Oi, as much as I love writing, I've finished a chapter and begun to write the next one today alone X( it's bloody Friday night! I should be doing something! But instead, here I am writing… I'm a sad person sigh. Okay, maybe not, this is my one day I haven't done anything in awhile and it's almost pleasant. I think instead of finishing the next chapter tomorrow I'm going to go to Kentucky… Yes… That sounds nice. Excuse my ramblings and here's the chapter.

Since I am using their lyrics and I personally know them, I am going to ask you if you like mellow, awesome music, check out the band O Discordia! on myspace listen to some of their music and become fans : )

()()()()()

Sleepers Don't Dream

"Can't shake this feeling,
Seems so true but so unreal,
Blue skies, green fields,
Seems so near but yet so far.
Come to play but not to stay,
Doomed to return to a cold world,
Come stay, don't leave,
Drink in the sun, sing with the stars.
Wake up, you're dreaming,
Wake up, you're dreaming.
Please don't wake me,
I want to dream,
Please don't leave me,
I must be sleeping."-O Discordia!

()()()

Prussia stared blankly at them, his mind obviously in a different place rather than paying attention as he should have been a few seconds ago.

"Vhat?" he asked, tipping his head to the side, his eyes fixed firmly on a case of beer and a bag of weed in Canada's arms.

"Canada und I are leafing for town tonighd, okay? Ve von'd be back undil tomorrow. Ve jus' neet to know if ve can trusd you to schtay here. Canada is villing to led you hev all de beer und veed you vant if de haus is nod going to be demolisht vhen ve ged back und if you promise to remain here vhile ve are gone." Ludwig explained carefully, his brother was usually a man of his word in deals like this, but he had to agree to them first.

"You're nod fucking ahre you?" Prussia tactlessly inquired, leaning back in his chair. Canada and Germany looked to each other in that second and Canada sighed.

"Noh, I hat some vodka vhile you two vere alone… Eferclear…" Ludwig looked away blushing, hoping his brother wouldn't catch him in his lie.

"Yeah… W-T-F moment, your brother is horny when he's partially drunk. Sorry that you saw that." Canada sometimes didn't like how he was good at deceit, but in this case he didn't mind at all. It would also keep Gilbert off his back when all his memories did come back. Well, actually, Ludwig wasn't a horny drunk, he was a happy one… Or rather, a bipolar one, happy one second, say something to piss him off and he was one sadistic bastard in a hurry.

Prussia made a face of "ooooh" before nodding his head and accepting that answer, he guessed it made sense. Hell, when he was drunk he was horny and couldn't lie, as far as strange drunkenness went, he won. He also knew that if his little brother ever pressed himself on someone it would be hard to fight him off. It was probably especially hard for Canada… Suddenly he almost felt sorry for the small blonde, but he seemed used to having sex with men, or maybe he simply got Germany to stop… That must've been his real reason for going to bed early last night, he wanted to get away from the awkwardness. He nodded, finding himself very clever in deducing what actually happened.

"Zoh, vaid… You're nod a fag?" Prussia pointed to Matthew questioningly who just made an annoyed noise and rolled his eyes before responding with "Can we please get to the actual reason we're talking to you?" Germany shook his head and pinched his nose.

"He hes a poind bruder."

"Oh fine, vhat ist dis deal again?"

"We want you to stay here tonight, smoke weed, drink, watch television, eat… Masturbate… Anything just make sure you stay here and you don't turn my house into a war zone." Canada explained, getting tired of holding the upfront part of the deal. Prussia stared at him suspiciously before speaking, "Zoh… I ged to ead vhatefer, vatch vhatefer, profitet you teach me how de telefision vorks, drink ahs much bier ahs I vant, smoke ahs much veed ahs I vant und masdurbade vherefer zoh long ahs I schtay hier?"

"Uhm… Try to keep the masturbating in a place easy to clean up and not in my bed." Matthew felt his face go red talking about masturbating so openly with a man he barely knew anymore. "Otherwise, that's correct."

"Und if I vere to zay 'noh'?" Prussia challenged with the tweak of an eyebrow.

"We have enough horse tranquilizer around to put you out for two days straight and we will use it." Prussia blinked confusedly at Canada's stoic response and considered his options again.

"Okay, zounts like a goot deal." Canada put the case of beer and the bag of weed in front of Prussia straight away and the man took them like a duck to water.

"Rolling papers." Matthew pulled some out of his pockets. "Go to it, you will have the rest of the deal before we leave." Prussia made a "kesesesese" noise before snatching the objects and starting for the book room. He stopped for a second and looked over to Canada, making the motion of igniting a lighter with his fingers. "Oh. Here you go." Canada removed a lighter from his pocket and tossed it to land on top of the case of beer next to the weed and rolling papers.

"I neet to figure oud how de telefision vorks…" Matthew looked to Ludwig, he was not in the mood to be teaching Prussia anything, not when a single touch from him could correct the leaning tower of Pisa for hours. Ludwig made a nervous noise before nudging past Matthew and following Prussia into the book room.

Matthew took a deep breath and sighed it out, well, while Germany did that, he might as well get a little bit of his horniness out. He walked upstairs, into his bathroom and locked the door.

()()()

"We haven't even left yet… He's completely inconsiderate." Matthew was referring to the moans emanating from the book room. "Also, that room is not easy to clean."

"Vhat do you care? You dink I ditn'd see de schtains on dat couch?" Ludwig crassly reminded, irritable for the same reason.

Matthew just felt his face go red and looked away hiding his embarrassment by cleaning the lenses of his glasses.

"Also, vhat are you vearing?"

Blinking, Matthew surveyed his clothes, skinny-ish jeans, a colorful, short-sleeved tee and skater shoes. Defintely not something you saw Canada in every day, but it was a Sunday for crissake! It had been Gilbert's idea that he wear different clothes and these were much more appropriate than what he originally suggested on the first "Tanzsonntag" those years ago, "My dance clothes…" Matthew explained in a small voice, "I will be wearing my hoodie if it will make you feel any better…"

"Ve're nod going to von of your gay bars are ve?"

Completely embarrassed, Matthew scratched his cheek and responded in a timid voice, "I-I thought you wouldn't mind… W-We can go somewhere else if you want…"

"I voult like dat. Sorry if I'm nod comfortable vid uhm… Adfertising."

"I-If you don't mind my saying you-"

"I do mind."

"Oh, sorry." Matthew began to pace, looking over his clothes, he didn't look gay, did he? He looked a little skate punk (minus the dyed hair and Mohawk), maybe a tad ravish, but not gay as far as he was concerned. But just in case… "Uhm, do me a favor then… Uhm… Keep me from being harassed?" Ludwig stared at him and tipped his head to the side in confusion, reminding Matthew of Gilbert just a little bit.

"Vhy voult someone harass you?" It made no sense in a nation that allowed gay couples to marry nationwide since 2005.

"Same-sex marriage might be legal here, but not everyone is okay with it. You would be surprised at the amount of dissenters still present of the gay community in general." At the look Germany gave him, Canada sighed and looked to the ceiling in a "why" kind of way. "You know what, you were worried about something bad happening anyway, how about we drive there and go our separate ways? We each pick a place to hang out and when one of us is done with their business they find the other and hang out until they're done and we can go to the motel?"

"If you like dat plan den I do too."

"Alright, good." Matthew fidgeted with his fingers again before going to pull on his hoodie. "We need to come through on our end of the deal with Prussia before we leave." Ludwig nodded and Matthew walked into the book room. The sight be beheld made thoughts of smacking the Prussian's hand away and riding him himself very prominent in his mind… Also very tempting, but he had to resist! Oh, but why? "Prussia…"

Making a discontented noise, Prussia pulled a blanket over himself and let an irritated, red eye slip open to regard him. Wiping his hand off on the blanket and sitting up, he hissed angrily, "Vhat?"

"Sorry to interrupt 'you time'," Matthew started almost snarkily, using air quotes as he would if he were referring to Gilbert, "but Ludwig and I are leaving soon. I need to know what all you want before I leave."

"Oh…" Now Prussia didn't seem as annoyed and he tipped his head back to think. For about the next five minutes he named off every kind of alcohol he wanted, some of it Matthew had to decline getting because it was either illegal or he had no idea what it was. "I don'd know vhat I vant ahs fahr ahs veed… Do you hef any suggesdions?"

After creating the massive pile of alcohol Matthew was sure Prussia could never drink in a million years even if he nearly killed himself every night, he smiled. "I remember your favorites very well."

Prussia couldn't help a smirk and sat back into the comfortable couch, "Den, perhaps ve ahre freunds afder ahll." As overjoyed as he was to hear that, Matthew knew it most likely wasn't true. And even if it was, it was always possible that Prussia's definition of friend and the regular definition of friend were two completely different things. Still, that smirk was continuously one that could make Matthew's heart speed up and a want to kiss him bloom in his chest and tingle his lips.

Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out three separate bags and tossed them to the Prussian, "Woo, dey schmell awesome…"

"Of course they do, one of them is a blueberry hybrid. Careful how much of those you smoke, marijuana is a hallucinogen after all and all either of us needs is for you to have a particularly bad memory trip while your brother and I are gone." Matthew sincerely warned. "If you're all set, Ludwig and I will be leaving."

"Doch, ich bin bedient!" Prussia replied confidently, smirking happily and producing a small spasm in Matthew's groin. Okay, he was either leaving now or sexually assaulting Prussia. He picked the least likely to kill him.

"See you later." Matthew nearly bolted from the room and dragged Ludwig out the door with him, the two beginning their hike for the car.

()()()

"So, uh…. I nefer figuret you to be so…"

"I know." Matthew sighed (it occurred to him that he had been doing it a lot recently) and kept driving.

"I voult hef peggt your bruder for more of de… Sexual type. Doughd you sait dat he had more drife dan you…" Germany was noticeably uncomfortable with the subject, but at the same time was extremely curious.

"Oh he does. If it's pretty and has breasts, he'll screw it."

It took Germany a second to find the problem in that, "He's marriet to Japan dough…"

"He is." A more depressed sigh escaped him this time.

"Do you mean dat he…"

"Is a chronic cheater? Yep." Matthew saw the completely lost look on Ludwig's face and took mercy up on him. "He loves Japan… Really he does and I'm pretty sure Japan loves him just as much. But my brother has never been one to be faithful. It doesn't matter how much he loves someone, a pretty girl will come along and he'll have sex with her. What's worse is it has gotten to the point that Japan doesn't even ask what Alfred has been doing on nights that he doesn't come home." Germany remained quiet, being let into the world that usually only the North America brothers were privy to was surprisingly grim.

"I don'd unterschtant how he can do dat… How can you lof somevon und jus'…"

"Alfred loves sex. That's how."

"Bud he has Japan…"

"Yes, he does, he has him and says he looks enough like a girl, which I would kind of like to see him say that to Japan's face, but… Like I've said. It doesn't matter how much he loves someone, he can know a pretty girl for five minutes and want her in bed with him. He's always so stressed out why Japan is mad at him and usually it's because of this. Of course, Japan doesn't want to address the issue because of how he is and just finds other things to harp on him about."

"I nefer doughd his lof-life vas so complicadet…"

"No one would ever think yours is either." Ludwig looked away, shaking with some kind of emotion, it made Matthew sorry for ever mentioning it. "Everyone and their grandma is having issues with how the world is right now."

"Dis issue ist more dan jus' recend you know."

"Of course, Alfred's has been life-long, so hey."

"Und I hef to go back to it tomorrow…"

"Don't look at it that way, you're going home to Italy." Once again Matthew found that he had nicely inserted his foot into his mouth as Ludwig sighed sadly and looked away, out the window at the passing landscape. "You know I don't mean to be rude, right…?"

"Of course." The two traveled in silence after that. Neither wishing to speak of their relationship problems or attempt to divert their worries with frivolous talk.

()()()

Matthew stopped the car in front of a raucous bar, the noise audible from the curb. It was a sports bar of sorts and he could tell immediately it had Ludwig's full attention. The German got out of the car and looked back to his friend from the curb.

"Are you going to be okay alone tonighd?" Ludwig asked, truly worried.

Confused, Matthew tipped his head to the side, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean… Afder lasd nighd…"

Now Matthew's brow furrowed, "Do you not think I have self-control? I think you've for-"

Ludwig quickly waved his hands in a placating manner for Matthew to lay off, "I'm sorry, I ditn'd mean it like dat."

"As long as Gilbert doesn't have a twin brother I don't know about that lives within my boarders, I think I will be fine." Matthew replied light-heartedly. He knew Ludwig was sincere in his worry and didn't mean to come off the way he did, he had to be happy tonight, it was Ludwig's last night in Canada.

Ludwig chuckled nervously, before he asked, "Vhere are you going to be at again?"

The Canadian scratched his cheek, quite embarrassed, at least he wasn't going to "Nothing Served Straight" further down the road, "A club down the street, My Place or Yours."

Germany stood there for about five seconds with a truly perplexed look on his face. "Is de owner German by chance?"

"I don't know… Strangely, Gil asked me that same question, why?"

"Dere ist a gay bar in Berlin called Zu Mir Oder Zu Dir. Means de same ding."

"Uninventive?"

"Perhaps… Anyvay, goh hef fun." Ludwig closed the door and waved to Matthew as he drove off before entering the bar.

()()()

Usually Matthew never noticed the eyes on him whenever he entered this club. Without Gilbert in the vicinity, however, he had never felt eyes so acutely. Why was he even here if he wasn't with Gilbert and not interested in picking anyone up? Or being picked up as it had been before he and Gilbert had anything established.

To dance? Well, originally you were going to hang out with Ludwig, but there's not much for you two to talk about now anyway. Mumbling to himself he walked up to the bar and sat down, not liking one bit how he was immediately eyed by the two men sitting on either side of him. I could top both of you fools now just look away. One of them attempted to touch him and he just smacked the hand, earning him an odd look and an apology. The man on the other side just sniggered and Matthew rolled his eyes, thankful Gilbert wasn't around for that. Both of them would have ended up handless if he had anything to do about it. Now that he thought about it, even when Gilbert was away in the bathroom or whatever, no one ever attempted to touch him. Was Gilbert really that scary to others?

He ordered some sort of fruity-flavored drink as the music pulsed in the background and bobbed his head.

In the midst of his drinking (he was on his third by this point) both of the gentlemen on either side of him had left. His head was now pleasantly buzzing as he watched the television.

Aren't you here to dance or something? No, I'm pretty sure I'm here to kill time until it's acceptable to go to a motel and masturbate all night long. May or may not include dancing.

"Matthew?" The blonde blinked at the unfamiliar voice and looked around for it, his eyes landing on a human. "Hey it is you!" The man was in his late twenties with red-brown hair and an attractive smile. He did look vaguely familiar and Matthew's pickeled brain groped for a name, settling on Frederick. Well, here was hoping he got it right.

"Hey! It's Rick right?"

"Frederick, but Rick's cool. Mind if I have a seat?" Matthew shrugged and took a sip of his drink as Rick sat down next to him with his own. "So, what've you been up to?"

Matthew searched fruitlessly for any prior conversations he'd had with this man and just came up with blanks. The man was rather friendly for someone he had no recollection of ever having met.

"I've been okay, I suppose." If you average out the last five years with this single event…

"Where's your man?" Rick asked, taking a drink. So, he at least knew Matthew had a boyfriend.

"Not here tonight. He told me to still go out and have fun even though he was working. I don't really think he comprehends this is only fun because he's with me."

"Why didn't you tell him that?"

"He wouldn't have any of it. He didn't want to ruin my evening." Frederick hummed in thought, sipping at his beer.

"I've always heard that he's a very selfish individual. Not that you should take offense to that, of course!" Frederick chuckled nervously at the look that was beginning to come over Matthew's face. "It's just what I've heard… It hardly seems true."

Matthew's eyes dropped to half-lidded annoyance, but he still had a smile on his face. "I don't know who told you that, Gilbert hates socializing with other men in places like this."

Frederick tipped his head to the side in confusion, "Hates socializing with men?"

"He loves flirting with women and I don't necessarily mind." Yeah, he minded, but there some kind of cruel justice in that if Gilbert ever did cheat on him with a human, she would die. Gilbert rarely got emotionally attached to women (Hungary was perhaps the only exception) so that was something else he didn't have to worry about. Matthew, to be frank, didn't care if Gilbert wandered just a little bit, just as long as he didn't have any emotion attached to the person he screwed. Sure, yes, he would still be pissed and disappointed if Gilbert ever cheated on him and he would raise hell about it, but at the end of the day, it would just be some human that Gilbert cared nothing about and had put six feet under.

"You let him flirt with women?" Frederick asked, confusion thick in his voice.

"He doesn't care a lick for women. I mean… Doesn't care for them on an emotional level. They are something pretty to look at. Men on the other hand, he likes being friends with them."

"Sounds rather chauvinistic." Frederick said with a chuckle.

"Oh, he is, I keep telling him to be nicer about it, but he doesn't ever seem to understand what I'm trying to say." Matthew thought about the last time they talked about it with a smile. Gilbert just kept finding ways to avoid the subject until he eventually completely circumnavigated the whole issue and they just had sex in the kitchen.

"So what's up with you and him then…? If he's only ever looking for friendship?"

"He says I'm a special case." Was he really? It certainly was a possibility that he wasn't… Gilbert became emotionally attached to men and there always was the joke that Matthew looked a little bit feminine… Oh God, he couldn't think of this now. He didn't need this kind of doubt when he couldn't just ask Gilbert about it.

"That's a tradgedy waiting to happen if you don't mind my saying."

Matthew's grip tightened on his glass, "Actually… Yes, I do mind your saying." Matthew finished his drink and stood, heading for the dance floor. Frederick quickly sprung to his feet behind him and followed him.

"Wait, I didn't mean to be so rude."

"I know, but you crossed the line. I don't even know you, sir. I remember your name and that is it. Do not assume you can make such comments to me."

"Can I make it up to you somehow?"

It certainly was worth giving thought to. After all, Frederick did seem like a pleasant man, he meant well and hadn't openly tried to antagonize him. It just so happened that their conversation went somewhere it didn't belong.

"Alright, go on." Matthew said with sweet intonation, motioning to him.

"Let me buy you lunch sometime? I swear this is not a come on, I want to get to know you and I really just want to make this up to you."

The blonde sighed and looked away, folding his arms over his chest as Frederick waited patiently for his answer. He had said that all he wanted to do was get to know him better and it wasn't some sort of come on. But people did lie… And Matthew was partially drunk…

"Alright, that sounds good. I'm sorry, my schedule is very busy so it might not be any time really soon."

"Perfectly okay. Here's my number." Frederick whipped out a notepad from his satchel and scribbled down a number before ripping it out and handing it to him. Matthew looked the number over before folding it and sticking it into his sweatshirt for safe-keeping. "Just call me whenever you'd like to set up a time." Matthew just smiled good-naturedly, probably he would never take him up on it. "So, want to dance?"

"I don't see why not."

()()()

Ludwig was smashed between two rather burly men who acted as if they had known him all their life. What was more was that they were getting beer all over his uniform. Why was it he insisted upon wearing it rather than civilian clothes when Canada could have readily produced some for him? The one to his right yelled loudly in his ear as his favorite team scored a goal in the hockey match they were watching. If it were soccer and he were in his boarders (and possibly if Gilbert was there) this would have been awesome. But no, he was next to people he didn't know, in Canada and watching hockey. Not that there was anything wrong with hockey, he just could never get into it.

He was very much considering finding the club Canada was at and joining him there. Even if it did mean he could possibly be hit on nonstop. Well now, that sounded very self-confident… He had never had any illusions that he was unattractive, but he couldn't afford to complement himself, oh no, that was Gilbert's job. He was the narcissistic one, not him.

But still, it could have been a very valid point that it was more pleasant where Canada was at than where he was. At least it was guaranteed not to have loud, very drunk individuals yelling in his ear and nearly choking him.

"Hey, I god to go, so, release my het, please?" The large Canadian looked at him in a way that suggested he was completely bombed and wouldn't have been able to tell you what two plus two was. On second thought, he would have been able to tell you, just the answer would be something around the area of Bob. "Really, led go." Ludwig tried to remove the arm that held him in a headlock as gently as he could. This man was only a human and he couldn't afford to accidentally break his arm.

"Whyre ya leavin' s'soon?" his new "buddy" slurred.

"I hef somevon vaiding for me elsevhere." Ludwig once again tried to extract himself from the man's huge bicep and failed. It looked like he wasn't getting out short of using some of his actual strength. After something so slurred Ludwig of all people couldn't understand him, he had had enough of this nonsense. He grabbed his forearm with his left hand and pulled, wrestling the arm from his neck and probably ripping more than a few muscle fibers by the sound the Canadian made.

"What's your problem?" his less than drunk buddy to Ludwig's left said, standing. Honestly! The German hadn't really even hurt the bastard and his friend was getting bent out of shape?

"I vantet him to led go und he ditn'd, I efen askt nicely." Ludwig threw his formal coat over his arm and turned to leave.

"Hey!" He felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder and he turned around to look, getting a face full of fist. Snorting some blood from his re-busted nose he shook out his head and turned angrily back to the human.

"You hef noh itea vhat you hef jusd done." Ludwig growled in his intimidating bass, his accent thickening with anger. Suddenly beating the living shit out of both the Canadians no longer seemed like a bad idea. He noticed that a significant amount of other bar patrons stood up, glaring straight at Ludwig. So, it was him against the bar, eh? Well, bring it the fuck on!

Cocking back his fist he let his first punch fly, it hitting the human square in the stomach and knocking him back a good few feet and onto the bar itself. The floodgates then opened and an entire torrent of people crashed down upon him.

()()()

This whole thing was a great deal more boring than he would have ever expected it to be. Eating, watching television and drinking at the same time was not what he wanted to be doing tonight. He found himself so incredibly bored that he couldn't even muster the enthusiasm required to masturbate.

What the fuck is the matter with you? Prussia mumbled something even he didn't understand as a way of answering his own question. Who knew that drinking in large quantities and smoking pot was only fun if you had someone else around? Otherwise the whole deal just depressed him. He wished he had Ludwig around, or even Canada would be nice. He could tease both of them and beat up on the scrawny little blonde as much as he wanted. It wouldn't even need to be serious beatings on him, it would be in good-natured fun!

His conscience, he found, pulsated with the same over-whelming boredom that he did. So, in the event of boredom that made him not want to do anything, period… Examine the constitution of this strange thing in the back of his mind that he could only describe as his conscience.

Poking it with a mental finger it seemed indignant that he was examining it at all and attempted to shove him away. Instead of taking its "advice" he pressed on and pushed it harder, irritating it all the more and making him smirk. Vaguely, he wondered what Canada's conscience was like, if it was yelling at him every time he was beat up. Or maybe it was disgusted with him for what happened the other day. Maybe he would ask when he got back tomorrow, if he remembered that was.

Continuing with his harassment of the presence in the back of his mind it was slowly becoming a hot pinpoint of rage. Prussia found himself chuckling before jabbing at it one last time and finding it retaliating in a most unusual way.

A scream that tore his throat raw ripped from his lungs as a terrible pain began to split his cranium. I'll teach you to fuck with me! A voice that was his own and yet not filled his consciousness, tearing him away from the concrete world and swallowing him up into oblivion.

()()()

"Matthew!" A deep reverberating voice managed to break through the blare of the music. Everyone froze and looked to the large blonde at the door. Some whispered amongst one another about how attractive he was, others thought he was there to beat them up. The man at the door sneezed, spraying blood for about five feet despite the fact he had his hand up.

"Holy… Ludwig! What happened?" Everyone looked to see Matthew disentangle himself from a dance and dart across the room to the German's side.

"Ve neet to go." The urgency was clear in Ludwig's voice, so were the bruises that were beginning to show up all over his face.

"What did you do?"

"Nod now, jus' run!" Germany bolted out the door, the sounds of police sirens in the background.

"What?" Not sparing the club a backward glance, Matthew ran after him, finding it hard to even catch up with the athletic man. "Wait! Ludwig! What did you do?" he grabbed onto Ludwig's sleeve and found himself dragged along after him.

"I vas trying to leaf und dis guy voultn'd led go, so I hat to remoof him und his buddy god mat-"

"Remove him?" The pair rounded the corner of a building, nearly slipping in a puddle. The shouts of officers close behind them as the both ran down the alleyway.

"Gendly! It vasn'd like I vas trying to rip his arm off or noding!" They skidded to a halt in front of a six-foot brick wall between the buildings, blocking the rest of their escape route. Flashlights shone down the alley straight at them, the officer that bore it yelling at them to stay put. "Verdammt!" His piercing blue eyes turned to Matthew and he grabbed his arm, tossing him up and over the wall.

"Ow! God, Ludwig!" Matthew yelled upon contacting the dirty pavement on the other side. The palms of his hands were skinned a little bit but wouldn't impede the use of them. By the time he was on his feet Ludwig had managed to climb over the wall with expert speed. The police yelled to go around to the other side of the building and the German grabbed Canada's wrist, pulling him along after him as they both fled. "So, why are you running?"

"De fighd soon became de whole bar! Dey're blaming me for it!"

"Did you start it?"

"No!"

"Then why didn't you tell them that? Aren't you a stickler for rules?" They exited the alleyway and caught sight of a few officers that had been pursuing them. "Damn it." Ludwig started the yanking again and Matthew was sure his arm was going to be dislocated by the end of this venture.

"It voult be me againsd a whole bar! Do you honesdly dink dey voult belief me?" Deciding that they weren't running fast enough, Germany hoisted Canada up by his wrist and tossed him over his shoulder. Canada releasing a hard breath as his shoulder drove into the boy's stomach.

Grunting a steady stream of ows as Ludwig's forceful, bouncing gait continuously beat Matthew's gut into the bone of the German's broad shoulders, he managed to cough out, "How did you get a whole bar against you?"

"Dey all liket each oder? I don'd know." From his backwards facing position (and a very unsteady one) Matthew could tell that the police had gotten into a car and were now pursuing him in a way that no amount of athleticism could out do.

"Lud-wig! I sug-gest that you ei-ther find a place to hide or you grand theft auto some-thing!" Matthew yelled, his sentence chopped into bits by each drive of Ludwig's shoulder into the bruising muscles of his stomach.

"Hiting it is!" Sliding to a violent stop (nearly falling over to the pavement because of the unnecessary weight on his back) Ludwig rounded on his heel and bolted down a set of cement stairs into a cellar of sorts. Busting the door down with his military-issue boots, the two of them surprised the group of people gathered below. Everyone stood as they crashed through the congregation of people (over-turning tables and the contents thereof). The owner tried to stop them and Matthew clung helplessly to Ludwig's back as he shoved the man aside as gently as he could allow and ran into the storage room, slamming the door behind him and locking it.

A ragged coughing starting Matthew's chest, Ludwig dropped the boy to his feet and received a very angry look.

"Couldn't you have been nicer about this? We're nations, there isn't anything to be afraid of!" Ludwig was taken aback and looked away, scratching his cheek at his rash behavior. Heavily sighing, Matthew looked around the room, "Look, either way, we have to find a way out of here. As long as we are putting ourselves up a creek, why not do it thoroughly?" the small Canadian explained with a devious smile. Gilbert had gotten to him over the years. Every time they got into situations like this he was always angry, but looking back on it, it was a fun memory. "Ludwig, can your shoulders and chest fit through that?" Matthew motioned to a small, street-level window. The German turned and examined it, his shoulders would fit, but he doubted his broad chest could.

"Vant to see?" He picked up a bit of scrap pipe that was laying in the corner and destroyed the window, cleaning out the glass as best he could. A violent banging came to the door then.

"We know you're in there! Open up!" Ludwig cursed to himself and looked to Matthew motioning for him to go first.

"Ve know you'll fid. If I don'd you can pull me." Matthew nodded and climbed on top of Ludwig's back, being careful not to dig his shoes into his ribs and crawled out on his stomach. The odd shards of glass ripped open some parts of his sweatshirt, but he made it out in one piece.

"C'mon Ludwig." Matthew beckoned as the German grabbed onto the frame of the window and pulled himself up. Managing to get his elbows out, they ran into a problem, his chest was indeed too broad to fit.

The banging on the door came again, "The owner has his key! We're coming in!" Damn! Why hadn't they barricaded the door or something?

Panicking, Matthew latched onto Ludwig's gloved hands and pulled with all the strength his tired body could muster. This being more than sufficient force, Ludwig popped out of the window and stumbled forward after getting his legs beneath him. Unfortunately, this left his face smashed into the bruised, soft tissue of Canada's stomach. Putting his hands out on either side of himself, he stood up straight, looking at Matthew (whom he had pressed up against the brick wall of the alley). Their noses touching, Matthew managed a merry laugh, pecking Ludwig's noise and making the German wheel back in red-faced embarrassment.

The sound of the door opening in the room below broke the moment and they were both back to running. At least Matthew knew these streets just as well as he knew the forest.

"This way!" He panted, excitement still coloring his tone. Some way or another, they ended up in the back lot of My Place or Yours, Matthew's car in an optimum position for escaping. Pressing the correct button on the key fob, he unlocked and threw the driver-side door open. "Get in!" Ludwig did as he was told and closed the door after him as Matthew started the car and began to drive off.

As it became clearer and clearer that they had escaped the cops, Matthew began to chuckle in the silence of the car.

"Man, I haven't had that much fun for a couple Sundays now." he laughed again but couldn't help but notice his companion this evening wasn't laughing with him. "What's the matter? Not liking fleeing the law?"

"It's nod dat…" the German mumbled, not bearing to look at him.

"Oh…" And suddenly the merry air of the night was gone, replaced by an oppressive feeling of guilt. "I'm sorry, I usually only do things like this with Gil. I didn't mean for that to happen, I just got caught up in the moment."

"Like us bod lasd nighd?"

"Yeah…" They pulled into the parking lot of a motel and Matthew turned off the car. "At least we had some fun tonight, right?" Ludwig nodded and sighed, leaning into the comfortable fabric of the passenger seat. "Want to go in and get some rooms for the night? Would feel better to sleep in a bed, you know."

"I'll be in in a secont." Nodding, Matthew left the car, leaving the keys with Ludwig, knowing he wouldn't have to tell him to lock it when he came in.

()()()

Matthew whistled merrily to himself as he walked about the room, the television going. He was getting ready for bed when he heard a knock from the door joining his to the adjacent room. Walking over to the door he unlocked it and pulled it open, finding Ludwig standing there in his undershirt and boxers.

"Hey, what is it?"

"Do you hef any toodpasde?" he asked in a tiredly raspy voice.

"Of course, c'mon in." Matthew moved from the way and Ludwig stepped in. "You look exhausted."

"I don'd normally do dings like dat…"

"I understand. I'm tired too." Matthew produced a toothbrush from his pocket and tossed it to him. The German caught it and flipped it around his index finger a few times before walking into the bathroom and putting the toothpaste inside to good use.

"Vhat do you dink Osten is up to?" he asked after finishing his teeth and gargling a little water.

"I don't know, probably sleeping. I can't imagine him to be doing much right now. Kumajirou and Gilbird have taken to staying away from him it would seem." Matthew was laying prostrate on the only bed in the room, flipping through channels. He was decidedly less horny than he had been earlier in the day, it was probably the doing of that creep Frederick. Yawning, he let his eyes slip closed and his breathing even out, the last thing he was aware of being Ludwig's shape staring down at him.

()()()

Four A.M., Monday morning, March twenty-ninth, Matthew groaned and rolled over in bed, why was he awake? His eyes barely slid open and he witnessed the visage of his German buddy sitting in a chair staring at him.

"Urh… Ludwig…" He sat up and yawned, stretching.

"Ja?"

"Have you been staring at me all night?" The very idea of it was kind of creepy…

"No… I jus' came in here to vake you up."

"Oh, okay then, why?"

"You sait dat vhen I lefd you voult updade me efry day. Und I vantet to help you moof your schtuff." Germany explained, a cold wind pervading his words.

"At four in the morning?"

"Ve can'd affort to leaf my bruder alone for too long tomorrow morning. Who knows vhat he vill try to do to your kitchen." Canada shrugged, seeing the logic in this, but was very curious about his bad mood.

"Alright, let's get my stuff and you can go home." Germany gave a curt nod as Canada stood. It was a good thing Canada had paid for the whole thing up front because he didn't feel like paying a visit to the front desk.

()()()

It was daylight by the time Germany and Canada had everything he would need in the back of his car. Matthew left a note for the mailman about his indefinite absence and took some more of Gilbert's clothes with him for Prussia. Canada already packed more clothes for himself when he and Germany had been taking his computer downstairs. He also opted to bring his laptop with him for ease of use.

"I vant you to submid your daily repord at dree o'clock. Eight o'clock back home." Canada nodded and watched Germany open the door to his rented car. "I visch you luck… Do vhat you can to bring our family member back." Again, Canada nodded and Germany did the oddest of things, he hugged the boy. "Don'd ged yourself hurd. You're a goot ding in dis vorlt too." A firm squeeze of Canada's arm and they said good-bye, Germany climbed into the car and started the engine, Matthew watching as he drove away.

Germany was going home to his problems, it was his turn to go back to his.

()()()()()

Notes:

Tanzsonntag-A word I made up to mean Dancing Sunday (I am the master at coming up with inane, un-real, German words, Gilvogel anyone?)

Doch, ich bin bedient-Yes, I have been served (adequately)

Zu mir oder zu dir-Is real… It has a website

Frederick-Keep your eyes on him =.=

Okay, a chapter that seems a lot like a filler except for two parts, it has a point. Also, I am sorry for the highly sexual content of the chapter, it's my winding way of making a point, sorry. The next chapter won't be up for a few days, while writing I did indeed decide to take a trip to Kentucky tomorrow so expect nothing for at least two days.

Don't forget to check out O Discordia! on myspace they are awesome and you won't regret it!