Chapter 1 - A Dodgeball Catastrophe
Submitted November 27, 2014 Updated July 1, 2015 Status Incomplete | When sweet young Matthew Bonnefoy is suddenly a terminal cancer patient, he doesn't expect anyone to notice or care. But sometimes, love comes from unexpected places. (Hetalia AU, Human names used, PruCan, FACE Family.)
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Anime/Manga » Hetalia Axis Powers |
Chapter 1 - A Dodgeball Catastrophe
Chapter 1 - A Dodgeball Catastrophe
CHAPTER ONE: A Dodgeball Catastrophe
"Hurry up, Mattie! We're going to be late!"
Alfred slung his backpack over his shoulder, already walking towards the door. He grabbed a waffle and managed to get half of it into his mouth before Matthew called from upstairs, "Wait for me!"
Hurried footsteps hammered on the floor above as Matthew scampered around, trying to get everything together before the school bus came. Impatient as ever, Alfred rolled his eyes, finishing his waffle in another two bites. He leaned against the wall, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his text messages.
He didn't notice his dad come in until he spoke, which made Alfred jump.
"Are you all ready to go?"
"Dad!" he gasped. "Why don't you give me a heart attack?"
Arthur sighed. "Put the phone away and socialize for once." He sat down at the kitchen table and looked at Alfred with his stern green eyes.
"Well, are you?"
"Am I what, Dad?"
"Ready to go."
"Yeah, I've been ready." Alfred said. "Mattie is taking his sweet time, though." He shot an annoyed look at the ceiling.
"Did you remember to feed the dogs?"
"The bus is going to be here in five minutes!"
"You'd better hurry up, then."
"Da-ad!" Alfred whined.Arthur opened a newspaper.
Sighing dramatically, Alfred sprinted back through the house to the laundry room, where their two German Shepherds stayed while they were away.
The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by an overexcited wall of fur.
"Ack!" he sputtered. "Down, Tony! Get down!"
Tony returned to all fours with a yip of protest. Kuma, the other dog, stood calmly behind Tony, wagging his tail.
After managing to get the food into the bowls with minimal loss of limb, Alfred dashed back out to the kitchen. He grabbed another waffle and glanced at the clock on the stove. 6:43. Two minutes until the bus came.
"Mattie!" he shouted.
Footsteps pounded across the second floor and down the stairs. Matthew ran into the kitchen a moment later, still in the process of putting on his backpack. His glasses were askew and his honey blond hair stuck out in all sorts of places. He stopped by the table, putting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Alfred could hear him wheezing from where he stood.
"S-sorry..." he panted. "I couldn't find my History book."
"Whatever, man," Alfred said. "We're going to be late."
"Matthieu! Don't forget your coat!" Matthew's dad, Francis, said as he walked into the kitchen. He paused as he reached to hand Matthew his brown jacket.
"Are you wheezing?"
"I'm fine, Papa," Matthew said quietly.
Francis did not look convinced. "Is your asthma acting up?" he asked, concerned. "Perhaps you should take your inhaler-"
"I said I'm fine, Papa." Matthew's voice was soft, but firm.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, looking embarrassed.
"Alright." Francis straightened, still not looking thoroughly convinced.
Alfred glanced outside. Though he couldn't see any vehicles, he heard an approaching engine. The bus was coming.
"Mattie! We gotta go!"
Matthew must have heard the engine too. He stuffed the notebook into his backpack, put on his coat, and gave Francis a hug. Then, he dashed out the door behind Alfred.
***
They almost didn't make it.
Luckily, the bus driver saw them at the last moment, and hastily halted the bus to wait for them. Alfred dashed up the stairs as soon as the door opened. Matthew followed at a slower pace, murmuring a quick "thank you" to the bus driver before joining Alfred in a seat near the back of the bus, which lurched into motion as soon as he sat down.
Being one of the first stops on the route, they had a long ride ahead of them. Alfred took that opportunity to pull out his neglected algebra homework and scribble down a few answers. Matthew closed his eyes and leaned against the window, trying to catch his breath.
"Matt? You okay?"
He cracked open an eye to see his brother looking worriedly at him.
"Yeah," he murmured. "Just tired."
"But you were panting..."
"I'm fine."
Alfred looked like he wanted to protest, but decided to drop the subject. He went back to scratching down random answers on his homework.
***
The bus ride felt longer than ever.
Matthew tried to sleep through it, but his aching chest kept him awake. He tried to keep his breathing even so as not to worry Alfred, but it wasn't easy. Perhaps he should have brought his inhaler after all...
He must have eventually dozed off, because a moment later, Alfred was shaking his shoulder. "Mattie, wake up. We're here."
Opening his eyes once more, Matthew was greeted with the all-too-familiar sight of the looming red brick walls. There was still mist rising eerily off of the barren front yard. No teachers or students were in sight; in fact, there was hardly a living thing in sight, save the yellowed grass that stuck up through cracks in the faded sidewalk. If Matthew was honest with himself, the place looked more like a prison than a school.
The bus doors sluggishly creaked open. Students streamed out, anxious to be free of the stuffy vehicle. However, Matt was in no hurry. He'd rather be stuck in the unbearable yellow monstrosity than within the walls of the abuse centre so laughably called a school. But nonetheless, he picked up his backpack and trudged outside, Alfred in tow.
***
The morning classes were always the biggest struggle, mostly because it was a challenge for one to simply keep their eyes open.
As soon as he sat down for his first class, chemistry, Matthew felt himself nodding off. The teacher's voice droned on about dimensional analysis, and orbitals of electron clouds, and quite a bit of other jumbled tomfoolery that had Matt dozing. He only came to his senses when his lab partner elbowed him roughly in the ribs.
"You're going to miss the lab instructions," Lovino hissed. "I'm not doing the whole damn thing by myself."
"Sorry," Matthew whispered back, rubbing his chest where Lovino had prodded him. Had he always been that rough?
***
Matt dragged himself through the rest of the morning, escaping with only a few minor scoldings from teachers. Now it was midday. Only a few more classes before he could finally go home.
Next was Phys Ed. At least it was something he couldn't fall asleep in.
Upon arriving at the gymnasium, Matthew entered the locker room, where he changed out of his jeans and into a pair of sweatpants. On his way back out to the gym, he nearly ran smack into Gilbert Beilschmidt.
The tall albino let out a quiet gasp of surprise. Matthew immediately darted around him and out of the locker room, feeling awkward. An average kid like him couldn't just get away with nearly knocking one of the school's most popular jocks onto his backside. He couldn't let Gilbert see his face. If he did, he'd probably end up with a black eye, at the very least.
Back out in the gym, the coach announced that day's activity: dodgeball. Matthew inwardly groaned. He was always the target in dodgeball. His only strategy was to run like crazy and hope he wouldn't be hit.
After splitting the students up into teams, the coach blew the whistle to announce the beginning of the game. Rubber balls went flying at light speed. Matt took off.
As he sprinted back and forth, trying in vain to stay out of the line of fire, he felt his chest begin to ache again. It was worse than usual, each intake of breath stinging like he'd inhaled an icepick. But he forced himself to keep running.
It wasn't until his vision started to grow fuzzy that he halted, putting his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath. His lungs screamed in agony with each inhalation.
The room was spinning... was it supposed to be spinning?
He heard his name somewhere off to the right, but the voice sounded as though it was speaking through several layers of plastic. His frantic heartbeat echoed in his ringing ears. The spinning was becoming laced with black.
A hand was on his shoulder. Someone was calling his name. Alfred? Matthew blinked in confusion. Alfred wasn't in his class...
He felt his face hit something hard and cold... the floor? The voice grew louder and more frantic, but it was drowned out in Matthew's echoing heartbeat as he lost consciousness, and everything faded into nothing.
"Hurry up, Mattie! We're going to be late!"
Alfred slung his backpack over his shoulder, already walking towards the door. He grabbed a waffle and managed to get half of it into his mouth before Matthew called from upstairs, "Wait for me!"
Hurried footsteps hammered on the floor above as Matthew scampered around, trying to get everything together before the school bus came. Impatient as ever, Alfred rolled his eyes, finishing his waffle in another two bites. He leaned against the wall, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his text messages.
He didn't notice his dad come in until he spoke, which made Alfred jump.
"Are you all ready to go?"
"Dad!" he gasped. "Why don't you give me a heart attack?"
Arthur sighed. "Put the phone away and socialize for once." He sat down at the kitchen table and looked at Alfred with his stern green eyes.
"Well, are you?"
"Am I what, Dad?"
"Ready to go."
"Yeah, I've been ready." Alfred said. "Mattie is taking his sweet time, though." He shot an annoyed look at the ceiling.
"Did you remember to feed the dogs?"
"The bus is going to be here in five minutes!"
"You'd better hurry up, then."
"Da-ad!" Alfred whined.Arthur opened a newspaper.
Sighing dramatically, Alfred sprinted back through the house to the laundry room, where their two German Shepherds stayed while they were away.
The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by an overexcited wall of fur.
"Ack!" he sputtered. "Down, Tony! Get down!"
Tony returned to all fours with a yip of protest. Kuma, the other dog, stood calmly behind Tony, wagging his tail.
After managing to get the food into the bowls with minimal loss of limb, Alfred dashed back out to the kitchen. He grabbed another waffle and glanced at the clock on the stove. 6:43. Two minutes until the bus came.
"Mattie!" he shouted.
Footsteps pounded across the second floor and down the stairs. Matthew ran into the kitchen a moment later, still in the process of putting on his backpack. His glasses were askew and his honey blond hair stuck out in all sorts of places. He stopped by the table, putting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Alfred could hear him wheezing from where he stood.
"S-sorry..." he panted. "I couldn't find my History book."
"Whatever, man," Alfred said. "We're going to be late."
"Matthieu! Don't forget your coat!" Matthew's dad, Francis, said as he walked into the kitchen. He paused as he reached to hand Matthew his brown jacket.
"Are you wheezing?"
"I'm fine, Papa," Matthew said quietly.
Francis did not look convinced. "Is your asthma acting up?" he asked, concerned. "Perhaps you should take your inhaler-"
"I said I'm fine, Papa." Matthew's voice was soft, but firm.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, looking embarrassed.
"Alright." Francis straightened, still not looking thoroughly convinced.
Alfred glanced outside. Though he couldn't see any vehicles, he heard an approaching engine. The bus was coming.
"Mattie! We gotta go!"
Matthew must have heard the engine too. He stuffed the notebook into his backpack, put on his coat, and gave Francis a hug. Then, he dashed out the door behind Alfred.
***
They almost didn't make it.
Luckily, the bus driver saw them at the last moment, and hastily halted the bus to wait for them. Alfred dashed up the stairs as soon as the door opened. Matthew followed at a slower pace, murmuring a quick "thank you" to the bus driver before joining Alfred in a seat near the back of the bus, which lurched into motion as soon as he sat down.
Being one of the first stops on the route, they had a long ride ahead of them. Alfred took that opportunity to pull out his neglected algebra homework and scribble down a few answers. Matthew closed his eyes and leaned against the window, trying to catch his breath.
"Matt? You okay?"
He cracked open an eye to see his brother looking worriedly at him.
"Yeah," he murmured. "Just tired."
"But you were panting..."
"I'm fine."
Alfred looked like he wanted to protest, but decided to drop the subject. He went back to scratching down random answers on his homework.
***
The bus ride felt longer than ever.
Matthew tried to sleep through it, but his aching chest kept him awake. He tried to keep his breathing even so as not to worry Alfred, but it wasn't easy. Perhaps he should have brought his inhaler after all...
He must have eventually dozed off, because a moment later, Alfred was shaking his shoulder. "Mattie, wake up. We're here."
Opening his eyes once more, Matthew was greeted with the all-too-familiar sight of the looming red brick walls. There was still mist rising eerily off of the barren front yard. No teachers or students were in sight; in fact, there was hardly a living thing in sight, save the yellowed grass that stuck up through cracks in the faded sidewalk. If Matthew was honest with himself, the place looked more like a prison than a school.
The bus doors sluggishly creaked open. Students streamed out, anxious to be free of the stuffy vehicle. However, Matt was in no hurry. He'd rather be stuck in the unbearable yellow monstrosity than within the walls of the abuse centre so laughably called a school. But nonetheless, he picked up his backpack and trudged outside, Alfred in tow.
***
The morning classes were always the biggest struggle, mostly because it was a challenge for one to simply keep their eyes open.
As soon as he sat down for his first class, chemistry, Matthew felt himself nodding off. The teacher's voice droned on about dimensional analysis, and orbitals of electron clouds, and quite a bit of other jumbled tomfoolery that had Matt dozing. He only came to his senses when his lab partner elbowed him roughly in the ribs.
"You're going to miss the lab instructions," Lovino hissed. "I'm not doing the whole damn thing by myself."
"Sorry," Matthew whispered back, rubbing his chest where Lovino had prodded him. Had he always been that rough?
***
Matt dragged himself through the rest of the morning, escaping with only a few minor scoldings from teachers. Now it was midday. Only a few more classes before he could finally go home.
Next was Phys Ed. At least it was something he couldn't fall asleep in.
Upon arriving at the gymnasium, Matthew entered the locker room, where he changed out of his jeans and into a pair of sweatpants. On his way back out to the gym, he nearly ran smack into Gilbert Beilschmidt.
The tall albino let out a quiet gasp of surprise. Matthew immediately darted around him and out of the locker room, feeling awkward. An average kid like him couldn't just get away with nearly knocking one of the school's most popular jocks onto his backside. He couldn't let Gilbert see his face. If he did, he'd probably end up with a black eye, at the very least.
Back out in the gym, the coach announced that day's activity: dodgeball. Matthew inwardly groaned. He was always the target in dodgeball. His only strategy was to run like crazy and hope he wouldn't be hit.
After splitting the students up into teams, the coach blew the whistle to announce the beginning of the game. Rubber balls went flying at light speed. Matt took off.
As he sprinted back and forth, trying in vain to stay out of the line of fire, he felt his chest begin to ache again. It was worse than usual, each intake of breath stinging like he'd inhaled an icepick. But he forced himself to keep running.
It wasn't until his vision started to grow fuzzy that he halted, putting his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath. His lungs screamed in agony with each inhalation.
The room was spinning... was it supposed to be spinning?
He heard his name somewhere off to the right, but the voice sounded as though it was speaking through several layers of plastic. His frantic heartbeat echoed in his ringing ears. The spinning was becoming laced with black.
A hand was on his shoulder. Someone was calling his name. Alfred? Matthew blinked in confusion. Alfred wasn't in his class...
He felt his face hit something hard and cold... the floor? The voice grew louder and more frantic, but it was drowned out in Matthew's echoing heartbeat as he lost consciousness, and everything faded into nothing.
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