaling that he was ready to hear what Alfred had to say.
"I got the impression when you kept on avoiding on how to best describe him. When I finally saw him, I saw that he looked disgusted to deal with the brother of a fag."
Matthew flinched, still not over the "mild" teasing that happened to him at Franklin Roosevelt High School back in Washington D.C.
"I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but you need to. At least listen. If you feel that it's too much pressure or that you're way in over your head, let us find out before anything bad happens to you."
Alfred pauses, unsure on how to say the next part without sounding like he's Matthew's parent instead of his brother.
"And I'm not talking about you losing your virginity."
Alfred says slowly, noticing that Matthew froze up in embarrassment; he quickly finishes saying what he needs to before Matthew starts to realize that Alfred's grip loosened and attempts to break free.
"I mean, you can if you want to. It's your business about that. All that I'm saying is this: know what you are getting yourself into before everything unravels before you and you're the one who ends up hurt."
Matthew relaxes, thinking that Alfred was going to give him the whole "Abstinence is the goal for my sweet innocent older brother!" argument. And that would be awkward on a whole different level that he's not even sure on where to begin.
"I understand Al. I'll let you guys know if anything starts to look fishy. I just hope you don't come barging in here with a death wish against the justice system…"
Alfred laughs at Matthew, knowing that he'll take it seriously no matter how he acts now.
"Dad and Franny are so well-versed in the justice system Mattie! There's no way that I'll end up behind bars!"
And insert his "Hero" laugh.
Matthew just shakes his head, hoping what Al said wasn't true, but somehow getting the feeling that this was just the beginning…
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"Who."
Thrust.
"Was."
Thrust.
"That."
Shove.
Matthew tries to ignore the way that the person above him is thrusting in him. Practically fucking his mouth as his "boyfriend" was getting a "blowjob".
"V-Vash!"
Matthew says, hoping that he would stop being irrational and leave Matthew alone, trying to slowly make his way towards the bed closest to him.
Every single time that Vash would ask him about spending the night studying for the Economics exam held every third Friday of the month, Matthew's boyfriend would automatically start to blame Matthew for not keeping all of the men away from him.
He called him a demirep once.
When his anger would fade away—Matthew would always ask him why he can't let go of his jealousy when there was anything wrong in the first place—but his boyfriend would always deny having ever been violent with Matthew.
"You're a dirty demirep Matthew, and you're not even a girl. Then again, you look like a bishouen, so it could work out in your favor. God, to know that I've been sleeping with a demirep—that's what makes me the angriest; to know that you're sleeping with other guys just to pass DeVry®!"
Matthew ignores his hateful words, wondering why he didn't break up with him when he saw the cautious look on Alfred's eyes when he told him to keep an eye on him.
Matthew starts to cry, feeling the inside of his mouth beginning to stretch more uncomfortably as Matthi—
He wakes up to see Kumajirou sitting on top of his chest—which explains the heavy breathing—rubbing his face as he tries to snap out of the Memory Lane of his past.
"Hi Kumajirou, how are you feeling this morning?"
Matthew asks, hoping that he wasn't shouting in his sleep again.
Kumajirou doesn't answer, making Matthew look down and see what kept Kumajirou from talking in the first place.
He sees Kumajirou whimpering a little bit, snuggling his nose against Matthew's chest, curled up in a tight ball.
Matthew looks over at his bed-side drawer, picks up and puts on his glasses, and starts to gather Kumajirou in his arms.
"There, there. See? I'm okay, really. Don't cry Kumajirou, don't cry."
He hears Kumajirou calm his breathing, and starts to comb his fingers through Kumajirou's fur, hoping that it relaxes his tense shoulders.
"H-Hungry~"
Matthew laughs.
"Okay, I'll get you something to eat."
Kumajirou shakes his head.
"Eh? Then what's wrong?"
Matthew asks, wondering what could have made Kumajirou so startled, confusion making his eyebrows furrow.
Kumajirou points his nose in which direction what freaked him out enough to have Matthew concerned.
Curious as to what made Kumajirou so upset; he turns and looks at where he picked up his glasses from the bedside drawer. He looks around the room slowly, until he spots the reason why Kumajirou's so freaked out this earlier in the morning.
Ah, no wonder.
"You're still afraid of my cellphone Kumajirou?"
Kumajirou shakes his head, making Matthew wonder what about the phone freaked him out.
Until he heard certain sound—er, ringtone really—playing, that is.
"Fashion
Put it all on me
Don't you want to see these clothes on me
Fashion
Put it all on me
I am anyone you want me to be
Fashion
Put it all on me
Don't you want to see these clothes on me
Fashion put it all on me
I am anyone you want me to be—"
Kumajirou, upon re-uniting with the ringtone coming from Matthew's cellphone, starts to rub his face even harder against Matthew's chest and starts to release this high-pitched whine that starts to make Matthew laugh.
"Don't be afraid of the ringtone that I set-up for Felik! It's not that scary…Although I wonder if the text message is…"
Matthew says, leaning over the bed to get his phone, making sure that Kumajirou wasn't going to have another fit. The first message was sent while he was sleeping and what freaked out Kumajirou the first time around.
Like Mattie hurry ur butt like ASAP!
How does Maki Yaki® sound 4 bfast
rit now? Mind if Hera, Eli, Ki-chan,
Tory, & Nat join us 4 bfast?
~ Blondies4Fun
The second text message was sent ten minutes after the first one.
Reply ASAP!
Like I totally mean it Mattie!
~ Blondies4Fun
Matthew starts to bust up laughing, making Kumajirou wonder what could have managed to make his master so light-hearted this morning. Recently, Kumajirou noted with some smug satisfaction, his master has been sleep-talking and having a spring in his step as he would go to work and give Kumajirou Fancy Feast®. He doesn't even eat cat food! Who the fuck told his master that polar bears would like cat food? It ain't true!
His main topic that he mutters during his sleep is one word and one word only: Gilbert.
It makes Kumajirou laugh like crazy—never in front of his master, or else his master would think that he's capable of actually understanding the human language—that it's only been three days since his master has been so distracted by something else than that man that his master was with before he graduated from DeVry University®.
Kumajirou frowns, noticing that his master looks a bit shaken up by what he dreamt of last night—if the way he muttered 'no' and 'stop' several times, and including the way he sounded as if he was being gagged or chocking on something—and jumping slightly when he awoke to Kumajirou pounced on his master's chest.
But it would be better to keep his theories to himself for the moment and let his master's brother know about it once those theories have been confirmed, no?
"I should probably text back my response, right Kumajirou?"
Matthew says, making sure that he's showed him what Felik sent him a few minutes ago.
Kumajirou pretends that he can read the text (when in reality he can), and furrows his eyes.
"Hungary?"
Matthew laughs, petting Kumajirou behind the ears.
"I should huh? Well, I'll do that first, and then I'll cook you something to eat. How does Fancy Feast® sound to you?"
Kumajirou makes a look of disgust, making Matthew laugh.
"Alright then; no more Fancy Feast® for Kumajirou. Better?"
Kumajirou eagerly nods his head as Matthew replies back to Felik's text.
XD sounds gr8t!
But who's comin' again?o.o
~ Maple FTW
Matthew stretches, getting ready to get out of bed, picking Kumajirou up and setting him on the floor.
He walks to his closet near the bathroom door, and decides on what he should wear today.
Not much to decide since most of his clothes are what Arthur would consider being "arrogantly raunchy"…
Matthew sighs, trying to look for the least "arrogantly raunchy" outfit that he could find.
Hearing a ringtone that wasn't Felik's, Matthew makes his way over to the bedside drawer where he left his phone at.
"I see them days are coming
We hear them roar
They'll bring the end upon us
And we will have no mercy no more
Then you'll search for your soul salvation
Our hands are bound
We cry out for direction
But only those truly lost can be found"
Matthew starts to smile; knowing of only one person who has managed to set that ringtone for them, and starts to laugh at seeing how that song doesn't match how said person really is.
He lifts the phone to his ear, noticing that he found his outfit for the day already on his bed (courtesy of Kumajirou).
"Hello?"
"…Hello Matthew…How are you on this nicely weathered morning…?"
Matthew tries to suppress a laugh as he's holding the phone close to his ear, picturing a certain Asian man lingering in the background, listening in on the conversation.
"I'm doing okay Heracles. I was suddenly woken up by Felik sending me a text message about wanting to eat breakfast at Maki Yaki®…?"
"Ah…well, you know how Felik is. Would you mind eating breakfast with us?"
Matthew frowns, not understanding why Heracles was calling him instead of sending him a text message like Felik. Or why he was cutting right to the chase instead of stalling like it was to do within his nature.
"Uh…not that I don't mind…but why the sudden interest of whether or not I'm going to attend?"
Matthew says while making his way to the bathroom and bringing out a towel as Kumajirou started to drag around Matthew's usual shampoo and other hair products that he likes to use in the bathroom.
"…Hm…you do have a point there. Hold on…let me see if I can get Kiku on the phone to answer your question…"
Matthew hears some fumbling on the other side of the phone, a loud shriek, a thump, and then finally a minute of pure non-static silence.
"H-Hello?"
Matthew tries to stifle a laugh at hearing a "Show him how it's done Kiku!" and a cat call going on in the background after the speaker said hello.
"Kiku?"
"Hello Matthew…I bet you're wondering why Heracles and Felik are bothering you so early in the morning, yes?"
Matthew nods his head, trying not to smile at Kiku's directive approach when someone is wondering what is going on. Unlike Heracles who stalls and makes you wonder if you're the one who's asking the questions when it's really the other way around; Kiku answers with one of his lands famous proverbs and when you don't understand what he said, he'll answer you with politeness that makes you feel rude for asking in the first place. If you've managed to displease him, of course.
"Ah, yes Kiku. Obviously there has to be a reason why everyone wants me to go to Maki Yaki®. I'm just wondering who the 'everybody' that Felik was mentioning was…Is that too much to ask?"
He hears Kiku agree, but he can also hear Felik talking in the background about something relating to fashion and who knows what else.
"If I told you who is going to join us, will you still be willing to come along?"
Matthew, hearing the genuine concern in Kiku's voice, thinks about what Kiku is referring to.
Does he really want to know ahead of time to see who's coming, making his reactions not as authentically him…
Or does he want to be kept in the dark and be shocked as to who showed up at the likely rushed breakfast meeting just for the sake of eating together with Matthew?
"…Matthew?"
Matthew snaps out of the train of thought that he managed to put himself in, and looks at the phone meekly.
"Sorry about that Kiku, I was just thinking intensely about the options that you gave me…"
"Options? Ah, I see. Well—I don't mean to be rude or anything—but I was wondering what you have decided on!"
Matthew giggles, knowing that on the other side of the phone call Kiku was blushing and flustering like crazy, most likely catching the attention of Heracles at seeing what has managed to make Kiku have such a determined look on his face..
"Calm down Kiku. Yes I've decided; I'd rather not hear who's coming after all. I'll see you guys in half an hour from now?"
Hearing Kiku calm down and sounding pleased with his answer, Matthew releases a few giggles as he awaits what everyone over at the sushi joint answered.
"…Matthew?"
Heracles got his phone back apparently.
"Yeah?"
"Kiku says that something urgent called his attention at the Maki Yaki®, so he says "thank you for giving a straight answer and not beating around the bush." It looks like Felik might pick a fight with one of the owners here, so I guess we'll see you at…?"
Matthew laughs at Heracles calm explanation of the havoc that's most likely worse than what he's trying to downplay it as.
"Tell Kiku that the same could be said about him. Good luck with Felik. I'll be there in half an hour Heracles, so see you until then."
CLICK!
Now if only he could find his shoes with the—
"Kumajirou! What did you do with my Converse?"
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"That's not the only thing that's making you worried, I take it?"
Roderich asks, noticing that the tension between Gilbert's shoulders hasn't lessened ever since they both started their shift.
Gilbert grimances at having to tell Roderich about his doubts concerning…
"It's mostly that Roderich. I just wondered how long you can keep going with this shit like it doesn't even exist!"
Roderich shakes his head, amazed at how Gilbert manages to change the topic about—
"What on earth are you talking about this time Gilbert?"
Roderich says, sighing as he starts to clean up the mess on the table nearest to the window fifteen feet away from the doors into the entrance to Canorous.
Gilbert, knowing that he wasn't changing the topic of conversation going on between the two of them, grins as he rests his hip against the side of the table with the most mess. Intentionally making Roderich force himself to stop what he was doing in order to fully pay attention to him.
When Gilbert wants attention, Gilbert gets attention.
Sometimes it depends on the situation.
Or if Elizaveth feels like she's in the mood to indulge Gilbert.
"Hm?"
Gilbert asks, paying attention to the stack of papers currently in his possession, as he looks up at Roderich in confusion.
Roderich, trying his best to not walk over to Gilbert and smack him with the tray filled with plates, calmly tries to release his breath and mentally counts to ten before answering Gilbert's question.
"As you were saying Gilbert?"
Gilbert smirks, knowing that he's pushed Roderich's button one too many times, automatically leans over the table, and while having his attention Gilbert puts down the tray on top of the table.
"Wha—? Oh, right! Damn Rod! How the hell can you stand knowing that Lutz could've told her parents where we're living at? Hell, how would you feel if they started to hunt you down and demanded to know if you are 'suitable enough' to marry their 'dearest Elizaveth'?"
If it weren't for the determined face and serious tone, Roderich would have scoffed at the way Gilbert used his words to described what bothered him into two sentences.
It just so happens that instead of laughter building up in his throat, dread seems to fill the gap at an alarmingly fast rate.
Gilbert, looking as if he didn't want to have this discussion either, moves on to the one before this.
"Moving on! So, since she obviously hasn't found it yet, the Awesomeness That Is I would like to know where the hell you hid it. I mean fuck, even I can't find it! Do you know how NOT awesome that is, not knowing where his beloved sister's fiancé placed the stupid—"
"Gilbert."
Gil—ready to mention where he has searched—notices Roderich gently place his hand on Gilbert's shoulder, giving him a silent understanding of what Gilbert was trying to warn him about and appreciating what he was trying to do.
Roderich offers Gilbert a smile, which he returns back in earnest.
"No matter what happens, I wouldn't want them to force Liz to marry a complete stranger that neither of us would find suitable for her. I've gotten used to how happy the two of you are together that if I saw another person being near her I would gag. Uh…that is…because you already have my Awesome Blessing! Yeah! And it would suck to know that my Awesome Blessing would mean nothing if the both of you don't end up getting married! So there."
Roderich, who left his hand on Gilbert's shoulder, looks at him in confusion, and starts to laugh at how 'Awesome' he was trying to be.
Gilbert eventually joins in on the laughter, but that's because he didn't want to leave Roderich hanging.
If only Roderich would believe it…
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"Did I ever tell you how much you turn me on with just kissing you mon lapin?"
France mentions, walking casually from the doorway leading into Romano's office, making sure that said Italian wasn't around telling—nagging—at them what they could and shouldn't do inside of said office.
"He should be grateful that I hired him on the spot! Mon Dieu, I automatically accepted him because he looked like the kind of person who can move his body to his advantage. If I had known that he would have passed his knowledge of sensual dancing—" He doesn't like to call it 'pole dancing'. It sounds "très très moche" according to him "—to his younger brother, and keep reminding me about not being allowed to touch my cute little rabbit—! What agony~!"
SMACK!
France blinks, wondering how the World's Largest Encyclopedia ended up hitting him on the head and leaving a bloody trail from his forehead to his cheek.
Not that he could see it.
The flow of blood could be felt as it makes its way to the edge of his jaw leaves him with the impression that it was…
"I leave you for not even a minute and you are already trying to fire one of our best employees just because he does not shake his rump with the beat of the music anymore? What the bloody hell is with you?"
France smiles, knowing of only one person who has that accent and would treat him like that right off the bat.
He turns around, and brings his annoyed gentleman into his arms and gives him a quick peck to his forehead, nuzzling his neck as he tries to think of what to say.
Arthur caught completely off-guard at France being so affectionate, blushes and tries to get him away.
"Get off you bugger!"
France smiles, wrapping his arms around Arthur's waist and bringing his mouth near the pulsing nerve on Arthur's neck with a soft kiss as they go more into the office.
"Oh I will. That is, after I get you off first, non~?"
Insert creepy smile.
Arthur, knowing what would happen if he encouraged it even more, breaks free from France's hold (it was a gentle hold anyway) and runs to Romano's chair; forcing France to sit on the other side of the desk, making appear as if Arthur was the one who owned the office, if that smug smile was anything to go by.
Arthur, knowing that France was going to be in one of his weird fetishes, sighs before lacing together his fingers in front of him and resting his head on top of his hands, looking at France right in the eye.
"Well?"
Arthur asks, hoping that France will understand (this time) about what he's referring to.
"Hm? Oh, yes! Well, the bet is hitting off better than to what I originally thought it was going to be~! You should have seen the look on our dear Mathieu's face! He looked like he's never seen fifteen hundred dollars before~! And the way Gil—"
"I was not asking you about that you stupid frog! What I meant was if you have heard anything recently about Matthew's ex."
At this, France stops talking about "Mathieu's stylish clothes" and looks at the bathroom door with sudden interest before looking back at Arthur in disgust.
"I don't fuckin' bother knowing about what that sick fuck did to my Mathieu. I don't care about what he does, who he's with or where he is."
France said, sticking his nose in the air as he said that with as much hatred as he could.
Before he could even register what had happened, France feels himself getting pulled out of his chair roughly, is harshly thrown towards the nearest wall, and feels Arthur choking him; preventing him to breathe normally.
Did he mention how rough Arthur was being?
Well, he was.
"That is not what I asked you."
Arthur grounded out, squeezing France's throat on every single word.
"I demand to know where he is at the moment. So that he can stay away from Matthew. Do I make myself clear?"
France, who at this point was willing to let Arthur fuck him right then and there, enthusiastically (or as enthusiastically as he could while being choked) nodded his head as Arthur slowly released France's throat and walked back two steps.
Trying to not sound like he was on the verge of death, France tries to regulate his breathing in a non-dramatic way.
Almost being the key word.
"Now, where is he right now?"
Arthur asked, knowing that the Frenchman was going to take forever to answer him if he took his sweet ass time breathing again.
"I-I don't know where he is at the moment. Not since the last time you remembered to ask me mon cher."
Arthur frowns, hoping that it wasn't correct.
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"—so then I mentioned that I was going to kick his ass, Rod said—"
"Do you really have to tell me what happened to the both of you at work again?"
Elizaveth says, knowing that Gilbert wasn't paying attention to her over the phone.
"Was? Oh, well what do you want me to say? That we were talking about floral patterns and were putting flower crowns on each other's heads while singing "Kokoro"? Fuck Liz, we may be men, but that doesn't mean that we're gay!"
Elizaveth tries to hold in a laugh, knowing that if she told Gilbert that he'll become gay he would scream "Red Rum!" and run the other way.
"So why are you calling me during your break? Not that I mind you giving me all of this sibling attention—but don't you think that you should be calling Matilda instead of me? Just saying~"
Gilbert groans, knowing that Liz only said that to tease him.
Immensely.
"Idon'thavehernumber."
"Was?"
"I said: I. Don't. Have. Her. Number."
"Oh~ Well, why didn't you say so~? I have her number, so why don't you have it instead?"
Gilbert wanted to smack his head against the wall.
"And how the hell did you get her number?"
"Oh…I have my ways~"
"Like hell you do. How'd you do it? Did you trick her into doing it? Because if you did—"
He hears laughter on the other end of the line.
"Silly Gilly! I just asked if she wanted to swap numbers and she said yes." Or at least I will have her number by the end of the day…
Gilbert just shook his head, knowing better than to ask her for more of an explanation.
"So…"
"Ah yes. I wanted to ask you something."
Gilbert groans.
"If this is about what I cooked last night—"
"No no. It has nothing to do with that. Although, now I'm wondering what I was eating—"
"Get on with it Liz."
More laughter was heard over the phone.
"Right! What were you and Roddy talking about him "wanting to buy something"? Were you talking about clothes or was that something different?"
Gilbert almost dropped his cell phone to the tiled floor.
"W-Was? We were talking about the clothes that I was gonna pick out and somewhat hearing his opinions. W-Why do you ask?"
"Hm…I was wondering what took you guys five hours to shop a suitable outfit for your date a couple of days ago…"
Gilbert gulps, knowing that he was caught.
"We were just shopping for clothes. Although, we did go into Victoria's Secret® and I made him try on these—"
"And you didn't take any pictures? What kind of brother are you? You should've taken my camera!"
Gilbert laughs, glad that Elizaveth accepted the distraction.
"Ja, don't worry about it. I took a couple of them. Just…don't tell Roderich that I took them. You know the Bro Code and that stuff…."
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"—so then I like found out that Mattie was you know, like dating you-know-who and I was all like 'OMG like no way!' Then I noticed that Mattie looked uncomfortable being near him…right after our midterms. It was weird. Why do you ask Lorelei?"
Felik, who was all too glad to tell Kate and Lorelei Matthew's personal story, was leaning against the back of his chair nibbling on some crackers that Toris gave him since he was complaining about being 'like starved to death!'
Lorelei, ready to answer Felik's question, gets cut off by Kate who stuffs her face with some of Felik's crackers.
"I finally got Michelle to have oral."
Awkward pause.
Felik swallows his cracker slowly.
"What?"
Kate, knowing that Felik wanted her to repeat it again, smirks.
"I gave Michelle oral. It's her most favorite thing to do now. So a certain blond owes me some money~"
She grins at Felik.
"Like hell you did woman! I like said that I like need to hear it from her! It like doesn't count if you can't like make her tell me."
Felik says, crossing his arms and pouting like a little kid, knowing that he didn't want to give his last remaining ten dollars to her bluff.
Kate, while flipping her blonde hair behind one shoulder with attitude, grins at Felik as she pulls out her phone and starts dialing Michelle's number in front of his startled face.
Knowing that Kate did that on purpose to distract Felik, Lorelei automatically shoves Kate off of her seat and smiles an extremely sweet smile in Felik's general direction.
He blinks at Lorelei in confusion.
"I was asking because I was wondering why Mattie looked so hesitant to be flirting to a lot—and I mean a lot—of guys and girls. Although, we all know that he's more comfortable talking to girls than guys, it didn't explain why it looked like he wanted to blot when there was someone giving him the 'Hungry Eyes' every now and then. That's why I asked."
Felik relaxes, at first assuming that Lorelei was asking about his past instead of Mattie-dear's past, and finally nods his head.
"I didn't realize that like the three of us all went to the same college until the like rumors were claiming that you-know-who was just like using Mattie to pass Romulus Vargas's class. At the time I was like trying to get my business degree in entrepreneurship and that's when I first started to like get some classes on how to like bartend drinks properly. So yeah, there's like not much that I can like tell you about his past besides his like pathetic excuse of an ex-boyfriend."
Felik shrugs, knowing that Lorelei was going to have to ask Matthew himself about the time he spent at DeVry® and about his ex-boyfriend.
"But that doesn't explain why you keep calling his ex-boyfriend—"
"He doesn't deserve to be called by his given name. He didn't care about Mattie's so why should I even bother remembering his?"
Felik said it with disgust, knowing that his face looks like he just ate something that didn't sit well with his stomach.
Lorelei, sensing that she has over-stepped her questioning, nods at Felik's comment and doesn't ask him anymore questions.
Looking over the side of the table, both notice that Kate hasn't bothered to get back up since Lorelei pushed her and try to see if she's still there.
Yep, she is.
"Do you think that we should like see if she's okay?"
"Nah, if she wants to sleep on the floor let her. Two out of three times she does this, it turns out that she's sleeping."
Felik looks at Lorelei, silently asking her to continue with what she was saying.
"If I couldn't let Kate do what she needs, then what kind of a friend would I be? Besides, if she's not sleeping, then she's enjoying the way the floor feels on her face. I don't know why she does that, so don't give me that face Felik."
Lorelei says, knowing that Felik was going to ask her why Kate does that, so she goes back to sipping her cinnamon tea.
Felik, knowing that he's seen them act like this practically every time they hang out, decides to wisely not question this time as he goes back to nibbling on his crackers and drinking his mint tea.
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"Kesesesesesesesese! Where would you get that idea from?"
"Don't you play stupid with me Gilbert! I know that you and Roddie were talking about him getting me a wedding ring! Don't deny it!"
Gilbert, knowing that Elizaveth was acting like a crazy bitch, pulls his cell phone away from his face and focuses on what he can do to convince her that his 'break' was over and that he needs to get back to work.
Spotting Berwald texting on his phone near where Gilbert was, he makes his way over and pretends that Elizaveth was about to hang up.
"Berwald."
Said person looks up from his texting, and sees Gilbert give him a nod. He slowly nods back, resuming his texting.
"Who are you texting?"
Berwald, knowing that he wasn't going to be left alone anytime soon, sits down on a chair so that he's at least somewhat near Gilbert's line of vision and shuts his phone.
"Ah'm t'xtin' T'no bout p'ck'n' up P'ter fr'm K'nderg'rt'n. Yoo?"
If he hadn't known Berwald for so long, he wouldn't have understood what the Swedish man was saying. But since he does know what Berwald is saying, he decides to stand right in front of him so that Berwald doesn't have to strain himself to see Gilbert.
He nods, knowing about how Berwald feels about Tino and Peter getting along with one another, looks at his phone in disgust before answering.
"Besides trying to tell Liz that there is no wedding ring, I'm doing pretty awesomely. How's it going over on your end?"
Seeing how he was shouting the part about there being 'no wedding ring' into the phone, Berwald lets his lips twitch when Gilbert turns to look at him, letting him know that Berwald found that funny.
Berwald nods his head, giving a gruff of an "okay", making Gilbert give him a smile.
"Christian and Matthias doing okay?"
Berwald tries his best not to scowl, but Gilbert sees it and while Berwald smiles, Gilbert laughs at the scowl.
"I take it that they're as wild as ever?"
Berwald shakes his head.
"Jus' Matth's. Christ'n's th sam' as ev'r. Why do ya 'sk?"
Gilbert laughs.
"Just wondering…"
Berwald looks at the direction that Gilbert was staring at and almost laughs himself. There at the entrance to the Men's Restroom was Matthias texting, completely not paying attention that he was causing a line of men wanting to use the restroom complaining that he wasn't moving, and was busy writing something on a piece of paper against the wall with what looked to be a crayon.
Gilbert focuses his eyes as he tries to see if it really was a crayon…
"Why 's he us'n' a cr'yon fer?"
Berwald asks, not noticing Gilbert started to laugh and slipping to the floor as he was holding on to his sides.
When he looks at Gilbert, Berwald furrow's his eyebrow in confusion.
"Why ar' ya on th' gro'nd?"
"Did you see the look on his face? It looked like he was doing something important! Ten dollars says that he's helping Christian with his 'homework'. What do you say?"
Berwald thinks about it before he responds.
"Ah b't ya f've doll'rs. An' Ah s'y th't 't's a shopp'n' l'st."
Gilbert grins.
"It's a deal."
They shake hands, noticing that Matthias made his way from the restroom to where Gilbert and Berwald were seated at and grins at them as he shows them what was written on the paper.
"Guess what Chris made me do! Guess!"
Matthias says, looking from Berwald's impassive face to Gilbert's excited one.
"Show us!"
Gilbert says, hoping to be scoring some ten dollars soon enough, as they both see Matthias show them what he wrote on the paper…
And Gilbert's jaw goes slack.
Berwald gives Gilbert a smug smile.
"Ah th'nk ya ow' me f've doll'rs r'ght n'w G'lb'rt."
Gilbert, not believing his luck, fishes out a five-dollar bill and hands it over to Berwald.
Matthias, watching this exchange happen, looks over at Berwald.
"What'd you guys bet on?"
Gilbert pouts.
"We were betting to see what Christian told you to write on that piece of paper."
Berwald nods.
"An' Ah w'n."
Matthias looks at them in confusion.
"Why did you guys—"
"Isn't your break over now Matthias?"
Gilbert cuts in, hoping that Matthias takes the bait and leaves them alone.
"Wha—oh man! You're right! See you later Waldy! Gil!"
Matthias says, almost running back into Kiku's office to ask Liu what he should be doing right now, completely missing Gilbert cracking up and Berwald sighing in amazement.
"S'met'mes Ah w'nder h'w he can b' s' g'll'ble…"
Berwald says, shaking his head in mild amusement.
"I second that Berwald."
Gilbert says, also shaking his head.
"Ah g't th' feel'n' th't ya wanna ask m' s'meth'n'. Wh't 's 't 'bo't?"
Gilbert freezes, knowing that Berwald has always been able to tell when he needed to ask him something.
"I wanted to ask you if you still remembered when—"
"S'met'm's yer tah easy tah re'd Gilb'rt. Yeah, ah st'll r'm'mb'r th't. If ya st'll r'm'mb'r 't, wh't m'k's ya th'nk th't ah don't? Ah'll nev'r ferg'v' h'm fer do'n' th't to T'no."
Before Gilbert got to say anything in return, they both feel a pair of familiarly cold eyes staring at them.
Berwald turns to see who was staring and tightens his lips at seeing who it was.
"We'll talk about this some other time Berwald. Don't worry; he's not worth the fight anymore."
Gilbert whispers, slowly getting up from the floor as he sees Ivan straight in the eye. He pats Berwald on the back and gets his phone as he walks back to his working space.
"You were saying Liz?"
"What the hell is wrong with you Gilbert! First you leave me talking to myself for fifteen minutes. Then I hear nothing but static for the next ten. And now you answer? What the hell—!"
"Let's just say that I have a quick brush with a Russian and a Swede. Does that satisfy you?"
Gilbert says, making sure that he hasn't left Ivan out of his sight.
"Do you mean—you can't be serious! Katyusha tells me that he's a sweetheart and that—"
"Apparently your friend's a liar. The damage may be done, but the scars are going to stay there for a while. I hope you know that. I'll talk to you later Liz. My break's over now."
"Wait Gilbert! There's something that I wa—"
CLICK!
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"So what's her type? Guys or girls?"
Kiku, not used to being the center of attention for more than five minutes, starts to get flustered and hugs Heracles in a desperate attempt to make them leave him alone.
It only caused more of a problem instead of a solution.
Seeing that Kiku wasn't going to be answering them after their twenty-fifth question, Kate looks over at Matthew and tries to hold in a laugh at how he's doing with this conversation.
He just got at their table a couple of minutes ago when they were in the middle of asking Kiku questions concerning his Vietnamese cousin's sexual orientation. To say that he was embarrassed was an understatement.
They were all seated in the far right corner of Maki Yaki®. It was a huge table where it sat Felik, Toris, Kate, and Lorelei on one side; on the other side sat Kiku, Heracles, Nataliya, and Elizaveth; leaving Matthew to sit on the only chair at the head of the table, making everyone pay attention to him.
"So…Matthew~"
Matthew tries his best to be paying attention to the menu placed in front of him, knowing that everyone wanted to know how he felt about his first night taking tips.
He sighs, knowing that they're dying with curiosity.
"Since everyone's wondering how it went for me a couple of days ago—"
"I was like sooo there Mattie, no need to tell me!"
Felik says, interrupting whatever Matthew was going to say.
He glares in Felik's direction, trying to remember what he was going to say.
"—I will just say this: I wasn't expecting to have a lot of money in tips right off the bat. And maple Felik, why did you tell your blond haired friend with the glasses to come up to me on the first night?"
Matthew asks, knowing that everyone was trying to guess the amount that he got that night, looking over at Felik in confusion and hoping that he won't be left in the dark.
The last thing that he wants is to be taking a friend of a friend's money without reason.
"Hm? Oh that. Yeah, I like so made him go since he was like going to be leaving for Egypt in a few days. I like thought that he could at least like see my friend and like help out in like some way, you know?"
Felik says, leaning over the table to give Matthew his most sincere smile, making sure that Matthew was paying attention to him.
"And before you say anything about feeling bad taking someone's money, let me show you the text that he sent me."
Felik starts rummaging through his black Gucci© bag, that Toris recently bought him, until he found his phone behind some cream eye shadow and his mascara.
"Here you go~"
He flips through it until he finds the text that he was talking about and hands it to Matthew.
Hey Felik, thanks for letting
me become a part of the bet.
Make sure you let your friend
know that it was worth giving
him five hundred. He was cute.
I'll send you a picture of when
I'm in Egypt, okay?
~ TechnoLover
Matthew, looking confused as to who 'TechnoLover' is, asks Felik who that is.
"It's Edward silly! You know the like blond one with the like specs? You sure are like thick-headed sometimes Mattie~!"
Matthew blushes, seeing that everyone stopped their own little side conversations in order to listen to what he and Felik were talking about.
Eavesdroppers.
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"Yo! Whatcha guys doin'?"
Alfred asks from the doorway, noticing that Arthur had France up against the wall with his hands pinned up above his head with what looks to be duct tape.
Kinky.
"What the devil are you doing at the club right now Alfred? I thought that you were going to meet up with Matthew in twenty minutes from now?"
Arthur asks, not noticing that France's mouth was taped and struggling to free himself from the bonds that Arthur placed.
Ha, it still looks kinky!
"I can't swing by and see how my parents are doing? Harsh!"
Alfred says, placing a hand over his heart and swaying a bit before falling on the couch and getting comfortable.
Arthur rolls his eyes at Alfred's attempts, remembering how he left France before Alfred showed up.
"Are you ready to talk bloody frog?"
France eagerly nods his head, and almost cried in happiness as he sees Arthur release him from the sticky confines of the tape.
Again, kinky.
"So anyways, whatcha punishing Franny for? Did he throw your sewing out the window again?"
Alfred asks, knowing that France would do that to Arthur, and seeing the horror in France's eyes only confirm of what he's saying.
Arthur, already knowing that France does that because Matthew told him, looks at Alfred in mild amusement.
"No Alfred, he didn't. He just hasn't told me anything recently about Matthew's ex-boyfriend."
Arthur says, trying to not sound as disgusted as France did a while ago.
Alfred, sitting up correctly after hearing what Arthur was asking France, starts to pace around the room.
"Did you know that Caroline is a bitch?"
Arthur resumed smacking France for some answers while France was trying to not be smacked as much, both look at Alfred in confusion as France's interrogation is put on hold for the moment.
"Quoi?"
"What?"
Both were said at the same time, so Alfred doesn't have to guess which parent said what, since what is said in one language could be translated into the other.
Alfred looks at them with all seriousness.
Translation: he nods his head as he resumes pacing around.
"She's a bitch! All out of nowhere she starts to use these big words about Greek mythology and the Seven Muses. What the fuck? I only know about American stuff not all of this weird mambo-jumbo stuff! And while the names of those chicks were pretty hot, she lost me on how the hell that has to do with art and stuff. You guys understand, right?"
Alfred says, not noticing that both parents were already shaking their heads, knowing that Alfred was going nowhere with this.
Arthur tries to not rub his temples.
"I am going to pretend that I didn't hear that. What else did you want to say Alfred? As you can see, France and I are pretty occupied at the moment. We would appreciate it if you could just say what you wanted to say and—"
"Right, so I found out from one of my friends that they haven't seen him for the past five months. Go figure."
Alfred says, shrugging like it didn't matter to him about what he just said.
Arthur, relieved to hear that Matthew's ex was nowhere near him at the moment, starts to untie France from the tape prison that he set up for him.
"I still want you to stay on alert concerning this. You got that France?"
Alfred, glad that the "report" seemed to satisfy Arthur for the moment, starts to walk out of the office.
"Hey I have a lunch date with Vanya, so I'll be back before my shift starts! See ya~!"
Arthur, who was going to scold France some more, freezes up and starts to go on a rampage.
"What the bloody hell Alfred! I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to date him! Alfred! You better get back over here before I—"
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"I just felt like I wasn't being who I really was. That and how I was in girls' clothes instead of my own made me feel ten times even worse. D-Do you think that you can forgive me?"
Matthew said, knowing that he pretty much squeaked at the end, hoping that Elizaveth can forgive him for not really being "Matthew" and was "Matilda" instead.
Elizaveth, who was sitting at Matthew's left, started to squeal herself and brought him into a friendly hug.
"How can I say no to that face? You're forgiven! Besides, I already knew that you were a guy, so no damage done there."
Elizaveth says, winking at Matthew as she leans closer to him, making sure that he knew that she wasn't upset at him.
"You managed to convince Gilly—which I approve of you guys together by the way—and you convinced Roddie until I pointed out to him that your Adam's Apple was showing~!"
At Matthew's horrified expression on his face, Elizaveth laughs, making Matthew calm down a bit.
"I'm amazed that Gilly wasn't able to notice it, but then again neither did Roddie~ Meh, I feel bad now, are you okay right now?"
Elizaveth says, hoping that what she said will make Matthew realize that he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed that he could have been discovered.
Matthew snaps out of it, giving an apologetic look to Elizaveth, before patting her on the hand.
"I didn't think of that, so I'm guessing that neither did Gilbert. I don't hold it against you, as long as there was no harm done right? That's all that matters."
Matthew smiles at Elizaveth, making Elizaveth bring him into another hug as he feels embarrassed.
"You are such a sweetheart~! I knew that you would suit Gilly perfectly!"
Elizaveth says, making Matthew wonder if Gilbert really is her brother.
"Elizaveth?"
Matthew says, seeing if she minds him calling her by her full name. Hell, Matthew knows that he only lets his friends call him "Mattie-dear" and his family call him "Matt" or "Mathieu" or "Mattie", so he doesn't know how Elizaveth would like for him to call her.
Elizaveth, seeing as Matthew was stuck on what to call her, offers him a smile and holds a peace-sign to him as she scoots her chair close to his.
"How about we re-introduce ourselves? That way we can know what to call each other. Does that sound good to you?"
Matthew smiles at Elizaveth, holding up a peace-sign himself as they both laugh.
"Hi! My name is Elizaveth. Most of my friends call me Liz, Eli, or Beth. Nice to meet you!"
Elizaveth says, holding out her hand to shake hands with Matthew.
"Hi. My name is Matthew. My friends call me Mattie-dear and my family calls me Matt. Nice to meet you Liz."
Matthew says, bringing his hand to shake Elizaveth's, knowing that both are trying to not laugh at how silly they were being.
"So…how old are you Mattie?"
Elizaveth says, trying hard not to laugh, but seeing Matthew struggling to do the same makes it harder for her to not do it.
It didn't matter though, because both ended up laughing.
Matthew was laughing because of the silly look on Elizaveth's face.
Elizaveth was laughing because she knew that she was making a funny face.
"I-I was w-w-wondering if Gilbert was currently with someone right now?"
Matthew asks, hoping that the answer was no so that he won't feel guilty about flirting with him and possibly getting together with him—
'No! I won't let myself be used just for someone else's benefit!'
Matthew shakes his head as he thinks, oblivious to the calculating smirk on Elizaveth's face.
"Well…"
Elizaveth starts, hoping that she got Matthew's attention…
Yep, he's hooked.
"I don't feel comfortable saying this in front of all of our friends, so do you mind if I gave you my number and tell you personally? Don't worry, everyone will tell you here that I can't lie if my life depended on it."
Elizaveth says, knowing that Matthew would believe her since she hasn't been untruth for about what he's asked of her.
"Besides, I can rub it in Gilly's face that I managed to get your number before he did, no?"
Elizaveth says, laughing at seeing Matthew blush in embarrassment, as she winks at him.
Matthew slowly nods his head, hoping that Elizaveth wasn't just saying stuff to wind him up.
She beams at him, giving him her number as he puts it in his phone, all the while explaining why she calls Gilbert her 'brother'.
"—since I've known him practically all my life, I can tell when he lies to me or vice versa. Even when it comes to me finding out about the girls he'd rather I not know that he dated~!"
Elizaveth says, smiling at Matthew the entire time she finished bashing Gilbert and all of his faults.
"Did I mention how conceited he is? Ugh, he thinks he invented the word 'awesome'! Who the hell would do that? Only Gilly would…"
Matthew tries to hold in his laughter, but with what Elizaveth was saying and the hand gestures that she was giving, it was all he could do to keep it all in.
Until now.
"The word 'awesome'?"
Before he could think about it, he said what he thought aloud.
Elizaveth starts laughing now, making Matthew clutch his sides in a failed attempt to control his laughter as they both try to calm down their breathing.
Attempt failed, of course.
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Alfred, who got into Matthew's Smart Car® since Matthew took his bike to Maki Yaki©, sends a text to Ivan.
Hey babe! Whaddaya feel like
eatin'? I'm in the mood 4
Jap food~!
~ HamburgersFTW
He waits for a couple of minutes, starting up the car and checking where the restaurant is before heading off, seeing his phone signaling him that Ivan texted back.
What do you feel like eating?
~ Sunflower Lover
Alfred, laughing at how easily Ivan bends over to make him happy, sends him a quick text telling him the place that he wants to eat at.
I'm in th mood 4 sushi~!
Maki Yaki©?:3
~ HamburgersFTW
He doesn't wait to see what Ivan put; Alfred knows that he'll agree.
So he shifts the change-controller from 'parking' to 'driving' and starts heading towards Ivan's house, hoping that Nataliya wasn't home…
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He didn't think that it was such a big deal having everyone move around like they were playing the game "Musical Chairs", it was fun talking to whoever was on his right or left. It was when he realized that he was stuck in a corner between Heracles and Kiku that he started get suspicious how everyone was scooting their chairs close to the table to prevent Matthew from escaping.
Escaping what, he didn't know.
But he had a feeling that he was going to find out.
Matthew never ignored his intuition.
"So…"
Heracles says, trying to distract Matthew from noticing that everyone was starting to get closer and listen to what Matthew had to say, placing his hand on Matthew's shoulder.
"We've noticed that you've been acting much happier than you were a few weeks ago…Would you like to tell us why…?"
Matthew, who was wondering why everyone was staring at him, starts to realize that they trapped him and wouldn't free him until he answered.
Hockey Maple! How can they do this to him?
Matthew looks around as if trying to come up with an explanation, and seeing a blond head with a cowlick off to the side, starts to get up.
"If you guys will excuse me, I have to use the restroom right now."
Matthew says, hoping that shifting his hips back and forth looks convincing enough that they'll let him go.
Surprisingly, they did.
Hope fluttering at the bottom of his stomach, Matthew starts to head in the direction of the restrooms hoping that he was being convincing enough, and starts to head to the blond desperately hoping that it was Alfred.
"What do you mean I've ordered enough? You're the one who ordered five bentos! Why can't I order as much for the sushi and the bentos?"
Matthew almost cried tears of happiness at hearing his brother fighting with his boyfriend about food (again).
"Nyet sunflower, do you not see that I'm combining everything so that you can have a selection when we go back to my house? Besides, I thought that you said you were going to pay for half of it, da?"
Matthew sees Alfred and Ivan getting their order, looks around and tries to see how he can make it seem like he happened to bump into them.
Seeing that he was trying to Alfred's attention instead of Ivan's, Matthew walks directly in front of Alfred, since he knows that Alfred would notice eventually.
"Oof!"
Alfred says, feeling something coming at him from…the front?
He looks down and sees Matthew rubbing his head at where they collided.
Holding down the sudden urge to attack his older brother and cause attention, he looks at Ivan.
Wearing the same confused expression on his face, Alfred looks back at Matthew.
Matthew blinks up at Alfred, looking confused as to what the hell the pair is doing here at Maki Yaki©. Don't get him wrong, he's grateful that Alfred was there to come to his rescue. Wondering what he's doing there in the first place makes Matthew feel like this was all planned.
Matthew shakes his head, assuming that he's imagining things again.
'There's no way that Alfred could be that smart!'
Alfred, who's amused that Matthew looks confused at what he's doing there, whispers something quickly before looking back at Matthew and giving him one of those sibling smiles.
"What's up Mattie?"
Matthew smiles back at Alfred, quickly looking over his shoulder, before asking Alfred something.
"Would you mind if I hang out with you and Ivan for a bit? I promise I'll stay quiet and not get in your way!"
Curious as to what has Matthew acting all panicky; Alfred nods his head, not noticing a certain Russian pouting.
"Sure thing Mattie! You don't mind, do you Vanya?"
Alfred asks, looking Ivan right at the eyes, silently promising that it'll be worth his while if he waits patiently.
Accepting the challenging look in Alfred's eyes, Ivan slowly shakes his head, giving Matthew an apologetic smile.
Matthew smiles at the both of them, relieved to find out that he was leaving.
He feels kind of bad that he'll be leaving his friends, but hell it's worth it if they were going to put him in uncomfortable situations like the one just now.
"What did you guys come in?"
At Matthew's question, Alfred rubs the back of his head.
"I…uh…used your Smart Car®—please don't hurt me!"
Alfred says, holding his hands up to cover his face, not noticing that Ivan and Matthew were silently laughing at his display.
Matthew turns to Ivan, making sure that he speaks loudly and carefully pronunciating everything perfectly.
"Did he forget to put the blankets in the back of the two seats again?"
Ivan, surprised that Matthew spoke to him in Alfred's "room" voice, slowly nods his head in agreement.
"How was I supposed to know that I needed to put the blankets behind the seats?"
He tries to defend himself.
Matthew and Ivan laugh again, much to Alfred's embarrassment.
"Then I guess I'll follow you guys or…?"
Matthew asks, not sure how to word it.
Alfred and Ivan sober up, each trying to think of a solution.
"Would you mind riding the bike home?"
Matthew shakes his head, knowing that Alfred wanted to spend time with Ivan as much as he could.
Alfred laughs, making Matthew look at him in confusion.
"You're funny Mattie! I meant Ivan since he's strong enough; he can get home way before we do. Ain't that right Vanya?"
Alfred says, knowing that Ivan wanted to spend time, but he also knows that Matthew and Alfred need to spend as much time since they'll always be siblings first.
Blood is thicker than water, Alfred said once.
Matthew, not liking that Alfred's putting Ivan in the back burner, starts to leave.
"Hey, where're you goin' Mattie?"
Matthew turns around and looks at Alfred with a grin, catching him off guard.
"I'm going over to our house. I know you guys were going to end up going to my house—it's written all over your face Al. I'll meet you guys there!"
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"Do you think he noticed that we were watching him the entire time?"
Lorelei asks, knowing that she wasn't the only one seeing Matthew flee for his life while he left the gang at the table.
She hears murmurs of "nah", "no…", "dunno" and "huh?" and tries to stop the urge to pick up Kate from the floor and leave them too.
Almost.
"Is he gone?"
Elizaveth asks, looking over her shoulder to see if Matthew really ended up leaving.
Seeing that he did, she looks over at Nataliya and nods her head.
Nataliya starts unpacking all the knives that she has stored on her persona, slowly drawing the attention around her until finally everyone was wondering what else would come out of her dress.
"Now that I have everyone's attention…"
Elizaveth says, making everyone who was focusing on Nataliya, now making everyone focus on her.
"We need to start thinking of a plan for Mattie to get Gilly without having to ruin the whole "I'm not really a girl but a guy" façade…now, how to do that…"
Felik, knowing that Lorelei and Kate haven't known Mattie enough, starts to nudge Lorelei to look at him.
He smiles, hoping that he doesn't sound like a total bitch.
"Hey I don't mean to like rain on your like parade, but you and Kate have to leave now. This is like a talk between like Mattie's friends and Gilbert's friends. I like wish you guys can like stay, but you obviously like can't. I'm like so sorry…"
Felik says, knowing that by the look on Lorelei's face, it didn't sink well.
Kate at that moment decided to pick herself off of the floor.
"We're not leaving until you promise me at least one date with his cousin."
Kate points at Kiku, making Kiku start sputtering at the sudden bargaining that he hopes Felik doesn't do, holding her gaze steady as she sees what Felik will do.
Felik sighs, knowing that he owes Kiku one.
"Fine, you can like have a date with his cousin. But if she like doesn't like it, then that's that. No like trying to get a like second date out of her. You got that Kate?"
Kate nods enthusiastically, knowing that she's going to win Kiku's cousin's heart on their date, and starts to drag Lorelei out the door.
"As I was saying…"
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"I don't even know what you're complaining about Mattie! It's not like he tried to molest you or something right?"
Alfred says, letting Matthew help organize the take-out orders into the appropriate plates, trying to see where Matthew had left the Coca-Cola© the last time he bought some.
Matthew lets out a frustrated sigh.
"Oh sure, you have no idea what happened after you abandoned me to go unpack everything and went to the restroom, do you?"
Alfred, who found the Coke©, looks over to see what has Matthew so frazzled.
"Can't say that I do…"
Alfred says, knowing that Matthew was going to throw that to his face, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
Matthew scoffs, angrily spooning out the rice from the container and throwing the defenseless rice in the bowl, not seeing that Alfred's eyebrows furrowed in more confusion.
"The moment you went running in the house, I was putting away my bike since you obviously weren't going to remind Ivan to do so. When I came in the house, I noticed that you left everything on the kitchen counter. I started to bring out plates, not noticing your weird-o boyfriend looming over me."
Alfred gasps dramatically, reaching over one of the containers and started to nibble on a Crunchy Roll©, not noticing that Matthew smacked his hand with a metal spoon; making him nibble on his fingernail.
"So when I look to see who is behind me, I almost screamed when he started to hug me. He probably thought that I was you, because he kept on muttering about how I was his Sunflower."
Alfred blushes at this, knowing that Ivan only uses that endearment when the two are alone just for him.
"When I started struggling, I think he noticed that I wasn't you. The next thing he said was "Become one with Mother Russia, da?" I almost screamed Al! I thought I pissed in my pants! And then you come in through the archway and start spewing stuff about "Don't you corrupt my innocent older brother's mind!" Honestly Al, I'm older than you! Shouldn't I be saying stuff like that instead of the other way around?"
"So he did molest you! Don't worry Mattie; the Hero will bring justice to the Commie who defiled Canada!"
And insert 'heroic' pose here.
"…what the hockey maple are you talking about this time…?"
Matthew asks slowly, knowing that they weren't getting anywhere if he bothered to think the same way as Alfred. His past experiences will tell you that.
Alfred, realizing that he said that aloud (again), gives Matthew a peace-sign.
"Mind if we use your radio-from-hell-and-back to play the CD from the club Mattie?"
Alfred asks, making sure to use his puppy-dog eyes the entire time that he asked that question.
Matthew sighs before smiling at Alfred.
"You didn't need to use the eyes Al, I was thinking about using it anyway. Did you have a song in mind?"
Alfred grins.
"Yeah, but we need to celebrate first."
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"What did you want to do again?"
Matthew asks Alfred, who was busy convincing Ivan to do something, as he looks at the track number that Alfred put.
Matthew may not know the name to every single song on the CD, but when he hears the beginning he can tell what song it is.
Alfred looks at Matthew with a slightly tipsy face as he gets Matthew to stand right beside the radio.
Who knew that Alfred was a lightweight when it came to shitty vodka?
Ivan shakes his head, apparently having the same thoughts as Matthew.
"I wan' chu tah shing meh dah shong tha' I pikkk now, o.k.?"
Matthew, not wanting to deal with an upset Alfred, did what he said as the music started playing.
"Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh!"
Matthew blushes, knowing what song he was being forced to sing.
Giving Alfred a pleading look, Matthew turns to switch it to another song that he could sing, not seeing Alfred pulling his hand away from the controls.
"No. Mattie will shing dis shong, o.k.? I wanna hear mahy oller brojer shing. Puleashe?"
Alfred begs Matthew, showing him his puppy-dog eyes as Ivan was chuckling in the background enjoying both brothers embarrass themselves.
Matthew sighs in defeat, slowly nodding his head.
"I'll do it."
Alfred smiles at him.
"Check it out
Going out
On the late night
Looking tight
Feeling nice
It's a cock fight
I can tell
I just know
That it's going down
Tonight
"At the door we don't wait cause we know them
At the bar six shots just beginning
That's when dick head put his hands on me
But you see
"I'm not here for your entertainment
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight"
Matthew, who was finished with that verse, starts blushing at what Alfred, was telling him what to do concerning body movement and everything.
"Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
"Midnight
I'm drunk
I don't give a fuck
Wanna dance
By myself
Guess you're outta luck
Don't touch
Back up
I'm not the one
Buh bye
"Listen up it's just not happening
You can say what you want to your boyfriends
Just let me have my fun tonight
Aiight
"I'm not here for your entertainment
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight"
Matthew gulps, dreading what was going to come next. Alfred gives him the signal, telling him that the bridge to the song was coming. Matthew mentally groans.
"Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
Break break
Break it down
"In the corner with your boys you bet 'em five bucks
You'd get the girl that just walked in but she thinks you suck
We didn't get all dressed up just for you to see
So quit spilling your drinks on me yeah
"You know who you are
High fivin' and talking shit, but you're going home alone arentcha?"
While the bridge was being sung, Matthew started to move around like he knew what he was doing.
Sadly, he didn't.
Although, he was wondering who was going to be his "echo" when the last two verses came…
Until he saw Alfred go up to him and join him in his awful singing.
"Cause I'm not here for your entertainment
(No)
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
(Just stop and take a second)
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
(Know it's over)
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight
(It's just you and your hand)
"I'm not here for your entertainment
(No no no)
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
(Just take a second)
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight
Yeah oh"
A two second pause filled the air before Ivan's clapping over rode the silence, making Alfred laugh and Matthew sigh in relief.
"That was—how do you say it—awesome!"
Matthew could have sworn he saw Alfred's chest inflate itself with praise at the compliment, while Matthew goes off to the kitchen to get something to drink.
"My congratulations for singing so well comrade. I would have never suspected you had a talent for singing."
Ivan says, slightly ignoring a clingy Alfred all over his arm, giving Matthew his sincerest smile.
Caught off guard at the honesty, Matthew blushes as he mumbles a quiet "thank you", heading in the kitchen faster than he would have liked.
Seeing Alfred become paler than usual, Matthew motions for Ivan to bring him up to the kitchen sink, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Alfred—
Uh…never mind…
Walking back into the living room, Matthew notices his phone on vibrate.
Picking it up, he sees a number that he doesn't recognize.
Do you mind if we talk (not text)
in the next couple of minutes?
~ Liz
Getting an idea as to who was texting him, Matthew perks up and looks through his pockets in his search for Elizaveth's number.
He dials the number and waits, hearing Alfred calm down his hacking in the kitchen.
"Hello?"
Matthew blushes, suddenly remembering that he made a fool out of himself earlier that day, and tries not to sound as nervous as he felt.
"H-Hi Liz, it's me Matthew."
Pause.
"Eeeeeeek! How are you Mattie! What a surprise to have you call me~! Why, it would make a certain someone jealous if they found out!"
Elizaveth says, making Matthew giggle as he hears someone go "What the hell Liz? Who are you talking to?" over the phone.
"L-Liz? Is everything okay over there?"
He hears laughter ringing in the background followed by a "Is that who I think it is?" some fumbling, the sound of a pan hitting someone's face, and finally a few seconds of silence.
"Mattie? Sorry about that, Gilbert couldn't control his excitement when he found out that you called my phone. But it's all good now~!"
Wondering what all the commotion was about, Matthew decided to not ask.
"So…uh…you wanted to talk?"
"Hm? Oh that! I was wondering if you wanted to know what Gilly did for a living~! You know, since you two are going to be living together and adopting little ones—"
Matthew hears a "What the hell Liz? Hand over that phone right now! You're gonna freak her out if you keep saying shit like that!" a "What the hell are you two doing this time?" and a "Hi Roddie~! I was going to tell Mattie what Gilly works as and he started to tell me that I'm giving her T.M.I. Do you think I'm doing that?" before there's silence.
"Um, you know what Liz? I think that I have to kick my younger brother and his boyfriend out of the kitchen right now…they most likely made a mess, so I'll…call you later?"
Matthew says, hoping that Elizaveth heard him and texts him what Gilbert does later on.
"Look what you did Gilly! Now she's hanging up because of your stupidity! I hope you're happy now! Okay Mattie, I'll send you a text when you can call me, okay? Never be afraid that you'll be texting me at a wrong time; I'll always answer back, alright?"
Matthew smiles, before laughing in the phone.
"Deal!"
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"What time did you say you wanted to have your siesta again?"
Kiku asks, looking over at Heracles, as he brings out two strawberry flavored mochis for the both of them.
Heracles, propped up on the couch, sits upright and lets Kiku sit right next to him as he sets down the mochi in front of them.
Kiku sighs, knowing that Heracles wasn't going to answer until he says something first.
"The reast you can do is ask what's wrong."
Kiku mutters, not noticing that Heracles was giving him a smirk.
"If I did that, then you would freeze up and refuse to answer me. Am I wrong?"
Heracles says, noticing that said person did freeze up, leaning his head against Kiku's shoulder.
Kiku drops his head before sighing and bringing himself up to Heracles' eye level.
"I feel guilty about something that I did a while back."
Heracles blinks, not expecting for the Asian man to admit it so quickly.
"If it's about the first time we had sex, let me just say that we both agreed to it and—"
Kiku shake his head, blushing in embarrassment at what Heracles was saying.
"It's not about you Hera. It's about Berwald, Gilbert, and Ivan."
Heracles slowly nods his head, having a suspicion that there was a reason for the Asian's sudden lack of an appetite for the past couple of days, but gives Kiku's hand a squeeze of encouragement.
Kiku gives him a weak smile, squeezing back.
"If I had known that he was going to keep them in it for so rong, then I wouldn't have had agreed to it in the first prace. Maybe I should terr Ivan to stop the project once and for arr and—"
Heracles brings Kiku into a hug, startling the Asian at being cut off from saying his plans, and just leans into the hug.
"You tried your best Kiku. Gilbert and Berwald know how to handle themselves ever since that first started. The most you can hope for is that Ivan suddenly lost interest in pursuing his doctoral degree in adult psychology."
Kiku nods his head, knowing that only a certain blond-haired American can sway Ivan's mind…
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He shakes his head, turning his back away from staring at the window and walking towards his bedroom door, hoping that what he does won't affect his loved ones in any way.
"Don't worry about it. You know what you'll do once the time comes. You've always had that; knowing what to do when the time calls for it. Just make sure that it'll end up benefiting more than harming…"
He sighs, remembering what his boyfriend said to him that night when his world ended up tumbling upside down.
He sees a yellow canary standing on the ledge outside of the window, chirping softly. He tries to open the window slowly, wishing that the canary will stay on the ledge long enough for him to pet it.
Sensing that something was going to harm it, the canary stares right in his slate blue eyes before flying off into the night.
Ludwig sighs, knowing what he has to do.
He just hopes that it ends up for the greater good instead of ruining everything.
Liu - Thailand