"Gilbert, have you seen-" Matthew and Gilbert glanced towards the door simultaneously as Ludwig barged in with groceries on each arm. He bumped the door closed with his hip and turned towards the kitchen where the two were frozen in place. Wait… Gilbert… With a mop in his hands? Cleaning the floor? He dropped his bags, sky blue eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Welcome home, bruder," the albino greeted, setting the mop against the counter and wiping his hands on his pants. He walked over to one counter and turned off a radio that was previously blasting music.

"Gilbert, are you feeling okay?" Ludwig walked over to him and placed the back of his hand against his forehead. He didn't feel hot… His brother slapped his hand away from his forehead, glaring at him.

"Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? I'm as awesome as always." His sibling stared at him for a minute, analyzing. His hand rubbed his chin suspiciously, trying to figure him out.

"You never clean when unsupervised. What is it?" Gilbert felt offended. Sure, he never did what he was supposed to and was lazy when it came to work, but he was capable of doing it if he felt like it. He actually cleaned when he was very bored. Plus, mopping was actually plenty of fun when you threw in Matthew and energetic music. Previously, they had been sliding around the kitchen in their socks, mopping and dancing at the same time. At first, Matthew was reluctant and bashful, but when Gilbert convinced him no one else would see and that he could open up to his new friend, he slowly got more into it.

"Nothing's wrong, West! Mattie and I were just having some fun while cleaning," he grumbled stubbornly, crossing his arms. He was outraged, I tell you, outraged! Ludwig elevated a blonde eyebrow.

"Mattie? Who's that?" Gilbert clenched his teeth in anger.

"Mattie, he's right there!" He pointed to an empty space next to him. Ludwig looked at him in confusion.

"There's no one there…" The Prussian looked like he was about to tear his own hair out as he dug his hands into the white strands.

"Um… Gil, it's okay. This happens all the time," Canada tried to comfort him, a jumpy look on his face. He definitely didn't want a fight or an argument to break out because of him. The reason he had come in the first place was entirely different than this.

"No, it's not okay, Matt!" He groaned and leaned against the counter. Matthew sighed, letting go of his own mop. He skipped over the newly cleaned spots, getting onto dark carpet. He turned around, looking at Gilbert.

"I guess I'll just go home now…" Gilbert groaned and pointed accusingly at his brother. It was his fault his acquaintance wanted to leave!

"Look what you did, West!" Germany just looked at him like he had gone insane. Who was he talking to?

"No, it's alright! It's getting late anyway." Gilbert nodded, relaxing for the sake of his companion. The Canadian walked past him and pulled his brown boots on again. He went into the living room and felt his blood run cold. He slowly twisted around to the Prussian in fear.

"G-Gilbert, I'm so sorry. I'll pay for it, I swear-" Gilbert stopped next to him, pinpointing what he was gawking at in terror. He almost sniggered, holding back the urge. Kumajiro had chewed one of the couch pillows. Who cared? Well, Ludwig, obviously, but at least it wasn't a cushion that was used for sitting. He turned to the Canadian, brushing off the matter like it was a pinch of dust on his shoulder.

"You're too nice, you know that? It's not a big deal, it's just a pillow." Matthew scooped up his bear, frowning. He backed away from the couch with white stuffing all over it. How could Gilbert be so laid back?

"A-Are you sure? He made a mess," he queried softly, unsure. He bowed his head, still feeling ashamed of the statistic that he didn't watch his own pet.

"Yeah! In fact, you can repay me by hanging out with me again," Gilbert announced confidently, placing an arm around his shoulder and grinning reassuringly. Matthew smiled kindly.

"I'd love to…" No one else had paid attention to him that long before. It felt incredible to be noticed for once, even if it was just by one person. When Matthew hung out with Cuba, he was always mistaken for his brother after a few minutes. For some reason, the same didn't happen with Gilbert… Well, it did, but only once and that was before he had introduced himself. It made him feel warm inside. Maybe Gilbert was just as lonely as him? Maybe not, seeing as he could grab everyone's attention easily, but it was just a theory. He squeezed his bear in response to his thoughts, realizing it and petting the fluffy thing apologetically, mumbling a vaguely audible 'sorry'.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow." Matthew blinked and nodded.

"Okay…" He turned on his heels and walked out the front door. It was shut after him, and no, Gilbert did not watch Matthew through the blinds… He turned back to his brother who shook his head.

"I must be really sleepy… Goodnight, Gilbert." As he treaded towards the stairs, Gilbert flipped him off angrily. How could he not see Matthew!? It was so ridiculous! The German's door soon shut after him and his older brother decided to go to bed as well.

Matthew sat down on his back porch, watching the view of the mountains from his spot. He swung back and forth on the swing set there, pumping as he pleased. He exhaled. All day he had been working up the courage to go to Gilbert's house, but whenever he took action on it, he chickened out and sat down again.

"Why do I have to be so shy?" He asked himself depressingly. He laid his head back, using his feet to keep swinging. After a few minutes, he felt someone sit next to him on the swing. He opened his eyes. The only person who remembered where he lived was Alfred.

"Alfred?" He murmured as he locked gazes with crimson colored eyes. A chuckle sounded close to him as his vision focused with ease. This person in no way resembled Alfred and would probably be offended. Matthew needed to explain himself in case his counterpart got offended!

"De ja vu… Just like yesterday, huh?" Gilbert rested his head on the back of the swing, mimicking Matthew. He could tell the Canadian was opening and shutting his mouth like a fish out of water by the way he stammered and then stopped.

"H-H-How did you f-find where I.…"

"Because I'm awesome like that, Mattie. Plus, I remember what you said yesterday. You're Canada and isn't that hard to find out where you live." Matthew looked bewildered at his explanation. He couldn't help, but grin.

"Usually, no one can even remember what nation I am." Gilbert chuckled and placed his arms on the back of the swing. He stretched a bit and sighed.

"I can't see why… So! What do you what to do?" Canada stared at his lap, not being able to keep the smile off of his face.

"I-I'm sorry, I just can't get over the fact that you remember who I am…" He felt like exploding from cheerfulness, but it wouldn't be right to get his guts all over his much appreciated friend. He ran a hand through his long hair.

"Why wouldn't I? You're not bad to be around," Gilbert stated nonchalantly.

"M-Maple…" Matthew stood up from the painted swing and walked quickly in the house. Gilbert took no notice of his behavior and followed him inside the house. Looking around, he noted his house was different and warmer than his own.

"Where are we going?" Gilbert asked, tucking his hands into his pockets and looking at Matthew. The Canadian smiled sheepishly.

"I'm just going into the kitchen right quick. W-Would you like some pancakes?"

"Hell yes!" Gilbert pumped a fist towards the sky as Matthew resisted the urge to giggle at his childish actions. He went into the kitchen and went to the tall stack of pancakes. He smiled.

"They just cooled down. Get anything you want out of the refrigerator to-" He paused as Gilbert yanked the door open and peered inside. After a few seconds, he pulled out whip cream and chocolate syrup. Canada rolled his eyes as reached into the cabinet to retrieve a single bottle of maple syrup. He divided the pancakes evenly among them both and sat down at the table. When Gilbert joined him, he drenched his breakfast in the syrup. The Prussian whistled at the insane quantity and began to top his own pancakes with a similar amount of his own materials. He took a bite and moaned loudly after swallowing.

"Your pancakes are better than Belgium's waffles," he praised as he licked his lips and dug in once again. Matthew blinked and then looked at his lap.

"T-Thank you…" His cheeks burned at the pure hearted compliment as he resumed eating. Gilbert ingested the remaining serving in record time, swallowing.

"I think I'm going to die…" He moaned in complaint, rubbing his occupied stomach.

"You shouldn't have eaten so many pancakes." How could he say that!? Those pancakes were a little piece of heaven on Earth.

"Those pancakes were freaking awesome, Mattie, how couldn't I have?" He suddenly burped as the Canadian cringed. He laughed and sat up, picking up his dishes. Matthew was so feminine sometimes, it was endearing.

"You make better pancakes than my brother's crappy ones." Matthew giggled delicately as Gilbert felt ecstatic that he could make someone so awesome happy. He began to wash his plate, ignoring the protests he received in return. He was actually decent at washing dishes when he wasn't trying to purposefully aggravate his brother. He watched the chocolate and white foam disappear down the drain.

"I'll tell you what. Since you're so great at cooking, I'll let you choose what we'll do next." He rinsed off the dishes and set them in the drying rack. He came back to the table and took Mattie's plate and empty drinking glass.

"R-Really?" Matthew asked as he twiddled his thumbs, beaming silently. Gilbert dipped his plate in the water and began to scrub the syrup off with the crimson red washcloth. He soaked it with suds and washed them away. He cleansed the inside of the glass and rubbed at it until it was sparkling.

"Of course! As long as it isn't knitting or some lame shit like that." He inspected the glass and put it away, squeezing out the rag and going over to the table and wiping off the table cloth.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that… And…. How about… Ice hockey?" Gilbert paused mid-scrub, his mouth stretching to form a grin.

"That sounds awesome! Let's do it. In fact, I'll call my best friends and we can play two-on-two!" He hollered as Matthew winced at his loudness. He uncovered his ears and smiled.

"Okay, w-who are you going to call?"

"Hola!" Matthew peeked around Gilbert and saw the Frenchman and the Spaniard heading towards them on the ice rink, Antonio skating cheerfully and Francis skating gracefully. There was a gasp as he went around Gilbert, exiting his hiding place and waving slightly.

"Mathieu! You didn't tell me that you're friends with Gilbert!" Francis exclaimed as he bladed up to him. He pulled him into a hug, miraculously not causing either of them to fall down or crushing the tiny form of the smaller nation. Matthew chuckled softly and patted his back gently.

"H-Hi…" Gilbert glided and stopped by Francis, confused.

"You know Mattie?" He asked in surprise as Antonio halted beside him, the Spanish nation swaying to a song in his head.

"Of course! I raised him, after all! Where do you think Canadian-French comes from?" He finally let go of Matthew after kissing him on both rosy cheeks. Gilbert nodded and clutched Matthew's arm, drawing him to his side.

"M-Maple…"

"You're on my team, okay, Mattie?" Matthew swallowed and bowed his head, his cheeks glowing.

"O-Okay, Gilbert…" Francis and Antonio exchanged glances, though Antonio's gaze was oblivious.

"No, I'm always playing against mon petit Mathieu. I want to play on his side," the Frenchman whined, pampering his golden locks of hair with his fingers. Gilbert scoffed.

"No, I want to play on Mattie's side. I have to protect him like the awesome knight I am. Right, Mattie?" Matthew exhaled, staring at the icy floor. Gilbert thought he was weak.

"Well, I can protect myself, Gilbert." Gilbert shook his head, not believing one word.

"No way, you're too sweet and gentle," he denied, waving him off.

"Oh, okay... I would be glad to play against you once, but you don't have to let me…" Francis gazed at Matthew in suspicious as he successfully manipulated Gilbert's conscience. The Prussian gaped.

"Nein, I'll play against you, Mattie. Don't cry," he pleaded as he walked over to join Antonio. Matthew shook his head, rubbing his left eye with a flushed face.

"I wasn't crying. I had something in my eye. But thank you for your concern." He raised his head with a self-conscious, yet cute smile. Francis cooed and pulled him close, hugging him. When Gilbert was busy discussing his playing strategy to Spain, he whispered in the Canadian's ear.

"You are one evil, passive aggressive nation." Canada slithered out of his grasp and toyed with his small fingers innocently.

"Are we going to play or not?" He asked as if he had heard nothing, his voice as hushed as ever. I'm so proud of mon petit Mathieu, the Frenchman praised in his mind while grinning at Matthew's controlling trait.

"Mattie wants to start, so we're going to! Toni and I will go first, because I said so," Gilbert demanded. Antonio looked between Matthew and Gilbert with worry.

"Okay, Gil, but Matthew… Please go easy on us." Gilbert raised a silver eyebrow.

"Wait, why do you say th-" He didn't finish due to everyone beginning. The demoralizing game ended two hours later with a few sprains body parts and dislocated shoulders.

"I tried to tell you, Gilbert. Mathieu is a devil on ice," Francis sighed dramatically, pressing a wrist to his bruised forehead, "why did you insist on six rematches?"

"Don't worry, amigo, I'll make your leg feel better," Antonio volunteered thoughtfully, "after that fall, you're going to need so aspirin, too." France breathed in relief, draping an arm around his attractive Spanish friend.

"Thank you, Toni. You're so nice to me, unlike Angleterre," he said as he rested his head on the Spaniard's chest and Spain petted his gorgeous hair soothingly.

"See you later, Gil! Bye, Mattie!" Antonio called as he left with Francis. Matthew and Gilbert waved after the two until they disappeared from sight. Gilbert turned to his companion.

"I hope Toni's boyfriend doesn't see Francis clinging to him like that. There will be Hell… Anyway, where did you learn to play like that?" He asked as they walked, pressing a bag of ice to his pounding head. Matthew helped him support his weight, letting the Prussian limp on him.

"He has a boyfriend, eh? And my country is famous for being the best at hockey. But it's okay, I don't expect you to know that much about my country." Gilbert looked at the ground, cursing to himself. He'd have to go home and research about Canada. Then Matthew would be pleased to find out he knew so much about him.

"He's dating Lovino; Feliciano's brother. And I know that now, especially since you proved it. You were awesome, I have to admit," he stated, nudging Matthew to cheer him up out of his sudden funk. The timid nation smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Gilbert…" He said, lighting up a bit.

"Now, let's go get some ice cream," Gilbert suggested, letting go as he raced to the ice cream parlor, cackling. Matthew rolled his violet eyes and followed after. They both ordered their preference of ice cream, Prussia paying because Matthew had "somehow defeated the awesome me".

"You know, maybe you can protect me from Elizaveta with that hockey stick. That woman has some anger issues. We'll form a team and I'll be the leader, of course. What do you say?" He took a bite of the frozen treat, smirking.

"Uhh… What do you mean?" Matthew asked, licking his instead. He had genuinely been enjoying himself with the Prussian. Usually, if he played hockey with Alfred, he'd hold a grudge against him for a week and refuse to talk to him. Gilbert was easily forgiving towards him for some reason, even if he placed a dent in his oversized ego.

"I mean that you can be my… Canadian sidekick. We'll work together and be an unstoppable team. Actually, West is over at little Feli's house right now. We can go over there and spy on them." Matthew hesitated.

"What if we get caught?" He questioned, licking a drop of ice cream off of his wrist. Gilbert leaned back in his chair, brushing off all worries that probably never came to him.

"Relax, we won't. We'll just mess with them a bit. Besides, everyone knows my bruder likes the adorable Italy Veneziano. We'll just use our skills to push them together." Ludwig wasn't actually dating the pasta loving nation. Gilbert just liked to picture them as a couple in his head and make that his delusional reality. Matthew blinked.

"Okay… As long as you promise we won't get in trouble." Prussia consumed the remains of his ice cream and jumped up, his chair hitting the ground. Matthew awkwardly ducked his head as stares were directed at them for making noise.

"Come on, Mattie, I have an idea," he grabbed his wrist and started to pull him towards a costume shop, "I think purple would be a good color on you, ja? Well, to be my sidekick, we'll need the proper attire so we won't be recognized. Kesesese…"

3,000 words! The last chapter was only 2,000 and then some. Well, who cares? The more, the merrier.

This was proof read 14 times by yours truly.

Anyway, Prussia and Canada = The heroes or the villains? ~ XxDAKxX