When you get to the song portion of the song you definitely need to listen to it while you read. A team by Ed Sheeran. Or you can listen to the remake by Boyce Avenue, I prefer that one, but you choose! It's sad but so beautiful.
I shivered violently, walking through the fresh falling snow. It was getting dark and I wasn't wearing much; a short, hot pink skirt that showed too much leg for my liking and a flimsy bright green tank top. I had a short, cheap fur coat that wasn't doing squat. I had on heeled leather boots that came up to my knees and my hair was a complete mess. I wasn't much of floosy, but I still acted like one.
I could feel myself starting to sweat and the shivering increased. My stomach grumbled loudly and I sighed. My stash had run out a few days ago and I was starting to go through withdrawals. I was also starving. I'd been kicked out of my small apartment for never paying rent on time and I had absolutely no money on me.
I was walking by a random park when I spotted a small crowd. I walked over and heard someone playing a guitar. I made sure to stay in the shadows as I listened. I figured no one would want to be around someone like me. Whoever it was had a soft, sweet, almost familiar voice that sang as they played a guitar. I couldn't make out the lyrics because they were in French. I sat down and leaned against a tree. I sighed and let my eyes flutter closed. I was so tired.
I hadn't wanted this life, honestly, but what choice did I have? I didn't have enough money for college, my parents sure as hell didn't want me, and I wasn't any good at any job that I manage to get. I'd started smoking and doing drugs right before I got out of high school and I regretted it. I did it on some stupid dare and now I couldn't get enough of the stuff. To help out and pay for my addiction, I had to sell myself to be able to buy more. I absolutely hated it.
But, there was one guy who abhorred it more than me. My high school sweetheart, Matthew Williams. Sweet, shy, amazing, quiet Matthew. He'd befriended me one day while I was a junior in high school. I'd accidentally run into him one day and he was shocked that I could actually see him. We'd connected instantly. I was a complete loner and he was usually by himself.
We were almost immediate best friends. We shared stories and secrets. He even told me his most important secret. He was a country personification. I was amazed and shocked to find out that he represented Canada, but also thought it was pretty cool. I learned about all the other countries and even met his twin brother, Alfred, who was the personification of America. I was surprised that they were both a few hundred years old, but took on the appearance of nineteen year olds.
When Matthew found out what I was doing, he'd begged me to stop. I told him I wanted to, but I couldn't. He'd tried to help and talk sense into me but… I wouldn't listen. We slowly lost touch and it broke my heart. Matthew was one of the only people who cared about me and I… well… I loved the Canadian. I never told him for fear of rejection, but I loved the quiet boy more than anything and I still did. I'd always dream of what it would be like to date Mattie. To grow up and marry each other and have our own little family.
I was pulled from my daydreams as the music stopped and the small group dispersed. I tried to get up, but I was too weak and I was shivering too much. I sniffled and wiped at the tears in my eyes. Why did I do this to myself? I though miserably. I hadn't even noticed as a tall, lanky figure walked towards me. A sweet, subtle smell followed the person.
My eyes were closing as he knelt down next to me. He touched my cheek and I smiled at the warm. It spread through my cheeks and face. It was nice.
"_?" he asked softly. I forced my eyes up to look at the man. My heart fluttered like mad as my _ eyes med a steady purple gaze. "What happened to you?" Matthew asked, sitting down next to me. I shook my head and was confused as my vision became blurry. I couldn't see him clearly and realized I was crying.
"M-Mattie," I choked. I didn't want him to see me like this. Like the hooker that I was and going crazy because I couldn't smoke anything. I didn't object, however, and he pulled me into his lap and wrapped his strong arms around me. I sobbed and clutched at the front of the man's red and white sweater. I heard him mumbling something but paid no attention.
I shook and cried as Matthew gently rocked us back and forth. He murmured soothing nonsense into my hair and finally everything started to go black as I slipped into unconsciousness.
Matthew looked down in alarm as _ went limp in his arms. He was worried, but realized she'd simply passed out. He took in her pale, thin form. She was still shivering, and was subconsciously curling closer to the Canadians warmth. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her _(h/l) _(h/c) hair was tangled and knotted. Maple. Even when she's at her lowest, she's still so beautiful. Her outfit made his heart ache.
He knew what she'd become and hated it. He'd begged and pleaded with her to stop. He'd tried to tell her she didn't have to do what she was doing, but she wouldn't listen. He hated thinking of her sleeping with other men. Of her selling herself for something that was destroying her. He'd had so many nightmares as she'd started slipping away. He'd had to watch the girl he love slip slowly away and do this to herself.
He watched as a car pulled up and his brother jumped out. It was a good thing he'd decided to visit this week. Matthew stood up, _ held close in his arms.
"Hey Mattie! What's so…" he trailed off, seeing the girl in his twin's arms. "That's not… is it?" Alfred asked, opening the backseat doors for Matthew. The man nodded and laid the girl across the entire backseat.
"Yes," he replied simply. The American's blue eyes widened in the darkness. "We're gonna take her to my place. Would you call Arthur? He and Francis might be able to help," he told Alfred. He nodded, somewhat dumbfounded. "I'll drive," Matthew said, hurrying to the driver's said. The men jumped in and sped down the road.
Matthew called his father and Alfred called Arthur. They both agreed to come over as fast as they could. The car pulled into Matthew's driveway and he hurried out. He opened up _'s door and gently wrapped his arms around her. He frowned, feeling her tremble intensely. Alfred hurried in front of his brother and unlocked the Canadian's front door.
"M-M-Mattie," _ mumbled softly. Matthew walked to his couch and laid the girl on it. He gently began tugging her off her coat and boots.
"Alfred," he said gently, "go upstairs and get one of my sweaters and a pair of sweats. I don't wasn't Francis touching her while she's dressed like this." He loved his father, but that didn't make any less of a pervert. His twin nodded and ran upstairs to Matthew's bedroom. _'s eyes opened, just barely revealing glazed _ eyes.
"M-Matthew," she stuttered. She felt like she was freezing, but sweat glistened on her face and arms. "W-what's… happening?" she asked tiredly. Matthew looked at her and pushed her sweaty _(h/c) hair away from her face.
"You passed out. I brought you to my house and I've asked a couple of people to come over. They'll be able to help." _ nodded and clutched her arms around herself. "Al!" Matthew turned and called softly, "bring a blanket down while you're at it." The American came bounding down the stairs, clothes and blanket in tow.
"Here bro," Alfred said, handing Matthew the clothes. "Hey dude, where's you polar bear? Kuma… whatever. Isn't he usually around?" Matthew waved away the question. His brother was so ADHD.
"Probably just out and about," he muttered, looking back at the clothes in his hands. Alfred noticed. They looked back down at the girl and Matthew blushed red. He realized she'd either fallen asleep or passed out again.
"Um… dude… Are we really gonna… you know …" Alfred said, quite flustered. Matthew flushed again and nodded. He looked again at _ and realized she was too out of it to notice anything anyways.
"She can't stay in these," he said. Alfred giggled childishly and they got to work. Luckily, she was wearing undergarments and it wasn't too embarrassing. Just as the two boys finished pulling the overly big sweat shirt on, two blondes walked through the door.
"Ah Matzew! Is everyzing alright? You sounded so worried on ze phone," Francis asked as he walked over to Matthew. Arthur followed, his eyes glancing to Alfred and then the girl on the couch.
"And who is this?" the Brit asked. He sat down next to _ on the couch and felt her forehead. She was burning up. Matthew carefully explained who she was and what had happened. Francis knelt down next to his former colony and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Arthur nodded.
"Will she be okay?" Alfred asked for his brother. He knew if his twin said anything more, he'd start crying and Alfred didn't do tears very well. Arthur checked her pulse and laid the back of his cool hand against her flushed cheek.
"She should be," he said. He sighed and looked back at the three men. "I'm glad you called me. I've had enough experience with this." He sighed and Alfred looked at him curiously. "Later love," he replied tiredly. Alfred nodded and kissed the top of his head. "Has she been shaking like this the whole time?" Arthur asked and looked at Matthew. The Canadian nodded and wiped at his eyes.
"Yes," he said, "violently so, and it's only gotten worse."
"I figured as much. Francis, I need you to go and make some soup. Nothing rich or fancy, just a light broth if possibly, and make some strong coffee," Arthur instructed the Frenchman. "She won't be the only one needing it." Francis nodded and stood up, pulling Matthew with him.
"Venez Matthieu, ils vont prendre soin d'elle. Je veux parler avec vous pour un peu," he said, starting towards the kitchen. The Canadian nodded and looked back at _. He quickly kissed her forehead and followed Francis to the kitchen. As soon as they were out of sight, Arthur stood and tugged the heavy blanket off the girl. He scooped her up and motioned for Alfred to follow him.
"We have to clean her up. She needs a bath. Her hairs filthy and I'm willing to bet the rest of her looks the same," Arthur said as they walked upstairs. "Can you handle it?" He quirked an eyebrow towards the American and stopped at the bathroom. He nodded and followed Arthur into the bathroom.
"Are we gonna leave her in anything?" Alfred asked as Arthur handed _ to him and ran water in the tub. Alfred lowered himself to the floor and sat _ in his lap. Her eyes were half-closed and she was mumbling under her breath.
"If she has any under clothes on, then yes." They were quiet as they let the tub fill. "Go ahead and pull her clothes off. We may need to hold her down when we set her in the water. She may panic and start thrashing." Alfred nodded and started doing as he was told.
"Artie," he asked, holding the now half naked, shaking girl cautiously, "how do you know so much about this?" Arthur smiled sadly and reached for _.
"I was a punk at one time, do you remember me telling you that?" he asked, very carefully and very slowly setting the girl in the water. Alfred nodded, sitting on the edge of the tub. "Well, what do punks do, love?" he questioned as he reached for a bar of soap.
"Oh," was the American's simple reply. He'd heard tales of when the English nation was in his punk phase, but he'd never seen it or asked for too much detail about it. He knew it had been a rather rough time for his beloved Arthur. The Englishman chuckled and began cleaning _.
"I spent many a day smoking and living where I could. Doing what I wanted and rebelling when I could. Finally ol' Frog Face found me and cleaned me up, helped me get through the bloody withdrawals and such, it was murder too. Knocked some sense into me though, literally. As soon as I was well enough to walk, he slapped me. I definitely needed it though," he said somewhat absently. As he finished his story, _ started turning and tossing in the water.
"_," Arthur said. He grabbed her arms and tried to hold her still. "_. It's alright." Her eyes shot open and she started shaking worse than ever.
"Mattie!" she yelled. She shouted for Matthew a few more time, her voice hoarse and scratchy. Alfred and Arthur tried to calm her down as they listened to light footsteps run up the stairs. Matthew rushed in and saw _ yelling and writhing.
"_," he said softly as he rushed over to her. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Mattie. I'm s-so sorry!" she cried. The Canadian pulled her to him, not even caring that she soaking wet. "I should've listened to you. I'm sorry." Matthew nodded at Arthur to continue and the Brit quickly but gently started washing her hair.
"Shh _, shh. It's okay. I promise, everything's alright," he murmured. Arthur finished cleaning her up and Matthew quietly told him to wrap her up in a towel when he lifted her. He wrapped his arms under her knees and back, wetting his sweater with lukewarm water. He lifted her up and Arthur quickly engulfed her in a large white towel.
"C-cold," _ muttered. Matthew held her closed and walked to his room. He could hear someone following him.
"She's going to feel like she's freezing. It's part of the withdrawal symptoms," Arthur told him. Matthew laid her on his large bed, nodding. Arthur handed Matthew the jogging pants and sweater she'd been wearing. "She needs to change back into these, but… she doesn't need to uh… stay in the wet clothes." Matthew blushed but nodded all the same.
"_," he said quietly, "you need to change into something warm and get out of your wet stuff. Can you change?" he asked. She nodded shakily and grabbed the clothes from him.
"Just turn around real quick," she told the men. They obeyed, both blushing light pink. They listened to the shuffle of clothing and finally they were told they could look.
"We need to get back downstairs. Come here, I'll carry you," Matthew told her. He reached out for her, but she shook her head.
"I… I can walk," she said. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. The effort of just that was making her pant from exhaustion. Her legs were shaky but she managed to take two steps. "See? I can…" she trailed off, swaying slightly. She saw black spots and lost consciousness.
"_!" Matthew cried softly, reaching out to catch her. She fell limp into his arms, breathing heavily. He looked up at Arthur, fright and worry etched into his handsome face.
"She'll be okay, she's just straining herself. Let's get her downstairs and get some food in her," the Brit said soothingly. The Canadian nodded, carefully picked _ up, and followed him out of the room.
I came to, to a guitar playing softly. I felt warmth in my stomach and realized it wasn't grumbling any more. I breathed evenly, my eyes still closed, and listened as the guitar continued.
White lips, pale face; breathing in snowflakes. Burnt lungs, sour taste. Light's gone, day's end; struggling to pay rent. Long nights, strange men.
I heard the most beautiful voice, singing softly along with a guitar. iAm I dead?/i It sounded like an angel.
And they say, she's in the Class A Team. Stuck in her daydream; been this way since eighteen, but lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting; crumbling like pastries.
I moved slowly, aching and trembling. My eyelids fluttered and I winced from the small amount of soft light.
And they scream that the worst things in life come free to us. 'Cause we're just under the upper hand, and go mad for a couple grams.
My eyes barely opened and I saw an extremely fuzzy image. I felt this aching in my chest, and it hurt every time I breathed.
And she don't wanna go outside tonight. And in a pipe, she flies to the Motherland, or sells love to another man. It's too cold outside, for angels to fly. Angel's to fly.
Slowly things came into focus. I saw two blondes. One had extremely thick eyebrows and a sweater vest. I think that was Arthur. That meant the other was Francis.
Ribbed gloves, raincoat. Tried to swim, stay afloat. Dry house, wet clothes. Loose change, bank notes. Weary-eyes, dry throat. Call girl, no phone.
I looked around slowly, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Who was that singing…
And they say she's in the Class A Team. Stuck in her daydream; been this way since eighteen, but lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting; crumbling like pastries.
I saw Matthew, sitting on a love seat across from me next to his brother. Both men were holding an acoustic guitar, but Mattie. The Canadian was the one singing, and it was the most beautiful and amazing thing I'd ever heard.
And they scream that the worst things in life come free to us. 'Cause we're just under the upper hand, and go mad for a couple grams.
I watched as a few tears dripped down his nose as he sang. What could make Matthew cry? Why was he upset? It hurt me to see him so sad.
And she don't wanna go outside tonight. And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland, or sells love to another man. It's too cold outside for angels to fly. An angel will die.
I tried listening to what he was singing, focusing on the words instead of his voice.
Covered in white. Closed eye, and hoping for a better life. This time we'll fade out tonight, straight down the line.
Matthew's voice cracked a bit. I watched, my heart breaking as more tears chased each other down his face.
And they say she's in the Class A Team. Stuck in her daydream; been this way since eighteen, but lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting; crumbling like pastries.
I listened, tears streaking down and staining my own cheeks. He was singing about me. About my stupid decisions and what they had led to.
And they scream the worst things in life come free to us. And we're all under the upper hand, and go mad for a couple grams.
I could feel myself shaking even worse than before. iWhy? Why was I stupid?/i I buried my face into the couch cushions, trying to control my sobs.
And we don't wanna go outside tonight. And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland, or sell love to another man. It's too cold outside for angels to fly.
His voice softened significantly and only one guitar was playing. I cried silently, praying that they didn't notice.
Angels to fly. To fly, fly. For angels to fly, to fly, to fly. Or angels to die.
Matthew's voice was right next to me now. He laid a hand on my shoulder gently. I looked up and saw his stunning lavender eyes watching me. I expected hurt, betrayal, sorrow, I even prepared myself for disgust and contempt. I should've learned not to assume by now.
His beautiful violet eyes looked at me with concern, care, worry…love. I loved him… could he possibly feel the same? He leaned down gently and carefully, chastely kissed my lips. My eyes widened and he pulled away to look at me. He was blushing as red as his sweater.
"Je taime _," he mumbled, never breaking eye contact. He… he loved me? He love me! I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face into the crook of his neck. "Maple!" he said softly. He smelled so good, like fresh pancakes and maple syrup. More tears fell from eyes as I clung to Matthew.
"I love you Matthew. I love you more than anything." I told him. I cried softly. "I know I've screwed up. I've screwed up real bad, but… Please… don't leave me," I whispered. He rubbed my back as he rose up to sit on the sofa. I heard shuffling from off to the side as I cried into his neck. I figured the others were leaving.
"_. _, look at me," he commanded, his voice gentle as ever. I reluctantly pulled away, shaking terribly. Matthew caressed my cheek with his hand and made me look at him. "I am never, ever letting you go. I am not ever going to leave you. You're mine now, and you're not going anywhere," he told me sternly, a smile tugging at his lips. I chuckled and then winced. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"My stomach, my head. Everything hurts," I said. "It's just the withdrawal though," I informed him, wincing again. He delicately pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple.
"Don't worry. We're gonna get through this," he murmured, rocking back and forth, "together."
And that we did. It didn't take as long as we thought, fortunately. I got through the withdrawals and the addiction. Arthur, Alfred and a lot of the other countries were so helpful and supportive. I stayed with Mattie and never sold myself again. I didn't need to.
While I was getting through the mess I'd put myself in, Matthew proposed. I certainly didn't deny him. I kissed and hugged him, agreeing over and over again. We married a few months after I was completely clean and ready to stay that way. It was beautiful and rather simply. Whichever countries wanted to come did and that was pretty much it. We honeymooned and came back home. And now? Well…
"Maple!" I called, looking up through the branches of the tall pine tree. "Maple Williams! Come down! Once you eat lunch, I'll let you climb to your heart's content!" I shivered in the cold, breathing into my hands for warmth.
"Promise?" A little girl yelled from somewhere above me. I rolled my eyes.
"Yes! I promise! Now come down! People are here and we need to eat." I noticed movement and knew she was headed down. My little three year old, yes three, was already climbing trees and scaring the living daylights out of me. I blamed Matthew and my dunce of a brother-in-law. Matthew said it was because he was a country and she had his genetics that she was able to a lot of things kids her age wouldn't be able to.
The little girl looked just like her father. Long, wavy blonde hair and soft, beautiful lavender eyes. She was going to be tall and she was already showing signs of being lanky. She would definitely tone up once she became a teenager though, and it would all turn into muscle. I was praying she wouldn't need glasses like her father though. Goodness knows how many pairs of glasses would get broken.
"Maman! Maman!" I looked and saw a little blonde head appear from the foliage a few feet above me. The little girl's feet were braced against the tree trunk and she was holding onto two branches as she leaned towards me. "Catch me!" Maple suddenly leapt from the branches, propelling herself forward by pushing off the tree. I caught her with a loud 'ompf' and stumbled backwards. I heard the exclamation of 'Maple!' and ended up in the snow.
"Papa!" Maple cried. Correction. Matthew landed in the snow, we landed on Matthew. Our daughter crawled over me and onto her father. "Hi papa!" she said animatedly. I groaned and scooted off my husband.
"I'm so sorry dear," I said, standing up and turning to help Matt up. He chuckled, wrapped an arm around Maple and got up.
"It's alright sweetheart. I was coming to see what was taking so long," he said, raising a blonde eyebrow at the little girl in his arms. Maple giggled and tried to hide her blush behind her small fingers. Matthew laughed as we walked to the house.
"Well, someone," I said, poking the girl in the stomach, "didn't wanna get out of the trees."
"That's because they're fun to climb maman!" she protested. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around my husband's middle.
"Who's all here?" I asked. The Canadian sighed as Maple tried to crawl to his shoulders.
"Well, Francis, Arthur and Alfred, and because of papa, Antonio and Gilbert," he informed me. I nodded, already knowing what was coming next and not minding a bit. "And then Ludwig and Feliciano because of Gilbert and Lovino because of Toni," he concluded. I chuckled as we walked into the house. Laughter, yelling and the smell of delicious food overwhelmed me.
"It's a good thing you and your father can cook," I said. At that moment, Francis stepped around the corner and Maple immediately wanted down.
"Grand-pére!" she cried excitedly, squirming to get off Matthew. He grabbed her and quickly set her on the ground. She ran over to Francis as fast as her little legs would carry her. "Grand-pére!" she said, happily attaching herself to the French nation's leg.
"Ah, bonjour mon petit feuille d'érable. Comment si votre français á venir le long?" he asked, picking the girl up.
"Bon! Alors devinez ce que je faisais grand-pére?!" she replied in less than perfect French. He chuckled and walked back into the dining room with the girl. I heard her start chattering away and sighed. I knew I had no need to worry about the nation pulling anything. Maple was Francis' granddaughter and he cared dearly for the child. He and Matthew agreed that they would start World War III if harm ever came the little girl.
"Come on," I said, grabbing Matthew's hand, "let's go tell everyone they can eat. Al sounded like wounded puppy when I told him he had to wait for food." The American's twin laughed and pulled me into the kitchen.
"Alfred always looks like that when he's denied food," he said, releasing me and going to a cabinet to get bowls. I giggled and went to the stove to get the soup Francis and Antonio had made. I lifted it and carried it expertly into the dining room.
"Maman!" I looked over to the end of the table and saw Maple sitting in Alfred's lap. "Can me and Uncle Alfred go sledding later?" she asked hurriedly as I set the soup down.
"Alfred and I, love," Arthur told her quietly from his spot next to the pair. She nodded solemnly and looked back at me seriously. I was trying my hardest not to giggle.
"May Alfred and I go sledding?" she repeated, grammatically correct this time. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes sweetheart. You can go sledding, if you'll run into the kitchen and grab the rolls," I told her. She smiled and hopped off the American's lap. I watched her scurry into the kitchen, grinning to myself.
"So looks so much like Matzew," Gilbert said from across the table. I looked at him and the yellow fuzz ball on top of his head and nodded.
"You're telling me. He tries to say she has my nose, but she looks just like him, nose and all," I replied. He laughed and started talking to Ludwig in quick German, grinning at whatever his brother was saying.
"She definitely 'as your attitude and spirit, ma chérie," Francis said. "I know Matzew never acted as bold as she does when 'e was a child. She gets zat from you." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Maple came stumbling back into the room, a plate of rolls tottering in her small arms. I rushed over and took the plate from her.
"Thank you dear," I said and kissed the top of her head.
"Vous êtes maman d'accueil," she said and rushed over to Ludwig. "Uncle Luddy! Hold me!" she said, jumping up and down with her arms in the air. The blonde German looked down grinning and picked the child up easily.
"Hallo you," he said, setting Maple on his hip. "Wie geht es dir?" he asked. She giggled and thought a moment about the gruff German before replying in giggly French. I watched the two exchange different phrases in German and French and grinned. She could run and jump around just fine, but she still preferred to be held.
"Where is Matthew? Wasn't he just in the kitchen with you?" Antonio asked.
"Seriously! I'm starving!" Alfred whined. Maple giggled from her place in Ludwig's arms. I nodded and looked with eyebrows scrunched together into the kitchen, and then burst out laughing. I ran into the kitchen and started trying to pry Matthew's pet polar bear off his leg.
"Kumajiro! Let go!" I said, chuckling at my husband's helplessness. I heard laughter and the scuffle of little feet. Oh dear!
"Kuma!" Maple squealed and ran at the bear. She tackled it, almost making her father trip in the process.
"Maple! Kuma! Let go you stupid bear!" he said, trying to shake Kumajiro off. The polar bear growled slightly before loosening his jaw and releasing the Canadian.
"Good bear," I said, scratching him behind the ear. Maple giggled and clambered onto the bear's back. He twisted and shook, making sure she was hanging on, and then trudged into the dining room.
"Stupid bear," Matthew muttered. holding the bowls and walking back into the dining room. I followed behind him and smiled widely. Maple and slid off Kumajiro's back and was now sitting in Lovino's lap. He had a small smile, yes, a smile, on his face and was playing with my baby girl.
"Okay everybody! I think we can eat now! Everybody cheered and Maple jumped down and ran to me. Her purple eyes sparkled and I swear her smile simply lit up the room.
"Maman, will you put my hair up?" she asked. I nodded and motioned for her to turn around. She did so and I pulled her wavy hair back into a ponytail.
"Alright! Go on now," I said, nudging her forward. She would pick one of the nations to eat with and then go play with Kumajiro under the table until someone was done. She immediately ran to Gilbert, who grabbed her and carried to the table. He sat down and placed her on his leg.
We all found a spot to sit; I was in between Alfred and Antonio and Matthew was next to Gilbert and Francis. We all immediately dug in. It was wonderful. Matthew was a wonderful cook, but I loved when Francis came and fixed the meals. I was so glad Mattie had inherited his father's cooking skills however, because I was almost as helpless as Arthur in the kitchen. Though, at least I didn't burn cereal.
Lunch was finished off rather quickly and Maple begged for us to all come out and play. We agreed and were pushed rather hastily out the door by the three year old and her American side-kick. It wasn't often Al was willing to give up the hero position, but he allowed it when it came to his niece. Everybody was absolutely enthralled by the child.
At first only a few people had known about Maple, like Alfred, Arthur, Francis and a few others, but the little girl had begged her father to let her go to a world meeting. He'd agreed to let her come as long as she stayed by him. They'd gone and Matthew had never gotten so much attention in his life. From that point on, Maple wanted to meet all the nations.
She'd accidently wandered off at one point and was found by Ivan. Matthew was scared out of his wits and when he finally found the Russian with his baby girl, he was not happy. Ivan explained what had happened, but Matthew said he had that look in his eyes the entire time. He had told Maple to go find one of the other nations, preferably France, and stay with them for a minute. Matthew had then threatened Ivan Braginsky within an inch of his life, which I would've paid good money to see. Anyway, Maple was allowed to go to most of the meeting as long as she stayed with one of the nations who were close to Matt or me.
Well, we were forced outside and all ended up in snow one way or another. We made snow forts, had snowball fights, and made snowmen. Maple even slid down the snow hills on Kumajiro's stomach. When Alfred tried the same thing, he nearly lost a leg to the large bear. By the time we headed back in, the sun was low in the sky and we all had red noses and ears. People decided to start leaving a little after. We decided that Alfred and Arthur would stay the night. We invited Francis, but he insisted that he had to get going and had to meet someone.
"Maman," Maple said, yawning widely and stumbling up to me, "I'm tired." I bent down and picked her up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned again.
"Well then it's time to get to bed then," I said as she hugged my neck. She nodded sleepily. "Mattie, get a bottle of wine out of the cellar. I'll be back in a minute," I called softly. I walked into Maple's room and set her down. She trudged to her bed and flopped onto it.
"Maman, when can I have wine?" she asked as I pulled out a pair of pajamas for her. I chuckled and brought her a pair of thermal sleeping pants and a long sleeved shirt.
"When you're older sweetheart. I don't think you'd like it much right now anyway," I replied and helped her change. She crawled under her blankets and looked at me with barely open eyes.
"I… love you, maman," she yawned. I bent down and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too maple leaf. Now get some sleep." She nodded and closed her eyes. I smiled and walked out of the room, turning her light off as I went. As I went to close her door a strong pair of arms intertwined around my middle.
"Al and Arthur decided to turn in early," Matthew whispered in my ear. I giggled as he placed feather kisses along the shell of my ear. "I figured we might as well do the same." I blushed as he ran a finger along the waistline of my jeans. That's what I loved about Matthew. Shy, quiet, practically invisible during the day, but devious, playful and fiery at night. I nodded and looked again at Maple.
"I told you we'd make it together, didn't I?" he said gently, noticing where I was I looking. I nodded again as memories slowly surfaced. I nodded, wiping a few small tears.
"And I couldn't have imagined a better life," I told him sweetly.
"Je t'aime _," he murmured lovingly. I turned and kissed him softly.
"I love you too Matthew."
Translations:
French - Venez Matthieu, ils vont prendre soin d'elle. Je veux parler avec vous pour un peu. - Come Matthew, they'll take good care of her. I want to talk with you for a little bit.
Je t'aime - I love you.
Maman - Mama!
Grand-pére - Grandfather!
Ah, bonjour mon petit feuille d'érable. Comment si votre français à venir le long? - Ah, hello my little maple leaf. How if your French coming along?
Bon! Alors devinez ce que je faisais grand-père! - Good! So guess what I was doing grandpa?!
Ma cherie - My dear
Vous êtes maman d'accueil - You're welcome mama
German: Wie geht es dir - How are you?