CHAPTER VII

March came and went, and with April, the nights gradually gained in temperature. This particular night, a warm front was invading South Carolina and the local area was experiencing a thunderstorm. Matthew knew this wasn't that unusual, but he didn't like the idea of a storm so early in the spring season. He hated storms in general, but it was the clashing gods of the thunderstorms that he dreaded most. Well, maybe this one would only rumble like a hungry stomach.

CRASH!

Make that a starving stomach.

CRACK!

A starving stomach in Haiti.

Hugging Kumajirou close to his heaving chest, Matthew whimpered as the sky battled with itself, like a civil war. The rain imitated the pounding of soldiers marching; the thunder bursting like cannons. He wanted to run over to Alfred's room and climb into his bed, but he was hoping to keep some portion of his dignity that night.

There was a gentle knock on his door, and he recognized his brother peering through the open slit. It wasn't a Friday, so either Al had a nightmare or he knew Mattie would be freaking out. "You awake?" Alfred whispered.

"Y-Yeah." The sky lit up as it roared deafeningly, and Matthew couldn't help but flinch at the atmosphere's drumfire. He'd hoped that Al hadn't caught his movement, but it was inevitable.

Alfred didn't laugh, but offered a knowing smile as he walked in and shuffled under the sheets. Letting his brother curl up against him, he stroked the blonde ruffles of his hair. A chuckle escaped his mouth as he thought about how predictable Matthew was. The moment the weatherman had announced the arrival of the storm, Alfred had known this would happen. No, he had even anticipated it, for a reason he couldn't, just wouldn't understand.

"It's not funny!" Mattie whined, lifting his head up from his brother's comforting chest.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." He brought a hand to Matthew's back and rubbed it. The notion eased the tension in his muscles, and he quickly relaxed, growing increasingly tired. Matthew hated how he couldn't stay mad at his brother; Al was just too good. He gave up and nestled closer to him, his energy and terror draining as the storm began to recede.

Yes, this was just what Alfred was looking for; to soothe his brother's fears like no other. He was Matthew's righteous hero, always there to save the day. Still, even that hadn't been enough for him lately. He wanted to be the center of Matthew's universe.

Wasn't he already? Sure, his brother had some close friends, but those relationships were so unimportant compared to his with Al. Mattie rarely saw them outside of school since he usually isolated himself at home. All right, so there was that bastard Ramón he was hanging out with a lot more. But Al was the only one Matthew truly confided in and still the one he spent most of his time with. So Alfred had to be his brother's number one, right?

He smirked, drifting off with Matthew in his arms as he knew for sure that his brother's world revolved around him.

The two slept through the rest of the night without disturb. After hours of peaceful darkness, dawn arrived, slowly bringing light to the horizon. They lay, chests rising and falling even as the sun began to infiltrate the room.

Matthew's eyes started to flutter in the faint light that perforated the blinds. He recalled the previous night and its storm, grinning in light of a new day. Yet, something was bothering him, but he couldn't determine exactly what.

It hit him mercilessly: today was a school day, and the sun shouldn't be rising so early in the morning - unless it wasn't early.

Slowly and apprehensively, Matthew turned his head to look over at the alarm clock, and he emitted a sharp gasp. The clock was blinking 12:00 A.M. over and over, meaning the power had gone out at some point during the night. Since the machine needed to be reset, it didn't have the right time, and his alarm hadn't gone off.

Panicking now, he scrambled out from under the blankets and ran over to his backpack at the foot of his bed, remembering he'd left his cell phone there yesterday. He desperately flipped it open to reveal the time: 6:49 A.M.

"Al!" Matthew violently shook his brother awake, his breathing quickening. "Wake up! We're gonna be late!"

"Wh-What?" Al muttered, rubbing at his eyes. Damn, he'd been having such a great dream, saving Mattie from all sorts of bad guys.

"School starts in twenty-five minutes and we're not even dressed and we haven't had breakfast and the bus is already gone and Dad and Papa must have already left for work and-"

"Whoa, whoa, Mattie," Alfred stopped him, grabbing his shoulders. "Okay, breathe, breathe…"

Matthew tried to take deep breaths, but they kept coming in hitches as he was on the verge of tears. He'd never been late to school before. Tardiness meant detention, which would go on his previously spotless record. Overall, it was just plain trouble. "I-I-"

"Breathe. Breathe. Listen to me. I- are you listening to me?"

He nodded with difficulty, starting to sob.

"Shhh, shh, don't cry. Look, we'll get dressed fast and hop on Dad's motorcycle. I'll speed to make sure we get to school on time. Okay? Okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Mattie mumbled, getting his crying under control.

"All right, good. Now, I'm gonna go so you can get dressed, okay? Good." However, Matthew wasted no time, ripping off his shirt before Alfred even made it to the door. He was too frazzled to care if his brother saw. Al stopped in his tracks, distracted by the sudden revelation of skin. Oh, that skin, it was so enticing.

Matthew was about to pull down his sweats when he caught his brother's gaze. "Why are you just standing there? Get dressed!" He forcefully pushed Alfred out of the room and slammed the door. Remembering that they were going to be late, he rushed off to his room to change.

As he took off his shirt at a moderate pace, he thought of how he'd been so enthralled by his brother's body just moments before. He knew it wasn't right; Matthew was his brother, even if they weren't actually related. Yet, he couldn't quiet these urges that had come over him. He wanted to hold him, caress his fair skin…

"Are you dressed yet?" Matthew screamed as he burst through the door just as Alfred was pulling up his jeans.

"Privacy, Mattie! God!" As much as he tried to suppress it, he couldn't stop his face from tingling with heat, found half-naked by his adorable, yet basket case of a brother.

"You're too slow! Let me help-"

"WHOA! Hey, hey, HEY, get your hands away from there! Where's your decency?" Did Matthew actually just attempt to zip up his jeans? God, he was scary when he was panicking. "Look, go put on your jacket! I'll be right down!"

"But it's April! We don't need jackets!"

"No, the leather jacket! And your gloves and your helmet! Go!" Great, he was getting frantic too.

Once he'd hurried Matthew out, Al threw on a random shirt and fixed his fly before snatching his empty backpack. Luckily, last week had been spring break and both of them had gotten minimal homework, so all their books were at school. The bags wouldn't get in the way during the ride.

He swiftly threw it over his shoulder and slid down the banister. Knowing how anxious Mattie was from how quickly he was pacing in the foyer, Alfred put his gear on as fast as he could. The brothers ran through the kitchen, skipping breakfast as they sped into the garage.

Slapping the garage door opener on the wall, Al stood on the concrete floor, waiting for the entrance to be sufficient to push the motorcycle out. Once he'd done so, Matthew following fretfully, he grabbed the remote out of his jacket and the garage began to close at the click.

The brothers climbed onto the seat, Matthew clinging desperately to Alfred as the vehicle roared to life. Going fifty-five in a thirty mile-per-hour zone, he raced through the streets, daring time to catch up to him. He was going to get them there on time because he was a hero, even if it meant bending the rules a bit.

Five minutes passed and the high school finally came into view. Alfred could feel his brother's grasp tighten in anticipation, his breath hastening, which only motivated him further. Hold on, Mattie, he thought as they approached the school. Slowing as he reached the parking lot entrance, the motorcycle turned in, catching everyone's attention. Alfred spotted a bike rack and pulled in, bringing the vehicle to a stop just before the curb.

Lifting the helmet from his head, Al sighed in relief as people were still in the lot, so they couldn't be late. Removing his brother's hands, he hopped off to chain the motorbike to the rack. It wasn't until he heard a loud thump combined with a sickening crack sound that he looked behind him. It took several seconds for Alfred's mind to grasp what had happened, and then his eyes widened as the panic set in.

"Matt-MATTHEW!" Alfred ran to his brother's side, almost hysterical as he yanked the helmet off to reveal an unconscious Matthew. Oh God, he must have hyperventilated so much that he passed out. Al could tell that he was still breathing, and the pulse was running strong when he placed his fingers on the boy's slender throat. His neck hadn't snapped, likely because of the protective headgear, so what had made that sound?

The twisted left arm caught his eye. "Hey!" He called out to the alarmed students standing still in the lot. "S-Someone call an ambulance!" A crowd started to gather, but all Alfred could focus on was Mattie's welfare. Not only that, but how he could possibly explain to his parents what had happened. Did you have to get hurt in such a ridiculous way? he thought as the girl next to him rapidly dialed the emergency number.

. . .

(A/N: In my defense, I never once wrote in the summary or any of my notes that there would be a crash, or an accident in general. All I ever wrote was that Matthew got hurt falling off a motorcycle. Strange how the human mind works, huh? I apologize for any misleading, but I'd planned for it to happen this way since the beginning.)