Safe and Sound (An APH PruCan Story)

Speak the Mind

CHAPTER SIX: Speak the Mind

"That's right, kid. Gilbert Beilschmidt. And I'm here because I saved your life."

Matthew couldn't help but stare as the newcomer slowly approached him, with a goofy sideways grin plastered on his face.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, Matthew stuttered out, "W-what...?" His head swam with confusion. Saved my life?

Gilbert's grin dropped a bit. "In the gym... when you, ah... passed out..."

Matthew felt his heart speed up at the memory, and forced his breath not to follow suit. His head tilted slightly in confusion. Before he could speak, Gilbert continued:

"I was the one who gave you CPR."

Matthew's eyes shot wide open. He remembered hearing someone saying his name, someone catching him... he had assumed, perhaps, his brother... but Gilbert Beilschmidt? He hadn't even been sure whether albino had actually known he existed.

"That... was you...?"

Gilbert nodded silently, not knowing how else to respond.

The blonde's lips parted slightly, as if he was going to say something more, but after a moment they met once again; the violet eyes above them were still wide, but now were directed at the foot of the bed as a rather uncomfortable silence fell over the room like the beginning of a chilly rain.

Gilbert shifted his feet. He broke the silence with, "It made me mad... no one else even saw what was happening until I did something..."

He immediately knew he'd said the exact wrong thing when Matthew sucked in a breath suddenly, turning away from him.

Shit.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry!" Gilbert said immediately. "I didn't mean to upset you!"

He received no response from the smaller boy.

The albino mentally kicked himself. Why hadn't he thought that through...? It was obvious the kid wasn't noticed very often at school. And Gilbert had just rubbed it in his face.

Feeling terribly guilty, but not knowing what to do, Gilbert began to slowly back out of the room. His foot had just crossed the threshold when a new presence startled him into nearly wetting his awesome self.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, Beilschmidt?!"

The white-haired boy snapped his head around to find none other than Alfred Kirkland, arms harshly crossed, glaring at him from the hall.

"Well?!" the golden blonde snarled when Gilbert didn't respond right away.

The albino narrowed his ruby eyes at Alfred, before pushing past him and exiting the room. He strode back down the hallway, having decided against responding to Matthew's fuming twin.

Alfred watched him go, sneering at his back before entering the stark white room and approaching the bed.

"Mattie?" Al murmured, sitting down next to his brother. "What'd he do to you?"

Matthew simply shook his head, not looking at his brother as a tear escaped and rolled down his pale cheek.

Alfred grit his teeth. He glared at the open door, all but daring the big stupid albino to march back in.

This dude, this... Gilbert Beilschmidt... he had hurt his brother.

And Alfred was not about to let that go.

XxXxXxXxX

The front door of the Beilschmidt household banged open exactly forty-seven minutes later than it normally did.