fic: Rainy Monday
Aug. 12th, 2010 12:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Rainy Monday
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
measuringlife
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing(s): Netherlands/Canada, faint mention of Prussia/Hungary/Austria
Prompt: Gakuen AU: Canada discovering that Netherlands isn't quite so intimidating as he thought upon first impression.
Word count: 2791
Notes: Mads is the Dutch form of Matthew (like Matthieu is the French form.) It can also be rendered Mattijs, Thijs and Ties.
Matthew was waiting at the usual spot, and had been for the past five minutes. He checked his watch again. No sign of them.
He dialed Francis' cell. There was the sound of a lot of music in the background, and a girl giggling.
"Hello chérie?" Francis purred.
"It's me," Matthew said, a bit coldly.
"Ah, Matthieu! Good to hear from you, but I am a bit busy–"
"I thought we were all going to walk home together," Matthew said, a bit petulantly.
"You said you had to study. Making up that last math test, right?"
"Well, yes..." Matthew said. Math had never been his strong suit.
"Besides this sort of thing, is not your scene, Matthieu. However I was going to bring you something home. Do you prefer blonds or brunettes? Who's your favorite cousin now, hmm?" Francis said.
"You're my only cousin, Francis," Matthew said. "Also Ew."
Francis laughed. "But it isn't that far, you can walk yourself home this one time, d'accord? You aren't a baby who needs his hand held when he crosses the street."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he mumbled.
"Alright then! I will see you tomorrow, Matthieu. Please keep your hangover cure close by, for I'm utterly certain I'll need it."
The girl in the background tittered. Matthew rolled his eyes. "Got it."
"Au revoir~"
The connection cut, and Matthew sighed and put the cellphone back in his bag. Francis was his cousin, but he had always been more like an older brother to him. They'd all spent those summers together with Matthew clinging to his shirttails and Francis 'showing him the way'. Usually said way turned out to be a humiliating prank, but Matthew never held it against him.
The rest of Francis' bad friends were like extended family too, in their own ways. Sure they'd tease him, and roughhouse with him, but heaven help anyone who tried to mess with Matthew.
Usually he walked home with all of them, the whole raucous bunch of Al, Francis, Arthur, Antonio and Gilbert. Sometimes even Lizzie would join along. The way home was always just one fight after another, but he knew there was usually an underlying affection between them. And with Matthew around, usually he could keep them from killing each other.
Matthew scanned around the school grounds. Everyone had slowly filed out to their own lives, and now the place was empty and grey. The sky had been overcast all day. Matthew was glad for it, as it'd lessened the heat. He never could take the heat. Al blamed it on him spending so much time in Quebec where it was cold something like nine months of the year, but that was neither here nor there.
To be honest, Matthew had a reason for not wanting to go home alone. He looked behind him, almost expecting to see Stefen there and waiting, but there still was no one there. He'd noticed Stefen's eyes on him in the past months. It was unnerving how he'd just stare, blankly and smoking like a chimney on that pipe of his. Matthew had no idea what he wanted.
Stefen was an imposing figure. He had a large scar above his eye, and was rarely ever without his pipe, and probably sold what he didn't smoke himself. Rumors abounded about him: he liked little girls; he'd once killed a man with his bare hands; he was part of some mafia.
Maybe he felt daring enough to want to bully him. Most hadn't, considering that with Matthew's family, it'd kind of be an insane move. If the Bad Friends didn't get them, Al or Arthur or even Lizzie would come down with the force of avenging angels. But with frying pans and folding chairs. However, He remembered Stefen had some sort of bad blood with Antonio going way back. Maybe that was it.
Perhaps what was surprising, and a little unnerving was that someone outside of his family even noticed he existed. All that protection from them was largely for show as mostly no one bothered him because they didn't remember him. It was a mixed blessing, to say the least. Not that he wanted to have his head shoved in a toilet, but it would've been nice to have someone remember his name for once. As of yet, he'd been called Martin, Mark, Marcel, Marlin and the ever popular 'that guy.'
Matthew tried to calm himself. He began to get his books for another day of frantic cramming before the tests started coming in. Not for the first time, Matthew wished he either had the magical ability to sleep through every class and still pass with good marks like Herakles, or the discipline and devotion to studies like Kiku. As it was, he was hardly an idiot, but he always put off studying until the last minute and tests freaked him out. He really was a B-average student at best. Nothing really remarkable. To be fair, that procrastination was partly from not being able to focus with wild parties and drunken chaos around him all the time, but teachers didn't exactly accept that as an excuse.
There was a mini-poster of the Canadiens, his favorite team, but mostly he'd kept his locker picture-free given that the rest of his family would tease him incessantly whatever gender he put up. And they had no problem forgetting him when it came to teasing. Francis, Antonio and Gilbert would be making air kissing noises and laughing about Matthew finally 'becoming a man' for weeks if he even offhand said that he liked a particular musician's style, or was fond of an actor. Of course, they managed to forget him when they were off partying. Not that he wanted to party, mind you, but it was the thought that counted.
On top of the books was a single red tulip. It was very fresh, with a very vivid color, and black on the inside. Matthew picked it up and inhaled the scent of it. Of course, the group had found out about the flowers and teased him mercilessly about it. Especially Francis who had ruffled his hair and tried to give hip tips on l'amour. The mere thought of some of the things he'd said made Matthew flush – and he really wasn't a prude. Even if the group liked to joke that he was, he was fine with sex. Really. He preferred it to not be in drunken orgies, and certainly not in the middle of the kitchen floor when he was trying to get a post-studying snack. He did not need to know that Gilbert had an ass tattoo with AWESOME in gothic letters. Though of course, he already had, given Gilbert's love of mooning people, mostly Roderich.
Still, even if they'd made sure to embarrass him thoroughly about it, Matthew was happy. All in all, some girl really had noticed him. They were never left with any note, or anything else to identify them. He put it his bag and took the grueling way home, already feeling the strain in his neck and back. Stupid textbooks.
He tried to keep his gaze focused again, and not keep looking behind him like some crazy person. Soon enough, he'd be home and studying for some subject he hated and would never use after high school. He could swear that the teachers subjected them to it simply for some sort of sick revenge. They probably even laughed in their teacher's lounge about it.
The first few drops came down and Matthew cursed under his breath. He ran for the nearest shelter, and sat on an awning on the steps of a shop closed for renovations. After those few drops, it began to pour, and there wasn't any sign of letting up. Matthew leaned back, a bit damp, a little cold, but he'd survive. He set the backpack down on the dry concrete beside him and leaned against the side of the building. The awning kept him mostly dry. Cars drove by with their lights on, occasionally sending sprays of gutter water in the air. He was far enough away to miss most of it.
Matthew leaned on his cheek and sighed. Arthur probably would've tsked at him for not bringing his brolly, because Arthur having lived in London for so long always brought his umbrella everywhere. It was something Al never failed to tease Arthur about.
Black combat boots came into view. A thick, ratty overcoat with gold buttons. Matthew blanched as he looked up to meet Stefen's gaze. Teasing by Gilbert aside, Matthew was a pacifist, not a total pansy. You couldn't just live with the Bad Friends and Al and not learn how to armbar someone. He could hold his own if he really needed. Still, Stefen looked strong enough to rip him in half if he wanted, and the rest of the group was miles away. They'd never come in time.
Matthew parted his lips, but nothing, no sound came out. He couldn't look away from Stefen's cold gaze. He was holding a clear umbrella with bunnies on it. Matthew was going to take a wild guess and say that was Bella's. droplets gathered through the mostly transparent material and dripped off around him. It was an odd contrast, the umbrella with cute ickle bunnies and Stefen, who looked like he belonged in the mafia.
"You forgot this," Stefen said. He held out a textbook. Calc. He could've sworn he'd grabbed that one.
"Oh.....thanks..." Matthew said. It came out too quiet to hear over the rush of the cars. He cleared his throat. "Thank you."
He took the book, which was just as he'd left it, save for a few raindrops which had gathered during the transition, though it was open just a crack, and refused to close properly. There was a red flower peeking out, its stem pressed between the pages like a bookmark. But he'd already gotten a flower that day. As of yet, he'd only ever gotten one a day. It could've been an accident. Forgetting for a moment that Stefen was there, staring down at him, Matthew brought the tulip to his face. It brushed over his lips as he inhaled the scent. Being close to the tulips always made Matthew get this little dreamy smile that the rest of his family mocked day by day, complete with elaborate sighs, random hugging, and if it was Gilbert, bursting into songs from The Sound Of Music.
All at once he remembered and looked up, abashed at Stefen. Stefen was watching him, and his constant cold expression had softened. He'd never seen Stefen look like this, like underneath that hard exterior he might actually snuggle bunnies and save cats from trees.
"Mads," he said, and his usually harsh voice sounded almost...gentle.
Something dawned on him as everything fell into place. A little fact of Stefen's family owning a florists shop came to mind. Oh. Could it be—
"They're yours, aren't they?" Matthew murmured.
In lieu of responding, he picked up the heavy backpack like it was nothing.
"Uh, really, I'd be ok–"
"You don't have an umbrella," he said. "Do you want to get drenched?"
"No..." Matthew muttered. "But I could wait it out..."
"It shows no sign of stopping," Stefen said.
"All right..."
He got up and brushed any dust which might of accrued on his pants.
The sides of his arms were getting wet. Stefen didn't make conversation. Matthew's thoughts were whirling. He wasn't sure if he should talk to break the silence, and if so, then what?
"Why did you do it?" Matthew asked.
"Why do you think?" Stefen replied.
"I don't know, to make fun of me? Like as some sort of revenge against Antonio?"
Stefen scoffed. "Why would I want revenge against him? I'm the one who won."
"T-true..."
Besides, if he wanted revenge against Antonio, he'd probably go for Lovino. But then, Lovino had some, ah, interesting relatives which he'd probably not want to get twisted up with.
The other possibility made his face heat. Love. He took a sideways glance at Stefen. Stefen was looking ahead. There was no trace of the softness he'd seen earlier. Matthew wondered if he'd imagined it.
"You go this way," Matthew murmured.
"I know," Stefen said.
Matthew looked confused, even a little freaked out. Leaving tulips had been a sweet gesture. Waiting outside his room and maybe watching him sleep? Not so sweet, no matter what modern teen books claimed.
"You live with Bonnefoy. He wants roses delivered constantly. I make the deliveries personally," Stefen said.
"Oh....I don't remember seeing you there," Matthew said. "I must not have recognized you."
"I saw you," Stefen said.
Matthew fell quiet again, his cheeks burning. He was far enough away from Stefen that his t-shirt sleeve was damp and there were cold drops of rain spattered over his arm. His shoes were wet.
Before long, they arrived at his doorstep. Matthew wondered if he should let Stefen in. He had been nice enough to carry his things, but would he mistake that as being an invitation to sleep with him? Like asking someone up for coffee never really meant coffee if it was done at a certain hour after a date.
"Um. Thanks...."
Stefen slightly inclined his head in the faintest of nods. He had his pipe out now, and Matthew could smell the rich, sweet smoke of it.
Matthew felt apologetic, even though he had no real reason to. He even felt a little sad for Stefen. Here he'd had a crush on him all along, and Matthew had been treating him like a serial killer and/or rapist. And rumors weren't really trustworthy in any sense. Matthew knew Francis, Antonio and Gilbert enough to know that a lot of the rumors about them were bullshit – bullshit spread by themselves when they were drunk, no less. He chewed on his lower lip and looked down at his sopping wet shoes.
"Um....The flowers...they really made me happy. Thank you."
"I'm not a charitable person...in fact I'm quite selfish," he said.
Matthew started to form a question, but then he felt his arm being tugged. He was pulled to Stefen, against his dark coat with its big buttons. All too soon his mouth was covered by Stefen's.
He'd never been kissed before. He'd certainly never been kissed like this before. He heard the books drop – faintly, barely, given how the blood in his head was rushing, pounding, like he'd been pushed underwater –
Matthew's knees felt on the verge of buckling, but Stefen held him up.
When Stefen let him go, Matthew nearly crumpled into a heap on the pavement. It was only by leaning on the side of the house that he fall down.
Stefen turned to leave.
"Wait, I—"
"You don't have to say anything," Stefen said. "I won't bother you again."
"No I....I mean. I..." Matthew searched for the word, the exact phrase he needed. He reached out and grabbed the edge of Stefen's sleeve.
"I don't know you, but I'd like to? Those flowers made me really happy. And I..." Matthew chewed on his lip. His face was hot again. He stepped out into the rain and felt the cool droplets fall all over him. It felt good against his face. Stefen came closer and brought the bunnybrella over his head.
"I...like it when you smile."
He was rewarded with the same soft expression he'd seen earlier. And Matthew smiled back and there was just this happy moment where he felt warm inside, and like he wanted to be kissed by Stefen again.
It was like the sun coming through the clouds, or something. Poetry was never his strongest point. He was pretty sure his attempts at it in English class made his teacher die inside.
Bad poetry or not, his life was looking up.
--
There's going to be more in this universe, like wherein the BFT (+ Al and Lizzie and maybe even Arthur) test Stefen's worthiness to date Matthew, finding out that Stefen really DOES snuggle bunnies, meeting the rest of Benelux, etc. It was originally supposed to be part of this, but I don't have enough time/inspiration to do it at this moment.
Author:
measuringlifeRating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing(s): Netherlands/Canada, faint mention of Prussia/Hungary/Austria
Prompt: Gakuen AU: Canada discovering that Netherlands isn't quite so intimidating as he thought upon first impression.
Word count: 2791
Notes: Mads is the Dutch form of Matthew (like Matthieu is the French form.) It can also be rendered Mattijs, Thijs and Ties.
Matthew was waiting at the usual spot, and had been for the past five minutes. He checked his watch again. No sign of them.
He dialed Francis' cell. There was the sound of a lot of music in the background, and a girl giggling.
"Hello chérie?" Francis purred.
"It's me," Matthew said, a bit coldly.
"Ah, Matthieu! Good to hear from you, but I am a bit busy–"
"I thought we were all going to walk home together," Matthew said, a bit petulantly.
"You said you had to study. Making up that last math test, right?"
"Well, yes..." Matthew said. Math had never been his strong suit.
"Besides this sort of thing, is not your scene, Matthieu. However I was going to bring you something home. Do you prefer blonds or brunettes? Who's your favorite cousin now, hmm?" Francis said.
"You're my only cousin, Francis," Matthew said. "Also Ew."
Francis laughed. "But it isn't that far, you can walk yourself home this one time, d'accord? You aren't a baby who needs his hand held when he crosses the street."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he mumbled.
"Alright then! I will see you tomorrow, Matthieu. Please keep your hangover cure close by, for I'm utterly certain I'll need it."
The girl in the background tittered. Matthew rolled his eyes. "Got it."
"Au revoir~"
The connection cut, and Matthew sighed and put the cellphone back in his bag. Francis was his cousin, but he had always been more like an older brother to him. They'd all spent those summers together with Matthew clinging to his shirttails and Francis 'showing him the way'. Usually said way turned out to be a humiliating prank, but Matthew never held it against him.
The rest of Francis' bad friends were like extended family too, in their own ways. Sure they'd tease him, and roughhouse with him, but heaven help anyone who tried to mess with Matthew.
Usually he walked home with all of them, the whole raucous bunch of Al, Francis, Arthur, Antonio and Gilbert. Sometimes even Lizzie would join along. The way home was always just one fight after another, but he knew there was usually an underlying affection between them. And with Matthew around, usually he could keep them from killing each other.
Matthew scanned around the school grounds. Everyone had slowly filed out to their own lives, and now the place was empty and grey. The sky had been overcast all day. Matthew was glad for it, as it'd lessened the heat. He never could take the heat. Al blamed it on him spending so much time in Quebec where it was cold something like nine months of the year, but that was neither here nor there.
To be honest, Matthew had a reason for not wanting to go home alone. He looked behind him, almost expecting to see Stefen there and waiting, but there still was no one there. He'd noticed Stefen's eyes on him in the past months. It was unnerving how he'd just stare, blankly and smoking like a chimney on that pipe of his. Matthew had no idea what he wanted.
Stefen was an imposing figure. He had a large scar above his eye, and was rarely ever without his pipe, and probably sold what he didn't smoke himself. Rumors abounded about him: he liked little girls; he'd once killed a man with his bare hands; he was part of some mafia.
Maybe he felt daring enough to want to bully him. Most hadn't, considering that with Matthew's family, it'd kind of be an insane move. If the Bad Friends didn't get them, Al or Arthur or even Lizzie would come down with the force of avenging angels. But with frying pans and folding chairs. However, He remembered Stefen had some sort of bad blood with Antonio going way back. Maybe that was it.
Perhaps what was surprising, and a little unnerving was that someone outside of his family even noticed he existed. All that protection from them was largely for show as mostly no one bothered him because they didn't remember him. It was a mixed blessing, to say the least. Not that he wanted to have his head shoved in a toilet, but it would've been nice to have someone remember his name for once. As of yet, he'd been called Martin, Mark, Marcel, Marlin and the ever popular 'that guy.'
Matthew tried to calm himself. He began to get his books for another day of frantic cramming before the tests started coming in. Not for the first time, Matthew wished he either had the magical ability to sleep through every class and still pass with good marks like Herakles, or the discipline and devotion to studies like Kiku. As it was, he was hardly an idiot, but he always put off studying until the last minute and tests freaked him out. He really was a B-average student at best. Nothing really remarkable. To be fair, that procrastination was partly from not being able to focus with wild parties and drunken chaos around him all the time, but teachers didn't exactly accept that as an excuse.
There was a mini-poster of the Canadiens, his favorite team, but mostly he'd kept his locker picture-free given that the rest of his family would tease him incessantly whatever gender he put up. And they had no problem forgetting him when it came to teasing. Francis, Antonio and Gilbert would be making air kissing noises and laughing about Matthew finally 'becoming a man' for weeks if he even offhand said that he liked a particular musician's style, or was fond of an actor. Of course, they managed to forget him when they were off partying. Not that he wanted to party, mind you, but it was the thought that counted.
On top of the books was a single red tulip. It was very fresh, with a very vivid color, and black on the inside. Matthew picked it up and inhaled the scent of it. Of course, the group had found out about the flowers and teased him mercilessly about it. Especially Francis who had ruffled his hair and tried to give hip tips on l'amour. The mere thought of some of the things he'd said made Matthew flush – and he really wasn't a prude. Even if the group liked to joke that he was, he was fine with sex. Really. He preferred it to not be in drunken orgies, and certainly not in the middle of the kitchen floor when he was trying to get a post-studying snack. He did not need to know that Gilbert had an ass tattoo with AWESOME in gothic letters. Though of course, he already had, given Gilbert's love of mooning people, mostly Roderich.
Still, even if they'd made sure to embarrass him thoroughly about it, Matthew was happy. All in all, some girl really had noticed him. They were never left with any note, or anything else to identify them. He put it his bag and took the grueling way home, already feeling the strain in his neck and back. Stupid textbooks.
He tried to keep his gaze focused again, and not keep looking behind him like some crazy person. Soon enough, he'd be home and studying for some subject he hated and would never use after high school. He could swear that the teachers subjected them to it simply for some sort of sick revenge. They probably even laughed in their teacher's lounge about it.
The first few drops came down and Matthew cursed under his breath. He ran for the nearest shelter, and sat on an awning on the steps of a shop closed for renovations. After those few drops, it began to pour, and there wasn't any sign of letting up. Matthew leaned back, a bit damp, a little cold, but he'd survive. He set the backpack down on the dry concrete beside him and leaned against the side of the building. The awning kept him mostly dry. Cars drove by with their lights on, occasionally sending sprays of gutter water in the air. He was far enough away to miss most of it.
Matthew leaned on his cheek and sighed. Arthur probably would've tsked at him for not bringing his brolly, because Arthur having lived in London for so long always brought his umbrella everywhere. It was something Al never failed to tease Arthur about.
Black combat boots came into view. A thick, ratty overcoat with gold buttons. Matthew blanched as he looked up to meet Stefen's gaze. Teasing by Gilbert aside, Matthew was a pacifist, not a total pansy. You couldn't just live with the Bad Friends and Al and not learn how to armbar someone. He could hold his own if he really needed. Still, Stefen looked strong enough to rip him in half if he wanted, and the rest of the group was miles away. They'd never come in time.
Matthew parted his lips, but nothing, no sound came out. He couldn't look away from Stefen's cold gaze. He was holding a clear umbrella with bunnies on it. Matthew was going to take a wild guess and say that was Bella's. droplets gathered through the mostly transparent material and dripped off around him. It was an odd contrast, the umbrella with cute ickle bunnies and Stefen, who looked like he belonged in the mafia.
"You forgot this," Stefen said. He held out a textbook. Calc. He could've sworn he'd grabbed that one.
"Oh.....thanks..." Matthew said. It came out too quiet to hear over the rush of the cars. He cleared his throat. "Thank you."
He took the book, which was just as he'd left it, save for a few raindrops which had gathered during the transition, though it was open just a crack, and refused to close properly. There was a red flower peeking out, its stem pressed between the pages like a bookmark. But he'd already gotten a flower that day. As of yet, he'd only ever gotten one a day. It could've been an accident. Forgetting for a moment that Stefen was there, staring down at him, Matthew brought the tulip to his face. It brushed over his lips as he inhaled the scent. Being close to the tulips always made Matthew get this little dreamy smile that the rest of his family mocked day by day, complete with elaborate sighs, random hugging, and if it was Gilbert, bursting into songs from The Sound Of Music.
All at once he remembered and looked up, abashed at Stefen. Stefen was watching him, and his constant cold expression had softened. He'd never seen Stefen look like this, like underneath that hard exterior he might actually snuggle bunnies and save cats from trees.
"Mads," he said, and his usually harsh voice sounded almost...gentle.
Something dawned on him as everything fell into place. A little fact of Stefen's family owning a florists shop came to mind. Oh. Could it be—
"They're yours, aren't they?" Matthew murmured.
In lieu of responding, he picked up the heavy backpack like it was nothing.
"Uh, really, I'd be ok–"
"You don't have an umbrella," he said. "Do you want to get drenched?"
"No..." Matthew muttered. "But I could wait it out..."
"It shows no sign of stopping," Stefen said.
"All right..."
He got up and brushed any dust which might of accrued on his pants.
The sides of his arms were getting wet. Stefen didn't make conversation. Matthew's thoughts were whirling. He wasn't sure if he should talk to break the silence, and if so, then what?
"Why did you do it?" Matthew asked.
"Why do you think?" Stefen replied.
"I don't know, to make fun of me? Like as some sort of revenge against Antonio?"
Stefen scoffed. "Why would I want revenge against him? I'm the one who won."
"T-true..."
Besides, if he wanted revenge against Antonio, he'd probably go for Lovino. But then, Lovino had some, ah, interesting relatives which he'd probably not want to get twisted up with.
The other possibility made his face heat. Love. He took a sideways glance at Stefen. Stefen was looking ahead. There was no trace of the softness he'd seen earlier. Matthew wondered if he'd imagined it.
"You go this way," Matthew murmured.
"I know," Stefen said.
Matthew looked confused, even a little freaked out. Leaving tulips had been a sweet gesture. Waiting outside his room and maybe watching him sleep? Not so sweet, no matter what modern teen books claimed.
"You live with Bonnefoy. He wants roses delivered constantly. I make the deliveries personally," Stefen said.
"Oh....I don't remember seeing you there," Matthew said. "I must not have recognized you."
"I saw you," Stefen said.
Matthew fell quiet again, his cheeks burning. He was far enough away from Stefen that his t-shirt sleeve was damp and there were cold drops of rain spattered over his arm. His shoes were wet.
Before long, they arrived at his doorstep. Matthew wondered if he should let Stefen in. He had been nice enough to carry his things, but would he mistake that as being an invitation to sleep with him? Like asking someone up for coffee never really meant coffee if it was done at a certain hour after a date.
"Um. Thanks...."
Stefen slightly inclined his head in the faintest of nods. He had his pipe out now, and Matthew could smell the rich, sweet smoke of it.
Matthew felt apologetic, even though he had no real reason to. He even felt a little sad for Stefen. Here he'd had a crush on him all along, and Matthew had been treating him like a serial killer and/or rapist. And rumors weren't really trustworthy in any sense. Matthew knew Francis, Antonio and Gilbert enough to know that a lot of the rumors about them were bullshit – bullshit spread by themselves when they were drunk, no less. He chewed on his lower lip and looked down at his sopping wet shoes.
"Um....The flowers...they really made me happy. Thank you."
"I'm not a charitable person...in fact I'm quite selfish," he said.
Matthew started to form a question, but then he felt his arm being tugged. He was pulled to Stefen, against his dark coat with its big buttons. All too soon his mouth was covered by Stefen's.
He'd never been kissed before. He'd certainly never been kissed like this before. He heard the books drop – faintly, barely, given how the blood in his head was rushing, pounding, like he'd been pushed underwater –
Matthew's knees felt on the verge of buckling, but Stefen held him up.
When Stefen let him go, Matthew nearly crumpled into a heap on the pavement. It was only by leaning on the side of the house that he fall down.
Stefen turned to leave.
"Wait, I—"
"You don't have to say anything," Stefen said. "I won't bother you again."
"No I....I mean. I..." Matthew searched for the word, the exact phrase he needed. He reached out and grabbed the edge of Stefen's sleeve.
"I don't know you, but I'd like to? Those flowers made me really happy. And I..." Matthew chewed on his lip. His face was hot again. He stepped out into the rain and felt the cool droplets fall all over him. It felt good against his face. Stefen came closer and brought the bunnybrella over his head.
"I...like it when you smile."
He was rewarded with the same soft expression he'd seen earlier. And Matthew smiled back and there was just this happy moment where he felt warm inside, and like he wanted to be kissed by Stefen again.
It was like the sun coming through the clouds, or something. Poetry was never his strongest point. He was pretty sure his attempts at it in English class made his teacher die inside.
Bad poetry or not, his life was looking up.
--
There's going to be more in this universe, like wherein the BFT (+ Al and Lizzie and maybe even Arthur) test Stefen's worthiness to date Matthew, finding out that Stefen really DOES snuggle bunnies, meeting the rest of Benelux, etc. It was originally supposed to be part of this, but I don't have enough time/inspiration to do it at this moment.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-08-12 05:09 am (UTC)ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 06:29 am (UTC)Wh-where is the rest of this universe? Can I has? Or have you not written it yet. D:
-writernon, again, orz.
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 06:45 am (UTC)Waiting to be written? I'm sort of swamped with stuff, though I could try and finish the "Canada meets Belgium and Luxembourg and finds out that Netherlands snuggles bunnies" The "Netherlands has to endure a Scott Pilgrim-like battle from the BFT + Hungary and America will probably take longer.
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 06:58 am (UTC)Don't rush it or anything, but I'll be all over it when you post. All over it like, uh... fabulous on Poland, or something.
Speaking of things I have to write, I'm finally almost done with my next fluff fic! You inspired me.
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 07:12 am (UTC)I don't remember linking it, though. Mentioning it, maybe, unless it was another link elsewhere where I deanoned?
Yay! What pairing?
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 07:17 am (UTC)Russia/Cuba/Canada. It's sooo long and and I threw out my original draft except the first three scenes because it was suddenly angst, not fluff. DX But it's just short of perfect now... only I have to go to bed and there's no one to beta it, anyway xD
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 07:28 am (UTC)Ahh! I remember that one! And sleep well! Tomorrow you can finish it, eh?
Re: ohey I found it
Date: 2010-09-04 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:56 am (UTC)