Title: My Poor Heart Aches
Author: tatterdemalion
Characters: Matthew (Canada), Gilbert (Prussia), Ivan (Russia), Alfred (America) / Russia/America + some PruCan
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The only thing Ivan wants is to get to know Alfred better. The only thing Alfred wants is to punch the goddamn Russki in the face. From the "Le Lys et La Rose" universe.
Notes: In the same universe as "I Don't Really Know How to Tell You This"
Tuesday...
"Right, boys, that's it!" Alfred yelled across the pitch, checking his watch and kicking the football once more over at Antonio, who stopped it with nimble feet. "See you tomorrow!"
There were general shouts and grumbles as the football team took down the nets, gathered the balls, and then dispersed. It was a late summer afternoon, and the sun was staining the sky orange and red.
"See you, amigo!" Antonio breezed past him with a friendly grin, jogging to the end of the pitch where he'd carelessly tossed his sports bag.
Alfred waved after him, kicked at the grass with his cleats, and then turned to follow the brunette.
He stopped in his tracks.
There were bleachers that stretched along the side of the pitch, ready and waiting for tomorrow's football match. No one was around the pitch at this time after school, but all the same there was someone sitting on the lowermost bench, elbows on their knees, leaning forward, watching him.
Alfred's mouth twisted into a scowl. Seriously? This is the fourth practice he's done this!
The boy saw Alfred looking and straightened up, now reclining against the bench. Alfred could practically see the smirk on his face from here.
With a surge of annoyance, Alfred gave the boy the middle finger salute.
The boy waved back with large sweeps of his arm. Snorting, Alfred turned and made his way to the other side of the pitch, taking the long way back into the school to change.
Wednesday...
Matt and Gilbert were sitting in the bleachers during one of the school's football matches, watching their team's goalie Feliciano being chewed out by his brother, when a tall, fair headed boy came and sat down heavily beside them.
They wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't sat on Matt's hand.
"Ow, hey..." Matt said weakly, trying to tug his hand free. Even with the fact that the boy was wearing a winter jacket and scarf over his uniform, his frame was still broad and bulky, and Matt's hand remained effectively trapped.
Gilbert looked peeved. "Oi, Braginski." he snapped. "That's my boyfriend's hand you're crushing with your immense weight, do you mind?"
"Hm?" the boy, Braginski, looked over. "Ah, Beilschmidt, hello! This is your boyfriend? How cute!"
"Are you deaf, Russki?" Gilbert snapped with no trace of friendliness in his tone. "Get. Off. Mattie's. Hand."
Heaving an unperturbed sigh, Braginski obligingly shifted so Matt could pull his hand away.
As soon as Matt did, however, the larger boy immediately scooted back to his side.
"What is your name, friend?" he asked. Matt blinked.
"My name's Matt."
"I am Ivan!" the Russian grabbed the previously sat on hand and gave it a hearty squeeze. "I hear about you from my big sister! You know her, yes?"
"Katya? Yeah, she's in my Maths class!" Matt's face brightened, thinking of the cheery, sensitive girl. Katya was older than him but she was retaking the class this year for a better mark. Ivan looked pleased.
"And you also have brother? Alfred?" he asked again. Feeling a little more at ease after the awkward first impression, Matt nodded and pointed down to the pitch.
"Yeah, that's him right there, with Gilbert's brother!"
Gilbert, who hadn't said anything in a long time, and was clutching at Matt like he was afraid the younger blonde would disappear, now said testily, "Anything in particular that you wanted, Braginski?"
Matt elbowed him for his rudeness. Ivan didn't look like he'd heard that, the same smile on his face.
"Tell me about your brother." he urged. Matt was taken aback for a minute.
"Uh? Well, he - he likes playing football...and he never does his chores...and sometimes our dad threatens to send him to military school..."
"No, not like that." Ivan said evenly. "That's not very interesting. Tell me something else. Like what your brother likes to eat for dinner. Or if he likes any pretty girls. Or what he is afraid of!"
Gilbert stood, dragging Matt up with him by the elbow. "Wow, look at the time, it's been a blast." he said dryly. "C'mon Matt."
Matt was inwardly relieved for Gilbert's lack of tact - Ivan's questions, and his cheerful, condescending smile had resonated oddly in his subconscious. He let Gilbert tug him down off the bleachers and to the side of the football pitch, where Gilbert then led them around behind the bleachers.
Gilbert's face was furious. "Fuck, that kid is creepy!" he spat. His hand was still cupping Matt's elbow, and his thumb set to work rubbing absent circles into the blonde's flesh.
Matt must of looked bewildered, because Gilbert turned to him and ordered (Matt really shouldn't let Gilbert order him around, but for some reason it was just too attractive to berate him for it), "Stay away from that kid, Mattie. He looks all happy and shit but trust me, Braginski's a weirdo."
"Why was he asking questions about my brother?" Matt asked, glancing up. He could see sky through the slats of the bleachers, and people's feet on top of them. The sound of the match was muffled a little back here.
Gilbert shrugged, leaning against one of the metal foundations. "Beats me. I mean, they hate each other."
"Ivan and Al hate each other?" Matt repeated, wary of the way Gilbert was examining him. The albino took a step forward, backing Matt deeper into the shade of the bleachers and away from the chain link fence behind the bleachers, out of sight of prying eyes.
"They're always arguing about something in class." Gilbert explained absently, eyes glinting with something that sent simultaneous dread and excitement down Matt's spine.
"Hey, hey Mattie." Gilbert said, lips curling upwards as Matt's back hit the far back of the bleachers. "Let me see?"
With a belabored sigh, Matt loosened his tie and pulled the collar of his uniform shirt away from his neck, so that Gilbert could gaze triumphantly at the faint red mark that graced the blonde's collarbone. Gilbert gave it an almost dreamy look.
"Can I give you another one?" he asked eagerly. "Higher up this time?"
"No." Matt was quick to reply, covering it up again. "My papa would make fun of me, and Dad's only just let you into my room without looking like he wants to murder you in your sleep! If he sees a hickey, then you're not going to be able to even set a foot upstairs without Dad sending in the hounds!"
Gilbert looked like a kid who'd gotten coal for Christmas. "So not awesome!" he declared. Matt rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure you'll live."
Gilbert played with Matt's tie, a sulky pout on his face.
"He was asking what?" Alfred demanded after the game, wiping hair back from his sweaty brow. Matt shrugged helplessly, handing his brother a water bottle as Alfred paused to wave at several girls who were shouting congratulations at him on their way past.
"Stuff like...he asked me to tell him about you. What you liked. What you were...afraid of." Matt watched his brother's mouth curl into a sneer.
"What's going on?" the younger asked, to which Alfred replied, "Nothing, just don't worry about it. He's just trying to be a bully."
"Oh." Matt frowned. Ivan didn't seem like he was trying to intimidate- it was how the Russian came off as seeming, yes, but it was because Ivan's attitude was so non-chalant, so careless, but with enough underlying creepiness to unnerve someone. "Okay. Hey, do you want me to wait for you so we can catch the bus - ?"
"Huh? Yeah!" Alfred had been staring off into space, but now he shook himself and was back to his same, cheerful self. "Hold on, I just need to run inside and talk to the team, then I'll get changed and we're good to go! Meet me out by the front door of the school in ten?"
"Sure." Matt smiled, pushing Ivan from his mind. "See you there, Al."
"Yup!"
But by the time Alfred made it to the front, Matt was nowhere to be seen. Huffing, Alfred dropped his bag and sat down on the front steps.
"What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "If he's with that albino again, I swear to God..."
"You are still here!"
Alfred looked up and immediately regretted it. Ivan Braginski stood above him, hands in his jacket pockets, beaming like they were long lost friends. Alfred scowled up at him.
"Yeah, Braginski, I'm still here."
"Are you waiting for your brother?" Ivan asked innocently, and smiled triumphantly when Alfred's scowl deepened.
"Yeah, I heard you were asking him questions about me?" the blonde shot back, not bothering to get to his feet. "That's not creepy at all, Braginski, really."
"I didn't think so!" Ivan agreed airily. "He seems like a very, very nice boy! I think we would have had a very interesting conversation if his little keeper hadn't stolen him away."
Well, maybe Gilbert was good for something after all. Alfred rose quickly, taking a step forward so the two boys stood practically toe-to-toe.
"Shove off, Braginski." he said under his breath. "What exactly are you trying to do, huh?"
"That is easy question." Ivan tilted his head, staring at Alfred with those violet eyes. "I want to get to know you better."
Ivan managed to make this line sound incredibly threatening and Alfred, caught off guard, raised his eyebrows while he struggled to find some way to respond to that.
How do you respond to that?
"Well, I don't want to know you at all." he finally said petulantly. "So too bad!"
"Does not matter!" Ivan looked undeterred. "You do not need to know me in order for me to know you."
Alfred floundered for a second. "Look, just stay away from me, all right?" he demanded. "I swear, if you even talk to me or my brother I'll punch you in the face."
Ivan's smile was all threats. "I would like to see you try, Alfred!" he chimed. "So I will definitely be talking to you again!"
Alfred ground his teeth in frustration, causing the other boy to laugh warmly. "You are so easy to tease!" Ivan told him. "Your face is better when it is angry, because your smile gets annoying sometimes."
Alfred surged backwards to hit Ivan when the larger boy darted away with an airy laugh.
"Bye bye, Alfred!" Ivan told him menacingly, wiggling his fingers in a goodbye. "See you in class!"
Alfred had half a mind to cuss him out, but Matt was running up to him, bag over one shoulder, out of breath and strangely flustered.
"Sorry!" the younger boy apologized, trying to catch his breath. When Alfred looked over his shoulder, Ivan was gone. "I - I was talking to Gilbert and I lost track of the - "
"Mattie." Alfred eyed his brother's neck incredulously. "Is that a hickey?"
Matt paled, and slapped the palm of his hand to his neck, covering the bruising spot from his older brother's eyes. "N...no?" he tried. Alfred frowned.
"Are you serious, Mattie? That's...man, I don't want to see that!"
"Let's go catch the bus!" Matt babbled, speeding ahead of his brother anxiously. Alfred followed with an angry, "You'd better not be letting him take advantage of you, Mattie, or I'll kick his ass!"
"Alfred!" Matt pleaded, walking faster. "Let's not talk about it!"
"Like hell..." Alfred grumbled, Ivan temporarily forgotten.
Neither brother noticed Ivan watching them go, head cocked in thought.
