Maple Flavored
Halloween. The best time of year for a kid. Endless fun, spooks, and of course... Candy. But, on this very night, there was one child who was dreading it. His name... Was Matthew.
"But Papa, I don't want to go..." He whimpers softly into the pillow, a wide frown clear on his face. "Matthieu..." Francis begins, rubbing the boy's back, trying to comfort him as best he can. "You said you would go this year, miel. You were looking forward to it all week. Why would you suddenly just give up now?" The Frenchman lets out a small sigh, and strokes the boy's hair, brushing it out of his face. "You know Alfred will be going... He's your frère, and best friend. I thought you would be looking forward to this." The Canadian lets out a little groan and sits up with a pouty expression, glancing down at his feet. "T-That's the problem, papa..." He whispers, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, kicking his feet a little. "E-Every year, A-Alfie always scares me, and I don't like it. It always makes me cry." Tears begin to bubble up in his eyes, but he wipes them away quickly. He is then pulled into a tight embrace by his father who picks him up, and spins him around once. "Matthiew, I will be with you the entire time, and I will talk with Arthur about your issue with Alfred. That is okay, oui?" He looks into the boy's eyes with a reassuring smile, and then kisses his forehead. "O-oui..." The toddler says with a small sigh, looking back at his father. "Papa, you said you bought me a costume this year... What is it?" He asks softly, arms wrapped around Francis' neck as he holds him. "Ah! Oui! Of course! Come along, mon cher." The country smiles and carries Matthew to his room, setting him down on the bed, and pulling out a rather large, round box with a yellow bow on the top of it. "I know you'll love it."
Later that night, the Canadian steps out of his house, clutching his father's hand nervously. A small smile forms on his face as he glances down at his costume... A pancake. The one thing he loved second most in his life (first place belonging to his papa). It was perfect! He loved everything about it, but mostly the fact that his father had taken the time to make it himself. "Anything for you Matthiew." He always says. And so, with a few small steps and encouraging words from his father, he begins his brave journey.
Throughout the night, Matthew grows more and more worried. There has not been one trace of the American boy the entire night, and he figured he was holding out for something serious. But, on the other hand, he got many compliments on his costume, which means... More candy. Every time he went up to the door, Francis would wait a few steps behind and urge him on to ask those three words himself. "T-Trick o-or treat..." He'd always whisper gently, keeping his eyes to his shoes. It seemed to Matthew, out of all the kids he passed, he had the largest bag of candy for some reason. Of course his father had it figured out, knowing from the start, Matthew would be about the cutest one out that evening. He wanted to make this night special for Matthew, and by the looks of it so far, he succeeded. Eventually, the Frenchman catches a glimpse of Arthur, being pulled along by a... Hamburger? Ah, figures. Francis then glances down at Matthew, giving his hand a little squeeze and pointing over to Alfred. "I don't think you'll be getting scared tonight, Matthieu. Alfred, seems a little preoccupied." He says soothingly, knowing he was anxious. The little pancake glances over and notices Alfred, who was quickly walking in the opposite direction with his father. The American was blathering on and on about how they had to "hit every house on the block", which was met by a groan and a roll of the eyes from his father. Matthew smiles to himself, and looks up at Francis. "Thank you for taking me, Papa... Je t'aime." Francis lets out a chuckle and hugs the little boy back, kissing his head. "Je t'aime aussi." He says gently, taking the smaller hand in his once again, giving it a kiss. "Now, let's go to a few more houses, then we'll head home and watch a movie, oui?" Matthew gives a quick nod, and walks briskly to the next house.
A few hours later, the Frenchman and Canadian return home, both smiling wide. Once they get inside, Matthew quickly empties out his bag, all the contents spilling out onto the floor. Matthew's eyes widen, and he blinks, tilting his head to the side. "P-Papa...?" He asks, quietly, looking up at him. "Oui, ma petite crepe?" Francis smiles, meeting the boy's bright violet eyes. "Do they have any maple flavored candy?" Francis stays silent for a moment before breaking out into a loud laugh. "Mon cher, is that all you think about~?" He grins and picks up the pancake, spinning him around in his arms a few times, as he earns giggles and squeals from the boy. He then carries him to his room, setting him down on his bed, nuzzling his nose with his own. "Wait here, I'll be right back." The Frenchman says quietly, kissing Matthew's forehead before walking back into the kitchen, picking out Matthew's favorite movie, and grabbing a few candies that were similar in taste to maple syrup. Once he walks back into the room, he lets out a little chuckle at the little pancake who was burried under the covers, his glasses placed on the side table. Francis smiles and sets down the candy and movie on the coffee table, and crawls into bed with Matthew. He presses a small kiss to his cheek and wraps his arms around him, and slowly closes his eyes. "Happy Halloween, Matthieu."