The Rosebloom Boy

Don't Tell Papa

        I'm feeling a little sickly. Everything is starting to slip from my grasp, and it's getting harder to know what's real and what's not. My head can't take being away from my home for much longer. It may only be a matter of time before I leave and never return.

         Explanations were kept short. Quicker than he expected, Matthew found himself the son of a proud papa. Mr. Kirkland may not have been willing to take care of Matthew, but Mr. Bonnefy was more than happy to take him in. He was impressed by Matthew's charm and intellect. It just wasn't something he was willing to pass up on (plus Alfred had practically begged him to take Matt). Matthew was now instructed to call him Papa instead of Mr. Bonnefy.

        Now that all matters concerning Matthew were resolved, Mr. Kirkland drove them back to his home for lunch. By then, Matthew didn't seem to be acting normally. He seemed to be a shade paler, which was unusual for a boy with skin as white as his. Alfred noted that his breaths seemed to be getting shorter and more forced. Quiet as he was, his current condition spoke measures louder.

"Are you okay Matthieu?" Papa asks, turning slightly to face his new child.

"I-I feel s-sick..." he stutters, closing his eyes.

The Frenchman puts a hand to the boy's head. "He feels like he's running a fever. We better get him home quickly."

        Mr. Kirkland nods, driving slightly faster. Little did they know that Matthew's condition was much more serious than just a fever. His body was starting to shut down internally. Unlike humans, Matthew had no blood to carry needed nutrients around, neither do his systems function to gather nutrients from the food he ate. This is one of the reason's humanization has always failed with reflections. Unless Matthew has the constant source of nutrients he needs during the process of his organs starting to function like a human's, he'll either become dehydrated or starve; whichever comes first. He's already dug himself in deep, barely recieving the water he needs.

        By the time the had arrived home, Matthew had lost most of his liquids through the immense amount of sweat dripping from him because of his fever. Francis carried his boy inside, laying him carefully on the couch. A blanket was draped over Matthew, checking his temperature, but still having no luck. Matthew was pale, weak, burning up, and they had no idea what was wrong with him. Arthur called a doctor to come take a look at Matthew, seeing if there was anything they could do.

"Alfred, get me a glass of water please," Mr. Bonnefy instructs.

        The American nods, and runs off to the kitchen. He racks his brain for reasons Matthew could be so sick all of a sudden. He doesn't remember the journal. He wouldn't look in there even if he did. No one would believe any silly remedy he came up with, for no one believed Matthew was magical. Alfred knew. He had always known. He had been aware of the dangers of bringing Matthew here. Now he may risk his friend's life. Matthew could be minutes from death for all he knew. He brings the glass of water back to Mr. Bonnefy. The Frenchman lifts the glass to Matthew's lips, helping him drink it.

"Tha's it mon petite Matthieu," he soothes. "Everything is going to be okay."

"P-Papa?" Matthew stuttered, choking on the water.

Papa took the glass away from Matthew's mouth, pushing away a few strands of blonde hair from his face. "Don't worry. Someone will be here to help in a little bit."

        The doctor arrived soon after that. He took Matthew's temperature, deciding there was nothing wrong with a temperature only a few degrees higher than normal and moved on to the next test. He checked for several other sicknesses in the process, deciding it couldn't be any of those. Papa had even agreed for Matthew to provide a blood sample for further testing. It was obvious that Matthew didn't like the needle, but that was normal. There was one thing that wasn't quite normal though. No matter how many time the doctor pricked him, Matthew wouldn't give any blood. A white, glue-like liquid seeped out instead. Quickly after that the doctor discovered Matthew was indeed bloodless.