I don't own Hetalia okay? I don't have much else to say here so enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Alfred sat and looked out the window tapping his fingers while Matthew was at the counter, getting the lunch he promised. His head still hurt a little bit but the headache was abating. He was in no mood to have his brother psychoanalyze him in public, but he wasn't being a jerk to him about things, so he'd humor him. He was paying for lunch at one of the nicer burger joints in town anyway. Matthew then sat down and placed the tray down.
"Bacon double cheeseburger, large fries and coke." He smiled placing the meaty goodness in front of his brother.
"What did you get?" Alfred asked.
"Oh that mushroom swiss thing looked good." Matthew said as he sat down.
"I thought you wanted to try to eat healthier." Alfred teased.
"It's still the holiday season." Matthew laughed. "January I go back to being the guy you say eats like a rabbit..."
"Unless maple syrup is involved..." Alfred smirked.
"Hey, I can put that in tons of stuff that isn't bad for you." Matthew said as he took a sip of his lemonade.
"And lemonade isn't much better than soda if too much sugar is put in." Alfred said. "But at least you aren't trying the diet soda excuse."
"I guess not." Matthew smiled. "So not one of our better Christmases?"
"Nope..." Alfred said. "Maybe I should have stayed in LA."
"What would you have done there?"
"Dunno..." Alfred said as he took a bite of his burger. "But Dad wouldn't be acting like you're the golden child to my face at least."
"Well I think he's learned his lesson after what Papa and I told him." Matthew said. He couldn't keep the conversation on that as he knew that was one of the things making the situation worse. "Don't think you're bad at your music. I mean you got pretty far. More than most people who chase the rock star dream."
"I'm just not a complete sell out." Alfred said. "If I did, then I would have had it made, and you'd see me all over the charts now."
"So, why did you come home than stay in LA?" Matthew probed, knowing that there had to be some reason for it. Something deep down that motivated him."
"I honestly don't know. I guess it only felt natural to do that."
"Did you think Dad would react how he did?" Matthew said.
"I don't know what I was expecting honestly." Alfred said. "I mean I already got told to fuck off by people I thought were my friends..."
"Why did they stay?"
"Why are you turning on the therapist act here?"
"Because I can't help you otherwise."
"What if I don't want help?" Alfred said stubbornly.
"You do. I know you better than you think I do." Matthew said. "Look I won't tell anyone anything you don't want me to if that's what you're worried about."
"Why do you care so much about me?" Alfred said staring his brother down.
"You're my brother."
"And Arthur is my Dad but you saw how he really feels. If I am not some CEO or MBA or PhD or something that has a prestigious academic title then fuck that. I mean he's just some high school English teacher himself who keeps eying a job at the University or using me to get in at the Community College even. Like seriously, why does he have to live vicariously through me? I am not him!"
"Yeah I'll have to talk to him about that one..."Matthew said.
"Don't they say don't try to treat your family Mr. Psychologist?" Alfred said.
"Well some may worry about bias in that suggestion but I also know we aren't the epitome of normalcy and that is what makes our family our family." Alfred raised an eye in skepticism. "Okay and I don't want others to know about that and I worry someone would embarrass me if I took the rest of you to group therapy or something like that which is what this whole group is going to need if we let this fester. I hate it when you guys say 'At least Matthew is normal' after you get mad at each other for whatever stupid reason."
"Trust me, normal is good." Alfred sighed shoving some french fries in his mouth. "Normal doesn't give you a gift people admire you can't do much of anything with if you want to survive comfortably. You become nothing but a starving artist trope if you're not a sell out. You don't see how messed up things are, you just accept it and because you don't know something's wrong, you can't let it get to you."
Matthew paused looking at his brother, picking at the fries looking at them one at a time and munching on them. It was a shame to see that his brother was beating himself up like that, wishing almost to give up on a part of himself that Matthew had admired of him. Alfred was always pushing things to the limit. Doing his best and then some. He had won the high school talent show with his band and everything was original, nothing was a cover. They were good. Very good. "Ivan read my notebook." Alfred said, sensing things getting tense.
"Did he?" Matthew said. "What'd he say?"
"Said what I had was wanting to be acknowledged and noticed." Alfred sighed.
"Hmmmmm." Matthew noted.
"What was that about?" Alfred said, sensing Matthew getting real observant. "You getting all psychologisty on me or something?"
"Kind of." Matthew said "If I don't want to lose my brother to his own mind and my Dad being a jackass."
"Sounds selfish." Alfred teased.
"Maybe." Matthew smiled. "But it's for your own good."
"Nothing I do is for my own good. If I got hit by a truck on the way home I wouldn't really be missed."
"Now don't talk like that." Matthew said.
"Well maybe you and Papa, and maybe Ivan but I don't know him that well."
"You've talked about him a lot for a guy you just met in a bar." Matthew teased.
"Shut up!" Alfred blushed. "He's got some weird karma code that's why I didn't catch my death in my car. But I get why he thought he did. I mean I don't like taking kindness from strangers or causing them problems."
"Well you're already better than most people then." Matthew said trying to cheer his brother up as Alfred sipped his soda looking at his brother skeptically. "You have enough self esteem and respect to stay true. I actually admire that of you Al."
"Really? You, admire a loser like me?" Alfred sighed.
"I don't think you a loser. You are pretty talented and did well. From what you told me, you were done bad. I mean what producer puts a rock band where they did?" Matthew said exasperated.
"You know Ivan asked that when I told him what happened and he said the same thing." Alfred smiled.
"There's more decent people than you think." Matthew said. "You shouldn't let Dad get to you. You're not a piece of crap, you just got dealt a bad hand. I know Papa missed having Christmas with you."
"I did miss his cooking too..."Alfred sighed as he got up and took his tray to the trash can.
"And if Dad tries to give you a hard time, I will be there for you. I already told him off once. I'll do it again so I don't lose my brother because of him." Matthew said.
If he was given the choice, Alfred'd just stay at the hotel and either pick up an extra shift or see if Ivan wanted to do something besides work than head back home, but at the same time he didn't want to spend all his time at his job trying to avoid everyone. I could have stayed in Los Angeles if I wanted to work all day and avoid my family. Alfred thought as Matthew drove them home. Matthew did have a point; his family did care about him. The fact he promised to stand up for him if Arthur did treat him bad for the argument gave him a little courage to face them again. They pulled into the driveway and walked inside to find Francis sitting on the couch looking at a photo album.
"Oh boys!" He smiled looking up. "So glad you're home and you were able to guilt trip Alfred into coming home Mathieu..." He laughed as Matthew rolled his eyes
" Ha ha ha very funny." Matthew rolled his eyes. "Hey Papa, where's Dad?"
"In his study working on his lessons for the next semester. It's something to keep him busy. I found something I want to show you Alfred." Francis said motioning for his sons to sit next to him. "I was looking back at when we were around the same age you boys are now." He pointed to a picture that was in a bar in London. "This is where I met your Dad for the first time when we were about 23 or so, so not much younger than you."
"That cannot be..." Alfred said.
"Oui." Francis smirked.
"No way..." Matthew said.
"I am not lying, that was your Dad." Francis said. "Little Sid Vicious wannabe."
"So you his Nancy?" Alfred teased shoving him playfully.
"Now I wouldn't go that far but he did have that same streak in him you did. Although his lyrical composition left much to be desired." Francis smirked.
"I still have a hard time thinking that Sex Pistols cover band looking punk is Dad..." Alfred sighed.
"Well that explains a lot. A LOT." Matthew said.
"Huh?" Alfred and Francis asked.
"Looks like Dad had the same dream, had something similar happen to him and when it played out with Al, he took it out on him and was secretly hoping that if Al could make it, it would make up for the fact he didn't. It's almost textbook." Matthew laughed.
"It was soon after this he buckled down and got a little more serious towards his University work and did try to make it as a writer, once again, left a bit to be desired, and after awhile fell into the teaching work he did. I was always proud of whatever he did as long as we had what we needed, but..."
"Dad let his failure eat at him." Matthew said. "Well I got something to work with."
"Dude, Matt, you may want us a happy family again, but don't go right up to someone who had been living with self loathing and failure as long as he has unsolicited..." Alfred warned. "This did provide a fun thing to hold over him." He said with an evil smirk.
"Oh that's much better? Rubbing Dad's failure in a wound that festered as long as it has?" Matthew rolled his eyes.
"Boys, we love you both. Equally." Francis said hugging Matthew and Alfred. "And Al, anything you do with your life, I will be proud of. And I will work one over on your Dad as well. I know just how to change his mind on things...ohhohohohoho..." He smirked.
"Gross." Alfred said.
"Not always like that!" Francis said waving his hands blushing. "Although he is more open to persuasion when wrapped up in the bedroom in le amor..."
"Gross Papa..." Matthew sighed.
"I think I'll head to my room now. I got a call to make." Alfred sighed. While disgusted at his Papa's implications, he did have to smile a little bit. That was what his family was. Nuts and embarrassing but they were his. They did seem to care a bit and that revelation on how Arthur was in a situation much like his was enlightening. It also was a warning. He did not want to be a bitter old man who ends up living vicariously through any kids he had one way or another. He pulled out Ivan's card from his pocket and looked at it. What have I got to lose? Seems like trying to stay too close to what he used to do left Dad bitter. And it's not like it would cost me anything. That's always a plus in this day and age... Alfred thought as he dialed the number and laid back on his bed, looking around. Dad stripped a lot of what I had out of here. Maybe I should look see if it ended up in the attic or thrift store. I mean Papa probably would have kept it... he thought as the phone rang and the voice mail picked up. "Hey Vanya, it's me Alfred, I don't know if you'd recognize the number but-" he was cut off.
"Oh privyet Fredka!" Ivan said as he answered his phone. "Sorry for the delay in answering. You were correct, I didn't recognize your phone number. Needless to say after this call I plan to save it. So how did you day go? Your Dad act like a mudak?" Ivan laughed.
"A- what?" Alfred asked.
"Oh, it roughly translates to asshole in English." Ivan said.
"Oh, well I didn't see him. Papa told me he was working on next semester's lessons and didn't want to disturb him. You see he's a high school English teacher."
"Oh, I hope he doesn't act like he did to the students he did you." Ivan sounded worried.
"Well Papa told me something interesting about him when I got home with Matthew, my brother," Alfred smiled.
"Really now Fredka?" Ivan sounded interested.
"Apparently he had a dream much like mine when he was my age and it didn't work out. He then tried writing and that led him to eventually being the miserable English teacher who keeps eying a job at the college level." Alfred said as he threw a dirty sock up and down in the air, while tapping his foot. Talking with Ivan did seem to cheer him up. Maybe this fight wouldn't ruin everything.
"And he tried to live through whatever happened with you and wouldn't admit what he really thought because of it?" Ivan sighed.
"You sure you're not a psychologist like my brother?" Alfred laughed. "Matthew said much the same thing on why Dad is a complete ball buster sometimes."
"Ball buster?" Ivan asked.
"Oh, jerk. That make it clearer for you Vanya?" Alfred said sitting up and looking over at his dresser. He had the books for the next semester at college already and was going to finish it even if he did find Ivan's suggestion worthwhile. It couldn't hurt.
"Da." Ivan said. "Have you thought about my idea?" He sounded hopeful. Ever since Alfred had left, Ivan found himself thinking about him more often and just wanting to make sure he was okay.
"Yeah I have and I think I will take you up on that offer." Alfred said. "I mean I saw what happened to Dad with his attempt to hold onto something of his failed dream."
"And it made him a miserable ublyudok" Ivan said as he heard Alfred go 'huh' on the other end "Bastard. I might teach you Russian too. I doubt someone like your Dad would know that so if you need to scream at him and leave him clueless you'll have a much better language to do it in."
"The only other language spoken in this house is French." Alfred laughed.
"That is the language of sissies. Remember Napoleon lost to my people who could hold out against General Winter."
"My Papa would kill you for that one. He's from France." Alfred sighed. "But you're awesome dude. I can't thank you enough."
"Just thank me by doing a good job and helping me make this the best it can be. If you're my guinea pig I want to have it look real good." Ivan smiled.
"Don't worry, I will. Talk to you later Vanya." Alfred said with a smile as he hung up the phone.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. This story won't be as long as Klondike was, at least not that I can see but who knows. I've had stories I think be like 12 chapters grow to 44... The translations for Russian used is provided contextually but if you want a translation guide let me know and I'll put them in the next few chapters. I don't know what else to say so remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now.
otherrealmwriter
aka
Realm.
