Francis groaned when he heard his alarm clock going off. Was it really already morning?

He hit the rest button, only to have Matthew come in a few moments later and pull the sheets off him.

Half climbing, half falling out of bed, Francis pulled on a fresh shirt and trousers, to meet Matthew in the kitchen for a quick slice of toast before running to catch the bus for college.

"What are we studying today?" Francis riffled through his bag checking over his books,

"Hamlet" Matthew told him, holding up his own copy.

Francis groaned, "it had to be the one book I don't carry round with me!" He zipped his bag shut again and kicked the seat in front of him that thankfully nobody was sitting on.

"Just share the one with whoever's sitting next to you" Matthew suggested, "it's Monday, you know Professor Keen's never quite awake on a Monday, it'll only be a short class."

Francis nodded, as usual Matthew was right.

As the bus pulled into the college campus, Matthew, Francis, and a few others got to their feet.

Antonio and Gilbert were waiting for Francis by the bus stop; Antonio was in their class, and Gilbert never felt like going to his, so they might as well all walk to class together.

"I've got these new neighbours," Antonio was pulling a face, "they're moving into our class. You'll never believe what they had for dinner last night; scrambled eggs, made with eggs and a gone off pint of milk."

Francis clamped his hands over Matthew's ears looking horrified, but Gilbert just shrugged, "well if that's what they want to eat..."

"People don't eat stuff like that" Francis argued, "and you are never going to get anywhere with that girl if you go in with an attitude like that!"

Gilbert stuck his tongue out.

They were in the Arts corridor now, and they could hear Roderich tapping away at his piano- though Francis told them Roderich was actually quite a good pianist and so not to call it 'tapping'.

Suddenly Gilbert froze, practically diving behind Antonio.

"Did she see me?"

"Who?" Francis looked up at the hallway. There were a few people making their way through the hall, but the only female was a stunningly good looking girl with long wavy brown hair, looking wistfully in through the music classroom door.

"She doesn't look like a dragon" Francis smirked, remembering Gilbert's previous descriptions.

Eliza must have had ears like a beagle hound, because she turned her head very suddenly in their direction.

"Who looks like a dragon!" She demanded, the softness in her eyes next to gone; now Francis and Antonio saw what Gilbert had been talking about.

"Friend of yours I do believe" Francis stepped aside to reveal Gilbert.

Eliza narrowed her eyes, "I didn't even know you managed to get into college" she frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Well tough luck" Gilbert replied nervously, tilting his head in the direction of the music room, "shouldn't you be in class?"

"Judging by your lack of preparation for a literature class, shouldn't you be somewhere else?" Eliza challenged, not waiting for a reply before spinning on her heel and marching back in the direction of the music room.

For a moment there was silence, then Francis patted his friend on the back, "and you think that'll convince her to go out with you? I hate to see what it's like when you ask her to sleep with you."

Gilbert growled, knocked Francis' hand away and stalked off back in the direction of the engineering block.

The room was already pretty crowded when they arrived, meaning they wouldn't be able to sit together, it didn't really matter because Antonio had already made a beeline for Lovino.

"Lets sit here" Matthew prompted, "then we're only two seats apart."

Francis agreed, slipping into a seat between a girl and a boy who didn't look too familiar. It was odd for their to be an empty seat between two people in a lecture.

Now he was sitting next to the boy something about him did seem vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place him, even after Professor Keen introduced Alfred and his brother Arthur as new students who had transferred from England.

Hang on. England!

Now Francis recognised him, and was only surprised that the boy didn't recognise him as well. The boy sitting on the British boy's other side was the one who had scolded him after Francis had pushed past.

That boy was introducing himself to Matthew as Alfred, so this must be Arthur. Whereas Arthur had sounded painfully British, his brother sounded American.

"Please open to Act 2 of Hamlet" Professor Keen yawned, looking like she'd rather be somewhere else.

Remembering what Matthew had told him he turned to the girl sitting next to him, flashing her a knee wobbling smile.

"Sorry, I don't have my copy of Hamlet, could I share yours?"

The girl blushed then looked apologetic, "sorry I forgot mine as well, I'm already sharing; you could try asking him..." She trailed off, looking like she was rethinking what she'd just suggested.

But there was nothing else for it. Maybe Arthur wouldn't recognise him from the other day.

"Can I share your Hamlet book please?"

The Brit looked up, a perfect picture of shock on his face when he saw Francis, then stamped on Francis' foot.

"Ow!" Francis hissed, glaring at the Brit, "I said I was sorry didn't I?" He tried to read the play over Arthur's shoulder, only to have it blocked from site by the Brit's arm.

"Should have brought your own" he muttered, glaring at Francis with distaste. Then Francis realised Arthur and his brother must be Antonio's new neighbours.

"And you should learn to cook, or do you enjoy eating scrambled eggs made with green milk?"

Arthur's face turned red with anger, "how the hell..."

"Is this guy bothering you Arty?" Alfred suddenly turned round to glare at Francis, looking fierce.

"Alfred this is my brother Francis" Matthew chose the right moment to introduce them, shaking his head at Francis over Alfred's shoulder.

"Oh..." Alfred's demeanour suddenly became a lot more friendly, "yeah, I can see the resemblance..."

"We're adopted brothers" Matthew corrected himself, "but we've been brothers for so long it doesn't feel like that," he gave Francis a small smile.

"Me and Arty are adopted brothers too" Alfred's face lit up, "hey, do you want to go out and eat somewhere during lunch?"

"Yes" Matthew replied at the same time Arthur and Francis said no.

"It'll be fun Arty" Alfred pressed, pulling puppy dog eyes on his brother,

"please Francis..." Matthew whimpered.

They continued until their brothers begrudgingly agreed.

"You four at the back!" Professor Keen suddenly snapped, "If I am going to bother to turn up, the least you can do is pretend to listen to what I have to say!"

Arthur flushed, looking embarrassed, quickly turning to the right page of Hamlet, even lifting his arm so Francis could see.

If Francis hadn't already decided he didn't like this boy, he might have said it was cute.

With a heavy heart Francis turned down the offer of going to eat with Antonio and Gilbert, and hurried after his brother and the other two.

Alfred and Matthew were talking animatedly, while Arthur shuffled behind with his hands in his jacket pockets, looking at the floor.

When it turned out Alfred was taking them to a fast food restaurant Francis promptly refused to eat anything.

Arthur ordered a small chips, and Alfred ordered for him and Matthew.

The Brit looked a little surprised to be landed with what he'd called a 'large chips'.

"Alfred I think there's been a mistake..."

Alfred just laughed, taking one of Arthur's chips, "welcome to America bro."

In the end Francis ended up helping Arthur with his fries; just because it was so painful to watch him trying to eat them all.

"Me and Arty here have been brothers since we were seven" Alfred beamed with a mouthful of burger,

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Arthur snapped, folding his arms and turned away from them all to look outside the window.

"Me and Francis have been brothers that long as well" Matthew smiled, "you two must be close."

Alfred laughed, leaning over to ruffle Arthur's hair. Francis was getting ideas as to why the Brit's head was always so messy.

"If you don't mind my asking..." Matthew began concentrating very hard on his shake, "...Which one of you was adopted?"

Francis saw Arthur shift uncomfortably, even Alfred stopped chewing quite so vigorously.

"Both our parents are dead, we were both adopted."

"I'm sorry..." Matthew apologised, "my parents are dead too."

Francis felt like this conversation was getting a bit depressing now. Besides, both his parents were alive and well; not that he'd know unless they phoned once a month to tell him so before whisking off to another business conference.

Matthew and Alfred then began to discuss why they'd chosen to do this course at this college.

Francis supposed that being adoptive brothers would explain the difference between their accents.

He and Arthur might as well have not of been here; Matthew and Alfred were so interested in each other.

Though Francis supposed that was good; Matthew often found it hard to make friend.

"So how did you know about the scrambled eggs?" Arthur mumbled, so quietly that Francis almost missed it,

"I have a friend that lives next door to you, I assume one of you must have told him" Francis shrugged, watching Arthur shoot an accusing glance at Alfred, who wasn't paying attention to him.

"I suppose you think you could cook better because your French" the Brit muttered, going back to look out of the window.

It was this moment Matthew and Alfred chose to take notice of them again.

"You can come and see for yourself if you'd like" Matthew offered, "its Francis' turn to cook tonight,"

"That'll be great" Alfred agreed enthusiasticly, "me and Arty could come round after classes finish."

Arthur looked like he was about to protest, then stopped; "fine" he glared challengingly at Francis, "let's see just how good your cooking really is."

Folding his arms Francis told himself he was going to make the best dammed dinner this Brit had ever had, just to prove him wrong.

They went back into class for the afternoon lesson, after which Francis insisted on being able to see his friends before heading home to cook for the blasted Brit, and his brother's new friend.

"What's up with you?" Antonio hurried to catch up with Francis when class ended, "I think I'm getting somewhere with Lovino, he only hit me four times today." He tilted his head curiously at Francis, it was unlike the Frenchman to look so angry.

"My brother's only gone and made friends with that new Alfred, who he's invited round for dinner tonight!"

"What's wrong with that?" Antonio felt he was missing something,

"He's bringing his adoptive brother, and guess who he is! That bloody English prick I bumped into on the bus the other day!"

"Oh" Antonio nodded, glancing around for something to distract his friend, "hey look, Gilbert looks excited about something; maybe he spoke to that girl..."

It wasn't that, but his story was even more interesting.

"Remember when I got home last night Ludwig's car wasn't there" Gilbert glanced at Francis, almost jumping up and down on the spot, "do you know where he was?"

"Obviously not" Francis admitted, at the same time Antonio replied,

"Lovino and Feliciano's student room?"

Gilbert looked disappointed, "how did you know?"

"It's the reason I only got hit four times today by Lovino; he had to come and sleep in my room last night..." He noticed the looks Gilbert and Francis were giving him, but he shook his head with disappointment, "I gave him the bed, I slept on the sofa."

Francis was running through recipes in his head, trying to work out what he was going to make; it had to be something big that would put any thought out of that stupid British head that he was only acting like a big chief because he was French.

Francis knew he was a brilliant cook even by French standards. And he was not going to stand for someone denting his pride like that.

"I've got to get going" Francis excused, slapping his friends on the back; he needed to get to the super market.

Of course it cost a fortune to get a chicken round here that wasn't stuffed with chemicals and kept in a box, but Francis knew where he could get a pretty good price on one.