A/N: Yay! I updated quicker than usual! Maybe part of the reason is I had written part of this chapter in March. It was originally riddled with both Matthew and Roderich's POVs. Now that scene is just in Matthew's POV. I've been thinking that once I have gotten further along with this one, I would do Gilbert and Roderich's, and Antonio and Lovino's side of the story.
I'm so excited! School's almost out! I technically only have 11 more days of school, but in reality I only have 6 left (next Friday's Senior Field Day, the last week of school is finals (which I can exempt, perks of being a Senior ^^), and the last day of school it's Senior skip day)!
Well, now I'm rambling again...
Onward with the story!
Chapter 6
"LUDWIG~!" shouted Feliciano who bolted form his seat and dashed up to the German. Lovino stared in utter horror after his brother.
Matthew had picked up a fork-full of food, which was halfway to his mouth, to eat, but sit it back down and put his other hand over his mouth to try to hide his silent laughter from his best friend. He chanced a look behind him and found Ludwig completely embarrassed by Feliciano's display. Matthew discovered that his own laughter was harder to keep at bay, so a few snickers excepted his mouth. Alfred, on the other hand, had no tact: he was holding his stomach laughing, hard. Miguel looked up from his book with a smirk on his face, while Yi and Sakura looked on with slight indifference.
Before Matthew turned back around, he noticed that Roderich looked like he was deep in thought and vaguely depressed. Once Roderich caught the blond's eye, the expression was gone. He seemed normal once again. That was odd. What had been going on with the Austrian anyway?
The four of them sat in their usual, or almost usual, seats for lunch: Feliciano sitting back down beside Lovino and Ludwig beside Feliciano, however Roderich switch with Vash. Ludwig and Vash began conversing quietly, not paying any attention on what was going on at the table, while Roderich seemed dazed again when he stared through the nearby window.
Was Roderich still sour about the fight he had had with Ludwig two days ago? Matthew had come to school on Saturday looking for Miguel, who's Ludwig's roommate. He'd stumbled in on them arguing in German, which meant that he didn't understand a word that was uttered, no, yelled in that case. But boy was that a sight. He had never seen Roderich or Ludwig argue like that before.
Vash had been there too, but he seemed to be there only to make sure the two arguing didn't physically harm one another. Matthew had asked Vash why they were arguing, but his only reply was that Roderich or Ludwig would tell Matthew if and when they wanted to.
...Well, Vash was no use.
Matthew was pulled out of his thoughts when Lovino said something that caught him off guard. Had he heard that correctly? "Eh? He said what?"
"You heard me!" Lovino shot back.
"Um...Actually, I didn't. I was kinda thinking about something else...while halfway listening...Sorry…" he apologized sheepishly.
"Fuck no! I'm not saying that again!" Lovino shuddered and flushed a deep red. "And the bastard actually tried to hug me!" he whined in complete and utter disgust.
Miguel leaned over towards the confused Canadian, and uttered softly, "The person that they are interviewing said that Lovino looked adorable but later said that he looked fuckable."
Matthew could only blink, processing what his best friend had said. So he had heard Lovino correctly...That was just wrong on so many levels!
"Fratello, don't be so mean. I thought he was nice!" Feliciano paused in thought for a moment, then continued. "I think he likes you~!"
Lovino whipped his head around to stare at his brother. Both Matthew and Alfred smirked in amusement when Lovino flushed an even deeper red and began to sputter random words. Then he finally collected himself, well as much as he could, anyway. "H-he does NOT FUCKING LIKE ME!"
"Um...Feli-kun," Sakura was stumbling over how to say what she was going to say to Feliciano. Yi took over for her.
"Look, Feliciano. There is a huge difference between liking someone and wanting to fuck someone. When someone says that one is 'fuckable,' that usually means that they want to have sex with the other, whether it is willing or not."
"That was blunt and uncharacteristic of you," murmured Alfred.
Yi shrugged. "It had to be said."
Roderich quietly and politely excused himself from the table and exited the lunchroom.
Matthew arced an eyebrow. He glanced around the table to find that Ludwig and Vash were still conversing quietly, Feliciano had gotten up and stood between Yi and Sakura to talk to them, Alfred and Lovino were still talking as well, while Miguel had returned to the book he had been reading. He figured he could easily slip away to talk to Roderich and find out what was bothering him. Matthew stood, but glanced down when he felt a warm hand grasp his wrist.
"Where are you going?" Miguel asked softly with an arced eyebrow.
Matthew eyed the vacant seat then the door.
"I'm coming with you."
Matthew smirked lightly. "I can handle him on my own." With that, he walked out the lunchroom and to the nearest restroom. He really hoped that Miguel wouldn't follow him. He figured that the Austrian would be more forthcoming if they were alone. Matthew opened the door to the men's restroom, finding the Austrian staring at the mirror. Roderich must've heard him come in because the other turned around to face the door.
"I figured that I would find you here."
Roderich blinked, "How did you find me?"
"Usually when something's bothering you," he ran a hand across the counter as he slowly approached the other, "you'll go to the music room to let off some steam, but seeing that you left your books under your seat at the table," Matthew stopped advancing and locked eyes with the other, "I knew that you wouldn't have gone too far. So I decided to head to the nearest restroom, and here you are."
Roderich's eyes narrowed. "I am not in the mood to talk right at the moment." He faced the mirror again. "I wish to be alone."
Matthew's blue-violet eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed when he sighed. "I just want to help you."
The Austrian tried to go around the blond, but Matthew grasped his wrist.
Matthew tilted his head to the side in confusion feeling something beneath his hand other than the sleeve. "What is...?" He began unbuttoning the sleeve which made Roderich began to struggle. Matthew wouldn't be having any of it. He slammed the Austrian into the nearby wall, stunning the he had finished unbuttoning the sleeve, he rolled it back and reviled a bandage wrapped around his wrist. "What is this?" Matthew asked quietly and with measured calmness, his eyes locked on the bandage.
Roderich's hand that wasn't being held flew to the bandaged wrist. "I-It's n-nothing!"
That was new. Matthew had never heard the Austrian stutter."Don't lie to me," his voice was scarily calm.
Roderich seemed to be contemplating whether or not he should let Matthew unwrap his arm. In the end he swallowed hard and allowed him to unwrap the bandage.
There were thin lines of red acting like fluorescent lights against the alabaster skin. They seemed to have a fresh scab on them. Matthew's blue-violet eyes widened. "Why?" The question had almost been a whisper. He never thought his friend would ever do such a thing. Such confidence the brunette always seemed to possess… He didn't understand why Roderich, the aristocratic male that he was, would do such a thing.
Violet eyes were looking everywhere but at Matthew. He didn't say a word.
Matthew sighed. "Please…tell me why you did this to yourself."
The brunette began to struggle once again. "N-no! G-get away from me!"
Matthew had had enough. He slammed his fist against the wall beside the Austrian's face, which startled the other into stillness and silence. "Damn it, Roderich! Just tell me!"
Roderich slowly slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor. His eyes were beginning to water, his voice shaky and hallow, "H-he's alive...He was there, but…" he paused taking a shaky breath, "but, he d-doesn't remember me...He acted as if nothing had happened...!" The brunette trailed off, tears streaming down his face.
Seeing the other cry, he kneeled in front of the crying male and gently began wiping away the tears. "Shh. Who?" he asked softly. Part of him was completely baffled; he had never seen the Austrian like this before, while the other part of him wanted to help his friend any way he could.
"...Gilbert…"
"The one that you're interviewing?"
Roderich only nodded, though it was minute.
Should he ask him? Matthew figured this may be the only time to ask about it anyway. "Is...is he related to Ludwig?"
"J-ja. Older brother."
Why had Ludwig lied about having a brother? "Was that what you and Ludwig were arguing about on Saturday?"
The other didn't respond, but only began to shakily stand up, his violet eyes still watery.
"Then answer this for me: why did you do it?" Matthew stayed kneeling while his eyes were trained on Roderich's wrist with the cuts.
The Austrian bolted for the door, but Matthew grabbed his leg, which made the other trip and fall to the ground.
Matthew settled himself on the brunette's thighs just to make sure the other didn't try anything else while Matthew questioned him. He grabbed Roderich's wrist. "What the hell? Why would you do something to hurt yourself like this?!"
Violet eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't understand!" he spat.
"Try me." Matthew replied flatly. This really wasn't like Roderich...What had gotten in to him?
"It's painful! Having someone you love not even recognize you, act like nothing's happened, and insist on going by another name! I need a form of release! It helped me calm down and helped me cope."
"TALK TO US! We're here to help you! Do anything that doesn't require you to hurt yourself! DAMNIT, STOP HURTING YOURSELF!" It had been a while since he had raised his voice. His volume had startled the Austrian into silence. "Please," Matthew began again, this time much softer, "please...stop hurting yourself…"
Roderich only stared up at him.
A small part of him knew that he probably shouldn't leave the Austrian just in case he did something rash, but Matthew knew that he needed to leave because if he didn't, he might have lost his temper again, and who knew what he might have done to him. He got off the Austrian and left Roderich, who had gotten himself to a seated position against the wall again, shakily watching the Canadian leave.
As the door closed behind him, he noticed someone leaning against the wall. Matthew's eyes focused on the form beside him; it was Miguel. Why had he followed?
Miguel's eyes widened when he caught sight of the blond. He stood in front of him and gently held the other's upper-arms. "Are you okay?" he asked with much concern in his brown eyes.
Matthew's eyes narrowed. "I thought I told you that I could handle him on my own."
"I came just in case things got out of hand. I was tempted to go in earlier when I heard both of your voices get louder. I also heard a thud. Is everything okay?"
Matthew began walking back to the lunchroom.
"Matthew! Are you okay?" he asked again.
When Matthew, who was still ignoring his best friend's inquires about the bond's wellbeing, re-entered the lunchroom, Ludwig acquired a quizzical expression about his face when he glanced at Matthew. Matthew's gaze was stern and unrelenting. The other's eyes widened, glanced at Vash, and they both stood up. Feliciano stood as well but Ludwig advised him to stay seated. The Italian put up a small fight but after a moment or so he succumbed to the other's wishes and sat back down with a worried expression on his face and glanced at Lovino, uttering a few words in Italian.
Matthew and Miguel sat back down, which made Alfred glance their way in curiosity after seeing Ludwig and Vash leave abruptly.
"What's going on, Mattie?"
"It doesn't concern you, Al," Matthew murmured coldly. Trying to understand all of this new information was quite taxing, and frankly he hadn't the slightest idea of how to handle it. He still had a hard time understanding why Roderich would ever do such a thing to himself. Why couldn't he have just spoken to someone about his feelings before it had gotten as far as it had? He hoped that Roderich wouldn't get any drastic ideas anytime soon.
"Mattie…"
"I said it doesn't fucking concern you!" Matthew grabbed his backpack and left the lunchroom with a concerned Cuban following him.
Once he was outside and had walked far enough away, he stopped and allowed himself to be pulled by Miguel to a nearby tree. Matthew slid down the trunk of the tree until he was seated on the slightly moist earth. He felt a thumb begin to wipe under his eyes. Why would he—Matthew finally registered the wetness on his face. When had he started to cry?
He rubbed the bond's upper-arm, trying to calm the other who was silently crying. "Shh… Everything will be okay," Miguel murmured soothingly. He gently drew Matthew towards him so that the Canadian was laying on his lap. He stroked the blond's hair in hopes of soothing him.
Matthew didn't cease crying for quite some time, but when he did he stayed where he was for a while. He was still thinking about Roderich and how he could possibly try to help the Austrian. Miguel's soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Do you feel better?"
Matthew slowly sat up and nodded.
"Hey, it's not your fault." He hugged him for a moment, then held the other at arms length to look at him. "Unhappiness does not suit you."
"I really don't deserve you as my friend." He looked down at the grass, smiling a little. "You're always there for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend."
Miguel tilted Matthew's face back up so their eyes could lock. "You've been saying that ever since I've gotten to know you. I'm not ever going to leave you." He thought for a moment. "And I don't think anyone else will either."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Roderich hates me now. He's probably worried that I will tell the school what...what he is…" Matthew trailed off.
Miguel chuckled, raising his eyebrows in amusement. "Tell the school that he's gay? I think that quite a few students already suspect that. That little tidbit of information wouldn't be that detrimental." He leaned back into the grass. "Besides, the students are pretty tolerant with all of the sexual orientations."
Looking down at one of his best friends, Matthew's eyes widened. "That's not what I was referring to!"
Miguel only laughed at the Canadian's outburst. After Matthew had calmed back down, he told Miguel what had happened in the men's room. After he finished, Miguel was in a seated position and only blinked. "I did not see that coming."
"I know. I didn't either, but I still don't know what to do to try to help him. What if he doesn't get better?" He was becoming slightly frantic.
"Shh, clam down," he cooed. He smirked after the Canadian had calmed slightly. "You worry too much. Everything will work out, you'll see."
"He's been in there longer than normal."
Antonio looked up from shuffling the cards.
"And it worries me, Antonio."
The brunette set the cards on the table and looked at his close friend. He sighed. "To be honest, part of me is worries like you are," he began dealing, "but the other part isn't. It's actually elated."
Blue eyes widened in shock. "You don't really mean that…" Francis paused for a moment, then continued, "Why do you hate Prussia so much?"
Antonio gave him a look and set the remainder of the deck in between them. They picked up their cards and began playing.
Seeing the Spaniard's demeanor change, he decided to change the subject. "So," he glanced at the other as he laid down a card, what are your interviewers like?"
With that question Antonio perked up. "They're twins!"
"Oh? Mine are too."
Antonio smirked. "They're Italian. The younger is so adorable and sweet; the older one's sexy. Sadly he has quite a bit of a mouth on him." His eyes glinted with mischief. That glint in the other's eye worried the Frenchman, which made him feel slightly afraid for the elder Italian. "But I can fix that."
France chuckled in amusement. It seems like their sex drives are merging.
Oh, hush now!
France smirked. Ours already have.
Francis huffed, making Antonio ark a brow. The Spaniard laid a card down. "What are yours like?" He cursed under his breath when Francis laid his card down.
"One was raised in America, and I don't know where the other was raised," his voice held slight regret with not finding out more about Mathieu.
Antonio laid his cards flat on the table in defeat. "What do you mean 'you don't know'? Didn't you have enough time to find out?"
"No, Mademoiselle Michelle came and got me for my 'weekly check-up'. Their parents are divorced, so I'm not sure if they were raised in the same country."
"Do you find one interesting?" Antonio prodded.
Francis gave a small smile. "Oui."
A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I sure enjoyed writing it! ^^
