Wow, I started to write this crap agessss ago. Then I put it on hiatus for the 4th of July, and totes forgot about it until right then :\ Anyway, enjoy my terrible angsty drabble :\ Plus, it was kind of inspired by the Good Charlotte song Misery.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia D:
Happiness is a face that doesn't look good on me
Matthew knew that the party wasn't going to be that good. Actually, he knew it was going to be a great party, everyone would have a fantastic time, and there would be good food, music and so forth, but he had been pretty down about it for a while now. He had arrived there, and had been completely swamped in hugs by Alfred, who kept saying things like: "You came! Mattie, I'm so glad you're here!" Not what he really wanted to hear, of course, but he handed his brother his gift, and slunk away.
The atmosphere was great, everyone who was there already seemed to be having a grand time, and that made it all the more painful for him. He watched them for a moment, and then sighed in defeat and headed over to the food table. Pouring himself a glass of punch, he walked over to a tree in Alfred's yard and leant against it. He kept telling himself that he should be used to this by now, but it never got less painful, and the way none of them seemed to notice him standing by his lonesome made it all the more worse. But still, it would be nice to receive one birthday wish…
"Mattie!" Someone called him. He looked around to find Gilbert standing next to him.
"Oh, hi, Gilbert," He answered, smiling politely. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
"T'is alright," The silver-haired man said, shrugging his shoulders. "What about you?"
"Yeah, it's fine." They stood in silence for awhile, and then Gilbert proclaimed he had just seen 'West' and had to go talk to him. Leaving Matthew on his own again. It stayed that way for most of the party. Actually, not once did he talk to another nation again during the celebration. When it was time for cake, he wandered over, taking in the magnificent piece of architectural food. But when everyone started singing to Alfred, it was too much for him, and he ran off, tears welling up in his eyes.
As soon as Matthew got into the bathroom, he locked the door and started punching the countertop. "It's…not…fair!" He whispered over and over angrily, and then collapsed into silent sobs, slumping against the side of the counter. He held his head in his hands, trying to muffle whatever noise his tears were making for what felt like an eternity, but was eventually interrupted by someone knocking on the door. This startled him and he sat up straight, trying to answer somewhat coherently. "Someone's in here!"
"Alright," The voice called back, and Matthew heard them lean against the wall. waiting. He stood up, trying to compose himself, and looked into the mirror. He looked like a real mess, seriously. His eyes were red and puffy - though his glasses hid that reasonably well – and his cheeks were pink and raw from crying. He attempted to make himself look at least presentable by splashing water on his face a few times, but it didn't do much justice. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, well, whatever happened happened.. He slowly pulled the door open and came face to face with Arthur.
"What the fuck…?" Arthur took in his appearance, his mouth slowly forming into a frown. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'll be fine!" Matthew muttered, not looking the Englishman in the eyes. He automatically tried to walk around him (nice evasiveness techniques, Matthew, really), but Arthur grabbed his arm.
"No, you won't," He stated, "No one is ever this upset at birthdays. Come sit down and tell me what's wrong," He let go of the Canadian's arm and took a seat on Alfred's bed. Matthew – who the whole time had been debating whether or not to make a run for it and find somewhere else to hide – reluctantly followed.
"Now, Matthew," Arthur asked, his voice holding a note of worry for the poor boy. "Did something happen to you? Was it France?"
"N-no!" His voice cracked, and then it started all over again. He buried his face in his hands, embarrassed, so Arthur couldn't see the tears. His shoulders were shaking, and suddenly, he was bawling his eyes out. It took a few moments for Arthur to semi-understand what was happening, and he placed his arm supportively around the blonde's shoulders, rubbing the small of his back. Matthew felt like an idiot, but he couldn't stop, and the comforting touch of Arthur seemed to make the whole thing worse. When he got to the hiccupping stage, Arthur relaxed a little.
"What was that?" He asked gently.
"M-my birthday-y was three d-days ago," Matthew stuttered back. His voice sounded hoarse and strange, it didn't sound like his. "Everyone kn-knows about Al-Alfred's…but n-not mine. I-I didn't get any c-calls or well-wishes o-or anyth-thing. N-no-one cares about m-me…"
Arthur's face softened into an empathetic expression. "Oh, you poor lad," He said, "I know what that's like,"
"H-how can you know?" Matthew looked straight at him with a hard expression. "Everyone kn-knows who you a-are!"
"Alfred's birthday isn't only difficult for you," He answered softly, kindly, but sadly. Then Matthew realized it. The reason they were all here today was to celebrate America's independence. This day, all those years ago, America had split from England, and everyone was congratulating that. Arthur, understandbly, would never fully get over it. In the midst of all the celebrations, he'd kind of forgotten what they were actually here for. Matthew gasped. Arthur must feel so terrible being here.
"Oh…G-God, I'm s-so sorry!" He raised his hands in apology. "I'm so s-stupid!"
"No, no. It's okay. I'm okay," He answered, smiling sadly. "I don't usually come to this celebration, but Alfred always seems heartbroken when I don't,"
"Th-this must be v-very hard for you then,"
"Oh, it is. But I don't let anyone know that," He said absentmindedly, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
And as they sat there in silence, it was at that exact moment that Matthew finally understood the saying 'misery loves company'.
See how depressing this shiz is?