BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP…
He slammed his fist hard on the object that started making that irritating noise, and soon heard a smallcrackfrom the alarm clock.
Satisfied at the silence that befell, Matthew's arm quickly made a retreat back into his cocoon of light sheets he was curled up in, groaning annoyingly at how early it must be. Trying his best to keep at least one of his eyes open, he tried his best to read the time through his blurry vision. The red light bear the numbers7:00A.M.He then did his best to reach for his cell phone, yanking it from the charger. Checking the date, he found out that it was a …Saturday…
It's a Saturday! Matthew thought furiously, tossing his phone back on the nightstand before curling up in a ball. He shut his eyes tightly and furrowed his eyebrows together.Why the hell is the alarm clock set this early? Do I have something important to do?
After a minute of lying still in a ball form, Matthew finally remembered what he had to do.Maple,Matthew groaned irritably. He was supposed to meet up with that idiot Gilbert that day. He was supposed to be at the library by 9.Why did the night have to be so short?
Forcing himself to get up, he was only able to sit up on his legs. He curved his back a bit, stretching one arm up while using one hand to rub his tired eyes, letting a small yawn. He stayed like that for a moment, trying to make his eyes open properly and adjust. Matthew gave up quickly, and fell to his back. His head landed on something soft and furry.
Craning his neck, he found out that it was Kumajirou. The mutt seemed to have also just woken up, but was going to fall back asleep at any moment.
"I don't want to go, Kumajiku," Matthew whined childishly, wrapping his arms around Kumajirou as he placed his hand on top of the bear's white fur. The bear took his right paw, and patting Matthew's cheek with it.
"Whoo?" Kumajirou said tiredly before closing his eyes.
"I'm Matthew…" Matthew managed to mutter tiredly, closing his eyes for a minute. He felt like he was about to drift off to another dream before he heard a loud bang of a pan hitting the floor coming from the kitchen. This caused Matthew quickly jolt up in surprise and suspicion. He tried his best not to make any noises as he quietly made his way to the staircases. Matthew leaned over the wooden railing, trying his best to listen to what may be going on downstairs.
"Merde(Shit)," Matthew heard a familiar voice grumble. He sighed in relief when he heard only Francis. Now that he was already out of bed, he may as well get ready.
Matthew made his way to the bathroom to clean himself, and took his time getting ready. He slipped into a pair of jeans and a simple, red shirt, taking his time in brushing his blonde strands in place. He quickly took his school bag, and started to make his way down the stairs.
When Matthew walked in, he found Francis making some breakfast for two.Well this is a special occasion; Matthew thought when he walked in. Francis turned around to see who had just entered, and smiled warmly when he saw it was only Matthew.
"Ah, Mathieu!" Francis said, but then he put on this confused look. "Pourquoi t'es réveillé? L'heure maintenant est 7:45, et c'est aussi samedi. C'est rare de te voir réveillé durant le matin à cette heure.(Why are you awake? The time right now is 7:45, and it's also Saturday. It's rare to see you awake in the morning at this time.)"
"Papa," Matthew replied, walking up to the counter.Good morning to you too. I have to ask you that question."Je juste dois rencontrer avec quel qu'un de l'école à la bibliothèque.(I just have to meet up with someone from school at the library.)"
"Une amie?(A friend?)" Francis asked, putting on an omelette on a plate. Matthew took the plate and sat down at the dining table. He paused to think. Was Gilbert really considered his friend now? Or, was he more of an acquaintance? Matthew pondered about this for a while, before replying.
"Oui," Matthew said as he took his fork and started eating. The pause that he took must have made Francis suspicious, because he had this mysterious look on his face and a smirk.
"Ah. C'est juste une amie, oui?(Ah. It's just a friend, yes?)" Matthew looked at his father suspiciously at how he emphasised 'a friend'.
"Oui," he said once more. Francis just nodded, and it took a minute before Matthew understood what his father was thinking.
"J'ai pas une blonde ou un chum, Papa.(I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, Papa.)"Matthew said quickly, drinking some orange juice out of a cup. Francis just chuckled.
"J'ai pas dit ça,(I never said that.)" Francis replied, taking a fork and leaned one arm against the counter.
"Non, mais t'as pensé de ça.(No, but you were thinking it.)"Matthew muttered.
"T'es sûre ?(You sure?)"
"Papa, je rencontre avec Gilbert.(Papa, I'm meeting up with Gilbert.)"Francis looked at him confused for a minute, before finally understanding.
"Oh, je comprends! Il s'appelle Gilbert, hein?(Oh, I understand! His name is Gilbert, huh?)"
"Non, Papa ! Il est juste un ami!(No, Papa! He's just a friend!)"
"Tu dis ça comme tu n'es pas sûre si vous êtes 'juste amis',(You say it like you aren't sure if you guys are 'just friends',)"Francis said in a sing-song way.
"Papa!" Matthew cried, slightly blushing. Francis laughed at his son's reaction.
"D'accord, d'accord. Je juste blague. Ne le prend pas au sérieuse.(Alright, alright. I was just joking . Don't take it seriously.)"
"C'est pas drôle.(It's not funny.)"
"Quelles classes partagez-vous? (What classes do you guys share?)"
"Gilbert est dans la deuxième année. Il est dans ma classe de math.(Gilbert is in year 2. He's in my math class.)"Francis looked at Matthew with weird look, and raised one of his eyebrows.
"Qu'est qu'il fait dans ta classe de premiere année ?(What's he doing in a first year class?)"
"Je sais pas. Il doit encore refaire la course parce qu'il n'a pas reçu un bon note, ou quelque chose comme ça.(I don't know. He has to redo the course again because he didn't get a good mark, or something like that.)"
"Hm, vraiment ?(Hm, really?)"
"Ouais. Je dois l'enseigner parce qu'il a recu mauvais note sur notre dernière teste.(Yeah. I have to teach him because he got a bad mark on our last test.)"Francis looked at Matthew curiously, not knowing what test his son was talking about. Matthew bit his bottom lips. He had forgotten to even inform his father about it.
"Qu'est-ce que t'as réussi?(What did you get ?)"
"…Un 95%.(A 95%)"
"Ah, oui?"Francis broke into another warm smile."C'est excellent, Mathieu! Bon travail!(That's excellent, Matthew! Good work!)"
"Merçi, Papa,(Thanks, Papa,)"Matthew replied bashfully. There was a small pause between them.
"Qu'est-ce qu'Alfred fait à l'école? Est-ce qu'il fait tous ces travailles d'école?(What does Alfred do at school? Does he do his school work?)"
"Oui. Il fait presque tous ces travaux(Yes. He does almost all of his work.)"Matthew said with a chuckle.
"Comment-fait Arthur? (How is Arthur?)"Matthew almost choked on the orange juice at this question, and paused before putting his glass down. Why does his father want to know how his Dad was doing?
He didn't know how to respond, because he felt that if he were to say something wrong, then hisPapamight go back to drinking. Even though he doesn't like the fact, Matthew could agree with Alfred that Arthur was the main reason why Francis drinks and keeps himself busy. He hates thinking that way because he doesn't like blaming his Dad for his Papa's problems…even he may be one of the cause.
"Il fait bon dehors, n'est-ce pas? (Isn't it nice outside?)"Matthew asked quickly, diverting the question. Francis looked at him questioningly, but he didn't seem to care about how Matthew suddenly changes the subject.
"Oui…"Francis replied back unsurely.
"Je dois aller, Papa, (I have to go, Papa,)"Matthew got up from his chair and placed the plate in the sink. He quickly made a hasty exit. "I'll see you later, maybe. I'll call you if I decide to come late. Bye!"
Before Francis could answer, Matthew was out the door and making his way towards the bus stop. He hesitated when he shut the door, and was regretting not letting his father responds back, much less give him a quick peck on the cheek as a 'bye' like he used to usually do. But now a day, it was quite different between the two of them. Like they was more of a distance between them…
Matthew is extremely grateful that they were signs to show where the school's library was located. However, he was not grateful about how big the entire thing was.
Located on the other side of the school, not only was it huge, but it also had two floors, a computer department for those who need to use a computer, and study rooms scattered here and there. There were hundreds- if not, thousands- of rows of bookshelves that touched the ceiling, filled with most likely single books published in the world, and these huge dictionaries and encyclopaedia that made Matthew wonder who would actually read them.
Now, Matthew had a new task to fulfill: he needed to find his second year idiot before he gets lost in the pile of books and magazines. He really wished he had asked Gilbert for his phone number yesterday. It would have saved him the trouble from tiring his legs out by walking around the whole library searching for him.
Matthew sighed as he tugged on his bag strap and started to walk.Where is he?Matthew thought, and was about to venture off once more until he heard a voice.
"HEY MATTHEW! UP HERE!" The voice yelled out loud, even though they were in the library. Matthew stopped what he was doing, and he felt his face heat up when he saw how many people were staring above him, then down towards him. Gritting his teeth, he re-adjusted his glasses and glanced up towards the direction where the voice came from.
"Oh…" Matthew whispered softly to himself when he looked at the second floor that over-viewed the first. He found his second year idiot. Or, at least, his second year idiot found him.
He was on the second floor, near the staircases that led there, and was staring down at Matthew with amusement in both his crimson eyes. On the weekends, students are free to wear whatever they would like on the school grounds, as long as they had their student ID with them at all times. Gilbert must really take "advantage" of this, because he was wearing (you most likely have guessed it) a band shirt, black jeans with those ridiculous chains along the belt, black converse…is his whole closet filled with black clothing or something? What was he aiming for, the badass gothic look? He looked he walked out of a Hot Topic store. There was a small glint of something metallic around his neck- Matthew guessed it was his necklace that he showed him. Against his pale skin, you could point him out miles away with those clothes. He was leaning against the railing with both his arms folded, his rumpled, snow-white hair looking as messy as usual, and he had that cute –er, Matthew meant stupid- grin plastered on his face.
"Shhhh!" Said the librarian, who was glaring at mostly Gilbert than at Matthew. He could tell right away that the librarian did not enjoy Gilbert's presence in the least. Matthew mouthed a silent 'sorry' before turning his attention towards the boy.
He quickly scrambled up the staircases, greeting Gilbert with a glare. The other just returned the look with a laugh…or a cackle.
"Kesesese! What's wrong, Birdie? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" He taunted, still grinning. This made Matthew snap. Doesn't he know what to say and when to say it?
"No," Matthew said, a slight edge in his tone.Why does he always speak in that irritating tone? Why do I have to be here in the morning? Why couldn't I have just stayed home instead? I want to go home, and go to my warm bed, and I want to freaking go to sleep!
"Then smile, Mattie!" Gilbert said, patting his hand on his shoulder. Matthew smacked his hand away, still glaring at him.
"Damn! You must be really pissed off if you're smacking the awesome me," Gilbert chuckled, shaking his hand a bit. "Hey! I bet the awesome me can make you smile during the time that we're here! Care to bet on it?"
"I highly doubt it," Matthew said, turning his back on Gilbert.
"Now you sound like you have a stick up your ass like Ludwig."
"…We're here to study, aren't we?" Matthew said deadly serious. "Where do you want to sit?"
"Chill, Birdie!" He said lightly, still lying on the railing with one arm. He then stood up properly and grabbed Matthew by the wrist. The blonde jolted in surprise at Gilbert's remarkably cold touch, but did not lash it out. Gilbert did not notice how Matthew was staring at his hand with wide eyes, and started to drag Matthew behind him. "There's a study room that's free. We can go there!"
The two of them ventured through the rows of books, making their way towards the small room. Matthew noticed how many people were staring at them-or, Gilbert, at least. They were all either glaring at him, or had this look of pity for Matthew (but some girls were giggling as they passed by them). Matthew ignored them as he did with the stares he received from his Math class. When they entered the small room, there were two long, rectangular shaped tables that where side by side vertically. On the other side of the door that they entered, there was a wall, with a plank that said 'Study Room #23' (This made Matthew wonder if there were more and where the hell they were scattered). The other walls were made up of just glass so that people could see inside the room, and vice versa.
Matthew felt Gilbert's cold hands release his wrist, causing him to draw his attention towards him. Strangely, he just kept staring at him
"Earth to Birdie! Do you copy?" Gilbert said, waving his hands exaggeratedly. Matthew blinked his eyes, returning his attention to what was going on in the present time, before sitting down on the chair opposite of Gilbert.
"What were you staring at?" Gilbert asked, before showing off a cocky smirk. He then ran his hand through his tousled hair, winked like those hot-shot actors and said dramatically, "My rugged, sexy-awesome looks?"
"Pfft." Matthew tried his best not to laugh at how ridiculous Gilbert seemed when he said those words, but let a smile slide. "What rugged, sexy-awesome looks am I supposed to see? There are none." Gilbert just smiled at Matthew's retort, and leaned on the table.
"Hey, look! You're smiling! I got you to smile, Birdie!" As a joke, Matthew quickly replaced his smile with a thin line, and replied back emotionlessly.
"What smile?" He asked as he placed his bag to the ground.
"Wow. Really Matthew? What are you trying to pull?"
"I'm not pulling anything. And, I have no idea what you mean when you said that I was just smiling." Gilbert looked at him with a look that said 'oh, you want to play that way, huh?'
"You know, you shouldn't be acting all pissed off like how Mr. Kirkland is," Gilbert said, standing up from his chair and folded his arms behind him. "He always has this grumpy face, like he doesn't know how to smile."
"Oh?" Matthew said, placing his head on one of his hands, interested at how this boy viewed his father as.
"Yeah," Gilbert continued on, pacing a bit back and forth. "Not only that, but he'd speak to us in those British accent. Was he born and raised in England or something?"
"Uh, from what he told me and Alfred…no, sorry… I meant Alfred and I, he was born in England, and stayed there for four years. Then his family moved somewhere in Wales for about two years, before moving here in Canada."
"What you just said! That too! He'd always correct me whenever I say 'me and Roderich' he'd always be like," Gilbert paused, looking directly at Matthew with murderous eyes. He then proceeded to make the worst British-accent ever heard, and shrieked out, "'It is 'Roderich and I'! 'Roderich and I', Gilbert!'"
He placed both his hands on his hips, started to tap his left foot irritably as he made a grumpy face. "He always says it in this pose, and he'd always make it sound like it was the end of the world whenever I say 'me and Roderich!"
"Not only that, but people have caught him talking to himself. But, he makes it seem like he's actually talking to someone else. He'd always mutter something like 'Oh, really now Tinker Bell? My, my, that's terrible what Hook did. Would you like some tea, love? Oh, it's dreadful what you had to go through that. What was that, Unicorn? I know, right? Absolutely terrible, am I right Flying-Mint Bunny?'"
He then did a motion as if he was taking a sip out of a cup of tea, his pinkie sticking out. As much as Matthew would love to deny it, the fact that his father would start talking to himself is well known throughout the family and his close friends. And how Gilbert was able to impersonate Arthur that way is just hilarious for Matthew, because that's exactly what he'd say. He and Alfred had asked Arthur once whom he was talking to when they were younger.
Their Dad simply told them like it was quite obvious that he was talking to a bunch of fairies and Mr. Flying Mint Bunny (this, obviously, made them think that he was having one of his moments because of all the stress that he receives from them and work, and gave him space from then on). Matthew did his best to stiffle another laugh, but he let a smile slip.
"Interesting, Gilbert, that that is how you see me as," said a sudden voice with a British accent from the doorway. Although, it was meant to sound like a British accent, it wasn't as accurate as it can be, but the voice was deep enough to resemble Arthur's. The sound of the voice made Gilbert literally jump up 1 foot in the air, his eyes shoot right open and let out a small, shriek.
This reaction caused Matthew to burst out laughing. He held his breath quickly as both he and Gilbert looked at the doorway leading into the room, where the voice came from.
"Vash! What was that for?" Gilbert yelled taking in a deep breath of relief when he found out it wasn't Mr. Kirkland. Matthew saw a boy that must have been a year older than him.
He had rosy white skin, and blonde hair that went a little bit below his chin, with front bangs. His body was slim, but he had noticeable muscles on his arms. His bland, blue eyes that just stared back at Gilbert neutrally, with not a hint of emotion. He was at least not dressed up in some weird get up like Gilbert was- he had a camo shirt on with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, and the usual pair of blue jeans. However, what caught Matthew's attention about him was the black necklace that he was wearing around his neck. It had quite a cute touch, especially with the small, white handmade Lily pendant on it.
"No apparent reason," the boy replied, and Matthew noted the subtle German accent he had. He walked into the room, his back straight like that of a sergeant, and made his way towards the table that the duo was sitting at. Something about him reminded Matthew too much of Mr. Janssen. "I felt like screwing with you."
"I can't believe that I was stupid to actually think that you were Mr. Kirkland for a second, especially with that accent," Gilbert muttered, running his hand through his snow-white hair pathetically. "Whatcha doing here anyway, Vash? I'd imagine you already did all your homework the night before." Matthew looked at Gilbert questioningly. Did he just call him vache?Matthew thought. As in…the French word for cow?
"It's Basch, Gilbert," the young boy said, but still neutrally. "Basch. Not 'Vash'. After hanging out with me for more than one year, you still can't say my actual name?"
"Hey, I'm not the only one who calls you 'Vash'. Basically everyone does. And it's your fault for not speaking up properly when you told me, Roderich, and Elizabetha your name." Basch just kept staring at Gilbert, making Gilbert surrender his hands up. "What? It suits you, too. And, it's awesome, and this is coming from the awesome himself! You don't always see international students from Switzerland named 'Vash' and who's seems to know everything about weapons and guns and shit!"
Basch shook his head, ignoring the boy's loudness and took notice of the young blond that was seated in the chair across from Gilbert.
"Who's he?" Basch asked, tilting his head towards Matthew, who just stared back at him.
"This is Matthew. You know how Mr. Kirkland has two sons that started to attend this Academy this year, right? He's one of them."
"Um, nice to meet you Basch." Matthew said smiling a bit, but embarrassed at how Gilbert introduced him.
"Same," Basch replied with a little nod.
"So, tell me Vash, where the hell did you get that from?" Gilbert mocked, pointing at the necklace the young Swiss was wearing. For the first time since the few minutes that Matthew has met him, Basch actually showed a bit of expression. There was a light blush that grew on his cheeks, and he looked away bashfully.
"My sister, Lillian, made it for me," he muttered, not looking at Gilbert.
"Oh, right! You have a younger sister in Year 1, huh? I think she's in our Math class, right Matthew? Your last name is Zwingli, right?" Matthew nodded in agreement with Gilbert, much to his own surprise. The more that he thought about it, there were a lot of similarities between the two…especially how their hair was the same colour and similar hairstyle.
"Yes…" Basch answered, suddenly glaring at Gilbert suspiciously.
"Hey, why are you looking at the awesome me that way?" Gilbert asked, catching his glare. "Do you have some sort of trust issue with me? You look at me like I did something to your sister!"
"…Knowing you, you might have."
"W-What that's supposed to mean?!" Gilbert yelled.
"Speaking of," Basch continued, ignoring Gilbert's question. "Did either of you two have seen Lilli anywhere here?" There was a hint of worry in his voice when he spoke those words.
"No, we haven't," Matthew replied, cutting Gilbert off before he can yell out a reply. He continued, "Why?"
Basch bit his bottom lip nervously; worry clear in his blue eyes.
"She told me that she and two other friends of hers would be going to the school's library in the morning," he replied.
"So?" Gilbert asked. "If she said she's in the library, she'll be here. Do you have trust issues with your own sister too?"
Why does he ask the most idiotic questions? Matthew thought.
"No, I don't. I'm just worried about her safety. She's new to this country, and has never left home in Switzerland before. Plus, her friends are quite…" Basch did not finish his sentence, as he was trying to figure out a decent word to describe his sister's friends.
"It's like you put her in house arrest or something," Gilbert joked. "You can't be that protective of her all the time."
"She's in poor health. Her health wasn't, and still isn't, the best. I need her to be safe during her time here."
Matthew continued to stare at the young boy, listening attentively. He smiled at his pure words. Although he doesn't seem like it, he's actually really caring and kind. The only problem is how he carries out his words in that neutral voice and expression.
"What's up with her friends?" Gilbert asked curiously.
"I don't know much. She said that one is from here, but was born and raised in Belarus for a while. Her name is something like Natalia. The other one is from somewhere in south Africa, I think? I think Lilli said she was from Seychelles. Hers is Michelle. Ever heard of them?" Matthew immediately recognised the name Natalia. It must be that platinum, long-haired girl that had that glare in her eyes. He didn't know her personally, so he really can't tell if she's cruel or actually nice. But, she seems alright...
"Oh yeah!" Gilbert said, snapping his fingers. "I think I know the Natalia you're talking about! She's in our Math class too. I don't know her personally, but she doesn't seem bad. So what's the real problem?"
"…Natalia is Ivan's younger sister." Gilbert choked on his own saliva when he heard what Basch had just said, and was hacking. Matthew almost did too. It seemed likely that she and Ivan are siblings, but their last names aren't the same. His was Braginski and hers was Arlovskaya. Unless, it could be that she uses their mother's maiden name instead.
"Whoa there!" Gilbert said, his hand making a 'stop' motion. "Hold up! Doesn't he already have an older sister who works at school? Isn't she Ms. Braginski from the Social Science department? Now there's another one!"
"Ms. Braginski is not bad at all, Gilbert. She's really kind. But, we both know how Ivan is, and I don't even know his younger sister. So that's why I'm just keeping an eye on Lilli, just for today."
Gilbert had this suspicious and grave look on his face, just like he had when he was confronting Ivan in the hallway the previous day. This look struck a spark of interest in Matthew. He had no idea what's between Gilbert and Ivan, but he couldn't help but feel the need to know. It was quite nosy of him, since it was none of his business. But he still feels the urge to ask.
"You go, man," Gilbert said as he patted his friend's back. "I can't help you find her, since I have a study session here with Birdie. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yes…see you another time." And with that, the Swiss went out of the study room, marching out with his back straight and head held high.
Gilbert took a seat on the plastic chair, and brought his bag up to the chair beside him. He looked at Matthew, who was watching the Swiss out the exit of the room.
"Hey, Birdie," Gilbert said, drawing Matthew's violet eyes to him.
"Hm?" Matthew replied, staring back at Gilbert.
"I caught you smiling again," Gilbert said with a grin.
"Sure you did." Matthew leaned over the table and grabbed Gilbert's backpack. He opened it and took out his Math textbook and supposedly his math notebook (it did have the word 'Math' on it). He placed it in front of Gilbert, who was looking at him questioningly, and was flipping through his notebook. It was, obviously, blank with no traces of lead anywhere.
"Tell me, Gilbert, what do you know about the unit we were just studying about?" Matthew asked, shutting the notebook. Gilbert looked at Matthew with blank eyes, as if he was in the process of trying to comprehend what Matthew said.
"Well?"
"Uhhhhh…." Gilbert slurred, rubbing his neck with his hand. "Well, you see, we were learning how to do this…and something with exponents and stuff like that…adding and subtracting them…yeah."
"Yeah?" Matthew repeated softly and too nicely, as if coaxing Gilbert to come a bit closer so that he can snap his head of his neck.
"…Yeah, Birdie." He leaned back against his chair with a nervous grin, and was tapping his fingers on the table. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Matthew broke the stare, letting out a tired sigh when he realised that Gilbert had no idea what they learned, and went to the first pocket of his bag to get some pencils and pens.
Matthew had his bet that this session was going to take more than 2 hours.
"So you have to do this and add these when the equation is additions, okay?"
"Yeah."
"So, when it's an equation with subtraction, you'd have to subtract these two numbers on top. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"Now, with fractions you'd have to do this and this…..okay?"
"Yeah."
"And then, with these equations, you'll have to do this…alright?"
"Yeah."
"Now, you bring this here and here in these cases, and you'll have to follow the order... Okay?"
"Yeah."
"…yeah?"
"…yeah."
"Okay, if you understand so much, solve this question then."
"…Well?"
"….Hey, Birdie, how do we do this again? I forgot."
"…..Are. You. Kidding. Me. Gilbert."
"No, actually, I'm not. I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing."
"…Fine. See, you have to do this…."
This has been going on for around one and a half hour now. They'd been sitting in the same spot for the last hour and a half. Yet, somehow, no matter how many times Matthew has told him repetitively, it seems like Gilbert still had no idea what the hell was going on. Although this was really irritating Matthew, he still couldn't help but actuallylikethe presence of the boy around him.
"Okay," Matthew said tiredly, placing his pencil down. He had explained how to solve these kinds of questions for the millionth time to Gilbert. "Now that I explained this question, can you please solve this one? It's similar to the one I showed you." Gilbert simply nodded, and took the pencil into his hands. He flipped the notebook page over, and started to read through the question in the thick textbook. He wrote the equation down on the page, then paused right there.
"U-Um, Birdie? Can you show me once more…please?" Matthew groaned and let his head fall on top of the table with a loud Bam! Gilbert was way more of a hopeless case than Alfred was. It was so much easier with Alfred because he will do the work if you threaten him to delete one of his almost-completed game files on any of his gaming systems he owns.
"How did you even get more than 50% on the test?" He muffled, tilting his head to face Gilbert.
"I just did wild guesses, Birdie," Gilbert said with a nervous chuckle, obviously not proud of that tactic at the moment. Matthew took in a deep breath in frustration, and sat up.
"That's it. I'm not going to help you on this one. You…do this by yourself!" Matthew said, folding his arms and leaning back against the rest. He took off his glasses and placed them on top of his head. They were giving him a head-ache, and if you add Gilbert into the mush, Matthew's head was killing him.
"Aw, but c'mon! Please?" Gilbert pouted, clasping his hands together. Matthew looked at Gilbert, before rubbing one of his temples with his hand.
Rolling his eyes, he took the pencil out of Gilbert's hand (their fingers brushed against each other, Matthew noted) and started to explain once more.
As Matthew was explaining, he noticed how Gilbert was watching him than looking at the piece of paper he was explaining the question on. He had this mysterious, small smile on his face, and his eyes was a mixture of amused and something else.
"So," Matthew said, placing the pencil down. He pointed at one of the questions in the textbook. "Can you do these two pages instead now? You should be able to do these easily." Gilbert looked at the question and read through it once. Then twice.
Picking up his pencil, he started to right down the equation, applying the steps and such. This went on for the next thirty minutes. Amazingly, it seems like Gilbert was not hesitating at all when it came to answering. His train of thought were fluent as the motion of his pencil on the paper. As creepy as this may sound, Matthew just watched him as he continued to write the answers and punching the numbers on the calculator. He found it funny and, as much as he wants to deny this very much, cute, how Gilbert had this look of sheer concentration.
"Here," he said, tossing the pencil out of his hands as he laid back against the chair. Matthew glared at him suspiciously, and took the notebook off the table. Surprisingly, he actually did the equations properly, and they were all correct.
Surprise, surprise, Matthew thought, as he looked through the page to try to find mistakes. It was weird how he suddenly seems to have understood everything. Maybe he really is smart and actually got accepted to the school not on a whim, but just acts like an idiot for a reason.
"Okay, good. Looks like you understand. So tell me," Matthew folded his hands together and placed his head on them. "What did you learn?"
"Uh, well, I learned everything that you just taught me…"
"Alright. And what was that exactly?"
"…Wait, do I have to explain everything word by word?"
"Of course! If you can't, we'll be staying here for an extra hour…"
"No, you don't have to," Matthew said, laughing at Gilbert's dumbfounded face. "I was just joking with you." Gilbert sighed in relief as he rolled his shoulders backwards, stretching his arms and back.
"Finally!" Gilbert exclaimed, laying his head against the table.
"Aw," Matthew mocked. "Do you want a massage from all that 'hard' work?"
"Yes please~" Gilbert played along, smirking and gave out a quick wink. Matthew felt his heart skip a beat, and his face being pumped with blood. He diverted his attention by finding an interesting place on the table.
That is one fancy table they have here. I wonder what it's made of, Matthew thought forcefully, trying not to think much about how he was reacting. Don't give it too much thought, Matthew. You always blush whenever people even make eye contact with you. This is totally normal.
"Hey, Birdie," Gilbert said, playing with Matthew hand a bit, tossing it between his hands. "Are you going directly home now, or what?"
"I'm not sure," Matthew replied, taking his hand out of the other's grasp. "I might. Why?"
"U-Uh," Gilbert stuttered, not looking directly at Matthew, much to Matthew's confusion as to why. "Do you, maybe, want to…you know…join me for lunch?"
"U-Um," Matthew stuttered out, suddenly experiencing an odd feeling when Gilbert asked. "Sure, I guess-"
"Riiiiiinnnnnngggggg!" His cell phone shrilled in his pocket, scaring the living daylights out of both of them. Matthew awkwardly grabbed his phone out of his pocket, scolding himself for not putting it on vibration mode.
"Hello?" He asked between gritted teeth, a hint of irritation in his tone.
"Heyy Mattie!" Said the caller in an unusual hushed tone.
"Al?" Matthew asked, wondering why the hell he was calling.
"Yeah dude!" Strangely enough, Matthew felt extremely pissed at Alfred for calling at this exact moment.
"What is it that you want?" Matthew said between gritted teeth as he turned away from the albino. "I'm in the library, if you must know, with Gilbert." Over the other line, he could hear his brother gasp dramatically.
"You were serious when you said that you were going there?!" Alfred yelled into the phone.
"Shh…Alfred-san, please, we're in the library…" Said another hushed voice from over the line, before Alfred told the other to 'shh!'
"Is that Kiku?" Matthew asked confused, before he started to piece everything together. "The library...Are you at the school's library?"
"Uhhhh, nooo," Alfred said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"Uh-huh. I so believe you, Alfred," Matthew said, peeking out the window that separated the room from the library. He scanned through the area where he can see. "Where are you exactly?"
"…Not outside the study room near the science section, that's for sure bro."
"How do you know I'm in that specific place?" Matthew asked for no apparent reason, already knowing for sure that his younger brother was somewhere around there. He then noted a random, blond strand of hair sticking out from the rest of a blonde muss…
"Alfred, those sunglasses won't help disguise you. And that book you're reading is upside-down."
The boy with the blond hair quickly flipped his book the right way, and took off his sunglasses, making direct eye contact with Matthew. Alfred gave off another one of his brilliant, a million megawatts smiles, and waved his hand in a 'what-a-pleasant-surprise!' way. Beside him, Kiku just did a facepalm. Matthew did the courtesy of waving back, before cutting off the line.
"Um, Birdie?" Gilbert curiously posed, putting his books in his backpack. Matthew sighed as he returned his view towards him.
"Sorry, Gilbert, I can't go with you." Matthew heaved his bag on his shoulders. "I've got to…take care of something. I'll see you on Monday, okay?"
"Uh, Monday? Sure, Matthew, but -" Gilbert said, following behind the blond.
"Make sure to study a bit tomorrow. Okay?" Matthew responded quickly, stopping the other on his tracks.
"…Yeah, sure," Gilbert mumbled.
"Sorry about interrupting you. Did you want to say something?"
"Oh, um, I just wanted to say thanks and sorry," Gilbert responded. "You know, for putting up with me today…"
"Putting up with you?"
"Yeah. I wasted, like, 2 hours of your time because I'm really stupid and-"
"You know, you shouldn't say things like that," Matthew replied softly. "It's not good. And, it's not like I'm mad at you or anything. I'll be mad if you don't pass the test on Monday." Gilbert just let out a small chuckled as he took a step forward.
"Of course, Birdie," Gilbert beamed with his signature smirk, coming way too close to Matthew, playfully twirling that one, curly strand of strawberry blonde hair that stuck out upwards. Matthew could feel yet another annoying blush growing on his face. He was biting his lower lip embarrassingly, trying to calm down his beating heart. Why was he feeling this way? This feeling is completely foreign to him.
Gilbert looked like he was about to continue talking, before something hit him on the head, forcing his hand to retreat. Matthew started at the object –a pink eraser- in surprise, and glanced over at the direction where it was shot at. So did Gilbert. It came from Alfred's direction, who made it obvious it was him quickly hid his face behind the book he was reading. Now Matthew was red with embarrassment.
"Hey, is that-" Gilbert said, glaring at the blond behind the book suspiciously.
"I have to go," Matthew interrupted. "See you on Monday." Before Gilbert could reply, Matthew made a beeline towards the blond at the table. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the albino shrug, and started to walk away.
"Alfred," Matthew started seriously when he came close enough to the table Alfred and Kiku were sitting at. Alfred just grinned stupidly.
"Oh, hey Mattie! What a…coincidence!" Alfred said, faking a surprise. Kiku shook his head disappointingly at Alfred's acting before looking at Matthew with his same, stoic expression.
"Hello, Matthew-san."
"Hi, Kiku. Let me guess: Alfred dragged you here to spy on me for the past 2 hours?" To this, Kiku shook his head.
"No, I didn't know he would be here until I came an hour ago. I only came to borrow books for science…"
"It was a good thing you did, too, Kiku!" Alfred exclaimed, ignoring the fact that they were in the library. A few people turned their head at his voice, mostly with annoyance in their eyes.
"Shush, Alfred." Matthew said, obviously equally annoyed. "Why are you spying on us?" Alfred just looked at his elder brother with big, blue puppy eyes.
"Spying?" Alfred said innocently. "I simply wanted to see my only brother…"
"Uh-huh," Matthew replied blandly. It was obvious that Alfred will not speak now. He pinched his cheek and pulled on it a bit.
"Owowowow!" Alfred cried as his mouth stretched, getting off his chair to stand on the same level as Matthew. "Stawp it Mattiiiie!"
"Come on, we're leaving," Matthew sternly said, and started to drag his brother by his cheek, who was trying to not trip over is foot. Alfred glanced over at Kiku, and waved his arms exaggeratedly.
"Noooo, waaaiiiit! Kiiiikuuu, heeeelp meee!" he cried. Kiku, however, sensed that he should not interfere.
"Bye Matthew-san and Alfred-san," Kiku said, smiling and waving his hand at the brothers.
"Later Kiku," Matthew replied with a quick nod, before he continued to drag Alfred. Alfred, however, continued to say 'Owowowow' during their little trip out the door. On the way, many were looking at them, and they had these mocking looks on their faces. Matthew did his best to ignore their snickers until they made it outside the library, in the hallway. He then halted, and let go of Alfred. His brother rubbed his cheek sorely when Matthew let go.
"Alfred," Matthew started seriously.
"Matthew~" Alfred replied in a singsong way. He caught the look in his brother's eyes, and wiped the grin off his face.
"Why did you come?" Matthew said straight to the point. Alfred looked at him for a moment, before sighing.
"I was just checking on you," Alfred muttered, not looking at Matthew.
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious why?" Alfred said with an edge in his tone. "You were with…him."
"I'm sorry, but can you please be more specific?"
"With that… dude!" Alfred stubbornly said.
"Gilbert." Matthew replied.
"Yeah, him."
"No no. Repeat after me Alfred. Gil-bert."
"…Yeah, Gilbert."
"Good little brother," Matthew said, patting his brother on his head. "You know and can finally say his name!" Alfred tsked annoyingly.
"Not funny, Mattie," Alfred said sternly. "You know I don't like that guy."
"Why?"
"Because!" Alfred cried childishly.
"Because…?" Matthew asked.
"Mattie! I just…don't trust him." Matthew crossed his arms.
"So? Why do you have to spy on us?"
"I was not spying; I was just making sure he wasn't going to do anything to you."
"Alfred, you make it seem like he was about to feel me up."
"He seems like the type to do that," Alfred said truthfully.
"Well, I'll assure you, he is not the type to do that," Matthew replied, as they started to walk down the hall.
"What was he doing to you before? He was way too close to you!"
"So what?" Matthew muttered uncomfortably. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered the distance between them, and the same foreign feeling crept through him.
"Couldn't you tell from the look in his eyes? You should be glad I interrupted."
"No, I'm not glad actually," Matthew mumbled with a grimace. "That was really childish of you and embarrassing for me."
"How is it embarrassing for you? He's not anything special for you to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of him." Alfred paused, and stopped on his tracks. He glanced at Matthew who was a few steps ahead and was looking at him. "Or is he something special to you?"
"Of course he's not special to me!" Matthew blubbered out uneasily, turning his back on his brother. "Why would you think that?"
"Good. Just asking," Alfred sighed with relief.
"You know, you act like you're the protective, responsible older brother between the two of us." Matthew said with a small laugh.
"Hehehe," Alfred chuckled nervously, looking away from his brother. "Responsible…yeah, sure, I'm so responsible. But, I'm glad I'm not the older brother between the two of us, since, you know, the eldest will always be able to save the younger one's ass incertainsituations, like, oh I don't know, forgetting to bring extra bus fare for the trip back home."
"…you forgot your fare, didn't you?"
"Er, yeah…Can you pay for me…?"
"…Please?"
"…Fine," Matthew sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly as he continued to walk down the hallway. Alfred caught up to him, and hugged Matthew from behind.
"Thanks, big bro!" Alfred said cheerfully, squeezing his older brother around his stomach.
"O-Okay, Alfred," Matthew choked out. "L-Let go-o of me, you're s-squeezing me!" Alfred stopped clinging on to him, as he let out one of his laughs.
"Awe, but why?" Alfred pouted light-heartedly as they exited the building.
"Do you not know how muscular you are? It's bone-crushing!"
"Ha! You're so weak, Mattie! Not only that, you have them hips of yours! It's funny how you can still play hockey with that figure!"
"…Screw it. For that pointless comment yours, I'm not paying for your bus fare."
"What! H-Hey, Mattie! I was only joking, dude! Relax. Seriously, Matt! Hey, wait up! Oh, c'mon bro! Please? Pretty please?!"
And so, they continued to walk along the sidewalk, with the brothers' constant yelling and talking, which greatly annoyed the others. And for those wondering…yes, in the end Matthew did end up paying for Alfred's bus fare.
