"…What are you doing, cher?"

"What does it look like?"

"Why are you making your bed?"

Mathew rolled his eyes. "Because I want to, duh."

"Are you planning on inviting Alfred back here?" Francis asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"N-no!" Mathew exclaimed, blushing faintly. He pushed his glasses up his nose, setting his teddy bear back on the bed. "Of course not, Papa…"

Francis shrugged. "Ah, well… Be sure to close your door, and you know where everything is at." He turned away.

"Papa!" Mathew exclaimed, turning beet red. "Don't be such a perv!"

"Sorry, Mattie," Francis shrugged unconvincingly. "It is what comes naturally, after all."

Mathew facepalmed, grumbling to himself. "So glad I didn't inherit that."

"Only as far as you know," Arthur said, walking by the door. "It just could have not developed yet."

"Dad…" Mathew sighed, watching his adoptive father go.

You see, Francis is his biological dad, but Mathew's mom left them when Mathew was very young, leaving them alone. Francis, being bi, soon met Arthur and fell madly, ridiculously in love. They got together, and, well, haven't been apart since. It's been 15 years, to the day.

And that was the reason why they were having a bunch of people over: 15 anniversary celebrations.

"Mathew, door!" Arthur called, cleaning. Of course.

"Coming," Mathew said, setting down his book and going to the door.

"Mathew!" Veneciano grinned happily, tackling his friend in a huge hug.

Mathew let out a gentle 'oof', smiling. He patted Veneciano's back, struggling to breathe. "Veni, breathing…is necessary…for life…" He gasped out.

"Sorry!" Veneciano apologized, stepping back.

A man with slicked back blonde hair rolled his eyes, ruffling Veneciano's hair.

"Oh, yeah!" Veneciano said, perking up. "Mattie, this is Ludwig. He's from Germany."

"Pleasure to meet you," Mathew said, sticking out his hand.

"Likewise," Ludwig said, taking Mathew's hand and shaking it firmly.

"Close the door please," Arthur said, sailing by with a broom in hand.

"Sorry, Dad," Mathew apologized, closing the door. He took Veni and Ludwig's coats, hanging them up in the closet. "Go in, have a seat. I'm on door duty tonight."

"Okay!" Veneciano said brightly, showing Ludwig into the brightly lit, spacious living room.

The doorbell rang again, almost instantly, and Mathew opened it.

"Antonio, Romano," Mathew smiled warmly.

Romano simply nodded, face set into his traditional scowl.

Antonio, on the other hand, hugged Mathew tightly, grinning excitedly. He'd known the Kirkland-Bonnefoy for many years; long before Mathew himself was born.

"Go right on in," Mathew said, once Antonio put him down.

"Come on, tomato-bastard," Romano said, pulling Antonio into the living room.

"Says the one named after the tomato," Antonio replied easily.

"Shut up, idiota," Romano scowled at him.

Mathew shook his head, smirking. Romano and Veneciano: twin brothers, but about as alike as black and white.

The night continued like this for a while.

"Alfred not here yet?" Francis asked, walking by with a platter of something soft looking.

"No…" Mathew shook his head.

"Ah, mon cher," Francis kissed Mathew's forehead. "I'm sure he will come."

And, as if he'd summoned him, the doorbell rang.

Mathew opened the door to find Alfred, smiling happily.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Alfred apologized profusely. "I…well, I had to go get these two." He jerked a thumb behind him to two young men that looked remarkably similar.

Both had black hair, and large, expressive blue eyes. Both had short, severely spiked hair, the ends bleached. One had the ends dyed blue, and the other went with purple.

"Meet Ko and Mi," Alfred said, pointing at them. Ko was the one with short hair, Mi's was long. "My delinquent elder 'brothers.'"

"I am not a delinquent," Mi sniffed, frowning at Alfred. "Well, maybe just a bit."

Ko just smirked happily, running a hand through his hair.

"Ko doesn't talk much," Alfred said. He took Mathew's hand, and pulled him into a hug. "Anyway, I missed you!"

Mathew smiled happily, tightening his arms around Alfred's waist. He pulled back after a moment, allowing Ko and Mi to walk by.

Ko sat down next to a young man with short, dark brown hair wearing a slimly fitting white sweatshirt, one of Mathew's friends, while Mi took a seat next to a man with long dark brown hair, tied back in a tight braid, who's name Mathew could not currently remember. One of Arthur's friends, he could remember that much.

"How are they your brothers?" Mathew asked, leaning onto Alfred once again.

"They're Mom's husband's sons," he said simply, burying his nose in Mathew's hair.

"Ah…" Mathew nodded understandingly.

Alfred's parents had divorced a few years ago, and his mom had started dating her hairdresser. Yeah, really.

Mathew led Alfred into the living room, just as Francis was making a toast.

"Thank you all for coming here to celebrate fifteen happy years together," he said, holding up a glass of his favorite red wine. "To those I know, to those I don't, thank you for being here. Cheers."

They all clapped; even Mi and Ko, though they had no idea who anyone was.

"Your brothers aren't going to make trouble, are they?" Mathew asked fearfully.

"Oh no," Alfred shook his head. "They hold a great respect for openly homosexual people, they being gay themselves."

"Still in the closet?" Mathew asked.

"Oh hell yeah," Alfred nodded. "Their dad is religiously homophobic."

"That must suck," Mathew said thoughtfully. He couldn't imagine living in a homophobic home…

"Uh-huh…" Alfred nodded, rubbing Mathew's shoulders.

He thought back to when he'd first met the man who was to become his stepfather…

He was 16. His parents had been divorced for a year.

"Hey, Al," his mother had said, leaning against his bedroom doorway.

"Yeah?" He'd replied, glancing up from his aviation magazine.

"I'm having a friend over for dinner. He'll be here in…" she glanced at her watch. "About five minutes. Think you could find somewhere else to stay the night? I'd like you to meet him of course, first, before you go."

"Sure, Mom," Alfred had nodded, tossing down the magazine and grabbing an old camouflage backpack from underneath his bed. "What's his name?"

"Jeremiah," she said dreamily. "Jeremiah P. Smith."

Alfred suppressed a snicker. "Okay, Mom." He finished stuffing his bag with clothes, and fished a padlock out of his desk.

"Oh, really now, honey," she said, eyeing the lock disdainfully. "I don't think you're going to need that."

Alfred shrugged, clicking the lock in place. He also locked the door, slipping the key into his pocket.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, he's here!" She had giggled like a schoolgirl, skipping to the door. "Hi…"

"Hello," Jeremiah had said, kissing her forehead lovingly. He tossed a glance at Alfred. "You must be…?"

"Alfred," he'd said, crossing his arms. "Alfred F. Jones."

"Jeremiah Smith," he'd said, sticking out his hand.

Alfred took the offered hand, disliking the feel of the damp, sweaty skin.

"You're not one of them gays, are you?" Jeremiah asked, staring at the youth clad in skin-tight skinny jeans, brown leather bomber jacket, and obnoxious graphic tee.

"Of course not," his mother had giggled nervously, flicking a glance at her son.

Alfred just stared at the two in disgust. He snorted, pushing past Jeremiah. He'd wound up at Mathew's house that night. Again.

"Alfie," Mathew said, tugging on his sleeve. "Papa wants to know if you'd like a glass of wine."

"No thanks," Alfred replied. "No offence, but, how can he stand that stuff? It's so bitter."

"He says its an acquired taste," Mathew shrugged. "I think its nasty too, so…"

Arthur ruffled his hair as he passed by. "Francis is the only reason we have wine in this house."

Alfred smirked. "I don't think your dad likes wine either."

"He doesn't like any type of alcohol," Mathew rolled his eyes. "He's such a lightweight; it's almost depressing."

"The exact opposite of Francis…" Alfred said thoughtfully, tapping his lip.

Ko leaned against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling. Beside him, calmly immersed in the book that Mathew had left out, was Kiku, the Japanese foreign-exchange student.

"What is your name?" Kiku asked quietly, glancing at Ko out of the corner of his eye.

"Ko," he said easily, running a hand through his hair. "Yours?"

"Kiku," Kiku replied, glancing down at his book. "D…do you go to school around here?"

"Yeah," Ko nodded. "I'm starting next Monday. Do you?"

"Hai," Kiku nodded emphatically. "Foreign…foreign exchange student?" He was having a little trouble with the unfamiliar words.

"That's right," Ko nodded.

Beside him, Mi was practically drooling over the Chinese man whose name Mathew [and I] forgot.

He's so cute I'm gonna die! Mi thought, smiling at him.

"What is your name, aru?"

Ko covertly pinched Mi's butt, making the other jump and squeak.

Mi tossed a glare at him, then turned back to the other, ponytail whipping.

"What did you do that for?" Kiku asked curiously, lisping faintly.

"He's drooling," Ko shrugged.

Kiku blinked confusedly. "But…no he is not."

"Figure of speech," Ko said. "What I'm saying is," he raised his voice a notch, so that the object of attention could hear, "Mi finds your friend very attractive."

"Ah…" Kiku nodded. "I understand now."

Mi blushed faintly, and the China-man grinned.

"Damn tomato bastard…" Romano growled, glaring at the Spaniard sleeping in a corner.

"There's a spare bedroom just down the hall, cher," Francis said, pointing. "You're welcome to use it."

"Oh, uh…grazie, Francis," Romano said, grabbing Antonio's collar. "Which room was it again?"

"Last door on the left," Francis supplied, taking a sip of his wine.

"Grazie," Romano nodded, hauling his 'tomato-bastard' down the hall by his collar.

Francis, smirking slightly, watched them go. He shook his head. Who'da thunk that little Romano would be one to fall for older men?

"Well someone looks insanely happy," Arthur said, stepping close to his partner of 15 years.

"It's the wine," Francis replied. "It's spiked."

"That makes no sense whatsoever," Arthur shook his head.

"It doesn't have to," Francis smirked, pulling Arthur to him for one of his classic mind-melting kisses.

"…Must you always do that when I'm thinking?" Arthur asked once they had pulled apart, head spinning.

"Oui," Francis grinned evilly.

"Oh, you're lucky I love you," Arthur rolled his eyes, pulling Francis down for another kiss.

Across the room, Alfred was sitting with a sleepy Mathew on his lap, running his fingers through his feather-soft hair.

"Aw…" Mi sighed. "It's so kawaii. I wish I had a camera."

"Shut up," Alfred said, without any real force behind it.

"You're funny if you think that's going to work," Ko snorted.

"Hey now," Mi stuck his tongue out at his twin. "Sometimes I listen."

"Very rarely," Ko added. He sat back on the couch, turning to Kiku. "Do you think he's crazy?"

Kiku blinked, looking a little confused.

"Well that was rude," Mi poked Ko in the center of the back.

"Oi!" Ko scowled at him. "Prick."

Mi just grinned.

Alfred stood up, cradling Mathew close to his chest. He brought him to his room, setting him down on his freshly made bed. He removed Mathew's glasses and set them down on the bedside table.

"Don't leave," Mathew yawned, reaching out to grab Alfred's wrist. "Please?"

"If you say so," Alfred said, kneeling down next to the bed.

"That's not what I meant," Mathew yawned again, pulling him up onto the bed. "I'm cold."

Alfred automatically wrapped his arms tightly around Mathew, pulling him close to his chest.

Mathew hummed happily, lips curving into a smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Alfred said. "I'm your hero, after all. It's my job to make sure you're happy."

Mathew smiled, eyes closed, half asleep.

"Hey…" Mi glanced around suddenly. "Where's Alfred go?"

"He went to put Mathew to sleep," Ko replied. "What, don't you remember?"

"That was, like, a half hour ago," Mi said earnestly.

"He probably fell asleep," Ko rolled his eyes.

"Ludwig," Veneciano yawned, leaning against his partner. "I'm seepy."

"I can tell," Ludwig said. He glanced around curiously, looking for a clock. "It is about one in the morning." He looked down at the top of Veneciano's head, smiling faintly. "I think it's time to head home."

"Goodnight," Arthur said, waving goodbye. "See you next time."

"Yes," Ludwig nodded, Veneciano's nearly-completely-asleep form draped over his shoulder.

"Hm…" Veneciano muttered sleepily. "What a nice ass…"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, patting Veneciano's back. "Goodnight, Arthur." He turned away, saying to the smaller man, "you can feel me up more once we get home, Veneciano, so stop trying to grope me."

"I'm not trying…" Veneciano yawned, arms dangling at that perfect height. "It's just happening."

Arthur rolled his eyes, closing the door. He turned to the rest of the people in the living room.

There was Ko, Mi, Kiku, [China], and Francis.

Antonio and Romano had disappeared to one of the guest bedrooms, probably by Antonio's choice. Though, Romano was probably mostly willing.

Alfred and Mathew were snoozing together in Mathew's bed, absolutely adorable.

Ludwig and Veneciano had just left.

Arthur yawned, leaning against Francis tiredly. The Frenchman, of course, was perfectly wide awake.

Eventually, after about another fifteen minutes, the only ones left were the ones who lived there, and Mi and Ko.

"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Francis asked the two.

Both shook their heads emphatically. "No, no thank you. If we could just borrow a blanket and some floor space, though…" Ko said, glancing down at his hands.

"What's wrong?" Francis asked curiously. "Worried about something?"

"No," Mi shook his head.

"Well…" Ko sighed. "Maybe."

"Let me guess," Arthur said, standing beside Francis. "Homophobic family?"

"Father," Ko and Mi said simultaneously. "He doesn't know, though…he thinks we're just 'acting out' about his marriage to Alfred's mom."

"Ah…" Francis nodded. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you need to. There's spare bedrooms right down the hall."

"Thank you," Mi said earnestly. He yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I think we're going to take you up on that offer," Ko added, trying to stifle a yawn of his own.

"First and second door on the right," Francis said pointing. "Do you need some pajamas to borrow?"

"No, thank you," they said simultaneously.

Francis smiled, nodded, and left for the kitchen.

"Well, come on twin," Ko said, taking Mi's hand and leading him down the hallway. He opened the first door on the right, and shut it after them.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The two boys flopped onto opposite sides of the bed. Mi curled in on himself, and Ko spread out to take over his half of the king-sized bed.

"Still not used to sleeping alone," Arthur muttered, smiling.

"Did you say something?" Francis asked, poking his head out of the kitchen.

"No," Arthur shook his head, "nothing important, anyway."

Mathew poked his head into Ko and Mi's shared room, and smiled.

Somehow, during the night, one's hand had found the other, and they were clasping hands.

"Aw…" Alfred smiled, digging his phone out of his pocket. "That's one for the memory book."

Mathew rolled his eyes, walking over to the window. He pulled back the curtains, flooding the room with light.

Mi groaned, rolling over, blocking the light, still tightly holding Ko's hand.

Ko's eyes popped open, and he stared around blankly.

"Good morning," Mathew said brightly, waving. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a rock," Ko yawned.

"Not long enough," Mi blinked sleepily.

The two separated, stretching, and climbed out of the bed.

"But," Mi admitted, following Ko and Mathew out the door, "it was one of the best night's sleep I've gotten in awhile."

"I know what you mean," Mathew nodded, glancing at Alfred out of the corner of his eye.

"Someone go wake up the tomato fairy and the tomato bastard," Arthur yawned.

"I am not a tomato fairy," Romano grumbled, stumbling out of the bedroom, his hair and clothing in utter disarray. "I'm missing my belt…"

"It's still in here, Roma," Antonio said, poking his head out the door.

"I know that, idiota!" Romano grumbled, marching back over. His pants slipped a little giving one a view of a perfect butt.

"I could have sworn he was wearing underwear when he got here…" Francis commented. "I wonder where they might have disappeared off too."

"Turn off the perv," Arthur grumbled, leaning against the counter. "It's too early."

"It's never to early for perversion!" Antonio grinned, coming out of the bedroom. He sat down next to Romano at the extra-long bar facing the kitchen.

"How do you two know each other, anyway?" Alfred asked curiously, sitting at the opposite end of the bar.

"We went to a 'camp', of sorts, when we were in our teens, designed to 'cure the mental illness that is homosexuality'," France said, laughing. "Ludwig went too, and Arthur, and [China]."

"Really?" Alfred grinned. "Damn, that's funny."

"Says the one who named his glasses after a state," Mathew rolled his eyes. "A state you've never even been in, even."

"But one I'm planning on visiting!" Alfred replied. "I want to go to Texas!"

"And I wanna go to Japan," Ko said, rolling his eyes. "Is that likely to happen? Not anytime soon."

"Speaking of Japan," Mathew said, "I saw you talking to Kiku last night."

Ko shrugged, blushing imperceptibly, looking down. "He's nice. I like him…"

"He's gay, did you know that?" Alfred said absently.

Ko brightened, just a little bit. "Oh is he now?"

"He seemed interested in you, too," Mathew said, poking the scrambled eggs on the plate in front of him. "Could someone pass me the salt?"

Ko handed it down the table, now fighting to suppress an ecstatic grin.

So. Another one-shot. Another cute one-shot, even. That makes what, three? No, there is not going to be a sequel, cause I'm lazy and don't wanna write one. That's a good enough excuse, isn't it? In case you were curious, 'Ko' means 'child' in Japanese.

Also, I have a monster. His name is TrashCan. He only eats fire, reviews, and harsh toxic chemicals. Oh, and hairdryers. Can't forget the hairdryers. Feed the monster! He will stay fat and happy and not want to go eat your hairdryer. Tell me about any grammatical errors, spelling errors, and such and such, because I do read the reviews before I feed them to TrashCan.

RESTEZ FORTS!