Matthew used his crutches to navigate through the hall. Alfred was babbling endlessly next to him. The noise had faded into the background before last period. It was his first day back at school since the accident. He was excited, in just a few weeks his cast would be off.

"Alfred can you please calm down eh?" Matthew whispered.

"What do you mean? I am calm." Alfred bounced up and down.

"Just let me go to French on my own please." Matthew crutch walked faster away from him.

Alfred pouted. "Okay." Then stalked off to Japanese.

Matthew rolled his eyes then walked into class. He hobbled on one foot and tried to sit down in his seat. Matthew fell to the floor with a loud thump.

"Oh Matthew let me help you." Michelle, a classmate of his, grabbed him from under the arms and lifted him to his seat.

"Thank you eh. Sorry aboot being a bother." Matthew scratched the back of his head.

"No problem at all Matthew. I'm glad you're back." Michelle skipped back to her seat.

"Thanks," Matthew said, barely audible.

He began to prepare for class and took out his notes. He only needed a few sheets of paper for all the vocabulary words because his handwriting was as small as his voice.

The bell rang sending kids scrambled into their seats.

"Bonjour class," The teacher said.

"Bonjour sir," The class replied in monotone.

A few minutes after class began the door slammed open.

"Kesesese ze awesome me is back!" An albino kid strutted into the classroom.

The teacher sighed. "You're back. Yay!" he said sarcastically.

"I know you missed my awesomeness." The kid sat on the teachers swivel chair and put his feet on the teachers desk, getting dirt all over the teacher's plans.

"Gilbert you can go sit next to..." The teacher furrowed his eyes trying to think of Matthew's name. "Alfred. Sit next to Alfred."

"Sir, I'm Matthew," Matthew said.

"Who?" The teacher seemed perplexed. "Whatever."

Gilbert sat down in the seat next to Matthew.

Matthew tried to pay attention in class, but Gilbert was very distracting. Gilbert was constantly moving, talking, and being a general annoyance. Once he even got out a pan and hot pad and began making pancakes.

Gilbert chowed down on his pancakes without putting anything on them.

"How dare he," Matthew whispered to himself. "Eating pancakes without maple syrup."

Matthew got out his container of maple syrup from his lunch box. He was just going to drink it with lunch. Matthew leaned over Gilbert's desk and poured the maple syrup onto his pancakes.

Gilbert took a bite then nodded. "I knew it was missing something, thanks." Gilbert chewed some more. "What's your name anyways?"

"It's Matthew eh," Matthew said.

"Eh? What are you, Canadian?" Gilbert joked.

"Yes I am actually."

Gilbert choked on his pancakes. "You are?"

"Yes, and it offended me that you were eating pancakes without maple syrup." Matthew gave up on trying to pay attention to the teacher, he was fluent in French-Canadian already.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Yes really, in Canada that atrocity would never be committed!" Matthew defended.

"Well if you're Canadian, why are you taking French? Isn't French one of Canada's national languages?" Gilbert challenged Matthew.

"Oh my god Gilbert." The kid sitting in front of Gilbert turned around. "You can't just ask somebody why they're taking French."

Gilbert chuckled.

"I speak French-Canadian, the school thought it would be best to put me in French to transition easier," Matthew said.

"Hmmm. The school didn't allow me to take German because I'm already fluent in it. So I took French instead." Gilbert shrugged. "Thanks for the maple syrup by the way."

"You're welcome."

School had finished for the day so Matthew had decided to go to the painting club again. Matthew crutch walked all the way to the art room. Alfred was stuck in detention again. It felt like deja-vu. He set his down in front of an easel. There were only a few people in the club. Only four including Matthew.

Feliciano was sitting in the back eating pasta and painting an abstract picture using the sauce. Kiku was more into photography, but he still tried to paint. Currently he had a nosebleed from the picture of manga he was drawing. Ivan was painting a simple sunflower in a vase that he brought in from home. Matthew was tring to paint the wildlife from back home. He was working on a picture of a baby polar bear he had befriended.

"Hello comrade!" Ivan came over to look at Matthew's painting. "I'm glad that you're better."

"Thank you Ivan, how's that painting of the sunflower coming along?" Matthew asked.

"It's coming along well," Ivan said. "Did you hear about the Halloween Dance?"

Matthew stopped painting. "No I didn't."

"It's a costume party, and it's on the 31st." Ivan said.

"Thank you for telling me eh." Matthew went back to his painting and Ivan skipped back to his.

"Matthew, comrade. Would you like me to escort you until Alfred gets back?" Ivan blocked Matthew in the doorway after the club ended.

"I really don't think that's necessary." Matthew tried to push past Ivan, but he was simply too small and Ivan too big.

"It's no problem I would like to wait with you." Ivan took Matthew's stuff out of his hands and walked Matthew to the front of the school.

They waited for a few minutes and played a few games of rock paper scissors until Alfred showed.

"Yo Mattie, sorry I kept you waiting dude." Alfred rounded the corner, oblivious to Ivan being there. "I swear that teacher has it out for me or something." Alfred stopped and frowned when he saw Ivan. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh hello comrade! I was just waiting for you with Matthew," Ivan said cheerfully.

"Yeah well I'm here now and he doesn't need to be babysat." Alfred looked down to try and cover the blush that was rapidly erupting across his face.

"I know he doesn't. I wanted to talk to you." Ivan stepped closer to Alfred.

"I have to go, Artie's waiting for me." Alfred grabbed Matthew's stuff from Ivan.

Ivan's face fell. "Okay, see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah see you too." Alfred turned and waved.

Matthew followed after a quick thanks to Ivan.

Alfred and Matthew walked home in silence.

"Alfred did you know that there was a Halloween Dance coming up?" Matthew asked.

"No, where did you hear that from?" Alfred asked.

"From Ivan."

Alfred blushed at the sound of Ivan's name.

There was a small moment of silence.

Matthew giggled. "Alfred has a crush. Alfred has a crush." Matthew sang.

"Oh shut it."

I updated. Yay. Hetafan here with Chapter number 10, I hope you like the fluff. After this only 7 more chapters. In other news I broke my toe by running into a bookcase. I'm such a clutz. Happy belated birthday to ilikepantostado. Their birthday is on October 1st, otherwise known as the day Matthew comes to live with Arthur and Alfred. I hope they made it this far in the story. Sorry for updating so late.