A/N: Sorry if there's a false update, I needed to put in a couple of words that got deleted when I first typed this.

Matthew sighed, drawing his knees up to his chest and staring at the stars that kept him company on nights such as this one. Just yesterday, he had made a friend- the only person besides Alfred that could tell he wasn't Alfred. It had become a lot easier to tell them apart; Matthew stayed near Ivan while Alfred avoided him. Matthew had met a lot of people that had used to see through him- Eduard, an intelligent Estonian, Katyusha and Natalia, Ivan's sisters... Even Soren, one of the most popular boys in the school. However, Matthew wasn't sure what to make of his new friend. Was Ivan really as nice as he seemed? After all, if Alfred hated him so much, there had to be a reason... Right? Either way, Matthew's feelings towards Ivan were raging out of control. Soon enough, though, the answer to his question appeared...

Two Days Later

"Jonesy! Where are you?"

Matthew quickly slipped behind Ivan, burying his face in Ivan's thick coat.

"Matvey, what's wrong?" His voice held genuine concern for the Canadian.

"You hear the guy yelling for 'Jonesy', right?" Matthew's already soft voice was muffled by the cloth and Ivan had to listen closely to figure out what he was saying.

"Da."

"H-he always be-beats me up... He's th-the one who shut m-me in your locker..." Matthew's voice was nearing panic as Carlos came closer. Shaking Matthew off of the back of his coat, Ivan strode towards Carlos. Gripping the faucet pipe that had appeared out of one of his many pockets, he stared down at the shorter teen.

"You are the one who hurt Matvey, da?"

"Matvey?" Carlos snorted. "The only person I 'hurt' is the self-proclaimed hero, Alfred. Jones." he spat the name venomously.

"Haven't you noticed?" Ivan faked a pleasant smile. "Alfred is fine. Matvey, on the other hand, is not." The mask slipped and with every word, the smile became more vicious.

Matthew stood behind Ivan, attempting to keep him from murdering Carlos, even though it would be nice to have some revenge.

"But Matvey..." Ivan turned pleading eyes on him. "Wouldn't you like for him to be hurt, like he hurt you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

Carlos snickered. "Yeah, keep your guard dog under control."

That was the last straw.

Ivan whipped around and hit him in the chest with the pipe. The momentum sent Carlos flying, drawing a collective gasp from the onlookers. No one had ever dared to lay a finger on Carlos, let alone hit him in the ribs with a pipe. He laboriously climbed to his feet. "You're in for it now, dog." Carlos growled, glaring at Ivan.

"Ivan, please-" Matthew began. It was too late. The two rushed each other, students quickly forming an uneven circle around them. The pair fought almost too quickly to keep up, but a multitude of bruises soon appeared on Carlos's arms and face.

"This isn't over yet," Carlos hissed, slinking away with what little dignity he had left.

Matthew grabbed Ivan by the wrist and dragged him into the bathroom. "Why did you do that, Ivan?!" He cried. "Now you might get expelled!"

"Because... Because..." Ivan blushed, smiling uncharacteristically shyly. "Because Я люблю тебя."(I love you.) He leaned forward and gently kissed Matthew. He was surprised, but he kissed back, wrapping his arms around Ivan and pulling him closer. At last they broke apart.

"I-Ivan..."

"Yes, Matvey?"

"J-Je t'aime..."(I-I love you...)

"Я тоже люблю тебя, Матвей."(I love you too, Matvey.)

Holding hands, the pair walked out of the room, two lovers lost in their own world.

GAAAAH. I'm so sorry it's so freaking short! I just thought that would be a good place to end it... And I might not be updating for a while. :( On anything. D: Sorry!