+Prussia POV+

Hungary glares, Austria sniffs and looks away, West sighs and hushes me, Italy sneaks the occasional sneer in my direction, hidden by his blue sleeves… I knew all the subtle motions of the World Meetings by now. Spain and France smiled at each other, sharing some joke I had missed. Sealand snuck up behind England, startling him and causing him to drop America's hand that he had been holding under the table. Being ignored gave me plenty of time to notice things other people never saw, and that was one of those precious moments I would look back on and wish I had something like that.

But no, I didn't deserve it. Was that thought sounding repetitive? Probably. I had to remind myself so often that I was the cause of so much pain. As the Meeting dragged on, I was aware of an emptiness in my stomach. Was I hungry? Hadn't I eaten breakfast? Hm, I had. That was usually all I needed to get by for the day until, say, midnight, when I snuck to the kitchen for late-night potatoes.

I leaned over to West. "Bruder, I vant food."

"Then leave and get somezhing to eat. Don't bother me in zhe middle of a meeting."

"Bruder, let's go home, and you can make me some wurst."

"Shush, Prussia."

"Bruder, please?" I whined. He turned and glared at me.

Shush! I am in zhe middle of a Vorld Meeting and I need you to be quiet so I can concentrate. Zhis is important, and if you're not going to be respectful, then leave immediately."

I winced. That was a longer sentence than West usually said to me. I got the message. I stood up and walked out, not caring who saw me. I just didn't want them to see the water gathering at the corners of my eyes.

+Canada POV+

Even with all that rushing, I was still late. I blew my bangs out of my face as I ran to the doors of the World Centre. I really hoped Russia wasn't in my seat this time, and that I hadn't missed anything important. As I climbed the stairs to the glass front doors, I bumped into someone, stumbling backwards and apologizing.

"Oh, I'm so sorr- Prussia?"

The someone looked up. They were, in fact, Prussia, but his red eyes were red around the corners as well.

"Have you been crying?" Woah, insensitive of me. But something about him made me worry, and I had to know.

He rubbed a hand across his eyes. "No. I am zhe awesome Prussia! I do not cry!" he exclaimed, straightening up and smiling. But I could see that the smile was hesitant, fake.

"You can't hide pain from someone with so much experience, Prussia."

He stopped smiling. A pause, then suddenly I was enveloped in his strong arms. "It's just that so many things are happening right now, and it's all just heaping up on my shoulders and I don't want to be like this! I want to be able to forget things but I can't, they just keep crowding my head and won't leave me alone and I just want to be someone to someone else!"

He said it all in a rush, in words interrupted by hiccups and tears, his hands tightening against my back.

"Hush. It's okay. I'm right here. Just let it out." I sat down on the stone steps, rubbing his back, trying to comfort him the best I could. I didn't fully understand what was going on in his head, but I knew he needed somebody to be there for him. He needed me.

"Hey, you wanna talk about it?" I asked, after he had calmed down a bit. He shook his head, gritting his teeth and running a hand through his snowy hair. I nodded. I, too, didn't want to talk about it. It would be painful for both of us.

It had been a surprise, though, seeing him run through the doors like that. I never thought I would see the day when this seemingly powerful individual would lean on me to cry. I guess even the strongest people need to cry sometimes.

He was standing up, stretching his arms and taking deep breaths, ready to go. "I'm sorry. I need to go."

I watched him leave. "You can talk to me whenever you need to, Prussia. I'm willing to listen." I called to his retreating back. He looked back, surprise on his mouth. I smiled and waved, walking into the Centre, praying that my seat was still empty and that I wouldn't be stared at when I walked in.

+Prussia POV+

I didn't mean to spout off my problems like that. Wow. Okay, rewind, buddy. Everything just suddenly seemed so overwhelming. West scolding me wasn't that big of a deal, but maybe that was what set it off. Obviously, I was tiny in comparison to the entire world, but in that moment everything I had done was huge. I couldn't stop myself from crying. Mein Gott, that was so embarrassing! The thought that I had cried in front of Canada mortified me even more. Canada, the one I wanted to look strong to. The one I cared about. Gott, I was so stupid!

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders, and walking into the kitchen to grab something to eat, since I had been hungry at the meeting. I looked in the cabinets by the sink and bit my lip as I realized that all we had was some pancake mix and syrup.

Why those particular ingredients? Where had the potatoes gone? The sausages? The compact military biscuits? Gone. I wondered if this was a trick dreamt up by some higher power, who liked reminding of Canada and making my heart hurt.

I grabbed the pancake mix and some milk from the fridge to start making the pancakes, knowing they wouldn't possibly be as good as Canada's, made from scratch. Oh well, I'd make do.

After several failed attempts (who messed up with pancake mix?), I heard West come home and close the door loudly, collapsing on the couch with an exhausted sigh.

"West! Velcome home! How does pancakes sound?"

"Gilbert, what are going on about? It's not suppertime, why would I be eating anything? And," he started, looking angry, "why did you run out of the Meeting like that? I had to make up some story about our dogs to smooth it over with England, who was overseeing!"

I paused, staring at my hands holding the black handle of the frying pan. "Vell, I… I suddenly felt sick! I needed to get home, so…"

West looked over with concern. "Are you feeling alright now, Bruder?"

"Kesese! Nozhing can get zhe awesome Prussia down!" I exclaimed, with more conviction than I actually felt.

West turned around, shrugging, and agreed to have a pancake or two. I barely heard him, though, while my mind was racing as I decided I would take up Canada's offer and visit the chilly country.

After these delicious pancakes.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, and for such a rushed chapter, too... Ha... Well, I hope you guys like it~! Till next time!