Something wasn't right.

Matthew Williams stared with his violet orbs absentmindedly at his older brother across the cafeteria. He pursed his lips into a thin line, curious and bewildered.

Alfred Jones was a considerably laid back and a spontaneous athlete born and bred in the States. Loud and blatant as he was, he was very sweet and had a soft heart. He always looked at the sunny side of life; he could see the light at the end of the tunnel; he could make the worst situation funny and enjoyable. Though, he was kind of a pig; he had to admit, it was like his stomach was a bottomless pit of acid that digested before it was even down the throat. He was mostly nagged at about his grades and his work ethnic, yet he would shrug it off and slide on by without a care in the world. He didn't really care about what people thought of him, and he always thought that as long as he was having fun with his life, nothing else mattered. With a cheery smile, he would tackle each and every day positively, surrounded by people adored.

But not today.

Alfred F. Jones was sitting alone at a table, eating absolutely nothing, and frowning; three things Alfred never did. It puzzled Matthew, to the brink to which he was down right worried. He looked…sad? No, that wasn't a good enough word. Sullen, depressed, antsy, hurt, melancholic, all of those words could be added as an attribute of his appearance. Matthew stood up and proceeded to further inspect and investigate.

The closer he got, the more depressed he felt himself. It was if he were radiating an aura of pure unhappiness. He swallowed, and tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder.

"A…Alfred?" he whispered softly, afraid of startling him.

The brother flinched with the contact and looked over. His eyes…they were dull and puffy, moist and lifeless. His cheeks were red, but faint glitters of water still lingered. His hair looked tasseled, as if he'd been running his fingers through it. Alfred smiled; though it was completely obvious it was fake.

"H-hey Mattie! What's up bro?" he asked as cheerful as he could muster.

Matthew didn't say anything, only looked deep and far into the pools of cerulean. They were nervous and scared, remorseful and angry, angst filled and hate. Negative emotions.

"Frère…are you okay?" Matthew questioned gently, wanting to take this slow.

"Ha! Of course I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" Alfred's smile faltered slightly.

The younger brother shook his head slowly, taking a seat next to him. His hands moved from his shoulder to his brother's hands, clasping them tightly and reassuringly. Matthew frowned.

"I know you better than that Al…is something bothering you?"

Alfred swallowed, his smile fading as he bit his bottom lip in anguish. He was definitely hiding something. His voice took a dip, almost as quiet as Matthew himself.

"Nope…just…being…me…" Alfred said, stressing the last word with disdain?

The Canadian sighed, "Alfred, you know you can tell me anything. I'll never laugh; I'll never make fun of you, you know that."

The American's gaze fell, and Matthew could tell he was contemplating speech. He licked his lips, and opened his mouth, but all that came out was a silent string of words. He closed his mouth, and twisted it back into a breaking smile.

"I'm fine Mattie…really…"

"Alfred…"

Matthew's frown turned into an even deeper one, his eyes softening.

"Alfred…look at you. I can tell you've been crying. You look like a mess. You're not eating, you're alone, and most importantly," he paused, pulling at his cheek, "…you're not smiling. The Alfred I know always wears a smile."

Alfred bit his lip, and looked straight at him. His pools of everlasting sky were fighting tears. He refused to cry. He wouldn't cry, not in front of Matthew. But the question remained the same; could he tell him without crying?

"Y-you're right Matt…I just…I don't know how to handle this…"

"Handle what?"

The American looked down, a tear managing to slip from his eye and onto his pant leg. He inhaled a shaky breath.

"I-I'm so scared Mattie…I'm so scared… that everyone h-hates me… t-that…I'm all alone…"

Matthew felt his heart melt at the words. He looked at him in wonder. No one had ever hated him, nor did they think they did now.

"Al…everyone loves you. You should know that…"

"No! It's not that! E-everyone pretends to like me! I-I'm all alone. They like me for my popularity…not because they're my friends! I want…I don't want everyone to hate me…"

The sheer pathetic tone of his voice made Matthew's heart ache. Did he really think all of this?

"Alfred! Who…who told you this?"

He didn't say anything, just bit his lip and turned way. Another few tears slipped, onto his leg, and Matthew couldn't help but let his brotherly nature take over. He held him close and whispered softly.

"You're not alone Alfred…never. You've never been alone, and you won't ever be alone…" he touched his cheek. "Because I'm here. I'll stand by you always. I love you Alfred, and that's what brothers do."

He held him closer, squeezing him reassuringly. He stroked his hair lightly, humming softly. The Canadian felt the fabric of his shoulder get wet, but he tried his best to ignore it. The lunch bell rang out, and students shifted to get to their next class. With another shaky sigh, Alfred mumbled softly.

"Thank you…Mattie…"

Matthew made a noise of acknowledgement, releasing him slowly. He nodded, as if silently asking if he was all right. Alfred smiled warmly, taking his hands into his as he stood up, pulling the younger one with him.

And this time, the smile was real.

Just a little something I wrote up about a few months ago but never got around to publishing. I've always loved the more brotherly side of AmeCan, so enjoy!

Read and Review~?

-IchigoMelon