Bonjour everyone~
This is a PruCan one shot based off Taylor Swift's song Mine.
I love this shipping and had a lot of fun writing.
Please review!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything...nothing at all...
Sitting on his bed, in the dark, save for the low glow of the television screen, Matthew was trying to focus on the hockey game but he couldn't keep his eyes open. Gilbert shifted in his sleep next to him and the blond had to keep moving his red eyed lover back to his side. Eventually, he gave up on trying to watch the game and began to stare at the sleeping German beside him; some of his silver hair clung to his face and his breath was steady. Matthew couldn't help but smile at the lovable buffoon that had managed to win his heart, though it had not been easy. The blond glanced around the room and sighed, with Graduation in a few days soon they'd have to leave their dorm and head out into the real world with no university walls to protect them. He had to admit it worried him a little, but he knew that his future would be just fine, as long as Gilbert was in it. Turning off the light, he moved closer to the albino and fell asleep, thinking about the first time they met.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashbacks of the Past~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been just one of those regular autumn days; he had been sitting in the park watching everyone go by. None of them stopped to look or acknowledge him, but he was used to it, sometimes even preferred it. While observing a bird build its nest in the tree above, he heard a voice. A loud, obnoxious voice.
"Yo, Mattie!" the teen boomed. The Canadian tensed up a little, in a fruitless effort to force himself to become invisible. He felt a light punch on his arm. Well, light for the American who was now grinning at his brother. Matthew, on the hand, was now holding his arm defensively.
"Hey Alfred," he said softly, rubbing his arm.
"What are you doing bro?"
"Watching nature, like those birds are-"
"Naw, that's lame. Let's go eat."
"I'm not really hungry," Matthew sighed.
"Nonsense, come on," Alfred laughed, grabbing his brother's arm and leading him-felt more like dragging-out of the park. They headed to one of the more popular burger joints in town. As soon as Alfred walked in, he was greeted with a sea of smiles and waves. Matthew simply walked quietly behind him, unnoticed. When the American stopped to talk to some of his friends, his brother went ahead and sat down at a table, alone. He watched as his popular twin mingled among other teens and sighed to himself as he looked down at the wooden table.
"Are you alone?" a voice asked him. Matthew looked up to see an incredibly tall Russian smiling down at him. He wore a huge cream trench coat with a long white scarf wrapped around his neck, despite the fact that he was indoors.
"Um, no. I actually-" he began, but the boy took a seat anyway.
"My name's Ivan," the teen grinned. Even though he looked innocent enough, Matthew couldn't shake the eerie feeling this guy was giving off, but he was extremely muscular and the Canadian didn't want to upset him.
"I'm Matthew," he said.
"I like you Matthew, we will be friends," Ivan declared.
"What?"
"Hey Mattie, who's your friend?" asked Alfred as he sat down at the table. Once seated, the American thrust his hand out at the Russian. "I'm Alfred," he grinned. The stranger looked at the hand as if he was trying to figure out what it meant. He then grabbed it and Alfred let out a small squeak as his hand was crushed under the Russian's strength.
"I'm Ivan."
"Nice to meet you. Wow, you're strong," Alfred laughed, freeing his hand.
"Spasibo, I work out."
"Dude, we should totally go to the gym together! I really need someone to spot me when I lift weights and Matthew here hates the gym."
"I don't-" the shy blond attempted, only to be cut off.
"Da, sounds like fun."
"Cool, let me get your number and I'll text you." The forgotten boy watched his brother make yet another friend. It reminded him just how much more invisible he was when Alfred was around.
"Hey, are you going to order anything?" Matthew looked at the waiter who was speaking, a bit confused. Was he talking to me?
"Me?" he squeaked, pointing at himself.
"Yea, you. Who else?" the waiter chuckled, his red eyes lighting up with amusement.
"Uh," Matthew froze a little, not really used to so much attention from someone not in his family; not that they really noticed him either. "I would-"
"Hey Gilbert!" Alfred smiled. "I didn't know you worked here." The albino turned to face the loud American and a wave of dread washed over Matthew. Really Alfred? You couldn't let me have one minute of being visible?
"Yea, it's pretty awesome," the albino smiled. "So, I'm guessing you want a couple of burgers, Ivan here, wants beef stroganov and you..." he lingered, turning back to Matthew. "I don't know what you want."
"Well, don't keep him waiting," Alfred urged. "Hurry up and order!"
"Um, how about-are there-if-pancakes!" he said, flustered.
"Come on, Mattie," Alfred rolled his eyes. "It's like 3 PM; They're not still serving breakfast."
"Right," the Canadian agreed, gazing downward out of embarrassment. "That was stupid." He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and he looked up to a smiling Gilbert.
"It's not stupid," he explained. "It was awesome. Just because they stopped serving them doesn't mean you should be able to have it. I love pancakes too, especially with lots of maple syrup," he claimed, unconsciously licking his lips. He took out his notepad and jotted down some words. "One stack of flapjacks, coming up!" As Alfred and Ivan returned to their conversation, Matthew watched the waiter leave their table and couldn't help but smile to himself.
"What do you want to do now?" Gilbert asked lazily, lying on his couch. Matthew sat on the floor and sighed out of boredom.
"Video games?" he offered.
"Ludwig sold them all."
"What?"
"I don't know, the freak says that they're destroying my brain cells."
"Can't destroy what you don't have," Matthew grinned.
"Ha," he deadpanned. "You should drop out of school right now, you could be a comedian."
"Alright, what about the TV?" the Canadian asked, gesturing at the plasma screen. Gilbert shrugged.
"Ever since my beloved video games were taken from me, I don't really use this thing."
"Well, let's check it out," the blond smirked as he grabbed the remote. He made Gilbert scoot over and took a seat next to him on the couch. He turned on the TV and they were faced with two teens in the midst of an intense make out session. Their bodies were entangled and the girl was beginning to remove her shirt. Matthew was so startled he dropped the remote. Gilbert glanced at the screen and laughed as the Canadian fumbled to change the channel. When he landed on something a little more PG, he turned to the German.
"What was that?"
"Looks like Ludwig was watching his 'stories' again," Gilbert chuckled. Matthew looked at him, confused.
"That looked more like p-oh, never mind," he realized.
"Yea," laughed Gilbert, winking. He got up to grab some sodas from the kitchen. "But don't judge the guy too harshly; we all do what we have to until 'The One' shows up." Matthew had followed the albino into the kitchen.
"The One?" he asked, leaning on the counter.
"That's at least what Elizaveta tells me. You know, the one. Your soul mate, the person you're meant to be with. Everyone has one," Gilbert explained, handing Matthew a drink.
"Not everyone," he sighed. The silver haired teen looked directly at his friend, detecting sadness in his voice.
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing."
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have said it. Mat, what's wrong?"
"It's just," he began hesitantly.
"What?"
"We're not all going to find a soulmate. Some of us are going to die alone, well not completely alone, that's what cats are for. Or in my case, stuffed polar bears."
"You don't think you'll ever fall in love?"
"Someone would have to see me to fall in love."
"Okay, stop talking like that. It really isn't awesome."
"Yea, it's not your problem. I'm sorry."
"No, that's not it. Mattie, you can talk to me about anything. Remember that," he said seriously. "What I meant was that you're not going to die alone, so stop filling your head with these negative thoughts."
"I'm not like you, Gil. I'm not really a magnet for attention."
"That's good. You don't have to waste your time with losers that I'd beat up if they even thought about hurting you," he said and Matthew laughed. "But I'm serious, Mat. There's definitely someone out there for you."
"Alright, if you say so," he answered. It was strange because for the first time in his life, Matthew was actually beginning to believe it.
"You remember when we met?" the silver haired teen asked. They sat on a blanket by the lake; the sun was about to go down, but the albino didn't want to leave just yet.
"At the restaurant? When you were still sane?"
"Ouch," Gilbert laughed. "You think I'm crazy?" he asked.
"You're insane," admitted Matthew.
"It's pronounced 'awesome'."
"That's not what I said."
"No, it's what you meant."
"My God, you really only hear what you want to, don't you?" the Canadian claimed, shaking his head in disbelief. Noticing the sun's descension, the blond shivered a little from the cold. Gilbert bit his bottom lip as he thought about something.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"No. I'm fine," Matthew assured him but then he shivered again. I knew I should have worn my hoodie. The silver haired teen looked over his friend and took a small breath as he placed his arm around the Canadian. Matthew stiffened a little but then Gilbert rubbed his hand against his arm, in an attempt to warm his friend up. Even though Matthew usually didn't like having someone intruding in his personal space, he had to admit it was nice. He moved a little closer to the German, who tightened his grip a little.
The lake had become one of their favorite spots, whether it was to do homework or just sit there talking about the day, yet sometimes it wasn't so easy going, there were days when they argued, but it was almost never serious.
"No way!" exclaimed Matthew.
"Yep."
"You think you could beat me at hockey?"
"I don't think, I know."
"Have you ever played?"
"Don't need to. I'm that awesome."
"If you say so," the blond laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Whatever," Gilbert shrugged. "I'm going for a swim" The German quickly stripped off his clothes down to his boxers and dove into the lake. Matthew stared at him wide eyed and then looked around. How could he strip like that in public? What if someone had been watching? Soon Gilbert resurfaced, gasping for air.
"Birdie...you've got to...try this," he suggested between breaths. The blond gave him a tight lipped smile.
"No thanks," he declined trying to return to his French notes. "I've got to study."
"Oh come on," he begged, climbing out of the water. Matthew froze at the sight of the German walking towards him. He looks like one of those lifeguards from Baywatch. Literally, the Canadian felt like time was stopping as the albino boy moved closer to him. Gilbert's body was pervasive with drops of water that just seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, with slicked back wet hair that gave Matthew chills. He wore a small smile that caused his red eyes to shine with delight. Eventually, Gilbert grabbed his friend's hand and got him off the ground. Matthew couldn't help but notice how warm and strong his hands were. Were they always like this?
"Let's go swimming," Gilbert smiled, his eyes searching Matthew's face. The Canadian blushed but shook his head.
"I don't think so..."
` "Notice how I didn't ask. We've been sitting by this lake forever, but haven't gone swimming once," the German explained.
"What do you mean?" the blond asked. Gilbert simply grinned and lifted Matthew off the ground, holding him in his arms, bridal style.
"We're going swimming," the albino confirmed, walking back to the water. The Canadian's eyes grew when he realized what his friend was going to do.
"No! No! Put me down!"
"No," Gilbert refused. Then he jumped into the lake, Matthew shut his eyes and held on to his friend for dear life as they plummeted into the water. Under the waves, he opened his eyes, from here the lake looked huge. He shifted his gaze downward, checking out the fish and flora swishing beneath his legs. It was incredible. He felt something tugging on his hand, pulling him back to the surface. He shot upward, breaking the water barrier, gasping for air. Once he could make out the world above, he set his sights on Gilbert.
"Huh? Pretty awesome, right?" the German offered.
"I guess, but you can't just do things like that Gilbert," he remarked.
"Oh come on, relax. You know you liked it," he laughed.
"I did. I love it actually, but next time-" He was cut off by the sudden sensation of Gilbert's lips on his. Matthew could feel a rush of adrenaline take him over and he kissed the albino back, hard. Soon, the German was pulling him in closer, running his hands through the blond's curls.
"So, you're Gilbert?" smiled an older Frenchman as he lead the German to the dining room.
"Yes, sir," the boy agreed.
"Well, it's good to know that Matthew is in good hands," the man smiled, looking him over. "Very good hands."
"Um, thank you?" he hesitated, feeling uncomfortable.
"Stop harassing the boy, you git!" shouted an Englishman as he walked into the room, holding what appeared to be 'food' on a plate. Once the sandy-haired adult reached Gilbert, he smiled, "My name's Arthur Kirkland, please excuse Francis, he doesn't know when to shut up," he said, glaring at his husband. He looked back at the albino and thrusted the plate of...there really isn't an accurate term to describe the moldy tan material sitting on the plate...at him. "Do you want a scone?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. Those are scones? Wait, he wants me to eat them? Mein Gott, I'd rather go back to being harassed. As he thought a way to decline, without offending Matthew's dads, Alfred waltzed in.
"Dad, stop trying to kill Mattie's boyfriend," the boy yawned, sitting himself down.
"Why do you guys keep saying stuff like that? My cooking isn't that bad!" the Brit exclaimed, turning around to glare at Alfred. Gilbert mouthed a 'thank you' to the American and slipped out of the dining room to find Matthew. He gaped at the vastness of the house as he climbed the stairs and checked out the top floor. Eventually, he came across twin doors facing each other. One had the words 'HOME OF THE HERO' in red, white and blue written across it. Gilbert smiled as he guessed whose room that was. The door facing it, was simply white, with no adornments except for the doorknob. Gilbert knocked before opening the door, believing that knocking was signal enough. When he walked in, he found Matthew laying on his bed, with headphones in ears, staring at the ceiling. The German grinned as he slowly walked up to his boyfriend and grabbed the iPod. The Canadian jumped up, startled.
"Dude, you're listening to Celine Dion?" he laughed, shuffling through the iPod.
"She's good," Matthew admitted sheepishly.
"Uh huh, of course," he smirked, tossing the iPod onto the counter. "Well come on, your parents are waiting," he claimed, offering his hand to help the Canadian off the bed, but he just sat there. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Gilbert jumped onto the bed so he was inches away from his boyfriend's face.
"Don't lie to me," he warned. "Now, what's wrong?"
"My family," he sighed. "They can be kind of weird."
"Hey, as long as I don't have to eat Arthur's cooking, it should be fine. Though, he does have me worried, that food looked toxic."
"Don't worry," Matthew laughed. "My other dad usually does the real cooking, we just let him make his 'scones'."
"So we're good?"
"We're good." Matthew tried to get up but Gilbert stayed put, watching his face.
"Um, Gil?"
"Your eyes are fucking awesome," the albino realized, staring intently at them. "They're like a mix of purple and blue." The Canadian blushed deeply and Gilbert smiled. The silver haired teen leaned in to kiss his boyfriend when the door swung open.
"Matthew! Have you-oh, nevermind," Francis said, standing in the doorway. "Mon cher, they're in here!"
"Well, tell them dinner is about to start! We can't just sit around all-" Arthur stopped once he reached Matthew's doorway.
"I think dinner can wait, they obviously should finish whatever they're doing here," Francis explained. He then turned to the two mortified teens. "Go on," he encouraged.
"What the hell kind of parent are you?" Arthur demanded. Francis rolled his eyes at his husband.
"A pursuer of romance!" he asserted.
"You're irresponsible!"
"That's why I have you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means what I said, mon amour." Matthew grabbed Gilbert's hand and led him past his bickering parents.
"How long are they going to do that?" the albino asked as they headed down the stairs.
"Depends," the Canadian shrugged. "Anywhere between twenty minutes and all year."
It was graduation and Gilbert was scared. He and Matthew were going to the same university and that was awesome, but he had the feeling that things weren't going to be the same. After that day at the lake, they had been even more inseparable. But college was different, at least that's what people kept saying. The albino watched as his boyfriend crossed the stage to get his diploma. He had on a smile so wide, it made the German's heart beat a little faster. Once he hopped off the stage and headed back to his seat, he looked at Gilbert and winked. The albino smiled back and held his diploma a little tighter. Nothing is going to change, he vowed.
"Oh come on, Mattie!" complained Gilbert as they stood in their dorm. His boyfriend had been acting grumpy all day and the German had the vague suspicion that he knew why.
"You forgot my birthday," the blond said accusingly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Matthew replied.
"When was it?"
"Today!"
"Really? I usually don't forget birthdays," Gilbert claimed, eyeing Matthew suspiciously.
"No," the Canadian chuckled, spitefully. "You don't forget anyone else's. Not Roderich's. Not Elizaveta. For God's sake Gilbert, you even remembered Peter's birthday, you got him a watch!"
"I said I was sorry! I promise, I will never get Peter a watch again."
"Seriously?" the blond asked, irritated.
"Why can't we just celebrate tomorrow?" he sheepishly.
"You don't get it!" Matthew yelled. Gilbert stared at him, Matthew never yelled.
"Then explain it to me! I want to understand!"
"That's just it! You never will!" the Canadian cried out. "No one would ever overlook the 'Awesome Gilbert'! You have absolutely no idea what it's like to be invisible!" The German stepped back, a little hurt.
"I see you," he said, certainly. "And I never want to feel like I can't," he claimed.
"Doesn't feel like it," Matthew snapped. Gilbert watched his boyfriend for awhile, red eyes rife with sadness. When the blond refused to look back at him, he sighed and left the room. Matthew's heart stopped when the German returned to the room with a duffle bag and set it on the bed. What is he doing? Oh God, Gilbert don't leave. Matthew tried to say something when his boyfriend starting rifling through the bag, but his voice caught in his throat when Gilbert pulled out a gift-wrapped hockey stick.
"I didn't forget," he explained, handing the gift the blond. "I was going to give this to you when we met Wayne Gretzky at the rink tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?" asked Matthew, his anger melting away.
"If I surprised you on your birthday, you would have seen it coming," Gilbert shrugged. Matthew guilty opened his gift and only felt worse. It was the Reebok 808. He had wanted to get himself, but had told Gilbert that he didn't think that he was good enough player to deserve such a powerful and precise piece of equipment. His boyfriend had thought he was being ridiculous.
"Gilbert-" Matthew began.
"And I know Gretzky prefers wooden sticks, but I got him to agree to sign that one, for you," he continued. His words made the Canadian feel like he had been punched in the gut. He moved closer to the German.
"I don't know what-" he tried again. Gilbert pulled out a hockey jersey from the duffle bag and held it up. Matthew paused. There was his name, written in huge block letter above the number 01.
"I got you this too," Gilbert explained. Matthew took the shirt and placed it on the bed. He grabbed the front of his boyfriend's shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. The German rested his hands on the blond's waist, holding him close and reciprocated the kiss. When they pulled apart, he looked Matthew directly in the eyes.
"You're not invisible," he said sternly. Matthew nodded slowly, blinking back the tears.
"I love you," the Canadian admitted. Gilbert smiled and kissed him again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back to the Present~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graduation Day. But this time, it was for real. They were going to be leaving college and become full fledged adults. That is if Matthew's family would ever leave the house! The Canadian groaned as he watched Alfred take forever to get ready and his parents fight over who had the camera last.
"Should I wear my cap backwards?" Alfred mused to himself, as he stared into the mirror. "Or upside down!" he realized, his eyes lighting up. "That would be epic!"
"You took it to Matthew's last hockey game!" accused Arthur as he pointed to his French husband.
"Tu m'accuse?" Francis asked indignantly. "I'm pretty sure you had it at Alfred's award ceremony, n'est-ce pas?" Matthew wanted to point out that the camera was on the living room table and if his dads could stop arguing for a minute, they might have noticed. But it's not like they would hear me anyway...His phone buzzed. He checked the screen, it was a text from Gilbert.
The Lake. Now.
"Um, guys?" he began, looking up from his cell. His parents kept arguing and he sighed. He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled that he would meet them at graduation. Matthew placed the note right next to the camera and slipped out of the house.
"Hey, what's up?" the blond asked his boyfriend, who was dressed in his graduation cloak and pacing under their favorite tree.
"I've got to admit, I'm pretty nervous," the albino replied, cracking his knuckles and still pacing. Matthew chuckled and grabbed Gilbert's arms to hold him steady.
"Don't be," he said seriously. "It's just graduation and I'll be there with you." The German searched Matthew's deep cerulean eyes as he searched for something to say.
"I don't give a fuck about graduation," he smiled.
"Wait, what?" the Canadian asked, confused.
"You make me nervous," explained Gilbert.
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you mean everything to me, you knucklehead. You make me feel nervous, anxious, happy, worried, jealous, loved..."
"I do love you."
"How could you not? I mean, look at me. I'm awesome," Gilbert joked. Matthew raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.
"Glad to see you feeling better, now, let's go. We don't want to be late," he said, turning to leave, but Gilbert grabbed his arm.
"Wait," he said nervously.
"Yea?"
"I want to say it." Matthew turned back to fully face his boyfriend.
"Say what?" he asked, but he knew. The albino had yet to tell Matthew that he loved him and the Canadian let it slide because he knew Gilbert did. He might not have been able to say it, but Matthew saw it in his boyfriend's face everytime he looked at him. Gilbert closed his eyes, breathed deeply and put his hands in his cloak pockets. He opened his eyes and focused them on Matthew's.
"I love you, Matthew," he smiled. The blond hugged him.
"I love you too," he chuckled. Gilbert placed his hands on the Canadian's arms and held him at arms length.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to waste anymore time," he explained.
"What?"
"When we met in highschool, it took me too long to realize that I wanted to be with you. I'm done wasting time."
"I don't under-" Matthew stopped talking as he noticed Gilbert lowering to one knee.
"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that you should love me too," he claimed, pulling out a wedding ring.
"You know I love you"
"Well, I guess that makes my job easier." Matthew laughed and nodded. "So, is that a yes?" Gilbert smiled.
"It's a yes," the blond grinned.
"Awesome," he exclaimed as he fist pumped the air. He jumped off the ground and wrapped his arms around Matthew. The blond laughed, tears streaming down his face. Gilbert pulled him for a kiss and Matthew could feel goosebumps for on his arms, as the albino kissed him passionately. Pressing up against him and deepening it as he attempted to insert his tongue between Matthew's parted lips. The Canadian pulled himself away, gasping for air.
"We've really...got to go," he said, breathing deeply. "We'll be late for Graduation." The German gave him a lopsided grin.
"Who cares?" he smiled as he leaned in to kiss his, now fiancé, again.