There was one thing Alice adored above all else, and that thing was the crisp bound pages of delicately printed ink that piled the end table resting beside her chair. books. She was absolutely in love with them. Escaping to some mythical reality full of adventure and mystery.
Matthew wouldn't complain, no. He himself was known to quite enjoy reading a good book himself. But Alice sometimes took it a bit too far.
Lately he'd been wondering if she was upset with something he'd done, simply because she didn't seem to speak more than two words to him all day. She constantly had her eyes glued to a page!
"Alice? Is something wrong?" he asked her cautiously.
To his surprise though she didn't snap. She simply shook her head slightly in answer as she took care in turning to another chapter.
"Are you sure...?" The lack of responsiveness and speech was uncomfortable for him. He was used to yelling or nagging or even just humoring of what he said.
"Mmhm..." He sighed heavily, realizing these were the only responses he'd get out of her.
He was ashamed to admit the surge of excitement he felt when he watched her finally leave her chair. Unfortunately all this amounted to was her retrieving tea or a snack and returning to her novels.
Simply put, he was becoming jealous of a book. It was stealing his Alice's attention away! Didn't work and Alfred do that enough?!
Sure he attempted the subtle ways to get attention. He tried to start some conversation, which died when all the answers he received were at most two words. He even stooped so low as trying to bother her by reading over her shoulder, a pet peeve almost everyone had. Except of course Alice... Or was it maybe his lack of presence that made her not notice?
This thought probably was what depressed him most. It had taken so long before for Alice to take notice of him at all, and now that they had gotten so close, how could she just throw it away like that?!
He might be overreacting, he admitted that much. But the quiet that he usually found comforting about his Canadian home was now eating away at him. He even attempted making conversation with Kuma!
"Kumakichi... what do you think I should do? I want Alice to notice me again! More than that book of hers anyway..." His voice didn't amount to much more than a whisper. It was a sure sign that he was slipping back into introversy.
The polar bear pet, which miraculously talked for a reason no nation seemed to question, blinked at its owner. "Who are you?" There it was, the typical reply.
Matthew sighed. Even his bear forgot him, so of course Alice would... "If it were Alfred, he'd have made himself noticed by now. Even if it meant making her angry."
He felt a bit guilty for the thoughts that suddenly flooded his mind. He was usually the one to try to keep Alice calm, who seemed to enjoy her peaceful smiles instead of the way her brow wrinkled in anger as she yelled. But desperate times called for such measures right?
Matthew stood from the comfort of his bed to walk to the warm den, made toasty by the crackling fireplace. Sure enough Alice was there, leaning back in her chair and absorbed in another novel.
"Alice?" He gave it another half-hearted attempt before he resorted to his plans. The decision was made though as she didn't give any sign of response or answer.
First he tried the method Alfred had used when they were younger. "Aaaalice?" He whined repeatedly from beside the chair. He kneeled down even and rested his chin against the armrest. "Aliiiice?"
He heaved another disappointed sigh. It just wasn't working! He couldn't make himself loud enough while he felt so invisible... On to plan B he supposed.
He took a deep breath, preparing himself. He ought to prepare himself for a slap too while he was at it. "Alice, your cooking is... pretty awful... and your tea is really bitter! Except..you know if you add some honey and maple syrup then it's not so bad..."
He was so frightened she would be angry with him! But Alfred insulted her and she yelled so... But when he dared look up at her, there she was, still reading.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. Was he just not as important to her as that story? Maybe he was boring... So boring she had to read books to keep herself entertained. Well, if she wasn't going to pay attention anyway...
He scooched himself closer to the recliner, enough so that he could rest his chin on her shoulder instead. His hand rose to absently play in the strands bound in a bundle on either side of her head. They were always so soft... At least this way he could at least get away with being close to her.
He didn't take notice now of how she shifted slightly. "Matthew..." She finally spoke when he didn't say anything in response to her movements.
"Hm?" He looked to her, in complete disbelief she was now speaking to him once again. Oh god he hoped it wasn't because of the insults!
"If you had wanted to sit with me, you could have simply said so." She told him, as if it were a completely natural conclusion.
He blinked at first but slowly his face lit up in recognition, practically beaming at being noticed finally. "C-can I really?!"
Without waiting for her answer though, he easily manuevered his way onto the recliner, setting her gently on his lap. His arms encircled her small waist, hugging her tight to him as he might sometimes hug his bear. His head once again found its place on her shoulder. This way he could easily see the words she was so absorbed in. Not that that mattered anyway, as he couldn't bring himself to care for any of that when he had Alice so close. He couldn't resist snuggling into her shoulder, never wanting to let her go.
Alice's ears burned at the sudden closeness and unexpected affections. She'd begin to read a paragraph and he'd interrupt her thoughts, immediately making her start over. "M-matthew! You're making it difficult to concentrate!" She complained to him finally.
He simply nuzzled into her further, using her own shoulder to hide the very content and almost smug smile upon his face. He hummed gently in response at first, before finally answering, very quietly, "Good."