Second chapter! Hope you like it :)
By the way, I won the lottery and bought Hetalia so I totally own it.
Haha... As if I have enough money to participate in the lottery.


The first day of school was a big mess. On one side were the stressed out teachers who had to track the missing students, run between classes, deal with the paperwork and adjusting their future lessons to the classes' personalities and levels. On the other were the students, already getting lost, looking for their friends and enrolling for clubs.
And all Alfred could do was sit and watch all this shuffling around from his window walled room where the little 'runts', as Arthur called them, were taking a nap.

It did leave him time to think, especially about Matthew's weird behaviour.

The Canadian had left Alfred with reasons to believe he was avoided. It wasn't just the simple step back as soon as Alfred took a step forward, but also the haste in ending their conversations, the lack of eye contact, the occasional flinch when Alfred talked, the stiffness in his movements when he was around him…
What? Wouldn't you spend your time staring if a person looked exactly like yourself?

Okay, so maybe it wasn't just about the similarities.
Alfred wasn't the brightest light bulb of the pack, but he wasn't close to being the dimmest either: Matthew knew him, by name if not by face. From that, it was obvious they were related, probably brothers or cousins. However, would you avoid your family like the plague?
There definitely was something behind the discomfort between the two and that was the only reason Alfred hadn't asked Matthew yet. Who knew what the Canadian had gone through if he himself had gone through so much? It was best not to be as blunt as usual.

"'Fweeeed!" Marcello, the youngest of his charges called. "Hungwy!"

Marcello Vargas probably the most attention seeking kid of the day-care but his adorableness always made him forgiven. The two year old boy left the comfort of his bed and waddled towards Alfred, before collapsing on his laps. He then plucked his glasses from his face and tried to bite them.

"Whoah! No, you can't eat that!" Alfred laughed gently wrestling for his eyesight "And you'll have to wait ten o'clock for snack time, that's the rule. On the other hand, if you want to play the game (A/N: Haha, you all lost The Game) of your choice, I'm all yours little guy!"

Marcello's beady eyes lit up "Pasta! I want make pasta!" he chirped.

"Yeah… That's not really a game… Sorry…" Alfred apologized "How about we play with this Captain America figurine?" he handed his cherished toy to the little boy, smiling as he did as well.

"Cap'ain 'Merica?" the boy asked, his stray curl of hair bouncing in excitement "He is who?"

Alfred grinned. He just loved talking about his favourite hero "Captain America is a hero! It means he saves people in case of danger, even if he has to put his life on the line. And he has a heart as big as the country he fights for and the strength of a lion, not to mention the best shield ever!"

Marcello looked up in awe "Can he save brother Lovino then?"

Alfred gave him a sad smile. He wasn't too sure who Lovino was yet, but if he was anywhere near this school, Lovino's problem probably was one of the heart.
"Unfortunately, he can't be everywhere at once…" Alfred apologized "But instead, you can help him! Just smile and be there for him, I'm sure you'll give him the strength to stand up!"

"And then I'll be hero?" Marcello asked with hope shining on his face.

"Yup!" Alfred affirmed "You'll be your brother's hero!"

"Alfred! Alfred!" Amanda called, running up to him "Who is your hero?"

Before he had even began to notice it, all the kids had grown awake and were flocking around him, eager to hear more about heroes. The tomboyish girl awaited her answer impatiently. Alfred had only been around them for a few hours, but he had already grasped their blossoming personalities; Amanda was stubborn and probably the leader wannabe of the group.

"Captain America of course!" Alfred grinned.

"Does that mean he rescued you? Did you see him?" Peter asked excited.

"He saved me in a very different way," Alfred answered "Just by being awesome and cool, he inspired me to do the same!"

"I don't get it." Michael frowned.

"What he means is that Captain America never actually shielded him from any danger but he gave him the mental strength needed for him not to commit suicide." Emil explained, picking up a random book off the bookshelf.

"What's suicide?" Lili asked, playing with her hair ribbon.

Alfred sighed "What are you Emil, seven?"

"Six."

"You're way too smart for your own age." Alfred deadpanned before turning to the little girl "Suicide is when you feel very sad and you don't want to get up anymore… It's pretty much like giving up on everything."

"I don't get it." Michael frowned.

"Ugh. You will when you grow up." Alfred replied "Come to think about it, who are your heroes?"

Amanda's hand shot in the air "Mine is my older brother, Arthur!" she exclaimed "He got me, Kaelin, Allistor and Jett away from our mean daddy and mommy!"

"Arthur has siblings?" Alfred asked, surprised "He never told me."

"Jett says it's because he's a 'spineless coward'." Amanda pouted "But we love him very, very much."

"Well my superhero is my mommy, Tino." Peter claimed, a smug look on his face "He adopted me when I had no family, and then I had one!"

"Your mommy can't be a boy!" Carlos refuted "A mommy is a girl."

"No," Emil corrected "Everything depends on the definition of a mother you are using. If it's the biological one then yes, it has to be a woman. On the other hand, if you're talking about a mother figure then it can be anyone who has given love, affection and time to a child."

"I don't get it." Michael frowned. That Emil kid really had a way to make Alfred feel stupid.

"Nevermind, who is your hero, Michael?" Alfred asked.

"Lars." Michael replied "Because he saved Emma."

"I have no idea who that is but he sounds awesome." Alfred smiled "What about you Lili?"

The little girl blushed "It's also my brother, Vash. He is very nice… D – Do you have a brother, Alfred?"

Alfred froze. What was he supposed to answer? Was Matthew his brother? What about his adoptive parents' daughter, did she count as a sibling? The kids wouldn't really care either ways, but perhaps the answer meant a lot to Alfred. He wanted a real sibling, someone he could feel useful to, or at least related to, someone who wouldn't make him feel like a stranger. He needed a home.

"Oh will you look at the time!" Alfred said "It's ten, snack time!"

The kids rushed to the snack cupboard and carefully picked their dose of sugar; they would only get one and the choice was hard.


Matthew sat in the teacher's lounge, correcting an extra summer assignment he had given, when Sadiq, the PE teacher came to him.

"Hey, did ya see that new caretaker, Matthew?" he asked "He looks just like you. Are you related?"

"No." Matthew answered straightforwardly "He's my roommate though."

Something about the PE teacher coming to talk to him ticked Matthew. He rarely talked to others, mostly because they never noticed him. And now, because Alfred was here, he was suddenly interesting?
He was being much too negative about the American's sudden arrival in his life.

Though who could really blame him for his bad mood? The beginning of the year always was a hectic time for teachers, the school was having financial troubles and his worst nightmare had come to town. The upcoming Canada-Russia hockey game could only lift his spirit so much when things like that kept happening.

And poor Alfred had to endure his jealousy. To say he wasn't feeling bad for that was a lie; no matter how much he talked to the guy he simply couldn't find any reasons to hate him further. But he did, he despised Alfred. He despised having a perfect 'brother'.

The Canadian decided to take a break in his work; it was lunch time anyway.
He made his way to the cafeteria where students were chatting in excitement and laughter, greeting a few of his with a polite 'Bonjour'. He bought a simple sandwich and a light salad before finding a table on which sat no one. He wasn't exactly in a talkative mood at the moment. Not that it changed much, most wouldn't talk to him even he was sitting at the same table.
It was weird how food tasted so dull when his mindset just wasn't one for enjoying life.

What he should have done from then on was eat quickly and leave just as fast.

But he didn't.

He took his time, dreading returning to the teacher's lounge and facing the monstrosity a student of his had written. Seriously, how was it even possible to make so many mistakes in a single essay? Half of the sentences didn't even make sense! And so were the frustrations of so many teachers… Sometimes he wondered if his words ever made it through the classroom; it was one thing for his colleagues to ignore him but it was another for his students to.

So with all this time lost, Alfred had time to creep up on him.

"Hey Mattie!" he greeted, sitting in front of him.

Matthew stared blankly at the other before mechanically turning around to see who he was talking to.

"Dude, there aren't two thousand Matthews here." Alfred laughed.

Matthew turned back, "Aren't you supposed to be supervising the kids?" he asked.

"The secretary, that Chinese girl, uhm… April? June?" Alfred started, raking his brain for the right name "May! May took over so I could have a lunch break without having my food stolen by them. I don't really know anyone yet and you were alone so I decided to join you!" the American placed a tray full of various sandwiches and snacks on the table, nearly spilling his extra large bottle of coke.

"Uhm… Okay…" Was all Matthew could say in response. Sitting right in front of Alfred was just about the most awkward thing that had happened to him that day, and that included the boner a student got for him during class. What was he supposed to say? He didn't even want to have a conversation with his doppelganger! Hopefully the other didn't mind the silence.

"So, heard you like hockey?" … Hope eradicated. "There's a match with Canada against Russia tomorrow night, want to watch it together?" Alfred continued "I don't know for you but if Russia's the enemy, I'm rooting for Canada all the way!"

Matthew decided to play along "Well I'm Canadian so I don't really have a choice, do I? Hockey is like a national obsession." He said. It was lucky hockey was the topic; it was one of the few he could go on forever about, no matter how much he loathed talking to the other.

"Do you hate me?" Alfred asked.

Matthew choked on his drink.

Alfred's eyes suddenly widened as he covered his mouth "Oh God, sorry. Bad habit… uhm… Don't mind my question!" the American smashed his head repetitively against the table "Damnit! Why do I have to be so blunt?"

Matthew winced. Sure he wished Alfred to be hurt but… looking at him bang his head on the table was like seeing himself do the same thing.
"Please stop that." He said, his throat a bit sore from coughing his apple juice out. Matthew sighed. "You know what? I have to go correct a few shot essays, so I can't really stay here."

The Canadian got up but was held back just as he was about to leave.

"Wait." Alfred called "I know I told you not to mind it but… Please think of an answer to my question." The man gulped "I just want to know why you're avoiding me like that… Please."

Matthew stared at Alfred as the other mad the most natural and pitiful puppy face he had ever seen.
"Right." He nodded before leaving as quickly as people tended to forget him.


It was official. Alfred was the biggest, dumbest idiot in the whole damn world. He had promised himself not to corner Matthew with any sort of uncomfortable questions. And what did he do? Just that. What an idiot. The little hope he had in befriending his roommate was now gone and replaced with a whole lot of awkwardness. Maybe his adoptive parents had been right all along, it was best for him to just 'Shut up and stand there looking pretty, or at least try to'.

"Alfred F. Jones?" someone called, popping their head into his little aquarium like room. The man was small with light blond hair, an incredibly cute roundish face and eyes that seemed to light up with kindness.

"Yeah?" Alfred answered, standing up to greet the other.

The man smiled "I'm Tino Väinämöinen, the deputy headmaster. Please just call me Tino, my last name tends to get butchered when you don't come from northern Europe."

"Mom!" Peter exclaimed, running towards the man.

"Peter, please don't mind me. I have to talk business with Alfred. Okay?" Tino replied, stroking his son's hair.

Alfred grabbed Peter and placed him back on the floor next to the table where all the books lied opened.
"You can't escape your work Peter." Alfred smirked "You haven't done half a page of the exercise book yet!"

"But it's so unfair!"Peter complained "Why do only Lili, Chris, Emil and I have to work? The others get to play all day long!"

Alfred sighed "It's because you're old enough to go to primary school."

"Fine." Peter surrendered, going back to sit next to his brother Chris.

"Sorry about him," Tino apologized "He tends to act a bit spoiled."

"It's fine, that's what I'm being paid for!"Alfred grinned.

"Right, well I need to discuss something with you." Tino started "The school is having financial troubles as you may know so we would like you, only if you can of course – God forbid we force you to do anything – to organize an activity to raise funds with the kids. It can be anything, from a play to baking cakes. If you need ideas, ask other teachers: most of them already have something going on."

"Anything? Really?" Alfred smiled, his eyes sparkling like a Twilight vampire.

"Yeah…" Tino answered, feeling the danger in Alfred's intentions "As long as it's not swindling people or stealing or anything like that. I mean, take Francis for example, he writes books and donates the royalties to the school or Feliciano who organizes art expositions every year!"

"Oh… Okay."Alfred nodded "What does Matthew do?" he suddenly found himself asking.

"Mathew?" Tino looked surprised "Oh, Matthew! Right, uhm… Mathew… Mathew helps Emma, the cafeteria's cook for free whenever he has free time. It helps a lot actually, cooks are so expensive to hire." Tino sighed "Well, I have to go. See you around!"

"See ya!" Alfred said back before going back to supervising the kids.

But something was troubling him. Why did he ask about Matthew? Why not Arthur or Elizaveta? They were closer to friends than the Canadian was. It made no sense. Perhaps he was just curious?

At least one thing was clear in his mind now: Mathew was a nice guy. Who else would agree to do extra work without extra money? However, that only made the fact Mathew hated him worse. Nice people didn't go around hating others without an excellent reason to do so, Alfred was sure of that.

If only Alfred knew to be more aware of his actions and words. Then maybe, maybe he would know what he had done. It was so much easier to apologize when you knew what you were apologizing for. Unfortunately, Alfred had never been one to shut up and think twice before talking. The simple idea of being silent made him shiver. He wasn't a good well-behaved kid, he never had been. But if he didn't do whatever he could to attract attention, wouldn't people finally manage to forget him? Anyone he had been around had at least once desperately tried to ignore him, to erase his existence. He didn't want that. He existed, he was there and he was going to make sure no one could tell him otherwise.

On the other hand, Alfred knew very well all he achieved was pissing off the others. Sure, his friendliness got him on people's good side at first, but everyone got tired of that eventually.

"Fweeeed!" Marcello called "It's Cap'ain 'Merica!" the little boy and Michael ran up to Alfred, thrusting the figurine in his chest "He will save you, pwease do not cwy!"

Huh? When had he started crying?

Alfred looked down at the kid's gift, wiping the tears off his cheeks. He stared at the hero's cocky smile and at his confident posture. How could he have forgotten? Alfred was a hero too! He could save himself. He could fight for what he believed. He could face his problems easily.
How long was he going to torment himself? He had to stand up. Mathew wasn't going to start liking him if he just avoided the guy, he had to show him who he really was and turn him into his friend!

Alfred smiled at his new determination. It didn't matter how much effort and time it would take but he knew he would fight the evil wall between him and his clone and win. He had too: it was a hero's job.

Alfred handed the figurine back to the little boy "Thanks Marcello, but I don't need it anymore. Keep it for now."

"Bu – But then you have no hewo!" Marcello cried.

"You are my hero." Alfred grinned "You reminded me that I could be my own hero."

"I don't get it." Michael frowned.