Author's Note- SHIT, BOY. I DID IT AGAIN. WHEN WILL THE GOVERNMENT STOP MY SINFUL HAND. I spent a whole year of my life writing a USUK fic! UGH!

Anyway, this is a companion piece to another one of my stories, Limerence. You DO NOT have to read that one to understand WTF is going on with this one, and visa versa.

Chapter 1

"Did you see that commercial? The dude was literally on top of his car when it was doing all those flips and crap. I'm so in love with those CGI effects, and the movie hasn't even come out yet!"

"I wish things like that could happen in real life."

"Ha-ha, totally. We should go and see it when it comes out in theaters, Alfie."

A nearby classmate leaned to Alfred's occupied side with a not-so-quiet hiss, "Hey, Al, what gives? I thought we were going to see it together! Don't leave your bros hanging like that!"

"Come on, you guys," Alfred winked to a couple of girls staring like hawks over their desks. "You know I wouldn't do that. Why don't we all go see it together?"

The teacher was suddenly there, rudely interrupting their obvious conversation with a pissy look, "If you are willing to share your answer with your classmates, Mister Bonnefoy, perhaps you can share it with me?"

Alfred replied with a big grin, "Yeah! It's forty-two!"

Apparently, it was possible for Teach to frown even further. "You may want to take another look at your schedule. This is European History, not Calculus."

"Oh! I mean '42, as in 1942!"

"Really? That must be the year your brain is in because I never even asked a question." Mister Teach rapped on Alfred's desk as he turned away. "Pay attention and stop dragging my good students into your scandals. Flirting can wait until you're out of my class."

The surrounding seniors caterwauled with those "Ooh's" they loved to do when someone was in the bad kind of spotlight. But hey, bad spotlight was still spotlight.

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

"Alfie! Alfie!"

Alfred had just left his last class when a girl from one of his morning periods stopped his eager escape. Sure, school was filled with friends, but his fridge at home was filled with food. Plus, the forecast called for grossness, and he wanted to get home ASAP.

"Hey!" Alfred called out just as cheekily. "What's up?"

The girl stopped right in front of him, twirling her braid over her shoulder and giggling, "I was wondering what you were up to. We should hang out!"

"We should!" Alfred replied too eagerly. His grin fell into a pout. "Wait, no, I have to go to the quick market. Grocery run. You know Mattie is pushing for me to get a job? At that place?"

"Oh, that's lame. Can't your brother pick up his own food?" A question Alfred asked himself many times that day, but no, he had to 'hurry' home and 'get ready for work.' The girl sang, "We could use my Dad's popcorn machine again!"

Alfred did love popcorn machines. Then, he thought of his twin glaring at him when his own back was turned, and he knew he wouldn't get that out of his mind. "Mattie's got to work at the bookstore tonight, so it's up to me to, you know, fetch the milk. Maybe later?"

"No," the girl stuck her lower lip out, looking like a kicked puppy. "My parents are coming home early tonight." Someone called her name, and she spun around, gasping excitedly and waving at one of their friends. "Whatever, some other time!"

Like a trash bag tossed into it's bins, or more like recycling, when he was needed again, Alfred waved, keeping it from his face until he turned away for the front doors. He shrugged it off, because hey, sometimes people were busy. He had a mission to focus on: fetching milk from the local quick market. Reward: a happy brother, free from nagging.

To say it was pouring outside was the understatement of the semester. Alfred bemoaned the puddles flooding the front parking lot, remembering Matthew telling him not to forget an umbrella. Guess what. He forgot an umbrella.

"Oh well."

The parking lot opened to the main road, which only went two ways in a small town with apartments and shops stretching all the way to the suburban houses. At least the gas station/mini-mart was along the way, but it was still a decent walk, especially in this weather. It was cold, and rainy, and the rain was cold to top it off. As Alfred somewhat-jogged, somewhat-walked down the sidewalk, feebly holding a hand over his forehead to keep his glasses from getting doused, he approached a bus stop - actually, the one and only bus stop in the whole place - but it was wonderful relief from the fat raindrops smacking his head.

"Holy crap!" Alfred exclaimed once he was under the shelter of a metal roof. He swiped a wet sleeve over his glasses, but that only made it worse, so he took them off to scrub them with his undershirt. He put them back into place and glanced around the hut when subtle light caught his attention. A lone stranger sat on the bench, far away from anyone as the walls could allow, but there was something about him that made him stand out from the rain. "Heya."

The other blond slowly turned his head like he was some kind of creature in a horror movie, but his expression seemed like Alfred had three eyes. Alfred prodded his forehead. He still had only two. He said again, "Heya. Waiting out the rain, too?"

His company turned his gaze away. "I'm waiting for something," the man's voice was low, but his accent was interesting. "That is for sure."

Alfred had to laugh a little. "You don't like the rain?"

The man's eyes flickered to him again, and he politely smiled. "A bird can't fly with wet feathers."

"Me either!" Alfred received an offended look from that. "Hey, a duck can!"

The other guy's mouth opened like he was about to say something, but he just shook his head and looked to the road. "I suppose you're right."

Alfred scrunched his face at the dude, knowing he caught glimpses of him around town before, but not quite pinpointing his name or face. He glanced to the rain for change, but it didn't look like it was letting up. "Aw man, it's still bad. I'm going to have to go back out there just for some freaking milk. I hope it's worth it, Mattie! I can't even see a foot in front of my own face!"

With that, Alfred braced himself before reentering the downpour. He curled and uncurled his fingers as he squinted at the shops, trying to keep feelings in his hands. "I-I think I'm on the wrong side of the street."

A lone yellow light peeked through the mist, and Alfred almost turfed from a dip in the sidewalk. A few maniacs sped by, driving in this weather and spraying water everywhere as if it wasn't bad enough. "Clear?" He guessed when nobody else passed. He only heard the wind and rain and his teeth chattering. "Clear!"

Alfred ran forward. It was not clear. A car sped down the intersection, tires screeching as it turned without warning. He yelled and stumbled backward from the idiot that was in such a rush to get places that they felt entitled to not only ignore their turn signal, but basic mannerisms of stopping at a three way. A huge wave of road water splattered his face as they rode off, leaving him even more drenched.

"Holy fuck!" Alfred managed to say and shook his arms in disbelief. "What an asshole!"

A horn honked, and he snapped his head in its direction to get an eyeful of headlights. He didn't even have time to scream. A force from behind knocked him off his feet, and the car swerved with an ear-splitting screech as he took to the air. His stomach flipped at the momentarily flying sensation before he made contact with the road again and he rolled over, colliding into the curb with his elbow.

Alfred's mouth popped open, eyes wide to the gray skies pouring on his face at the sound of the car grating against asphalt as it slammed to a stop. Alfred went to turn over, but hunched and wreathed from a strong and sudden pain grabbing his side. He tried the other side, whining, and with every gasp came more aching. It was very hard to breathe, increasingly so. Something was wrong. He tasted blood in his mouth. Now he really couldn't breathe.

No, no, Alfred panicked, he had to get up. If he could at least pull himself from laying in the road, then everything would be all right. Something grabbed his shoulder and he hardly reacted, trying to get some air down, but only liquid came up.

"No," somebody was there. "Don't move."

Alfred's mouth bobbed up and down, trying to tell them he couldn't breathe, but his entire body went limp as a numbing sensation spread throughout. A hand pressed against his side, and he twitched from the ache shooting over his chest, and whoever was above hushed him again. Then came the sensation of bone shifting and snapping back into place. His eyes flew open and he took a sharp inhale, about to screech in disgust, but stopped himself. He could breathe again. He spat out some blood that was in his mouth as his eyes blindly glanced around.

Rough hands shoved his chest, and Alfred didn't have the strength to refuse. "I told you to not move, idiot!"

Alfred squinted at the glowing in front of his face. "Wha...what..."

The glowing person darted away.

Alfred's arm trembled as it lifted to grab at the air, "Hey, wait!"

"Sir? Sir?" A much more panicked voice called over the rain. "There was somebody..."

"Over there! Oh my God! Call the ambulance!"

A newcomer knelt beside Alfred and groped his arm, shouting, "Are you all right?"

"Hey! Don't touch him until the police get here!"

"You hit him, moron!"

"Shut up and sit down! You hit your head, too!"

Alfred groaned in pain and annoyance and annoyance from the pain, and laid his head back to close his eyes against the rain. When they came, sirens shrieking, the paramedics seemed overdramatic, busting out the stretcher just for him. Their jerky motions, the bumpy ride, all the lights flashing before his face, and he remembered slowly smiling at one of the medics, not exactly sure why he was happy to be caught up in an accident like that.