A/N: This was first a roleplay (organized into a fic) between me, my sister, and a friend that we did on Canada day and I'm barely getting it up now because Fanfiction had to be derping.
One thing about our RPs is that we like to type out accents, so you'll see that on Francis. AND don't mind our headcanon (Alfred playing Warcraft for example). And one more thing: it cuts a lot somewhere in the middle seeming that that was where the characters split into their own rooms and whatnot, so hopefully it doesn't prove too distracting.
Thanks for reading and enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own Axis Powers Hetalia or the characters in them. We only wish we did.
Of all the days to forget him. Of all the fucking days to forget about him. If it was yesterday, or the day after today, it wouldn't have been a problem. He'd just shrug it off like he always did. But no. It had to be today. The fucking first of July. His birthday. Of all the days to forget him.
Berwald and Lilli had invited Matthew to their house to celebrate after school, to which he happily obliged. It was just the three of them, but it was incredibly sweet to even have them remember. Lilli had made the cake, and Berwald had decorated it; it was so nice of them.
Then, he had the car ride home. He had called the house to tell whoever was there that he was coming home. Alfred had picked up, and asked him to stop by the store to get cheese puffs for him. Not a single fucking "Happy Birthday!" (or "please" for that matter). Of course he got them anyway, figuring then he could provide an argument that he thought of his brother on his birthday.
He rolled up into the driveway, grabbing the grocery bag and slamming the car door a little harder than usual. He opened the front door timidly, however. But, it was to an empty living room. He shut the door quietly behind him, just in case everyone was napping. He leaned his head against the door, shutting his eyes tightly.
"They forgot. They fucking forgot."
He snickered, wondering if he had made himself sound dumb enough on the phone earlier, sitting behind a corner that lead into the hall, hidden from the front door. He shuffled a few things in his hands, wondering when Arthur would give them the queue to jump out. He couldn't believe it! Mattie had sounded so pissed on the phone. This was gonna be great... he wouldn't even know what hit him!
"Mon dieu, was zat 'im at ze door?" Francis muttered to his husband, struggling to carry the gigantic birthday banner they had co-held. He was so excited! It wasn't even his birthday, but he couldn't wait to see the look on Mattie's face. Francis went as far as to sleep in until after the boys left before he ran out and bought everything that had "birthday" tagged on it.
"Yeah, that was him!" Arthur smiled, his voice a low whisper. He was so excited. Sure, Matthew might have been a little bad that they pretended to forget him again (although many times it hadn't been pretend), but he hoped he'd forgive him if they did this. They were only poking a little humour at the boy. "Ready to hoist the banner," he told Francis. His head swiveled to look at Alfred and nod. He held up his hand, with three fingers raised. "Three," he whispered. One finger disappeared. "Two," he mouthed silently.
He heard whispers coming from... well, he had no idea where they were coming from. Had he finally gone crazy? Was his descent into utter madness imminent? Would he succumb to the voices and be ordered to kill the world?
... Man, he had been watching too many of Alfred's action movies. No, they were just whispers... familiar whispers. He turned around, searching the room with the utmost scrutiny.
"One."
He began in his normal hushed tone; "Is anyone ho-"
"SURPRISE!"
Then, out of nowhere, his family jumped out from behind everywhere, scaring the daylights out of Matthew. A manly yelp was let out, his glasses falling to the ground as he jumped. The first one he was able to spot was Alfred.
Alfred was one of the first to jump out, but he was laughing too damn hard at the look that Matthew was giving him that he couldn't control it for long enough to carry out with his plan. His face turned red with anger; he took the cheese puff bag and threw it at his brother (but he was never the sportsman, so it was like throwing a pillow).
Al dodged the cheese puffs that he threw at him, rediscovering the containers in his hands and proceeded to spray the poor boy with silly string. Al laughed maniacally as he did so.
"Y-You guys-!" he huffed.
Francis ran the bother side of the banner to the room and pinned it onto the wall, laughing all the while. He proceeded to delve into the confetti shooters and ducked under the giant happy birthday sign. He pulled the strings and confetti went everywhere. "OHONHONHONHON, JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE, MATTHIEU~!" But when he saw Alfred assaulting Mattie with silly string, he merely continued to cackle and point his confetti guns at him and fire.
The Brit ran his side adjacent to his husband's, hanging his part of the banner while his husband and son pelted the boy with their party items. He grabbed the streamers on the table and threw them to he air, laughing. "Happy Birthday, son~!" He yelled out, chuckling. The execution was just as he had seen it. Everything was just as planned- except for one thing: the look on Matthew's face.
Uh oh.
Matthew's arms instinctively moved in front of his face, a small scream escaping as he was pelted with the silly string and confetti. He nearly tripped over his own glasses, making him use the couch for support. As everyone gave their happy birthday wishes, his face turned from pink from embarrassment to red with anger in a split second.
"You mean you guys made me think that you had FORGOTTEN me. ALL DAY. The day I look forward to all year, and you had me thinking my own FAMILY had forgotten." his eyes started to tear up against his will. "And then I come home to be pelted with this, t-this–" he held up his arms and hands full of string and confetti, "–all of THIS, and expect me to just go ALONG with it like nothing happened?" his yelling voice was never the strongest, so all of it was spoken in an angered tone more than yelled. He swiped his glasses off the ground, shoving them back onto his face. "You should KNOW how much that kills me every time you forget me. And TODAY, o-of all days–..." his voice broke off at that point, his hands coming up to cover his face, trying to hold back tears.
Alfred emptied one, reaching for another hooked to his handy silly string belt, but he halted mid-preparation as Matthew had actually sounded angry just then... and then he glanced up at his brother and knew that something was wrong. VERY wrong. His shoulders dropped and his smile was quick to disappear. No... how could he ever handle seeing his brother like this? And hearing his brother talk like that... he didn't know if he could handle any of this.
Immediately he felt like the shittiest brother in the entire universe. How could one NOT anyway? Matthew, the best brother that anyone could ask for, was upset. And it was partially his fault.
Francis slowed in his assault as he noticing the diminishing enthusiasm of Al. His shoulders came to a slump as he settled his eyes on Matthew, who just about blew up into anger, of course in his own hushed way. The Frenchman nearly fell apart there as the young man retreated into his hands and struggled to hold his tears.
Arthur's eyes were about as wide as dinner plates as Matthew went on a very rare rampage of his, of course in his own way. He never factored in what might happen if for some reason it all went awry. It just wasn't possible. But of course, it obviously was. His eyebrows furrowed and his heart just about broke at the sight at one of his beloved sons, nearly in tears because of something he planned.
Alfred stepped forward, his brows furrowing and his mouth was agape. He had to say something, ANYTHING, to set this all right. "Matt, dude, we'd never forget this and you know that."
"A-ah..." Francis had to admit, it was a pretty crude joke, but he definitely would have thought that this would have pulled the young Canadian back up in no time. "M-Matthieu, pwease do not cry! Y-you know zat we love you, we are sorry zat you zought zat we forgot you!" He cried, at a total shock. "A-Arzehr, do somezing!"
Arthur joined right in with the others and their testimonies. "Matthew, love, we would never, ever forget this," he explained, his voice wavering as well. "We've been planning this for weeks, checking prices, ordering desserts... W-we would never..." he had no idea their small jest would strike such a nerve in the Canadian. "Matthew, we love you, and you know that."
Matthew's eyes followed each one of the speaking people, his breathing evening out, with the occasional hiccup or two. Boy, didn't he feel like a Canadian idiot. Of course they would never have forgotten; they never did before. He had let his snarky, paranoid side get the best of him. Why did he have to go out and yell like that? God... He gave one final sniff before he ran to Alfred, the one nearest to him, and brought him into a humongous sudden hug. His face buried itself in his brother's neck while he embraced him as strongly as he could muster.
"Just... don't do it again, o-okay?" He mustered, a small laugh choking its way out of him after he spoke. "I-I'm sorry for blowing up, I just... I'm sorry..."
Alfred looked down at his brother, now in his arms, and returned the hug quickly, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. At this point he didn't care that his bro was covered in silly string and all the like, burying his face into his hair. "Nah, Mattie. You don't have to apologize. It was our fault, and we shouldn't have gone that far. Wasn't too cool at all, was it?" he managed a small smile, trying to cheer him up. When he wanted to, he could be serious, and this situation definitely called for it.
With a sigh, the Frenchman meekly made his way over to his sons, relieved that they had gotten through to Mattie, but still disappointed in himself for thinking of pulling such a trick. It was his big idea, after all. "W-we won't do eet again, oui, Matthieu... 'ow about zome cake? I got you your favorite flavor~a-and we 'ave presents fahr you as well!" The least he could do, now, was make it up.
Arthur followed Francis over to their embracing sons, a smile reaching his face as Matthew's mood lightened and he managed a minor laugh. God, he felt terrible for putting his son through this. He had no idea... They all learned a lesson about Matthew at that moment, he thought to himself. He was definitely more passive-aggressive than he assumed...
"Yeah, w-we've got stuff waiting for you Matthew, c-come and see!" he spoke, smiling sweetly and nervously at the boy. He wanted to make up for everything, and he hoped what they had got would do.
One of Matthew's hands reached up and landed itself on the back of Alfred's head, further deepening the embrace. He was hugging Alfred really close for something this trivial, sure, but he really needed someone to hug right now. His mood got even better when his hug was returned. "I-I'm so sorry, guys, really..." He loosened the embrace, looking up at his brother and to his parents, his arms still around Alfred partially. He was ever so pink from embarrassment when he looked up, too. "I-I'd love to go see what else you have in store," he laughed, giving a genuine smile.
Beyond the party beads was a room that Matthew hardly recognized. The dining area was filled with vivid colours of every bright shade and hue, the room absolutely covered floor to ceiling... with every piece of tacky Birthday decoration known to mankind. Francis had really outdone himself on this one. It felt so like his family to do something like this, though.
On the table (and its happy birthday plastic tablecloth) was a round birthday cake, white with a red maple leaf on top, the cake white with maple flavouring. It was Papa's present to "his little Matthieu". And boy, he really hit a home run with that one, that's for sure. It was absolutely devoured, leaving Matthew asking for more seconds than Alfred dared.
His father's present was much like him. Arthur had presented him with a monogrammed teacup, displaying an M, much like his father's own with an A on it. Arthur had figured it was time he had one of his own, since he noticed Matthew taking up drinking tea every once in awhile, a habit he highly encouraged.
And of course, Alfred was Alfred. Of all things within the boy's interests he could have gotten him, he was gifted a brand-new World of Warcraft account. At first, Matthew could hardly believe he was serious. He wasn't really into that sort of thing, Alfred was! But then it came to him: Maybe this could be something to get the brothers back into hanging out more often. Finally, something they could share an interest in after all these years. As Matthew laid on his bed, he looked at the box, inspecting it with a smile. Was that what Alfred meant by getting him this?
... Nah, he probably just thought it was cool.
Matthew would have already made the account and started playing with his new game if it weren't for two limiting factors: 1. He had no idea how to, and 2. It was getting late, and he got a little irritable when it was late, so starting a brand-new game might be a little too frustrating for him to handle. Matthew set the game on his stomach, lying down to stare at the ceiling.
Alfred glanced into Matt's room after a bit, thinking that he had waited a long enough time to let Matthew relish in his awesome new present. The American's smile was impenetrable as he was about to make his way over to his brother, sprawled out on his bed but wait... he still had the element of surprise! So naturally, Al would take this opportunity to slip up quietly to his brother... the jokes never really did stop around here, did they?
He heard a couple of sock-covered footsteps shuffling to his room, which prompted an "Alfred" out of the boy in a stern tone, not wanting to be startled again. Papa was still in the kitchen, doing whatever he was, and Father was probably helping out. It had to be him.
Alfred's shoulders dropped and let out a smal 'aww crap.' The boy, nonetheless, recovered himself, rolling onto the bed and finding a spot next to Matthew, also laying on his back.
Matthew's head turned on his pillow, watching his brother come in and find a spot next to him. The Canadian scooted over a little give him enough room, seeing as it was a twin bed, and one teenage boy already almost filled it.
"Well, there went my scare. Coulda sworn I was quiet enough, though," Al threw out, shrugging lightly. Just like Dad and Papa, though unaware of it, his mind still lingered to Matthew's outbreak earlier, still going over all of the things in his head that he could have done to prevent it. They had a great night, sure, but that would have forever been the thing that put tension into the entire memory. And he really didn't want that.
Matthew hoped inside that Alfred and the rest of his family weren't mad at him at all for doing that. They had put so much effort into something they all believed was going to make him so happy, but he had to go and fuck it all up.
He glanced over and down at what Matt was holding, a small smile spreading across his face. "Heey, looks pretty cool, right?" he said, prodding his bro with an elbow.
Matthew gave an outward sigh as Alfred spoke. "It looks pretty interesting, to say the least," he said, raising his eyebrows in contemplation. "Maybe something I could get into. I'd need your help though, because I would have absolutely no idea as to the difference between one character and another." It was true. For once, Matthew needed help from Alfred to understand something.
Francis was still cleaning the kitchen, deciding that the family would have to leave the decorations up until Alfred's birthday. Of course, it wouldn't be a surprise, but he was sure it would be appreciated either way. Alfred was very simple to please and didn't ask for much, (except for maybe a hamburger when he had one of his self-proclaimed man-period cravings) so the reusing of the tools was a given. Push comes to shove, if three days of staring at the colors got a little tiring on the eyes, they could always go out to eat at Alfred's favorite burger joint, Fuddruckers. (only next to McDonalds, but that was barely a place for celebration)
The Frenchman pondered through the day, wondering if it was good enough for his dearest Matthew. Did he have a fun time? He wasn't too sure at all. He still felt horrible over the whole thing, so hopefully he had made it up to him by the time the night ended. He sighed and plopped down onto a chair, gathering the dishes lazily.
He was all about party, but when it came to cleaning up, he was always on the slower side. He glanced over to his husband, who still sitting where he was at dinner, rubbing his temples and staring down into his now cold Earl Grey tea.
Even after the wonderful reception after the initial shock from the birthday boy, Arthur was still concerned for his son, just like he was sure Francis was. What had he seen from Matthew? Even at his rare fuming moments, he hadn't seen much quite like that. It was an odd nerve Matthew expressed, and it troubled the Brit. He didn't even want to begin about thinking what'd they do for Alfred. Then again, he was a lot more easygoing, so maybe they'd just go out to eat, or maybe bowl or something. They had already gotten the gifts, all that needed deciding was a venue. But he'd think about that later.
As his husband plopped a seat next to him, his worried green eyes looked up to him, his eyebrows furrowed. Arthur's hand reached out and stopped him from fiddling with the dishes, taking it caringly into his own. "Francis... what do you think happened?"
The Frenchman's eyes darted to his husband as he noticed his hands stopping his fiddling. The serious expression he held immediately slowed him down and he forgot about the dishes. He gave a steady sigh and squeezed his hands softly, his thumb ghosting over the skin of his palm.
He had an idea of what had happened. Francis knew the boy a bit better out of the two. But never had he thought that Mattie could have an outburst like that. He was at a loss, for the moment. "I do not know, mon cher. Maybe zat was a bit much for 'im. You know 'ow much he does not want to be forgotten. It is one of 'is worst feahs and it must 'ave just gotten to 'im on his special day." He thought a bit more. "And it could just be ze hormones or whatevehr."
Alfred smiled at that. Something MATTHEW needed help with! It was something that he, ALFRED, was better in, and Matthew was going to be needing HIS, ALFRED'S, assistance in all of this. And it almost made his ego implode. "Yeah, I'll totally help you out, dude! I can like, make you armor and give you money and help you with quests, and, well, like, EVERYTHING!" he exclaimed, propping himself up with a hand and turning to his brother. "And when you hit 85 we'll be such a dynamic duo... man, we'll kick so much ass..."
Matthew couldn't help but laugh as he witness Alfred completely geek out about it all over him. Armor? Quests? Levels? All these things were so weird and foreign to him. He had heard about them before, but knowing his brother was going to force him to become immersed in the lifestyle was a little more than weird to him. Yes, this was a subject Matthew felt only his brother could master, and at least it meant he was capable of mastering other subjects if he just tried. "Al, you gotta slow down," Matthew said, turning over onto his side to face his brother, "You realize I understand almost nothing of what you just said, right?"
Alfred looked at him in disbelief for a moment, his laughter becoming harder. "So you really are gonna stick with this one! You're gonna get to know everything and anything there is to know about it?" he sounded like a grade schooler at a candy store, now, shooting up into sitting position. Could you blame him? His brother was about to get into something that he'd been waiting forever to get one of his family members into (Arthur was automatically off the list because he was the one who complained about the bill and fought the account purchasing every second of the way)!
Matthew rolled his eyes with a smile, laughing at how excited Alfred was getting over this. He didn't really have a choice, did he? Alfred had already made the purchase, he didn't want to completely waste it. If they found out it wasn't his thing, Alfred couldn't blame him. "Well, I guess it's worth a shot," Matthew replied, shrugging lightly. If he did end up getting into it... It was almost too hard to imagine. Dad probably wouldn't be too pleased, to say the least (even if there was magicking involved, which Matthew was surprised he didn't approve of; maybe it wasn't accurate to him or something. Who knows).
Yes, of course, Matthew being forgotten was an unfortunate occurrence in their household. Each member loved Matthew in their own way, more than Matthew could probably tell or fathom from their actions, but for some reason they had these... slip-ups that blocked their memory. They all felt horrible about it, but Matthew always seemed to get over it quickly. This time was different, though.
"Maybe... that was all the times we did it on accident, coming out at once..." the Brit thought out loud. The idea did make sense. Matthew never, ever spoke like that. Their sweet, darling little Matthew... Arthur let out a groan and flopped his head down on the table onto his arm, the other still holding Francis's hand. "Please tell me I'm not the only one feeling like this."
His blond brows came to a furrow as Arthur's head went to the table. His reasoning was sound, but who would ever know aside from Matthew himself? It was strange to see him so bent out and on the verge of tears that Francis didn't want to believe it happened. It felt surreal to him. "Non, you ah not ze only one." He muttered simply. He didn't want Matthew to feel like that ever again, but it was difficult to keep mind to the boy when he was so very quiet. It wasn't something that could be changed over night, but he was determined to not want the boy to feel ignored ever again.
"We just 'ave to try 'ardehr to make sure 'e does not feel like zat again." He leaned over, lifting one of his hands from the table and running it through Arthur's hair, his fingers tracing his scalp and sliding to his neck to settled across his shoulder where he gave a reassuring squeeze.
Francis's reassuring words and warm hand on his shoulder were exactly what he needed at the moment. Arthur was completely taking the blame all for himself emotionally, and knowing his husband cared about him made him feel warm and near happy again. "Never again. I don't want to see either of my boys like that." Arthur rose from his seat, wobbling a little (hey, he might've had a sip or two of brandy okay?), but he was ultimately fine. A bit of a smirk took his dashing lips as his charm seemed to take affect and Arthur stood. He walked around to the other side of Francis's chair, and the Frenchman watched him until he disappeared behind him, just about to return his attention to the dishes when he felt his warmth return to him, first on his scruffy cheek as his lips pressed to them and then around his neck.
He chuckled softly, leaning back into his touch. "Oui. Neizah of zem need to evehr feel zat way." He murmured as he turned his head, his blue eyes settling on the man's lips. He stole a quick and chaste kiss, the filling rush of warmth through him making him slightly dizzy.
Alfred almost flipped off of the bed in excitement. He caught himself before he went tumbling to the floor, though. Matthew's eyes widened as Alfred nearly tumbled off his bed, but he did so and caught himself before Matthew could even register how to help him if he was falling. This was going to be so awesome! "You're smart and stuff, though, Mattie, so I know for a fact that you'll catch on quick! Hey, who knows? Maybe one day you'll be better than me at Warcrack!" he slapped his bro on the shoulder, snatching the game and digging into the package, all the while hopping off the bed and making his way towards his computer. Alfred was muttering things to himself in excitement, a few of the words audible like "arenas" and "raids" slipping out here and there.
He just stared as Alfred ripped into the package, raising an eyebrow at some of the terminology he was catching here and there. Boy, did his mind hurt, for once. "Oi, Alfred, I can't start that tonight..." he said, sighing. "It'll take me an entire day to get started, most likely. I'm too tired to take on something like that." If there was anything Matthew would take if he could get it (besides grade A dark amber Quebecan maple syrup), it was decent sleep. If he didn't have to study or practice, he loooved his sleep.
Alfred's shoulders dropped as his brother called the towel in. He rushed over to him, placing his hands firmly on the bed in front of his brother. And he put on his puppy eyes.
"Awww, come on, Mattie! All I need is to get the code from inside to activate your account and booyah! I've already downloaded it on your computer before now pleasedon'tbemad it'll just take a second! You don't even have to do anything! Just one character! LET'S MAKE ONE CHARACTER TOGETHER! PLEAAASE?"
Alfred's face that moment was something he'd remember for... well, every time he wanted to tease him. He started speaking and pleading to Matthew so fast, he could've almost sworn he was speaking some sort of Swahili there for a second, if he didn't know any better. His finger pressed onto Alfred's nose, Matthew's eyes wider than before. "W-woah, slow it down there, Al!" he said, surprised. "I physically can't do it tonight. I promise you I'll give it a go tomorrow. Okay?"
Al's facade dropped and he frowned, slightly disappointed in his brother. Personally, Al would be up until the morning playing freakin' Warcrack, and he just wanted Mattie to be in on it because it was honestly fun. And judging by the day that they had, he thought it could be one of the ups, but he understood the entire thing about it being a long day and all of that and Mattie did need his beauty sleep (hell, even a hero like himself needed beauty sleep once in a while, too).
He gave Matt the best smile he could manage, though needless to say, he was a bit disappointed. "Alright, my to-be warrior in training! Sleep up so we can kick ass." With that he sat down on the bed, his rush from earlier seemingly forgotten, now.
Never..." he sighed. Arthur's lips then curled into a smile, content with having the ball of warmth that was Francis between his arms. It calmed him, for some reason. Then again, he didn't care the reason. He just loved him. And that was that. Arthur was a little taken by surprise with the kiss, but he returned it just as well, a tiny laugh coming from him as he did. Another kiss was placed on his jawline before Arthur tilted his head to the side a little to look at him, his arms still around Francis's neck. "Need help with any of the dishes, love?"
As he returned the kiss, the Briton's laugh was spread to him, a smile curving at his lips. Oh, he just loved Arthur when he got like this. He made himself off to be a hard-ass yet he was so affectionate in his most delicate moments. Francis truly felt honored to be able to see these sides of him. "Ah, oui. Zen it will get done fastah." He reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, his head turning to glare at the mess. "Shall we, mon cher?"
"Or..." Arthur began, the procrastinator until the grave, "We could wait until tomorrow to do them, seeing as it's a weekend and all...~" He really didn't feel like cleaning at all right now. He was having a moment with Francis, and those bloody dishes were just staring, waiting to be done. He wouldn't let those dishes have their moment, oh no. Arthur ran his hands to the other's chest, bending over to hug him more and to plant a small kiss on the Frenchman's collarbone.
Matthew hoped he had understood, but he could tell from the way he was looking at him that he was saddened that he refused to start right then and there. Matthew... well, Matthew kind of just released a lot earlier, and it had physically worn him out, as well as mentally. He promised to do it tomorrow (sound familiar?), but he meant it and would keep that promise.
"I will..." he said with a slight smile. Meanwhile, Matthew's hand reached over and half-pulled his brother towards him, trying to get him to lay down. Alfred still managed a small smile, allowing himself to be led forward onto his brother's bed. It had been forever since they had shared a bed together like old times, and he couldn't help himself for wanting to try it again.
He plopped down next to him, snuggling just a bit into his brother as, in all honesty, it was hell of a lot more comfortable than his own bed (and why he wouldn't know). Mattie smiled as Alfred fell into the spot beside him, smiling a little as he snuggled into him. They were close brothers, what could he say? He missed how close they used to be, though. Thick as thieves before they hit Junior high. That's when the whole schism began... Al put an arm behind his head, meeting his brother eye-to-eye. "Well, hey there cowboy," he said, his voice dropping in mock-seduction. 'Course he didn't really mean it, but he liked poking fun at Mattie like this, especially sense he got embarrassed easily enough.
His thoughts were promptly cut off, though, by Alfred giving him the most serious look with those baby blues, then giving him that corny cowboy line. "A-alfred?" Matthew asked, stifling laughter at the line. A barely-there blush was coming across the outer edges of his cheeks, though, if it was only from smiling so much at his brother.
Oh Dieu, he especially loved it when Arthur got like this. "Ohonhon~! Oui, zey can wait until tomorrow~" He found himself leaning his head to the side, as for the Briton to have more access to his skin. Usually he was the one to first start something, needless to say, it surprised him that the other man was taking the initiative. His hand slipped from his soft cheek and into his hair, pulling the man closer. A devious smirk took his lips.
The Briton smirked as Francis let him more room on his skin, which he happily took advantage of. He ran his nose across his neck, kissing the Frenchman just below his ear. Francis hummed in pleasure as he began to kiss at one of his favorite spots. A frustrated groan sounded from him, the angle they were at, indeed, proven distracting. He came around and took Francis's hands, ushering him to stand up, a devious glint wavering in his pine green eyes.
Arthur received the message quickly and pulled him up, the light in his eyes arousing him further. He immediately stepped closer to the man, taking his hips in a solid grasp with one hand and snatching his chin with the other. He parted his lips with a small tug and closed the space slowly, his breathing picking up as he thrust his tongue into his husband's awaiting mouth.
Oh dear, Francis really was excited about this. He was suddenly taken by his husband's actions, but he succumbed willingly. His tongue twirled around the other's as his hands reached up to the Frenchman's collar, pulling him into the kiss to further deepen it. He pulled away for a second to meet his eyes; his sweet, firey blue eyes. Arthur shut his lids, kissing him again with just as much force as before (if not more) and moving him backwards slowly, one step at a time until he thought Francis pinned against a wall, just where he wanted him... Then again, he realized it wasn't a wall when one of the flower vases came crashing to the floor.
He cringed as the noise was made, not giving a fuck about which vase was broken, but rather... "Shit, the kids probably heard that..."
His smile was unwavering, and he couldn't help but laugh a little, also. Matthew's laugh was always one of the greatest things one could have the pleasure of hearing and it warmed him to know that it was genuine laughter, despite the fact that he sounded a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't fake, or forced. It was something Alfred was able to do like no one else could. He could make him smile. And that was a gift that no one could give to him on any birthday.
Matthew opened his mouth to talk, but Al was ripped away from his thoughts at the sound of crashing from downstairs. He shifted looking out the door, wondering what the hell that was. "Everything alright down there, Dad?" he called, contemplating whether or not it was worth it to get up. It felt so damn comfortable and he was so damn lazy!
The sound freaked Matthew out a little, causing him to duck his head onto Alfred's chest out of instinct, embarrassed that it was the first thing he did when he heard the crash. He immediately straightened back out, a blush tearing across his cheeks. What in the hell kind of survival instinct was that? Bury your head in your brother's chest? He shook his head, getting it out of his mind temporarily. "W-what do you think that was...?"
When Arthur pulled away, he immediately opened his eyes to find answers to his puzzling actions. He was merely set face-to-face with those dazzling emerald eyes, the emotion in them intense and piercing. Then, he came forward to return the contact, the Frenchman returning it gladly, his hands going to greedily roam the Briton's backside. He didn't even notice he was moving backwards until he felt something shift from behind him and the shatter of glass was evident. He groaned and broke the contact, his eyes drawing to this mess.
Alfred called from upstairs and his shoulders slumped. "Ah, evehryzing is alright, Al." He returned, his hand going to scratch meekly at his stubble as his eyes returned to his husband. He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged.
'Shiiiiiit,' the Brit thought to himself, bringing his hands to his face to hide his face slowly reddening with each passing second. He thought he was going to die, right then and there. And to think, if he just had let Francis work his magic, the night could've just gone on, but noooo, he had to try and do something unexpected for a change. God, he hated his instinct sometimes. "I'll go get the dustpan," he groaned, shuffling his way into the kitchen. In Alfred's words, this fucking sucked.
"No clue, Mattie. Sounded like something breaking. I swear though, if it was a window, I was pullin' out my knife set." Matthew got a little afraid as Alfred threatened to bring out his knives. Wait, he didn't remember him legally obtaining any knives... No, wait, it was a birthday present from a "friend" one year. Still, the thought of Alfred fighting an intruder with those... Matthew stopped his overactive imagination there before he got too jumpy.
The American relaxed a little after Francis's reassurance, glancing back and down at Matthew. He hadn't even realized that his brother had burrowed into his chest in such a way before he had pulled back. Now, though, Alfred laughed lightly. "What was with the cuddling? Am I daddy penguin or somethin'...?" with those words slipping out, Alfred doubled over in laughter. The things he said sometimes! But it was kinda true...
The Canadian boy backed off a little at the cuddling remark, worried he was getting to close to him or something. He didn't want Alfred to be uncomfortable or anything. "I'm sorry, It was a-an accident, h-heh..." he said, looking at a wall.
"Naw, it's totally cool, bro, I was just wonderin' about that is all! You don't have to pretend like we're not close like that or anything."
"Oh, okay, sorry," he apologized again, in true Canadian fashion. He was relieved Alfred was okay with being a little closer. Al knew well that they used to be much closer, but it was a fact of life that they grew away form one another. And quite frankly, Al missed it. At that thought, he moved closer to him, a light smile playing across his lips. "Now, where were we," he continued in that mock low voice, not able to keep a straight face for the life of him.
And, as if he read his bloody mind, he shortened the distance between them again, speaking in that mock seductive tone of his. He was obviously joking, and Matthew knew it, but it was eerily good for being joking, which caused the Canadian to give him a slightly nervous look. Matthew drew his own arms close to his chest as he spoke. "Alfie... y-you alright there, bud..?
"'m awright. Been 'round these parts a few times b'fore, but I don't think I've seen you," he said in his newly found old Western accent. Alfred was able to dismiss his stupid grin for now, putting on a devilish facade. If there was anything he loved doing more than putting on these acts, it was Mattie falling for them like a complete sucker. He'd get a laugh out of it later, anyway, no harm done. "Maybe y'need a hero 'round this water hole."
Man, maybe it was just the fact that it was really late talking, or maybe it was just the truth, but Alfred was scary good at that old Western accent. He probably got it from that Western marathon that was on Starz not to long ago. Oh well. Matthew could barely contain the redness on his cheeks, as much as he didn't want it to be there. He decided to muster up his wit and retort as best he could. "Well, show me one, 'cause I can't see one," he said, looking straight at him. That might've been a bit of a low jab, but they were joking, right?
Alfred rose a brow at this, a bit surprised that he had decided to join in on all of this. He grinned nonetheless, making sport of tipping a mock cowboy hat, matching his brother's amethyst gaze. "Y'see those barrels full'a beer over there?" he said, flicking his eyes over at nothing in particular. It was just an act anyway! He pretended to flick some sort of pistol from an imaginary holster, aiming over his brother and taking a few "shots," accompanied by his own cheesy sound affects. What can he say? The movies were just like it!
What was this? Beer? Pistols? Matthew relaxed a little, laughing at his brother's cheesed-up act. Boy, did he love those corny Westerns. Oh, God, he could not resist making this crack at the weirdest Western out there; "Why can't I quit you?" Matthew whispered dramatically, eyes mockingly half-lidded. Jesus, that was a weird movie. He regretted letting Papa add it to their Netflix.
Alfred pulled back his "pistol" and made a show of blowing over the top of the barrel, flicking it back into his holster. "Gon' hafta speak up there, son, I can't hear ya over th' sound of my shots ringin' through the canyon." How he managed to carry out this act for so long without breaking a laugh was beyond him.
Oh God, that was it. He couldn't take it anymore. Matthew burst out into small spurts of laughter, his head leaning down onto Alfred's chest while he got out his case of the giggles. "J-jesus Alfred, just... why?" he managed out in between laughs, wiping his eyes free of moisture.
Alfred grinned widely, his own act starting to fail a little as Matthew began to laugh. He laughed a bit, too, reaching to place his hand on Matt's head. "I dunno, bud! Thought you coulda used a laugh or two." Or he could have, in any case, used a few of Matt's chuckles. He really couldn't tell by now.
Remembering Alfred's words about being okay with being close, he reluctantly put his arms around his brother's torso, bringing him into a hug. "Thanks, Al, you're really such the comedian. I kinda needed that," he confessed, still holding on. He was so comfortable in this new position... He could almost fall asleep on the spot.
His laughing died down, but not his smile as his brother pulled him into an embrace. He sighed, resting his cheek on his palm and patting his brother lightly, even slightly running his fingers through the Canadian's hair. "Anytime, bro, and I mean it. Just say the words and I can conjure up a laugh, guaranteed." It was such an honor to do so, and it wouldn't have brought Al a second thought to making him smile all the time. Matt really needed it, especially after today.
Matthew hummed lightly, truly happy with where he was at that moment. His best birthday present that day (as wonderful as the others were) was his brother, that moment. He almost forgot how much of a sweet guy Al could be; it was refreshing to see this side of him, to say the least. Matthew let out a yawn, blinking sleepily. "I think I might fall asleep soon.. you should go back to your own bed so I don't fall asleep on ya..."
Al snickered, playing with his brother's hair a little bit more. Who knew something so simple could be so fascinating? "I don't really mind, bro. This bed is way more comfortable than mine any night!" He leaned down, putting his face in his hair. He smelled like maple syrup... he grinned it that. His bro was so hardcore Canadian sometimes.
Matthew snuggled a little closer to his brother, another yawn coming over him. "Oh, that's alright..." He really wasn't planning on letting him go anywhere if he did want to get up, anyway. The Canadian grabbed onto the back of his shirt lightly, feeling sand weighing down his eyelids until they shut completely. "Good... g'night, Alfred... thank you so much, for everything..." he said, before dozing off to wherever his dream took him.
His heart swelled at that... he thanked him, but it wasn't just any normal thanks. It was so genuine and pure Al wasn't sure if he was going to take it or not. He ran through the day's events in his head mentally, coming to the conclusion that this was indeed a great way to wrap up his favorite brother's birthday. They'd come a long way from him asking Matt to order cheese puffs, hadn't they? He was glad that it had turned out the way he did, his favorite person wrapped around his waist and lulling off to sleep.
He shuffled a little, getting more comfortable and laying his head on the mattress, poising himself for a long night's sleep, also, using his arm as a makeshift pillow. It didn't really matter to him that the lamp light was still on, but he was so comfortable that he really didn't give a shit if the sun was outside the window. He was more comfortable than a newborn chick and he was staying there. His crystal blue eyes sunk to his brother once more, settling with wrapping his free hand around the tired guy's shoulders. He pulled in, his lips a matter of inches from the top of his brother's head, and gave him a small peck. "No prob, Mattie. Sleep tight."