A/N: This was fail. It started out as them being little kids and Mattie not knowing the difference between a boy and a girl and his parents always called him their daughter so he assumed he was physically a girl. Then Alfred thought he looked like a girl and Mattie always wore girl's clothes and acted girly, so he didn't know either. Er… Love is blind? /shot But then Mattie's parents wanted to be selfish and want a girl even though they got a boy and… yeah…

Did you see what I did thur? With Matilda and Amelia? Completely different personalities. XD I'm not sure if I want Alfred's dad to be Arthur. But then, I didn't want to just make up some random name, so I left it as "Alfred's dad."

Um… I really hope I didn't offend anyone with the crappiness of this fic. I know nothing of what would happen to someone's psyche if they were brought up as the opposite gender or how they would react if they ever found out. I just want to say that I honestly don't care what gender you are, why you were raised the way you were, who you are. As long as you treat me friendly, I will be friends with you. Haters can go hate themselves. Also, since Alfred says he doesn't care about gender, I just wanted to say that that is called pansexuality - one who doesn't base their attraction on gender or sex.

A note, I left the pronouns and such feminine to show that even though Mattie is really a boy, she and Alfred think of her as a real girl. But then when Al's dad talks, 'he' says he and makes derogatory remarks. And in the beginning and the middle when it only says "Mattie" and not a pronoun, that was purposeful. Alfred thought Mattie was a girl so there was no need to use a pronoun with him, just repeat the name. (Kinda defeats the purpose of pronouns even existing. XD)

It never failed. The one thing that always ruined a great childhood friendship was puberty. And quite frankly, Alfred hated puberty. Though, that could be taken as a very drastic understatement.

Ever since he had hit his growth spurt, he had been taller than Mattie and his voice was scratchy and cracked at ungodly moments.

Then there was Mattie. Mattie hadn't grown even an inch in a whole year since Alfred hit his spurt. Mattie's voice wasn't scratchy, or cracked. It was still the same soft like when they were kids.

But now Alfred was a man, or so said his father. He was supposed to be playing sports and noticing girls but, all Alfred wanted to do was play with Mattie.

"Dad is being dumb. He says that now that I hit puberty, I have to start noticing girls. But, I notice them all the time. They're always giggling and putting on make-up." Alfred laughed and gave a fake shudder. "Girls are so icky. B-But! Uh… Not you. You're nice." Alfred smiled at Mattie.

"My Papa said that girls don't like younger guys." Mattie said.

"But I'm older, so do I have a chance?"

Mattie nodded.

"You must be a late bloomer. Dad said Mom was one. Don't worry, Mattie." Alfred patted Mattie's back.

"I don't know. What if something's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you! I told you my Mom was a late bloomer, so just be patient."

"Dad says I have to stop spending so much time with you, Mattie."

Mattie was crying.

"It's so confusing. He told me to me to start noticing girls and the only person I spend time with is you. It doesn't make sense."

"I-I really like you, Al. I don't want to have to stop spending time with you."

"I know Mattie, I know."

"That's a real pretty dress, Mattie," Al said, pointing to the new clothing piece.

"Really? Momma picked it out for me. She said it would look pretty on me. Thank you." Mattie twirled around, letting the hem fan out.

"Yeah. She was right. It's very pretty on you."

"I told you to stop seeing that boy, Alfred!"

Alfred looked at his father in confusion. "I-I'm not seeing a boy. I only hang out with Mattie. And she always wears dresses."

His father sighed. "Alfred, I know you just want to be nice, but you don't have to be friends with some flamer. Especially one who dresses as a girl."

"What are you talking about, Dad?"

"That Williams kid. His parents wanted a girl, but when their son was born, they started dressing him as a girl. I'm sorry you had to be tricked like that, son."

"M-Mattie's a… guy?" Alfred furrowed his brow. "But that makes no sense. Mattie is so nice and sweet."

"That's because his messed up parents raised him to think he is a girl. Now I don't want you hanging out with him anymore."

At school, Alfred avoided Mattie. Instead of their usual routine of meeting by Mattie's locker, Alfred decided to watch Mattie from afar throughout the day.

Alfred watched how Mattie was bullied by different people during the day. In the morning, a bunch of guys on the football team teased Mattie and tried to flip his? her? dress. Then at lunch as Mattie walked down the aisles in the cafeteria, looking for an open place to sit, people would claim a whole table for themselves so Mattie couldn't sit down or others would throw food.

In the hallways, Mattie was shoved into lockers and once almost tripped down the stairs. And the thing that upset Alfred the most was how people glared when Mattie went into the girl's restroom.

It didn't make any sense. Did everyone know Mattie was really a boy except for Mattie?

It still didn't matter. No one deserved to be treated the way Mattie was.

At the end of the day, as Mattie walked down the hallway towards the back exit of the school to start walking home like always, Alfred ran up to catch… her.

"Mattie! Mattie!" Alfred called and he flew down the empty hallway. Mattie turned around and smiled weakly at him.

"H-Hi, Al. Were you sick this morning?"

"Uhh, yeah. I wasn't feeling so good." Mattie frowned. "B-But I feel better now and I was wondering if you wanted to walk home like always?"

So the two walked like they always did. Out of the school, across the soccer field, past the elementary school, and down the road to their neighborhood.

"A-Al?" Mattie asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I-I think… I think I know why I never… er, 'bloomed'."

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

Mattie shifted uncomfortably as she walked. "I-In health class today… We went over puberty and reproduction and…" Mattie started crying. "I-I'm so confused, Al. T-T-The book said that I'm a guy!"

Alfred stopped. "What do you mean, Mattie?" Did Mattie really find out this way?

"I-I mean t-t-that I'm not a girl! Al, I'm so confused. Please tell me the books were wrong!" Mattie clung to Alfred and buried her face into his shoulder.

Alfred patted her shoulders and held onto her as she cried. Then he got an idea. "C'mon, Mattie. Let's go to our old hideout. That'll make you feel better, right? Just, please. Don't cry."

"I-I think I can explain for you, Mattie."

"Y-You mean... w-what I am?"

Alfred nodded with a bit of hesitation. "M-My dad said that your parents wanted a… daughter. B-But, they had you instead."

Mattie began tearing up.

"T-That's not a bad thing, Mattie! You're the prettiest person I've ever met!" Alfred waited for Mattie to wipe away her tears before he continued. "S-So after you were born, Dad told me they dressed you up as a girl and never told you the difference. Do you understand?"

Mattie nodded. "S-So I'm… really a boy?"

"Yeah."

"I see…" Mattie looked at her lap and just sat still for a few minutes. "I-I don't know how to be a boy…"

"Then don't be."

Mattie looked at Alfred in shock. "What do you mean?"

"You were raised like a girl so, just stay a girl." Alfred shrugged. "It makes sense to me."

The slightly frayed hem of her dress suddenly became very interesting as Mattie began picking at it. "B-But… Alfred? Does anyone else know?"

"That you're really a guy? U-Um… Yeah." Mattie nodded and hung her head low and sobbed quietly. "A-Actually… I wasn't sick this morning. Dad told me not to see you anymore. But… I can't. So… I just watched you today. I-I think the whole school knows. That's why everyone's so mean to you."

A few tears fell onto Mattie's lap. "I-I never knew the difference… Momma and Papa always called me their little daughter."

"But even if you know you're physically a guy, er, that still doesn't change who you are," Alfred said as he rubbed Mattie's shoulder. "You're still the super nice and smart person I met when we were little."

"I-I'm just so confused. Why… Why would Momma and Papa do this to me? Why would they lie like that?"

"Y-You don't have to come with me, Al." Mattie said as the two walked up her driveway. "I-I can talk to them alone."

"Yeah, but I want to come. In case you need help, ya know?"

Mattie nodded and opened the front door. They walked the hallway into the kitchen like they had for so many years. Mattie's parents were in the kitchen, drinking coffee like they always did after a long work day.

When they heard the footsteps, they greeted the two warmly. Matilda was the first to sense something wrong between the two teenagers.

"I-Is something wrong, sweetie? Did something happen at school today?" She hurried to her daughter's side and checked her over.

"N-No. I… I just wanted to talk with you and Papa, is all."

Matilda nodded and she and her husband sat down at the dining table with the kids. "What is it you want to talk about? Should Alfred be here?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I need Alfred here." Mattie glanced sideways at him. "A-At school today, Momma, I-I found out that," Matilda wrung her hands. "T-That physically I'm a boy."

Matilda and Francis were shocked. "W-What did you just say?" Matilda gasped.

"I-I'm a boy, Momma." Mattie hung her head. "W-Why did you guys lie to me?"

Matilda spluttered as she tried to find an answer. "W-Who told you this? Was it Alfred? Did you touch Mattie?"

Alfred shook his head. "I would never touch Mattie! How could you say that?"

"Al didn't touch me, Momma. I found out in health class…" Mattie couldn't bring herself to look at her parents anymore.

"Cher, mon petite," Francis said. "We only did this to protect you."

"Protect me… From what?"

Francis faltered. "F-From living like a horrid little boy. To raise you right."

Alfred frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Dad raised me right and he never lied to me about my gender."

From there, the argument on why Mattie's parents lied to her escalated. Voices were raised and tears fell. By nine o'clock, Mattie's face was beat red from crying and Alfred had a mind to take her away. None of the explanations Mattie's parents threw at them were able to be backed up with legitimate answers, their stories twisted and turned and made screwy turns.

Alfred snuck Mattie to his house that night; they quietly tip-toed through the house, up to Alfred's bedroom.

Mattie thanked Alfred profusely as he set up a futon on the floor for himself and made up the bed for Mattie. He told Mattie to take a shower in the connected bathroom and he would have the beds set up when she was done.

Mattie showered quickly and changed into the pajamas she had brought with her. After brushing her teeth, she opened the door to find Alfred sitting on the floor with two movie cases in his hand. He smiled sheepishly.

"I-If you don't want to, we can just go to sleep. But I thought it would help get your mind off of things."

Mattie smiled and said, "That's actually a great idea. What do you have?" She sat down next to Alfred and looked at the movies.

One was a horror, ghost flick, and the other was a sappy, romance movie. Mattie giggled. "You know I've never liked romance stories, Al."

Alfred laughed nervously. "Y-Yeah, sorry." He stood up and pushed the DVD into the player and the movie started.

Neither of them remembers when they fell asleep, but the next morning, when Alfred's alarm clock went off at six, they both knew that they were very flustered.

Alfred jumped up, taking his hands from Mattie's waist and Mattie flushed, very embarrassed to have been in their previous position.

"I-I'm very sorry, Alfred!" She whispered. "I-I-I didn't mean to fall asleep on the floor!"

"It's alright, but we need to get ready for school befo-"

And as if Alfred had just jinxed them, his father came into the room to make sure his son had gotten up. Looking between the two, it was quiet for a few seconds before he shouted. "Out! Out now! I don't want you in my house!"

Alfred's father came into the room and grabbed Mattie by the wrists and started dragging her out of the bedroom. Alfred lunged forward and attempted to pry his death grip off.

"Dad, stop! You're hurting Mattie!" He pointed out how Mattie was wincing from the pressure on her thin wrists.

"I don't care. I want this flamer out of my house, now!" They were nearing the stairs and Alfred began worrying if his father would push Mattie down them.

"Dad, stop!" Alfred made one last attempt and got Mattie out his dad's grip. "Mattie isn't a flamer, so stop that!" He pushed Mattie behind him as she cradled her soon-to-be bruised wrists.

"Alfred, don't test me, boy. This is my house and you follow my rules."

Behind the two teenagers, Alfred's mother came out of the bedroom. She was buttoning up her coat and asked what all the yelling was about.

"Dad hurt Mattie," Alfred explained.

"Why do you even care what happens to him?"

"B-Because! I-I like Mattie! Alright?" Alfred blushed as everyone stared at him.

"What are you saying, boy? That you like this little pussy-boy?" Mattie shrunk down.

"No. I'm saying that I've liked Mattie since we were little and if she's a boy or a girl, doesn't matter to me. And I'm not letting you throw her out."

Before his rage could get out of control, Amelia took her husband and escorted him down the stairs and into the kitchen for some coffee.

Left upstairs, Mattie looked at Alfred with a deep blush. "D-Did you mean that?"

"Y-Yeah. I guess. I-I mean… I've liked you since we were little. I always thought you were so pretty. And when Dad said that you were really a boy, but you didn't know it, that confused me a bit, but it didn't make any of my feelings for you leave." Alfred rubbed his neck. "Y-You probably think I'm some pervert, huh?"

Mattie shook her head. "No. I don't." Then she leaned up on her toes and kissed Alfred's nose. "T-Truthfully, I've liked you too. But when I found out I was a boy, I thought you would be scared off."

"I don't care what gender you are, Mattie. As long as you stay yourself."

Mattie smiled wide. "I-I really needed that, Al. Thank you."

"Needed what?"

"That acceptance. If I know at least one person will accept me if they know I'm a boy, then I won't care. And… it's a plus that you're the one."