Matthew knew it was going to be amazing, and at this point he didn't quite know what it was, but whatever it was, it was going to be amazing. He put on his normal morning coffee and abandoned the pot for a moment as he heard shuffling down the hall. Gilbert was finally awake, and it was going to be their first Valentine's Day together. They had been together three years before as well, but Gilbert had been kept by boss and country at work. They had instead, had dinner over webcam and Gilbert had promised him that it would be different the next year. He closed his glossy eyes for a second and took a deep breath before turning to peek his body into the room. He was too excited about this, but he knew that Gilbert would be overjoyed to see him so happy.
His body peeked over the doorframe and he saw Gilbert sitting up on the edge of the bed texting out something on his phone. It took a moment for Gilbert to note his presence, and Matthew left the frame to sit at the albino's side. He leaned to kiss Gilbert's shoulder, but watched as it didn't even register on his face. He had known that Gilbert wasn't a morning person, and that he hated it more than anything, but he had figured there would be a little more excitement. Gilbert finished up his texting and set his phone on the charger and back on the end table before sighing and stretching.
"Morning Gil." Gilbert hummed in response.
"Morning pancake." He leaned to kiss Matthew's cheek. He knew that Gilbert hated receiving or bestowing kisses before he had a chance to brush his teeth. Matthew blinked, standing up to walk back out to the kitchen. He heard the shower start and he poured himself a cup of coffee. He smiled dryly, looking into the steam of his cup. It was still very early in the day and Matthew was never one to put it past Gilbert's groggy brain to forget things in the very beginning of morning. He decided sternly that he was indeed, being a little pushy about his affections. Gilbert wouldn't forget something like this.
His coffee drained slowly and as he dried the bottom of his cup, Gilbert emerged from the room and into the kitchen still wearing only his towel. Matthew smiled again, putting his cup down by the sink before taking his place behind his naked boyfriend. Grabbing a little box out of the fridge, Gilbert turned to acknowledge Matthew's good mood and he raised an eyebrow. The blonde wasn't nearly this zealous any other morning. After opening his little box and pulling out a little piece of banana bread that Matthew had made yesterday, he leaned in to kiss Matthew quickly.
"You seem to be having a good morning." He was smiling, and Matthew blinked.
"Well, yeah, I've kind of been waiting for this day since last year." He was still smiling, and Gilbert looked confused. "Gil… don't you remember what day it is?" There was trouble in his indigo eyes, and Gilbert blinked, passing a careful glance at the calendar before noting the day and looking down at Matthew.
"Hah, o-of course I do! What kind of awesome boyfriend forgets Valentine's day?" Matthew had seen him glance away, and his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. There was a stiff silence for a moment before Matthew walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps heavy and Gilbert heard the drawers to Matthew's dresser open. He walked back, watching Matthew dress himself in a very rushed fashion and he put the food back on the counter just in time to see the blonde appear out of the hallway to grab his jacket. "Hey, where are you going?!" Matthew shook his head.
"I-I… I'm just going out for a little bit…" Gilbert tilted his head.
"Why? Aren't we supposed to be together today?" Matthew grunted.
"Yes, Gil, we were!" Matthew sighed a deep, pained sigh. "You forgot. You forgot today, even though I've been telling you for the last two weeks how excited I was…" He walked out, closing the door heavily but not quite slamming it. Gilbert knitted his eyebrows, returning to his phone to call his friend about the plan for today. Francis picked up with a hearty greeting, gleaming with happiness and love.
"Bonjour~" Gilbert huffed.
"He left." The Frenchman blinked.
"Oh. Well, that was part of our little plan, oui?"
"Well, ja, but maybe this was the wrong thing to do. He's really mad at me." He slumped back onto the bed, lying to look at Matthew's pillow and he took a deep breath. The bed on his side had always smelled of maple, and now he wished he hadn't gone with this stupid plan. "Should I bring him back?" Francis sighed, a smile could be heard in his voice.
"If you think he'll believe you. He'll probably be angrier if you told him that was the plan." Damn Francis being so right all the time.
"Gott… so you just get this set up, and I'll go find him. Sound like a plan?" Francis hummed in affirmation.
"Oui, oui. Just bring him back sound and I'll have everything set up. I'll need at least an hour." Gilbert nodded.
"It'll take me at least that to find him. I don't know where in the world he could have gone." The Frenchman shrugged even though he was aware Gilbert could not see it.
"Well, use that brain I know you have somewhere under ego." Gilbert scowled.
"My awesomeness chooses not to acknowledge that." He sighed. "He did say something about Netherlands a few days ago. Something about wanting to visit him 'cause he was a friend." Gilbert sighed again. "I'll check there first."
"Oui. I'll get things set up." They hung up and he tossed the phone onto his pillow before getting dressed. Hopefully he hadn't pissed Matthew off too badly. Which in actuality, he had. Matthew was fuming, his hands gripped tightly onto the steering wheel of his car as he pressed violently on the gas pedal. Slowing mildly, Matthew turned into a driveway, staying in the seat for just a moment to look at the house in front of him. Netherlands had always offered him friendship, and this was the only time he could even consider sharing his burden with anyone besides Gilbert.
Feeling the air on his face, he wiped away a few tears in frustration and climbed out to knock on the door. The tulips at Netherlands' house were almost always in bloom, and Matthew took a moment to admire the red ones like he was sent every year. He loved flowers, and he had made that very clear to Gilbert when he was sent these same ones every single year by Netherlands. He scowled and a voice from inside the house called him in. He carefully opened the door, peeking inside to see the living room and kitchen empty.
"Net?" The other blonde was finally seen exiting his room at the end of the hallway and Matthew stepped in, closing the door softly. Netherlands looked rather tidied up for just morning, but he had always been such a get-it-done kind of person, so it didn't surprise Matthew all that much. The other blinked, his green eyes lit up with confusion as soon as he set eyes on the Canadian.
"Matthew? What are you doing here? It's Valentine's day." He crossed his arms and Matthew nodded.
"…Oui, I know…" He blinked.
"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be… with…" His arms fell. "Don't you tell me he forgot." Matthew held back the tears as he nodded, throwing his head into his hands to shield his pitiful face from his friend. The other groaned.
"What an inconsiderate asshole…" He took a deep breath, retrieving a bottle from the fridge that was labeled in some fancy script. He set it down on the coffee table and motioned Matthew over. They sat down and Matthew sniffled a bit as he was handed a plastic cup filled with a bubbly pink liquid. The look he gave Netherlands asked what it was. "It's strawberry champagne. I got it from France for Christmas." Matthew nodded taking a healthy swig of it. "So, what happened?" There was a long, broken explanation between the hideous sobs Matthew tried to repress and Netherlands refilled the cup when the explanation reached it's end.
"…I-I thought h-he knew th-that I-I-"Netherlands shook his head.
"Matthew, you should have known better than to trust him with something this important." He leaned back onto the couch, his arms lying along the back behind Matthew's head. The Canadian held his head back up to look at him, wiping a tear from his red cheek. "I've told you all this time that in some way, he was going to get what he wanted and leave. He's done with you, and now he doesn't care what happens…" Matthew didn't want to believe this, but after telling Gilbert about today for weeks in advance, it felt almost plausible. Sniffling again, he raised his sleeve to dry off his tears and he looked at Netherlands again. "Why don't we go sit outside? The air will probably do you some good."
They got up, moving to the front yard and they sat down beside the little flower gardens under the windows. Netherlands plucked a red one from the side handing it to Matthew. "There. I know how much you wanted flowers today." Matthew giggled through his pain and held the flower close. "Matthew…" He looked up to meet eyes with his friend. "You know, there's better people out there for you, and you know that you deserve better than this right?" There was a second of silence and Matthew blinked.
"…O-Oui?" He hoped this was not heading where he thought it was.
"Gilbert doesn't know a good thing when he has it, and we've been friends for so much longer than you two…" He sat up straight, his normal strong and intensely strict eyes now covered in a sort of calm softness that Matthew had never seen in him before. "…And you know I would treat you like a princess, i-if you'd just let me show you how much you mean to me." Matthew blinked again, stunned that he'd predicted this and that it was actually happening.
"O-Oh Net… I-I…" He bit his lip a little, looking down.
"Please Matthew, You know in your heart I am the better choice. I always remember everything you want, every day you look forward to… I'd never do anything like that to you." The Canadian cleared his throat and swallowed thickly before trying to speak clearly.
"Net I… I-I know you have feelings for me, a-and you've been nothing b-but kind and generous with m-me…" Netherlands scooted a little closer, practically wrapping an arm about him. "B-But I-"
"Hey! Get your arschloch hands off of my Vögelchen right the fuck now or we're going to have so motherfucking problems!" The both sat up quickly and Matthew stood.
"Gilbert?" The albino was stomping up from the yard, his car parked a block down because the rest of the street was full.
"Uh, ja. You didn't think I'd just let you walk away from me? Nein, birdie, that is the worst thought to ever come out of your cute little head. And you-"He directing his searing glare toward Netherlands, staring him down into the grass he was sitting on. "You keep your hands off of my birdie or it's the last you'll ever see of them."
"Gilbert!" Matthew was still fuming, and he blocked Gilbert from his view of Netherlands. "What in the world do you think you're doing? It's not bad enough that you forgot something this important to me, but now you hunt me down to insult my friend when he was trying to comfort me?" Gilbert shrunk back a little. "This is absolutely ridiculous. What do you even want? Why are you here?" He placed his hands on his hips, clearly ready to fling any kind of insult if Gilbert said anything wrong.
"I-I came to get you. To apologize, and to bring you home. I was worried about you being alone, and I didn't want you spending today with anyone but me." Matthew huffed, crossing his arms and Netherlands stood up to stand close to the little Canadian. His sickly green gaze turned on Matthew now, and Gilbert glared again to try and shake him before shit had to get nasty.
"Gilbert, Matthew doesn't need your kind. He's better off with someone who appreciates him and remembers things like that. Which is clearly not you." He brushed Matthew's hair behind one ear and it caused the littler blonde to flinch a little bit. "Someone like me. Matthew, if you really want to be happy, you should rid yourself of all the things that make you feel this way. Like him." Gilbert stepped up and Matthew held a hand out to stop him before he could do anything. "I'm ready to help you. I can be better, and I'll never do anything like this to you."
"Hey, you back the fuck off!" Gilbert had anticipated Matthew leaving in such a rush, irritated no doubt, but not mad enough to leave him for someone else. Matthew shook his head, crossing his arms a little tighter. His indigo eyes lingered on Netherland's face and Gilbert let out an exasperated breath. "Wait, birdie you aren't…"
"Gilbert, if I wanted to say anything to you, I would have." The Canadian hadn't ever been so harsh to him, as Gilbert knew Matthew would never do anything to hurt anyone. It wasn't in his nature to be angry or hateful. This time, he'd really fucked up and there was probably no going back. He needed to fix the damage that had been done before it was past the point of no return.
"But Mattie, I… What about… W-What about all the time we've been together…?" Netherlands shook his head, and Matthew again took note of it.
"He doesn't need someone that forgets to care. He needs someone that will take care of him and never forget to."
"You stay out of this! You don't have any sort of clue how long and how hard I worked to get him! You don't know what kind of shit I went through to even just kiss him! He's my whole world, and I wouldn't forget something like this because I've spent an entire year preparing for it! I needed to get him out of the house so I could surprise him, not leave me!" Matthew blinked, confused for a moment. Could he believe Gilbert after what he'd done? His breath had gone soft, and his arms fell from their tight grip.
"Gil…" Net shook his head once more.
"Sure, that's what you say now. Who's to say you're not just fucking with him to get him back? You could be lying to him for all he knows. It's probably nothing, knowing you." Matthew, ignoring the argument as it went on, examined the tulip in his hand. Net had been nothing but a dear friend to him for such a long time now, and he knew he could trust Net to be there when he needed him… but this was his love. He couldn't just leave Gilbert because of something so stupid as one forgotten Valentine's day. A breath left his mouth and he looked up to stop the argument. The two had gone silent and their eyes were trained on Matthew.
"Birdie I…" The albino plopped down onto a knee. "You know I'd never do this on purpose, I always remember you and everything you want. I know you wanted today to be special and I remember how much you wanted flowers so I got you a whole bunch of them. The three that you love the most. And I know you don't like candy all that much, but if it's what you want I'll get it for you because I'll do whatever it takes to keep you at my side." Matthew's brow upturned. How could he have done this to Gilbert? One more glance at the tulip and he looked at Lars.
"Net, I… I know you'd never do anything to hurt me. And I know that Gilbert really screwed up this time…" He moved close to the other blonde and Gilbert stood up. Matthew leaned to kiss Netherlands' cheek before backing away from him a few steps. "B-But I can't leave him over something so stupid as one day. I love him, and there's no way I could live with myself if I let this tear us apart." He looked at Gilbert, who was practically in tears (but not) and he shook his head. "That also doesn't mean you're completely forgiven. If you can prove to me that you didn't forget, maybe, but I'm really upset that you couldn't think of a better way to get me out of the house." With his head hung low, Gilbert nodded.
"I'm sorry…" Matthew sighed before dismissing Gilbert to his car and saying goodbye to Lars. He felt bad for rejecting the guy on Valentine's, but Netherlands confessed that he was busy anyway, taking his little sister out to her date and that he would be doing work later that night. He and Gilbert then left back to the house, and upon getting out of the cars, Gilbert's eyes were knitted into a solid scowl. They didn't say a word to one another until they were inside the house and the albino swept Matthew into a heavy, passionate kiss like he'd never given before. He allowed himself to rest his head on Matthew's shoulder. "Birdie, don't you ever make me worry like that again."
It caused Matthew to blink and raise an eyebrow in return. "Worry?" Gilbert's head was lifted to reveal the redness on his eyes and a few tears on his cheeks.
"I came this close to losing you, that close to losing my whole world. I was an inch away from never holding you, never giving you another kiss, never waking up to see you again. I was that inch away from my heart breaking into a million pieces. I would have never survived watching you leave me. If you were ever to be in someone else's arms…" He growled. "I'd never keep myself from dying. There would be nothing to live for anymore." He raised a hand to wipe away his tears, but Matthew blocked it to wipe away the tears himself with the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Gil, you should know that nothing like this would make me leave. And you know I don't like Netherlands that way. Besides, it's silly to think I'd leave you over one Valentine's day. We have eternity to spend together, why care about one out of infinity?" Matthew's smile was broken and dry. "It's okay." Gilbert had been forgiven, but he knew how much Matthew would have liked a real present. Now would be the time to show him that surprise.
"Hey, I wasn't lying when I said I had a surprise for you. I've been working on it for a while now. Since it's only noon, it's a little early for it, but I-I want to make up for being such an ass. It was pretty un-awesome of me to play such a mean trick on you." He smiled. "Alright, close your eyes." Matthew reluctantly did as he was instructed, and was led out the back door to the corner of the garden that Matthew had long abandoned. However, Gilbert had fixed it up just for today. "Alright, here." He removed his hands and Matthew opened his eyes, presented with a flourishing plot of red roses and white lilies, the bare spots filled in with heavy spots of baby's breath. Matthew blinked, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.
"Oh Gil this… this is…" Gilbert wrapped his arms around Matthew's waist. "Why would you…"
"I know you like these kinds of sappy gestures, and Francey-pants was totally on board that you'd love it. I wanted to give you more flowers than anyone ever had, and I figured the best way to do that was to grow them myself." There was indeed quite a bit of them, and Matthew smiled softly. "However, I needed you out of the house so I could get Francey-pants to call up the people I wanted here." Matthew blinked once before Gilbert turned him around to find that his family had been waiting out on the side of the house and they were standing impatiently in the yard giving Gilbert both puzzled and irritated looks. Francis, out of all of them, seemed to be actually very cheerful for some reason. He must have been in on whatever it was that Gilbert had planned.
"Oh… Gil what are-?" The albino raised a hand up quickly.
"Say no more. I have explaining to do." Matthew shrugged and whistled off into the forest, a little ball of yellow fluffy flying down to land in the palm of his hand. "Thanks little buddy." Gilbert gave his bird a pat on the head before sending him off and shoving his hand in his pocket and turning to the other three standing in the yard. Alfred and Arthur looked less than impressed with the display and were obviously going to leave if something didn't happen soon; they probably had better things to be doing on this day than standing in Matthew's yard. "Now that I have everything I need, I'll start by apologizing to all of you. It's been quite a wait." Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Please get on with whatever this is, I have things to be doing." Gilbert shrugged.
"Alright, alright." He turned to Matthew and took a deep breath. "I wanted to make sure that our first Valentine's Day was extra special, seeing as we haven't really had the time to have a real one before this and we've been together for so many years. I mean, for nations, time passes so quickly and we're just stuck here without any real direction or any end to look forward to." He could nearly hear Francis and Arthur's eyes and hearts soften out of respect for those words. "And when these kinds of days roll around we're nearly alone every single time, and it hurts to know that we aren't loved like we ought to be." He took a heavy breath. "But since I've been with you birdie, I don't have to worry about time or an end or feeling lonely because every moment I spend with you is another memory I can happily look back on and say my time here was not wasted… And when my end finally comes, I will be able to watch over you and spend eternity knowing that I've felt everything I could have and you made that possible." Matthew was on the brink of tears.
"Gil-"He was held off once again and Gilbert took an even bigger breath.
"I want to thank you Matthew, for giving me the kind of love that mortals dream about. The kind of love that I'm sure even god himself envies." He took a glance at the other three before taking his hand out of his pocket and kneeling down onto the fluffy green grass. Before Matthew could register that anything was happening, he was presented a dark red velvet ring box with a sparkling gemmed ring that was nearly blinding in the warm sunlight. "And I want to spend all the time I have with you, for the rest of my life and every second after I'm gone. I want you to know how much your love has done for me. So birdie…" He swallowed thickly. "Will you marry me?" There were audible gasps from the others and Francis allowed a tear of joy to escape his eyes.
Matthew's racing thoughts finally caught up with him for a moment before broke down in his own tears and violently sobbed out what he could of a reply. "O-Oui, oui…" It was broken and his hiccupping nearly cost him all the breath in his lungs but he cleared the tears away just enough to watch Gilbert slip the ring onto his finger and then rushed in to hug him tightly as the others gave them mixed reactions.
Alfred groaned, rolling his eyes before being elbowed in the stomach by an oddly sentimental Arthur, who gave a very soft smile and nod of the head to Gilbert, who had sought out their approval by looking at each one of them. His eyes then landed on Francis, who was crying so happily Gilbert thought maybe he could have spared the Frenchman the pain of the sobs by telling him about the engagement at a later date. They ended the embrace and Matthew placed a tender kiss on his fiancé's lips, receiving a kiss on the forehead in return.
"…Am I forgiven…?" Matthew giggled between his jerking breaths.
"Oui, completely."