Don't own Hetalia.
Alfred and Matthew had a very hard time settling into SMUG K.
First of all, they wouldn't let each other out of their sights for more than five seconds—at best. In fact, they were almost always in contact with each other; Matthew would always have one hand fisted Alfred's shirt, and the older brother would keep one arm wrapped around the younger. Also, Matthew didn't really communicate with everyone else; while Alfred's socializing skills were close to nil, Matthew's skills were even worse. He would only respond to Alfred, and even then, he never said a word. Alfred was slightly better, but only slightly. He never spoke unless directly addressed, and when he was addressed he always spoke hesitantly and quietly, as though afraid of being hit.
And then there were their relationship with the other kids, which were, again, close to nonexistent.
The two abused brothers freaked Ludwig out; with their big, buggy eyes and sallow skin, they painted quite the creepy picture, and poor amnesiac Ludwig wasn't used to dealing with such tortured peers. The very sight of them, shivering and trembling, sent shudders up his spine. And, similarly, the two brothers were actually quite frightened of Ludwig; with his sharp, flinty blue eyes and his muscled arms, it wasn't a surprise they were nearly terrified of him.
Their relationship with Feliciano was slightly better; he was a naturally cheerful and kind teen, even though he was crippled. His bright, warm smile attracted the boys like a moth to a flame—they'd never been shown a semblance of kindness. The Italian showed them kindness, and then some; he somehow put up with their traumatized attitude, and would patiently do his best to understand them, even when Alfred would stutter incessantly and Matthew would refuse to communicate at all.
Kiku was unsure what to think of the two brothers; he was curious enough about them, but there was something unnerving about their eyes—eyes that held so much pain and fear. Also, neither Alfred nor Matthew really understood that much; when he showed them anime, they just got more confused. However, they actually seemed to like Kiku quite a bit; with his calm nature and graceful, gentle movements, they did not fear him as much as they feared others.
Their reactions to Francis were confusing and strange; one moment they seemed to be frightened of him, the next they were sitting in front of him, listening attentively to whatever he was saying. Matthew seemed to like Francis more than Alfred, though; Alfred still remained suspicious of him, even when Matthew would give him a tiny, rare little smile.
But what surprised everyone else the most was their relationship with Ivan. Most would've thought that they would be terrified of Ivan and his coldness, but it seemed just the opposite. Ivan turned into something of a big brother to them—they would run to him whenever they got truly scared, and he in turn would protect them with the viciousness of a mother bear. Perhaps they were attracted to his size—tall, wide, and comforting. Perhaps they were attracted by his attitude, which was mostly indifferent to their presence unless the brothers were threatened. Either way, they attached to Ivan and his quiet demeanor the best.
They also seemed to like Officer Kirkland quite a bit; whenever the police officer came to visit them, they would run up and wrap their arms around his legs, something of a small smile on their faces. He had rescued them from a life of pain and hurt—it was no wonder they nearly worshipped him. And he, in turn, seemed to like them as well. As a former member of the SMUG K, he understood—somewhat—how the brothers felt.
"Alfred, Matthew! It's time for your checkups!"
And then, of course, there were the doctor's appointments.
Which they hated. With a passion.
Since they'd missed so many shots, they had to get most of them all at once; Alfred took it as an assault, and would beg that only he be taken, and that they should leave Matthew alone.
(Usually after this, the nurses would be too sad/sympathetic to give them the checkups. The tortured boy's pleas pulled dangerously at their heartstrings.)
But they'd finally called in Officer Kirkland, since he seemed to be the only one they listened to.
"O-O-Officer—" Alfred backed away, giving the officer a terrified look, shielding Matthew as best he could with his thin body. He coughed heavily; Matthew gave him a concerned look, but the twin quickly recovered. "P-Please, no! Don't t-take Mattie!" His eyes began to fill with tears—tears of betrayal or tears of fear, he couldn't tell.
Arthur bent down closer to them, sighing as they flinched away. "Alfred, it's okay. I had to get shots when I was little, too. They make sure you don't get sick. You don't want Mattie getting sick, do you?" Not to mention you might have a problem with your lungs, he added silently.
Alfred looked over his shoulder at Matthew, who was cringing behind him. He noted Matthew's thin, pale face (ever since he had arrived at SMUG K, he understood that he and Matthew were scarily thin. For the first few weeks, Alfred had actually split his meal in half and given the other half to Matthew, even though they both got the same-sized meals.) And bit his lip, realizing that Officer Kirkland was probably right. "You g-got them too?"
Arthur grinned when he realized that they had just had a break-through. "Yes, I had to get them when I was a boy. I didn't like them either, but I still had to get them. I'll stay with you through the entire thing, okay?" He carefully extended his open hand to Alfred, vaguely pleased when the boy only flinched slightly, before reaching out to tentatively take his hand. The other arm was still firmly wrapped around Matthew, but it was still a start—the brothers didn't let anyone touch them.
Ivan poked his head around the corner, and blinked at the spectacle. His 'Mama Bear' sensors had been ringing klaxon bells in his head, but now everything seemed to be okay. Still…he ghosted around the corner, and appeared next to Arthur silently. "Hello, Officer Kirkland. I trust everything is okay?"
Arthur nearly shrieked in surprise, stiffening slightly. Dear god, Ivan freaks me out… Strangely enough, neither Alfred nor Matthew seemed particularly surprised; in fact, they both started giggling at Arthur's reaction. Ivan smiled shyly at the pair, unused to people feeling no fear of him.
"Oh—yes, I'm just taking Alfred and Matthew to their doctor's appointments. Ivan, tell them you had to get shots, too."
Ivan nodded cheerfully at them, closing his eyes happily. "Da! They did not hurt at all."
There was the distinct squeaky-squeaky-squeaky noise of Feliciano's chair rolling down the hall, followed by the loud clap noises of Ludwig's boots hitting the floor. They both walked past the door—before Feliciano paused, glancing into the room. "Ooo! Ludwig, push me into there! I want to say hi to Alfred and Matthew!"
Ludwig sighed fondly at the boy bouncing impatiently in the chair, and carefully backed up and wheeled him into the room, flinching at the sight of the skinny brothers.
"Alfred! Matthew!" Feliciano waved.
Alfred had a mildly frightened look on his face—he was still a little frightened of Feliciano's exuberance. But a second later, he shook himself, and said quietly, "H-Hi Feli."
Matthew—who had buried his face into Alfred's shirt when the Italian had wheeled in—looked up shyly, and waved hesitantly. When Feliciano beamed happily at the younger boy, his eyes widened and he buried his face back into Alfred's shirt, face a tomato red color.
"Hello, Feliciano." Arthur said kindly, smiling slightly. He'd always felt sorry for the poor boy—he always seemed so nice, but he'd always had the worst luck. It was nice that Ludwig and Kiku hung around him; no doubt the naturally social boy would've become quickly depressed without them. "Alfred and Matthew were just going to go their doctor's appointment."
"Ooo!" Feliciano clapped his hands together happily, startling Ludwig. Alfred and Matthew flinched instinctively. Ivan and Arthur gave no outwards reaction. "I'm going in that direction anyway. Why don't we go together?"
Arthur nodded, reaching for Alfred's hand again. For a second it looked as though the little boy was going to flinch away—but he slowly, shyly reached for Arthur's hand. The officer glanced at Ivan. "Are you coming?"
"Da." Was the simple response.
"Okay." Arthur did his best to smile at him.
"Chop, chop, Ludwig!" Feliciano said happily, wiggling in his seat. "We don't want to keep Lovino and Grandpa waiting!"
Ludwig groaned loudly. "Not your crazy family again…"
They wheeled out of the room, Arthur and the others close behind.
"They are not so bad!" The Italian responded.
"Your brother threw a tomato at me last time I saw him!"
"But Grandpa—"
"Started talking about all the girls he'd ever had sex with. I do not want to hear another word about Lucy's tits."
Feliciano laughed brightly at Ludwig as he fumed, while Arthur chuckled silently behind him. He'd actually met Feliciano's family, and what Ludwig said was not that far from the truth. He would go so far as to call Lovino bitchy, and his Grandfather perverted. But that had been a long time ago…
"—you can stop in to say hello." Arthur jerked back to reality, blinking when he heard Feliciano's voice. He guessed the context of the question quite easily.
"Well, yes, of course. I mean…Alfred, Matthew, would that be alright with you?" Arthur glanced down at the pair, who both stared up at him with wide eyes. Then, Alfred turned to Matthew and whispered something to him; the younger twin blinked his violet eyes, and slowly nodded.
Alfred smiled a tiny smile up at him. "Yeah, we'll be fine."
The moment was interrupted by Feliciano's happy cry. "Brother! Grandpa!"
The response: "My adorable little Feliciano! Come to Papa!" and, "Hey there idiot—hey, Gramps, don't strangle him!"
Alfred poked his head inside curiously, Matthew peering over his shoulder, as they both saw a strange spectacle; a tall, muscled man with curly brown hair hugging their good friend, with a Feliciano look-alike trying to pull him off, shrieking and screeching like an angry cat.
Ivan looked over the top of Alfred's head, and let out soft giggle at the sight. It caught the attention of the other occupants in the room; Feliciano's twin—Lovino—froze, arms still twisted around his Grandfather's neck, the Grandfather with his arms still clenched tight around Feliciano, and Feliciano himself, hanging in the air, secure in his Grandpa's tight embrace. He also looked like he was being strangled, and, being paralyzed waist down, could not escape.
They all turned to stare at the trio at the door.
Alfred and Matthew immediately turned red and tried to run away, but accidently ran into Ivan, who had been kol-ing intimidatingly. Ivan let out a startled gasp and fell to the floor with the two boys on top of him. He immediately tried to get up, which only served entangle them more, since Matthew and Alfred refused to let go of each other. Finally, Alfred lifted Matthew clear off Ivan in a surprising show of strength for such a tiny body.
They trio stared at each other, horrified—which was interrupted when they heard laughter. Feliciano's Grandfather was doubled over, great belly-shaking guffaws escaping him. Feliciano was laughing his soft tinkling laughter, while Lovino snickered rather inelegantly. Finally was Arthur chuckling away, hand pressed to his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter.
Alfred and Matthew, looked bewildered—they'd honestly expected to be punished for running into Ivan like that—but even the older boy was starting to laugh, more amused by the situation then mad. It was a relief to the twins, who'd been shaking like little leaves in fright.
"We…we're not there anymore." Alfred whispered to Matthew. "They're not going to hurt us. We shouldn't be scared."
"And who are these two little cuties?" A voice cooed—they turned, startled, to see Feliciano's grandfather staring warmly down at them. "Are you some of Feliciano's little friends?"
Matthew blushed and buried his face into Alfred's shirt, who was also blushing furiously. Shyly, he looked up at the older man and whispered, "Y-Yeah."
The Grandfather looked like he wanted to sweep in there and hug them, but decided against it—Feliciano had talked about the pair before, and how they were so terrified of being touched. "You two are so cute! You can just call me Grandpa Rome!"
Lovino sighed, and shoved his Grandfather's head aside. "Don't listen to him, midgets. He's a bad influence." Suddenly he stopped and stared, realizing who they were. "You're…you're the basement brothers, right?"
Bewildered, Alfred and Matthew stared at each other, then back up at Lovino. They didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
"Don't be so rude, Lovino." Feliciano scolded, having recovered from his strangulation. "Yes, these are them."
Lovino looked fascinated; he opened his mouth to say something, probably something potentially offensive. Arthur decided now was the best place to step in. "Well, we best be going. These two need to go to their Doctor's appointment. If you'll excuse us…"
Arthur reached for Alfred's hand. The little boy hadn't been paying attention, and flinched at Arthur's touch, before slowly relaxing into it. The twin reached for his other half, who instinctively pressed closer to him. Ivan, who had been mostly silent, rose to his feet to join them.
Disappointed, Lovino's mouth snapped shut. He shrugged, before saying, "Well, okay. See you."
Feliciano waved pleasantly. "Have fun at your doctor's appointment!"
"Bye little cuties!" Grandpa Rome's shout followed them down the hall as they left.
"Besides being severely malnourished, dehydrated, lice-infested…" The doctor stared down at his clipboard, listing all the problems with the twins. "No shots…surprisingly enough, no worms either…Matthew has an ear-infection, and selective muteness. Alfred has bronchitis…and I suggest you keep him here for a few days. His immune system is terrible, so he can't fight it off very well. There's a possibility it will turn into pneumonia…" He sighed, and put down his pen. "Alfred also has a large amount of scars. Matthew has a few, but not as many. Also…Alfred's wrist was broken, but it healed wrong."
Arthur bit his lip.
"But we can fix that. God, we can fix it. But it's going to take a lot—a lot—of therapy to get them mentally stable. They're doing better than they were weeks ago, but still. It's going to be a long road to recovery." The doctor's face was quite grim. "I've never…seen anything like this. They're such sweet boys, too. They've gone through so much…"
"Can I see them?" He asked anxiously, wanting to see the two little boys he'd come to consider his little siblings.
"Of course. We were as gentle with them as possible, but they were still quite distressed." The doctor led Arthur down towards the door on the left, and opened it. The two brothers were sitting quietly on the bed, huddled as close together as possible. Their little arms were covered with band aids, a testament to their most recent battle with the shots.
Their eyes lit up when they saw Arthur.
"Officer!" Alfred said brightly, and then coughed into his hand. Matthew rubbed his back, before smiling shyly up at Arthur. "They gave us Scoby-Doot band aids!" He proudly displayed his Scooby-Doo band aids to Arthur, who tried not to laugh at the pronunciation. He walked over to them and rested on his knees in front of them, looking up at their faces.
"See? Was that so bad?" He smiled.
"Shots are evil." Alfred whispered, putting his arm around Matthew, who shuddered and leaned in.
Arthur wasn't sure whether to laugh or be very, very sad. "Is that so?"
He nodded vigorously. Then, he paused, and looked unsurely up at Arthur. "Is it…is it true we'll have to stay here for a long time?"
Arthur sighed. This was the last thing he wanted to talk to them about, but it needed to be said. "Listen, Alfred…the truth is, your wrist was broken."
Alfred blinked, and nodded. "Yeah. It's all better now, though."
"But it healed wrong, so you'll have to stay here for a while and get it fixed. And…you have a cold. A very bad cold. And we need to make sure you're getting better."
Alfred looked horrified. "But what about Mattie?" He squeaked—and started coughing.
Arthur waited for him to finish before continuing. "You both are severely malnourished—you haven't been getting enough to eat. They're going to make sure you both are healing right, Matthew included."
Matthew glanced over at Alfred, who was frowning ever-so-slightly, then back at Arthur. He looked like he wanted to say something—Arthur held his breath—but then decided against it, leaning into Alfred again, comforting him. Alfred glanced over and smiled.
"Okay. If Mattie's here, then everything's okay!"
Several days later, Alfred wasn't getting better. He just got worse. And then pneumonia set in.
As the doctor said, Alfred's immune system was very weak. They didn't know whether or not he would survive.
All the SMUG K members felt the absence of their newest twins, because Matthew wouldn't leave Alfred's side.
For a while, it seemed as though Alfred were going to die.
"Alfred…please wake up…"
Alfred started to stir under his blankets, feeling very strange. His face was covered with something—a mask?
There was a soft, rasping breath. "Al…"
His eyes widened. "Ma—" But his voice was cut off. His throat felt so dry…
"Alfred!" Matthew's eyes widened, and he flung himself on top of his brother. "I thought…I thought you were going to die!"
"You're talking, Matt…" Alfred rasped. "Mattie…"
Matthew just started to sob.
"Morning, sunshine." His blue eyes whipped to look at the owner of the voice. His eyes caught on Arthur, who was leaning against the door, smiling tiredly. There were deep circles under his eyes; it was obvious that he hadn't been getting much sleep. "You gave us quite a scare. Matthew was really worried about you." He paused. "We all were."
Alfred opened his mouth to respond, when a chorus of voices interrupted prevented him from saying anything.
"Alfred!"
"Mon cher Alfred!"
"Kolkolkolkol…"
"I brought snacks, aru!"
"Alfred-san…"
Ludwig, the ever stoic, didn't say a word as they all filed in, filling the blank white room with a cacophony of sounds.
"Everyone…" Alfred's eyes began to fill with tears.
And as the little boy began to cry, they all stared at each other.
"What did we do?"
"Dude, Mattie!" Alfred leapt over the couch, burger in one hand, backpack in the other. "We're going to be late! C'mon!"
"Don't be so impatient." Matthew scolded, walking gracefully through the living room, his hockey bag secured firmly on his back. "Francis and the Axis always wait for us!"
"Ivan and Yao never do." He rolled his eyes, and stuffed his sandwich in his mouth. "Hrr uff, geff oh!"
"Okay, okay!" Matthew jumped onto Alfred's back, looping his arms around his brother's neck and grinning when he grunted through his sandwich. "Don't talk with your mouth full!"
"Boys!" Arthur called, coming from the kitchen. He had his spatula in one hand, and he was wearing ruffled apron. "Don't forget your lunches!"
"Chill, dad." Alfred waved his hand languidly, nearly catching Matthew in the face. "We got them, we got them."
"Good." He huffed, and folded his arms in front of him. "First day of high school." He looked to the ceiling, and shook his head. "Come here and give me a hug before you go."
Alfred rolled his eyes but complied anyway, Matthew reaching around his neck to get Arthur as well.
"Have a fun day at school, boys." Arthur smiled tearfully, stepping back from the twins.
"Aw, dad...don't get all sappy on us now!" Alfred grinned and waved, ignoring Arthur's angry squawk.
"Bye Dad!" Matthew called, just as the door slammed.
Arthur stared at the closed door, and smiled bitterly. "Bye, boys…"
:)
Heartwarming ending...I dunno, though.
Anyway, here's the first of five oneshots leading up to the temporary Hiatus. Unless, of course, someone requests something more. And no one commented on the big project, and only one person reviewed that chapter...I guess it wasn't that good. Oh well. :(
Dedicated to Cat in the Fedora Hat: OMG THANKS FOR BEING THE 100TH REVIEWER! You're review made me smile. :) I might write another one. Actually, I was thinking of doing that. Just not now.
Vampchick2010: :') You're the only one who review my last chapter. And I'm glad you liked it.
So I is slightly sad from the lack of reviews...but it doesn't matter. I wasn't getting that many reviews in the beginning anyway.
Haha...enough of me bitching. Anway, thanks for reading!
IceEckos12