DPMP: Ugh I'm tired.

Prussia: You're always tired! Hurry up and finish the story!

DPMP: YOU try going for months with insomnia and noisy neighbors! And school, and babysitting…

America: OKAY WE GET IT!

"Mmn, Gilbert?" Matthew croaked, blinking slowly. His hand reached up for his glasses. There was a crinkling sound.

Matthew put on his glasses and looked down. There was a letter for him. He read it twice and then decided to call the number.

"Where's my phone-?" Matthew wondered.

It took him ten minutes to discover his phone wasn't there. Giving up, he grabbed the hotel phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Alfred drawled. "Mattie, you left your phone in Elroy's car."

Elroy was their father. Alfred must've decided he wasn't worthy of the title "dad" anymore.

"Can you bring it over?" Matthew asked. "Just put it through the mail slot. I've done worse to it and it still works, so don't worry about damaging it."

"Okay…"

"I have to go out somewhere, so I won't be able to see you," Matthew said. "Thanks."

Matthew ended up catching the bus just as it left. The driver was a kind old man who, when he noticed Matthew was a quarter short, added one of his own and smiled.

"You look like you needed it," the old man said.

After ten more minutes Matthew was on Axis Street, jogging over to the door. Feliciano and Ludwig were in the yard playing with the dogs. Feliciano looked up and grinned.

"Matteo!" he yelled. "Gilbert ran inside not too long ago! Go ahead and let yourself in!"

"This isn't your house to just invite someone over…" Ludwig mumbled but didn't protest as Matthew walked into the house.

"DAMMIT!" Gilbert yelled as suddenly a large amount of blood poured from the wound. He must've sliced the vein. Quickly, he got a wet towel and started to wrap it tightly around the gash. The door flew open, and a panicked Matthew burst in.

"Gilbert what hap-" he gasped at the blood on the floor and at the growing blood stain on the towel wrapped around the albino's arm. He covered his mouth and tried not to retch. Blood always made him feel ill, ever since he was a little boy.

Gilbert froze. Was Matthew going to run? Was he going to avoid him forever? Why was he standing there?

Suddenly, Matthew ran to him and grabbed the bandages, taking the towel away and binding his wrist tightly.

"Ow," Gilbert complained, but Matthew didn't seem to hear him. There was a hint of crazed determination as he effectively cut off the circulation in Gilbert's wrist. Matthew took a second to admire his handiwork before looking up at Gilbert.

Now Gilbert could see the real emotion on Matthew's face. There were tears in the boys eyes, and his lip was quivering. Gilbert thought Matthew would slap him and run. What he wasn't expecting, however, was to be pulled down for a hug and for Matthew to sob quietly into his shoulder.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be the one crying?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Y-y-y-YOU IDIOT!" Matthew wailed into his shoulder. "YOU STUPID, ARROGANT, LYING IDIOT!"

Gilbert was shocked, to say the least. What could possibly spur such a reaction from the Canadian?

"Birdie, Birdie, what's wrong?" he asked.

Ludwig and Feliciano found this was the perfect moment to barge in, to find an emotionally unstable Matthew and bleeding Gilbert on the floor of the bathroom.

"What happened?" Ludwig demanded. He eyed all of the blood on the floor and Matthew, and his mind went in a very dark area…

"Hmm? No. NO!" Gilbert raised his free hand- the other was keeping Matthew from falling off of him- and shook his head. "No, I didn't try to… off myself, if that's what you all are thinking!"

Matthew's sobs seemed to slow after Gilbert reassured them. The albino noticed and pulled him into a hug.

"Why would you think that?" Gilbert asked.

"What do you expect me to think? You disappear with only a note and I came over to find blood all over you…" Matthew whimpered, clenching Gilbert's shirt and burying his face into his shoulder. He leaned away and rolled up his hoodie sleeves, revealing his own wrists to his audience. Feliciano gasped.

Gilbert stared at the pale, faded lines on the boy's wrists. He…

"Yes, they're scars," the boy confirmed. "I started doing it shortly after my mom died, and my dad- I mean, Elroy- had a drinking problem and blame her death on us. It was horrible. I was only eleven years old. A year later, Alfred caught me and punched me in the cheek, screaming at me about how I could kill myself and that doing something like that would only hurt mom… It was as if seeing me cutting myself hurt him more than our own mother dying. I stopped immediately, and when I could finally take off those bandages, I vowed I will only touch a razor to shave, which luckily is once in a blue moon.

"I almost died, too… There were many times I thought about it… Alfred caught me before I actually did it. I guess I was in Alfred's shoes this time… I didn't know how much he really suffered that day; he was acting so upbeat, even after the incident. But Alfred was good at covering his emotions. He always was. That was how he got out of trouble. But it hurt. I know that now."

"So you were… like me…" Gilbert murmured.

"There were times where I saw the same hurt and pain in your eyes that I felt myself back then…" Matthew said. "I automatically felt attached, which is why I guess I liked you so much."

Matthew blushed and buried his face in Gilbert's shirt. He barely remembered Ludwig and Feli was watching. He practically admitted he liked Gilbert, too!

"Let's leave them alone," Feliciano suggested, a smile on his face.

"But what about-" Ludwig was cut off by a kiss from the Italian.

"Let's go," Italy pulled him away. Ludwig mumbled something about him being 'a dangerous creature' and followed.

~.~.~

"I guess I'll have to go," Matthew said quietly. They finally had the bathroom cleaned and now he and Gilbert were sitting on the living room couch watching tv. They didn't even know what they were watching. It was all in another language- probably Korean- and they were making up their own dialogue, laughing at the ridiculousness of their imaginations.

"Hey, it wasn't your turn!" Gilbert complained.

"No, I really have to go," Matthew shook his head. The front door opened.

"Ah, Gilbert, who is your friend?" Grandpa Beilschmidt asked at the doorway. He took off his hat and pulled out his ponytail. Matthew looked at the man with intrigue.

"My friend, Mattie!" Gilbert beamed. His grandfather raised an eyebrow at the two teens' hands, which had locked together on their own. Matthew turned red.

"A-and only his friend!" Matthew pulled his hand away and stood up.

"Well why don't you stay for dinner?" the old man asked. "I suspect that Vargas boy cooked more pasta than all four of us combined can finish. Perhaps you could lessen the amount of leftovers in the fridge."

"I'm sorry, but I can't, I have to go home," Matthew said.

"Your parents expecting you?"

Gilbert groaned as Matthew's face became the slightest bit more depressed.

"N-no, sir, I live alone," Matthew said. The long-haired blonde raised an eyebrow again.

"Oh? I thought you went to school with my grandson."

"I do, but… My dad kicked me out when he found out I was… gay."

"And you live on your own?"

"Yes."

"That won't do. Gilbert, go into the dining room and tell Ludwig to set the table for five."

Gilbert immediately got up and ran out of the room before Matthew could protest. The head of the house sat down in a chair and looked at Mattie, motioning for him to sit.

"Tell me, Matthew, what is your relationship with my grandson?" he asked.

"N-nothing, sir, we're just friends!" Matthew stammered, blushing a dark red.

"Really? I just tested Gilbert, he would disagree. He would never obey me if I told him what to do in front of a normal guest, despite my wishes otherwise. And he ran to do it, too…"

Matthew's blush turned darker.

"I-I don't know…" he rephrased. "It's confusing."

"Everything's confusing," the old man agreed. "But once you get an understanding of it you'll know your answer."

-One week later-

Prussia and Matthew exited the bus together and waved at Alfred, who just helped Arthur out of his new car. Alfred waved back as he and his boyfriend ran across the street to meet them.

"Hey, Mattie! Check out my new ride!" he said, pressing a button on the remote keychain. The car horn honked in response.

"Elroy got you a new car?" Matthew asked.

"Nope~!"

"Huh? Don't tell me you paid for it yourself-"

"No, it's actually Arthur's. He never uses it, so he gave it to me," Alfred said. "Shortly after you left, I told Elroy off and packed my bags, telling him my little secret, too. Arthur's dad- who's a lawyer, by the way- picked me up and threatened to try Elroy for neglect. I told him not to."

"You… kicked yourself out of the house..?" Matthew asked.

"Well, Arthur asked me to move in before I did, so I thought, 'why not'? Let the old man suffer."

"The git was asking for it," Arthur agreed. "That arsehole kicked you out of your home just because you're a queer!"

"I love your English terms," Alfred laughed, kissing his boyfriend.

"That was pretty brave, dude," Gilbert congratulated him.

"Thanks. Oh, and uh, I never said it before, but I'm really, really sorry about what I did. I just really care about my little bro, you know?"

"Nah, it's cool," Gilbert grinned, scratching his head. He was wearing short sleeves, and there were no bandages on his wrists.

"No, it's awesome," Matthew corrected, teasing his friend.

"You're right," Gilbert laughed. "But you know what's even more awesome?"

"What?"

"Your face after I do this!"

And Gilbert kissed Matthew, attacking his friend's lips. He ignored the small protest from Alfred before the Brit pulled him away, and just soaked up the glory as Matthew kissed back. He pulled away- too soon, too soon!- and kissed Mattie's forehead. He looked at Matthew's face and grinned.

"Yup, really awesome," he chuckled. "I wanted to do that for a while, and since you kissed back you can't run from me now."

"I-I won't!" Matthew protested.

"I know you won't, Birdie, I'm kidding. I love you."

"I… I love you too, you idiot."

"Like, OMG! Toris, that emo kid just kissed that wallflower boy! Isn't that, like, the cutest thing ever?"

The Polish boy Feliks' outburst caused a flurry of attention, making Matthew blush for the millionth time in his life. Gilbert started to protest at the title "emo". Soon, quite a few people were grinning and congratulating them. Gilbert had never felt so… included… in his life and soaked it all up.

Matthew looked up at his new boyfriend and smiled at the shocked-yet-elated expression on his face.

Everything was perfect.

DPMP: Well, I'm satisfied!

Prussia: Aww, it's over?

DPMP: Well, there's still the epilogue (hear that? EPILOGUE PEEPS!), and in that epilogue… SMUT!

Prussia: WOOOOOOO!

DPMP: But I'm changing the rating and the story summary.

Canada: Aww.

DPMP: It's just to tell everyone what's in here. This is a fluffy angst story, so pervs who are just looking for sex are going to have to look elsewhere…

Prussia: But there's smut first thing in the chapter, right?

DPMP: *sigh* fine, for you, Prussia, I will write smut first thing. But first, dinner and a bed sounds nice… BRING ME SOME SOUP!

Canada: What kind?

DPMP: CHUNKY!

America: *epic facepalm* Enough Family Guy, get it yourself.

DPMP: *puppy eyes* After all of that work to give Mattie a happy, happy ending? *sniffle*

America: *sigh* Fiiiiine…