Cover Image is not mine. If there is a problem with my using it please contact me privately and I will be happy to take care of things.
I don't own Hetalia.
The car sped along the highway, bouncing over potholes and speed bumps as it's occupants drove into the night. Inside, Mattie tried curling into different positions in his seat to sleep but between the jarring of the car, the distracting classic rock played softly over the radio, and the endless jabbering from Gerhalt, their driver, he was beginning to think it just wasn't gonna happen.
Behind him, in the back seat of the car lay Ludwig, curled up and fast asleep deep enough to not let any of this bother him. It also probably helped he was wrapped up in all three of the blankets in the car while Mattie was stuck dealing with the soft breeze of the AC washing over him. He also probably had that stuffed dog toy curled up with him while Mattie was forced to try and brave sleep with out his Kumajirou… that probably definitely helped.
Now, Mattie understood that at sixteen, he was probably to old to sleep with toys. Luciano had made that very clear last week when Mattie had been debating on whether or not to pack the stuffed polar bear away or use it to sleep (although he really shouldn't be talking, it wasn't like he tried to hide the stuffed Tomato dog toy he'd held onto for as long as Mattie had known him). But Mattie had owned Kumajirou for a long time, for as long as he cared to remember. He didn't see how he was supposed to just abandon the little guy after so much had happened, hell, he couldn't abandon the little guy. It was like a personal betrayal in some ways…
Ludwig was only fourteen, still to old to sleep with toys, but oddly enough no one thought to give him much trouble for toting that worn out stuffed dog plushie literally everywhere. In fact, the only one who gave him really any flack for it was Gerhalt, who called it rather unmanly and childish. Grandpa encouraged it, and the General didn't seem to care one way or the other.
Speaking of which, Mattie turned onto his other side, staring up at Gerhalt who snapped his mobile phone closed and tossed it onto the small table between the driver and passenger seats. Mattie could hear him grumbling something about how idiotic Grandpa was-the man had forced them to drive for nearly a week to the new house and somehow was still so cheery and upbeat about the whole thing even with Luciano, Ivan, and the General as his traveling companions.
Mattie figured Grandpa, a name they'd been told to call him since they'd met him, was just about the happiest man in the world. He looked rather young to be a grandfather, and his smiles and shiny eyes certainly helped to add to a more child-like personality. Mattie almost never saw Grandpa lose it, whether he be under an insane amount of stress, getting yelled at, or things just weren't going his way that day, he was still smiling and dancing around like it was Christmas or something. He was like an auburn haired, stubble covered, man-child, and Mattie honestly didn't mind being around him.
Gerhalt on the other hand, Mattie could really do without. He was gruff, rude, and needed a shower and a haircut in some of the worst ways. Oily blonde locks that reached his shoulder blades would whip around as he turned to stare at someone menacingly, even if they hadn't done anything wrong, and he was a master at making people feel small. When someone was being unruly, he was the one sent to straighten them out (Mattie sometimes had nightmares on his punishments, only sometimes though. It used to be worse), he also kept order during business hours, organized clients and transactions, and was ready to tell you what to do whether you already knew or not. Driving with him for a week straight had Mattie wishing they were already at the new house from day one, it had Ludwig sleeping through most of the journey, and it had Gerhalt yammering away on the phone as a means of entertaining himself and ignoring them (Mattie really didn't have much of a problem with this).
Then there was the General, the third caretaker in the odd… family (?)… that they'd cobbled together. Mattie really didn't know much about him, just that he was in some military somewhere and when people really needed to be straightening out and Gerhalt ran out of patience, you sent him in. Mattie personally had never been that badly in trouble, but Lovino and Ivan, well…
They didn't like to talk about it.
The General was quiet, never talking to anyone and never really interacting with anyone. He was supposed to be the scary muscle Grandpa had hanging behind him, reminding clients there was a line to be crossed when working with them and the General was just waiting for it to be crossed. He looked like he'd seen action too, with scars covering a pale body and platinum blonde, nearly white hair poking out in wisps below a large fur hat he liked to wear that looked like it'd seen better days.
Gerhalt's booming voice snapped Mattie back to the present.
"Sorry?" He groaned, leaning up and allowing the passenger seat to rise up to meet his back.
"I said we're almost there." Gerhalt snapped, making a turn off the freeway.
"Ah."
Moving was a normal thing with them. Every few months they packed up and moved somewhere else. Mattie never really knew why, he just knew that he helped when he was needed, he stayed out of the way the rest of the time, and he made damn well sure he was in the car because otherwise…
They'd moved to a lot of different places over the years. Some places were nice, some places were rather dangerous, and a few were either an interesting combination of both or something straight out of a dream. Mattie's favorite part of moving would be the arrival, the adventure of somewhere new for he and the other kids to explore before things were packed up again and they were driving somewhere else.
That was another thing, they almost always drove everywhere. Making their reach of locations a bit limited, but the road trips had gotten rather interesting in the past.
This time they were moving from a landlocked suburb to a lake house. Mattie figured it was for the summer season, a lot of people would be vacationing at their second homes and that meant a wide client pool for Grandpa, Gerhalt, and the General. Mattie didn't particularly like that, but you wouldn't hear any complaining from him, he knew better.
The town they drove through seemed small but nice, peppered with salons, expensive boutiques and restaurants, and every public service attraction looked how it was supposed to; clean and well running. Mattie didn't think he saw a lick of graffiti anywhere though he tried to look down as many alleys as the dark night would allow.
Finally they seemed to be making their way to the heavily wooded area that housed most of the summer lake houses, concealing them from the rest of the world and creating a sort of closed off paradise outsiders couldn't touch. Mattie had to smirk, thinking how this place would now have literally everything if his caretakers were successful.
The lake was huge, bigger than anything Mattie had seen in his many years of traveling (and not being locked in a trunk or confined to the wall of the trailer they used to own). Houses framed it, and the few that were already occupied were lit up with yellow and orange lights that reflected off the dark choppy water and adding to the white and silver colors reflected by the stars and the moon.
They drove around the edge of the lake, Mattie watching hard for signs of fish or sea monsters as Gerhalt wondered aloud how much it probably cost to own one of these places and not have the kind of job he did. Ludwig snored peacefully in the back, unaware he'd probably get kicked awake in a few minutes.
A tall white house was waiting for them, Grandpa's car already there unpacked and waiting for it's companion to join it in the large drive way. Gerhalt pulled up so the cars were sitting neck and neck and shut the car off, hoping out and slamming the door closed as a means of waking Ludwig. When it didn't work, Mattie leaned back and shook the boy awake while the trunk behind them squeaked open.
"Huh?"
"We're here." Mattie whispered, hurrying to unbuckle himself and then reaching back to unbuckle his friend when Ludwig wasn't moving fast enough, "Come on, you can sleep in a real bed tonight!"
"Oh boy…" Ludwig yawned, gathering up the blanket that was supposed to be his and wrapping it around his shoulders. The brown dog toy was indeed pressed to his chest by his arm, looking very well used. Mattie yanked his blanket out from under Ludwig's leg and they climbed out of the car just in time for Gerhalt to toss their bags at them. Each boy picked up a green dufflebag, slinging it over their shoulders and waiting for Gerhalt to lead them up the grassy lawn to the front door.
Before Gerhalt could even knock on the front door, it swung open with Grandpa standing there on the other side looking ecstatic by their arrival. He clobbered Ludwig and Mattie in a tight hug, exclaiming their arrival was just what he needed.
"Lovino and General are no fun!" He whined, "And Ivan's been hiding in his room all day!"
"You barely just got here before us." Gerhalt pointed out before he was shooed into the house.
"Come on," Grandpa said, taking Ludwig and Mattie's hands, "Let's go inside, eat some dinner, and get to bed. Unpacking can wait until tomorrow, don't you think?"
"Yes." Ludwig agreed sleepily, stifling a yawn.
Grandpa chuckled, leading them through the bare but still impressive looking house and towards a kitchen packed with boxes, bags, and just plain clutter. The kitchen table was the only thing set up, and it was covered in a few boxes and the camera bags. Between that, Lovino sat with a book in his hands, looking desperate to concentrate and shooting Mattie and Ludwig dark glares when they sat down on either side of them.
"No hello to your brothers Lucie?" Grandpa frowned.
"Hello." Lovino snapped.
"Lovi…" Grandpa muttered with a warning tone.
Lovino sighed, setting down his book and looking Mattie straight in the eye.
"Welcome home." He said before picking the book back up and diving in. Grandpa rolled his eyes, disappearing among the stacks of boxes to prepare something to eat. In the living room Mattie watched as Gerhalt and the General poured over a large black notebook. Mattie knew that notebook was something to do with the business side of what they did, containing names, numbers, and payment statements.
It was a rather valuable notebook.
Behind them, Mattie watched a pale blonde boy descend the stairs, looking tired but happy to see everyone as he made his way over to the table. Mattie smiled at him, inviting him to sit down.
Ivan accepted the chair, slumping forward across the table as he did so.
"I didn't think you'd ever get here." He sighed, "Lovino's been getting on General's nerves and mine all day."
"Shutup." Lovino snapped from behind his book.
"He says the meanest things."
"Well now you don't have to listen to just what he says." Ludwig pointed out sleepily, using his dog as a pillow. Mattie watched his eyes open and close slowly for a few seconds, and then Ludwig was out again.
"Driving with them was rather boring." Ivan continued, "Lovino only read and General didn't talk. Grandpa fell asleep most of the time too."
"That's all Ludwig would do too." Mattie muttered, chewing on his fingernails. From behind them, there was a ding from a microwave and Grandpa was back.
"Here we go, dinner is s-oh, is Luddy not eating?"
Lovino prodded Ludwig's shoulder once, twice, then turned to Grandpa to shake his head.
Grandpa frowned, "Gerhalt said he slept most of the trip-I hope he's not getting sick." He walked around the table to feel Ludwig's forehead and his frown deepend. He set the four tv dinners down, tray and all, and started to lift Ludwig into his arms when Lovino stood.
"I-I'll do it." He said, closing his book and trading with Grandpa, lifting the fourteen year old onto his back, "I'm not that hungry anyway. To tired…"
"Alright," Grandpa sighed, tucking Lovino's book between the teenager's back and Ludwig's chest, "But make sure you come say goondnight alright?"
"Will do." Lovino muttered, trudging out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
The four of them would share a bedroom, as always, and, as always, it was the smallest one. Four cots were set up in the four corners of the room, dufflebags shoved underneath and the small closet provided to them already containing some of the nicer outfits they sometimes wore. Mattie walked inside to find three of the cots had already been claimed, the window, the corner, and the cot nearest the door already taken. He was stuck with the one nearest the closet, the one with a few more stains than the others, and even though he placed sheets over them he still knew the stains were there and this mattress really grossed him out more than the others… he hated it. He wished Grandpa would buy a new cot, but he never did and the one time Mattie asked him to he got hit in the mouth and locked in the closet for three hours so he really didn't want to ask him again.
Ludwig was asleep in the corner, curled up with his dog pressed closed to his chest and the blankets wrapped tightly around his small frame. Lovino had collapsed on the cot nearest the door, a flashlight shining up at his book. He looked up as Mattie and Ivan entered, registered who they were, then returned to his book without a second glance at the other two. Ivan collapsed on the cot by the window and didn't make another sound.
Mattie sighed, dumping his dufflebag on the carpet and pulling the zipper open. His bear, Kumajirou, was waiting for him at the top. It was a sight for sore eyes and Mattie hugged the toy bear close before carefully setting it beside him and digging for the sheets he'd need.
When the bed was made he quickly moved to change into pajamas, wishing he could take a shower. But he hadn't been given permission yet, and he didn't dare ask this late at night. Instead he stripped down to his white tank top and gray boxer shorts, snatching Kuma up and pressing him close as together they climbed into the bed and Mattie pulled the covers tight.
With Lovino's flashlight as the only light source in the room, Mattie tried to close his eyes and sleep.
Gilbert Beilschmidt used his newly sharpened pencil to prod his dying pen across his desk. Beside him, his partner (and also cousin) Vash watched in pure boredom as the two of them waited for their shift to end and the freedom to go home. Today, like the past couple of weeks, had been a slow and uneventful day. Patrol had been boring, desk work had been boring, everything was just boring. Neither would say it, because murphy's law was something the two cops believed in religiously, but they silently wished something would happen. Anything, it didn't have to be huge, but something!
Neither knew if they could handle another day filled with patrolling quiet streets, looking for trouble that wasn't stirring, and pushing boring paperwork when there was nothing to report.
Not to mention, Gilbert could use a distraction from… that.
Seriously, a simple bank robbery could do. He'd take a few idiot kids hoping to get rich quick if it meant he had something to do, something to distract him, something to clear all this awful boredom away. He hated having nothing to do, feeling useless. Sometimes he hoped for crime to rise in their jurisdiction, just so he could feel helpful.
He hated being useless.
"Gil!" There was a loud thunk and Gilbert looked up to see Roderich with his fist against the corner of the desk, looking annoyed.
"Yes?" Gilbert frowned.
"Have you finished your paperwork?" The commissioner said rather evenly.
"Just about. Why?"
"If you're not finished, why are you just sitting here?"
Gilbert groaned, "I have another hour until I'm off duty. Don't you think taking a break before filling out two more reports is gonna hurt anything?"
Roderich sighed, "I guess not."
"Thank you. Is that all you needed?"
"Well, no…" Roderich sighed, an uncomfortable look crossing his face and Gilbert knew what was coming and quickly began thinking up ways to put a stop to the impending conversation.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do Friday?" Roderich asked and Gilbert's entire body deflated a fraction.
"Do we really need to talk about this now?" Gilbert asked.
"I just wanted to know, have you thought about it?"
"What's there to think about?"
"Well, are you going with Eliza and I or are you going to get piss-blind drunk again before making your way there by bus?"
"How I choose to spend my day off is my business Roddy." Gilbert snapped.
Roderich sighed, "Eliza just wanted me to tell you that she's making dinner and you're invited to spend the night."
"Is there going to be a cake too?" Gilbert hissed.
"If you want-"
"It's not about what I want Roddy." Gilbert snarled, "It's a damn birthday, act like it."
"I-I know. I just wasn't sure how you wanted to celebrate it…" Normally Roderich Edelstein, Police Commisioner and Gilbert's boss, wouldn't put up with such rudeness from an underling; but considering the circumstances, he assumed he could allow a little passion to be thrown into the conversation. It wasn't like he had any right to tell Gilbert not to feel.
"Well how I want to celebrate it is with a kid's birthday party surrounded by his friends from school and maybe church-if I was still going that is." Gilbert hissed snidely, "We'd have a chocolate three-layer cake covered in as much sugary crap as he wanted and there'd be a mountain of presents waiting for him to be rip open."
Roderich was quiet, waiting for Gilbert to finish. Around them, several cops watched feeling uncomfortable. Everyone knew the story, knew what day was coming, and knew not to breathe a word about it in the presence of Gilbert or his extended family.
"Maybe I'd be getting him a new puppy this year-he loved dogs I think." Gilbert continued, "And yeah, you and Lizzy could come over, hell Vash and Erika could too. We'd all be one big happy family, all together and nothing could possibly ruin his day."
Gilbert sighed, heat in his breath and voice as the anger he'd been trying to choke down since last Friday made an unwanted appearance.
Roderich swallowed, slowly reaching out to pluck the unfinished reports from Gilbert's desk and looked them over.
"These look fine," He said quietly, "You can go."
"Thank you." Gilbert snapped, shooting up from his desk and storming out the door towards the locker room. One hot shower later would do nothing to ease his anger and frustration, but the feeling of freedom as he made his way to his car would certainly make him feel a bit more powerful than he normally felt around this time of year.
As he drove towards the creaky, rundown apartment he owned, he tried not to think about what kind of costume he'd wanted to have seen a certain someone dressed up in.
Hell, the kid would have been fourteen this year. Maybe he'd think he was to old for dressing up? Maybe this year Gilbert would have sat in the apartment with him and they'd have watched scary movies all night-assuming Gilbert didn't get called into work that night meaning the kid would end up watching the movies by himself… alone… in the dark… with no one around him.
A potential target.
Gilbert shook himself, speeding a bit of the way home.
He couldn't think like that, he couldn't afford to let himself go down that path. He'd nearly done it once, and it almost cost him everything.
He had to have something for the kid to come back to. Otherwise, what would be the point? He wanted there to be a home waiting for the kid, not some drunk and washed up loser with a prison no better than the one he must be enduring now-
Stop. Thinking.
Gilbert forced his mind to blank as he pulled into his parking space just outside of his apartment. It was dark, a few neighboring apartment's windows were busted, but it was home. Gilbert grinned up at his door, opening the door to the back seat to retrieve his things, knowing this place was his. He'd carved a place for himself here and that was what mattered.
He had everything ready for him.
Gilbert opened the front door and listened as his dogs began running to greet him, barking and wagging their tongues to say hello. He grinned rubbing their heads one by one before stepping over them to prepare dinner. Dog food for his three roommates, tv dinner lasagna for him.
As Gilbert flipped on the tube and sat back with a cardboard box containing his half-thawed Italian cuisine, he silently wondered to himself if maybe he should accept Roderich's offer. He understood Roddy was just trying to help, trying to be there for him like he always was, but it was just…
It was his brother, not Roddys.
It was Gilbert's mistake, not Roddys.
Gilbert didn't know if he deserved to let himself feel anything but personal anguish and regret on October third. After all, if it weren't for him, the kid would probably still be here. If it weren't for Gilbert's blind mistakes, maybe the kid would have turned out alright despite how crappy their lives had been at that point.
Gilbert swallowed, trying not to think about how much he wanted to spend such a dark day in the presence of family and friends, to be reassured he wasn't a horrible person, but somehow he found it hard to allow himself that when the kid… when he was…
Gilbert shut his eyes and counted to ten before taking a bite of dinner and forcing himself to just watch the TV.