Mathieu Williams was an only child. He lived his older brother and father figure Francis Bonnefoy in a large apartment that housed many different people from all over the world who came to their academy to learn. So Francis told him, he just stuck with it. Mathieu didn't always reside with his brother, he used to live in Canada while his brother lived in France until he was four and one day he found himself with the Frenchman and accepted it. There were few things that could ruffle his feathers.

"Mattie. Matt? Matthew? Matthew Williams!?"

Except that. Alfred always insisted on calling him the American spelling of his name. Arthur always asked Francis on how he could tell the difference between the variants but was told a Frenchman could always tell when their name and language was being butchered by an uncultured tongue.

Mathieu lived above Alfred Jones and his British guardian Arthur Kirkland. Francis told him they weren't related directly but were blood somehow. Arthur's hot temper and bushy, uncontrollable eyebrows always made him the butt of his brother's torment despite only being a few years younger. They lived in the building as long as they did. Francis and Arthur were childhood friends and he lent the British gentleman a hand when he needed a new place to live.

"Mattie! Open up! I can hear you T.V. going!"

Huffing, Mathieu heaved his seventeen form off the soft suede elbow sofa and stormed over to the apartment door. In front of him stood a near mirror or Alfred. Everyone treated the two as twins due to their appearances and they never corrected them. They had the same shade of dirty blond hair and height but that's where the similarities ended. Alfred's hair was shorter than his shoulder length hair and was straight while his was wavy. His eyes were violet where Alfred's was bright blue. They both had natural cowlicks but that too was different, his was a curl and Alfred's just stuck straight up.

Mathieu was tired of being confused for Alfred. Even the building resident's confused them. From the Italian twins Feliciano and Lovino Vargas on the bottom floor to the German brothers Ludwig and his older Albino brother Gilbert Beilschmidt at the top. Even his best friends confused two occasionally. Ricardo the Cuban and Ivan the Russian were Mathieu's self-proclaimed best friends. Ivan was taller than anyone in the building at nearly six feet and change while Ricardo was one of the worst smokers. No one under stood how the quiet, soft-spoken Canadian hung around the two bad eggs but let them be as he was the sole voice of reason.

He met Ivan at a hockey match in Canada and they kept in touch frequently. How often did you meet another with the same violet eyes as yourself he told Francis when he brought back the intimidating Russian and intimidating Ivan was. He met Ricardo while he was moving in with his older cousin and good friend of Francis Antonio. He since moved out and lives next door to Ivan and his two sisters.

"Mattie!"

"What Alfred?"

Mathieu knew that Alfred was up to something new because he had on his vintage Air Force bomber jacket with the fleece collar. He only wore that when he was planning something incredibly stupid or incredibly dangerous, which was every day sadly.

Pushing his way into the apartment, the American tossed a fast food bag on the coffee table and kicked his booted feet up next to it. Mathieu sighed and looked down at his brand new red Nova Scotia Retriever puppy Ducky he let in Alfred's equally new Malamute puppy Tony. After seeing that the two puppies were playing happily with a toy he turned back to his look alike. He saw Alfred hold out a takeout box and the maple smell confirmed his weakness. Pancakes. Snatching the bag from his smug friend he gestured for him to go on with his plan.

"We're all in the school's Student U.N.-"

"I know."

"And your Canadian-"

"I know."

"Dammit Mattie, stop interrupting!"

"I'm not going to be your Canada Al. I told you this already."

"But even the Commies are in it!"

"I'm neutral. Both me and my home country so I can opt out of anything I want."

Alfred pouted at they ate in silence then watched movies until they fell asleep, even when Francis and Arthur came in with dinner hours later to see their wards asleep on the floor next to their puppies. The two blonds had fallen asleep playing with their pets and the older two left them on the floor for the rest of the night. Arthur called in building character; Francis called it neglect so he tossed a blanket on the teens.

The better half of the month following was spent by all the participants of the school's Student U.N. Summit harassing Mathieu into participating. From the twins on the ground floor to even Ludwig on the tenth, they all stopped him in the halls or in the store to ask why he wasn't doing it. Even Ricardo and Ivan questioned him endlessly on his reluctance to join the group.

It was a great honor to be accepted or invited into the group as only true foreign born kids could join. If you had a sibling you could split the county up into the parts you wanted. The headmasters of the Academy, Vargas' father and the Beilschmidt's father, asked you personally and you received extra credits as well as out of country trips to your home even to other's countries. It sounded like fun but Mathieu didn't see the merit of it. He was only going to be getting in because he was Canadian.

"Plus who started this in the first place?"

He was sitting in the loud cafeteria across from his two friends. Ricardo had his long dreads pulled into a ponytail and a cigar behind his ear; the officials gave up on telling him no and even suspended him a couple of time to no avail, made a vague gesture somewhere behind him and continued eating. Ivan, in his large beige coat and pink scarf despite the stifling heat, had a large bottle of Vodka next to him on the bench, school officials and some security actually feared the Russian, and told him that Gilbert requested that he join.

Looking across the crowed room he saw the albino sitting with his brother and Antonio. The three were inseparable but no matter how many times he had came to their apartment they never interacted directly. It wasn't that Gilbert frightened him; it was just that they had nothing in common.

Adjusting his oval glasses, which were totally different from Alfred's square one's, he got a more recent look at the albino. Gilbert's hair was a nearly blinding white under the sunlight and made his deep ruby eyes standout even more with the kohl around his eyes for emphasis. He wore a faded and worn hip length Prussian blue Luftwaffe fliegerbluse with all the trimmings and a black tank underneath and black skinny jeans, from what the Canadian could tell. Around his neck he wore an elaborate Iron Cross around his neck much like his younger brother much to the dismay of some students. He constantly explained to deaf ears that it belonged to their grandfather and that he was proud to wear it as an expression of remembrance.

"But we don't even know each other like that. We never even speak to each other!" Mathieu tried to explain.

"Obviously he sees something in you…" Ricardo mumbled.

The Cuban didn't hold the albino in high regard or his family. Mathieu knew it wasn't intentional as the only person he had contact with in the Beilschmidt family was their cousin Roderich Edelstein who represented Austria in the Student U.N. Summit and who, in the more laid back people's opinion, needed to loosen up and get laid.

Ricardo disliked anyone who was bothered with the stuck up Austrian and blacklisted them from any party he had. If you weren't invited to a party then you were instantly deemed an uncool loser and had to sit at the loser table in the darkest, dampest, gloomiest corner of the lunchroom until you did something cool enough to warrant a pardon and a slim chance at an invite to the next one. Lucky for Mathieu he never had to sit there in his entire school life, one of the perks of being Alfred's near twin. Sighing returned his attention back to his friends as they fought over his pudding up; Ivan won.

When Gilbert looked up again he saw the purple-eyed Canadian playing mediator between his friends and nudged Francis to catch his attention. Pointing to the teen with one hand and fiddling with his Iron Cross with the other he raised his unspoken question. He had been waiting all weekend for his reply and was becoming impatient. He was undeniably awesome, that was more than enough reason to join Student U.N. Summit.

"Non mon ami, he has not accepted."

Francis looked his shoulder and blew a kiss to his brother before glaring at Gilbert. The look on his face was a determined one.

"If Mathieu does not want to join, he will not join. Now leave him alone Gil. Your such a bully. Have you not love in your heart? Are you as cold as your eyes? Is your heart as steely as your hair? How can you feel not for others discomfort!?"

Rolling his eyes at his friend extravagant display the teen locked gazes with his second best friend Antonio. The Spaniard bit into a red, ripe tomato and stared back. Like his cousin Ricardo, Antonio had natural olive skin but left his hair alone, letting it grow it to what Francis referred to as 'an uncultured, overgrown crew cut'. He was love-hate friends with the older twin Lovino, the hate part being on the latter's part. The short fused Italian did not want to be associated in any way with the Spaniard, or so he said.

"Maybe he just needs to know the reason."

"…"

"…"

Antonio raised an eyebrow at the blank looks his friends gave him before finishing off his tomato and grabbing another from his tray. He figured if that it would work better in their favor if Mathieu knew exactly why they wanted him to join. Really everything went more smoothly when both parties was willing. Sighing he saw a sadistic look come into the albino's eyes and moved over out of the danger zone dragging Francis with him.

"MATHIEU WILLIAMS!"

The whole lunchroom grew silent and all eyes went to the quiet teen who was halfway to the door. Ivan and Ricardo eyes narrowed at the albino who jumped on the lunch table and smirked at them.

"I'm calling Mathieu Williams out! Meet me today, at my car, after last class or forever be banished to the uncool table and be forced into the S.U.N.S. by my awesomeness fully!"

Mathieu looked at Gilbert as if he grown a second head and was speaking in an alien tongue. Both Ivan and Ricardo made to move forward when he gripped their arms tightly. Shaking his blond head he dragged them to the doors to find Antonio in front of them. Turning to the closest emergency set he saw his own brother blocking his way out.

The Canadian teen quickly wasn't finding this funny and whipped his head at Gilbert who still on top of the table only now with his brother and the younger Italian twin Feliciano trying to get him to come off the table. Their Japanese friend Kiku Honda tugged on his other side and told him that a security guard went to fetch his father already.

Everyone was still staring at Mathieu and his friends and brother could see one of his rare outbursts in the stages of starting. He closed his eyes and after counting to himself, he sighed in defeat. He was getting tired of being harassed and this was just getting embarrassing.

"Okay."

Gilbert, in the process of fighting his father and brother off of him, did a double take before his face split in two. In his moment of happiness his father grabbed him and manhandled him out the room with the other headmaster on his heels, both scolding him harshly. He didn't care, he got what he wanted.

Alaric Beilschmidt was a feared man. A former soldier and war veteran he was much laid back than his Co-Headmaster Alessio Vargas. Like his younger son he had pure near platinum blond hair except his was longer and a small section was braided and tucked behind his ear. Alessio had deep brown hair like his sons that had a very slight wave to it and bright hazel eyes. Compared to his partnering headmaster he was the good cop, always giving the worst of student the benefit of the doubt.

The two had been sorta-friends as long as they could remember. They attended that same academy they now governed for all of their schooling years before joining the Marines together. They had a falling out when Alaric shot Alessio but what's a bullet wound in the lung, an ER trip and spilt blood between childhood rival/comrades? Nothing apparently since their families forced them to head the school together and their children seemed to get on well enough. No foul committed.

When the two heard that Gilbert called the small teen out they weren't too scared. After all, Mathieu was co-captain of the ice hockey team. He could take care of himself but the question was would he?

"No, he's too soft. All your son would have to do is scare him a little and he'll cave." Alessio commented offhandedly.

"Mathieu is tougher than that. Remember he did take those anger management classes. He's quite the hellion when he wants to be. He's co-captain to Braginsky for a reason. Plus, Gil won't hurt him. Francis would kill him."

The two stared out over the courtyard where the students were heading home and were a large gap had started to part leading to a deep blue convertible.

"Fifty bucks says that Gil will wind up begging anyway."

"Hundred says he caves to Williams."

"Deal."

Outside Mathieu stood in front of Gilbert's car as he held the door open for him like a gentleman and he blushed at the snickers some of the students sent towards him. He let Gilbert close the door and felt him slide into the driver's seat hurriedly. Slipping on a pair of aviators he grinned at his passenger before peeling out of the parking lot at breakneck speeds.

"Hungry?"

Mathieu stared at him like he was mad and started to shake his head before changing his mind.

"A little…"

"Good because West cooked. Hope you like wurst." Kesekesekese…

Mathieu blinked at Gilbert's asthmatic chuckle. He never heard it up-close before, only through the walls of their apartment when he was over. It wasn't that Gilbert was sickly despite his albinism, he was quite healthy. Now. When they were growing up both he and Ludwig had bronchial fits. Francis would leave him with their live-in nanny or Alfred and Arthur as he rushed to his best friend's side. The wheezing sound never left him entirely and was only predominate in his chuckling laugh.

The ride back to their building took half the time as usual due to the speed Gilbert was driving at. He blamed it on learning the drive on the autobahn. Mathieu blamed it on his impatient nature. They stopped at his floor to drop his book bag off and continued to the second of the buildings penthouses, the first being Alessio's on the ground floor.

When they reached the large double doors Gilbert fidgeted slightly. He wasn't nervous about letting Mathieu into his house. No, awesome people of himself didn't get nervous. Awesome people didn't even know the meaning of the word nervous. He felt the door open and saw Mathieu just walk in after giving the woman leaving with Roderich a hug and kiss.

"Who said you can just walk right into my awesome house!? How do you have a key?! WHO SAID YOU COULD KISS MY COUSIN?!"

Mathieu looked over his shoulder with a playful smirk and waved Gilbert keys in front of his face.

"You took too long and Elizaveta is like an older sister to me so back off. I thought you wanted to talk."

Snarling Gilbert followed Mathieu into HIS kitchen and watched him take things out his cabinets. Slowly his snarl became one of curiosity as his three dogs Aster, Blackie, and Berlitz; a Golden Retriever, a German Shepherd, and a Doberman in their own rights, went and all jumped on Mathieu like an old family member. He watched at a stack of pancakes magically appeared on the counter and the reheated wurst joined them as a bottle of maple syrup.

"Francis told me that you're more agreeable when you've eaten pancakes…"

With a look akin to horror he watched Gilbert devour a dozen pancakes and half a bottle of syrup before sitting back, unbuckling his belt, and eating six wursts. His brother told him that he ate like a machine and not to watch but it was the only noise that came out of Gilbert was a grunt when his plate was empty.

"More…?"

"Ja."

"You just ate a dozen pancakes!"

"Ja but I'm not full yet."

Mumbling to himself he fixed another plate for the German albino and for himself before giving each of the dogs a wurst. He sat down across from Gilbert and they both ate at a normal pace. Halfway through Gilbert put down his utensils and steepled his fingers in front of his face.

"Why won't you be our Canada?"

"No gain. No one notices Canada and no one notices me."

"It's a match divined by Gott."

"Who?"

"Dieu."

"Oh, Mhmm, That's nice, how's that line treating you in your love life?"

Gilbert narrowed his red eyes at the teen across from him. He NEEDED a Canada for S.U.N.S. and Mathieu was going to agree on way or another.

"What could I do to make it worth you wild? What do you want Mathieu…"

Sitting back, Mathieu pushed his empty plate away from him and played with his red hoodie with a large white maple leaf on the front. He didn't want anything. He just wanted not be a part of the Summit. It was bad enough people confused him with Alfred and many of those people were in the Summit. As long as he wasn't a part of it they couldn't confuse him.

Everyone in the S.U.N.S. wore the milita uniforms pertaining to the country they represented. Many of them just picked the best one during their country's history or a traditional costume. Looking at Gilbert's SS styled uniform he winced.

"Hey! I saw that! Don't you start with the Nazi jokes runt…"

"NO! Nononononononono! I wouldn't! It's just that, why'd you two pick those uniforms?"

Gilbert leaned back and scratched Aster's ear before explaining. His grandfather had been a part of Hitler's youth and escaped; fleeing to America with their Jewish grandmother and father when he was a young child. He kept all his uniforms and the ilk hidden until his death when he willed them to his family. Holding up his iron cross he explain that it was just one of many that he was awarded.

"Old Fritz didn't like that life he led before he met Oma but he never forgot it either. I wear his uniform and one of his crosses to represent his pain. He left behind his whole entire family. His mother, father, and brothers for a better life for his family, for us."

Taking off the jacket he turned it inside out where it was held together with numerous stitches and patches to show smaller stitched up rips.

"Those are gunshot wounds. As he shielded his wife and newborn son from the barrage of bullets that they faced as they ran across the border into Allied territories. He would've died if Oma didn't drag him while holding my father into a camp where they helped him.

Mathieu this is the coat of a hero. Not one of his country, or even of a war. This is the coat of a man who knew when Gott had plans for him and that he needed to turn his life around to comply. Ma and my brother are proud to wear his coat because Old Fritz knew that family was the most important thing in his life and he needed to protect it for the better future to come.

That is why I want you to join the Student United Nations Summit. Because we all know the value of family. Most of us are missing parents, be it our mother, father or both. Why do you think this building is composed of broken families? Most without mothers and we both know that that is a lasting pain."

Mathieu looked down at the worn and ornate table, at the delicate ring that he wore on his right ring finger; his mother wedding ring, Francis wore his father's on the same hand. They lost the both them in a car accident when he was young in a trip to the country side to visit the same family plots they we're laid to rest in. it was then he was split from his brother of a few short years and sent to Canada with his aunt.

"How'd you and Ludwig lose your mother Gilbert?"

"She was killed."

Gilbert tightened his gloved hands around his Iron Cross and glared at the empty plate of pancakes.

"They lit her like a torch…" Gilbert's voice had a far away tone in it that drew Mathieu in.

"Mutti never hurt a person in her life. She and the Vargas' mother ran the orientation for incoming foreign students. No matter where you go however ignorance is still the same. Some of the new regular students never even heard of an albino and tried to kill the both of us for being abominations. They doused us in something, probably gas by the smell, and the next thing I knew she was over me burning. They threw a match and ran away like cowards. She took the match and shoved me into the fountain telling me to run away. She was dead by the time my father got to us."

"And Mrs. Vargas…" Mathieu asked hesitantly. He never known the two woman personally as they died before he came but it was a morbid curiosity that led his to ask of the deceased wife of one of the Headmasters.

"Killed nearly a week later by the same group for supporting immigration and marrying a immigrant. They gutted her and hung her from the main hall with her own entrails, right above the spot they killed mein Mutti, the scorch marked were still there. and Vater created S.U.N.S. for the foreign students so they would have a place to belong and not have to worry about the hateful and judgmental stares and remarks from the other students.

When you mess with one of us you mess with all of us. Do you remember how you used to get picked on as a child when you first came here?"

Mathieu nodded, he still has some of the scars to prove it. He was pushed down stairs, locked in closets, beaten up and was even tossed out the back of a moving school bus more than once.

"Do you remember how most of us older kids kept watch over you until you could fight back for yourself? How me, Francis, and Antonio and some of the others beat the older ones up and put them in the hospital after they took it too far and locked you out in the cold after chasing you outside when you had swimming that year.

We watch other for our own because no else is going to. To be honest, if you didn't have that temper you would've been dead before high school. I am honestly shocked that you made it this far. And it wasn't just you; it was many of the younger ones like yourself. Even Alfred.'

"But he's American born!"

"Does it matter? His guardian is British, that makes him British in their eyes. No one is spared for their hatred."

They had moved the conversation to the living room when the maids came in to prepare the evening meal. Mathieu sat in silence as he took all of the information in. after hearing the real reason for joining S.U.N.S. he felt that it was what everyone was trying to explain to his for nearly half a month.

"You'll be safer Matt."

"You really need to join Mathieu."

"It's for your own good Matvey."

"We don't want to relive our grade school days Mathieu-san."

"Please Matt? We'll sleep a lot easier if you did-aru"

"Please Mattie…"

Shaking his head mentally he looked up to see Gilbert looking at him seriously. Deciding he nodded his head shyly. When looking at it the other way he was being selfish. He brother and his friends had gotten suspended numerous times on his behalf for beating up his tormentors and it was the least he could do to must of ease in their minds.

Gilbert smiled inwardly and he handed Mathieu forms to fill out and mad a date of the next day so he could get his picture taken for his new ID card.

"See you tomorrow Canada and don't forget dress code. You only will have to wear the Mounties uniform once until the next big meeting" He explained before closing the door and making many phone calls after seeing Mathieu out of his home. There was a lot to do before the meeting tomorrow.

Mathieu was terrified. Francis called him from his last class early and helped him into their father's Mounties uniform. His brother wore a long navy coat and red breeches with boots that belong to one of their great grandfathers or grandfathers.

As his brother led him into the room to stand in front of the two headmasters he heard all of his buildings occupants clap and whistle at his, Ricardo and Antonio even wolf-whistles after make comments on his bright red outfit,

"Welcome to the Student United Nations Summit Mathieu Williams. We've been waiting a while for you to finally come around…"

Kesekesekesekese "My awesomeness finally won him over so you should be thanking me! The Great and Powerful Almighty PRUSSIA!"

"Prussia isn't a-"

"YES IT IS!"

Reaching behind him 'Prussia' grabbed something large and thrust it into Mathieu's face when he stopped laughing. A giant white teddy bear with a bright red collar with a maple leaf tag was staring him in the face.

"The Asian nations made him for you." Prussia explained pointing to Kiku and his brothers and sister. In all it was Kiku who represent Japan, Wang Yao who stood for China, Im Young Soo for South Korea and Mei for Taiwan. There were two more of them but neither Mathieu nor Gilbert knew their names so he just smiled at them.

"Isn't Canada too old for teddy bears?" Alfred or America commented loudly to Arthur, who stood for England, before garnering himself a slap in the head. Arthur had older brother who was a part of the S.U.N.S. but was at work at the moment.

"His name is Kumajiro! –aru!" Wang Yao, 'China', yelled from his seat.

"Or just Kuma. I've been calling him Bear for months now." Prussia whispered to him.

Canada was lead to his seat by Prussia, who was sitting next to him coincidently, and was near Ricardo/'Cuba' too which put his nervousness at ease slightly. He turned to Prussia and asked what was he supposed to do for the meeting.

"Nothing. We mostly talk about world politics and what could be done to improve them. What should our summer trip be to this year, who needs help in what subject, who needs help in general, favors, blah blah blah. I usually wind up taking a nap halfway through. Enjoy."

Mathieu stayed up through the whole meeting and was surprised how violent it got sometime or how many lewd comments and innuendos were made in a total span of less than five minutes sometimes, but it was fun.

After the meeting they went back to using their real names, country names was only used for S.U.N.S. business and only for S.U.N.S. business. Changing out of his father's uniform, Mathieu let Gilbert take him out for dinner with his brother, Antonio, Ricardo and Ivan. Arthur and Alfred said that they would meet them there after picking up Ludwig and the Vargas twins when they finished changing.

"Matvey had fun, da?" Ivan was letting Mathieu ride on his shoulders, something they hadn't done since they were little kids trying to reach the cookie jar in Ivan's apartment kitchen cabinet. He still had on his large coat and scarf but he said he wasn't bothered by the heat anyway.

Looking at the mixed matched group he was with all Mathieu could do was smile.

"Da, I had a lot of fun."

Mathieu Williams was an only child no longer,