[This was written for the RusAme Back to School Event, day one: first day of school.]

There were certain rites of passage in a young boy's life, like having the training wheels taken off your bike and losing your first tooth and getting to climb on the big jungle gym at the playground. None of that compared to the milestone that was the big yellow school bus. Alfred had been itching to get on the bus that passed by his house every day for as long as he could remember. Getting on that bus meant you were old enough to go to kindergarten, and thatmeant that you were a big boy, just like Arthur. Except Arthur was even more grown up because he was starting high school now.

Alfred had always watched Arthur go down to the bus stop alone day after day, and it gave him a fluttery feeling in his tummy to finally get to walk out there side by side with his big brother.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Arthur asked for the hundredth time as they walked. "You haven't forgotten your lunch box? Do you have your crayons?"

"Yup!" Alfred said cheerfully, hopping over the cracks in the sidewalk. The morning air felt warm and sticky on his skin when he stayed still too long.

"And you aren't...erm..." Arthur cleared his throat. "Nervous at all? I-I mean you have no reason to be. I'm sure you'll be just fine. Of course."

Alfred frowned up at Arthur. "I'm not nervous. Are you?"

"O-of course not! It's only high school." He forced a unconvincing little laugh.

"It's okay, Arthur," Alfred whispered loudly. "I bet you'll make lots of friends too!"

Arthur gave him a crooked smile. "You'llhave no trouble making friends, I'm certain. I won't be surprised if you've found a friend on the bus before you ever get to school."

"But I'm going to sit with you on the bus, aren't I? Arthur?"

"No, don't you remember? We're riding different buses. The high school is a ways away from the elementary school."

The fluttery feeling in Alfred's stomach suddenly turned heavy at the thought of being on the school bus without Arthur. "I thought we were gonna be together," he mumbled softly, looking down at his Superman sneakers.

Arthur reached down to ruffle his brother's hair. "You don't need me on that bus. You'll be just fine. Chin up! Oh, look. There's someone else waiting at our bus stop."

Alfred glanced up. There was a girl, a pretty girl with short hair who looked about Arthur's age. She was facing away from them and was bent over slightly, fussing with something on her legs. As they drew closer Alfred saw that there was a little boy, clutching at the girl's legs and burying his face in her skirt. She looked up and smiled weakly when she noticed Alfred and Arthur approaching.

"Good morning," she said. It sounded a little funny to Alfred's ears, the way she said it.

"Ah, um, good morning," Arthur said, suddenly stammering and nervous. "You, er, you have a very pretty accent. I-I mean, I'm Arthur Jones. It's...nice to meet you. B-bit warm today, isn't it?"

The girl blushed and looked away, smiling shyly. "It is nice to meet you too. I-I am Yekaterina Braginski, b-but you may call me Katyusha if..." her voice started to trail off. "I-if you like."

Arthur straightened his shoulders, trying to put on an air of confidence in the face of an intimidatingly pretty girl. "That's a-a very lovely name too. Are you from...er..."

"Russia."

"I-I thought that's what it was!"

Katyusha smiled, a little less timidly. "We moved here at the very end of the last school year, so we-" She broke off as she stumbled, holding her arms out to regain her balance. "Vanya," she sighed in exasperation at the little boy. "You are going to trip me!"

'Vanya' loosened his grip on her legs slightly, but kept his face hidden in her skirt. Alfred twisted his head this way and that, trying to get a look at the boy's face.

"Is he okay?" he asked Katyusha.

"He is just a little shy. Ah, this is my little brother, Ivan Braginski. He's starting kindergarten today."

"Me too!" Alfred said eagerly, bouncing on his toes. "And I thought you said his name was Vanya."

"'Vanya' is..." Katyusha frowned, hunting for the word. "It is...a nickname, I believe. I apologize, my English is not the best-"

"It's fine," Arthur quickly assured her. "Very good, in fact."

Katyusha's face softened into a warm smile. "We have family in America. They have been helping us learn English for some time now, even before the move."

"Does Vanya speak English too?" Alfred asked, eager for a boy his age to talk to.

Ivan turned just far enough to expose one eye from the protective shield of his big sister's skirt. "Yes," he mumbled, and immediately hid his face again.

"Vanya," Katyusha huffed in frustration. "You are being silly! Your English is even better than mine. Show them how you can talk like a grown up."

There was no more time for her to scold; there was a rumble down the street of a bus approaching.

"I believe that's our bus," Arthur said, squinting ahead.

"You really must let go now, Vanya," Katyusha said, prying the boy's arms off her. "You have to stay and wait for your bus."

Ivan reluctantly let go, and looked up at her with huge eyes. "I wanna come too."

"You can't! Stay with, um..."

"Alfred! My name's Alfred!"

"Yes, stay with Alfred! He'll be your friend!" She turned with a worried frown. "I-I mean, will you?"

"Sure I will!" Alfred said, inching over to Ivan who looked about ready to cry.

The bus have finally arrived, and Arthur reluctantly climbed on, glancing back at Alfred every few steps. "Be good!" he called back, and disappeared.

Katyusha followed close behind, waving goodbye. "Be brave, Vanya!" And then she too was gone.

The doors barely had a chance to close before Ivan burst into tears.

"Hey, hey!" Alfred cried, patting Ivan on the back. "What's the matter?"

Ivan sobbed miserably and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I-I wanna go home!"

"No you don't!" Alfred insisted. "School's gonna be fun! Arthur told me all about it. We get to color and have story time and snacks and everything. You'll like it!"

Alfred's words seemed to calm Ivan down a bit, but the other boy was still hiccuping and sniffling.

"I'll be your best friend too!" Alfred promised, and stepped closer to give Ivan a hug. Arthur always gave Alfred hugs when he was upset, and it usually made everything better. "We can sit together on the bus and play together every day! Every single day!"

"D-do you promise?" Ivan sniffed, hugging Alfred back tightly.

"Yup, promise! So don't be sad anymore, okay?"

Ivan sniffed once more, a big damp sound, and pulled away, tugging up his shirt to wipe his face. Alfred couldn't resist giving Ivan's exposed tummy a poke. Ivan made a little squeaking sound and looked indignant, but Alfred lunged back in for a tickle before Ivan could pull his shirt back down.

"Quit, quit!" Ivan giggled, trying to get away from Alfred's fingers.

"Made you laugh!" Alfred grinned triumphantly. Ivan looked a lot nicer when he was smiling instead of crying.

"I'm gonna tickle you next," Ivan threatened, wiggling his fingers and smiling wickedly.

"Better not!" Alfred sang, dancing away. Luckily for him, the bus pulled up at their stop in the nick of time. "You can't tickle me on the bus, or we'll get in trouble," he warned.

Ivan obediently dropped his hands and gave the bus a guilty look. "Do we get on now?"

"Guess so," Alfred said, gulping to gather up his courage. The steps were a bit large for his feet, but he bravely marched forward one step at a time. Most of the seats were still empty and he quickly hopped onto one near the front, waving for Ivan to join him.

"See, this isn't scary at all," he said confidently after Ivan had climbed up next to him.

"And school isn't going to be scary either?" Ivan asked, eyes wide and solemn.

"Nuh uh! Arthur said it's fun, and Arthur never ever lies."

Ivan smiled bashfully and reached over to hold Alfred's hand. "And you're gonna be my best friend. You already promised, so you gotta be my friend forever."

Alfred nodded with a toothy grin, squeezing Ivan's hand tightly. "Forever and ever."

Author's Note:
I thought the school bus was hot shit when I was five. Like, oh man, I'm on the school bus, I'm moving on up in the world!