Author's Note: Thank you for opening this collaboration of a fan fiction! We really appreciate you taking the time to read and review. ^^ I'm TheGuardianKnux, and with my good friend, Annzy Bananzy, we are proud to present to you, this fan fiction!

It was a clear, warm day as Matthew gazed up at the towering buildings ahead with a sense of pride and a happy smile. He was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of finally attending the school of his dreams: Rosa Academy, school for the gifted.
Many people, great people, had walked the halls he was about to walk now. For years upon years this strong threshold of knowledge had stood, and he was about to step foot right into the crimson carpeted halls just as the brochure had said! He couldn't believe he -
"Mister, I'm hungry..."
… Had forgotten to feed his bear...

"I'm sorry, Kumi," he apologized quietly. "We'll go and find you some food right away."

The bear looked up at him curiously with glassy, black eyes that were rather unnerving to some. "Who are you, again?" he asked almost as quietly as himself.

Matthew sighed dejectedly and looked up to the sky. "I'm Matthew Williams," he stated, "your owner. And proud student of Rosa Academy."
Gazing down the trodden cobblestone pathway, he gave a tranquil sigh and started up again, imaging a swelling, dramatic orchestrated score as he did so. Today would be the day, he imagined, a small smile conjuring back upon his slightly delicate features as his boots connected against worn stone. Today, he would no longer be just some dorky kid with hopes and dreams too big for his britches. Today he could become someone. Today, he could make note of himself like thousands of others had before him!
He had to thank his kind mother, really. He knew it was hard work raising a child by yourself, but he prided himself with at least being rather well behaved and mature for his age. And, luckily, it had paid off. He and his valiant mother had raised enough money, and pushed his studies hard enough to win him a prepaid scholarship! Oh, his heart had soared when he received confirmation that morning. And after a few months of packing and prepping, he had finally made his way for what he hoped would be an enjoyable experience ahead.
Those were the emotions and memories surging through him as he stopped once more to gaze up at the towering complex of stone and stained glass. The place looked magnificent, almost unbearably so, what with its many tall towers and the healthy, green ivy climbing its slightly worn surfaces. Many other fixtures, such as chilling gargoyles peering over the roof and an old-fashioned bell tower, added an almost gothic, yet fairytale atmosphere to the environment.

Although he couldn't see it from the front, he had also heard about the splendorous garden out back with tall hedges and proud, famous bushes of roses. This was one of the most notable and famous features about the school: its abundance of flowers. Between dashes of peonies, sunflowers, marigolds, poppies, or chrysanthemums were roses. Many roses of all different shades, hues, and patterns were known to dot the courtyards, hallways, classrooms, and tall towers of the school. The crest was a rose, even! And, the most obvious of all, the school's name meant rose in Latin.

That's what mystified and intrigued Matthew the most about the whole school: the roses. Roses weren't exactly the easiest flowers to take care of. His Mother's own bushes weren't that hearty after all, so how was it that during each and every season these roses continued to blooms every year without fail?
And why make it the school's flower of choice? To him, roses were an alright flower, but they had thorns. Wouldn't that mean you were symbolizing that your school was more like... a barred fortress, of some sort? Maybe to the outside world, at least? That was an unusual message for a school to send. Why would you want to keep everyone out? Usually schools like to enroll everyone they can.
Maybe he was reading too deep into things. After all, it was just a motif, right? What could be so mystifying about a flower, anyways?
Still standing inside the gate fixture, these thoughts continued to mystify him. Trying to shrug off his "over imaginative" mind, he started to walk forward when-
"Ooof!"

The next minute the wind was knocked out of him, and he was sprawled, thankfully, in the grass. With someone right on top of him!
Luckily, as he opened his eyes and tried to breath a little bit of oxygen back into his lungs, he realized his glasses had not been broken and he got a good gaze at who he was looking at-

… A... Boy?
Right on top of them, groaning slightly, was the body of a rather lanky and feminine-looking person of indefinite gender, who didn't seem to weigh all that much. Their hair was a rather nice shade of golden blonde that flowed in waves. And, as to what his hand accidently felt, it seemed to go all the way down to their tailbone. Some locks in the front seemed parted to the left, framing their face. Also, coincidently enough, they had an odd hair curl as well, just like him! It wasn't looped, but it seemed to flow straight out and curl at the bottom. He imagined if this person had shorter hair and glasses, they could be mirror doubles.

But what really got his attention was their eyes. Wide, curious, and slightly surprised oceanic eyes that gleamed with... Excitement? Curiousity? Mischief? He couldn't be sure. And before he had a chance to find out, the person spoke curiously:
"Bonjour? Do I know you?"
Well, that made one thing more obvious. Their voice seemed lower than a girl's, so this person must be male. Right?

"Um..." Matthew answered, still investigating him a little, "No, I... I just got here."
Eyes widening, his vast blue eyes seemed to alight with an odd sort of fire as they replied cheerfully, "New!? Oh! How exciting!"
"... Th-thanks," he said, smiling weakly, not sure how else to respond. "Perhaps you could get off of me, now?"

Blinking at him for a moment, the other boy looked down and then bolted up, almost in a flash, and laughed sheepishly. "I guess I ran straight into you, didn't I?" Extending a hand, he offered it to Matthew, a kind smile on his face, "Here, let me help you."

"Thank you," Matthew replied, returning the smile as he took his hand. Finding, strangely, that it was extremely cold; almost like a block of ice.

The other boy then noticed his polar bear and at first gave a curious look, then his expression faltered for a second, as if processing something. Shifting his observant gaze, its intensity soon melted into that one of curiosity and excitement as he asked, "Are you Matthieu Williams?!"

Shocked to a certain degree, Matthew responded hesitantly, "Yes, how... how do you know about me?" He hadn't expected anyone to know him yet; he had just arrived a few minutes ago, after all! And it wasn't like he was famous or anything, so how...?
"Vous..." the boy murmured, in what sounded like French for a minute, before it seemed that he had connected the dots. Yelping in surprise, Matthew felt himself hugged tightly as the slightly shorter blonde squealed happily, "I knew it! I don't know how it took me this long to figure it out! I mean, I'm pretty sure Arthur showed me your picture and all-"

"Arthur?" Matthew interrupted. "Who's Arthur? I don't recognize anyone with that name..." His mind started racing as he struggled to recall anyone by the name of Arthur, but his mind was completely blank. He definitely had no idea who this person was, so how did he know him? And have his picture?!
Pausing, he gave a slightly funny look then chuckled, replying, "Oh, just a friend of mine. Rather gaudy eyebrows that look like the my caterpillar friends out in the courtyard." Shaking his head, making his tresses of hair bounce, he seemed to refocus himself as he replied quickly, "Anyways, what I was saying was, you're my roommate!"

"Oh!" Matthew exclaimed, relief filling him. That must be how he knew whom he was; obviously, this Arthur person must be on the school committee or something, and he had shown this man a picture of him since they'd be sharing a room. "Well, it's nice to meet you, ah..." he stopped as he realized he didn't know his own roommate's name. Talk about unprepared...
Blinking rapidly for a moment, he asked in confusion, "Pardon -? Oh, wait!" chuckling, he adjusted himself and quickly kissed both of Matthew's cheeks in greeting and replied smoothly, almost like a purr, "My name is Francis Bonnefoy~"

"O-oh..." Matthew stumbled, blushing slightly from the usual French greeting since he wasn't used to it. "That's a nice name..."
Gazing at his blush curiously, Francis asked in confusion, "Que-? Are you not French Canadian?"

"W-well," Matthew started, thinking to himself how unfair it seemed that he already knew his nationality as well - it's not like someone is obviously Canadian, unless they tattoo a maple leaf to their forehead. "I grew up near a French town, but my mother never really let me, er, interact with them, saying... um, rather mean things about them, that I'd rather not repeat."

Francis stared, eerily unblinking for a while till he bursted out into a fountain of tinkling, unusual laughter, "Ohonhonhonhon~! That is because you have not met true French people!" he then placed a hand to his chin, pondering something for a moment till he deducted, "You're originally from Ontario, aren't you."

"... Yes..." Matthew replied mousily, finding it kind of creepy now just how much he knew about him.
Sensing the unnerved vibe radiating from the other teen, Francis gave a sheepish look and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Sorry if that kind of freaked you out, it's just I've read books upon books about Canada before..." he then smiled and mused, "Rather interesting place, even though you can't venture all that up North..." His eyes shadowed slightly as he gazed past Matthew for a moment, "Maybe someday I could actually visit Quebec and try their Poutine..."
"Oh!" Matthew said, his eyes lighting up. "I love poutine! My mother would make it all the time for me, especially if I was sick." He hugged Kumaijirou tighter to his chest and smiled brightly before adding, "It always warmed me up."

Feeling himself torn from his darkened gaze, Francis' slightly faltering smile brightened as he replied joyfully, "Vraiment-? How delightful!" his gaze became warmer as he replied, almost nostalgically, "My Mother would always cheer me up with blueberry crepes," he then took Matthew by the shoulders and shifted his hair out of his eyes slightly, "In fact, she taught me a lot about cooking!"

"As did my mother," Matthew told him, tilting his head slightly. "Maybe we can swap recipes, and I could make poutine for you."

"You would-" the realization hitting him, his eyes sparkled happily as he hugged Matthew suddenly, dramatic tears streaming from his eyes, "Oh merci! Merci! You are such a kind fellow, Matthieu!"

Finding it a little hard to breathe from the tight hug, the Canadian boy just laughed weakly. "I'm, really not..." he could only whisper as his lungs felt like giving out. And, again, he noticed how cold the other felt. It was a fairly sunny day, so he shouldn't feel so chilled like this; it was starting to make him shiver, even.

The French boy didn't seem to notice as he shifted to give Matthew a stubborn look as he argued, a slight pout on his pale rose lips, "Non! You are very kind, I mean, you talked to me instead of avoiding me-" His speech cut off abruptly, and he turned almost as stiff as a statue, which almost seemed to match his temperature.

"... Why would I avoid you?" Matthew asked quietly, after it seemed like he wasn't going to say any more anytime soon. "You're my roommate, after all. It seems kind of silly to try and avoid someone you'll be sleeping next to."

Slowly he shifted his widened gaze over to Matthew and gave a strained laugh, making the other shiver slightly, "Pardon-? I meant nothing of what I said-"

"Help," came a small, whispery voice from between them.

Matthew's eyes widened. "Kumi!-!" he yelled, pushing against Francis. "He's trapped! Let him out!-!"
Scrambling from the two, he gave a frightened, almost feral look as he replied quickly, "I-I'm sorry!" Eyes darting every which way, he backed up, almost as if in fear that Matthew would retaliate with violence.

Instead, however, the boy simply held up his dear pet and looked him over for any possible injuries. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "Do you feel okay?"

The animal just stared back at him with the same big, glossy, black eyes as he always had, not speaking for a second of anticipating silence. Then, he replied lowly, "I'm fine. Who are you, again?"

Matthew bowed his head in subdued anger and disappointment before replying, as he always does, "I'm Matthew..." He started to think, for the millionth time, that he should have Kumi checked for short-term memory loss, since it seemed he could never remember. It was kind of upsetting sometimes.

Francis stared for a moment at the bear, his heart racing as his gaze shifted to Matthew and his pulse slowed considerably, making him sigh in relief. Going over towards Matthew, he commented sympathetically, "It's alright, I've done that to some of my one hundred and fifty doves before."

"You have?" Matthew asked, almost relieved, blowing some hair out of his eyes. "But do you do it multiple times every day?"

Giving a sheepish laugh, he replied, "Um-uh, no... Sometimes with my chickens, I guess, or my caterpillars..." he then pondered for a second, "Although some of the roses in the Eastern half of the courtyard have been getting on my case about that, along with the hedgehogs..."

"... What?" Matthew asked incredulously, taking a subconscious step back. "You... talk to roses? And hedgehogs, and chickens and..." he stared at this odd boy in a new light, trying to piece together a basic idea of him with the information he had.

Before, he had mentioned something about being ignored, so... maybe everyone ignores him here, so he talks to animals and plants? But why would they ignore him? He seems like a nice person. Maybe everyone ignores him because he talks to animals and plants? That seemed more likely, but even then some people would still talk to him, since some might actually enjoy that aspect in a friend.
Being ripped out of his thinking process, he saw Francis' eyes widen as he replied quickly," I-I- uh, heheh, um, well you see, the horses in the stable always tend to-" he then shook his head, cursing in French as he lost his train of thought and gave a slightly embarrassed look, stammering quickly and trying to explain, "Well you see, I've lived here my whole life and I know all my nature friends really well and-"

Matthew interrupted with a nervous chuckle, feeling a little guilty for making him so defensive. If he liked to talk to animals, then that was fine - he had a few qualities that might be considered "weird" as well, so he really shouldn't have said anything. "You know what? It's fine. I was just a little surprised about the roses, mainly..."
Paling at the mentions of talking to roses, his eyes flickered nervously as he replied quietly, "R-Right, the roses... They-I-" he shivered and gave a slightly frightened glance up at the crawling roses above them on one of the balconies. "Th-they're everywhere, aren't they?" he asked, trying almost desperately to change the subject.

"Yeah," Matthew said, nodding. He wondered briefly why he was acting so nervous, but wrote it off as him just feeling a little insecure about his hobby. "That's one of the things I love about this school! Hey, since you talk to them, do you know how they manage to grow all year long?"

Another shiver passed through Francis as he fiddled with his bundle of locks anxiously, backing himself up against a tree and replying shakily, "T-They do because-because-" he clenched his hair slightly and curled up inwardly, squeezing his eyes shut in fear.

A wave of guilt crashed into Matthew as he realized just how much his question had troubled the man, even if he wasn't sure why. "S-sorry..." Matthew said quietly, holding Kumi up to hide some of his face. "I didn't mean to make you so... upset, I was just curious, that's all."

Opening his eyes quickly, Francis staggered over to him with an uneasy laugh as he replied, "Que-? I am-I'm not bothered," his tone sounding slightly forced as he continued, "They just grow b-because they are well, heh, su-" his gaze darkened considerably, "... Supplied."

Noticing Francis' sudden change in mood, he asked, a little alarmed, "S-supplied?"

Feeling as though if cold waves were being echoed out from him, he nodded, shifting his hair over his eyes and replying quietly, "I tend to them well."

"All of them?!" Matthew asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "By yourself?-? How on earth do you do that?"

Shifting his hands to be seen visibly, he showed them to be wrapped heavily in bandages as he replied, not looking up, "It's a... Lengthy process. Terribly boring, non?"

"Not at all!" Matthew disagreed with a shake of his head and a smile. "I don't think it would be boring. Maybe I could help you sometimes, though, if you're getting a little tired of it -"

"Non!" Francis interjected sharply, giving a panicked look as he locked eyes with Matthew, his pupils dilated, "You-you don't want to -"

"Sure I would," Matthew replied, tilting his head slightly. He didn't really understand why he was so nervous... He was acting almost as if taking care of the roses would bring him harm. Maybe he was just afraid he'd be poked by thorns? "I've helped my mom with her rosebush before, so I know how to avoid thorns, if you're worried about that. Though obviously there weren't as many as here..."
Shaking again, he quickly went over and tugged at Matthew's uniform jacket, making the other notice that the other boy's own royal purple jacket wasn't on and that he was only wearing the sweater along with some plaid dress pants, yet... No... Shoes or socks... "Non, Matthieu, you don't understand -"

"What are you boys doing standing out in the courtyard?" a gruff, older voice interrupted their conversation.

Francis turned and gave a stricken look, hugging himself and clamping his mouth shut as he searched for source of the voice.

Matthew also turned to look at the new figure - a neatly-dressed, tall, blonde man with black reading glasses and a stern look on his face.

"Well?" he started, "Are you boys going to give me an answer?"

"S-sorry..." Matthew mumbled, "I was just talking to my roommate."

Startled, Francis replied quickly with a nervous look, "Monsieur, I was just about to take him inside to get settled in before we all went down to dinner-"

"Perhaps someone else would be better suited for that job," the imposing figure commented. Was it just Matthew, or did he seem rather... perturbed at the sight of Francis?

Giving an openly dejected look he argued, "But Monsieur, he is my roommate, and-"

"Not another word," the man, whom Matthew was starting to suspect, was a teacher, interrupted. "Come along, young one," he addressed the Canadian, "I'll find you a better tour guide."

"But..." Matthew started glancing at Francis. "I - I want Francis to show me around, I've already gotten to know him quite well, so -"

"I'm sorry," the man interrupted, "but I'm afraid I cannot allow that."
"Why not?"

He seemed taken back by his question. "Because..." he started glancing between the two. An awkward silence stretched over them before he cleared his throat and said, "Because he is not a student leader - it is their job to show all new students around."

"Que-" Francis' eyes widened and then narrowed as he marched up to the teacher, fuming slightly as he argued, feeling insulted, "Non! It is not!" giving a haughty huff, he replied with a flick of his hair, "I am more than qualified to be his tour guide! I know this school like the back of my hand Monsieur!"

"P, please, sir," Matthew spoke up, looking at him. "I'm, um, a little shy around new people, so it'd be a great help for me if I could just have Francis show me around, instead of having to meet someone else..."

The distressed-looking teacher looked between the two before letting out a sigh and fixing his glasses, regaining some of his composure. "Fine, then. I will allow it, I suppose..."

Nodding in satisfaction, Francis flicked his hair and stuck his tongue out at the teacher, whipping around with a snort and taking Matthew by the shoulder and steering him towards an opening inside the building.

Unfortunately, the teacher wasn't done yet. He grabbed Matthew by his other shoulder and pulled him aside to say one last thing: "A wise word from me to you," he whispered in his ear, "Don't get too close to Francis."

Matthew would have asked why, but just like that, he had turned around and fast-walked away, almost as if he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Francis seemed to shrug it off, though Matthew noticed his grip tightening as he led him inside, his smile cracked as he announced, "And here is one of the many entryways I know~"

"Francis," Matthew said solemnly. "Why... why was he acting like that?"

Stiffening, his hold tightened considerably as he gave a very strained and forced laugh. Ignoring his comment, he gestured over to a grand staircase and explained in an uneasy, fake-sounding, cheery tone, "And here is the main staircase! Oh, you'll love the mahogany handrails, they're so much fun to slide down, and-"

"Francis," Matthew tried again, his tone causing the other to cringe. "Seriously, what... what's going on? Is there something I should know?" Everything, ever since he's met this blonde boy who talks to the roses, has just confused him. His behavior when asked about the roses, for one, not to mention that teacher just now, and simply his air... it was turning into a giant mystery, and one that he wanted to solve. Or at least know about.

Releasing Matthew's shoulder, Francis' eyes flickered back and forth as he visibly shook, running his fingers through his locks and backing away slightly. A hysterical smile now tugging at his lips, his eyes widened as he replied shakily, "M-Matthieu, I-I just realized the time! We ought to be going to-to bed! I-" he paused and forced out through now gritted teeth, "I must have forgot about dinner- guess it's six o'clock, not seven. Sorry about that-"

Biting his bottom lip, Matthew looked down at the floor, tightening his grip on his silent pet. "Is... There's something wrong? Or can I not be trusted? Or..." he chuckled nervously before looking up with a weak smile. "On second thought, I am pretty tired. Where's our room?" He tried to shove the fact that he hadn't eaten since 10am that morning out of his mind, realizing that for some reason or another; Francis was not going to tell him anything. Which means, if he was going to solve this mystery, he was going to have to talk to some new people...

Oh dear... looks like he needed to tap into his barely existing social skills... Well, what did he expect, coming to a school like Rosa Academy - that he could just stay up in his room and study all the time? Of course not.

Francis, still paling considerably, took him by the shoulder with a still uneasy laugh as he replied shakily, "S-sure! I'll make you a snack when we get up to our room, up in the Western tower if I recall correctly-"

"The one with the most roses," Matthew mumbled to himself, barely audibly. But, somehow, Francis heard him anyways.

The blonde quivered and answered, "O-Oui, lovely," he complimented forcefully, "I-isn't it? Well, we better get going if we want to make it up there before midnight, mon amou-ami!" he corrected, a slight blush peppering his pale cheek bones.

Tilting his head slightly, Matthew simply replied, "Ah, right..." He ran over Francis' last words in his head. Despite not having much contact with true Frenchmen, he had heard the term "amour" plenty of times before, and knew what it meant quite well. Why did he start to say that...? Was he just used to it? But if he's lived here all his life, and everyone seems to ignore him, why would "amour" be something he's so used to saying? Just more to add to the mystery, he supposed.

Francis shook himself and guided Matthew up the staircase quickly and to their right, beginning a slightly lengthy journey down carpeted halls.

All through the walk, Matthew kept churning today's events in his head, trying to at least make sense of something. But it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make heads nor tails of anything that had happened. The only thing he knew for certain was that, for some odd reason, the roses made Francis incredibly wary, even though he tended to him, and that he was supposed to stay away from him, according to that one teacher they had encountered. But the why, to all of these questions and more, was still a very important variable, and one that Matthew wanted to find out. Francis wasn't going to tell him anything, so maybe others would. People usually like to gossip, right?

Eventually, they arrived at their destination. It surprised Matthew as he gazed at the heavy, tall, oak double doors with widened eyes. It wasn't the size that surprised him, but the roses tangled and growing on them... And the cobwebs, draped in its corners and over the knob itself. The room looked... Unopened... Unused...

"This is our room?" he asked, turning to Francis to see a slight frown on his face.

Noticing his gaze, Francis rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and explained hastily, "Well, your luggage arrived in here a while ago, and usually I sleep in the library when I manage to sleep at all-"

"Why?" Matthew interjected curiously, hoping that for goodness' sakes he'd at least tell him that much.

Blinking, Matthew noticed Francis' own protruding curl quiver uncomfortably, like the rest of the nerves in the other boy's body as he explained quickly, "Well, sometimes I have bouts of insomnia and when you want unnecessary teasing to stop once in awhile..."

"You put up with a lot, don't you?" Matthew asked as he wiped away some of the cobwebs from the door.

Shivering, he objected quickly, shaking his hands, "N-non, it-it is nothing-" Matthew heard a slight sniffle behind said words as Francis tried to ramble on an excuse.

"How can it be nothing?" Matthew almost mumbled as he struggled to turn the door handle. It was a little stuck from so many obvious years of disuse. "Being bullied or ignored is never "nothing" - ah!" The door finally opened, but he had put so much force into it that he fell to the floor once there was nothing stopping him from doing so.

Francis turned around in surprise, eyes wide with concern. Matthew happened to notice that his eyes were slightly dampened before the strange boy wiped them away and lended a hand to pull Matthew up.

"Here, sorry about getting you in situations that force you to the floor," he apologized, a small smile playing at his lips.

"That's all right," Matthew saw, dusting himself off as Kumaijirou padded into the room. "I'm used to getting dirty, I suppose."

Nodding, Francis gave a slight shudder and a look of displeasure, "So am I when I tend to the hedgehog burrows or the fertilizer. Ugh," he shook his head, sticking his tongue out in disgust, "As much as I love nature, I'm really not one who likes to remain dirty."

"Yeah, I kind of got that," Matthew said with a chuckle before walking in and looking around. The insides were just as dirty as the door, much to his displeasure. The dust in the room was starting to itch his nose, and he sneezed once before sniffling and telling his roommate, "Since you don't like to remain dirty, how about helping me clean up a bit?"

Francis gave a grin and nodded happily, replying, "I would love to, although I'm sure its only the entryway," he took Matthew's hand, grasping it tightly in his own as he led him towards the bedroom of their "flat."

He gasped as soon as he saw the room; it was everything he had expected from Rosa Academy and more.

The bedroom was circular, consisting of cool stone that looked clean and polished. On one half of the room there was a small indentation in the wall, like an enlarged window seal. It was cushioned, providing a spot for one to sit and stare out of the window it was lined against, basking in the sun or possibly to take a short nap. Many fur rugs made out of various animal skins lined the cold stone floor, ensuring that one would always have a soft spot to place their feet. A wooden dresser held, presumably, their clothing, while a vanity was positioned opposite of it. A door on the opposite end of the bedroom's door held the bathroom. What was really suspicious, though, was that this was the only room in their flat... and there was only one bed..

Matthew could tell it was Francis', because it was covered with embroidered quilts and patched up comforters, along with some comfy looking pillows and a few stuffed animals.

"This is really nice," he commented, looking around, "but, um... where do I sleep?"

Francis noticed his gaze, directed at the bed in confusion, making his brows rise. Blushing slightly, he squeezed Matthew's hand and replied quietly, "If you don't mind, you could, um-um share the bed with me..."

Matthew stared at him for a second before a light blush arose to his cheeks. "Ah..." he started, carefully working his hand out of Francis' grasp. "I, I - uh, don't really feel com-comfortable with that... I'll, I'll just sleep by the window, maybe? Yeah, why not..."

Francis gave a visibly hurt look and tried to hide behind his hair, curling and uncurling his hand, longing to have someone hold it.

For around the third time that day, Matthew felt guilt crash into him like the stormy waves upon the beach. How many times was he going to say something to make this man crawl back into a shell? It was obvious he hadn't had a roommate before, and maybe he's never had a friend before, either... he probably just wants to be close to someone, finally. And why not be close with your roommate?

"Er..." Matthew mumbled gently taking his hand again, "On second thought, it'd be warmer, uh, on the bed, I suppose..."

Author's Note, TheGuardianKnux: Thank you so much for reading this! I suggest you all check out my other stories or Annzy's works as well! She is a fantastic authoress, and I love working with her! ^^ Thank you, and please review!

Author's Note, Annzy: Annzy says she apologies for how Matthew is written, but I think she's being overly hard on herself! XD So let's make her feel welcomed, ok? XD And she also says she loves you all like people love kittens and teddy bears, which is very much! XD

Anyways, enjoy and review and chapter two will becoming very soon! :D