My Brother's Best Friend • Prucan

Dragged Out of the Closet

"Mom and Dad found out about you and Gilbert. They know you're gay." 

Matthew felt the knot in his stomach double loop and tighten to the point where his lungs could no longer inhale. He sat in frozen silence as his mouth threatened to spill the contents from his stomach. His breath hitched, and his hands shook as he placed them on the desk in front of him. 

"Matthew-" Alfred began, reaching out a hand to grab his brother's.

"H-how did they find out?" Matthew mustered, his eyes watering as his throat felt like it was closing in on him. He quickly took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on to focus on his brother, who was now giving him a look of sympathy which made facing the truth a lot more painful.

"All I know is that mom and dad want to sit down with us tonight for a 'chat'. I asked mom what it was about and she said something about a picture Roderich's mother sent her. I'm almost ninety-nine percent sure the picture was at Ivan's party and that you and Gilbert might've been dancing a little suggestively in the background" Alfred explained, a grim look on his face as he relayed the news to Matthew. 

"They want to sit down with us?! They're in Los Angeles!" Matthew exclaimed, feeling even more nervous now that his parents, who were on the other side of the country, were asking to "sit down" with them. 

"They don't actually want to sit down with us, they want to Skype" Alfred clarified, watching as Matthew's chest rose up and down with his rapid breathing. 

"When?!"

"As soon as we get home" 

"Guess I'm never going home then" Matthew joked, eliciting a sympathetic chuckle from his brother. Matthew sniffled and wiped his dripping eyes and nose with his t-shirt, which was now destroyed by the utter amount of snot on it. Matthew could see Alfred's eyes watering as well. Matthew hadn't even considered how Alfred had felt about this whole situation. If Matthew's secret was uncovered, was it finally time for Alfred to come out as well?

"What are you going to do about Arthur?" Matthew suddenly asked, breaking through the silence as the two brother's sat in the room, teary-eyed. 

"I honestly don't know. I'm afraid they'll disown us" Alfred spoke, his voice cracking as he feared the worst from his parents. 

"Me too" Matthew muttered, reaching over to hug his brother as he tried not to burst into more tears. Matthew had never wanted this day to come. He felt safe in his closet. It was comfortable, and only a few friends knew about it. He didn't exactly want to leave it, especially if it was going to be his parents dragging him out. 

"Your shirt looks awful." Alfred spoke, laughing as he and Matthew's eyes trailed down to Matthew's snot-ridden baseball tee. Matthew giggled at the grossness of it and shrugged, not knowing what else he could do. 

"I have to get back to class. 2nd block starts in fifteen minutes" Matthew said, picking at the gross parts of his shirt like a vulture would to carrion on the side of the road. 

"Take my shirt, I wont need it" Alfred suggested, pulling off his t-shirt to hand to his brother. 

"Are you serious?" Matthew asked, rolling his eyes at his ridiculous brother. 

"I have gym, I can live without a shirt for a block or two" 

"Isn't gym the only class you have with Arthur? I'm sure he'll love that" Matthew teased, causing his brother to turn a bit red in the face. 

"Piss off" Alfred shot back.

"Oh you're using his British English now too?! How cute, you're sharing culture" Matthew joked as he pulled his shirt off and pulled on Alfred's. For some strange reason, teasing Alfred made him feel a bit better about his impending doom.