Thanks everyone for the reviews :D
It makes me happy to know people are actually enjoying it.
I'll try to update every day untill new year, where I hope to finish it off.
So here's chapter 2!
It was a typical morning for the young men.
They were startled awake by the honking of the cars in a traffic jam, or an ambulance, or a combination between the two.
It was one of the downsides of being homeless in a big city. Or maybe it just was one of the downsides of living under a concrete bridge. They still had to figure.
Somehow the Italian always managed to stay asleep despite the circumstances, and Matthew couldn't help but being a bit jealous at him.
The Canadian was usually the first one to wake up by the sound of honking cars.
He walked over to the canal and crouched down, dipping his hands in the cool water.
It helped to calm down his bonking heart, and wake up a little at the same time. He needed a cigarette.
But when reached for the back pocket of his jeans, his hand got grasped in mid-air.
"Don't even think about it." The voice of his brother threatened.
Matthew turned around, and saw him shaking his head with a grin.
"I thought you were still asleep?"
"My hero sense was tingling."
Matthew rolled his eyes at him and pulled his hand from his brother's grasp.
"If I'm going to charge you for every time you say that I'd be a millionaire, Al."
Alfred chuckled. "Aww, I don't say it that often."
Matthew raised his brow and turned back to the canal. "You said it last night?"
Alfred frowned in thought and scratched his chin. "Oh wait, I did say it to Artie, didn't I? Weren't you sleeping?"
Matthew shrugged, and watched how Alfred sat down next to him. He reached for his back pocket again, and this time Alfred didn't stop him.
"You shouldn't tease him so much, Al."
Alfred frowned, and watched his brother light his cigarette. "I didn't tease him at all! I was trying to help him."
"You know what I mean."
It was Alfred's turn to shrug, and Matthew watched him closely until he brought the cigarette to his lips, and Alfred stood up to walk back to the rest.
"Bon matin." A sleepy Frenchman greeted him.
"It's called 'Good morning' here, you frog."
"Grumpy as always I see?"
"Shut up."
Alfred watched as Arthur crossed his arms and pulled his feet up, his face still groggy and his hair a mess.
Kiku was poking Feliciano awake, and Francis combed his hair with his fingers. It was like this every morning.
"Hi guys."
"Good morning, Alfred." Kiku greeted him with a nod. "Did you sleep well?"
Alfred grinned and went to sit down next to him. "Yeah, I slept alright! Need a little help there?"
"If you don't mind…"
Alfred shrugged, and reached out for Feliciano to wake him up, but stopped halfway when suddenly the loud alarm of a car made the Italian shock awake.
All eyes went up as the alarm continued and was almost overruled by the sound of two yelling persons.
"What the bloody hell is going on out there?" Arthur dared to ask.
Feliciano sleepily stretched himself, and raised himself to a sitting position.
Matthew stood up and walked over to the rest of the men. "Maybe we should take a look, eh? It sounds pretty serious."
"Maybe it's best not to mingle with them." Francis muttered.
"I HATE YOU GILBERT FUCKING BEILSCHMIDT." a high pitched scream echoed through the bridge, and with a slam of a car door the alarm stopped.
Everyone was silent, and wondered if it was over, until another slam of a door proved them wrong.
"Liz! Wait up, gott verdammt…"
A young brown haired lady came stumbling down the hill and strained her ankle, which made her fall over.
Alfred was fast enough to catch her before she fell on the ground.
"Are you okay miss?" The girl looked up at him, and burst into tears.
"T-Thank youuhoou!" she sobbed loudly and wrapped both of her arms around the American's neck.
Alfred's eyes widened, and gave the rest of the group a puzzled look from over her shoulder.
"I would have.. I would have died right there and-"
"Dammit Liz."
A young man had slid down the hill unnoticed while everyone had been staring at the girl. His hair was white and his eyes were red and worried.
The girl looked up and let go of Alfred, turning around to face him.
She swallowed thickly and dropped her gaze, then started to tear up again.
The albino gave the rest of them an apologizing look and walked over to take the girl in his arms.
"Ssh. Liz. It's going to be alright okay. You don't have to worry. It's all gonna be good."
He stroked her hair and it didn't take long before she started to calm down a little.
Everyone seemed astonished, but Feliciano watched at the two with an adoring smile and muttered a small 'How romantic'.
The man seemed to notice and gave the Italian a cheeky grin.
"Wish it was little man. I'm not sure if finding out your best friend is pregnant with your baby when she's about to get married by some rich asshole is going to make it into a bestseller." The girl yanked out of his embrace and spitted in his face.
"You Gilbert Beilschmidt are by far the biggest asswipe on the fucking planet, and I hope they'll flush you soon."
Francis whistled and Alfred whispered an 'Ohh shiiiiit.' But the man didn't seem affected.
"Glad you shared that one with us Liz." He anwered with a shiteating grin, whipping the spit from his face with the hem of his sleeve, then he turned over to the rest of the gang.
"Do you guys live here or something? Damn man that must suck balls, it's fucking freezing out here. Not really a Christmas-feeling…"
Silence.
"So you do huh..?" he kicked the floor and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well damn."
"Wow Gil, this takes being an asshole to a whole new level." The girl snorted.
She looked up at the group and gave them a warm smile. "Hey, you guys up for a warm drink? Gilbert here treats."
Feliciano had already ran over and took the girl's hands in his. "Thank you so much, bella!"
Kiku walked after him and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group. Alfred shrugged and followed.
Matthew followed his brother, and Francis and Arthur didn't feel like staying behind together, and soon they were all packed in the Albino's RV.
The man himself was brewing a pot of coffee and the girl went to sit with the young men at the table.
"So this is Gilbert, and my name is Elizabeta. I am so sorry for what just happened, I'm a few days from my due, and the hormones are having the best of me sometimes."
"NO WAY! You are nine months pregnant already?" The eyes of the young American grew wide, and he stared at the unusual pair with a wide grin.
The brunette smiled tiredly at him "I thought that would be kind of obvious seeing my belly is huge as it is…" she tried.
"It would be like the Navity! Born on Christmas night!" The bubbly Italian cheered, peeking over the shoulders of the taller person in front of him.
"Miss Elizabeta would be Maria, and Mister Gilbert would be Guiseppe! And Alfred and me would be the shepherds! And the RV would be the stable! And the wise men would be-"
"Certainly not you and Alfred." Arthur broke in, rolling his eyes.
"Well no!" The American answered surprised. "We would be the shepherds, didn't you hear him Artie?"
The Briton shook his head in misery and quickly nodded as Gilbert offered him a cup of coffee.
It was the first time in his life he had agreed to drink the black liquid instead of tea.
"I would be one of the Wise men, wouldn't I Feliciano?" The French man asked the small Italian, as he and Alfred went to sit down again.
Feliciano nodded. "Si! You, and Kiku.. and maybe Arthur too." The Japanese man gave Feliciano a small smile, and Arthur just nodded approving.
"But who would the angel be?" Gilbert asked, while he poured the last of the coffee into a mug for himself.
It went silent, and all eyes moved to the one person left.
"Matthew would." Francis voiced everyone's thoughts.
The whole group agreed with a nod, and the Canadian flushed red and chocked on the coffee he had just brought to his mouth.
"I am no angel!" he argued softly. "I mean, I do drugs, ran away from home, I've spent all the money people worked hard for and-"
Alfred swung an arm over the sputtering blond, shutting him up.
"And you're always helping and giving advice to people who need it."
"Then we're all complete!" Gilbert grinned. "Maybe we should call the baby Jesus, Liz."
Elizabeta frowned at him and shook her head. "Idiot."
Bu Matthew had started to shiver. His hands shook and he slowly set the mug in his hands back on the table.
He shook his head fiercely and stood up, running over to the door of the RV and barged through.
He ran back down the hill, and fell on his knees while he searched his way to the blanket he shared with Francis each night.
His breath chocked, but tears wouldn't come. He wasn't the one who should be an angel. It was his brother.
Matthew should've died in the accident 7 years ago, when his parents did.
Matthew wouldn't have to wake up with a trauma every morning he was awoken by the sound of a honking car.
Alfred would never had to work 3 shifts a day at his young age and fail middle school because of it.
And Matthew would never had done drugs, and spent all of Al's money he worked so damn hard for, without him knowing until it was gone.
Alfred would've lived a happy life, and would have become the successful young man he was destined to be.
Then Matthew would be an angel for real, because he would still have been pure hearted. But now he was pretty much the opposite.
"Mattie?"
Matthew looked up, fists clasping the blanket in his hand in agony. "Al…"
Alfred sat down next to him, and passed him the mug he had left inside.
"Gilbert said we could borrow it for a bit. It has little bears on it, you like those right?" Matthew swallowed and stared at the dark fluid.
He just gave a small nod.
"Hey Mattie, you heard Arthur and me last night right?"
Another nod.
"Good. So. What do you want for Christmas?"
Matthew held back a sob, and gulped down his cup of coffee all at once.
It took a long time for him to answer, but when he did he was determined.
"I would like to be someone's hero for once."