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Description
The next day arrived with the birds singing and the sun shining brightly, but as you woke, your mood had seemed to have worsened as you slept. The atmosphere in the room didn’t match the way the world was outside; it seemed like the earth didn’t even notice Alfred was hurt, even though your world felt like it was coming down. You brought your head up and looked around, a sudden pain felt in your lower back. And then you remembered. You and Matthew had stayed in Alfred’s hospital room overnight because neither of you wanted to leave. Then you remembered why you were there in the first place and looked up from your spot to the bed. Your eyes caught sight of Alfred’s calm, sleeping face.

You struggled to stand, mostly due to the way you fell asleep the night before, but you were able to get up on your feet. You walked towards Alfred slowly, afraid that even the slightest sound would wake him. You wanted to feel him, to touch his face, and feel that maybe he was still alive. That was your biggest fear: to find out that the boy you cared for so much had died, and you hadn’t known. When you reached his side and outstretched your hand to cup his cheek, a hand slightly bigger than yours grabbed your wrist tightly. Your head snapped to the hand’s owner, and you tensed at the touch of someone else. When you saw that it was only Matthew, your muscles relaxed.

“Matthew...,” you exhaled and smiled. “You scared me.”

But the smile soon faded. The way he was acting was something you found peculiar. He didn’t say a word. He only dragged your hand back to your side. But the oddest thing, you thought, was his expression; the way he frowned at you put you off.

“Matthew,” you started, but you then realized that he wasn’t just frowning at you, he was glaring at you. You could feel yourself grow tense again.

“Yeah, _____?” He was quick to smile slightly and to let go of your wrist, which he realized he had quite the grip on. You hadn’t even noticed.

You paused, looking to Alfred. “…It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” He whispered like how he always did, but this time, you could sense a hint of anger in his voice. Or was it jealousy? You couldn’t tell; you were too confused trying to understand why sweet, innocent Matthew could even hate anyone.

“Just forget about it. I can reassure you, it was nothing,” you whispered back, still staring at Alfred’s sleeping face.

He nodded. He spoke again after a long pause. “May I talk to you about something? Preferably out in the hall?”

Finally removing your gaze from the blond in the hospital bed, you looked straight in the eyes of the blond next to you. You could definitely see some kind of negative emotion swirling in his indigo eyes. You responded with hesitation as you tried to piece everything together in your head, as you tried to think of reasons why he would need to pull you out into the hall to talk. Having enough of wild guessing, you nodded and followed him out.

Out in the hall, everything was quiet, even quieter than in Alfred’s hospital room. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” You asked, your voice sounding louder than you had intended it to.

Matthew’s frown returned, but it had come back wider; the anger in his eyes also worsened, and it seemed as if the color of his eyes darkened into a deep violet. “It has something to do with Alfred and you,” he hissed with a sneer.

“What about us?” You continued, feeling uneasy about the way Matthew spoke to you.

But what sent chills down your spine was the sudden, dark chuckle that escaped his lips. But the slight smirk that appeared on his face disappeared quickly and was replaced with clenched teeth. “Are you that naïve?”

You could feel yourself take a half-step back, as if his words had the force to move you. You hesitated. Swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat, you replied with shaky words, “W-why are you saying this all of a sudden.., M-Mathew?” The way his name sounded on your tongue felt unfamiliar.

He clicked his tongue angrily. “The way you act is annoying, and the way you pretend like his words don’t hurt is even more annoying,” he answered. “The way you were acting yesterday was childish, and you need to grow up. I hate the way you care about him so much and the way you stay by his side even when he treats you like shit. Why can’t you just leave him? Why can’t you just leave him to his family?”

“I only stayed because I was assigned as his tutor,” you protested, but he could see through you like you were glass.

“You’re such a horrible liar, _____.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “I know you stayed for another reason; you love my brother. I’ve seen the way you look at him, so there’s no use in lying. But even already knowing he has a girlfriend, you stayed. You should’ve known your feelings would never be returned. You should just leave him to us, _____. Just leave, and never come back, please.”

By the time he was finished with his speech, hot tears were already streaming down your face, but your bangs hid your face. You saw no point in wiping them away. Matthew looked at you like you were inferior, Alfred hated you and always will, and you were sure Arthur and Francis thought of you as a burden. You were left without friends, just as you’d started.

Sniffling the last bit of snot in and wiping the tears away, you looked up at Matthew. He laughed, though. “Hah! You’re expression is priceless! The sadness and despair upon your face is just perfect! You look so helpless right now, _____! Haha!” He held his stomach and was brought to tears, wiping them away with his finger.

About to reach the verge of tears as well, you turned around and ran away, turning right on the corner and straight to the elevators. Slamming on the button for the first floor, you let out the wails and cries you had kept in, your strained voice reverberating against the metal walls of the lift. In a matter of seconds, the doors opened, and you ran out into the cold, morning air outside the hospital. But you only stood out in the breeze. Your eyes continued to water, but sobs did not escape your lips. Continuing to sniffle, you wiped your eyes quickly and sat on the curb, hugging your knees to your chest.

____________________________________

The room felt empty when _____ left, despite Alfred still there, but Matthew liked it empty. It was quiet, and he was away from that annoying girl. Matthew sighed contently with a calm smile on his face. He sat next to his brother’s bed side while he held onto his hand. Quietly, the door creaked open, and Matthew snapped his head up, almost expecting to see _____ in the doorway. But it was only Arthur standing there with the same frown he wore the day before. He nodded towards Matthew, and Matthew nodded back, and he walked to the other side of Alfred’s bed. Arthur pulled up a chair and plopped himself down. He sighed sadly and looked to Matthew.

“He hasn’t woken up yet?” Arthur asked in a hushed voice.

Matthew shook his head, his eyes landing on his brother. Arthur nodded, and the room grew silent again. Arthur took this time to look around, seeing that Alfred wouldn’t wake up any time soon. And something peculiar he found was _____’s belongings next to the nightstand on his right. He looked around again and saw that she wasn’t in the room.

“Matthew.” Arthur broke the silence. “Where’s _____? Had she run off to the restroom?”

At the mention of _____, Matthew cringed slightly, but he quickly composed himself and shook his head. "She went home last night. I guess she was so tired that she forgot her stuff."

Arthur nodded, accepting Matthew's reason as valid, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something peculiar about the way Matthew spoke, acted, and never looked Arthur in the eye. He decided to shake it off and take his mind off of it by concentrating on Alfred.

Everything went smoothly for the next half an hour. The nurse came in to give Alfred, who had woken up, his breakfast and a couple of pills. Talk ensued as soon as Alfred woke. They questioned him frequently if he was feeling okay, and after reassuring them time after time, the questioning seemingly stopped. They made conversation about nonsense, and they all had a good laugh. They all forgot about _____ for a time. Then someone began to rap on the door. Everyone grew silent abruptly, and their gazes moved towards the door.
“Come in,” Arthur called, and with a pause, the stranger walked in.

_____________________________________________

You hesitated, fearing to see Matthew again, but sucking up as much air as you could, you walked into the room. Everyone’s eyes were on you, and you seemed to shrink in your place.

“Oh, _____,” Arthur smiled. “You’re just in time to see Alfred while he’s awake.”

Your eyes uncontrollably moved to Alfred’s form in his bed. Knowing Alfred was alive and well made your uneasiness evanish. You smiled as well and walked to the spot next to Arthur. “I’m glad to see he’s awake,” you spoke.

“Well, I’m not glad to see your ugly face so early in the morning!” Alfred hissed, but you didn’t frown. You continued to smile; in fact, you smiled a little wider. But in the background, you noticed, Matthew was sitting quietly, trying hard not to scowl. Despite that, you were not fazed. Who knew hearing Alfred's insults would feel so relieving?

Description
The next day arrived with the birds singing and the sun shining brightly, but as you woke, your mood had seemed to have worsened as you slept. The atmosphere in the room didn’t match the way the world was outside; it seemed like the earth didn’t even notice Alfred was hurt, even though your world felt like it was coming down. You brought your head up and looked around, a sudden pain felt in your lower back. And then you remembered. You and Matthew had stayed in Alfred’s hospital room overnight because neither of you wanted to leave. Then you remembered why you were there in the first place and looked up from your spot to the bed. Your eyes caught sight of Alfred’s calm, sleeping face.

You struggled to stand, mostly due to the way you fell asleep the night before, but you were able to get up on your feet. You walked towards Alfred slowly, afraid that even the slightest sound would wake him. You wanted to feel him, to touch his face, and feel that maybe he was still alive. That was your biggest fear: to find out that the boy you cared for so much had died, and you hadn’t known. When you reached his side and outstretched your hand to cup his cheek, a hand slightly bigger than yours grabbed your wrist tightly. Your head snapped to the hand’s owner, and you tensed at the touch of someone else. When you saw that it was only Matthew, your muscles relaxed.

“Matthew...,” you exhaled and smiled. “You scared me.”

But the smile soon faded. The way he was acting was something you found peculiar. He didn’t say a word. He only dragged your hand back to your side. But the oddest thing, you thought, was his expression; the way he frowned at you put you off.

“Matthew,” you started, but you then realized that he wasn’t just frowning at you, he was glaring at you. You could feel yourself grow tense again.

“Yeah, _____?” He was quick to smile slightly and to let go of your wrist, which he realized he had quite the grip on. You hadn’t even noticed.

You paused, looking to Alfred. “…It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” He whispered like how he always did, but this time, you could sense a hint of anger in his voice. Or was it jealousy? You couldn’t tell; you were too confused trying to understand why sweet, innocent Matthew could even hate anyone.

“Just forget about it. I can reassure you, it was nothing,” you whispered back, still staring at Alfred’s sleeping face.

He nodded. He spoke again after a long pause. “May I talk to you about something? Preferably out in the hall?”

Finally removing your gaze from the blond in the hospital bed, you looked straight in the eyes of the blond next to you. You could definitely see some kind of negative emotion swirling in his indigo eyes. You responded with hesitation as you tried to piece everything together in your head, as you tried to think of reasons why he would need to pull you out into the hall to talk. Having enough of wild guessing, you nodded and followed him out.

Out in the hall, everything was quiet, even quieter than in Alfred’s hospital room. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” You asked, your voice sounding louder than you had intended it to.

Matthew’s frown returned, but it had come back wider; the anger in his eyes also worsened, and it seemed as if the color of his eyes darkened into a deep violet. “It has something to do with Alfred and you,” he hissed with a sneer.

“What about us?” You continued, feeling uneasy about the way Matthew spoke to you.

But what sent chills down your spine was the sudden, dark chuckle that escaped his lips. But the slight smirk that appeared on his face disappeared quickly and was replaced with clenched teeth. “Are you that naïve?”

You could feel yourself take a half-step back, as if his words had the force to move you. You hesitated. Swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat, you replied with shaky words, “W-why are you saying this all of a sudden.., M-Mathew?” The way his name sounded on your tongue felt unfamiliar.

He clicked his tongue angrily. “The way you act is annoying, and the way you pretend like his words don’t hurt is even more annoying,” he answered. “The way you were acting yesterday was childish, and you need to grow up. I hate the way you care about him so much and the way you stay by his side even when he treats you like shit. Why can’t you just leave him? Why can’t you just leave him to his family?”

“I only stayed because I was assigned as his tutor,” you protested, but he could see through you like you were glass.

“You’re such a horrible liar, _____.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “I know you stayed for another reason; you love my brother. I’ve seen the way you look at him, so there’s no use in lying. But even already knowing he has a girlfriend, you stayed. You should’ve known your feelings would never be returned. You should just leave him to us, _____. Just leave, and never come back, please.”

By the time he was finished with his speech, hot tears were already streaming down your face, but your bangs hid your face. You saw no point in wiping them away. Matthew looked at you like you were inferior, Alfred hated you and always will, and you were sure Arthur and Francis thought of you as a burden. You were left without friends, just as you’d started.

Sniffling the last bit of snot in and wiping the tears away, you looked up at Matthew. He laughed, though. “Hah! You’re expression is priceless! The sadness and despair upon your face is just perfect! You look so helpless right now, _____! Haha!” He held his stomach and was brought to tears, wiping them away with his finger.

About to reach the verge of tears as well, you turned around and ran away, turning right on the corner and straight to the elevators. Slamming on the button for the first floor, you let out the wails and cries you had kept in, your strained voice reverberating against the metal walls of the lift. In a matter of seconds, the doors opened, and you ran out into the cold, morning air outside the hospital. But you only stood out in the breeze. Your eyes continued to water, but sobs did not escape your lips. Continuing to sniffle, you wiped your eyes quickly and sat on the curb, hugging your knees to your chest.

____________________________________

The room felt empty when _____ left, despite Alfred still there, but Matthew liked it empty. It was quiet, and he was away from that annoying girl. Matthew sighed contently with a calm smile on his face. He sat next to his brother’s bed side while he held onto his hand. Quietly, the door creaked open, and Matthew snapped his head up, almost expecting to see _____ in the doorway. But it was only Arthur standing there with the same frown he wore the day before. He nodded towards Matthew, and Matthew nodded back, and he walked to the other side of Alfred’s bed. Arthur pulled up a chair and plopped himself down. He sighed sadly and looked to Matthew.

“He hasn’t woken up yet?” Arthur asked in a hushed voice.

Matthew shook his head, his eyes landing on his brother. Arthur nodded, and the room grew silent again. Arthur took this time to look around, seeing that Alfred wouldn’t wake up any time soon. And something peculiar he found was _____’s belongings next to the nightstand on his right. He looked around again and saw that she wasn’t in the room.

“Matthew.” Arthur broke the silence. “Where’s _____? Had she run off to the restroom?”

At the mention of _____, Matthew cringed slightly, but he quickly composed himself and shook his head. "She went home last night. I guess she was so tired that she forgot her stuff."

Arthur nodded, accepting Matthew's reason as valid, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something peculiar about the way Matthew spoke, acted, and never looked Arthur in the eye. He decided to shake it off and take his mind off of it by concentrating on Alfred.

Everything went smoothly for the next half an hour. The nurse came in to give Alfred, who had woken up, his breakfast and a couple of pills. Talk ensued as soon as Alfred woke. They questioned him frequently if he was feeling okay, and after reassuring them time after time, the questioning seemingly stopped. They made conversation about nonsense, and they all had a good laugh. They all forgot about _____ for a time. Then someone began to rap on the door. Everyone grew silent abruptly, and their gazes moved towards the door.
“Come in,” Arthur called, and with a pause, the stranger walked in.

_____________________________________________

You hesitated, fearing to see Matthew again, but sucking up as much air as you could, you walked into the room. Everyone’s eyes were on you, and you seemed to shrink in your place.

“Oh, _____,” Arthur smiled. “You’re just in time to see Alfred while he’s awake.”

Your eyes uncontrollably moved to Alfred’s form in his bed. Knowing Alfred was alive and well made your uneasiness evanish. You smiled as well and walked to the spot next to Arthur. “I’m glad to see he’s awake,” you spoke.

“Well, I’m not glad to see your ugly face so early in the morning!” Alfred hissed, but you didn’t frown. You continued to smile; in fact, you smiled a little wider. But in the background, you noticed, Matthew was sitting quietly, trying hard not to scowl. Despite that, you were not fazed. Who knew hearing Alfred's insults would feel so relieving?