Chapter 29

Arthur woke up in his bed and looked over, finding Ivan on the other side, two small children between them. He stared, surprised at the warmth of the feeling. He couldn't help but smile as he turned, seeing the sun just starting to raise. He didn't feel the tug anymore. He was free of it, now that his brother had been saved. He stood and stripped off his shirt, turning and looking in the mirror. He was a little surprised to find the mark. It was about the size of his fist, a crescent, the open end towards his shoulder. It was nearly exactly the same as the one on Alfred. He looked back over at the bed and smiled before softly walking away, heading back out to the deck.

"'T's a li'l cold te be out 'ere wit' ne shirt." He heard and looked over, finding Berwald standing beside him.

"I forgot to put it back on. I wasn't aware I had a birthmark on my shoulder. It's weird, what others notice about you that you can't see yourself." He frowned and the man looked down with a raised eyebrow, wondering if this was going where he thought it might be. "I was identified through it. The man who took me to the orphanage as a baby had seen it when I was newly born. Both of my brothers have it, and I didn't even know I had brothers." He sighed. Berwald saw the mark and frowned.

"T's pret'y noticeable."

"But I couldn't see my own back." He sighed and Berwald nodded, realizing what had happened.

"Now ye have bruth'rs. It's fine, ja?"

"Yeah, but it'll take some getting used to. A child and a man who acts like a child. It's almost confusing how scared and happy I am about it." He smiled and Berwald nodded, patting him on the head before walking away.

"Arthur." He turned seeing Yao walk up to the banister beside him. "I ask question?"

Arthur shook his head and started in Russian. It was just easier to understand him that way. "Yes, go ahead."

"You won't have problem with me and Alfred, now that you're the older brother, right, Aru?"

"Only if you hurt him. He may be my brother, but you've known him longer than I have. It wouldn't be right for me to say no, even if I didn't like you." Arthur smiled, watching the moon shine off of the waves. "I think he's lucky to have you."

"That's right, Aru. No one else can put up with him sometime, aru." He grumbled and Arthur laughed.

"Do you think he'll have a problem with me being his older brother? I'm not sure how to be like that." He smiled sadly and Yao sighed.

"We live, we learn. He seemed really excited about it earlier. I think he'll be fine, Aru." Yao watched as Arthur let out a soft breath, relaxing a little.

"Thanks, Yao." Yao offered a soft pat to his shoulder before heading back inside, letting Arthur alone to think.

He was the older brother, and possible father now. He watched as the waves rolled by and noticed the shimmer over the water before realizing it was tears. He reached up, wiping them away before leaning forward, his hands tucked under his chin as more tears came in to replace them. He sat there for another ten minutes, his tears falling into the water, a bright smile unable to be wiped from his face.

The week flew past in a flash. They returned to Russia, Samanthe and Matthew shivering in the cold, but Arthur didn't seem to feel it as much. He took his jacket off to cover Samanthe and lifted Matthew into his arms, hoping his body heat could help out a little. "Here." Alfred took off his jacket and covered the boy and he comforted easily after.

Arthur smiled softly. While Samanthe was loud and rambunctious, just as he remembered, Matthew was soft and quiet, barely noticeable most of the time. His little feet made no sound on the ground, and his voice was barely a whisper. He was almost polite to a fault.

Three brothers, three completely different personalities.

Samanthe gawked as they walked up to the castle, the guards smiling at Ivan as he walked up. "Welcome home, your Highness." They bowed as they opened the doors to allow the group in.

"You really are the king?" She asked, tugging on Ivan's sleeve and he looked down and smiled with a nod.

"Da. Welcome to Russia, Printsessa." He smiled as she walked through the doors. Sasha sat in his normal throne, while Nikolai sat in Ivan's normal throne, Natalia right behind him.

"Oh, thank god." Nikolai stood up and Samanthe yelled, pointing.

"OH MY GOD! THERE'S TWO OF YOU!" She stared in shock, much similar to the state Nikolai was in.

"Here..." He drew the bottle from his pocket and dropped in a drop and sighed, feeling the extra body mass disappear, seeing his hair curl more like he was used to. "There. Now there's not, little... girl. Why are there children with you?"

"This one, we thought, might be related to you." Arthur smiled.

"This one's related to us!" Alfred clasped a hand over Arthur's shoulder and grinned. "We found out we're brothers!" He cheered and Sasha stared, a bit surprised.

"So... there are three sets of brothers on the Assassin's Squad now?" Sasha asked with a grin and Alfred nodded.

"That's interesting! I know I heard one time there were three sets of twins as the whole group, but that was a hundred years ago!" Sasha smiled as he walked down, looking closer over Alfred and Arthur.

Arthur had grown in the last week. He'd slimmed down more, but his arms were definitely stronger. The shape of his face had changed slightly and Sasha noticed the cracking his voice had started doing before they left had stopped. His voice was a bit lower, but not horribly. At least he didn't sound like Ludwig. "You two look a little alike, but not really way too much."

"We have matching birthmarks!" Alfred nearly tore his shirt off and turned, showing Sasha the mark on his shoulder.

"Alfred?" The soft voice in Arthur's arms called out and they all looked down as the boy sniffed, shifting his head further against Arthur's chest. "I'm hungry." he nearly whispered and Arthur sighed.

"Alfred, if you could please?" Arthur looked up and Alfred grinned before running off. Arthur's eyes shifted up to Sasha who stared at the boy with wide eyes.

"He's adorable!" He leaned down and frowned, noticing his eyes were closed.

"How is Lukas doing?" Arthur sighed as he walked to the stairs, sitting with the boy on his lap now. "I'd like to have him look over his health."

"Is he not healthy?" Sasha asked, sitting beside him to look over the child again. He looked thin and a little pale.

"He'd been left alone after... our mother died. No one in the city knew of him, so he was abandoned in the house." Arthur frowned, hugging him closer.

"Why didn't he leave? He could go ask for help." Sasha asked his voice softer as he listened.

"She told him he would be hated. He didn't even know she'd died. I don't think he's able to do stairs." Arthur sighed, hugging him tighter again.

"Is there something wrong with his legs?" Sasha looked up from the boy to Arthur.

"He was born with the same problem with his eyes that I had. I know you have to have your health before they can fix it." he spoke softly and Sasha stared before looking down.

"He's blind..." He clasped his hands over his mouth in shock. Being left alone in a house with no food or water or company, being scared of going outside and not being able to see to try and help yourself. Sasha felt tears in his eyes as he looked at the boy again. "Welcome home." Sasha wiped tears with one hand while he softly patted the boy with the other hand.

Matthew had a similar response to those words. His home had always been cold and lonely. His mother would bring him food and water, but he was always alone. He had been terrified at the end of the journey he'd be locked away again, but to have someone so tenderly say something so welcoming to him was more than he could stand and tears started falling from his cheeks again. "I'm home?" He asked as Arthur hugged him again and Sasha nodded.

"Yes, malyutka, you're home." he softly patted the child.

Ivan watched with wonder. He could see heartbreak in Arthur's eyes as he spoke of the child on his lap, and noticed the soft care he offered to the child.

Arthur would make a good father. He smiled at the thought as he walked towards him and sat, wrapping his arm around Arthur's waist, pulling him close. "Why are you so hurt, dorogoy?"

"I can't imagine what he's lived through. It's horrible, and I swear if that woman was alive I'd have killed her myself." Arthur nearly cried.

"Yes, but she gave me you, and she gave you him." Ivan spoke softly. "I'd have to thank her if I met her." He watched as Arthur's eyes widened in surprise.

He hadn't thought of it that way.

"I'm just angry." Arthur sighed and leaned against him, resting his head for a moment before Alfred ran out with a few different things on a plate. Arthur looked it over and sighed as he walked him over to a table at the window, sitting Matthew on the chair and placed the plate before him. He stuck a celery stick in his hands before cutting the rest of the food into smaller, easier to hold pieces and removed the bone from the chicken leg, tearing that into strips as well. "Here, love. You eat as much as you want, alright?" Arthur patted Matthew's back and he nodded as he nibbled, his other hand feeling around on the plate.

"Is all of this really for me?" He asked, excited and Arthur turned back and laughed at the look on the child's face.

"It is. Go ahead and eat." He sat down beside Ivan and stared.

It was only a few minutes later that Nikolai appeared with Lukas at his side. "I heard I have two new patients?" Lukas looked around before staring at the child at the table, the other sitting beside Ivan, leaning against him.

"They think that kid is related to me. Can you test to prove them wrong?" Nikolai grumbled and Lukas stared at the girl before sighing. As the other kid was eating, it seemed the better choice anyway. He walked over, looking at the girl. She did look a lot like him, except the eyes. He reached up and yanked a hair from her head, causing a yelp and Lukas looked down at her with a smile.

"Sorry, but it's either that or draw blood, and trust me, that's worse." He made a face before turning to Nikolai and yanking out one of his hairs as well. He sat on the ground, opening a book and looked til he came across the correct page and placed both hairs in the circle that was drawn there.

Two bars started shifting above the page as Lukas stared, seeing the shifts in percentage as the hair was examined. Finally, both bars turned red and Lukas looked up.

"She is related, but it isn't too close. Maybe a cousin." He spoke and Nikolai stared at the kid.

"So you're my cousin, then?"

"Guess so." Nikolai stared down at the girl, confused over what was supposed to happen now.

"Next," Arthur started and Lukas groaned.

"Don't tell me you're having more problems." Lukas slapped his hands over his hips and Arthur laughed.

"I guess I am, indirectly." Lukas raised an eyebrow. "My little brother was born with the same eye problem I had. I know health has to be stabilized to fix it. Is he... able to have his eyes fixed?" Arthur asked and Lukas sighed before turning to the boy.

Wow, was that kid small. He turned back to Arthur and frowned, wondering. "Your brother, you say?"

"Yes, he and Alfred are my brothers." Arthur watched as Lukas looked him over, looked over the child and turned, looking over Alfred.

"Your mother was small." He frowned as he walked up to Matthew. "How old are you?" Lukas asked as he got down low, looking into the child's eyes.

"I'm five." He said, a soft little voice and Lukas smiled. He looked over his skin tone and how thin he was and looked up at Arthur before turning back.

"Finish your bite, then I'm going to turn your chair, alright?" Lukas asked and Mattie shoved the rest of the bite into his mouth, eating it quickly before wiping his hands on the nightshirt they'd given him to wear. (Only Arthur's nightshirts were small enough not to trip the boy.) Lukas watched as he swallowed then turned the chair and looked closely at his eyes. "I'm going to put my hands on your face, over your eyes. Go ahead and close them, alright?" Lukas spoke softly and the boy closed his eyes. Lukas placed his hands over the child's eyes and sighed. "Don't move." He spoke with a little more authority and Mattie turned rigid, refusing to move.

Lukas was able to work with the circles he had tattooed to his palms in case of emergencies. He worked hard, but quickly, forcing open the pupil and started working on restructuring it so it would open on its own. It took a few minutes but when he pulled his hands back he was fairly certain it had worked. "Open your eyes." He leaned back down, watching as his eyes opened and he winced, unused to the light.

"It hurts." He whimpered and Lukas sighed.

"Try again. It'll take some getting used to." Lukas spoke softly as Matthew again opened his eyes, this time he noticed shapes and colors. His eyes shifted around the room as everyone stared, hopeful.

"I don't understand." The boy said, his face turning to fear and confusion at what was happening.

"Lukas fixed your eyes, Matthew." Arthur walked over and knelt down beside him, laying a hand over his knee. "You can see now." He spoke and Matthew watched the movement of his lips before tears came to him again and he cried.

"I can see?" he looked between the two before him and Arthur nodded.

"You can see." He smiled, watching as he started bawling. Arthur lifted him and looked at Lukas, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at the boy. "Thank you, Lukas."

"It's fine." Lukas smiled as he patted Mattie's head. "You know where to find me if you need me. Oh, and stop drinking that tea." Lukas spoke, looking at Arthur. "I didn't realize it was a family trait. Matthew's short, Alfred's not too tall, and you're not much shorter than he is. Chances are, it's just your family that made you so small."

"What if I keep drinking it?" Arthur asked, now curious and Lukas cringed, looking down at Matthew.

"It'll start... raising your drive." Lukas blushed and looked away.

"Drive... oh, like the one pills you gave me?"

"Yes, exactly like them. Because that's what they were. First dose is always the worst." He sighed as he turned to Ivan and pointed. "Don't you get any ideas either." he frowned before walking back to his room, leaving Arthur and Ivan blushing, Arthur holding an insanely happy, crying child in his arms.

It took a while for Matthew to get the hang of seeing things. Arthur remembered running into walls and tripping over things because he couldn't see how far away they were, but Matthew was much calmer and more careful than he'd been. He watched intently for the rest of his meal as his hand would grasp the food, watching the way his fingers curled and were they landed.

"I'm so happy for you, Matthew." Sasha smiled, patting him on the back softly and Matthew looked up, staring.

"Who are you?" He asked and Sasha knelt down beside him.

"I'm Sasha. I'm Ivan's brother." He watched as Matthew's eyes widened. They quickly shifted around the room, but ended out back on Sasha in a couple of seconds.

"You're pretty." Matthew whispered, even for him. Sasha stared for a moment in surprise before reaching down and patting the boy on the back.

"Thank you." He smiled as the boy reached out and grasped another piece of chicken, but his eyes never left Sasha's face. "So, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?" Sasha asked, sitting on the floor, his eyes wide as he watched the boy before him.

"I don't know." Matthew turned to his food, feeling a little scared from the conversation. "I've never been allowed to do much." He mumbled as he nibbled the chicken and Sasha frowned, softly patting his back.

"Well, that's about to change." Sasha smiled, watching as the boy looked back over with wide eyes.

"So, I'm not going to be alone anymore?" He asked and Sasha nodded, softly running his hands over soft hair.

"You're not going to be alone anymore. I'll be your uncle, alright?" Sasha spoke softly and Matthew nodded, tears in his eyes again as he carefully nibbled.

"That's cute." Arthur smiled, watching the two of them.

"Sasha's good with children." Ivan smiled. "He had to raise me and Nikolai, after all." He watched as Arthur looked over, a bit confused.

"What about your father? Wasn't he here for you?" Arthur had wondered, but had never gotten the courage to ask before. He watched as Ivan sighed before turning to him.

"Shortly after Nikolai was born, when Sasha was nine, our father killed himself." Ivan spoke softly. "He couldn't deal with the fact that two women he'd loved both died in childbirth in one way or another, and walked out into the sea to drown. He washed up a week later and we buried him between the women he loved." Ivan spoke, his head down, missing the surprised look on Arthur's face.

"That's horrible." Arthur winced a bit sorry at bringing up such a depressing subject.

"It happens." Ivan sighed, glancing over to the man leaning against his side. "It was lonely, but you've taken that away, so it's alright." Ivan smiled as he grasped Arthur and pulled him up onto his lap.

"So, what about me?" Samanthe sat down with a frown. "Nikolai will barely look at me. Am I to be tossed away then?"

"No." Ivan smiled. He reached out and pulled her to his side. "All of us are going to be a family. If Nikolai won't make you a part of his, then you become ours instead. You'll be our little princess." Ivan smiled as Arthur turned and grasped her, pulling her up onto his lap, and Ivan chuckled under the weight. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Arthur's cheek, and Samanthe watched with interest.

"So, you're going to be my father now?" She asked, glancing up to Ivan, who smiled and nodded.

"And you'll be my mother?" She looked to Arthur who huffed, crossing his arms.

"I am a man, you know!" Arthur glared as the girl stared.

"You're weird." She smiled as she hugged Arthur.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked as he hugged her back.

"No, because I'm weird too." She smiled, calming the two men beneath her.