Chapter One
Antonio sighed as he pulled into Francis's driveway. Lovino was at Bella's, playing with Feli, his cousin. He found himself ringing his friend's doorbell within moments. Not one to take long, Francis opened the door, looking exhausted. His eyes lit up at Antonio.
"You're here," Francis rushed Antonio in. "Thank goodness. I was worried. I really need your help."
"Hmm?" Antonio observed the clean house, surprised it wasn't cluttered like always. "What do you mean mi amigo? Everything looks-"
"W-What do seven year olds eat?!" Francis questioned frantically, shaking the Spaniard. "C-Can they eat macaroni and cheese? Or lasagne? I got a ton of that today. O-Or crepes? I eat them all the time, what if he doesn't like-"
"Let me go," Antonio voice vibrated. Francis let go of the brunette before looking around the house, hoping he didn't forget to clean anything up. He didn't want the kid to think he was a slob.
"Kids can eat anything they're not allergic to," Antonio almost smiled, finding it funny how the restaurant owner asked such a silly question. "Relax mi amigo, you got everything under control. I didn't think you'd be so nervous. Gilbert said that you were unhappy earlier."
"Earlier, yes. Now, no. The boy-"
"So it's a boy?"
"The boy needs to feel welcome. They told me that he came from an abusive home." Francis sighed, leaning back on his marble kitchen counter. The kitchen was open, dining room apart of it, and living room across. "I don't understand why they chose me for someone like him, seeing that… I'm not fit for a task like this… but it's alright. I'll do my best."
Antonio smiled at his friend's optimism. "You'll be fine! Trust me! Gil and I are here to back you up to by the way."
Francis groaned, nodding. "Yes, yes. I know."
Then, the Frenchman found himself searching for wine. He needed something to calm himself down. The boy was coming today. Today. He happily pulled out a large, red bottle of wine from his white cabinets.
"You shouldn't be drinking anything," Antonio's tone was disapproving. "Definitely not now anyway."
"It's only wine."
"That's my point."
Francis sighed, reluctantly putting back the bottle with a pout. "You're so mean to me, Toni."
The Spaniard laughed. "So, are you excited?"
"I… I suppose I am," Francis was unsure if what he said was true. "Yes, I am."
"Well, what's the boy's name?"
"Err, I believe Ma… Matthew!" Francis paused. "No, Mathieu!"
Antonio shook his head, smile on his face. "Sounds French, like you."
"Well, he's from Quebec, so close enough."
"I wonder is he speaks French," Antonio wondered aloud as Francis scanned the kitchen, making sure nothing was out of place. "That would be cool. Maybe I could teach him Spanish!"
Antonio's words fell on deaf ears. Francis was panicking. He wasn't ready to take on a child. A seven year old, no less. How would he go to the club and take care of Mathieu? Unless there was such thing as a twenty-four hour babysitter, Francis would have to drop many of his favorite activities.
This wasn't fair. He didn't want the kid, but somehow, he was lawfully forced to take him in. He couldn't decline. It wasn't in his power to. And knowing that the kid had an abusive past didn't make it easy to turn a blind eye on him. So, Francis would have to be a good guardian. It didn't matter if he wanted to. He had to.
Ugh, he'd have to work something out so he could drink though. He couldn't drop that.
"Well, I came to drop this off," Antonio held out a yellow gift bag Francis hadn't seen before. "It's for the kid. You just told me it's a boy, but I didn't know earlier, so I got something that both boy and girl could like."
"And what would that be?"
"A rubric cube!"
"A… rubric cube?"
"Yes! He'll love it! It keeps the kids busy, and if they don't get angry quickly like Lovi, it'll last a long time!" Antonio happily declared. "And at least you'll have some time to yourself too that way."
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Toni." Francis smiled at his close friend. "I appreciate it."
"I hope Matteo likes it. Tell him Uncle Toni brought it for him earlier, and would love to meet him soon," Antonio checked his watch. "But since he has to pick Lovi up and take him to the dentist, he can't today."
Francis chuckled. "I will, I will. I'm sure he'll like you."
Antonio shrugged, small smile present on his face. He then sighed, before Francis accompanied him to the door. "Give him a chance Francis. Have hope."
"What – I – I do have hope, Toni!" Francis called after his friend, who began to unlock his car. "I do!"
There was a painful silence as Antonio backed out of the driveway, and drove off. Francis sat on the doorsteps to his home, frowning. Yes, he was reluctant to bring the child into his home, his life, but he was doing it nevertheless. Why was everyone so wary? Francis could handle it. He was Francis Bonnefoy! He could handle anything!
Realizing how much he sounded like his albino friend, Francis shook off the thoughts. He had to double check the boy's room. It didn't have much, just a bed, small table and closet. Francis needed to wait a little longer before he bought anything else. After all, the current furniture was dug up from the attic.
The Frenchman headed inside, slamming the door behind him.
French Jazz played softly, and Francis sat in his living room with his eyes closed, soaking the music in, and waiting for Mathieu to arrive. He was to be brought any time now by child services. Francis's head bobbed a little to the music, humming along to the soft tune.
Then, in the middle of the Jazz, there was a soft ring. Francis's eyes snapped open, and with a frown he stared at his music player. There wasn't any rings in the Jazz. What was –?
RING!
The doorbell! Francis resisted smacking himself as he rushed towards the door, but he found himself moving slower and slower as he realized why it rang.
Mathieu was here.
Francis found himself staring at his white, oak door. He was nervous. The only thing that separated him and the boy was a thin door.
Why are you so worried? It's just a boy.
Francis forced himself to the door, and he gripped the silver handle while the doorbell rang again, this time faint. Reluctantly, he pulled the door open.
Summer air hit him hard, and his eyes immediately fell on the small boy who was clutching onto the social worker, Elizaveta.
Violet eyes with blonde, wavy, hair and a timid blush had Francis close to fawning over the little thing. Dressed in a white hoodie-shirt and jeans, the boy was looking at the ground, nervous. His grip on Elizaveta's dress didn't loosen.
Elizaveta smiled at Francis, her small form of greeting, and then looked at the seven year old. "Matthew, look. It's Francis, your new guardian."
Mathieu looked up at Francis, and their eyes met for less than a second before Mathieu was hugging the social worker seemingly harder. Francis couldn't help but chuckle, nerves relaxing. "Hello Mathieu. It's nice to meet you, I'm Francis, your new…"
What was he really? A father..?
"Your new caretaker," Francis finally concluded with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
The boy didn't reply, but his grip on Elizaveta's dress loosened. Francis crunched down to be at eye-level with the young Canadian. "Hmm… I like your outfit, by the way."
At this, Mathieu hesitantly pulled away from the green dress, meeting Francis's eyes again. A small blush conquered his cheeks. "M-Merci."
Elizaveta squealed, startling both blondes. "He's so cute!"
Mathieu somehow managed to blush harder. Francis laughed, agreeing with a nod.
"Okay," Elizaveta finally said. "I'm leaving you with nice Mr. Francis, okay Matthew?"
Mathieu was quick to shake his head, gripping onto her dress again. Francis felt a twinge of disappointment that the boy wasn't eager to come with him, but he understood the circumstances well enough to know Mathieu wouldn't be likely to jump at the opportunity of living with a stranger.
As Elizaveta crouched down and whispered something into the boy's ear, Francis stood up, observing the two before glancing back into the house to make sure everything was in place. He turned back to see Elizaveta standing up with a small smile, handing Mathieu a small, red bag.
"You'll be fine, I promise. Mr. Francis is a really nice man," Elizaveta reassured the child. Mathieu nodded, still looking nervous. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Will you visit?"
"Of course!" she replied without hesitating. With a smile, she waved at Mathieu as she began to back away. "Oh, and I've faxed all the papers concerning Matthew and the arrangement to you. If you have any questions, call me or Roderich!"
Francis nodded, but as Elizaveta disappeared around the house, he realized he didn't have her number. It would probably be on one of the papers she faxed…
He looked down at the young boy who held his red backpack close to his chest. "Well Mathieu, um… let's go inside."
This was awkward. More than he was expecting it to be.
The boy nodded, and followed Francis into the house. Francis smiled as he noticed Mathieu observing the house that took so long to clean. Getting rid of the empty bottles took the longest time.
Francis motioned Mathieu to sit on the dining table. He didn't know much about the boy, so maybe the best way was to just to ask. At least they'd converse that way.
"So Mathieu," Francis sat down across him. "Tell me about yourself."
The Quebecois's cheeks once again redden. "Um… J-Je… I-I…"
"It's okay," Francis's voice was soft. "You can speak French with me too."
Mathieu nodded nervously. "J-Je… I'm f-from Quebec. Um… Y-You already know my name… Uh, I'm seven, and I like… red, pancakes, and polar bears!"
Francis stifled a small laugh. The boy was adorable, and how his voice was getting louder at least indicated that he wouldn't be quiet when they got to know each other. "Hmm, polar bears? Why do you like them?"
Mathieu's smile was shy, but voice no longer quiet. "They're really cool and nice too!"
Francis couldn't help but laugh this time. "Well, I agree with you. Maybe we can go to the zoo soon and take a look at them."
Mathieu was suddenly quiet. "You… you'd take me to the zoo?"
"Of course!" Francis was surprised he agreed to take the child to the zoo so fast, but he strangely found himself looking forward to it. "And we'll look at a lot of other animals too! But we have to wait until we get you settled down, okay?"
Mathieu's head bobbed up and down. "Thank you, Mr. Francis."
"You can call me…" Francis frowned. What could the boy call him? "Um… what do you want to call me Mathieu?"
The boy tilted his head at the adult, seemingly confused. "…I don't know."
Francis smiled. "Call me whatever you'd like for now. We'll decide on something later. Now, do you want to see your room?"
Chapter One is out! Sorry it took so long! I'll do my best to update quicker! I plan on updating weekly, possibly a little earlier or later then that, now and then.
Thank you for sticking around! I hope everyone enjoy's the story! Please leave your thoughts behind! See you next time!
