Author's Note: Okay, now for Chapter four. So, this is obviously after the meeting. Here we have a healthy helping of sibling fluff and brotherly/sisterly affection. (I'm such a sucker for stories about siblings, makes me wish I could hug my little sister, I miss her so much! *cries in corner while impatiently waiting for college to end and summer to start*)

Again, thank you so much for the positive feedback! It really pumps me up and motivates me to keep writing. You guys are awesome! Although some of you are either too smart or are thinking about this story more than is healthy and are guessing things that could potentially be spoilers! Seriously, you guys are terrible! (But seriously though, I love that you're all so interested!)

Important Note: I'm sure those who have been following this story since the first chapter have noticed that I've been updating this story fairly regularly. Expect this to be the norm unless I state otherwise. So, I'm officially announcing that this story will be updated every week sometime between Friday and Sunday. (Ignoring the fact I'm posting this early by submitting it late Thursday night... whatever, most people won't even see this until Friday anyways.)

WARNING!: There will be some swearing in this chapter. I personally do not swear nor do I like swearing in general, however, to keep the characters true to their personalities there will be some vulgar language. This will only be for Romano though, and I will still keep the swearing to a minimum.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or the characters of the manga/anime.

XXX

Chapter 4: What Brothers Are For

XXX

Two blond twins laughed hysterically at a shared joke, soaking in the comfort of being able to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Matthew clutched at his stomach, trying to catch his breath and stop from laughing anymore, he wasn't sure his diaphragm could take much more. Alfred wasn't doing much better. She was desperately trying to breath but having trouble because she was laughing so hard, tears in her eyes. She was nearly falling off the couch, making Matthew laugh all the more.

It was a solid five minutes before the two calmed down enough to actually breath; however, it took another five minutes for them to actually compose themselves and stop from bursting into laughter again whenever they paused. Alfred wiped at the tears of laughter in her eyes, still giggling, huge, beaming smile on her face.

"Oh dude, it's been too long since I've laughed that much."

Matthew, finally able to gain enough self-control to stop the infectious mirth, gave his sister an equally sunny smile, "Same here. It's been too long since we've hung out like this."

Alfred, still giggling a little, having wiped the last of the tears from her eyes said, "We should seriously do this more often bro, I miss hanging out with you."

Matthew gave a nod of agreement and a companionable silence fell between the two. Both of them were sprawled out on Alfred's couch in one of her homes, as she had a couple spread out throughout the country. This one, however, was one of the oldest and was the place she considered her true home.

It was a large but comfortable house, or more appropriately, small mansion. It was the house she lived in the most and also where she entertained her important guests (a.k.a. other countries), and as such it was the best taken care of. There were beautiful gardens and cozy furniture. Multiple photographs hung on the walls and stood on the shelves, some of them as old as the art itself. Many nations, when first visiting the house, were actually quite stunned at how well kept and welcoming the American's home was. Most expected a loud city apartment with hamburger wrappers and abandoned clothing littering the floor. They didn't expect the homey two-story, tan and brown home located in a nice, quiet neighborhood. If there was one thing America had picked up from England it was how to keep a home clean and presentable.

The two North American siblings were relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Neither was ready for bed, despite both being worn out from the recent world meeting. Dinner with Japan had been enjoyable and Canada had been very pleased that he hadn't been completely ignored the entire night. He loved his sister dearly, but it often irritated him how even she seemed to forget he was there. He wasn't going to think about that though, he didn't want to depress himself.

Matthew glanced over at his sister. She looked so relaxed, she always did when she was at home, but he knew something was off. Call it intuition, instinct, twin-sense, whatever; Matthew knew that there was something troubling his sister. He could tell as soon as the meeting started after the lunch break that something wasn't right. What he couldn't figure out was what was bothering her. As far as he knew nothing had happened during the lunch break (other than the fight that broke out between France and England and the general chaos that followed). Of course, he hadn't been paying much attention to the other countries at the time seeing as he was rushing to find Kumajico some tuna at a local store (he had forgotten to grab some that morning and did not want to deal with an hungry polar bear, even a small one).

"What cha' thinking about?"

Matthew started a little, noticing Alfred looking at him quizzically. Obviously she had noticed him practically staring at her in thought. He had a habit of doing that. Just staring at someone but not really seeing them, although he usually avoided the awkwardness afterwards since most people didn't notice they were being stared at in the first place. He had never broken the habit mostly because he usually didn't have to worry about other people noticing. Alfred knew this and didn't comment on it, it didn't bother her.

Matthew shifted a bit, checking to see that Kumachimo was still sleeping on the rug. Sure enough, he was still snuggled up right next to America's fluffy white cat, Hero. Poor thing, it had almost been given the unfortunate name of Burger. Looking back at his sister he noticed she was still waiting for an answer and knowing her she wasn't going to give up until her curiosity was satisfied.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, Matthew jumped right in. "Actually, I was just trying to figure out what's bothering you. Don't try to tell me different, I know something happened today. I know you too well. So, what's wrong?"

At this she frowned and gave a tired sigh, "I can't get anything past you, can I?"

Alfred pulled one of her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around it leaning back into the couch cushions. "Well, I told Mexico I wouldn't tell you, but I'm not going to lie since you asked."

Avoiding his eyes Alfred opted to stare at her knee, "He slipped up today at the meeting. He called me a chica while talking to Spain."

If Matthew were more like his sister he might have jumped up off the couch and began cursing out the stupid Mexican for messing up; but he wasn't, so with all the level-headedness of a true Canadian he calmly asked his sister, "What happened after that?" There was more to the story, no need to get worked up… yet.

"Well, Spain did catch the slip-up, but luckily Romano distracted him before he could question us any further. He's probably forgotten all about it by now. So, naturally, after that Mexico and I had a little 'chat' about how it won't happen again. Don't worry about it though, I scared him enough that he'll watch what he says from now on."

Ending her narrative she gave him a smile, although Matthew could see there was more she wasn't telling him. The smile wasn't sincere and her story too abrupt. What happened bothered Alfred more than she wanted to let on.

"Alright, I won't go threaten Mexico. But only if you tell me why this is bothering you so much."

Her smile disappeared and an unhappy frown worked its way onto her face. Matthew almost rolled his eyes. Did she honestly expect him to not notice?

Slightly exasperated, he asked, "Come on Al, you can't honestly think I don't notice when something's really troubling you?"

At this she pouted a little, "No… I just was hoping I wouldn't have to talk about it."

This was not an uncommon occurrence between the two siblings. Canada knew that his sister could be one of the most guarded of people, and trusted very few when it came to expressing her true emotions and thoughts. She had hardly any close friends to talk to about these kinds of things with, especially when it came to the issue of her 'hidden identity'.

Matthew knew he was her only confidant when it came to this particular subject, and if she didn't talk to him about it than she wouldn't talk to anyone, which was not a good option. Whenever she did keep it all in her paranoia, which already was pretty bad (largely in part due to the 9/11 attacks), only got worse and she began to behave similar to how she was during the American Civil War. Matthew mentally shuddered at the thought. That had not been a cheery time in American history, not at all.

No, Alfred needed to get it all out of her system, so at the very least she wasn't stewing over it and allowing her nerves to get worked up. Alfred knew as well that she needed to talk about it, but that didn't mean she always wanted to. It usually took a little prodding on Matthew's part to get her to open up about it and he always had to be direct if he wanted to get any straight answer out of her. Sometimes, however, it would take a lot more than a gentle prod.

Tonight, though, it seemed she wasn't going to put up much of a fight, probably because she was already tired and was chilling at home, automatically having a calming effect on her. Matthew waited for her to speak, allowing her to gather her thoughts.

At this point she had pulled both her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, her brow furrowed in thought. Finally she seemed to figure out what she wanted to say.

"I guess, it just bothers me because, I don't know. I just don't feel… satisfied with the way things worked out." She paused, Matthew waited. "I should be happy that everything worked out in the end, but I'm not."

Alfred's clear blue eyes, always so easy for him to read, were worn out and clouded over with sadness. "I'm just tired of it all. I'm fed up with having to pretend and having to hide who I really am. I'm sick of all this lying!" Her voice had steadily become louder and more passionate, her emotions taking over.

"I want to be able to wake up in the morning and face the day as just me, not the America everyone thinks I am. I want to go the meetings and not be afraid of messing up or giving away this stupid game. I want to be respected for who I really am! Sometimes, I just… want to be a girl." The last part was whispered, and Matthew knew that if she weren't so worn out already she might have never admitted it.

Something Matthew had realized very young was that his sister rarely ever cried. Even as a child she hardly ever was reduced to tears. He had always admired this when they were children, still under the care of their mother. It was just the way she was. Sure, her emotions could get a little out of control sometimes, but she never broke down into tears. Matthew theorized that maybe it was the resilience of her people that helped her stay composed or that she was just too stubborn to let something as silly as crying slow her down. Either way, he knew he was one of the very few people (alive or dead) to ever see Alfred cry, and probably the only person she would cry in front of without feeling mortified later.

Matthew moved across the couch so he was sitting right next to her and pulled her into his arms as she finally broke down, the tears finally spilling over.

This was not the first time she had admitted wanting to give up. But every time she did Matthew felt his heart break for her all over again. The whole situation added so much more stress on her on top of their already stressful existence. She had to constantly deny a large part of who she was. Everyday she pretended to be something she wasn't, and it was slowly eating her up inside.

Her resolve was weakening, and Matthew knew that when the world did find out the truth (he didn't even try deluding himself into thinking they could pretend forever) he knew that it would have to be on Alfred's terms for it to go a well as possible. She had to be ready for it, and right now, she just wasn't ready. To be honest, neither was he. He was in just as deep as she was, and he knew that England (among others) would have some choice words for him as well.

What should we say? What should we do? When should we do it? Have we already waited too long?

No matter how many times Matthew tried to find the best solution possible it always ended with the reminder that it was really Alfred's decision on how to approach the situation. Right now, however, she wasn't emotionally ready to deal with it.

That always seemed to be the way things were. Whenever they were ready to deal with the ramifications it never seemed like the right time. Then whenever it seemed a good time to tell the truth, they just weren't ready to tell. Maybe it was something they would just have to do or it would never be done (at least, not on their own terms that is).

Giving up on those thoughts for now he simply held his sister close, trying to hug away all the pain. But he knew, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to give her the one thing she craved and desperately needed. That was quite simply, girl time. She needed time to just be a girl. All her life Alfred had been raised and lived as a boy, surrounded by men, with only her brother for close companionship. She needed time to just be what she was.

In that moment, Matthew realized, that what his sister needed was a female friend, someone she could just be a girl with. However, it couldn't just be any human girl, they wouldn't be able to understand. How could they? They were only human, and wouldn't know how to connect with a century old personification in the first place. Besides, developing close friendships was always risky business for any personification. The lives of humans seemed so short in comparison to their own and becoming attached always ended in a painful goodbye.

That's when Matthew had his great idea. Later he would wonder how he had never thought about it until then. Either way, he had an idea, and a pretty darn good one if you asked him. Now, how to bring it up to Al without her freaking out about it. He would have time to figure that out later. After all, they had the rest of the weekend together, plenty of time to approach her with his grand idea.

XXX

Lovino was pissed! He was pacing back and forth throughout the whole house, constantly checking the time, and intermittently cursing. Where is she!? She can't seriously still be with the potato bastard! The Italian practically growled in frustration. He knew he shouldn't have let her go to dinner with the stupid German. Why did Spain have to be so damn annoying and clingy all the time!? If he hadn't been so distracted he would have never agreed to let the two spend time alone together. That was the last thing he wanted!

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he heard the front door open and his sister's humming as she entered the house, a goofy grin on her face. There's that stupid lovey-dovey grin, he thought angrily.

Marching straight up to his sister he poked her squarely in the forehead. She made a squeak of surprise and he knew he had her attention. "Fratello! What was that for?"

"Where the hell have you been!? What took you so damn long!"

In reality, Lovino was only about an inch taller than Feli, but at that moment he towered over his now cowering sister, his anger and worry boiling over.

"I've been waiting all fucking night for you to come back home! Why the hell are you so late? Let me guess, the potato bastard did something to you didn't he! I'm going to fucking kill him! I wouldn't have agreed to even let you go if that idiot Spain wasn't so damn clingy! I should kill him too along with the potato bastard, then I wouldn't have to put up with either of them anymore! Damn it Feli, why do you have to…."

During his ranting and raving Lovino hadn't been paying any attention to his sister, he was too busy yelling and cursing. However, when he finally looked at her his words died in his throat.

Tears tracks marked her cheeks and she looked like she was about to break down into sobs, her body shivering slightly. She honestly looked like a kicked puppy.

I am such a fucking idiot.

In that moment he hated himself. He had, once again, made his little sister cry. Why did he have to do that? He would get so worked up with worry that he would just start yelling at her when half the time it wasn't even her fault. Then she would start crying and he would be the jerk who had kicked the cute puppy. Every single time he did this he told himself he would never do it again, would think before he said something next time, wouldn't raise his voice. Of course, that never lasted long and the whole process would start all over again.

Quickly backpedaling, he tried to salvage the situation before she started to really bawl. "Hey, hey, I.. Feli you know I don't really mean it. I'm not mad, I just, I'm just worried. You know that. Come on now, don't.. don't cry."

Lovino was very much so a socially awkward person when it came to these kinds of things. If someone needed to be cheered up or comforted, South Italy was the last possible person you would want to send them to. However, he liked to think that he knew his sister well (which wasn't too hard, since she was practically an open book with her emotions). So, as more tears began to leak from her pretty, brown eyes his brotherly instincts kicked in and he awkwardly pulled her into a hug, which she gladly accepted (she could never stay mad at her brother, no matter how much of a jerk he was).

Trying his best to comfort her he haltingly petted her hair (while still avoiding the infamous curl), "I didn't mean it Feli. Please, just, stop crying, alright? There's no need to cry."

Sniffing, unable to stop her tears yet, Feli finally responded. "I-it's alright, fra-fratello. I'm s-sorry, I just c-can't stop cr-crying!"

Lovino sighed. He really was a jerk sometimes (most of the time). He really wasn't very good with words. Instead, he decided it was time to use his ultimate weapon when it came to cheering his sister up. "I'm not mad at you Feli, You know I just worry about you. I know how to make it up to you, though. How about we make some pasta and do some painting together. How does that sound?" He knew she had just gotten back from dinner, but he also knew his sister had a bottomless pit for a stomach. Also, Feli never turned down the chance to paint with her brother.

The effect was instant. She pulled back from his hug and looked at him with those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes of hers, tears giving them a watery shine. "Really!? Oh, I would love to! We can start right now! Ve~!"

Delight quickly replacing her earlier distress she began to skip excitedly towards the kitchen. Her moods had always been quick to transition, something that annoyed Lovino to no end. How can she do that so damn fast!? He was about to follow her when he noticed her bags, which had been abandoned near the front door. Idiot sister…

"Hey! Don't forget your bags!"

She stopped and looked back, she had forgotten all about them. "Oh yeah! I will put my stuff away and then we can start the pasta!"

Rushing back she scooped up her stuff and quickly ran off to her room. Lovino sighed as he watched her leave. He needed to stop worrying so much. Shaking his head, he grumbled to himself, "Fucking impossible…" He would never stop worrying about her, she was his little sister after all. No matter how much she annoyed him or how much of a cheerful idiot she could be he still loved her dearly. What worried him so much was that he couldn't always be there to protect her (not that he could do much anyway, seeing as he was just as much of a coward as she was).

However, the one thing that worried him the most was when she spent time with the damn potato bastard, Germany. No, scratch that, it didn't worry him; it down right terrified him. Lovino was perfectly aware of just how much his sister was in love with the stronger, more serious nation. This scared him very much; because he knew his sister would do just about anything for Germany, except betray her people (nations could never betray their own people, the very idea went against everything that they were and deeply repulsed them). He was afraid of just how much of herself she had given to the German, and feared the day that Germany realized it.

Lovino didn't trust Germany, not one bit. The German was strong and powerful, and was a soldier at heart, and a very highly trained one at that. He was tactical, cunning, and deadly serious. He had a history of violence and corrupt leadership, and his people had caused the suffering of thousands. Lovino wasn't as quick to forget as everyone else, mostly because of how much time his sister spent with the repentant nation.

Even before the world wars he hadn't trusted him. Everything about him made Lovino want to run (although in all honesty most things made the Italian want to bolt, it was one of the few things he was truly good at, that being running away from danger). What he couldn't understand was how Feli, who was just as much of a coward as he was, could be so deeply in love with him. What drew his sister to Germany in the first place? To Lovino, there was nothing appealing about Germany, no matter how many times he tried to figure it out.

"Fratello~! Aren't you going to help me make the pasta?"

Startled, the irritable Italian yelled back, "Of course I am, idiota! You better not have started without me!"

He had maxed out his quota of worrying thoughts for the night, and decided he was going to do his best to relax and enjoy some quality sibling time with his sister. Naturally, this didn't last long, as she soon got on his nerves and proceeded to annoy him the rest of the night.

"Damn it, Feli!"

XXX

Author's Note: Gosh, is it just me, or is Romano hard to write. I seriously don't feel like I portrayed him very well. I made him out to be some sort of constant worry-wart jerkface. Oh well, what can you do?

As you could tell this was written more from the perspectives of America's and Italy's brothers. (I just really wanted a chapter for sibling interaction; I'm such a sucker for sibling/brother/sister love.)

Also, what is Matthew's great idea? You'll just have to wait and see, but I'm telling you now, it plays a major part in the plot development. Seriously, it gets the ball rolling for the chaos to come. *is super excited to keep writing*

Notes:

* Regarding America and her paranoia. Think about it. Anyone who has flown in America (or has heard airport stories) after the 9/11 attacks knows just how bad security can be. I think after the attacks America would become very paranoid and this would manifest itself at random times. This will be played upon throughout the story.

* As for the Civil War comment: I think that despite the Confederacy trying to split I don't think a separate entity would have come into being. I think that instead America would suffer from three separate personalities that would manifest themselves at different times. One being the Union, one being the Confederacy, and one being the whole of America. Just my own personal view of things. You are more than welcome to disagree and interpret that particular comment any way you like. The only thing you need to take from it is that America was an absolute crazy person with violent tendencies during the Civil War (she was fighting with her own head at the time, that seriously can't be good for anyone's mental health).

* Finally, I'm sure any girl can relate to how America is feeling right now. Even the most tomboyish girl out there can't deny wanting to feel like a girl now and then (seriously, I myself can relate from experience). She's seriously been deprived of it all her life, she just wants to be able to act like a girl and not be afraid of being disrespected or shunned (again, America is paranoid and tends to exaggerate when she imagines how other countries will react).

* Also, we all know Romano is a jerk (and pottymouth), but I think he truly does love his sister and just has a hard time expressing that because she's constantly annoying him and doing things that make him worry even more about her safety. Also, he doesn't trust Germany, for reasons already mentioned.