Gakuen Hetalia: FEEEEEELINGS~! WOAH WOAH WOAH, FEEEEELINGS! [part 1](more literacy, kthxbai)
Plot: Matthew introduces Gilbert to Katya and Kumajiro. More fun than it sounds, I assure you!
Rating: PG-13 or T, again 'cuz of Gil, yay.
Other Notes: WOO-HOO, AWKWARD SITUATIONS! 8D
Yekaterina says:
In a whirl of plaid miniskirt, Katya breezed in through the door to her shared rooms with her younger friend Matthew, and shut it behind her, leaning back against it with a sigh of exhaustion. She let her bag drop from her shoulder and touched a hand to her front to check the damage. Sure enough, her suspicions were right; when she'd leaned over the water fountain in the hallway, a button had popped clean off her shirt, leaving the cleft of one breast almost exposed.
Katya fussed embarassedly over her shirt front, making her way over to an emergency kit she'd assembled early into her time at the academy. And to think, she'd almost been positive it was safe to go without the safety pins...
Matthew [Canada] says:
When living with a female roommate, the first rule to remember was to always knock.
Matt loved being Katya's roommate. They were great friends, they loved lots of the same things, and she was like a sister to him, caring and understanding. They looked after each other, kept each others secrets. And he wanted her opinion when it came to the important things.
Gilbert was Matt's friend too. One of his closest friends, and he wanted to formally introduce Katya to his new pal. He'd talked about it with Gilbert at lunch, but wanted to surprise Katya. They didn't usually get visitors, and if they did, they were usually Katya's brother, and those visits occurred when Matt was out walking his dog, Kumajirou.
He couldn't help but grin as he practically dragged Gilbert down the hall, stopping at his door.
"You're gonna love Katya. She's a fantastic roommate, and my best friend too! Well, along with you, but you get the point." He grinned at Gilbert before knocking loudly on the door.
"Katya? Anybody home in there?"
Preussen says:
Gilbert halfheartedly complained as he was dragged down the hall by his friend Matthew, ignoring the way his heart was pounding at the boy’s hand around his wrist. It was probably just because it was cheeseburger day in the cafeteria, that was totally it! Way too much fat in his diet…
In any case, Gilbert tried desperately to distract himself, and the only viable option was for him to make insolent remarks.
“You’re rooming with a GIRL, Mattie? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Gilbert smirked at his buddy, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. Actually, the idea of Matt as a girl wasn’t too far-fetched to believe. He did look quite feminine, just a little-ack, what was WITH him and the weird thoughts lately? To direct his mind down another path, Gilbert began to think of his own awesomeness, which never failed to bring his smirk back in full force.
Yekaterina says:
Katya had just managed to feed the thread through the eye of her needle when Matthew called out; she spun around so quickly that she very nearly stabbed herself in the chest. It didn't help that her formidable bosom seemed to bounce with even the daintiest of steps. As it was, she was lucky she hadn't knocked anything over with the speed of her movement. Perhaps one of these days she ought to take Professor Hedervary's advice and invest in a sports bra.
"Ah, h-hold on a moment, Matthew!" she called out in return, rushing to throw a cardigan on over her busted blouse (although any thoughts of doing it up properly were hopeless at best). Once she was suitably decent, she made her way to the door -- careful not to trip over her abandoned schoolbag -- and gently turning the knob, let it swing inwards.
Whatever greeting had been on her lips died for a moment, as she took in the second boy standing there. A boy she wasn't entirely sure she recognized.
"Erm...Matthew?" Katya managed, shrinking back behind the door unintentionally. "W-who is this?"
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled and waved at Katya.
"Um...Katya, this is Gilbert. He's the one that set the fireworks off in the hall a few weeks ago. We met in detention, and...well, I figured I'd bring him round to meet my best friend." His smile waned a bit, though, and he frowned slightly.
"I wanted to surprise you...I hope you're not busy, though...I mean, if you are, we can just come back later..."
Preussen says:
The first thing that registered in Gilbert’s mind was “Holy hell, what a rack,” quickly followed by “How does Matt live casually with someone like that and not go insane? Either he’s already cracked from the strain, or he’s gay as all get out.”
Strangely enough, the realization that one of his close friends might be flaming wasn’t as horrific as he might have once thought. In fact, it was almost a bit of a…relief? Gilbert puzzled over this for a minute, before classifying it under the “weird thoughts that have no relevance to my life” category.
At last Gil realized that he had just been introduced to the large-racked woman, who’s name he couldn’t exactly recall, and he plastered on a smirk with all due grace. “Yo. Nice to meetcha. I’m the awesome and powerful Gilbert, as Matt may have failed to mention, and it is extraordinarily awesome to be of your acquaintance.” Gil addressed all of this not to the girls face but to the impressive set of breasts she had, mostly out of a strange fascination (how did she manage to stay upright?), but partially to protect his masculine image and dispell any strange thoughts about his new best bud.
Yekaterina says:
Now, she knew Matthew was trying to be nice, but neither his nor Gilbert's introductions did much to ease Katya's apprehension of their new guest. Neither did it help that the taller boy's disconcerting red eyes were fixed somewhere distinctively south of her face. It wasn't as though she wasn't used to people's eyes wandering, but they rarely were bold enough to stare directly at them. And stare he did -- with enough intensity that he seemed to be trying to burn a hole through the fabric of her clothing. Self-conciously Katya clutched the blazer tighter across her front, fretting briefly that he may have noticed the gap in her blouse (hence the staring).
"I-I think I may remember him." Katya mustered her courage and lifted her eyes to his face; even if he still wasn't meeting her gaze, she hoped it would help. "N-nice to meet you. Again, I mean. W-we have met before, but...um...yes. Hello." An awkward little wave with her free hand followed.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt groaned slightly as he saw where Gilbert's eyes had wandered to. Typical. He sighed and smacked the senior in the arm.
"Gilbert. Her face is up there. Stop staring, it's not polite." He smiled apologetically at Katya. He knew she hated people staring at her like that...
"I'm sorry, he's strange like that. I just wanted to bring him round to meet you and you-know-who...oh, speaking of you-know-who, I gotta take him for a walk later, so if your brother wants to see you, he can then, ok?"
It was part of their strategy for keeping Kumajirou a secret. Hide his stuff while Matt walked him, and have Ivan over then if he wanted to see his sister.
"Um...dya mind if I bring Gilbert in? I promise, he'll behave." He shot a look at the other boy, smirking before smacking his arm again.
"You WILL behave, won't you now?"
Preussen says:
Snapping his eyes upwards suddenly, Gilbert gave a nervous laugh, rubbing his slightly sore arm as he gave Matt a Look. One with a capital L. One that said, quite clearly, “How do you live, man? My God, you must be a fucking saint!”
But instead of voicing this, Gilbert simply nodded his assent. “’Course I will! What am I, a dog that hasn’t been house-trained? Speaking of, you were saying something about ‘taking you-know-who for a walk’ earlier. You got a little dog hanging around?”
Gilbert loved dogs. Loved them like he loved few other things. He had owned several dogs in the past, and it killed him to give them up to attend the frou-frou high school he only got into because his brother taught there. His brother also cared for them too, but he liked having a stable teaching job at an influential school, so it hadn’t been as hard for him. At least he had given up his pets voluntarily, instead of being forced into it. Gilbert held a lot of resentment for his school because of this, and it was partially the underlying reason he became school prankster and troublemaker.
Yekaterina says:
"Erm..." Unsure of how to respond to that -- the look of alarm that flashed across Matthew's face seemed reason enough not to address the question -- Katya decided to instead use a passive-aggressive technique she'd picked up from living with her younger roommate: she changed the subject.
"Um, feel free to come inside," she said with more haste than necessary, swinging the door open all the way and gesturing for them to follow her into the interior of the room. "I-I just need to clear off the table." And by that she meant that she needed to remove both her sewing kit and Kumajirou's leash from view of their guest, neither being objects she wanted to draw attention to. She would have sighed, if the other two students hadn't been standing right there. It looked like clothing repair would have to wait til later. She would just have to hope that her bust wouldn't be scrutinized too closely in the meantime, as unlikely as that was to happen.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt visibly blanched at Gilbert's question, a look of alarm shooting across his face. How did he know that Matt and Katya had a dog? If he knew, how many other people knew?
He relaxed a bit when Katya changed the subject, sending her a thankful look. He'd have to do something nice for her later.
He glanced around their room, and everything looked to be in check…he noted the sewing kit on the table that was quickly removed. Katya probably popped another button...he could fix it for her later.
Quickly, he closed the door, locking it as soon as Gilbert got inside.
"You NEED to keep this a secret, ok? If anybody finds out about Kumajirou, I'll blame you." Matt glared at Gilbert for a moment, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation, before whistling. "Kuuuma!! C'mere, boy!"
A large white dog, almost as big as Matt, bounded into the room, barking and tackling Matt, licking his face. Matt laughed and scratched behind Kumajirou's ears.
"Hey, boy! Missed you too! Gilbert, this is Kumajirou, my dog."
Preussen says:
Gilbert shrugged. He really didn’t care if Matthew had an illegal pet in the dorms, he was mostly concerned with finding out how he concealed it. Maybe Matt could be a pal and pass on some techniques regarding hiding animals from the ever-watchful gaze of Braginski.
“I won’t say anything, you know I’m not like that. Rules are there to be broken. ’Sides, you got LOTS of dirt on me, so I’d hardly be doing myself a favor if I told. And you’re my friend anyway. Friends don’t rat each other out.” Gilbert offered Matt his most winning grin, hoping this one looked trustworthy enough to persuade the boy to let him into his confidences.
“So, where is the little squirt anyway? If he’s as little as I think he is, no wonder you can conc-HOLY HELL, IS THAT HIM?”
Gilbert was blown away as a huge white animal barreled into the room, enthusiastically setting upon Matthew and washing his face. Gil had owned huge dogs in the past, but this one took the cake. And Matt had kept this behemoth a SECRET? Gilbert wouldn’t have been surprised if the whole dorm had known!
Yekaterina says:
Katya didn't even have a chance to ask whether this was a good idea before Kuma had barrelled out of hiding and set upon his owner, smothering him with adoring doggy-kisses. For a moment Katya was rooted to the spot, apprehensive of Gilbert's reaction to the sudden appearance of their...rather large "secret". The look of shock on his face was enough to make her wonder whether he would stay true to his promise and keep quiet about it.
Eventually, though, she was able to overcome the potential awkwardness of the situation and attempt a sort of introduction.
"Ah...Gilbert, this is Kumajirou. Matthew's dog," she explained helpfully, pointing out the obvious.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt laughed and had to push the dog off of him. Kumajirou licked him again before barreling off to his hiding space once more.
"Yeah, he's not exactly a little dog...sorry about misleading you like that. He USED to be little, though...that's how we got him in here."
He smiled and got off of the floor, wiping at his face with his sleeve to remove excess dog slobber. "I know you won't tell. I trust you. Just had to make sure, ya know?" He smiled a bit. "People just don't seem to notice Kuma, for some reason. I think it's because he's my dog and they don't seem to notice me, so I guess my invisibility is contagious."
It wasn't nice, and it hurt to be ignored, but it was at least helpful in this case, and Matt laughed again. "Katya, I'll be right back. Gotta go feed Kuma."
He smiled and waved at Gilbert before going off to his part of the room, to feed the dog.
Preussen says:
For a moment or two, Gilbert simply stared at the floor, trying to ignore the awkward situation Matt had just dumped him in. Here he was, in the boy’s dorm room, in front of his *female* roommate, trying to regain his composure after being surprised by a large canine, and forced to make small talk with said female roommate after staring at her, ahem, “assets”. Or breastets, in this case.
“So, um…how’d you become friends with Mattie? Did you know he’s an artist? He drew me this EXCELLENT portrait, looked just like me! He’s pretty cool like that, ya know, for a sophomore.” Gilbert scuffed his boot on the carpet, studying the polished leather as if it held a cue card for him to read off of.
Yekaterina says:
“We have been friends since last year, actually. I...do not really remember how we met. But I suppose it does not matter now, tak?” Katya smiled up at him weakly, but their eyes didn’t meet; his gaze seemed to be trained firmly on his shoes. Well, at least he wasn’t staring at her chest again. Not that he was helping the conversation along at all with his sudden (and certainly uncharacteristic, if his comments before were anything to go by) bashfulness. Why was it being left to her to make small talk? Katya would have despaired, if she hadn’t known Matthew was just a few feet away and ready to save their floundering first encounter. Nevertheless, she would have to the best she could in the meantime. As hard as that was.
“Matthew is quite artistic, yes,” Katya mused, addressing his second question. “I often come back to find him finishing off sketches, or something similar. Sometimes, I am feeling a bit jealous - I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler, as they say.” She smiled, a bit more genuinely this time. Talking about Matthew wasn’t too hard - after all, it was something they both had in common.
“Matthew is very talented. And very sweet. You will never meet a truer friend. But I am sure you must know this by now, as his friend, Gilbert.”
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt returned from feeding the dog soon after this, grinning and waving at his two friends.
"Sorry about that...Kuma tried to knock over the food bag, and that stuff is really hard to clean up..." He blinked and looked at Gilbert and Katya. Gilbert was staring at his shoes, while Katya looked sort of nervous and awkward. Okay, leaving them alone was maybe not the best idea...
"Okay, um...well...Gilbert, grab a chair. Katya, um...I dunno, make yourself comfy? I could moderate this 'getting to know each other'..."
As he said this, the large dog wandered back in, barking happily before sitting down next to Matt, who laughed and scratched his head. "Or we could all talk about Kumajirou. He'd like that, I bet."
Preussen says:
Gilbert loosened up a bit as Matt’s roommate began talking, sticking to a topic they both knew something about, Matthew, though Gilbert was at a bit of a disadvantage, seeing as he had only known the boy for a little while in comparison to his roomie, and she had the upper hand in that she was sleeping with him!
Wait, wait, no, that sounded wrong, and he hadn’t even said it out loud. She was rooming with him for God’s sake! Yeesh, there was no way someone like Matthew could score with a chick like his roomie (hadn’t Matt called her Katya, now that he thought about it?), and that was a fact. Not that she was too good for him, in fact it might very well have been the other way ’round; but Mattie was far too nice of a person to take advantage of the fact that he was living with a girl. With huge knockers. And a great hourglass figure. And, apparently, a lovely personality.
Gilbert felt an unwelcome surge of…irritation, was it? There was no WAY he could be jealous, especially not of KATYA of all people! If anyone, he should be jealous of Matthew, for rooming with this total hottie. But, for some odd reason, it was the other way around. Huh.
Gilbert was greatly relieved when Matt walked back into the room, glad to have something break him out of his thoughts and justify his not answering Katya. “Oh, hey, you’re back!” Thank God. “Sure, yeah, let’s talk about the dog. How’d ya get him? Why’re ya concealing him? Who else knows?”
Yekaterina says:
Grateful for the re-entrance of their respective friend (and possibly the only person in the room who wasn’t finding this whole situation awkward), Katya seated herself on their worn little chesterfield, crossing one leg over the other for modesty’s sake. Miniskirts and furniture didn’t mix well, as most girls learned early into their teen years. She wasn’t particularly fond of them herself - overalls had always been her preference back home - but it was regulation. Her brother’s regulation, in fact. She had half a mind to ask him about it someday.
“We are the only ones who know about Kuma,” she answered for Matthew. “Not even Brother knows. It is our big secret. One that we have much trouble keeping.” She gave Gilbert a look that could have been threatening, or at least pointed, on another face. Katya’s soft features really only made it look like a plea for compliance.
Matthew [Canada] says:
"I got Kuma when he was a lot smaller...he was a puppy I found wandering around out back of the cafeteria. I couldn't just let him starve out there. So I brought him in with me. I know it's not allowed, but..."
Matt smiled and looked down at the dog before looking back at Gilbert. "How do you say no to that face?"
The dog barked in response.
"He's part of the reason I'm rooming with Katya...my first roommate wasn't happy with this. He was gonna tell...."
He sighed and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid Al'. "So I told him I got rid of the dog, moved out, and started rooming with Katya. The rest is history."
He smiled again, scratching Kumajirou's head.
"He's a good dog, and I love him. I don't want him to get thrown out..."
He shot Gilbert a pleading look.
"So please, don't tell? I know I can trust you, but I just gotta be sure..."
The dog growled, as if to make the point more serious.
"He's great. Nobody knows about him. He stays hidden during class time, and I take him out for a walk after school. Nobody seems to notice him when we're together..."
Preussen says:
“Jesus, I wonder why not, he’s certainly big enough to call some attention to himself!” Gilbert chose this moment to try to pet the fluffy white thing, only to have it growl at bit at him. “Anyways, didn’t I already say I wouldn’t tell? I meant that, I wouldn’t spill about something like this. Momma didn’t raise no tattletale. Braginski deserves to have the wool pulled over his eyes in any case.” Gilbert smirked a little. “I just wish I could have a dog too, I miss my old ones. Hell, what I wouldn’t do to get ’em back…
“So, uh, who was your roommate before, and why did Braginski let you room with a girl anyway? You got some secret connections on the inside? Like, did your brother Arthur pull a few strings or something, like mine does sometimes?” Leaning forward in his chair, Gilbert looked the very picture of a co-conspirator, used to keeping secrets and plotting against the school staff.
Yekaterina says:
“My brother is not so easily manipulated,” Katya put in with a shrug, not out of indignation, but as though stating a fact. “Favours or bribes are usually not working on him.” What she didn’t say was that the bribes he did take usually involved alcohol, and lots of it. Or sex, something she’d been unfortunate enough to discover while visiting his office one day and stumbling on some very...incriminating notes addressed to him from a student in her third period class (and a male one at that). Just thinking about it even now made her skin crawl. She’d already known about his leanings, of course, but the less she knew about her brother’s “pastimes”, the better.
“He may have been...tired, the day I asked. It was at the beginning of the semester, I think. He is...tired...quite a lot, I’m afraid. Perhaps that is also why he has not noticed our friend.” Katya smiled and whistled for Kuma, patting the empty couch beside her, and the white behemoth of a dog left his master’s side obligingly to jump up beside her. He panted happily as she stroked his downy head.
Matthew [Canada] says:
"Maybe he doesn't want to notice him either. I mean, he's a great dog, and I couldn't think of any reason to get rid of him..."
The dog yapped a bit, before snuggling against Katya, resting his head on her lap. Matt smiled fondly.
"See? You can't say no to that. And I think...yeah, he was tired when I asked him if it was okay. I didn't say which girl either, which may have helped too. Arthur forgets I exist most of the time, so I can't count on him to do me any favors. I can't really count on him to do much, to be honest."
He sighed and looked at the floor quietly for a moment before blinking and shaking his head.
"Sorry. Hey, I got an idea...I know you miss your dogs...so maybe you could come over during your free periods and look after Kumajirou? He doesn't go out for a walk until after school, but I think he gets lonely during the day and he'd probably like the company...what dya say?"
Matt smiled and gave Gilbert another pleading 'puppy eyes' look.
Preussen says:
Gilbert blinked. Was Katya so infamous that even the headmaster knew of her? “Um, why would it have mattered if you had mentioned who it was?” Besides the obvious reasons. Which were staring him in the face. Well, actually, he was the one staring. Seriously, how did she live with those things getting in her way? Hadn’t she ever heard of binding? Or breast reduction surgery?
Gil was finally roused from his thoughts when Matt asked him to look after the huge, white dog of his during his free time. Also known as: whenever he skipped a class. Gilbert almost refused, sensing that he wasn’t exactly on the best of terms with the colossal creature, but then Matthew shot him the sweetest, most pleading look he’d ever seen, complete with a slightly pouting lower lip and big, deep, violet-blue eyes. Gilbert could almost feel his heart trying to make it’s way out of his chest, and his mouth went utterly dry. His face began to heat up, to his horror, a sure sign that he was blushing, and he felt the goofiest sort of grin forming on his face.
Something was seriously wrong with him.
“Um, yeah, I’d l-love to look after the big guy! I can tell me and him are already gonna be great friends, isn’t that right boy?” Again his question and attempts to pet the dog were met with growls, louder now than they had been for some reason.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt blinked and sighed. Gilbert was fantastic, but sometimes, he could be so...dense.
"Gilbert...Katya is Ivan Braginski's younger sister. And he's REALLY protective, okay? That's why I didn't mention I wanted to room with his sister. He would've gotten the wrong idea." He smiled and shook his head. Goof.
And then Gilbert said yes. He would help look after Kumajirou.
He broke out in a huge grin, blushing a bit, before getting up and giving Gilbert a huge hug.
"You're the best, Gilbert! Thank you so much!! I know you and Kuma will get along, won'tcha, boy?"
The dog growled again, glaring at Gilbert before barking at Matt. Matt gave the dog A Look, before the dog barked again, jumping up to lick Matt's face. "You'll get along with him, Kuma. I know it. He's had dogs before!"
Yekaterina says:
Katya smiled a bit as she watched the two interact. Matthew’s social life was by no means as non-existent as her own, but still, it was nice to see that he had found someone new whom he could be close with. Of course Katya (being the simple soul that she was) didn’t read anything more into their current embrace than she thought necessary; the redness creeping across the taller boy’s face, and Matthew’s arms tightening around his neck in a distinctly non-platonic way, went completely unnoticed. And whether that was better for the both of them had yet to be seen.
“Oh!” she exclaimed suddenly, remembering what she’d been supposed to be doing this afternoon. “I-I am terribly sorry, I do not mean to be abandoning you, but -” her eyes flew to the clock on the wall - she still had time to make it “-I had completely forgotten, I have to see Mr. Edelstein about my flute solo. Again, I am so sorry!” Spurred by the momentary panic of being late, Katya darted about the room, gathering up her flute case and school bag with such speed that her dangerously bouncing bosom nearly smacked her in the face a few times.
“Good bye, Matthew, Gilbert! I really can’t stay - goodbye! Sorry!” And with that she was out the door, button emergency forgotten, exclamations of “oh dear, oh dear!” drifting back as she all but flew down the corridor.
Preussen says:
Feeling himself blushing even worse than before, not quite used to having so much affection from Matthew, Gilbert tried desperately to squirm out of the embrace after a few more seconds passed than he was comfortable with. Yeesh, how could a kid he was so happy to be around make him feel so awkward and uncomfortable at times like these? And the fact that he was so touchy-feely didn’t help matters much.
“Okay, okay, enough with the hugs, what are you, my girlfriend?” Gilbert finally managed to get Matt to let go of him, almost resorting to shoving but not quite. More like a little push. He hoped this would deter Matt from doing something like that again, so he wouldn’t have to admit to himself the reason behind his blushing, or explain why he never wanted him to let go.
As Gilbert struggled to wipe the blush (and dog slobber) from his face, he vaguely heard Katya spew some excuse for getting out of there, he wasn’t really concentrating. Instead, he was focusing on Matt’s bright and cheerful expression, a bit entranced by his sweet smile. Jesus, he was turning into a sap. He couldn’t even remember what they were talking about before the whole hug had popped up. Wait, wasn’t it something about…
“You mean to tell me that Katya’s related to our monster of a headmaster? You have GOT to be kidding me! She’s so nice! And pretty!” Gilbert threw in the last comment to counterbalance all the silly affectionate thoughts he’d been entertaining about his friend. He probably had a crush on the guy’s roommate, yeah, that must have been it! And he was just redirecting it to someone else! It wasn’t like he…Gilbert shook off the thought.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt laughed as he fell back into his chair, wiping some more slobber off his face as he waved good bye to Katya.
"I'll see you later, Katya. Have fun at practice!"
He watched her leave, before turning back to Gilbert. He raised an eyebrow at Gilbert's reaction, and...no, that wasn't jealousy at that pretty comment. Katya was pretty, everybody knew it. No, Matt wasn't jealous. He probably had indigestion or something.
"Y-yeah, they're related. She's...well, I know she's a lot nicer than him, but she's also younger too, so he's probably gone through a lot more crap than she has. And careful what you say about her. Yes, she's pretty and nice and awesome, but Ivan is...REALLY REALLY PROTECTIVE. Any man that looks at her wrong will probably be expelled for no good reason. Plus, she's like a big sister to me, so I guess they'd have to mess with me too...but that's not really a threat, so."
He shrugged and laughed a bit, Kumajirou barking cheerfully in response.
Preussen says:
“She’s really, um, got a nice body. I mean a REALLY nice body. You, uh, sure you’re just friends with her? Like, you two aren’t secretly seeing each other are you?” Gilbert gave Matt a sideways glance, wondering if there really was anything going on between the two of them. It might explain why Matt never talked or looked at other girls. Not that Gil blamed him, it wasn’t like most of the chicks at their school were anything to look at, and the ones that were anywhere near attractive enough were fucking psycho. Katya seemed to Gilbert to be the best of the bunch.
“If what you say about her brother is true, I can see why you’d wanna keep that a secret. You better hope he doesn’t find out. I’ll defend ya if he does, to the best of my ability, but he IS headmaster, so…”
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Gilbert, she's just my friend. She's more like a sister than anything, like I said. I think I'm the only guy who isn't constantly eye-stripping her, which definitely helps a lot."
He glared slightly at Gilbert. The last bit of his comment was directed mostly at him, after all.
"She's probably the nicest girl in school...and of course, she's probably the prettiest, so her brother is REALLY protective. I think that she's the closest family he's got that isn't nuts, and he just wants to defend her. That's all."
He smiled, blushing a bit at Gilbert's decision to defend him. "Aw, thanks, Gilbert. That's nice of you. I just hope you never have to do that though."
Preussen says:
Gilbert grinned at Matt, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, well, you’re my friend, and I know ya’d do the same for me. I mean, I hope you would…” Looking at everywhere but Matthew, Gilbert tried to shake off the relief he felt at hearing that Katya was nothing more than a sister to Mattie.
“So, ya think a girl like that and a guy like me-”
Matthew [Canada] says:
"You know I would, Gilbert. I'd get my ass kicked for you, and you know it." He grinned a bit, repressing another blush.
"Well, anything is possible. You'd have to stare at her assets a bit less, though, and listen to what she talks about, but it could happen. Why, do you want to date her?"
He looked at Gilbert curiously, wondering quietly why the other boy was asking...and why it bothered him.
Preussen says:
Gil really thought about it for a minute. In all likelihood Katya would probably shoot him down, but while that had never stopped him before he felt that it would be best not to piss off Matt’s roommate. After all, they were apparently “besties,” and if he made her hate him she was likely to share her disapproval with Matthew. And, while Matt was his own person, he would probably listen to her advice and stop hanging out with Gilbert. And that was something he was just not cool with. He actually liked Matthew, liked having him around all the time. His other friends had been really busy with work and school lately, so he’d been left to his own devices up until Mattie had walked into his life.
So, to answer Matt’s question: “Nah. She’s awesome like that, but it’d be way too much trouble for what it’s worth.” Shrugging, Gilbert fiddled nervously with his fingers for a second, wondering if he dared ask the next question. Bah, what was he nervous about? It was just Matthew, and he was the awesome Gilbert, he could do no wrong!
“So, um, Matthew, if you’re not dating Katya then who are you dating?” There, he’d said it. Admittedly, accompanied by a heavy blush for some odd reason, but he had said it anyway.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt shrugged. "I'm not dating anybody right now. The only girl I really know well is Katya, and she's too close to me to date, really...and other girls don't notice me, either. I don't really care, though."
He sighed and shrugged again. He did care, just a little...the only time he ever got asked out was when he was mistaken for Alfred. And that sucked.
For a few moments, there was silence. Then Kumajirou barked and decided to jump onto the couch next to Matt, plopping his head in Matt's lap. Matt smiled and stroked Kuma's fur gently. Good old Kumajirou. Always knew how to make Matt feel better.
"SO. You said that you used to have dogs? Tell me about them! What were they like? Why wouldn't your brother budge the rules for them? They must have been really great..."
Preussen says:
Gilbert smiled reassuringly at his friend. “Not that I’m not awesome or anything, but I’m not dating anyone right now either. Don’t really want to anyway. Girls just cause way too much drama ya know, about the stupidest things too!” Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Gilbert stood up, plopping down next to Matt on his couch, or trying to at least, it was hard to budge aside the dog who had managed to steal his spot before he could even claim it. Finally, he managed to squeeze in next to Kumajiro, who looked inordinately pleased with himself for some reason.
“Hmm, you wanna know about the dogs? Um, well,” Gilbert leaned back onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “There was Rex, he was my first dog, he was a black lab…and then there was Spotty the dalmatian-my brother named him, doesn’t it sound so fucking original?-and he shed EVERYWHERE, not to mention he was really loud and barky…and then I had this German shepard for a while, he was awesome, named him Puddles, ’cuz, well…you can guess.”
A nostalgic smile spread across his face. “I miss ’em, sure, but Ludwig insisted on me coming here, and, much as I like to disobey him and piss him off, he’s still my brother, and he just wants me to live a good life, I know.” Shrugging, Gil sighed a bit in a sort of resigned way.
“Anyways, how do ya want me to look after this big lug when you’re in class?” Gil gave Kuma a tentative pat on the haunches, which grew more purposeful as the dog simply wagged his tail, neglecting for once to growl. Maybe he was just protective of his master?
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled a bit. Gilbert wasn't dating anybody either, and for some reason, that was a relief.
He liked hearing about Gilbert's dogs. He really seemed to care about them and miss them...maybe it was a good idea, asking him to help look after Kumajirou. "I know he's not your dogs, but maybe looking after Kumajirou will help...? Plus, you're a senior! Once you graduate you can get more dogs and you won't have to listen to your brother anymore!!"
He grinned enthusiastically and encouragingly, and Kumajirou seemed to bark in agreement, wagging his tail a bit as Gilbert started to pet him. "Well, Kuma just gets lonely...just come by when you're free to see if his food and water is still good, if he's done his business in the newspapers I got laid out for him, and just keep him company.”
Matt smiled again. He knew he could trust Gilbert.
"I got a ton of toys for him to play with indoors, and he knows to keep it quiet when I'm not around, so he shouldn't be any real trouble..."
Preussen says:
Gilbert moved his hand up to scratch behind the dog’s ear, earning himself a tail to the face, the dog wagged so hard. His initial misgivings slowly melted away, and he found himself smiling in that sappy way he was wont to do around animals, especially cute ones. “Yeah, maybe it will. I’ve missed having a dog around, I can tell ya that much. I dunno about buying a new one once I get outta here though…dogs are expensive to upkeep, as you probably know very well.” Gilbert pet Kumajiro thoughtfully, wishing he’d never have to face the dreary future he knew to be ahead of him.
Gilbert looked over at Matt, who was happily stroking his pet on the head. Gil let the corner of his mouth twitch upwards again as he watched the boy enamored as he was with his dog. Maybe things weren’t so bad though. At least he had met Matthew.
While Gilbert’s influence on Matt’s life was to make it more exciting, with never a dull moment, Matthew had influenced Gil by calming him down a bit, take things a bit slower than he would have usually. And he wasn’t as bored as he was before, now that he had something to do…augh, not like that! Gil almost smacked himself on the forehead. What was WRONG with him today, jeez! He chided himself internally, so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn’t entirely paying attention to his automated actions. He had been patting Kumajiro on the head, mere inches away from where Matt was stroking the silky white fur, when their two hands accidentally brushed against each other's.
Matthew [Canada] says: "Yeah, they are...but it's worth it. Kumajirou is my family, and he's probably the only person in my family who actually knows who I am. He's great...I dunno where I'd be without him, or Katya, or you too now."
Matt sighed and closed his eyes for a minute, gently stroking Kuma's fur. He knew he wasn't exactly popular, and people didn't notice him, and he was okay with that. But it hurt, it really hurt, when you had to grow up with that to the point where you're used to your father and brothers forgetting you exist.
Having a friend like Gilbert...who noticed him, who made his life fun and interesting...made all of that invisibility worth it.
He was lost in his thoughts and wasn't really watching where he was petting when he brushed his hand against Gilbert's. Matt immediately opened his eyes, staring straight ahead as he started to blush, pulling his hand away immediately.
No. No, Gilbert was his friend. Just his friend. He had to stop thinking like this! It wasn't right! He turned and smiled apologetically at Gilbert, praying that the blush was gone now.
"Sorry...got lost in thought."
Preussen says:
“Heh, same here, actually.” Gilbert couldn’t help but feel a little saddened as Mattie moved his hand away. He could have sworn that he felt something between the two of them, a sort of spark almost…but that was ridiculous, it was obviously just static electricity or whatever. Still, Gilbert couldn’t help but think that something was up with Matthew as well, the way he blushed now…and he definitely couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Matt was very cute with his face all red like that.
Augh, alright, he might as well admit it to himself, this was getting out of line. He, mister awesome himself, Gilbert Beilschmidt, was developing feelings for a certain Matthew Williams.
Oh God…
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled quietly. He knew he had developed feelings for Gilbert. He’d always admired him, always wanted to be like him, strong and rebellious and fun…and he was a fantastic friend. It was easy to like him…even easier to fall for him.
But he wouldn’t feel the same. Couldn’t feel the same. So Matt swallowed those feelings and hid them far away. He was just happy to have a friend like Gilbert. He sighed quietly before gently petting Kumajirou again, his hand brushing once more against Gilbert’s. This time, he didn’t pull away, pretending not to notice it. “What were you thinking about? Anything interesting?”
Preussen says:
Gilbert felt frozen on the sofa, unable to think of a suitable response, afraid to move a muscle, lest it scare off Mattie. His eyes were glued to the blonde before him, red eyes taking in a sweet smile gracing an elegant face, not skipping over the slightly smudged glasses and chapped lips, but finding these flaws did not detract from the overall picture, but rather added a sort of charm to it. Gilbert could feel his pulse pounding away in his chest and head, and a fine sweat slicked his palms, especially the hand touching Matthew’s.
“Um, you could say that,” he finally managed to wrench out, voice slightly huskier than he would have liked. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Just, uh, thinking about…” His mind raced frantically about, scrambling to find a suitable topic. “Motorcycles, yeah! That was totally it!” Gilbert plastered on a grin, trying to look like he hadn’t just pulled this sentence out of his ass. “Just, um, ya know, Harleys, and um, speeding down the highway, stuff like that.” Motorcycles, really? Was he stupid or something? No way Matt would fall for that!
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt blinked and stared at Gilbert, wondering if he had imagined the huskier tone in his friend's voice or the way he grappled for a topic.
Ah well. Motorcycles probably wasn't what Gilbert was thinking about...he had asked about Katya's availability, he was probably thinking about her. But Matt mentally shrugged and decided to go along with the lie, not wanting to make his friend uncomfortable.
"Motorcycles, huh. You know, I'm not a fan of Harleys? Maybe it's just me, but I like Triumphs a bit more. More culture with them. But I'm too much of a chicken to try riding one. Dad says that only morons ride them, but I think he says that cuz his parents probably never let him have one or something."
He rolled his eyes and smirked. "What about your folks?"
Preussen says:
One minute Gilbert was freaking out about Matt finding him out, the next he was thrown into another wave of confusion. How to explain to Matthew, technically a guy he had just met only a few weeks ago, his parental situation in all it’s lovely glory.
“Well, um, the thing is…” Gilbert paused for a moment. “I was raised by wild wolves. They taught me everything I needed to know, except for how to clothe myself and speak human. Then one day Ludwig found me, raised me as a human, and the rest is history.” Gilbert managed to say this with a totally straight face, looking Matt in the eye, even as he tried to hold back snickers.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt stared at him, before snorting and laughing, face turning red.
"Pffft. Well, that would certainly explain a lot!!" He smirked at Gilbert, rolling his eyes a bit. "If you were raised by wolves, then I was raised by walruses and polar bears, then adopted. That's why I'm normal while Al and Arthur aren't."
Preussen says:
“Walruses and polar bears, huh? The natural enemies of wolves!” Gilbert let out an evil laugh and then a pseudo-howl, before tackling Matt to the floor, careful to avoid falling on Kumajiro, who simply walked out of their way. Pinning the boy to the ground, Gilbert gave him one truly devious smirk, before launching into tickling him on the sides.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt snorted and laughed again, before yelping in shock as he was tackled to the floor, glaring at Gilbert.
"What are you thinking, Gilbert?" His question was soon answered as Gilbert launched a tickle assault on Matt. "S-stop it!! Stoooop!! T-that...that really t-tickles!!"
He laughed, curling up slightly into a defensive ball to try and protect himself from the tickle attack.
"Y-y-you...you a-are cruel!!"
He laughed again as Kumajirou watched, barking enthusiastically.
Preussen says:
“Muwahaha! Give in to the mighty Gilbert, alpha male of the wolfpack and supreme ruler of all vital regions! Surrender or be tickled to death!” Between dodging flailing limbs and his own cackles of delight, Gilbert managed to tickle all up and down Matthew’s sides, under the arms, and even his stomach a bit, ignoring the compromising position he had put himself in, in which he had the boy straddled and pinned down by the waist. Also, to stop Matt from struggling and hitting, he had taken both of Matt’s wrists in his left hand and held them over Matthew’s head, letting his right hand roam free over the boy’s body.
Gilbert finally stopped and leaned in towards the trembling boy, noticing with pride how he still wheezed with laughter, face bright red and flushed, a trickle of sweat running down his temple. Leaning in further, Gilbert brought his lips close to Matthew’s ear.
“Give in?”
Matthew [Canada] says:
"All right, all right, I give! Uncle! You win!!"
He laughed again, rubbing at his eyes to rub away some of the tears, smirking up at Gilbert. "Ok, you win this round. But next time I won't give in so easily, I promise."
He smiled up at Gilbert, face red, before he realized what position they were in. Gilbert was on top of him, Matthew's shirt was slightly rolled up, his wrists were being held over his head, and Gilbert's face was so close to his.
His eyes widened, and if it was possible, his face went even redder. But he didn't say anything. What could he say?
Don't enjoy this, Matthew, don't you DARE enjoy this.
Yekaterina says:
It is often said that fortune is a fickle mistress. In special cases like this, however, she comes off as an utter bitch.
At that moment the door was flung open by a flustered and out-of-breath Katya, returned inexplicably and inconveniently from her mad dash to Mr. Edelstein’s classroom. Her eyes skipped over the room without registering the scene before her, and was already in the middle of blurting out a question before it did: “Matthew, I have forgotten my sheet music, do you know where I lef-”
Then, finally, she really saw what was going on.
Or at least, what she thought was going on.
And flushed bright red, all the way down from her face to the base of her throat, where it showed above the blouse’s collar.
Her voice, when she found it again, came out as a squeak.
“...M-Matthew-??”
Rating: PG-13 or T, again 'cuz of Gil, yay.
Other Notes: WOO-HOO, AWKWARD SITUATIONS! 8D
Yekaterina says:
In a whirl of plaid miniskirt, Katya breezed in through the door to her shared rooms with her younger friend Matthew, and shut it behind her, leaning back against it with a sigh of exhaustion. She let her bag drop from her shoulder and touched a hand to her front to check the damage. Sure enough, her suspicions were right; when she'd leaned over the water fountain in the hallway, a button had popped clean off her shirt, leaving the cleft of one breast almost exposed.
Katya fussed embarassedly over her shirt front, making her way over to an emergency kit she'd assembled early into her time at the academy. And to think, she'd almost been positive it was safe to go without the safety pins...
Matthew [Canada] says:
When living with a female roommate, the first rule to remember was to always knock.
Matt loved being Katya's roommate. They were great friends, they loved lots of the same things, and she was like a sister to him, caring and understanding. They looked after each other, kept each others secrets. And he wanted her opinion when it came to the important things.
Gilbert was Matt's friend too. One of his closest friends, and he wanted to formally introduce Katya to his new pal. He'd talked about it with Gilbert at lunch, but wanted to surprise Katya. They didn't usually get visitors, and if they did, they were usually Katya's brother, and those visits occurred when Matt was out walking his dog, Kumajirou.
He couldn't help but grin as he practically dragged Gilbert down the hall, stopping at his door.
"You're gonna love Katya. She's a fantastic roommate, and my best friend too! Well, along with you, but you get the point." He grinned at Gilbert before knocking loudly on the door.
"Katya? Anybody home in there?"
Preussen says:
Gilbert halfheartedly complained as he was dragged down the hall by his friend Matthew, ignoring the way his heart was pounding at the boy’s hand around his wrist. It was probably just because it was cheeseburger day in the cafeteria, that was totally it! Way too much fat in his diet…
In any case, Gilbert tried desperately to distract himself, and the only viable option was for him to make insolent remarks.
“You’re rooming with a GIRL, Mattie? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Gilbert smirked at his buddy, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. Actually, the idea of Matt as a girl wasn’t too far-fetched to believe. He did look quite feminine, just a little-ack, what was WITH him and the weird thoughts lately? To direct his mind down another path, Gilbert began to think of his own awesomeness, which never failed to bring his smirk back in full force.
Yekaterina says:
Katya had just managed to feed the thread through the eye of her needle when Matthew called out; she spun around so quickly that she very nearly stabbed herself in the chest. It didn't help that her formidable bosom seemed to bounce with even the daintiest of steps. As it was, she was lucky she hadn't knocked anything over with the speed of her movement. Perhaps one of these days she ought to take Professor Hedervary's advice and invest in a sports bra.
"Ah, h-hold on a moment, Matthew!" she called out in return, rushing to throw a cardigan on over her busted blouse (although any thoughts of doing it up properly were hopeless at best). Once she was suitably decent, she made her way to the door -- careful not to trip over her abandoned schoolbag -- and gently turning the knob, let it swing inwards.
Whatever greeting had been on her lips died for a moment, as she took in the second boy standing there. A boy she wasn't entirely sure she recognized.
"Erm...Matthew?" Katya managed, shrinking back behind the door unintentionally. "W-who is this?"
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled and waved at Katya.
"Um...Katya, this is Gilbert. He's the one that set the fireworks off in the hall a few weeks ago. We met in detention, and...well, I figured I'd bring him round to meet my best friend." His smile waned a bit, though, and he frowned slightly.
"I wanted to surprise you...I hope you're not busy, though...I mean, if you are, we can just come back later..."
Preussen says:
The first thing that registered in Gilbert’s mind was “Holy hell, what a rack,” quickly followed by “How does Matt live casually with someone like that and not go insane? Either he’s already cracked from the strain, or he’s gay as all get out.”
Strangely enough, the realization that one of his close friends might be flaming wasn’t as horrific as he might have once thought. In fact, it was almost a bit of a…relief? Gilbert puzzled over this for a minute, before classifying it under the “weird thoughts that have no relevance to my life” category.
At last Gil realized that he had just been introduced to the large-racked woman, who’s name he couldn’t exactly recall, and he plastered on a smirk with all due grace. “Yo. Nice to meetcha. I’m the awesome and powerful Gilbert, as Matt may have failed to mention, and it is extraordinarily awesome to be of your acquaintance.” Gil addressed all of this not to the girls face but to the impressive set of breasts she had, mostly out of a strange fascination (how did she manage to stay upright?), but partially to protect his masculine image and dispell any strange thoughts about his new best bud.
Yekaterina says:
Now, she knew Matthew was trying to be nice, but neither his nor Gilbert's introductions did much to ease Katya's apprehension of their new guest. Neither did it help that the taller boy's disconcerting red eyes were fixed somewhere distinctively south of her face. It wasn't as though she wasn't used to people's eyes wandering, but they rarely were bold enough to stare directly at them. And stare he did -- with enough intensity that he seemed to be trying to burn a hole through the fabric of her clothing. Self-conciously Katya clutched the blazer tighter across her front, fretting briefly that he may have noticed the gap in her blouse (hence the staring).
"I-I think I may remember him." Katya mustered her courage and lifted her eyes to his face; even if he still wasn't meeting her gaze, she hoped it would help. "N-nice to meet you. Again, I mean. W-we have met before, but...um...yes. Hello." An awkward little wave with her free hand followed.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt groaned slightly as he saw where Gilbert's eyes had wandered to. Typical. He sighed and smacked the senior in the arm.
"Gilbert. Her face is up there. Stop staring, it's not polite." He smiled apologetically at Katya. He knew she hated people staring at her like that...
"I'm sorry, he's strange like that. I just wanted to bring him round to meet you and you-know-who...oh, speaking of you-know-who, I gotta take him for a walk later, so if your brother wants to see you, he can then, ok?"
It was part of their strategy for keeping Kumajirou a secret. Hide his stuff while Matt walked him, and have Ivan over then if he wanted to see his sister.
"Um...dya mind if I bring Gilbert in? I promise, he'll behave." He shot a look at the other boy, smirking before smacking his arm again.
"You WILL behave, won't you now?"
Preussen says:
Snapping his eyes upwards suddenly, Gilbert gave a nervous laugh, rubbing his slightly sore arm as he gave Matt a Look. One with a capital L. One that said, quite clearly, “How do you live, man? My God, you must be a fucking saint!”
But instead of voicing this, Gilbert simply nodded his assent. “’Course I will! What am I, a dog that hasn’t been house-trained? Speaking of, you were saying something about ‘taking you-know-who for a walk’ earlier. You got a little dog hanging around?”
Gilbert loved dogs. Loved them like he loved few other things. He had owned several dogs in the past, and it killed him to give them up to attend the frou-frou high school he only got into because his brother taught there. His brother also cared for them too, but he liked having a stable teaching job at an influential school, so it hadn’t been as hard for him. At least he had given up his pets voluntarily, instead of being forced into it. Gilbert held a lot of resentment for his school because of this, and it was partially the underlying reason he became school prankster and troublemaker.
Yekaterina says:
"Erm..." Unsure of how to respond to that -- the look of alarm that flashed across Matthew's face seemed reason enough not to address the question -- Katya decided to instead use a passive-aggressive technique she'd picked up from living with her younger roommate: she changed the subject.
"Um, feel free to come inside," she said with more haste than necessary, swinging the door open all the way and gesturing for them to follow her into the interior of the room. "I-I just need to clear off the table." And by that she meant that she needed to remove both her sewing kit and Kumajirou's leash from view of their guest, neither being objects she wanted to draw attention to. She would have sighed, if the other two students hadn't been standing right there. It looked like clothing repair would have to wait til later. She would just have to hope that her bust wouldn't be scrutinized too closely in the meantime, as unlikely as that was to happen.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt visibly blanched at Gilbert's question, a look of alarm shooting across his face. How did he know that Matt and Katya had a dog? If he knew, how many other people knew?
He relaxed a bit when Katya changed the subject, sending her a thankful look. He'd have to do something nice for her later.
He glanced around their room, and everything looked to be in check…he noted the sewing kit on the table that was quickly removed. Katya probably popped another button...he could fix it for her later.
Quickly, he closed the door, locking it as soon as Gilbert got inside.
"You NEED to keep this a secret, ok? If anybody finds out about Kumajirou, I'll blame you." Matt glared at Gilbert for a moment, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation, before whistling. "Kuuuma!! C'mere, boy!"
A large white dog, almost as big as Matt, bounded into the room, barking and tackling Matt, licking his face. Matt laughed and scratched behind Kumajirou's ears.
"Hey, boy! Missed you too! Gilbert, this is Kumajirou, my dog."
Preussen says:
Gilbert shrugged. He really didn’t care if Matthew had an illegal pet in the dorms, he was mostly concerned with finding out how he concealed it. Maybe Matt could be a pal and pass on some techniques regarding hiding animals from the ever-watchful gaze of Braginski.
“I won’t say anything, you know I’m not like that. Rules are there to be broken. ’Sides, you got LOTS of dirt on me, so I’d hardly be doing myself a favor if I told. And you’re my friend anyway. Friends don’t rat each other out.” Gilbert offered Matt his most winning grin, hoping this one looked trustworthy enough to persuade the boy to let him into his confidences.
“So, where is the little squirt anyway? If he’s as little as I think he is, no wonder you can conc-HOLY HELL, IS THAT HIM?”
Gilbert was blown away as a huge white animal barreled into the room, enthusiastically setting upon Matthew and washing his face. Gil had owned huge dogs in the past, but this one took the cake. And Matt had kept this behemoth a SECRET? Gilbert wouldn’t have been surprised if the whole dorm had known!
Yekaterina says:
Katya didn't even have a chance to ask whether this was a good idea before Kuma had barrelled out of hiding and set upon his owner, smothering him with adoring doggy-kisses. For a moment Katya was rooted to the spot, apprehensive of Gilbert's reaction to the sudden appearance of their...rather large "secret". The look of shock on his face was enough to make her wonder whether he would stay true to his promise and keep quiet about it.
Eventually, though, she was able to overcome the potential awkwardness of the situation and attempt a sort of introduction.
"Ah...Gilbert, this is Kumajirou. Matthew's dog," she explained helpfully, pointing out the obvious.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt laughed and had to push the dog off of him. Kumajirou licked him again before barreling off to his hiding space once more.
"Yeah, he's not exactly a little dog...sorry about misleading you like that. He USED to be little, though...that's how we got him in here."
He smiled and got off of the floor, wiping at his face with his sleeve to remove excess dog slobber. "I know you won't tell. I trust you. Just had to make sure, ya know?" He smiled a bit. "People just don't seem to notice Kuma, for some reason. I think it's because he's my dog and they don't seem to notice me, so I guess my invisibility is contagious."
It wasn't nice, and it hurt to be ignored, but it was at least helpful in this case, and Matt laughed again. "Katya, I'll be right back. Gotta go feed Kuma."
He smiled and waved at Gilbert before going off to his part of the room, to feed the dog.
Preussen says:
For a moment or two, Gilbert simply stared at the floor, trying to ignore the awkward situation Matt had just dumped him in. Here he was, in the boy’s dorm room, in front of his *female* roommate, trying to regain his composure after being surprised by a large canine, and forced to make small talk with said female roommate after staring at her, ahem, “assets”. Or breastets, in this case.
“So, um…how’d you become friends with Mattie? Did you know he’s an artist? He drew me this EXCELLENT portrait, looked just like me! He’s pretty cool like that, ya know, for a sophomore.” Gilbert scuffed his boot on the carpet, studying the polished leather as if it held a cue card for him to read off of.
Yekaterina says:
“We have been friends since last year, actually. I...do not really remember how we met. But I suppose it does not matter now, tak?” Katya smiled up at him weakly, but their eyes didn’t meet; his gaze seemed to be trained firmly on his shoes. Well, at least he wasn’t staring at her chest again. Not that he was helping the conversation along at all with his sudden (and certainly uncharacteristic, if his comments before were anything to go by) bashfulness. Why was it being left to her to make small talk? Katya would have despaired, if she hadn’t known Matthew was just a few feet away and ready to save their floundering first encounter. Nevertheless, she would have to the best she could in the meantime. As hard as that was.
“Matthew is quite artistic, yes,” Katya mused, addressing his second question. “I often come back to find him finishing off sketches, or something similar. Sometimes, I am feeling a bit jealous - I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler, as they say.” She smiled, a bit more genuinely this time. Talking about Matthew wasn’t too hard - after all, it was something they both had in common.
“Matthew is very talented. And very sweet. You will never meet a truer friend. But I am sure you must know this by now, as his friend, Gilbert.”
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt returned from feeding the dog soon after this, grinning and waving at his two friends.
"Sorry about that...Kuma tried to knock over the food bag, and that stuff is really hard to clean up..." He blinked and looked at Gilbert and Katya. Gilbert was staring at his shoes, while Katya looked sort of nervous and awkward. Okay, leaving them alone was maybe not the best idea...
"Okay, um...well...Gilbert, grab a chair. Katya, um...I dunno, make yourself comfy? I could moderate this 'getting to know each other'..."
As he said this, the large dog wandered back in, barking happily before sitting down next to Matt, who laughed and scratched his head. "Or we could all talk about Kumajirou. He'd like that, I bet."
Preussen says:
Gilbert loosened up a bit as Matt’s roommate began talking, sticking to a topic they both knew something about, Matthew, though Gilbert was at a bit of a disadvantage, seeing as he had only known the boy for a little while in comparison to his roomie, and she had the upper hand in that she was sleeping with him!
Wait, wait, no, that sounded wrong, and he hadn’t even said it out loud. She was rooming with him for God’s sake! Yeesh, there was no way someone like Matthew could score with a chick like his roomie (hadn’t Matt called her Katya, now that he thought about it?), and that was a fact. Not that she was too good for him, in fact it might very well have been the other way ’round; but Mattie was far too nice of a person to take advantage of the fact that he was living with a girl. With huge knockers. And a great hourglass figure. And, apparently, a lovely personality.
Gilbert felt an unwelcome surge of…irritation, was it? There was no WAY he could be jealous, especially not of KATYA of all people! If anyone, he should be jealous of Matthew, for rooming with this total hottie. But, for some odd reason, it was the other way around. Huh.
Gilbert was greatly relieved when Matt walked back into the room, glad to have something break him out of his thoughts and justify his not answering Katya. “Oh, hey, you’re back!” Thank God. “Sure, yeah, let’s talk about the dog. How’d ya get him? Why’re ya concealing him? Who else knows?”
Yekaterina says:
Grateful for the re-entrance of their respective friend (and possibly the only person in the room who wasn’t finding this whole situation awkward), Katya seated herself on their worn little chesterfield, crossing one leg over the other for modesty’s sake. Miniskirts and furniture didn’t mix well, as most girls learned early into their teen years. She wasn’t particularly fond of them herself - overalls had always been her preference back home - but it was regulation. Her brother’s regulation, in fact. She had half a mind to ask him about it someday.
“We are the only ones who know about Kuma,” she answered for Matthew. “Not even Brother knows. It is our big secret. One that we have much trouble keeping.” She gave Gilbert a look that could have been threatening, or at least pointed, on another face. Katya’s soft features really only made it look like a plea for compliance.
Matthew [Canada] says:
"I got Kuma when he was a lot smaller...he was a puppy I found wandering around out back of the cafeteria. I couldn't just let him starve out there. So I brought him in with me. I know it's not allowed, but..."
Matt smiled and looked down at the dog before looking back at Gilbert. "How do you say no to that face?"
The dog barked in response.
"He's part of the reason I'm rooming with Katya...my first roommate wasn't happy with this. He was gonna tell...."
He sighed and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid Al'. "So I told him I got rid of the dog, moved out, and started rooming with Katya. The rest is history."
He smiled again, scratching Kumajirou's head.
"He's a good dog, and I love him. I don't want him to get thrown out..."
He shot Gilbert a pleading look.
"So please, don't tell? I know I can trust you, but I just gotta be sure..."
The dog growled, as if to make the point more serious.
"He's great. Nobody knows about him. He stays hidden during class time, and I take him out for a walk after school. Nobody seems to notice him when we're together..."
Preussen says:
“Jesus, I wonder why not, he’s certainly big enough to call some attention to himself!” Gilbert chose this moment to try to pet the fluffy white thing, only to have it growl at bit at him. “Anyways, didn’t I already say I wouldn’t tell? I meant that, I wouldn’t spill about something like this. Momma didn’t raise no tattletale. Braginski deserves to have the wool pulled over his eyes in any case.” Gilbert smirked a little. “I just wish I could have a dog too, I miss my old ones. Hell, what I wouldn’t do to get ’em back…
“So, uh, who was your roommate before, and why did Braginski let you room with a girl anyway? You got some secret connections on the inside? Like, did your brother Arthur pull a few strings or something, like mine does sometimes?” Leaning forward in his chair, Gilbert looked the very picture of a co-conspirator, used to keeping secrets and plotting against the school staff.
Yekaterina says:
“My brother is not so easily manipulated,” Katya put in with a shrug, not out of indignation, but as though stating a fact. “Favours or bribes are usually not working on him.” What she didn’t say was that the bribes he did take usually involved alcohol, and lots of it. Or sex, something she’d been unfortunate enough to discover while visiting his office one day and stumbling on some very...incriminating notes addressed to him from a student in her third period class (and a male one at that). Just thinking about it even now made her skin crawl. She’d already known about his leanings, of course, but the less she knew about her brother’s “pastimes”, the better.
“He may have been...tired, the day I asked. It was at the beginning of the semester, I think. He is...tired...quite a lot, I’m afraid. Perhaps that is also why he has not noticed our friend.” Katya smiled and whistled for Kuma, patting the empty couch beside her, and the white behemoth of a dog left his master’s side obligingly to jump up beside her. He panted happily as she stroked his downy head.
Matthew [Canada] says:
"Maybe he doesn't want to notice him either. I mean, he's a great dog, and I couldn't think of any reason to get rid of him..."
The dog yapped a bit, before snuggling against Katya, resting his head on her lap. Matt smiled fondly.
"See? You can't say no to that. And I think...yeah, he was tired when I asked him if it was okay. I didn't say which girl either, which may have helped too. Arthur forgets I exist most of the time, so I can't count on him to do me any favors. I can't really count on him to do much, to be honest."
He sighed and looked at the floor quietly for a moment before blinking and shaking his head.
"Sorry. Hey, I got an idea...I know you miss your dogs...so maybe you could come over during your free periods and look after Kumajirou? He doesn't go out for a walk until after school, but I think he gets lonely during the day and he'd probably like the company...what dya say?"
Matt smiled and gave Gilbert another pleading 'puppy eyes' look.
Preussen says:
Gilbert blinked. Was Katya so infamous that even the headmaster knew of her? “Um, why would it have mattered if you had mentioned who it was?” Besides the obvious reasons. Which were staring him in the face. Well, actually, he was the one staring. Seriously, how did she live with those things getting in her way? Hadn’t she ever heard of binding? Or breast reduction surgery?
Gil was finally roused from his thoughts when Matt asked him to look after the huge, white dog of his during his free time. Also known as: whenever he skipped a class. Gilbert almost refused, sensing that he wasn’t exactly on the best of terms with the colossal creature, but then Matthew shot him the sweetest, most pleading look he’d ever seen, complete with a slightly pouting lower lip and big, deep, violet-blue eyes. Gilbert could almost feel his heart trying to make it’s way out of his chest, and his mouth went utterly dry. His face began to heat up, to his horror, a sure sign that he was blushing, and he felt the goofiest sort of grin forming on his face.
Something was seriously wrong with him.
“Um, yeah, I’d l-love to look after the big guy! I can tell me and him are already gonna be great friends, isn’t that right boy?” Again his question and attempts to pet the dog were met with growls, louder now than they had been for some reason.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt blinked and sighed. Gilbert was fantastic, but sometimes, he could be so...dense.
"Gilbert...Katya is Ivan Braginski's younger sister. And he's REALLY protective, okay? That's why I didn't mention I wanted to room with his sister. He would've gotten the wrong idea." He smiled and shook his head. Goof.
And then Gilbert said yes. He would help look after Kumajirou.
He broke out in a huge grin, blushing a bit, before getting up and giving Gilbert a huge hug.
"You're the best, Gilbert! Thank you so much!! I know you and Kuma will get along, won'tcha, boy?"
The dog growled again, glaring at Gilbert before barking at Matt. Matt gave the dog A Look, before the dog barked again, jumping up to lick Matt's face. "You'll get along with him, Kuma. I know it. He's had dogs before!"
Yekaterina says:
Katya smiled a bit as she watched the two interact. Matthew’s social life was by no means as non-existent as her own, but still, it was nice to see that he had found someone new whom he could be close with. Of course Katya (being the simple soul that she was) didn’t read anything more into their current embrace than she thought necessary; the redness creeping across the taller boy’s face, and Matthew’s arms tightening around his neck in a distinctly non-platonic way, went completely unnoticed. And whether that was better for the both of them had yet to be seen.
“Oh!” she exclaimed suddenly, remembering what she’d been supposed to be doing this afternoon. “I-I am terribly sorry, I do not mean to be abandoning you, but -” her eyes flew to the clock on the wall - she still had time to make it “-I had completely forgotten, I have to see Mr. Edelstein about my flute solo. Again, I am so sorry!” Spurred by the momentary panic of being late, Katya darted about the room, gathering up her flute case and school bag with such speed that her dangerously bouncing bosom nearly smacked her in the face a few times.
“Good bye, Matthew, Gilbert! I really can’t stay - goodbye! Sorry!” And with that she was out the door, button emergency forgotten, exclamations of “oh dear, oh dear!” drifting back as she all but flew down the corridor.
Preussen says:
Feeling himself blushing even worse than before, not quite used to having so much affection from Matthew, Gilbert tried desperately to squirm out of the embrace after a few more seconds passed than he was comfortable with. Yeesh, how could a kid he was so happy to be around make him feel so awkward and uncomfortable at times like these? And the fact that he was so touchy-feely didn’t help matters much.
“Okay, okay, enough with the hugs, what are you, my girlfriend?” Gilbert finally managed to get Matt to let go of him, almost resorting to shoving but not quite. More like a little push. He hoped this would deter Matt from doing something like that again, so he wouldn’t have to admit to himself the reason behind his blushing, or explain why he never wanted him to let go.
As Gilbert struggled to wipe the blush (and dog slobber) from his face, he vaguely heard Katya spew some excuse for getting out of there, he wasn’t really concentrating. Instead, he was focusing on Matt’s bright and cheerful expression, a bit entranced by his sweet smile. Jesus, he was turning into a sap. He couldn’t even remember what they were talking about before the whole hug had popped up. Wait, wasn’t it something about…
“You mean to tell me that Katya’s related to our monster of a headmaster? You have GOT to be kidding me! She’s so nice! And pretty!” Gilbert threw in the last comment to counterbalance all the silly affectionate thoughts he’d been entertaining about his friend. He probably had a crush on the guy’s roommate, yeah, that must have been it! And he was just redirecting it to someone else! It wasn’t like he…Gilbert shook off the thought.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt laughed as he fell back into his chair, wiping some more slobber off his face as he waved good bye to Katya.
"I'll see you later, Katya. Have fun at practice!"
He watched her leave, before turning back to Gilbert. He raised an eyebrow at Gilbert's reaction, and...no, that wasn't jealousy at that pretty comment. Katya was pretty, everybody knew it. No, Matt wasn't jealous. He probably had indigestion or something.
"Y-yeah, they're related. She's...well, I know she's a lot nicer than him, but she's also younger too, so he's probably gone through a lot more crap than she has. And careful what you say about her. Yes, she's pretty and nice and awesome, but Ivan is...REALLY REALLY PROTECTIVE. Any man that looks at her wrong will probably be expelled for no good reason. Plus, she's like a big sister to me, so I guess they'd have to mess with me too...but that's not really a threat, so."
He shrugged and laughed a bit, Kumajirou barking cheerfully in response.
Preussen says:
“She’s really, um, got a nice body. I mean a REALLY nice body. You, uh, sure you’re just friends with her? Like, you two aren’t secretly seeing each other are you?” Gilbert gave Matt a sideways glance, wondering if there really was anything going on between the two of them. It might explain why Matt never talked or looked at other girls. Not that Gil blamed him, it wasn’t like most of the chicks at their school were anything to look at, and the ones that were anywhere near attractive enough were fucking psycho. Katya seemed to Gilbert to be the best of the bunch.
“If what you say about her brother is true, I can see why you’d wanna keep that a secret. You better hope he doesn’t find out. I’ll defend ya if he does, to the best of my ability, but he IS headmaster, so…”
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Gilbert, she's just my friend. She's more like a sister than anything, like I said. I think I'm the only guy who isn't constantly eye-stripping her, which definitely helps a lot."
He glared slightly at Gilbert. The last bit of his comment was directed mostly at him, after all.
"She's probably the nicest girl in school...and of course, she's probably the prettiest, so her brother is REALLY protective. I think that she's the closest family he's got that isn't nuts, and he just wants to defend her. That's all."
He smiled, blushing a bit at Gilbert's decision to defend him. "Aw, thanks, Gilbert. That's nice of you. I just hope you never have to do that though."
Preussen says:
Gilbert grinned at Matt, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, well, you’re my friend, and I know ya’d do the same for me. I mean, I hope you would…” Looking at everywhere but Matthew, Gilbert tried to shake off the relief he felt at hearing that Katya was nothing more than a sister to Mattie.
“So, ya think a girl like that and a guy like me-”
Matthew [Canada] says:
"You know I would, Gilbert. I'd get my ass kicked for you, and you know it." He grinned a bit, repressing another blush.
"Well, anything is possible. You'd have to stare at her assets a bit less, though, and listen to what she talks about, but it could happen. Why, do you want to date her?"
He looked at Gilbert curiously, wondering quietly why the other boy was asking...and why it bothered him.
Preussen says:
Gil really thought about it for a minute. In all likelihood Katya would probably shoot him down, but while that had never stopped him before he felt that it would be best not to piss off Matt’s roommate. After all, they were apparently “besties,” and if he made her hate him she was likely to share her disapproval with Matthew. And, while Matt was his own person, he would probably listen to her advice and stop hanging out with Gilbert. And that was something he was just not cool with. He actually liked Matthew, liked having him around all the time. His other friends had been really busy with work and school lately, so he’d been left to his own devices up until Mattie had walked into his life.
So, to answer Matt’s question: “Nah. She’s awesome like that, but it’d be way too much trouble for what it’s worth.” Shrugging, Gilbert fiddled nervously with his fingers for a second, wondering if he dared ask the next question. Bah, what was he nervous about? It was just Matthew, and he was the awesome Gilbert, he could do no wrong!
“So, um, Matthew, if you’re not dating Katya then who are you dating?” There, he’d said it. Admittedly, accompanied by a heavy blush for some odd reason, but he had said it anyway.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt shrugged. "I'm not dating anybody right now. The only girl I really know well is Katya, and she's too close to me to date, really...and other girls don't notice me, either. I don't really care, though."
He sighed and shrugged again. He did care, just a little...the only time he ever got asked out was when he was mistaken for Alfred. And that sucked.
For a few moments, there was silence. Then Kumajirou barked and decided to jump onto the couch next to Matt, plopping his head in Matt's lap. Matt smiled and stroked Kuma's fur gently. Good old Kumajirou. Always knew how to make Matt feel better.
"SO. You said that you used to have dogs? Tell me about them! What were they like? Why wouldn't your brother budge the rules for them? They must have been really great..."
Preussen says:
Gilbert smiled reassuringly at his friend. “Not that I’m not awesome or anything, but I’m not dating anyone right now either. Don’t really want to anyway. Girls just cause way too much drama ya know, about the stupidest things too!” Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Gilbert stood up, plopping down next to Matt on his couch, or trying to at least, it was hard to budge aside the dog who had managed to steal his spot before he could even claim it. Finally, he managed to squeeze in next to Kumajiro, who looked inordinately pleased with himself for some reason.
“Hmm, you wanna know about the dogs? Um, well,” Gilbert leaned back onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “There was Rex, he was my first dog, he was a black lab…and then there was Spotty the dalmatian-my brother named him, doesn’t it sound so fucking original?-and he shed EVERYWHERE, not to mention he was really loud and barky…and then I had this German shepard for a while, he was awesome, named him Puddles, ’cuz, well…you can guess.”
A nostalgic smile spread across his face. “I miss ’em, sure, but Ludwig insisted on me coming here, and, much as I like to disobey him and piss him off, he’s still my brother, and he just wants me to live a good life, I know.” Shrugging, Gil sighed a bit in a sort of resigned way.
“Anyways, how do ya want me to look after this big lug when you’re in class?” Gil gave Kuma a tentative pat on the haunches, which grew more purposeful as the dog simply wagged his tail, neglecting for once to growl. Maybe he was just protective of his master?
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled a bit. Gilbert wasn't dating anybody either, and for some reason, that was a relief.
He liked hearing about Gilbert's dogs. He really seemed to care about them and miss them...maybe it was a good idea, asking him to help look after Kumajirou. "I know he's not your dogs, but maybe looking after Kumajirou will help...? Plus, you're a senior! Once you graduate you can get more dogs and you won't have to listen to your brother anymore!!"
He grinned enthusiastically and encouragingly, and Kumajirou seemed to bark in agreement, wagging his tail a bit as Gilbert started to pet him. "Well, Kuma just gets lonely...just come by when you're free to see if his food and water is still good, if he's done his business in the newspapers I got laid out for him, and just keep him company.”
Matt smiled again. He knew he could trust Gilbert.
"I got a ton of toys for him to play with indoors, and he knows to keep it quiet when I'm not around, so he shouldn't be any real trouble..."
Preussen says:
Gilbert moved his hand up to scratch behind the dog’s ear, earning himself a tail to the face, the dog wagged so hard. His initial misgivings slowly melted away, and he found himself smiling in that sappy way he was wont to do around animals, especially cute ones. “Yeah, maybe it will. I’ve missed having a dog around, I can tell ya that much. I dunno about buying a new one once I get outta here though…dogs are expensive to upkeep, as you probably know very well.” Gilbert pet Kumajiro thoughtfully, wishing he’d never have to face the dreary future he knew to be ahead of him.
Gilbert looked over at Matt, who was happily stroking his pet on the head. Gil let the corner of his mouth twitch upwards again as he watched the boy enamored as he was with his dog. Maybe things weren’t so bad though. At least he had met Matthew.
While Gilbert’s influence on Matt’s life was to make it more exciting, with never a dull moment, Matthew had influenced Gil by calming him down a bit, take things a bit slower than he would have usually. And he wasn’t as bored as he was before, now that he had something to do…augh, not like that! Gil almost smacked himself on the forehead. What was WRONG with him today, jeez! He chided himself internally, so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn’t entirely paying attention to his automated actions. He had been patting Kumajiro on the head, mere inches away from where Matt was stroking the silky white fur, when their two hands accidentally brushed against each other's.
Matthew [Canada] says: "Yeah, they are...but it's worth it. Kumajirou is my family, and he's probably the only person in my family who actually knows who I am. He's great...I dunno where I'd be without him, or Katya, or you too now."
Matt sighed and closed his eyes for a minute, gently stroking Kuma's fur. He knew he wasn't exactly popular, and people didn't notice him, and he was okay with that. But it hurt, it really hurt, when you had to grow up with that to the point where you're used to your father and brothers forgetting you exist.
Having a friend like Gilbert...who noticed him, who made his life fun and interesting...made all of that invisibility worth it.
He was lost in his thoughts and wasn't really watching where he was petting when he brushed his hand against Gilbert's. Matt immediately opened his eyes, staring straight ahead as he started to blush, pulling his hand away immediately.
No. No, Gilbert was his friend. Just his friend. He had to stop thinking like this! It wasn't right! He turned and smiled apologetically at Gilbert, praying that the blush was gone now.
"Sorry...got lost in thought."
Preussen says:
“Heh, same here, actually.” Gilbert couldn’t help but feel a little saddened as Mattie moved his hand away. He could have sworn that he felt something between the two of them, a sort of spark almost…but that was ridiculous, it was obviously just static electricity or whatever. Still, Gilbert couldn’t help but think that something was up with Matthew as well, the way he blushed now…and he definitely couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Matt was very cute with his face all red like that.
Augh, alright, he might as well admit it to himself, this was getting out of line. He, mister awesome himself, Gilbert Beilschmidt, was developing feelings for a certain Matthew Williams.
Oh God…
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt smiled quietly. He knew he had developed feelings for Gilbert. He’d always admired him, always wanted to be like him, strong and rebellious and fun…and he was a fantastic friend. It was easy to like him…even easier to fall for him.
But he wouldn’t feel the same. Couldn’t feel the same. So Matt swallowed those feelings and hid them far away. He was just happy to have a friend like Gilbert. He sighed quietly before gently petting Kumajirou again, his hand brushing once more against Gilbert’s. This time, he didn’t pull away, pretending not to notice it. “What were you thinking about? Anything interesting?”
Preussen says:
Gilbert felt frozen on the sofa, unable to think of a suitable response, afraid to move a muscle, lest it scare off Mattie. His eyes were glued to the blonde before him, red eyes taking in a sweet smile gracing an elegant face, not skipping over the slightly smudged glasses and chapped lips, but finding these flaws did not detract from the overall picture, but rather added a sort of charm to it. Gilbert could feel his pulse pounding away in his chest and head, and a fine sweat slicked his palms, especially the hand touching Matthew’s.
“Um, you could say that,” he finally managed to wrench out, voice slightly huskier than he would have liked. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Just, uh, thinking about…” His mind raced frantically about, scrambling to find a suitable topic. “Motorcycles, yeah! That was totally it!” Gilbert plastered on a grin, trying to look like he hadn’t just pulled this sentence out of his ass. “Just, um, ya know, Harleys, and um, speeding down the highway, stuff like that.” Motorcycles, really? Was he stupid or something? No way Matt would fall for that!
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt blinked and stared at Gilbert, wondering if he had imagined the huskier tone in his friend's voice or the way he grappled for a topic.
Ah well. Motorcycles probably wasn't what Gilbert was thinking about...he had asked about Katya's availability, he was probably thinking about her. But Matt mentally shrugged and decided to go along with the lie, not wanting to make his friend uncomfortable.
"Motorcycles, huh. You know, I'm not a fan of Harleys? Maybe it's just me, but I like Triumphs a bit more. More culture with them. But I'm too much of a chicken to try riding one. Dad says that only morons ride them, but I think he says that cuz his parents probably never let him have one or something."
He rolled his eyes and smirked. "What about your folks?"
Preussen says:
One minute Gilbert was freaking out about Matt finding him out, the next he was thrown into another wave of confusion. How to explain to Matthew, technically a guy he had just met only a few weeks ago, his parental situation in all it’s lovely glory.
“Well, um, the thing is…” Gilbert paused for a moment. “I was raised by wild wolves. They taught me everything I needed to know, except for how to clothe myself and speak human. Then one day Ludwig found me, raised me as a human, and the rest is history.” Gilbert managed to say this with a totally straight face, looking Matt in the eye, even as he tried to hold back snickers.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt stared at him, before snorting and laughing, face turning red.
"Pffft. Well, that would certainly explain a lot!!" He smirked at Gilbert, rolling his eyes a bit. "If you were raised by wolves, then I was raised by walruses and polar bears, then adopted. That's why I'm normal while Al and Arthur aren't."
Preussen says:
“Walruses and polar bears, huh? The natural enemies of wolves!” Gilbert let out an evil laugh and then a pseudo-howl, before tackling Matt to the floor, careful to avoid falling on Kumajiro, who simply walked out of their way. Pinning the boy to the ground, Gilbert gave him one truly devious smirk, before launching into tickling him on the sides.
Matthew [Canada] says:
Matt snorted and laughed again, before yelping in shock as he was tackled to the floor, glaring at Gilbert.
"What are you thinking, Gilbert?" His question was soon answered as Gilbert launched a tickle assault on Matt. "S-stop it!! Stoooop!! T-that...that really t-tickles!!"
He laughed, curling up slightly into a defensive ball to try and protect himself from the tickle attack.
"Y-y-you...you a-are cruel!!"
He laughed again as Kumajirou watched, barking enthusiastically.
Preussen says:
“Muwahaha! Give in to the mighty Gilbert, alpha male of the wolfpack and supreme ruler of all vital regions! Surrender or be tickled to death!” Between dodging flailing limbs and his own cackles of delight, Gilbert managed to tickle all up and down Matthew’s sides, under the arms, and even his stomach a bit, ignoring the compromising position he had put himself in, in which he had the boy straddled and pinned down by the waist. Also, to stop Matt from struggling and hitting, he had taken both of Matt’s wrists in his left hand and held them over Matthew’s head, letting his right hand roam free over the boy’s body.
Gilbert finally stopped and leaned in towards the trembling boy, noticing with pride how he still wheezed with laughter, face bright red and flushed, a trickle of sweat running down his temple. Leaning in further, Gilbert brought his lips close to Matthew’s ear.
“Give in?”
Matthew [Canada] says:
"All right, all right, I give! Uncle! You win!!"
He laughed again, rubbing at his eyes to rub away some of the tears, smirking up at Gilbert. "Ok, you win this round. But next time I won't give in so easily, I promise."
He smiled up at Gilbert, face red, before he realized what position they were in. Gilbert was on top of him, Matthew's shirt was slightly rolled up, his wrists were being held over his head, and Gilbert's face was so close to his.
His eyes widened, and if it was possible, his face went even redder. But he didn't say anything. What could he say?
Don't enjoy this, Matthew, don't you DARE enjoy this.
Yekaterina says:
It is often said that fortune is a fickle mistress. In special cases like this, however, she comes off as an utter bitch.
At that moment the door was flung open by a flustered and out-of-breath Katya, returned inexplicably and inconveniently from her mad dash to Mr. Edelstein’s classroom. Her eyes skipped over the room without registering the scene before her, and was already in the middle of blurting out a question before it did: “Matthew, I have forgotten my sheet music, do you know where I lef-”
Then, finally, she really saw what was going on.
Or at least, what she thought was going on.
And flushed bright red, all the way down from her face to the base of her throat, where it showed above the blouse’s collar.
Her voice, when she found it again, came out as a squeak.
“...M-Matthew-??”