Hetalia; Absolute Zero Chapter 3

Blankly staring at Matt, Lauren contemplated her safety. How safe could she be in the house of two strangers? Looking into Matt's eyes, she felt that she could trust the Canadian. She asked, "Who am I?"

Matt cringed, the words feeling weird in his ears. He was used to "who are you" being directed at him, so her question was familiar yet alien at the same time. After a moment, he told her, "I b-believe that you're like Gil-Gilbert and I...as in, we aren't...we aren't human..."

He felt his face grow hot and red as the girl stared at him. Gulping, he said with a hung head, "I mean, we s-sort of are, b-but we represent c-countries...I, I'm Canada. Gilbert is P-Prussia, but since Prussia i-is dissolved, he l-lives with me. Gilbert's b-brother, Ludwig, is G-Germany, and m-my brother, Alfred, i-is the United States."

Fire burned in his eyes as she stared at him. She wrapped herself up in the blanket, searching for a lie, a joke, something to convince her that he wasn't telling the truth. She found none, so she sighed, shoulders sagging, and she asked, "What country am I, then?"

Matthew looked up at her, saying, "T-That's the p-problem." He took his gaze away from hers, and she listened calmly-though her pulse quickened-as he explained, "I, I am not sure. I think that you are Quebec. They have been wanting f-freedom down there, and-and maybe their h-hope for in-independence has created you."

Lauren grasped this fairly quickly. She asked, "So, is Quebec a country, now?"

Matt shook his head, saying, "N-No, you just r-represent their d-differences f-from me. Alfred, the US, found Texas's representative, Hugh, who is his little b-brother. T-Texas had a 86% vote for secession in 2013, a-and shortly after, Alf-Alfred found Hugh. Y-You don't h-have to be independent to ex-exist. Your p-people just have to feel t-that way."

The girl understood, nodding as she said, "Okay, I understand. So...we're brother and sister?"

Awkwardly, Matt nodded. Lauren smiled at him, making him blush. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and Matt felt heat rush to his face, and he tried to push away the Francey thoughts, by thinking, NO! She is my sister, sister! Eager to make the feeling go, he pulled away and said, "O-Okay, I'll t-take you shopping f-for more c-clothes tomorrow, a-and we'll even g-go to Quebec."

Smiling at him, Lauren said, "Thank you."

Matt told her that she was welcome. Now he just had to worry about keeping her happy and loving without spoiling her. That had been Arthur's mistake, and Matt didn't want to live through something like his two brother's had. Matt told Lauren, "I-I'll go upstairs a-and get you s-some clean clothes t-to sleep in."

Lauren perched herself in front of the fireplace while Matt went upstairs. He found a baggy red shirt that was too small for him and a pair of red draw-strap shorts that were also too small for him. Not wanting to leave Lauren waiting, he hurried back down the stairs with the clothing. He found her sitting on the floor, a pencil and notepad in her hands, as she sketched something.

Gulping, Matt asked, "W-Where'd you g-get that?"

"It was in my coat," she said, looking up at him with the oddly blue eyes. Her eyes were fairly purple, too, just like a Forget-Me-Not or the shade crossed between Matt's eyes and Alfred's eyes. It made sense-Quebec was perched at the border of Canada and America. Matt just nodded at the girl, pleased that she could find something to entertain herself, and he handed her the clothes. Sheepishly, he told her, "I, I can go and let you ch-change here, o-or you can ch-change in another room. M-Most are c-cold, though."

Matt's new guest seemed deep in thought. With just a decision of where to change clothes, she looked like she was planning to go to war or not. Perhaps she would be a better country than most-especially Alfred, who just thought of something and instantly went with it-but Matt still didn't want to lose Quebec. Not only would he still be a big country, rivaled only by the bigger Russia, but it would probably hurt to lose a piece of himself.

Finally, Lauren said, "I'll change here."

Sighing, Matt dismissed himself to another room, closing the door behind him. He shivered for a few moments, contemplating what he might face. He would have to make her happy, yet not spoilted, like Arthur had done to Alfred. He would have to teach her about what it means to be a country. He would have to protect her from invasions until she was expert enough to protect herself. He would have to get used to a second opinion about Canada's problems and solutions, now that she was around...

"I'm dressed," Lauren called from outside the door. Matt exited the room, trying to will his thoughts away. He felt a few of them fly out of his ears like moths, but most lingered like earthworms when you try to dig them up, but they wiggle down deeper into the soil.

Matthew almost laughed with how adorable Lauren looked. She had to be about fourteen, but she looked like she was nine years old. She wasn't much shorter than him, but she was slender, and the clothes were so baggy on her that she looked like a little kid wearing her mother's clothing. Or, in this case, her big brother's clothing.

Lauren smiled at him, the tiny freckles on her cheeks rising. Matt smiled back, and he said, "Okay, it-it's b-bedtime. I-I don't h-have a room set u-u-up for you, s-so you can sl-sleep with me."

She beamed. Matt had expected her to accuse him of being a pervert or something, but she said, "I get to sleep with my big brother!" She hugged Matt and said, "I left my clothes folded on your sofa, M...Matt." She didn't seem to be used to the sound on her tongue, and she wasn't. She was pleased, though, to have someone to sleep with. She was afraid of the dark and of being alone.

"That's okay," Matt said in response to her comment about her clothes. "I will g-get them in the morning. N-Now, f-follow me."

They headed up the stairs and headed into Matt's room. Lauren stayed close at his back, almost stepping on his heels at times. She didn't want to be seperated from the person that she had just met, especially her kind brother. She liked that idea of a brother. It sounded warm and pleasant, as though it were a nice warm bubble bath during the cold months.

Matt opened the door to see Gilbert sitting on his bed, laptop in his lap. Matt gasped, and stammered, "W-What are you d-doing?"

Gilbert looked up and said, "Gilbird pooped on my bed. It ist still an awesome bed, but I reesk losing some awesomeness if I sleep on eet now."

Lauren daintily grabbed onto the back of Matt's shirt, using the very tips of her forefinger and thumb. Matt didn't even feel the cloth tug. Lauren felt like he was suddenly going to walk away from her, leave her alone in the dark hallway. The hallway was cold, and the carpet was soft and white, reminding her of snow. She didn't want to be left alone in the snow.

The two men, Gilbert and Matt, had shared a bed before. It wasn't sexual, really, although Matt felt that Francey side of his brain trying to peek out. It was when one had a bad dream or one's room was cold and things. Often Gilbert would try to sleep with Matt, saying, "I have come to bless you vith some awesomeness" while Matt would come and say, "I-I can't sleep..." and they would just share a bed like two little kids at a slumber party. Matt was embarassed by the fact that Lauren heard of it, but when he glanced back at her, she was staring into space, her eyes glazed over, so he figured that she didn't hear it. She actually hadn't, so when Matt told her, "G-Gilbert w-will sleep with us t-tonight" she was shocked and confused.

"Why?" Lauren asked, and Matt explained, "I-It's n-nothing i-in-inappropriate. B-But his b-bed is dirty."

Originally, Matt had slept between Lauren and Gilbert for protection's sake, but Lauren kept on letting out a little whimper in her sleep, then immediately roll off of the bed and onto the floor with a painful thunk. She never woke up, but Matt was concerned, so he picked her up and laid her between himself and Gilbert, wrapping one of the three blankets around her like a burrito.

Gilbert was asleep at that point, snoring softly yet not annoyingly. Matt laid down, wrapping his arms protectively around his little sister's shoulders. He felt embarassed, but he knew that there was nothing wrong with it, even if he was shy, so the discomfort faded after a while. Gilbert felt Lauren's head snuggle into his left shoulder, and in his dream, he was young again, laying next to young Elisabeta. He brotherly wrapped his arms around Lauren, and they fell asleep like that.

Lauren felt comforting, yet cold, arms wrapped around her. She whined, burying her face into the person's chin. She felt something soft but sticky with hardened snow on her forehead and face, so she whined louder, yet didn't pull away. She heard male voices speaking, and the one coming from right above her said, "Please take care of Lara."

Two more arms wrapped around her, from the back, and these arms were warmer. They were equally snow-covered, but more warmth came from under leather than from under the materal of the other man's jacket. The new voice sneered in a different accent, which sounded entirely foreign to Lauren-yet it resembled Matt's way of speaking-"Of course I will. You're the one selling her."

Lauren felt herself be turned around by the warmer arms, and she was held inside of a warmer jacket, soft and furry on the inside, leather and insulating on the outside. She buried her face into the man's neck, but she longed for the familiar smell and caressing arms of the other man. She whined for him, but the felt the new body turn and begin to walk away, and she fell asleep again.

She woke up alone in the bed, tangled up and shivering under three layers of blankets. Matt had gotten up to shower and get a room ready when he noticed that Lauren had been shivering like an earthquake, so he wrapped his blanket around her and tucked her in. Gilbert had gotten up a little later to continue his blog, when he noticed that Lauren was shaking violently, so he did the awesome thing and wrapped his blanket over her as well. She was still shivering and cold.

Matt had been watching her wake up from his bathroom that connected to his bedroom. He peered out through the door, her back to him. He could see her shivering from here, and he instantly felt terrible deep in his heart, as if it was his fault-even though it wasn't.

I'll be the best big brother ever, Matthew thought, vowing to keep her warm at all costs, happy at all costs, yet respectful and courteous at all costs as well.