it has been seventeen days since i updated, what

to be fair, rewriting has really taken the juice out of me lol. but i've revamped the first three, so do check them out and tell me what you think!

i'm very sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but we get a nice chapter with the NA bros!

i promise i'll respond to everyone's comments next chapter because it's 11pm and i really didn't want to put this off any longer ^^

finally,i still don't own hetalia nor the selection. they belong to kiera cass and hidekaz himaruya respectively. disclaimer for...well, brothers and my pokemon go addiction

"No, I'm not going to find it funny again if the Chancellor calls me His Royal Highness Prince then stops, shooting you a confused look," Matthew grumbled, folding his arms.

Alfred only cackled in response, taking a sip of his drink.

They had both just gotten on a plane to New England, waiting for the pilot to be prepared. Yao had just said goodbye to them, sternly telling them that they weren't to misbehave, like that one time they (Alfred) had accidentally poured apple juice all over the poor chancellor's second in chief.

"Did you see her face though? Man, I thought she was going to kill me," Alfred sighed, to which Yao had answered with a light tap on the cheek.

"Behave, you two. I'll look after your bunch, Alfred. And please, stay away from apple juice. We don't want another problem like last time."

"But what am I gonna drink? I'm-"

"Alfred," Matthew snapped. "I'm losing my brain cells just being around your presence."

"Your Highnesses, are you ready to take off?" the voice came over the intercom, interrupting the two squabbling brothers.

"How long is this flight, sir?" Alfred called loudly, folding a corner over his book.

A book? Alfred never seemed to really be into literature before. Maybe he was missing Hero, which had to be left home.

"Only eight hours, Your Highness," came the deft reply.

Matthew gave an exasperated sigh, running his fingers against the ridges of his iron cross dangling on his neck. He'd tried to give back the charm to Gilbert last weekend, when he'd popped in (and dislodged one of his grey curtains.) But the Joker had insisted, and when Matthew had objected about it getting lost, he'd told him there was some sort of spell he'd put on it. Of course, he hadn't stopped there but Gilbert had kissed him and the conversation had just died. So had all thoughts of giving back the ring.

However, the ring itself wasn't on Matthew's second finger anymore. Last night he had forgotten to slip it off so then it became coated with soap suds, and that's why he wasn't wearing it. That, and…

The quiet whirr of the engines broke his thoughts, and he shook his head. He was off to New England for business. Devastatingly attractive Jokers and an impossible affair was something he would have to leave behind.

"Mattie, can I ask you something?"

Turning around to face his suddenly subdued brother, he shifted to the seat next to him.

"What do you need, Al?"

"Well…it's about the Deciding," Alfred began awkwardly, knocking his knees together. "And I kinda need your opinion on somethin'."

Matthew groaned, ready to toss a sarcastic comment at him, but decided against it when he saw Alfred's determined face. Trust his brother, the ladies' man, to have relationship problems.

"Is it about Emma again? Didn't you say something about wanting to choose her or not?"

"That was last week, Matt," came the response. "A lot's happened since then. Arthur and I have made up, and I don't how what he feels, but now I'm not so sure about her being a clear cut choice. I mean, there's her, but then there's Arthur and Alfonso and Sakura…I'm so goddamn confused."

"Well, you're bisexual, am I right? Yeah, we've got that on the list. But why would you go with Emma when you confessed to Arthur first? Seems a little weird to me."

"It's not like that, bro. I never intended to hurt either of them, but when Artie pushed me away, I guess you could say that I panicked."

"Was it your first instinct to go hitch up with someone else? I mean, you told him that you lov-"

"…I didn't, Matthew. And like hell I can do it now, because he'll run. Even though we talked last night, and I think we went farther with our relationship, I still don't want to scare him away."

"There is a fine line between precaution and denial," Matthew said, "And I have to point out in this moment that the both of you are passing it."

"What do you mean? He hasn't said it. It's not a thing until he tells me, word for word, that he loves me."

"UGH," Matthew groaned, "Can you two just stop worrying over each other, and get your own feelings sorted out? If you keep on thinking he doesn't feel the same, blah blah blah, don't use that as an excuse for your own cowardice. Own up to it, Al, and confess that shit like a fireworks show."

"Bro," Alfred said after a moment of disbelief. "Bro, did you just shout?"

"That's not the point, you slobbering buffoon, it's the fact that both of you are so blind to each other's emotions, each other's words and advances that it's stupid. If you don't trust each other enough to recognize your love for the other person in the relationship, that's not enough commitment."

"…but what about the others? If I choose him now, then it'll be like-"

"Al, they still have the receptions, the magic trials and whatnot. There's still time."

"The advisors pulled me back last week, remember? They said somethin' about ending this before January."

"Al, that's two months away-technically seeing as we're nearing the end of November. Don't rush love. Screw them and listen to yourself. Even Carlos said it's stupid."

"Well, Carlos is one of the handful in our nominated court who actually cares about us and has his head screwed on for the sake of the country, not for the money or the power. So yeah, 'm just going to conveniently forget the others and listen to good old Carlos instead. But honestly, Mattie…I think I'll be ready before February, realistically."

"If that's the case, then you should start eliminating people. I'd say you should start with the people who you don't feel romantic attraction to."

"Natalya and I had a talk the other day. After that date we had in the armoury-"

"How romantic," Matthew scoffed. "You take her out on a date on our weapons arsenal storage room."

"Shut up! We had a nice knife throwing practice. But anyway, she asked me to kiss her and I did, but it felt gross. Like I was kissing you."

"I'm swooning," came the sarcastic reply. "But no, I'll pass."

"Ha ha. And so naturally I freaked, because I thought she would be disappointed if I told her that I felt for her more like a sister, but she pushed me off and told me the exact same thing, like she viewed me as a brother. And it got awkward in there fast, and that's why we were avoiding each other because it got embarrassing. But now she's clarified that our feelings for each other are nothing but siblings, she's telling me when she's ready to leave. Don't want to kick her out before her time."

"Makes sense. What about Avie, though? Didn't she say something mentioning that topic?"

"I know she isn't here for my heart. She wants the crown, that little I know. But she, Natalya and Emma are the most popular. And I want to gain the approval of the public, honestly."

"Well…would you marry either of them just because you want to be popular-" Matthew made air quotation marks "-with the public? Would you be willing to give up your love life and break hearts just for a short term-a short burst, really, of popularity?"

"Well, now you say it, no. Didn't I say something about not having an advantageous marriage, for politics instead of love?" Alfred said.

"You did," the violet-eyed blond replied, taking a sip of coffee. "I expect you to stick to your promise of marrying the one you love."

"…but do you think I should have dropped any of them once I made up with him?" Alfred ventured after a moment after asking for a milkshake.

"That," Matthew said, "is not for me to answer. Did you already have something with her prior to your little fight?"

"Little would be an understatement, but…I wasn't spending much of my time with her prior to the caning, honestly. I was working my way down my list, and the most popular just happened to be Leon and Natalya. But afterwards, it felt like she was different. Emma's cheerful, and I feel like she understands me, but…I remember you said something about my head being in the clouds too much. I'm wondering whether I need someone to bring me back down to earth or something. She's pretty, of course, but again I'm not the person to always judge by appearance. Maybe…opposites attract?"

"I wouldn't say that in the case of Alfonso, if you know what I mean. He was in the top three, right? Was it just for popularity's sake?"

"I think it was, in the beginning. But I don't think that it became for just that reason anymore, it's changed."

"He wants to keep your romance private, right? Like no one knowing about it."

"Well, he did say something about keeping it quiet amongst the rest of the Elite, but…he's not demanding. It's sort of like I'm the only person who asks him out on dates, not the other way around. Emma likes to pull me out and ask me on dates, and Arthur sometimes lets me know if and when he wants them, but Alfonso doesn't go out of his way to ask me out, or do anything of the sort. But again, Marianne and Natalya are the ones who initiate the dates, so I'm not sure whether I'm looking for a medium of the two. I am making a point to ask him out on more dates, though…"

"What about Sakura, then? I remember you being so very taken with her in the beginning. Any new, dramatic leads?"

"Not really. She's been the most stable out of the four who aren't here for the crown. To be honest, I was worried about a potential language barrier, because she asked for lessons on the first date, but now I don't think that's the main issue. It's the fact that…she won't let me closer. It's like she's the least comfortable with the whole Deciding process."

"At its core, the whole thing is a little messed up," Matthew said. "To be honest, if you and the person you love survive this, then the two of you really can overcome anything. But what were you thinking when you went into the process, anyway?"

Alfred gave him a levelheaded stare, but his hands were giving away his cool stance. His fingers ran over his knuckles as he spoke.

"…Ludwig and Feliciano's fairy tale."

"Oh," he replied, nodding along. It was true; the love that had grown between the young Prince of Hearts and the artist's son was nothing short of a legend, even all around Cards. "Well, the only issue with that was that Feli wasn't anointed Queen."

"Ludwig didn't want to cause any internal debates within his cabinet, or pressure Feliciano. Gilbert was only a stand in until Feliciano was ready to take the role, but…as you know, that never happened."

"I think that the pair did well as just King and Jack when Gilbert managed to appoint an Ace before he had to transition into the Joker role. He was only allowed to take either role for five years, which is a shame, eh? But he did mention something about Katya being alone in her Joker duties, so he was relieved that he could help."

"Has he? I don't think I've remembered that bit in any recent conversations we've had," Alfred trailed off, looking at his twin with a quizzical expression.

Oh, Duchess, Matthew panicked. This can't be how he finds out.

"I don't think it was a recent one…probably somewhere as old as our sixteenth birthday party," he laughed, desperately hoping that Alfred couldn't hear the slight shake in his voice.

To his relief, his brother seemed to have his oblivious switch on, and he nodded and muttered something that he barely heard, other than the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart.

Gil? Gil, I'm sorry, I won't do that again, I swear.

"…so, with Ludwig and Feliciano, can you give me a rundown again? I didn't really watch the whole coverage thingy."

"Who asked you to run around the palace to Mom and Dad yelling ew I don't like this mushy stuff? Last time I checked, it was the more stupid twin, and that's not me." Matthew growled, but decided to turn down the lights and close the windows on the airplane.

"So, you wanna start from the beginning?"

"Well, if you wish."

"So, let's start with-"

"…hey, remember when Ludwig really didn't want his Deciding? He wrote to the council an-"

"You know what? You say it. That's your bedtime story for the night."

"Well, I remember that he must have had eyes for Feliciano in the beginning," Alfred mused as Matthew asked for some blankets as the plane's lights started to dim.

"Oh? How so?"

"I don't know, really. He told me that he was going to go for those ones with powerful families, or those whose holding facilities were in Hearts. But again, Feli's one was Diamonds, right? So that definitely mean they didn't go out on a date for a while. So maybe he kept him around just to see what would happen, or he was interested in him from the start."

"Didn't Ludwig mention something about their first date being outdoors?"
"Feli was teaching Lud how to paint," Alfred chuckled. "It's sort of their thing now. Lud said something about them painting their dogs so frequently that they've used a spare room for storing those paintings. But after once of those painting dates, Ludwig was kissing Feliciano goodbye, and he noticed his neck was getting pretty hot, then he checked and bah boom there it was! Then three weeks afterwards, they had their coronation. Do you think it's going as smoothly for their current Deciding that it is for us?"
"Definitely," Matthew said, turning over onto his side. "I'm almost certain they've almost, if not already, finished their Deciding. The mark appears regardless of their personal feelings, which is strange since the Hearts Kingdom favours the customs of the Deciding the most out of all the kingdoms which have elected to perform it."

"But then who does it go to?"

"Well, once it's narrowed down to the Elite, it has a chance to appear on a candidate that they find most suited for the job. But the chances of it appearing that early on a person are almost astronomical."

"The Fates tend to choose quicker with every person that's eliminated-at least, so I heard. Ludwig tells me about this stuff the most."

"But then, how does ours work so differently? It only ends when you choose. Do the Fates have any say in it at all?"
"...if I don't believe in the person I choose one hundred percent, the mark won't appear. Ever. So basically, if I put on a front, we won't have another Queen unless you or Yao have a child."
"Don't put on another one of your pointless fronts, Al." His brother's tone had softened somewhat. "You're fine as it is."
"Do I?" Alfred's voice had taken on a defeated lilt. "Remember when they yelled at me for ten minutes straight for offering increased aid to Clubs?"

"Well, you and King Ivan have never gotten along, but you really do have to stop meddling in everything. Clubs have never really accepted our help, anyway. Some things you just have to keep out of."
"But I just want to help," Alfred replied, his voice getting thick. "And I don't know why people think I'm being nosy."
"You are. So you really do have to stop, sometimes. I hope that you won't scare off someone with your personality. But at least one notices you. They barely see me, anyway."
"At least, once they see you they get along with you almost instantly! Forget you being jealous of me, I'm jealous of you! If you held a Deciding, you'd be long finished with it already!"
"You don't know goddamn anything about my supposed love life," Matthew replied sharply, the sound cutting in the dark light of the plane.

"Don't you feel inclined to love someone now?"
The blond scoffed in response. "Looking for someone new to love is nowhere near my to do list. And I don't think that the best way to find someone to love is by a Deciding. Shouldn't someone find his or her soulmate by their own terms? Love is never safe, you know. It's the danger that makes you fall in love with them."

He swore that he could almost feel Gilbert's warm breath on his cheek for a moment as he spoke. It was probably his conscience more than anything, but the supposed heat was comforting all the same.

"…are you sure you're not in love with anyone right now?"
The denial came as easily as water off a duck's back, but the guilt was a little harder to process. After all, why was Alfred asking all these questions about his love life? His one was so much more crucial at this point in time.

"Enough talk about me, already. What about your one, right now? Are you ready to choose the person who you genuinely love?"

"I don't think…I think I have to say I've got too many backups."

"Backup love interests? Come on, Al, you're not so much of a jerk that you'd go for one of them if the one before didn't say yes. And wouldn't that technically be another mask?"

The honey blond exhaled, and Matthew could hear him shuffling around in his seat.

"They won't say yes. I know that it's too early, but…I'm scared to confess. I don't want them to run. What if they won't stay with me this time?"

"Both of you are going in circles," Matthew hissed as loudly as he could. "What if they love you? You haven't told them, so why should they? I know you mentioned something about wanting to be honest with each other, but of course both of you are scared."

"…gotta say, I've never really thought about it before like that."

"Honestly…I think this trip is going to be good for the two of you. Both of you-or even the others that you know you love-could use some time away to figure this out. I mean, after the reception there's going to be an elimination, right?"

"I want to end this soon, Matt. And…and I swear, when the time's right, when I'm sure they won't run, I'll tell them everything. Everything, from Mom and Dad, to…you know."

"Won't they be upset about that? You really can't do anything about them until you're crowned. And that's not until they're expecting an heir."

"Actually, I was thinking about adoption with them. I don't want to cause unnecessary pain, because the magic involved is…well."

"You don't really have a choice in this issue, because the firstborn has to be biologically from the two of you, male or not," Matthew said. "But if it's a toss up between Emma, Alfonso, Sakura and Arthur, I really can't help you in that part. It's up to you, really. But you really have to follow your heart, bro. And if you hold back too much…he'll be gone, before you know it."

Lowering his seat so that he got more comfortable, the conversation faded into soft, light breathing.

Until Alfred started to snore loudly, that is.

pokemon go has taken over hong kong

seriously everywhere i go people of all ages and genders are just clutching their handhelds and sloppily swiping up it's so funny lol (TeamMystic)

reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!

finally, i apologize greatly for the long wait OTL