A/A: i am so friggin' sorry i forgot to update friday. i was having a bad day, and then my computer was acting up and i couldnt access FF, and i was all freaking out and during that stressedness i totally forgot, but i have someone who'll remind me to update if she agrees to it, and i think she will. i swear, i'll try my best to never let that happen again. so here's finally chapter ten:

A few minutes later, I close the door to my room and put my books down on my desk. I turn the TV on and listen to the history channel as I start working on my homework. That lasts for around a half hour or so before the voice comes back.

'He's not coming, you know that, right?' he says.

'Eh? Of course he'll come.'

'What makes you so sure? Because you think he would?'

'Well-'

'Are you gonna believe him, just because he caught you attention?'

'Wha- n-no, h-he-'

'Pfft. Come on. I know you're getting a crush on him.'

I blush. 'No, I'm-'

'You can't hide it from me. Besides, with his looks, he probably has someone way better than you. I mean, why would he even consider liking someone like you?'

'What do you mean 'someone like me'?'

'Weak, small, worthless, a joke, a victim, a loser, a queer, puny, unwanted, it's not like anyone would ever love you…would you like me to continue?'

'No, I get it.' I tell him, tears in my eyes. ' Nobody wants someone like me in their lives.'

'Aw, did I make you cry?' he asks, mockingly. 'Can't take a couple names?'

'Sh-shut up.'

'Why? You would like that. I'm here to make you miserable; just like you deserve to be'

'I don't.'

'Hmm. What would your mother think of you now?'

I stiffen a bit when he mentions my mom. 'Please stop talking.'

'What would she think of her precious little boy cutting himself and letting his flow everywhere? Of him smoking marijuana after promising her he would never, ever smoke?'

"Please stop." I quietly whimper, unaware that I start to speak aloud.

'And she would probably hate the fact that you're gay'

I shake my head. "She didn't mind that Al is."

'She thought it was only a phase. She would hate you- no. She would despise you so much. You would be nothing to her, worth almost as much as dirt'

"Shut up!" I cry into my desk.

'Tsk, tsk. Isn't someone sensitive?'

Prussia POV

"What are you thinking about Gil?" Antonio asks as I drink a beer he got.

"Mm? Oh, uh, nothing." I tell him, looking away.

"Is it that blonde kid? Um…"

"Matthew. His name is Matthew."

"So you are."

"Am not!"

"From how you were talking about him, it sounds like you like him."

"I don't!"

"But you're worried for him."

I nod. And when Antonio starts to snicker a little, I quickly add, "Well, who wouldn't be? The poor small kid is terrified. Someone has to make sure he's safe and fine."

"Why don't you go make sure he is?"

"What?"

"Go make sure he's alright. Besides, you said you told him that you would go see him."

"Alright."

Antonio smiles as I get up and go to Matthew's room. It takes a little minute to get there, and when I do get there, I start to knock, but stop, hearing Matthew.

"N-no. Th-that's not- ow. Kuma. …She wouldn't. Please be quiet." It sounds like he's crying. I open his door, since it's unlocked, and I see him at his desk, holding his head. His one hand is bleeding, and I'm assuming his polar bear bit him, since he has blood on his mouth. And sure enough, Matthew is crying.

"P-please stop ta- Of course she w-."

I go over to him and gently place my hand on his shoulder. He jumps and turns around to face me, shaking a bit. "Matt? Are you-?"

"Make him stop. Please." He begs me, grabbing onto me and sobbing into my chest. I'm a little taken a back at first, but then I hold him close and gently stroke his hair.

"Shh. It'll be ok. Who needs to be stopped?"

"He keeps calling m-me names, a-and he won't—I'm not!"

"Not what?" He doesn't respond. I think he may be hearing a voice in his head or something. "It'll be ok Matt, just ignore him."

"I can't." he whimpers.

"Everything's gonna be OK. You're gonna be fine."

He shakes his head and quietly sobs, "He wants me dead because I'm not good enough. H-he's gonna kill me. He says I'm a waste of space."

"You're not a waste of space. I don't know why anyone would say that to you."

"He's gonna kill me. He said he would. He's gonna do it tonight." He's shaking like a leaf.

"He won't get you. I'll stay here and protect you, ok? You won't get hurt; not while I'm here." I rub his back and gently rock him back and forth and softly and very quietly sing a German lullaby I used to sing to mein bruder when we were really young. I'm surprised I even remember the words.

Matthew slowly calms down, but keeps clinging to me. I continue with what I'm doing, and it's all quiet for a while, save my quiet singing and the murmur of the t.v.

"Gil?" he quietly asks.

"Ja, Matt?"

"Th-thanks." He wants to get away from my embrace, and I reluctantly let him go. "I-I think he'll leave me alone f-for a while. Thank you."

"It was no problem Matt." I smile at him softly and wipe some tears from his eyes. He flinches away from me. He reminds me a little, frightened birdie.

"Look," I start softly and quietly speaking, "I know you were treated like shit at your old school, and that was so unawesome. And," I glance at his bandaged arms, and feel something in my chest. "And I know that's been pretty hard on you. But, you're here now. And I swear I won't let anything hurt you at all when you're here. You'll be safe. Ok?"

"S-safe?" he cautiously asks.

I nod. "safe." I slowly reach over and go to gently take his hand, he pulls away a first contact, but then he slowly and cautiously puts his hand in mine, letting me hold it. I hold it securely, but gently.

"I-I just don't w-want to get hurt anymore." He quietly and tearily says.

"I know you don't. I'm gonna protect you." I gently rub circle in the back of his hand. He tense a little, but soon relaxes. "You'll be ok." I cautiously, and very gently wipe away his tears with my other hand. He backs away a little, but then lets me.

"Someone as cute as you shouldn't cry." I mutter as I wipe the last of his tears away. He blushes.

"Eh? C-cute?"

"mhm. Cute." He looks down at the bed, trying to hide his blush. Then it fades, and a saddened, hurt look appears.

"Don't say things like that unless you really mean them." He quietly says, a few tears brimming his eyes again.

"I wouldn't say that unless I really meant it." I assure him, gently lifting his chin up. I wipe away his tears again . "No one could ever say that to you and lie about it." I gently stroke his cheek, and I softly smile when he doesn't flinch away. He does tense a little though.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." I quietly tell him. "But I'm glad I came when I did. It didn't look like things were going so well for you."

He looks down again and quietly says, "I'm sorry. Th-that doesn't normally happen unless I smoke a lot. He's usually not so mean though."

"Have you thought that maybe if you stopped smoking he wouldn't bother you?"

"He this mean because I couldn't smoke anymore."

"When's the last time you did smoke?"

He thinks for a minute, then shrugs. "Four days from when I woke up. Maybe five."

"From when you woke up?" He nods. "What do you mean by that?"

He looks down at the bed and picks at the sheets. "Apparently I kinda died legally, sorta." He mumbleds. I stare at him in disbelieve. This kid…died?

"How?" I softly ask, not wanting to believe it.

"Uh…I kinda tore up arms and…I sorta used too much marijuana when I smoked, maybe." He mutters, picking at the sheets. It's either because he seems so sad and he's so cute, or my brotherly instincts, but I grab him in a hug and hold him close again. He tenses up some, but after a minute he must realize I don't want to hurt him. He relaxes a little bit and leans into me. I gently rub his back.

"You're gonna be ok. You're gonna be fine. You won't be hurt again." I continue muttering promises like that and rubbing his back until I feel him go limp. I start to freak out a little, but then I see he only fell asleep. I smile a little and continue to hold him and rub his back. I start to get tired after a while, so I lean against the wall, still holding him and drift off with him in my arms.