Brotherly Love

By Robin Gurl

(No pairings. I wrote this for a friend! :3 Plenty of Canada and America cuteness. When they talk with *~* it means they are speaking mentally to each other...yes I agree that they are twins *shrugs*)

The house was dark and even though he'd grown up here panic was welling up in his stomach. He staggered forward out of the bed room, the bed sheet wrapped around his shoulders, his fingers were shaking as he tried to grip the ends together but his joints hurt, they protested the movement. He got to the whole way and his knees buckled, he fell forward attempting to catch himself with one hand. He missed the wall by inches and fell face first into the rug that was covering the hardwood floor.

He lifted his head weakly and held back tears wincing as he tried to at least sit up. But he couldn't make his arms work, he was too tired. His eyes hurt to keep open and he was forced to keep them mostly closed, sweat was running down the side of his face as he reached out in front trying to force himself to sit back up.

He suddenly heard a voice, "Mattie?" He lifted his head weakly but saw no one. Tears spilled his time and he curled to his side shivering, he didn't want to be alone, not like this. He'd come all the way from Canada to be with his brother, his twin. "Mattie?" The voice came again but he was too weak to respond.

He choked on a weak sob as he heard footsteps and wondered who it was? Alfred wasn't supposed to be back for days yet – or was it hours? He couldn't remember, it hurt too much to try as well.

Alfred shook the snow from his boots and hair slamming the front door a bit harder than he meant to, "Mattie? Dude, I'm home! I'll be up there in a bit!" As he called up the stairs he kicked his boots off and unzipped his coat yanking his gloves and hat off. In his arms was a new video game, one for him and one for Matthew when he started to feel better. He froze looking up when he heard a muffled crash. "Mattie? You ok up there, bro?"

He walked to the edge of the stairs and listened carefully for any more noise. He heard nothing. Did Matt fall off the bed? Did he try to use the restroom but not make it? Was there someone up there? As usual his imagination got the best of him and he dropped the video games to the ground and ran up the stairs taking them two at a time ready to fight the nonexistent burglar.

He got up to the top of the stairs and walked a bit quieter so he could scare the intruder, "Hey! Leave my brother alone or…or I'll hit you with..with my fists!" He growled saying a bit more confident than he felt. When he rounded the corner he saw a heap on the ground. He stopped and tilted his head to get a better look, it looked like a person?

"Uh – you ok?" His mind didn't even think it'd been his twin. Matthew was too weak to sit up muchless get out of the bed. "W..What are you doing –" Then he got close enough and saw it was his twin. "Oh fuck! Dude! What are you?" He fell to his knees and gently placed a hand on his brother's head, "Easy, shh, I'm here." He gently stroked his brother's blonde hair before carefully lifting the bed sheet a bit to make sure Mattie wasn't hurt too badly. "Wh..Why are you out of bed, dude?"

The touch he'd been wishing for finally came. He jumped at first scared of what or who was touching him but then his brother's voice echoed through his ears. His head turned slightly and he coughed, "…you…left…me…" He felt tears stream down his cheeks again but this time he didn't care, "..it ..it got lonely…s…so I ca..came to find you…"

Alfred sighed and sat back on his heels continuing to stroke his twin's hair, "I didn't mean to take so long, it's freakin' cold out there, dude. I had to walk. Here," He carefully eased his brother up and let him lean on him, "There, I'm here, I promise."

Weakly Matthew gripped his brother's t-shirt shaking as the panic he'd been holding in started to leak out, "D..Don't le..leave me again..please…I..I'm already..in..invisible to every..everyone else…I..I don't want to..to be to you as ..as well.." He didn't care if it made any sense, it made sense to him.

Alfred wrapped his arms tighter around his brother's form still trying to be gentle but at the same time hold him tight enough to where Matthew knew he was safe, "Hey, now, none of that. You're not invisible to me. If you were I wouldn't have insisted you come to my house until you got well."

"….I'm sorry…." The sick country sobbed trying to bury himself further into his brother's arms. "…so..sorry.."

"Woah, dude, for what? You didn't do anything, really, your fever is just a bit high, that's why your talking crazy ..an..and maybe a bit of that anxiety that papa says you have, but you haven't done anything wrong." Seeing his twin like this broke his heart and he couldn't do a thing but just try to hold him tight, he sighed as Matthew's sobs just kept coming. Finally he gave up trying to talk him out of it and just held him, "Go on, dude, just let it out…"

He didn't know why he was crying anymore, he just couldn't stop the tears. He was cold, his stomach hurt, he felt dizzy – and he felt like he wasn't wanted. And why would he be? He was too sick to do anything with all he did was sleep. "I..I'll try and pl..play video games..w..with you just don't leave me again…"

Alfred sighed, "Mattie, I'm sorry, I won't leave you again until you're well, okay? I promise. I..I shouldn't have – you aren't ready for that yet, shhh, I'm here." He'd thought getting the present was a good idea but obviously he had been wrong. Canada hadn't wanted a new video game, he'd just wanted his brother. "Come on let's get you back to bed."

"NO! Y..You'll leave me again!" The young country cried trying to hold as strong as he could to America's t-shirt but his grip was weak and he felt America remove his hands easily from the shirt. "P..Please..do..don't…"

"You need to be in bed, Canada. You aren't well, you can barely sit up by yourself." Alfred tried to reason kneeling back down using his thumb to wipe a trail of sweat and tears off his brother's cheek.

"I'll…I'll do better I…I promise…" He begged weakly as America's hand sat back down on his head, "..ma..maple….please…."

Alfred stood up again and this time gathered his brother into a cradle carry and snuggled him close, "I'm here, shh, no need to be afraid. I promised I'd be your hero and I meant it, you just have to trust me. I'm going no where any time soon." He eased Matt's feverish arms around his neck and touched his forehead with his twins shivering as he felt a direct burst of pain but shook it off, *~ It'll be ok, dude. I'm here. I'm always here. ~*

Weakly Canada nodded and tried to contain his shivering as he was carried into the sick room and layed back down on the bed. He felt the bed shift and then arms wrapped around him again, *~ ..y..you didn't leave? ~*

"I promised I wouldn't." America responded taking the compress and dunking it into the water basin he'd brought in earlier, then ran it out as best as he could with one hand and then gently began washing Canada's face with it, "There we go, doesn't that feel better?" He smiled as his twin's eyes fluttered weakly open slightly then closed back again, he eased Mattie down on the mattress and caught the stray hand grasping it in his own as he laid down with him, "I'm here, shhh, just go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

*~ T..Thank y..you America…I..I..I'm glad you're my …br..brother…~* Canada smiled weakly and coughed laying his head comfortably in the crook of America's neck, "..my hero…"