"I want Ice cream! And Icee! And pizza! And burgers! And-"
"Yes, yes.." Groaned the English father as he his arm was tugged near out of his socket by the greedy American son.
"Non, non! We ate before we left!" Barked the annoyed French father who was holding the greedy boy's twin Canadian brother as he pretty much near clung to his Papa's arm.
"But that was this morning!" Whined the American as he made a near scene on people looking. This morning, as is no more than three hours ago.
The family was currently out shopping at the mall for return to school sales. Arthur wanted to get them done before school rolled back next month. Francis agreed in getting the boys new clothing as well. The five year old twins, opposite of one another, took the trip in different matters. Matthew liked the new clothing, Alfred hated them. Matthew loved his new ice hockey pack back with matching lunch box, Alfred had a fit wanting both the Superman and Captain America backpacks. It soon settled with getting a Superman lunchbox with the Captain America backpack
Right now the four membered family was off to get the supplied for their classes. Book covers, pencils, folders, ect. But, they happen to pass the food court, causing the constantly hungry boy to want all the food he saw.
"Ohh! And Ice cream! Pleasepleaseplease!" Alfred begged loudly almost gaining everyone's attention.
"Alfred if you lower your voice and act like a proper boy, you can eat something." Arthur caved in, rubbing his head and glaring at the boy.
"YAYY! I want Pizza! No, ice cream! No, no! I wan-"
"Arthur you have to stop spoiling that loud mouth!" Francis told, as Matthew covered his ears from his brother's yelling. "You bend to his every will, and he'll expect to get everything he wants."
Arthur glared his 'husband'. "I do not spoil him!" He denied.
Francis scoffed and knelt to Matthew. "Do you want anything to eat, Matthieu?" He asked gently to his French/Canadian son.
The shy boy shook his head, seeing his brother causing such trouble. Matthew didn't want to see selfish like his brother, so when offered things he always said no. Francis had noticed this for a while, and decided to take action on it. "Arthur, you get Alfred some lunch, I'll take Matthew for a walk around the mall, oui?"
"A-Alright, I'll meet you at the supply store- Alfred stop pulling!" He cut off as Alfred dragged him to the various lines for food.
Francis scoffed muttering some French words that the little Canadian knew not to repeat. He stood letting Matthew hold his hand as they walked.
It was silent, passing a few stores such as Yankee Candles, Hallmark, Spencers -in which Francis covered Matthew's eyes when a naked poster was shown on display- But soon, Francis looked over, and pointed across the landing, "Want to go in there?"
Matthew followed his Papa's direction and saw a building named Build-A-Bear Workshop. In the display windows were plush stuffed animals of all kinds. Turtled, kitties, doggies, moose, most of all bears. The little Canadian's eyes sparkled at the sight of it, kids smiling as they left hugging and holding their new friend. But the boy, hugging Francis' side shook his head.
"Y'know, mon petit, if you really want something, it's alright to ask." Francis assured softly putting a hand on his head.
"...I don't want to be selfish." He mumbled softly, looking from the floor to the building then back to the floor.
Francis got the two and two, with how Alfred acts being greedy he can understand Matthew didn't want to be the same way. He sighed with a smile and gently led the small shy boy to the store, Matthew feeling nervous on asking for anything his eyes spawned on. From the cute clothing for the stuffed friends to the bins of any noises and voices for it. Kids laughed and smiled as workers stuffed the animals with large machines, they fluffed and brushed the soft looking friends, and named them at the computers.
"Let's look at some friends, oui? They look really soft." Papa Francis encouraged.
They did look soft like his blanket at home. Soon, Matthew moved from his papa and wandered to look in the bins of the stuffless animals. Bears, doggies, kitties, and even some wild animals like foxes, tigers, monkeys, even sea creatures. He was sort of happy there was no eagles since Alfred was obsessed with them. But what caught the little boy's attention was a soft fluffy polar bear. Those purple eyes sparkled and were big seeing that cute bear on display. Francis took noticed and followed reaching in to take one out and show him, it was fairly big.
"Like the bear, it's a bit big." Francis warned as Matthew gently took the empty dead like bear. It had a smile though, which made Matthew smile, in turn Francis smiled.
The French father convinced to giving this as a gift to Alfred getting food, to make it even between the twins. The female worker was extremely nice -and pretty- encouraging Matthew to give love into the small little heart as she stuffed the bear. Mattie kissed it, hugged it, jumped three times, and spun once. She happily placed the heart inside, and asked, "Would you like to pick a sound?"
The small Canadian looked to the small drawers with various sounds. Lion roars, dog barks, cat meows, and others. None caught the Canadian's attention to match his furry friend. The last one, he pressed, "Who are you?"
Matthew blinked and answered, "Matthew." Softly, and pressed it again. "Who are you?"
Francis raised a brow, as Matthew pressed it and repeated the answer over and over. Was that the sound he wanted? "Excusez-moi?" He asked to the worker. "What sound did that come from?"
The employee looked to the boy pressing the button and answering. "Oh, well, at times kids like it when the stuffed friends ask names, or what they want to do and such. Kids I've seen come by pick it have older siblings who don't play or only children." She explained.
Francis nodded rubbing his stubble chin. So, it could be as Alfred tends to gain more attention than Matthew in school. Alfred was pretty outgoing, but Matthew was still in his shell. Maybe this will help. The Frenchman smiled and knelt down to his son. "Like this one?"
Matthew nodded, "Is that okay?" He asked, making sure.
"Oui! Of course, I think it matches it perfectly." He winked, leading Matthew back to let the employee put the voice box into its left paw.
She sewed the bear shut, and told him Matthew could fluff it's fur up, dress up, and name the bear at the computers. The small Canadian gently fluffed and brushed him as if he was bathing a real animal. Francis smiled as he did love animals, and was gentle whenever they passed a dog or stray cat. Matthew didn't pick any clothing as nothing interest him for the bear. So, they skipped to the certificate naming which Francis helped with spelling.
"Alright, so what gender?" Francis asked.
"..Boy." Matthew told hugging the bear close, rubbing his cheek against the soft plush.
Francis chuckled at the scene and clicked boy. He put in the choice of the friend, which automatically put the height, weight, and fur and eye color. "And what's his name?"
Matthew pulled the bear away, looking long and hard. His lips puckered out, and eyes brows low thinking deeply. Soon he looked up, and smiled "Kuma… Kumajiro."
"Really?" Shocked, he had to asked, "Why a Japanese name? I expected a French or colored name." More like hoped for the French name. Japanese wasn't much to Matthew, so Francis wandered, where'd it come from?
"..Alfred's friend, Kiku, told me some animals I like in Japanese. Kumajiro, means polar bear." Matthew explained, "Muso also means moose." He giggled hugging the bear.
Francis chuckled and hugged his son, "Alright then Kumajiro it is!" He typed in the name, in which took a few times for Matthew to remember how it was spelled.
The certificate printed out, and the father went up front, paying for his son's gift. They put the bear in a cardboard box designed to look like a home for Kumajiro. Matthew took it, as the certificate was slid inside.
"You and your new friend have some fun adventures!" Smiled the worker, as Matthew nodded shyly with a blush.
"Merci," Francis gave and took Matthew's hand leaving the shop.
"Merci, Papa." he gave smiling big and hugging his father. "Ahh, you deserve it. Now, let's see if your pig of a twin finished eating." He joked as the two left to the supply store to meet with the other two.
Crowded wasn't even the word used to define what was going on during this back to school sale. More like, mobbed, people were shoving trying to get in or out, hard to tell. The cause of all the mass of people shouting and yelling and screaming kids made Matthew hide behind his Papa. Said father sighed at the sight, deciding to sit at a bench near by and wait for his partner and other son emerge… If they could.
Matthew was eager to play with Kumajiro, but decided to wait until they got home. Francis smiled at his son as he moved the hair from his eyes. Soon they heard grunting of someone straining, and looked over seeing Arthur with Alfred clung to his leg as they were free of the swarmed store.
"NEVER in my years of shopping!" Huffed Arthur as he tucked his shirt and fixed his hair.
"Yea, never!" Yelled Alfred as he got off his father's leg and looked into his bag with his shopping supplies.
Arthur looked over and noticed the two. "There you are." He sighed and took Alfred's hand taking him to his other father and twin and sat down next to Matthew. "You're lucky I bought two of everything since Alfred loses things. Where in bullocks were you two?"
"Merci, how sweet of you Arthur." Francis reached back to kiss his neck, only to made the British man freak out and slapped his shoulder only to earn a infamous French laugh.
"Hey! What's Mattie got?" Alfred called seeing the big box sitting by his instantly went over looking at the box. "Did we get gifts!?" He asked wanting to tear the box open.
"A-Alfie, stop.." Matthew tugged the box closer to him.
Francis intervened, hands on the boys' shoulders. "Ahh non, little Alfred. The food Arthur got you was our gift, this is Matthieu's and his alone." He explained.
This caused the American twin to huff and yell, "That's not fair! Food isn't a gift!"
Arthur sighed, "Why did you do that? Now he'll want one too."
"You do nothing but spoil this little brat. When was the last time poor little Matthew was given anything?" Francis argued standing.
Arthur jumped to his feet in defense. "They just had their birthdays one month ago! They both earned equal gifts, I counted!"
"Last I checked, two weeks ago Alfred begged for a toy when food shopping, and what was it?"
Arthur seethed a sigh. "...A whoo-"
"A whoopee cushion!" Francis finished crossing his arms. "Which remind him, to keep out of the bedroom, I keep finding it after taking my baths." He sent a short glare to the dirty blond who shrugged innocently. "Point is, Alfred gets everything and Matthew here doesn't get anything."
"Well, how should I bloody know?! He never asks for anything and if he did, he'd spew out French!" Arthur barked back, as the twins just watched their parents argue near making a scene.
"...So, what'd you get?" Alfred asked not interested anymore tugging the box.
Matthew smiled, as his brother was interested in something he had. He gingerly opened the box, to reveal the new friend.
"Well, personally, you do nothing but baby Matthew!" Arthur finally attacked.
Francis stepped back, a hand on his chest almost as if he was wounded. "How dare you, I do not baby him!"
"The second he calls on something wrong, you run to him as if he's lost a limb! Just the other weekend when we walked to the park, you asked if he wanted to be carried the whole way!"
"He was tired and his feet were hurting!"
"Nooo! Alfred stop!"
"I want to see him too! Let me hold him!"
The fathers stopped hearing their sons cry. Looking to them, the boys were tugging at the arms of the poor victim Kumajiro. The fathers took action and took their hands, Alfred off of Kumajiro and tugging Matthew's to pull the bear away. Francis and Arthur held the boys apart.
"What happened? Within no more than three minutes of us fighting, how could you have fought already?" Arthur asked dumbfounded by this.
"I learned it from you." Francis muttered, imitating a child's voice earning a highly annoyed glare.
"Alright, this trip is over!" Barked Arthur, picking up their shopping bags. "We are going home before we are escorted out for being the most mad driven family in the world!" Arthur took Alfred's hand and took lead to the exit of the mall wherever the car was parked.
Francis sighed and gently helped Matthew put kumajiro in the box not to get damaged in the car. Matthew looked guilty, but Francis patted his head, assuring he was not at fault. He smiled and held the box walking with his Papa following this father and brother ready to go back home. It was only noon by the time they got home.
"Alright, so if I got this straight," Arthur started as the family sat in the living room. Francis standing across from him, the boys sat on the couch, Matthews box beside his feet on the floor. The parents talked, and after Arthur had really seen, he does indeed spoil Alfred… sometimes. "This is Matthew's friend, and if he doesn't want to share..?"
"Kumaniro." Matthew said.
"Isn't it Kumajiro, Matthew?" Francis corrected with a smile.
"Right right, Kumajiro." Arthur waved off. "So, he doesn't have to share him if he doesn't want to."
"Oui, how many times as Alfred not wanted Matthew to touch his stuff?"
"Agreed.." Arthur has noticed Alfred was going through a selfish phase. Hoping he'd outgrow it soon. "So, Alfred, it's settled. Kumajiro is Matthew's new friend. Which no stealing, ripping or disrespecting alright?" Alfred nodded, seeming to understand. "Now, say sorry."
Alfred knew why, so he turned to his brother. "I'm sorry for tugging him, and yelling."
Matthew instantly nodded with a smile. "Want to see him?"
"Yea!" Alfred beamed.
The fathers sighed seeing the boys finally get along. Matthew took Kumajiro from the box and showed him. "Wow, he's big!"
"He also talks." Matthew pressed his paw, "Who are you?" The bear asked.
"I'm Alfred." He reached over and pressed the paw, "Who are you?" Alfred blinked, "That's all he says?"
"..Um, oui." He answered.
"Alright, we've had an eventful morning. Alfred, come with me I need to make sure your new clothing fits." Arthur motioned as he took a bag and left for the boys' bedroom.
"Awwww!" He whined but followed after to get it done and over with.
Francis rolled his eyes and turned to his more quiet son. "How about I make us some crêpes?"
Matthew nodded at that, Francis shook his head smiling and rolled his sleeves as he left to the kitchen. "..C-Can Kumajiro have some too?"
"Oui, of course mon petit!" Francis answered cheerfully.
The little Canadian smiled and hugged Kumajiro tightly. From the hallway of the bedrooms, Alfred peeked out seeing Matthew smile with his new 'friend'. The American boy was excited with new games with Kumajiro.
"Alfred! Get in here, you're bloody near naked!"
This ensued Alfred to play 'chase me' as he was indeed naked, well he had underwear on. But soon, those were flung off at time time just to aggravate his father more. Matthew covered his eyes and Kumajiro's.