+Canada POV+
I was just throwing some clothes into the washing machine when the doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be visiting me, I walked over to open the door and peered through the peephole. I saw a white head of hair and a red sweatshirt. Ah, it was Prussia.
I unlocked the handle and opened the door, smiling as he walked in and ushering him over to the kitchen table. "Pancakes again?" I asked.
"No, I just had some."
I was suddenly offended. Did he have another pancake dealer? Who could it be? Who else made pancakes as well as I did? Okay, that was a little conceited, but still.
"Made them myself! Kesese."
Oh. That's okay, then.
"So, what's up?" I asked, straightening up some pillows on my sofa and sitting down, patting the spot next to me as an invitation for Prussia to sit down. He accepted, smiling at me and resting his arms on the back, and I pretended for a second that his arm was meant to be around me.
His voice snapped me back to reality. "So, um, earlier. You said I could talk to you anytime."
I nodded. He had obviously calmed down, and I guess he was willing to talk to me about the stuff he's been going through. Oh boy howdy, this should be fun.
"Um, vell, zhe zhing is, uh, I have a lot to talk about. Stuff I need to get off my chest."
Okay. I nodded again, scooting closer. Only to provide comfort, because I could tell what he wanted to talk about wasn't easy for him.
"So."
Ah, he was reluctant. I touched his hand as another sign of comfort. He jumped, staring at my fingers, then soon settled down and began talking.
"When I was younger, I was a stranger to my people. They were mortals, and as they grew older I stayed young, and I guess they had never seen an albino before… I was tried and executed several times but every time, I was still alive when the fire burned itself out. I was called a monster, a witch, a demon. These were the people I was suppose to protect, and I tried my best and worked hard, especially when I was a tiny country, but they continued to hate me. Time went by, you know, countries rose and fell, friends died and never came back… And when the Teutonic Knights disbanded, that was one of the lowest points in my life."
His grip tightened on my hand. I saw crystalline tears forming in his beautiful eyes. I leaned over and wiped them away, looking up at him, silently willing him to go on. He would feel so much better after holding it in for so long.
He bit his lip and continued. "B- before the disbandment, though, you know all about the war that separated Holy Rome from Italy, right? It was soon after he left to fight that he asked me to ally with him. Of course I agreed. He- he was my little brother. I couldn't protect my own brother. He died. Holy Rome died!" he sobbed, rubbing his cheeks aggressively with the palms of his hands as if to erase the memories along with the fast-flowing tears. "And then, he told me to watch over Italy. And I failed him! Italy isn't fine, he was never fine after what happened to his first love, and I couldn't help him either! I'm not a real country anymore, I'm not even a kingdom, I can't do anything to help anyone! I'm useless."
He had stopped crying so hard, but was still breathing laboriously and the stray dry whimper would escape every now and then. His hands covered his eyes.
I put my much smaller hands over his, gently removing them from his face. He looked at me; scared, hopeful. Tender. I smiled and nodded. "It's alright. You're alright. That was the past, right now you're here, and you're able to talk to me about it. It'll be alright, okay?" I reached up to stroke his cheek. That was a bold move, but for once I was the one who had been turned to for comfort. I knew the feeling of thinking no one needed me, of no one actually liking you for you.
My hand fell to his shoulder and I blushed. "Oh. I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch you-"
He shook his head, his snowy hair brushing against his forehead lightly, and grabbed my arm. "Birdie."
I startled, staring down at my arm now in his possession. "Y-yes?"
"I-"
He looked like he was going to cry again. I wouldn't be able to handle that, I didn't want to see him in pain. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his softly, my unheld fingers coming up behind his neck. He didn't respond for what seemed like the longest second of my life, but was soon kissing back, his lips now parted. We were locked in a half-embrace, my arms wrapped around his neck, his sturdy but shaking, gripping at the back of my shirt.
I was the first to break away, staring at him, in a daze. Then I immediately fell back to Earth. "Oh Maple, I don't know what I was doing, I'm so sorry, I have no idea what came over me! I'll just, um…" my voice trailed off as I backed away. Why would I think he would want something like that done to him by someone like me? I could feel my cheeks, burning and probably dark red.
Prussia just stared, his mouth still hanging open. "That-"
"No, please don't say anything, I didn't mean-"
"Thank you."
I stopped. What?
"Birdie- Canada, I love you."
Wait. What? What?
"Birdie? Are you okay?" he reached towards me, but I made no move. Did he just say he loved me? I shouldn't have kissed him. He was imagining things. I stumbled into his outstretched arms. No, no, I was supposed to stumble away. What was I doing? I'm sure my feelings for him weren't the same as his for me, that would be too good, he deserved so much better…
"I love you too…" No! No, Matthew, shut up, he doesn't really want you, stop right there, both you and him have better things to do-
And then we were kissing again. Quick, separate, happy. On his lips and his cheeks and buried in his neck. I was laughing.
Oh, I was laughing with relief. I was relieved that he loved me. I had thought no one would love me. Oh.
"I'm sorry, I came to talk to you and this is what happens." Prussia laughed. I shook my head, speechless. To be honest, I was glad things had turned out like this. An hour ago, I had only felt mildly inconvenienced because he had interrupted my laundry. Now apparently we were in love with each other. I loved him. Ah, I had always loved him. From the first time I saw his beautiful hair, like the fresh snow.
We ended up falling asleep on that couch, holding hands and smiling. I didn't have any nightmares.
((A/N: UGHH))