RATING CHANGED TO M
Don't get your hopes up, nothing lemony or fun in this chapter.
Rating changed because Alfred has a dirty mouth and I didn't want to get in trouble with the ratings.
Anyways... Enjoy the chapter.

The bus journeyed through the busy streets at a leisurely pace, bouncing occasionally due to shallow potholes. Alfred was sitting next to his brother for once, instead of Kiku. Well sitting wasn't the right word. He was laying sideways on the seat, head in his brother's lap. Oblivious to the world as he slept peacefully. Matthew sighed, a small smile twinging on his lips as he stared down at his exhausted brother.

"What is wrong with Alfred-kun? He usually is so hyper in the morning." Kiku asked, peering over from the seat in front of the twins. "But these past few days he has been quite tired..."

"He's been studying really hard for his U.S History test today." Matthew answered, smiling proudly that his brother had finally decided to put some effort into his school work.

"Really? That is so unlike Alfred-kun..."

"He made a bet with Ivan. Told him he would get a higher score than him on the test." The twin explained, trying to keep his brother asleep as the bus hit a bump and they were all jostled. He needed his rest. Good thing the test was after lunch, the best time for Alfred to think. Right after the consumption of food.

"Well, I wish Alfred-kun the best of luck on the test." Kiku stated with a small smile before settling back into his seat and pulling out his cellphone. Heracles was texting him...He smiled fondly before typing back his responses.

Matthew also hoped his brother would get a good grade. Maybe then he would actually try in school. Ever since... Matthew bit his lip looking away, not wanting to think about that horrid time. Ever since then Alfred had lost total faith in the school system, even if this school was much better. He sighed and stroked his brother's hair lazily. Maybe...Maybe this rivalry with Ivan was a good thing, as long as it didn't end in the hospital. If it got Alfred to work hard in school because of his stubborn pride then he was all for it.

He noticed the school coming up in the distance, soon he'd have to wake his brother up. Apparently, the bus wanted to save him the trouble as it hit a nasty pothole. The vehicle jumped and Alfred groaned, turning over sleepily.

"Stupid Ivan...the industrial revolution started in 1733... don't hurt the pancakes Mattie" He mumbled as he burrowed his face in the comfy lap. Matthew rolled his eyes and started to shake his brother back to consciousness. He must have pulled an all-nighter.

"gah. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Alfred finally shouted, getting sick of being shaken up as he sat up grumpily.

"Time for school Al."

"Oh..." Alfred yawned, rubbing at his eyes. Right, today was the day. He was going to ace this test. He was obviously inherently smarter than the commie so it wasn't as if there had ever been any doubt. Still, he had studied the entire week! Every single night he had prepared. Never had he ever studied so much for a test. There was just no possible way he could lose.

The vehicle came to a stop and the twins stood up quickly. The American followed his twin off the bus and into the school.

"Don't worry, Al. You're going to do great." Matthew encouraged with a soft smile. Alfred grinned up at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Quiz me at lunch, k?"

"Sure thing bro." Matthew responded and turned away as Alfred left for his first class. He, himself, was about to go off to Geometry when hands encircled his waist and he was trapped in an aggressive hug.

"How's my cute little boyfriend today?"

Matthew laughed, trying to escape the hold with half halfhearted squirms. "Gil, let me go." He demanded softly, feeling the hug tighten before releasing all of a sudden. The blond turned around, facing a grinning albino who soon leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Are you ready for the quiz today?" Matthew asked when he pulled away and watched the albino pale even more than usual.

"eh...quiz?" Gilbert tilted his head in slight confusion and Matthew sighed.

"The quiz in Geometry? Which we have in like 5 minutes? The one she's been reminding us about for the past 3 days?"

Gilbert blinked in confusion. "Matt, I don't pay attention to Geometry. You know what I do instead."

"Really Gilbert, you need to stop doodling all over your paper about how awesome you are or inappropriate stick figures. I know the one with the hair curl is me! And I don't approve what you do to him!"

The albino chuckled, because really, Matt was just too adorable when he was irritated and trying to be serious. He couldn't help but want to pull him in his arms and make out with him. He was practically irresistible. But, he felt bad for his poor little boyfriend. He must have a ton of self control to not be jumping his awesomness. Oh shit he was still talking.

"-pecially when you drew that stick figure of me, on my homework to be handed in, with the caption 'Please awesome one, fuck my brains out'!"

"I thought you liked my awesome love comments in your notes." Gilbert reminded, enjoying how Matthew flushed slightly. He really hoped that their teacher wouldn't look at his binder since every page had comments ranging from 'you know you want to be fucked by my five meters' to 'I love you Mattie! You're almost as awesome as me!' Really, Gilbert could be endearing. But he was also very embarrassing. Sadly, most of the time he was too caught up on himself to realize the stupid things he'd say.

The bell rang obnoxiously and Matthew, ever the good student, grabbed his boyfriend's wrist before running to their first period. He refused to be late to any class. Gilbert didn't mind though, Matthew's hand was soft and warm and it fit perfectly in his own. He wished he could never let go.

Alfred was grinning as he answered the final question. There. Done. That test was pretty easy, usually he would blank out after the first question. Yet, this time he knew most of the answers! And if he didn't, he knew a pretty good guess. He was totally going to get a 100 and Ivan was probably going to get a -78. The commie was most likely ignoring all the questions in order to write anti capitalistic propaganda!

He glanced at his wrist watch and his sky blue eyes widened. Was his watch right? He looked up to the clock hanging on the classroom wall, staring at the the hands ticking way as he tried to remember how to read it. With a quite "Ah ha" he deduced that yes, his watch was correct and he had finished hist test 10 minutes early. Usually, he finished 5 minutes late...

What was it teachers always yacked about if you finished your test early? Oh right, check your answers. Alfred shrugged and flipped back to the first page to skim his awesome responses. Pure absolute brilliance. He just needed to add a few commas here and there but, otherwise, it was perfection. The commie stood absolutely no chance. The hero always wins.

Alfred had worked way to hard to loose to the bastard.

Speaking of the bastard, Alfred turned his gaze to his left where Ivan was still working. The Russian was focused on his paper, writing down his sentences carefully and deliberately. His lips were moving silently, as if mouthing the words that he was attempting to write. The commie must be having a lot of trouble.

Didn't the teacher say something about his English? Did Ivan have trouble writing in the language? It couldn't be that hard, Alfred was fairly good at writing Spanish. All you had to do was sound it out. The commie was probably just stupid. Alfred was definitely going to win this bet.

Still, a small part of him felt sorry for the Russian. Maybe Mattie was right and he was Ivan's only friend... Thinking of the creep as a friend made him shiver down his spine. Ivan was just so...weird.
Whatever, Ivan was going to lose and have to bow down to his superior knowledge.

A 91. Holy shit. He had actually gotten a 91. Never in his academic career had he so much but breached the 80s and here he was holding a 91. The teacher had even smiled at him when she had handed the test to him. He felt so giddy, so absolutely happy that he couldn't help but grin brighter. A freaking 91! Why couldn't the teacher give Ivan his test back already so he could rub it in his pathetic face? He couldn't way to tell Mattie!

Finally, the teacher handed Ivan his test back, whispering something in his ear. Probably how he had failed so bad that they were going to have to deport him back to Russia.

"Well Alfred?" Ivan questioned turning to him with amused violet eyes.

"A fucking 91! Ha!" He snapped shoving his paper in his face. He wondered if he could get Ivan to cry... Man he would kill for a picture of that.

"Very nice Alfred, but I received a 95."

And Alfred's world crumbled around him.

"What?"

"I scored a 95 out of a 100." Ivan clarified easily.

No. No. No. NO. NO! NO! He had studied every single fucking night, for three fucking hours, worked til his fucking brain was fucking numb and for nothing? Alfred snatched the others test and scanned it, his hands trembling as he saw that indeed, he had received a 95.

If Ivan had gotten a 92 he could of called for a rematch. Could of said it was fluke. But Ivan had scored 4 fucking points above him and he suddenly felt like shit. He shoved the test back into the damn freak's hands, stuffing his own stupid test in his binder. He didn't wait for the bell to ring, even though it rang only moments later, he just left.

His eyes were cold and his lips were in a thin line. He was no longer smiling. How could this have happened? He didn't understand. He had worked so hard! It wasn't fair! It was never fair! This was why he didn't try in school. No matter how hard he worked he still couldn't get the best grade. A 91 could of been a 67. The only difference being he could of actually slept more than 4 hours in the past week.

"Alfred!" Matthew called for the third time, trying to grasp his brothers attention. For some reason the American was acting even more oblivious than usual. Finally, he reached the others side and was able to wrap a hand around his wrist, making him stop. Alfred lifted his sullen gaze and, once he realized it was just his brother, let it fall back down.

"Alfred whats wrong?"

"I got a 91."

"That's great Al!" Matthew cried, lips forming into a smile. Had his brother ever gotten such a high grade?

"No, its not." Alfred hissed back, pulling away from the others grip. "The fucking commie got a 95. Just leave me alone ok? I have to get to whatever fucking class I need to be in."

Matthew stared at him in disbelief as his brother sulked away. He had never heard his brother use such a defeated hopeless tone. So he didn't beat Ivan, but he had gotten a 91! Surely that was something to celebrate? Hopefully, his twin only needed to calm down and then he'd be better. Though, when grades were in question, Alfred didn't usually perk up easily. In fact there were some times when he feared his elder twin would spiral down into depression over them.

Not because of the grade itself, but because of Dad's harsh words when he saw them.

He hoped this wouldn't be like one of those times.

It was one of those times.

Alfred refused to speak to him, not from anger anymore. Poorly hidden sadness seeped from his every form, creating a palpable dark barrier between him and the world. He was silent throughout the bus ride home and that truly meant something. Alfred never stopped talking, not even when he ate. Matthew sighed awkwardly, sitting beside his brother because Kiku was off to one of his many extracurricular activities.

The younger twin kept sending glances to the blond nervously, anxiously. Alfred never noticed, his gaze focused on the passing scenery outside his window. Though, his eyes remained unfocused, showing that his brother was deep in thought, something that rarely happened. He was also frowning. Not an exaggerated frown to prove his annoyance nor a whiny pout. Just a simple quirk of the lips downward, and that along with the far off blue gaze was the saddest expression he had ever seen on his brother's face.

Matthew frowned, looking away. Alfred should be happy. He had worked so hard and received a wonderful grade but Ivan had ruined it. He had stolen his brother's rightfully earned happiness. The blond suddenly felt a surge of hatred for the Russian, one he had never felt before. He quickly shook it away, he was not like Alfred, he would not let emotions reign him. Ivan worked hard too and he probably deserved the grade.

Still, Matthew hated seeing his brother so sad.

The bus came to an abrupt halt and the two stood up and walked down the aisle silently. They stepped off the vehicle and onto the sidewalk, watching the bus leave them behind. Alfred stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground before beginning to walk to their home down the street. Matthew was getting tired of it.

"Alfred..." He mumbled lamely, coming up to walk beside him.

"I don't want to talk about it, Matthew." Alfred hissed, but not with energetic anger or mild annoyance, it sounded more like a defeated sigh. And Alfred never called him Matthew.

"Al, please don't be like this."

"I said I don't want to talk about it." He reiterated, slightly more emotional, his hands fisting in his pockets in order to control himself.

"Do you want to go play catch?" Matthew asked. Whenever Alfred wanted to talk he made his brother go play catch with him no matter the time. After a few passes Alfred would just open up and Matthew would listen patiently and make sure his brother didn't get too emotional. The American had quite the arm when he was angry, Matthew had the bruises to prove it.

"No." Alfred said simply, his step hurrying slightly. Matthew was forced to make quicker strides in order to keep up with him. Alfred never said no to catch, it was just one of the little things the brothers always did together. Matthew tried one last tactic.

"Please Alfie, I hate it when you're sad." Matthew murmured softly, using the nickname that his twin always responded to. Alfred's footsteps halted and he stood their shaking.

"I don't want to." He whispered, pleaded. His shields were deteriorating around him and his was left vulnerable to his younger brother's worried gaze. His voice was dripping with emotion, forcing it to crack slightly. He shoulders trembled lightly and Matthew knew his brother was done hiding. He responded like he always did when Alfred was particularly depressed.

Matthew stepped forward and wrapped comforting arms around his shaking brother. Alfred melted into the embrace taking in a shaky breath and pulling the other close. The elder pressed his face in his brother's shirt feeling tears fall from his stinging eyes. He couldn't believe he was fucking crying, especially because of the fucking commie and all this fucking shit he keeps ruining.

"Alfred its ok." Matthew whispered soothingly, feeling his brothers face shake negatively.

"N-no its not. H-he- I worked so hard Mattie! And it never works out. Never. No matter how hard I try it just never works out. I hate school so much." He hissed as he drew in loud shaky breaths. "I-I just wanted this o-one time to be di-different. To pr-prove I'm not the stupid one everyone s-says I am. B-but I g-guess I really am." He muttered miserably and felt his brothers grip tighten.

"You're not stupid Al. You're not stupid at all! So what if Ivan got a 95? It was one test! And look you got a 91! Why can't you be happy about that?" Matthew asked desperately.

"I j-just can't. Its his fault. He ruins everything Mattie! I hate him. I hate him so much." Alfred vented, griping his brother's dampening t-shirt angrily. It was all his fault, always his fault.

"Come on Al... What if I made you some pancakes? Would that cheer you up?" he asked pulling away and Alfred sighed.

"I don't know" He murmured, wiping his red eyes with his sleeve. Not even food was brightening his mood. Matthew bit his lip... He needed to think of something that would really cheer him up.

Alfred was watching TV listlessly in the family room, body sprawled out and sad frown still in place. Matthew watched him as he flipped the pancakes on his pan. Hopefully, Dad would be home soon and his plan could be put into action. Setting down the third pancake onto the plate, he drizzled the maple syrup onto the fluffy discs before giving them to his brother who offered him a strained smile in return.

Matthew hurried away and went to the trash by the kitchen, grabbing Alfred's test that he had crumpled and thrown away earlier. He unfolded it, using the edge of the counter to better straighten it. As he did so he heard the door open and their father announce that he was home. Alfred didn't reply but Matthew gave a soft hello.

Arthur came into the kitchen nodding at his son before heading for the tea kettle. Matthew pushed the test slightly on the counter in order to give Arthur a better view of it without being blunt about it. Arthur didn't notice as he put water on the stove to boil.

"How was your day Matthew?" Arthur asked like usual and Matthew felt annoyed that he still had not seen the papers.

"Fine I guess..." he answered, fingers drumming smoothly on the sheets. Finally, greens eyes glanced down and took notice.

"Oh you had a test? A 91? Good job, Matthew." He praised calmly, it wasn't as if it was a surprise. Matthew had straight As in every class. He was so responsible. Unlike his brother who didn't seem to care about his grades at all. No matter how much he tried to make him.

"Actually, it's Alfred's" Matthew clarified and waited.

The reaction was immediate.

Arthur's tired green eyes lit up while widening and his hands lept for the papers, grabbing them quickly. He looked at the first page for confirmation and found his elder son's name scrawled at the top. It was Alfred's.

"H-he got a 91?" Arthur breathed in disbelief, looking to Matthew who merely nodded with a smile. Arthur ran out of the room and entered the living room. He found Alfred sprawled out on the couch with a half eaten plate of pancakes sitting beside him abandoned.

"Alfred! Alfred, you got a 91!" Arthur exclaimed shoving the papers in his son's face who pushed it away.

"Um...Y-yeah I did." Alfred answered sheepishly. He forgot about what his parents would think. Never even thought about how Dad might actually be proud of him for once... Dad never praised him, only scolded him. He wasn't sure how to react. Though, he felt a sort of warmth bubbling in his stomach from his father's approval. Maybe it was ok to lose to Ivan...Maybe Dad would stop being so mean about his grades... The thought made him feel better, warmth slowly seeping back into his cold being.

"You didn't cheat did you?" Arthur asked suddenly, his voice now skeptic as his disbelief settled.

The warm feeling disappeared as abruptly as it came. Did his father really think that poorly of him? Was he really that stupid that a 91 was so preposterous the only way to accept it was from cheating? Alfred began to feel anger build inside him. He had worked his ass of to try and get a good grade. Not only had he lost to the damn commie now his father was accusing him of dishonesty over it. Didn't he notice how hard he was trying? Studying every single fucking night for hours?

"I can't believe you! Damn it! Am I that much of a disappointment that you can't even image me getting a good grade without accusing me of cheating?" Alfred cried out causing his father to take a step back from his outburst. "Well I don't need it right now alright? Just leave me alone and keep your disappointments to yourself!" He spat, storming away and stomping up the stairs.

Arthur blinked in confusion and cringed as he heard the door slam from upstairs. What had that been about? Teenage hormones? And now Matthew was glaring at him.

"Dad! Why did you do that?" He exclaimed. Well, that certainly hadn't gone according to plan. "You just made it worse. Now he's going to go cry again." Matthew groaned and sped away to follow his older brother up the stairs. Arthur blinked, the hell had just happened?

The kettle whistled and Arthur thanked the Lord, he needed his bloody tea. He'd have to check on Alfred when he calmed down a little. And what was that about Alfred crying a lot? That couldn't be true, he hadn't seen Alfred cry since he was little...

"Alfred...Dad didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah he did. He thinks I'm stupid. Everyone thinks I'm stupid. This is why I stopped trying! Fuck, why'd I ever make that bet?" Alfred cursed, lying on his bed while burrowing his head in his pillow.

"Alfred, for the last time your not stupid. And you should always try. Why not try again for the next test?"

"And get crushed again? Its not worth the effort, Mattie. Nobody even believes I can do anything anymore. Its too fucking hard when nothing goes right in the end. I give up."

Matthew stared at his pathetic looking brother, sitting in his bed depressed. "When I was little and I wanted to give up my older twin brother told me that 'Heroes don't give up, they keep going and prove themselves.' He told me 'Its okay if its hard Mattie, I'll be here to save you.' and now I'm wondering where my big brother Alfie went. Because he surely isn't the moping person in front of me."

Alfred stared at him, hugging his pillow tightly to his chest. He didn't respond, only looking down at his bedsheets. Matthew's words always got to him. He knew he was right but it just hurt, it really did hurt.

"Alfie, please don't be sad. Seeing you sad makes me sad. So be happy for me?"Matthew tried one last time, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on his twin's forehead. He pulled away and got off the bed, leaving his brother to ponder alone in his room. Outside in the hallway he sighed, dealing with his brother in these moods was emotionally exhausting.

Almost on instinct he pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Ja?"

"Hey Gil."

"Matt! What up? How's my cute little boyfriend? Are you naked?"

"No I'm not! I don't even know why I talk to you." He sighed though his lips quirked into a small smile.

"Its cause my awesomeness draws you in. Are you ok? You seem sad or something. You miss me that much?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "No. Al is just in one of his moods."

"ah. You want me to come over? I could sneak in through the window all Romeo style."

"Romeo didn't sneak in. He threw pebbles at Juliet's window. Do you ever pay attention in class?"

"Not with your sexy awesome figure distracting me!" Gilbert defended wishing he were there to see the dark embarrassed blush blossom on his boyfriend's face.

"Stop it. Look never mind. I'll be fine."

"I don't want you to be fine. I want you to be awesome. You should never strive for anything less."

Matthew smiled warmly. "I'll be awesome just for you Gil."

Gilbert grinned happily. "So...Phone sex?"

"Goodbye Gil."

"You're no fun. See ya Matt. Love you!"

"..Love you too." Matthew answered back before hanging up. He definitely did feel better, hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

Alfred's mood continued into the next day, his silence leaving the air empty. Matthew didn't know what else to do. His brother was really hurt by all this. Then again, he had worked harder at this then anything else in his life. Did he really think he was stupid? If only his brother would actually listen to him for once. It didn't matter what other people said, or even what he said when he was annoyed, Alfred was not dumb.

The pair parted ways and Alfred stalked down the halls slowly, not even caring if he was late to class. Spanish wasn't even that fucking important. Maybe he could skip and just sit outside...

"Hello Alfred."

Alfred's fists tightened and he looked up to see his tormentor's damn face. He would give anything to punch it in, bring his IQ down a few notches... The IQ that was apparently higher than his own...

"What do you want Ivan?" He sighed, he just didn't what deal with him right now. Couldn't the other just leave him alone for once?

Ivan blinked at the response. No taunts or snide comments? No mocking? And where had the fiery tone gone from his vibrant companion? Had he done something wrong? He took in the others current form and his smile twitched downward. Alfred looked like a mess, his whole posture slouching in defeat and his blue eyes hollow. Where had the bouncing blond gone? Maybe if he instigated an argument for once his argumentative personality would return.

"Are you mad because I received a higher grade and therefore proved my intellect was superior?" Now he only had to wait for the angry animated retort. Then everything would be normal again.

He didn't get the response he expected.

"Y-you just have to rub it in don't you?" Alfred hissed bitterly and he was not fucking crying like a fucking girl. Heroes don't cry! But then again...Heroes were suppose to be smart too. "I get it already. I'm stupid! Just leave me the fuck alone!" He snapped, wiping at his damn watery eyes with his sleeve. He turned around and hurried away before he could embarrass himself any further. It was always the damn commie's fault.

Ivan stood there in disbelief as the American disappeared. He must of done something wrong. Was there some American custom he had forgotten? He didn't like that broken defeated look on Alfred's pretty face. Usually he liked seeing others in pain, but this time he found it clenched his chest. Alfred was supposed to be vibrant happy and lively like the sunflower on his wall. He'd have to fix this.

Ivan just wasn't sure how.

Bleh
This chapter was hard to write and I'm still not happy about...
Probably because I hate seeing Alfred sad. *gives him a hug*
Don't hate me for making Alfred lose! It had to be done! I'm sorry!
Anyways, school is evil but I'm still on schedule! Yay!
And in other news... I got the Hetalia DVD~ Its pretty amazing! XD
Anyway, Review my little darlings and Ivan will figure out how to cheer up our favorite American hero!
Love you all and thanks for the support!