All The World's A Stage

by Tatsumaki-sama

AU. All Matthew wanted to do was find her long lost brother. But somehow she ended up pretending to be a guy who is pretending to be a girl.

7. Incident On The First Floor

Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia or any of its characters.

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?

~ Maurice Freehill

Chapter 7 - Incident On The First Floor

The matter with the debt collector and his threat to cut off Le Château's resources haunted and lingered in the minds of said residents, leaving them to shoot nervous glances at any figure that entered the building.

" I heard that when the Rizzo family couldn't pay for their house, everything got cut off all at once," Bella told the others. She paused, allowing her listeners to give a sympathetic sigh towards the family who often came over to see their plays. And to frown and fret about their own fate. " With no home, they had to pack up and leave the city."

" That's nothing," Lars snorted. He promptly ignored Bella's heated glares. " You all know Thomas Robins. The man who owned Robins' Bookstore down on Baker street. When customers started going down and his money used up dry for drinking, he had to rely on using his own books for fuel during the winter. When that wasn't enough, the collectors came and took whatever he had left. No money and no help from anyone whatsoever. They found him frozen to death near the pubs, trying to string out one last bottle."

Toris shuddered in alarm and Katyusha looked like he could cry. " Don't be silly-aru," Master Wang impatiently said, handing out food as he spoke. " We have plenty of time before winter approaches. There are food banks and the government does provide for the unemployed. Unfortunately for Thomas Robins, he had too much pride not to go."

" Better to have too much pride than nothing at all," Sadiq retorted, moodily stabbing at his scrambled eggs. The others murmured and Master Wang didn't reply.

Stretched on her bed, Matthew was one of the few who didn't hear the conversation happening below in the dining hall. She was busily flipping through Toris' copy of the Twelfth Night, hoping to come across anything that would prepare her role as Sebastian better.

" A lady, sir, though it was said she much resembled/me, was yet of many accounted beautiful; but/though I could not with such estimate wonder/overfar believe that, yet thus far I will boldly/publish her; she bore a mind that envy could not but/call fair. She drowned already, sir, with salt/water, though I seem to drown her remembrance again with more," she recited, trying to picture Sebastian's anguish at the loss of his twin sister.

The mental image tugged at her own heart, remembering how she had lost her brother and wandered like a lost soul for years. She sympathized with Sebastian, who knew not what to do but do continue living his life, burying the memories of his sister. Smiling sadly to herself, Matthew was surprised how accurately this role fit her.

Suddenly, there was a odd hissing sound rumbling throughout the walls, startling her, making her shoot up from her comfortable position. By the time she pressed her hand to the wall, it was already gone. Indignant voices shouted and echoed throughout the floors above and below.

" Hey, what's going on?"

" What happened to the water?"

" Some people are trying to take a shower here, dammit!"

Adelio's own cursing could be heard from inside the washroom. " Are you okay in here?" Matthew called, climbing down the ladder.

" Yeah. For the most part." Accompanied by more mutters and swearing. " Give me a moment here. I'm coming out."

What Matthew wasn't expecting to see was a half-clothed Adelio coming out, wearing only his jeans and a towel wrapped around his neck, revealing a well-toned body and broad shoulders. His dreadlocks had become loose and wavy as a result from contact with water, trickling over his shoulders and down his back. Matters didn't improve that he was still visibly wet and glistening with sweat and his dark skin looked flushed.

" You find out what's going on?" he asked her, apparently not noticing the effect he had on her.

Looking everywhere but him, she attempted to get her numb tongue to work. " Don't know. Seems like everyone else is having at the same problem," she managed to stutter out. To her embarrassment, her eyes irresistibly kept being drawn back towards Adelio's chest.

" I'll check the sink to see if it's still working!" she suddenly blurted out, hurrying to the kitchen, ignoring the confused look he gave her. Her eyes were pinched shut to avoid the temptation to look behind her, knowing that if she did, she would only make a fool of herself again.

Feeling very warm and repulsed by her own erratic behavior, she gripped the knobs of the sink tightly, twisting them with savage intent. What was going on with her? It wasn't like it was the first time she had seen a man without a shirt. In fact, her earlier, unfortunate experience with seeing those kinds of men trying to take advantage of other women and professing themselves in an immoral way towards them absolutely disgusted her, very thankful that it wasn't her that their attentions were focused on. And it wasn't the first time she had seen Adelio before - except it was the first time she had seen him like that before.

She liked Adelio. He was nice to her (despite their first brief encounter) and she couldn't ask for a better roommate. They got along well and are often seen together during their breaks and meals. If there wasn't any other word, Matthew would have called him her friend. And yet ...

The heat burned her cheeks fiercely and she felt the lump in her throat expand painfully so. There was no explanation for why her heart was beating so fast or why she couldn't stop staring at Cuba without blushing. It wasn't as if she was attracted to him in that way -

" Did it work?" The realization that Adelio was standing right behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin and she flushed more deeply.

" N-n-no, it didn't." Matthew quickly wrenched her sweaty, trembling hands from the faucets, clenching them in front of her, so he wouldn't see. " Looks like there isn't any water here at all."

" That's just great." His voice was a low drawl in her ear, whispering his words in a soft hum, causing her heart to race yet again. Whether intentionally or not, she couldn't tell.

Licking dry lips, she forced herself to suck in a breath and turned slowly to face him. He gazed back at her, his blank expression not even hinting at a sliver of emotion. She wondered if he realized how tight her throat had gotten or if he even noticed that he was unconsciously causing this peculiar response from her. " I could go find Monsieur Bonnefoy," she said, as steadily and calmly as she could.

He grinned and this time, she noticed how his lips delved deeply into flesh and how they curled to make his smile. How she never noticed it until now baffled her. " That sounds good. I'll go get changed."

Matthew quickly nodded and left without saying another word, not looking back at Adelio, afraid that if she did say something, it would only make the situation worse than it already was.

~.~.~.~

By the time she made it down the stairs and to the kitchens, the heat from her cheeks managed to dissipate for the most part and her heart had returned to its normal rate. Forcing herself to turn her thoughts away from Adelio, Matthew found Master Wang in the kitchen, who was muttering over the dirty dishes by the sink.

" Everyone's blaming me ... I told them to save some water, but those fools didn't listen ... what am I suppose to do about it ...?"

She approached him timidly. " Um, excuse me, Master Wang? Do you know where I can find Monsieur Bonnefoy?"

" ... Those ungrateful bastards - Oh, Matthew." A faint blush tinted Master Wang's cheeks in embarrassment. " My apologies, I didn't see you there. You said you're looking for Monsieur Bonnefoy? He's currently busy with a customer."

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. " Maybe we can ask some neighbors for extra water if you need some," she suggested, eyeing the dirtied dishes.

Master Wang shook his head, a scowl written across his face. " They will only blackmail and feed off us like wolves. We can't trust them." He sighed. " There is only one person I know Monsieur Bonnefoy would go to, as much as I don't trust him." Frowning, his mouth curled in displeasure, as if remembering an unpleasant memory. " He's an artist, but is rather reclusive and isolated from everyone else. But he would help," he grudgingly admitted. " Honda-sensei. That's his name."

" How can we reach him?"

" Find Heracles. He's friends with Honda-sensei. I'm not quite sure where he is, at the moment."

And unfortunately, it seemed that the others didn't either.

Elizabeta suggested he could be in his room on the third floor. When Matthew discovered he wasn't there, Yong Soo tried to point out he might be in the dining hall (" Korea invented breakfast, you know?"). Not spotting a hair of Heracles there, Roderich calmly advised her to search in the main diner area. Upon finding out Heracles wasn't there either, Katyusha recommended the acting rooms, since he liked to sleep there when there were no customers. She meet with Feliks after leaving the last empty acting room, who then immediately offered the idea that Heracles could be napping in someone else's room, since he has a habit of just falling asleep there, and at the same breath, wanted to drag her away to dress her up. After knocking and looking into every room on the second and third floors, Matthew asked Shen who was coming out of his room, who only mutely waved out the window, indicating the possibility that Heracles was outside.

Exhausted and growing irritable, she bumped into Vash there. " Have you seen Heracles?" she breathlessly asked.

" No. I haven't seen him all morning," he replied indifferently, barely even glancing at her.

At this point, she could almost yell her frustrations out. " Do you have any idea where he might be? That isn't his room, the dining room, the main diner area, the acting rooms, any room on the second and third floors or somewhere outside?" she hotly demanded.

He raised an eyebrow at her sweating, red-colored cheeks. " Did you try the first floor?"

His question drove a shiver down her back. " No," she meekly said.

" Then go there."

Fingering her shirt nervously, Matthew looked imploringly at him. " W-well, about that - "

This time, Vash looked sharply at her. " You're afraid of what happens there," he realized. Though she didn't quite understand, she nodded her head and he sighed softly. " There is nothing to fear there. Find Heracles and leave any impressions you had here."

Not understanding entirely, she took his advice. Climbing up the stairs to the first floor, Matthew could feel her heart beating faster in anticipation.

The floor was quiet than the rest of the other floors. The hallway was similar to the second and third floors, though it appeared more bare and empty. She passed by room from room, calling for Heracles, knocking on silent doors. Reaching one of the doors near the end of the hall, Matthew swallowed and raised her fist as she did seventeen times before.

To her surprise, the door creaked open, apparently not locked like the others. Cautiously entering, Matthew could see the elegant furniture and adornments that embellished the room. Ruby red tablecloth hung over a polished desk. An aristocratic fireplace was now smothered to its last sparks. Portraits of kings and landscape decorated the well-furbished walls. It was as if a wealthy lord or lady lived here.

" Heracles, are you here?" she called out, as meekly as she could, hoping he wasn't asleep and that she wasn't disrupting him. " I was wondering if you could help us find - "

But no sooner than she had peered across the corner, her face turned beet red when she realized that she wasn't talking to Heracles at all.

An older woman, tall and willowy, glanced up at her, dressed in nothing but a loose, revealing nightgown, pulling long, satin black stockings over her slender legs. " Oh. Heracles didn't mention that someone was coming to pick me up." Her voice was low and husky, reminding Matthew of a cat purring seductively, playfully baiting the mouse it was hunting.

" I'm not here for that," she quickly corrected, trying to look everywhere else but at her. She knew it was rude of her to act like that towards a guest of Le Château. But there was something stirring up in her chest, making her feel viciously impertinent at this stranger who she knew nothing about and she didn't bothered to care at the moment.

The woman cocked an eyebrow in amusement, as she pulled a heavy fur coat over her arms and slipping into dark leather boots. " What's your name, boy?"

Jerking her head curtly, she managed not to snap that it was none of her business and she had no right to call her "boy". Instead, she adopted a strained smile. " My name is Matthew. Is Heracles here?" she asked, hoping to shift the topic of conversation away from her. " I have a message for him from - "

She was cut off when the woman suddenly reached out and grabbed her chin, inspecting her with an icy disposition. Alarmed, Matthew tried to step back, or at least call for help, but she couldn't quite get her tongue to work properly.

" You must be new around here," the woman remarked softly, her red painted nails squeezing against Matthew's cheeks painfully. " Otherwise, you would have known who I am."

Biting back the retort that she was nothing but a slimy old coot, she swallowed and hoped that the look on her face wasn't imploring or pitiful. It wouldn't help her much in this situation, where the woman had this strange dominating effect on her. " C-could you let me go?" Matthew mumbled, inching slowly away, while wondering frantically where was Heracles and where was everyone else. " I - I need to know where Heracles is and - and I have to get back to work soon."

Still surveying her with interest, the woman appeared not to have heard a single thing she just said. " You're quite cute, if I say so myself." She chuckled at Matthew's glowing cheeks, a high-pitched cruel sound in Matthew's ears. " And there's the factor of age," she muttered to herself. " But I might make an exception this time. How much does Monsieur Bonnefoy offer you for?" she directly asked Matthew.

" W-what?" She stared dumbfounded at the woman, not sure whether she should be indignant or horrified.

" The price," the woman repeated, this time with a note of impatience. Apparently, she wasn't used to repeating herself too often. " I was asking you how much it would cost for you. Twenty dollars? Thirty? Fifty? Though that would be pushing it a tiny bit." She smiled, the corners of her mouth curving upwards in a dark line, intensified by her red, full lips.

" Me? The - the price for me?" Matthew tried to laugh but it turned out more of a choked gasp. " I'm not sure what you are talking about, ma'am. There is no price on me and I am certain that Monsieur Bonnefoy isn't trying to sell me. I am no slave and I have the documents to prove it."

Now it was the woman's turn to laugh. It almost hurt Matthew' ears. " Oh, you silly little thing. I wasn't talking about slaves and servants. I already got plenty of those at my beck and call. I was talking about something else." She leaned forward, dragging Matthew uncomfortably close towards her. " Something much more different than that."

Her dark blue eyes burned into Matthew's eyes, making her shudder and gasp. They were frightfully close, their noses only inches apart. Sweat stuck to her forehead, clumping wayward strands tightly on her clammy skin. Her heart was painfully thumping hard against her chest and she was frozen like a startled rabbit, too scared to bolt and run for her life. Her mind screaming at her to escape, she tried to open her mouth to yell -

" Lady Blackwood? I thought you had already left," Heracles' voice asked, as he strolled casually from his bedroom, wearing only pants and an unbuttoned shirt.

The blush on Matthew's cheeks only intensified. Thankfully, the woman's attention had turned away from her to focus on Heracles. " I was about to, darling," she blithely chirped. The disgustingly sweet purr in her voice had returned. The way she referred to Heracles as darling only made Matthew hate her more. " But the sight of you sleeping so peacefully and then this delightful young boy came in and I couldn't resist."

Was it just Matthew's imagination but it did it appear that through the sleepy glaze of Heracles' eyes, they sharpened suddenly and shot her a worried glance?

" - but he insists he isn't for a price," Lady Blackwood chuckled airily. She smiled at Matthew and then back at Heracles. " Is that true, darling? Monsieur Bonnefoy hasn't set a price for this young boy? Perhaps he's saving Matthew here for himself. I certainly would, if I were in his position." She laughed again, though her two companions did not share in her humor.

Not one bit.

" The morning is getting late," Heracles told her. " You should leave soon."

" If you insist," she sighed dramatically. " Though I wouldn't mind if I stayed for a few more hours." She slyly sneaked a wink at Matthew, who hastily looked away.

" And the payment must be made directly to Monsieur Bonnefoy or Roderich our accountant before you leave," he continued as if she had not spoken. " Have a good day, Lady Blackwood. Until next time." He inclined his head politely, as if hurrying to end their conversation immediately.

" As to you, darling. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed last night." She smiled prettily, fluttering her eyelashes in his direction. Heracles wisely said nothing, remaining stoically silent. " But I mustn't speak of that in front of children," she added, glancing at Matthew, pressing a gloved hand to her lips, giggling childishly. " Good day to you too, Matthew. Perhaps the next time we meet, we can - ahh, how shall I say it? - continue our little discussion, hm?"

Feeling sick to her stomach, she could only nod. If almost being forced into a kiss was Lady Blackwood's kind of discussion.

Taking her silence for shyness, Lady Blackwood fondly patted her cheek. " You're just too cute," she gushed. " Makes me want to just gobble you up."

" Lady Blackwood, your carriage is waiting for you outside," Heracles interrupted, his voice noticeably colder than before and had none of its previous warmth and easiness. He took her arm and ushered her towards the door, stepping precisely between Matthew and Lady Blackwood, who thankfully didn't notice. " Best not to keep them waiting."

" Such a gentleman, darling," she drawled. " I knew you were my favorite for a reason."

Matthew tried not to leap at her and strangle her as Lady Blackwood kissed Heracles on the cheek, leaving a bruising red mark on his skin, and left, waving cheerily at them. It also took most of her effort not to turn her wrath towards Heracles either.

" Who was she?" she grated through her teeth, fighting not to let everything explode all at once.

" That was Lady Blackwood, wife of Lord Blackwood who owns majority of the fishing companies by the docks," Heracles replied, calmly wiping the lipstick from his cheek. His expression was once again blank and serene. " She is one of our cherished customers."

More like cursed, Matthew bitterly thought. " And you ... cater to her needs?" she shrewdly commented with a twisted scowl. " Anything that she ... wants?"

" Of course."

It was said instantly and without hesitation. Not a hint of guilt or disgust in his voice. The fact he admitted it so quickly and easily made Matthew only more angry. " Why would you subject yourself to someone like that?" she seethed. " Why would you even let yourself become something of a - a plaything to anyone like that?"

The shrill tone in her voice rose uncontrollably and Matthew couldn't stop herself now that she was already going. " Did Monsieur Bonnefoy set you up to this? Did he put a price on you, sell you to them and let them do whatever they want to you? If he did, why did you let him? Why didn't you run away or - or call the police? Why would you bring yourself down to their level? Unless you're doing it for fun. That you like this sort of thing and getting some sort of sick pleasure from it!"

At that point, Matthew knew she said too much. Heracles' jaw was clenched and his eyes smothered in an unspoken emotion. " I'm sorry," she stammered. " I didn't mean to - "

Bam!

His hands were pressed against the wall, only inches away from Matthew's face. His muscular arms stretched out before her, cornering her, trapping her under his looming figure. The emotionless haze in his eyes frightened her much more than Lady Blackwood did.

But unlike before with Lady Blackwood, there was an unspoken trust between them. Somehow, she knew that Heracles would never do what Lady Blackwood wanted to do to her, that he would never hurt her, even if she said those things. And she didn't quite know why.

" I - I don't expect you to understand," Heracles murmured, so softly that she had to strain to hear him. " Most people don't. They see me - my kind of people - as scum of the earth. Dirt beneath their shoes, even. But don't speak as if you know us. You think you have the right to judge us. But you've never been where we have been. Some of us need the money or else we'll starve on the streets. Not all of us can sing and dance. We have to survive. And this is the only way."

The sadness and resentment in his voice stunned her. Heracles had always appeared to her as someone who was childishly carefree and happy-go-lucky. " It's not the only way," Matthew argued. " You have many skills, Heracles. Much more than I have. What about - what about acting? You're an actor, aren't you? A-and I heard Adelio saying that you could pull off being a security guard if you wanted to. See? There are so many more honest work that could be done than - "

" Than what? Chances are securing one of those jobs are little to none," he bitterly pointed out. " Only the best of actors get hired. To them, I am nothing but an amateur. And with my looks, no one would hire me as a security guard. I am too soft for that anyways. Even a job like a stagehand or the lowest security guard, you're only hired for a day and you're still left without any kind of shelter with barely enough money to eat with no guarantee that you'll be able to get the same job again for weeks. And if you have a family, it's even worse. You might have to leave them to get the money. Or you leave them because you know them can't afford to feed another mouth."

Something dawned upon her. She looked at him with a mixture of horror and pity. " That's what happened to you," Matthew realized, her voice coming out in a whisper.

The light behind his eyes glinted, but only for a moment. His voice returned to its quiet, solemn murmur. " It happens all the time these days to anyone," he finally said quietly. " This place is one of the few places, if not the only place in the city, that could accept you and provide housing, food and a reasonable salary."

Heracles was now watching her with an emotionless gaze, deep and searching, just like when they first met on the stairs, that made Matthew squirm just as uncomfortably as before. " I don't know why you were chosen by Monsieur Bonnefoy out of every person who was turned down. But you were." His eyes bore lazily into hers. " Either way, you were one of the lucky ones. Saved by luck or by fate. Unlike the rest of us. Please remember that."

Then, he removed his arms from the wall and his shadow no longer loomed dangerously over her. Suddenly, she could breath much easier, though her throat remained constricted and her eyes suspiciously glassy. Heracles looked upon her with an odd sort of inspection, as if contemplating whether she truly understood his words, before giving her brief nod.

Without a further word, he brushed past her and out the door, leaving Matthew alone in his room.

~.~.~.~

" What do you want, thick eyebrows?"

Mr Kirkland's mouth tightened visibly but other than that, there was no change of expression. " I'm here to talk about my proposal," he continued. " It's quite simple and if anything, it benefits you more on the side of the - "

" Not interested."

His jaw clenched. " Le Château is hanging by a thread," he doggedly continued as if he wasn't interrupted. " As you found out this morning, the water supply has been cut. Electricity would be next. And then what are you and your people going to do? The debt collector wasn't joking when he said he would strip this place of everything."

He might have been fooled that Monsieur Bonnefoy was taking everything in so calmly, if he didn't know him well enough. Monsieur Bonnefoy's fingers were etched into his glass of wine, ghostly imprints gleaming against the pristine surface. But when he released his grip, there was barely a tremble. " I will handle it," he smoothly said. " This isn't the first time we had this crisis and this isn't the first time that the debt collector had threatened to cut off our resources."

" Don't be a fool, Bonnefoy," Mr Kirkland softly said. " You and I both know that this was the first time that the debt collector actually carried out one of his threats." He plowed on when Monsieur Bonnefoy didn't try to retort and make some snide remark. " My boss is making a completely reasonable proposal. Take it and your debts and money woes would be faster than you could - "

" We don't need your assistance," Monsieur Bonnefoy snapped, his blue eyes sharply glaring at the Englishman. " After all, why should we trust thieves and pirates like you?" he sneered derisively.

Mr Kirkland's eyes narrowed darkly. " The military are no thieves and pirates," he coolly replied. " Our soldiers are well-trained and smart enough to know not to steal from the poor."

" What did you call me!"

" Bonnefoy, there's no denying that Le Château is in desperate need of money. We can provide for that. Simply allow us to take Miss Elizabeta - "

" Out of the question."

" ... Miss Bella also - "

" Definitely not."

" ... Roderich would greatly help - "

" No, not him either."

" - and your latest addition, Matthew ..."

At this, Monsieur Bonnefoy lowered his wine glass on the table a little harder than he meant to, the glass clinking softly against the wood. Mr Kirkland looked on with a stony silence. " I have heard enough," he sternly said, standing up. " This concludes our meeting, monsieur."

" You're only running away from the problem, frog," Mr Kirkland pointed out, with a hint of his familiar sneer.

" There is no need to speak of my problems. I can handle them on my own."

" Then what about the businesses of the first floor?"

Monsieur Bonnefoy flinched slightly. The grim smile Mr Kirkland was satisfied, knowing he caught his rival in his tracks. " Don't think that I don't know about what happens there. Even with that sort of trade happening, it's still not enough, is it? Your customers are dwindling day after day and even if they come, they go for the cheapest price, no matter how hard you try to bargain with them. Am I right?"

Calmly folding his fingers upon each other, Monsieur Bonnefoy leaned forward from his seat and gazed at him. " What happens in Le Château is my concern, you slimy ****," he coldly said, dropping all the formalities and any pretenses that he could reason with the man. " Now get out."

If it were any other person, they would have melted at the fierceness of Monsieur Bonnefoy's glare and muttered excuses and quickly backed away. Perhaps Mr Kirkland would have snarled several insults and thrown in more foul language (maybe even tried to strangle Monsieur Bonnefoy if he had the chance) if Vash hadn't appeared by the doorway. " Need help?" he drawled almost in boredom, his gun hanging by his hip, ready for use.

With only a flicker of fear in his eyes, Mr Kirkland evenly collected his things. " No thank you. I know my way to the door," he said calmly, even including a smile to Vash, as if to mock them and say he wasn't scared at all.

As he walked past Monsieur Bonnefoy, he shot him a look that suggested they would meet and discuss the matter again, whether he wanted to or not.

And the Frenchman knew it as well as he did.

~.~.~.~

Author's Notes:

I just threw in a shirtless Cuba for the fun of it. Because there's no denying that would be very hot. ^_^

About Greece putting his arms against the wall over Matthew? Even hotter.

And Lady Blackwood is someone I hope to never meet in real life. Even I don't like her and I was the one who made her!

The thing about Matthew not accepting what Heracles does is more of the fact that she tends to stereotype men. Because of how she grew up, she views them in two ways. That they are nice (as she holds her brother up on a pedestal) and that they are corrupted perverts (seeing how she continually mentions that they only want her in that sort of way). Black and white. Good and bad.

With that said, her conflicting views about Heracles, who was both nice to her and yet was portrayed in a shady way, made her react in the way that she did. By accusing him and feeling almost betrayed. I hoped that cleared things up for the readers. I didn't want to make Matthew's outburst seem out of nowhere.