Request: Could I ask for fluff involving Canada being doted upon by another member in the FACE family? You can pick which/as many family members as your comfortable with and if it's canonverse or au. Honestly, what matters more to me is that Canada is being loved and adored appropriately by his family haha~

I may have strayed a bit from the prompt but I hope you guys will like this, please tell me what you think!

The Best Reward

"...And this is how you'll prevent them from fighting and actually have them listen, for a change. You don't want to give them the occasion to bicker, you see? But the thing is, you also don't want to make it overtly clear that's what you're trying to do. Most people don't react well if they perceive something as an imposition and will do their best to go against it, at that point. Subtle manipulation, instead, works much better. If you set the right circumstance, most people will follow..."

There was something odd. The thought struck Matthew all of sudden, making his speech lose vigour.

Something's missing.

A few heartbeats later, he registered it: Alfred wasn't talking. In the unnatural silence, his brother was staring at him, his face frozen in shock.

Matthew's breath itched, heat rose to his cheeks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Was it too much?"

Actually, Matthew wasn't even sure of what he had been saying... he knew the gist, but not the words he had used. Under the constant pounding, his head was too light, everything felt disconnected and a bit too far away.

I really need another coffee...

He couldn't recall when he had drunk the last one. He had a vague feeling that it hadn't been too long... but it hadn't helped much. Clearly.

Matthew fidgeted on his feet, contracting and releasing his muscle in an effort to get back into focus and fighting the urge to press his fingers to his throbbing forehead. He almost missed Alfred slowly shaking his head, even though his brother was right in front of him.

"No, no, it's all right!" Alfred reassured him with the genuine earnestness only he was capable of. "You've been a huge help, don't apologize!"

He typed something on his laptop, then stopped in contemplation of the spreadsheet he had shown Matthew earlier. As he did so, he fished a cookie from the plate in front of him and nudged the same towards Matthew.

"Here, have a treat. You earned it!"

Matthew almost recoiled away, barely restraining a grimace. He should have been hungry, he hadn't eaten in more than a day... but at that point, the slight, constant nausea lingering to the back of his senses sapped away any appetite.

Fortunately, Alfred didn't seem to notice, too focused on his work.

"Man, I had never thought so much had to go into planning the seats at a conference... You're so good at this, Mattie! And you don't even really frequent most of these people at all, how have been able to pick up all of this?"

Matthew shrugged, uncomfortable under his brother's bright eyes. Alfred's praises were everything he had ever wanted. He wished so strongly he could accept them, but if he was honest with himself...

"It really isn't so hard," he muttered in an apologetic voice. "You just have to watch and listen. I'm sure you could do that too, if you wanted! I guess I just have more time for observing, since I generally have nothing important to contribute on."

That had come out really wrong. Alfred's forehead scrunched, a frown tugged at his lips.

"Mattie—"

God, where is that coffee?

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I'm not trying to blame you or anything, it's just that—"

His pathetic attempt at an apology wasn't enough, for Alfred's frown tightened even more.

"Mattie, this isn't—"

In a stroke of luck, a notification lit Matthew's laptop just at that moment. A skype call from Arthur.

"Sorry, I really have to take this!"

Without leaving Alfred time to protest, Matthew opened the call.

"Hi, Arthur! Sorry for getting back at you so late, I had some issues with some stuff Chris sent me so I had to call him and then his PM, but I think everything should be in order now!"

He strongly hoped so, at least. He had proofread everything five times, he was embarrassingly prone to typos and small mistakes when he was so tired... He couldn't submit something like that to Arthur. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more anxiety clogged his throat with the suspicion what he had done wouldn't be enough...

"I can give it another check though! You know, just to be sure."

"Matthew..."

Arthur was frowning.

Oh crap, what did I do wrong?

Trying to hide the panic mounting in his chest, Matthew offered Arthur a fake, strained smile.

"Yeah, I'll do that if you give me just a moment! The deadline is 12 am, isn't it? Yes, I'll—"

"Matthew, what are you doing?"

The note of concern in Arthur's voice made him pause. A moment later, Matthew realized that in bracing himself against the table, he was slowly tilting towards the laptop.

"Oh, sorry!"

He offered Arthur a sheepish smile and straightened up, bringing his arms back to his sides. His head swam at the sudden movement, but he managed not to waver.

I need to get it together.

And a coffee. He also needed a coffee. Or two or three, most likely.

Confusion shone in Arthur's eyes.

"Matthew, what are you apologizing for? I had asked you to give me a hand with the documentation, and you did everything by yourself instead. Do you know what a relief it was, when I saw everything was in order?"

Matthew could empathize with that feeling so strongly it almost hurt. It was why he had done so, after all.

"Don't apologize. I am the one who needs to thank you, there isn't any apology involved in this. And there's no need for another check, either. I just did it myself, everything was perfect."

A wave of relief washed over Matthew. A weight he hadn't even been conscious of was lifted from his chest – but with that, the exhaustion loomed closer as well.

Matthew forced himself to stay stiff.

"Actually, it was even better than what I would have done myself," Arthur went on from the screen, "I have no idea of how long it took you, but—"

"But you've also been helping me with this!" Alfred cut in, startling Matthew.

He hadn't noticed his brother getting up – but Alfred was now next to him, peering at the camera.

"And it must have taken forever, too! When did you even find the time?"

Matthew shrugged.

"It really wasn't that much."

In fact, the more he thought he about it, the more he realized his help could have been much more substantial. Even if Alfred always approached everything with a quite... relaxed mindset, he had as much work as Arthur, after all – it came with being such an important personification. Matthew, instead... there wasn't such a weight pressing down his shoulders. Not helping his brothers would have just been selfish. More and more ways he could have eased the burden crowded his minds in a dizzying rush, ideas, projects...

His confused thoughts scattered away when a strong hand landed on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"No, Mattie, it was! And you managed to do it for myself and Arthur as well."

Alfred's earnestness was almost painful. Matthew know he wasn't good enough to appreciate such praises, yet, he couldn't help the small seed of hope that blossomed in his chest.

"Seriously, Mattie, you're really amazing!"

"I... am?" Was all Matthew could manage dumbly, as he stared at his brother's bright eyes. Even when he blinked, the confidence they conveyed didn't change.

"But... I didn't do that much, I..."

"Matthew."

This time, Arthur was the one talking. He was using the firm tone he employed to convey he truly meant what he was saying and would not tolerate being contradicted.

"You've been an incredible help. You saved me a lot of time and trouble, and from what I understand, you did the same for Alfred as well."

"Yep! That's right!"

"You need to accept the compliments, you deserve them."

"I..."

If both his brothers agreed with that, it had to mean they were right. Matthew flushed in embarrassment – yet, the sudden spark of pride curling in his chest quite welcome.

Both Arthur and Alfred were smiling.

Did I really manage that?

Apparently, he had. The realization finally sank in along with a sudden wave of exhaustion that made Matthew waver.

Alfred's hands grabbed his shoulders, steadying him.

"Whoa, Mattie!"

"Matthew, when was the last time you had some sleep?" Arthur asked from across the screen, his voice laced with alarm.

Matthew gave a dry, delirious chuckle.

Today marks the third all-nighter in a row.

"It's fine. I'm fine."

Who cared about sleep? His brothers were proud of him. Nothing mattered more than that.

Alfred and Arthur exchanged a glance. Eyebrows raised, a slight frown. They seemed to agree on something with a small nod.

"All right then," Alfred stated with a shake of his head, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think you've earned some good, uninterrupted sleep."

Matthew didn't resist as his brother wrapped an arm around his shoulders and started leading him away from the desk. His head was pounding, but his smile didn't waver.

"Good night, Arthur," he yawned, even though he couldn't recall what time it was in Europe so it might not have made sense.

It didn't feel particularly important, at the moment. He had been useful. His brothers were happy. He was going to have a good rest.

(word count: 1,571)