Home is Where the Cake Is
Rating: K+
Warning: Angsty Little!Canada (for a moment though, don't worry), tons of cuteness
Summary: When you belong to this family, you're never truly alone. *FACE family AU*
Because so many of you enjoyed "My Papa's Waltz" (here's lookin' at ya, LovelyFrance!), I'm back with another FACE fic. Honestly, I get a huge kick out of this quirky family dynamic. This was inspired by an adorable FACE comic I found on Zerochan. Enjoy~
XXX
Anticipation was the flavor of the day as the festival swirled about the streets of the town. Children darted crazily through the spangled lanes, not heeding their parent's calls to come back to them, shouting and laughing at the merry mood. It was summer time, and the balmy air inspired rebellion within their small souls.
Standing beside his parents, a little boy with wavy blond locks clutched a stuffed polar bear, violet eyes taking everything in with quiet curiosity. He jumped about a foot in the air when his dad interrupted the carefree atmosphere.
"ALFRED!" an angry yell pierced the air like a jagged cut as a laughing blond boy pinched the tomato red nose of a clown and raced away from him to hide behind his parents, one of whom an angry British man, peeking out at the clown with sparkling blue eyes.
A chuckle brought the man out of his tirade and he turned to his left. "Arthur, mon coeur, we should let them revel in to their wild side, give in to their animal instinct once in a while." The man who spoke wrapped an arm around the British man's waist and pulled him close, some locks of blond hair that had escaped from his ponytail brushing against his chin.
"L-lemme go Francis," Arthur grumbled, pushing away from him and stooping down to the eye level of the little boy standing quietly and unnoticed at their side the whole time. "Matthew, are you doing all right?"
The boy tilted his head questioningly at his dad. "Oui, Daddy, I'm fine," he softly answered, smiling at the fact that his parents noticed him for the first time since their outing.
"Ugh, you've been teaching him French again you froggy baguette," Arthur glared at Francis, whose eyes twinkled in mirth, "the Queen's English is the only language worth knowing."
"Take care you don't trip over that massive ego of yours, darling."
Alfred interrupted before Arthur could reply, "Hey Mattie! You won't believe what just happened!"
"What Al?" Matthew hugged his stuffed bear Kumohira (what that his name?) close to his chest.
"I think the clown whose nose I pinched was Uncle Antonio!" The boy was almost leaping off the store fronts that were lined up all along the street in excitement.
"Toni?" Francis's face delicately widened in surprise. "What makes you think so?"
"Instead of a normal nose, the clown had a tomato!" The overwhelming ecstasy that had overtaken the boy had simply become too much for the little body, and he was off like a rocket, the word HERO displayed on his shirt rapidly fading within the colorful spirits of the festival.
The mouths of his family simultaneously dropped open at the unexpected dash, but Arthur was already hot on his tail. "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE IMP!" Emerald eyes flashed in both panic and anger as he quickly caught up with the boy.
"Really Alfred, you can't just go running off like those superheroes you watch on TV," Francis heaved a long-suffering sigh and started after his husband and his son.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Matthew obliquely acknowledged the absence of his family but he was not paying attention. The moment his face had glimpsed what was behind the glass display window, all other conscious thought had flown from his mind.
He stood in front of a confectioner's shop, and the display looked like it was teetering on the edge of collapsing from all the succulent treats. Brownies with deliberate cracks to reveal the gooey chocolate, tarts with fruits tantalizingly arranged—sweets of all sorts existed behind that glass wall. But the star of the show was a single strawberry cake. Every part of the baker's soul was poured into this art, from the delicate swoops of white draped around the sides to the strawberries, halved to resemble hearts, dotted to make multiple rings with one single strawberry in the center, the crown of the cake.
"Ah, Papa, Daddy," Matthew turned around with a sweet and excited smile, his little arm outstretched, "can we go inside the shop and—?"
His parents weren't beside him. They had run off to Alfred, who had ceased his running and was now tugging on Arthur's sleeve, pointing at the clown with the tomato for a nose, asking if they could run over and see if it really was Uncle Antonio.
Matthew's arm dipped down slightly as Arthur lifted Alfred into his arms, scolding him and saying that "perhaps they will later" at the same time. Francis put a hand to his mouth as he snickered at the adorably domestic sight of his husband holding his son, who had turned beet red from noticing Francis watching and proceeded to shout at the Frenchman.
Arm fully dropping to once again clutch Kamoharu (that was its name right?) Matthew turned away from his parents to face the gleaming wall of sweets. "I guess they're not paying attention Kunachigo," he whispered quietly, "they're paying attention to Alfred." He started drawing on the glass, making little designs of hockey sticks and Superman logos.
His finger faltered on the S. It was not that he disliked Alfred; Alfred was a really nice brother despite his rambunctiousness. Always there to help just like a hero would, although when they were watching scary movies Matthew would be the hero, even if Alfred would always deny it.
His parents too, Arthur and Francis; they were such loving parents to him…when they remembered him.
The designs started to become blurry as tears filled Matthew's eyes. Out of his family, he was the one who always slipped past the radar. Even his own parents fell prey to it—Alfred was the one who outshone him, his bright personality snuffing out Matthew's flickering flame. His parents had even forgotten him once in the parking lot of the supermarket because they had been too busy arguing over which sports team to sign Alfred up for.
Tears started trickling down his face as he closed his eyes. He would never amount to Alfred's magnetism. He would just be Matthew—sweet, forgettable Matthew.
"Ack!" he yelped as a hand came down on his head softly, encasing his head in a protective hold, ruffling locks of blond hair. The surprise brought him out of his own thoughts and the tears stopped.
Francis smiled down at him sheepishly, "Je suis désolé Mathieu," he said as Arthur stood beside him with fatherly worry on his face, "we left you alone again didn't we?"
Arthur nudged Alfred with his foot and looked on as Alfred fidgeted in front of Matthew. "Sorry Mattie." He mumbled the next part, "I shouldn't have run off like that."
Matthew felt his papa's hand stroke his hair as he looked up at his parents, vestiges of tears slowly clearing up. Arthur bent down next to him and pointed towards the sweets. "Were you looking in there?"
"O-oui," Matthew whispered shyly.
Alfred took one swift look at the desserts and turned back to Matthew. "You wanted the cake?" he pointed at the strawberry cake that had captured Matthew's attention a few minutes ago, eyes open in childish wonder. Alfred really did know his brother well…or at least shared his love of sweets.
Matthew could only nod, still in a minor state of shock from having the undivided attention of his entire family all at once. Glancing at Kumakuro in his arms, he continued looking down, worry clouding his face. Would his parents say yes?
Soft laughter entered his ears as he looked up at his papa, whose cerulean blue eyes, so similar to a fairy, twinkled. He jerked his thumb towards the shop, "Go for it."
"YAHOO, CAKE!" Alfred cheered, grabbing Matthew's hand and zooming to the shop's door without any hesitation, much to the chagrin of their parents.
"Oi!"
"Here we go…"
This shouldn't be happening, Matthew thought as he felt the warmth of his brother's hand pull him towards the shop. This was out of the ordinary; he was supposed to be forgotten. That was the feeling he was used to more than half the time.
So why…was he feeling bubbling joy rise up inside him?
He looked at Alfred, his obnoxious, annoying, wonderful brother, as he looked back at him with a miniature version of a hero's grin.
He turned back to look at his parents: Francis, with his serene smile and contented eyes, and Arthur, with a light-hearted air so rarely seen flitting around him.
He continued looking at them, bemused, and turned back around to face the shop. As the door opened and his nose was assaulted with the aroma of chocolate, strawberries, and peaches, he held Kumajiro close and smiled, giggling to himself.
He should've known—when you belong to this family, you're never really alone.
XXX
Was Spain the clown with the tomato for a nose? You'll never know. *shot for trolling* Mattie, baby, let me love you! I'm quickly growing to love fanfictions about Canada getting some good old family love without pairings being involved. X3 If anyone's interested, the ID for the comic on Zerochan is 549220. ^^
I'm planning on doing two GerIta fics next, and something involving my new nation-tan, Israel as well a fic with the Bad States Trio! I am also in the midst of rewriting "Aprons and April". I will be busy. 0.0 Reviews are love~! :3
Translations
Mon Coeur – my heart (masculine)
Oui – yes
Je suis désolé – I'm sorry (désolé is the masculine form)