All for the Love of Maple Syrup
1. Road Trip of Awesome
Gilbert Beilschmidt is going on an awesome road trip with Matthew Williams today!
June 22, 2011 - 7:31 am · Comment · Like
There was nothing Matthew hated more than being awoken by Gilbert's creepy laugh. Not that he enjoyed being woken up by his best friend on an ordinary day, which usually involved being jumped on by either Gilbert or Ludwig's dog Aster or being shaken awake. That laugh meant nothing but trouble.
"Go 'way, Gil…" Matthew mumbled. He pulled the blankets up over his head as he rolled onto his side, determined to go back to sleep. He'd been up late the night before talking to Ivan on the phone.
"C'mon, Mattie! Today's our trip to New Prussia!" Gilbert announced. "Get up and make me awesome pancakes!"
"Make them yourself," Matthew mumbled in French.
He heard Gilbert walking around and figured he would get at least a few extra minutes of sleep. He sighed happily and snuggled into his blankets.
Footsteps pounding on the floor were his only warning before he felt himself being crushed beneath the weight of his best friend.
"Gah! Gilbert!" He shrieked in anger. "Get off!"
"Not until you promise to get up and make pancakes!" Gilbert said cheerfully. "You getting up yet?"
"Fuck you, Gilbert!" Matthew responded in French.
Gilbert continued to hold him down, smothering him in the blankets. "English or German, Mattie!"
Matthew ceased struggling, finding it hard to breathe. He was still for a few minutes, hoping to make Gilbert worry enough to get up. When he didn't move, Matthew grumbled to himself and pushed at the blankets.
"Fine. I'll make you pancakes. Let me up."
"Awesome!" Gilbert jumped up and ripped the covers away from Matthew, exposing him to the cool air. "Up, Mattie!"
Matthew rolled out of bed with as little complaint as he could muster. He yawned and ran a hand through his mussed hair, carefully tugging out minor tangles and avoiding the looping curl which hung in front of his eyes.
Gilbert waited patiently, his carmine eyes gleaming in anticipation. He could already taste those delicious, fluffy homemade pancakes smothered in the wonderful sweetness that was maple syrup.
"I'm coming," Matthew said. "Go wait in the kitchen." He glanced at the clock and frowned when he saw that it read 8:06 AM. He had another hour before his alarm would have gone off.
"If I leave, you'll just go back to sleep," Gilbert said knowingly. "So I'm gonna stay and we'll go to the kitchen together."
Matthew grumbled his discontent and grabbed a pair of sweatpants laying on the floor. He pulled them on, ignoring the fact that Gilbert was staring at him. His Maple Leafs hoody was next, just so he'd have something covering his bare chest.
"Pancakes!" Gilbert cheered. He latched onto Matthew's arm and proceeded to drag him out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen.
Matthew decided there was no point in struggling.
Thirty minutes and ten pancakes later, the two were back in Matthew's room to arrange their emergency bag just in case anything went wrong on their trip. Or rather Matthew was putting together the emergency bag while Gilbert relaxed on the bed and talked.
"This is going to be our most awesome adventure ever!" Gilbert exclaimed. "Y'know why, Mattie?"
"Because it's New Prussia and anything to do with the great Kingdom of Prussia is awesome," Matthew murmured under his breath.
"Because anything that has to do with Prussia is automatically awesome!" Gilbert said with a gleeful cackle, clearly not paying attention to Matthew's words. "I stole Bruder's camera so we can take plenty of pictures and I can post them on my blog!"
Matthew looked up from the emergency supplies. "You started a blog again, eh?"
"Yup! Gilbird's helping me."
The little yellow chick peeked out from Gilbert's hair with a soft piyo! He looked around and then fluttered over to Matthew's hair. He quickly settled down, pecking at a few strands to make his space more comfortable.
Matthew continued packing. When Gilbert didn't start speaking again, he peered up at his friend to see what was wrong. "Y-you're a little close." He stammered, startled by how near Gilbert's face was to his own.
Gilbert backed up with a hissing laugh, clearly delighted by how he'd managed to take his friend by surprise. "Gilbird likes you! That's so awesome! He hasn't done that with anyone else."
"Lucky me," Matthew murmured, going back to his work. He debated for a moment over whether an entire pack of each kind of batteries was necessary, then decided that since Gilbert was involved it was better to be safe than sorry and carefully arranged them in the bulging bag. "I think I got everything… Do you think I missed anything?"
"Only the rest of your room," Gilbert teased. "Mattie, we're only going to be gone a day! I don't think we need…" He paused to glance into the bag, raising an eyebrow at some of the contents. "Three towels, a zillion packs of batteries, a flashlight, a… is that a second GPS? A road map, a box of pens, emergency road flares, clothing… How did you get my clothes?"
"Ludwig."
"Damn him."
Matthew stared at the bag for a moment longer and then zipped it up. He smiled and got to his feet before lifting up the pack to carry it with him. "All I need now is a few water bottles and we'll be ready to go!"
"We could've been ready a half hour ago!" Gilbert whined, getting up to follow his friend.
"If you're going to complain, you can take this out to the car," Matthew said, patting the bag as they made their way back downstairs to the kitchen. "I just need a few more things."
Gilbert scowled. "You don't. Birdie, if you keep trying to bring stuff with us I'm going to tie you down and toss you in the trunk."
"We're not going anywhere until I have my wallet and keys."
Gilbert perked up at that. If that was all Matthew had left to get, then that meant they were finally leaving! His scowl vanished and was replaced by a grin. He shoved past his friend and grabbed the bag, unable to wait any longer. "I'll meet you in the car!" He shouted, breaking into a run for the front door.
Matthew laughed at his friend's antics and walked a little faster, not wanting to leave Gilbert alone in the car for very long. Once he reached the kitchen, he picked up the cooler his mom had packed before she left for work, and then his keys and wallet before following in Gilbert's wake.
He heard the front door open and Gilbert curse loudly before slamming it shut.
"Gilbert?" Matthew asked, surprised when his friend came running back towards him and nearly knocked him over, unable to stop as quickly as usual thanks to the heavy bag. "What's going on? What's wrong?"
Gilbert shook his head, his red eyes wide. "Nothing! Lets go out the back!"
"But the car's out front!"
"We'll take Ludwig's!"
"Gil, we're not taking the car your brother uses to go to work."
"He won't mind."
"I think he will."
A knock sounded at the front door, followed by the sound of the doorbell being pressed multiple times in a row. Matthew gave Gilbert a cross look.
"Who is at the door?" Asked the blond.
In response, Gilbert tried to turn his friend around and push him back to the kitchen. "No one! Let's go!"
Matthew rolled his eyes and moved past Gilbert with an ease he usually only displayed while out on the ice. "If Elizaveta is at the door with a frying pan, I'm going to let her have you. And if she knocks me out on accident, you can say goodbye to this road trip." Ignoring Gilbert's warning cry, he pulled open the door and braced himself for the might of their violent female friend.
"Hey, Mattie! Surprised?"
Matthew's jaw dropped when he came face-to-face with none other than his twin brother, Alfred. He stood there for a moment and then slammed the door shut.
Alfred yelped in surprise. "Matt! Hey, Matthew! Could you open the door? It's not cool to slam it in someone's face, y'know!"
There was a moment of silence during which Matthew debated with his conscious over whether or not it was right to leave his twin standing on the porch while he and Gilbert escaped out the back. Looking to Gilbert didn't help, since his white-haired friend was miming something ridiculous and only succeeded in making him laugh and distracted him from his decision making.
"Matt! I know you're there!" Alfred shouted through the door. "C'mon, man. Let me in!"
"Don't do it, Mattie!" Gilbert encouraged. "We can still get away!"
Matthew worried his lower lip.
On the one hand, he really wanted to go on the trip with Gilbert. He had promised his best friend and he hated breaking promises. He knew that if he let Alfred in and his brother found out about their trip, things would go horribly, horribly wrong. (Because that's what always happened when Gilbert and Alfred got around one another.)
On the other hand, Alfred was his brother and he couldn't very well just leave him standing on the front porch. Besides, Al would find them anyway. Gilbert wouldn't be able to stay quiet long enough for them to hijack Ludwig's car and make their getaway. Not to mention he was rather uncomfortable with the idea of taking the German's only means of transportation.
"Gilbert…"
"No," Gilbert said. "Mattie, don't open the door!"
"I have to. He's my brother," Matthew said, sounding defeated. He opened the door for a second time, praying that, for once, the two could behave and not start trouble.
Alfred quickly stepped inside before his twin could slam the door shut in his face again and then dropped his duffel bag on the floor. "Surprise! I thought I'd come early so we'd have more time to hang out and plan our birthday! I was going to leave last week, but then dad got this new video game and I had to stay to kick his ass at it." He frowned. "I probably should've brought it with me… Oh well! So, what's up, bro?"
"U-um, well-"
"Hey, Beilschmidt!" Alfred exclaimed, catching sight of Gilbert standing in the hall. "You guys goin' on a trip?"
Gilbert grinned suddenly. "Damn. You caught us. Me and Mattie are running off to elope!"
"What!" Came two different exclamations.
Gilbert sighed, wiping the grin off his face so he could pull it off convincingly. He dropped the emergency bag on the ground and sauntered over to Matthew, pulling his best friend back against his chest. "Yes, we're getting married."
"Gil-"
Gilbert covered Matthew's mouth with his hand. "Sadly, Mattie here got knocked up, so now we have to go get married."
Alfred gaped at the two of them and made a strange squeaking noise.
Matthew shoved Gilbert away from him. "I'm a guy!"
Gilbert pulled him right back and nuzzled his neck. "It's okay, sweetie. I think it's time we tell him." He mock sighed. "Matthew is really a Matilda."
Blushing heavily, Matthew resorted to desperate measures to get his friend off of him and put an end to whatever game he was playing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, drawing on the side of him he only let loose when hockey was involved. Then he quickly drove his elbow back into Gilbert's diaphragm, taking some pleasure in the pained groan that slipped past the albino's lips.
"Ignore him, Al," Matthew said. "Lets go put your stuff in my room and I'll tell you what we're really doing."
"K-killjoy!" Gilbert gasped out.
"Stop calling me a girl," Matthew said simply, leading his brother away from the front door.
Twenty minutes later, Gilbert and Matthew were finally in the car and leaving the driveway. Gilbert sat in the passenger's seat, trying to find a decent channel on the radio while complaining about the lack of a CD player.
"What the hell kind of car doesn't have a CD player? Shit, Birdie, you can buy the things and have them installed! It's not like you have to go get a whole new car!"
Gilbird cheeped his agreement from atop Gilbert's head.
Matthew sighed. He'd heard it all before. As in, every single time Gilbert got into his car. Thankfully, he'd become rather good at ignoring it.
"What's a cassette player?" Alfred asked, interrupting Gilbert's tirade.
Matthew groaned and Gilbert turned around to look at the other blond incredulously. They were in for a very long trip.
Alfred F. Jones is going on a trip!
June 22, 2011 - 10:01 am via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: Dislike.
10:08 am via Mobile Web · Like
Arthur Kirkland: I thought you were already on your way to Canada? Are you still not there?
10:10 am · Like
Alfred F. Jones: In Canada. Going on a trip with Mattie and Gilbert.
10:23 am via Mobile Web · Like
"I'm hungry."
"Shut up, Al."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Can we stop at McDonald's?"
"No."
"Are we there now?"
"No! Now shut the fuck up!" Matthew yelled, glaring at his brother using the rearview mirror.
Alfred was stunned into silence.
Gilbert laughed loudly and congratulated Matthew on raising his voice while the wavy-haired blond slumped in his seat and turned his attention back to the road, a faint blush of embarrassment colouring his cheeks.
Gilbert Beilschmidt Matthew's brother is ruining the awesome road trip!
June 22, 2011 - 10:46 am via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
[Alfred F. Jones likes this]
Elizaveta Héderváry: So why did you take him with you?
10:50 am · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: Mattie doesn't trust him alone in the house.
10:51 am via Mobile Web · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: Damn, he just convinced Birdie to stop at McDonald's for lunch. This sucks.
10:53 am via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones: ha ha!
10:54 am via Mobile Web · Like
Elizaveta Héderváry: Aww, he could've hung out with me for the day. :(
10:59 am · Like
Matthew poked at the remaining half of his chicken sandwich, cautiously raising his eyes to watch his brother and Gilbert fight with each other. Discarded hamburger wrappers littered the table and a half-empty milkshake was sweating water, left behind by the "awesome" duo.
"You two are ridiculous," he mumbled quietly.
As McDonald's staff moved to kick the two out of the children's play area, Matthew let an amused smile spread across his face. There was just something funny about two grown men throwing brightly coloured balls at each other.
"Piyo!" Gilbird chirped before fluttering down to peck at Matthew's abandoned sandwich.
Not feeling up to finishing a second sandwich, Matthew took pity on the bird and broke off tiny pieces of the bun. Once he was finished, he looked up to see that Alfred and Gilbert had been effectively booted outside. He smirked and waved to them.
Three minutes later, after Gilbert plastered himself to the window and made lewd gestures to him while Alfred danced and did pelvic thrusts in the background, he found himself being kindly "asked" to leave the restaurant by the manager.
"This is why we can't go anywhere nice," Matthew informed the two as they walked to the car.
"Oh Birdie," Gilbert sang, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Why go someplace nice when you can go to awesome places!" He laughed that strange hissing laugh of his and ruffled Matthew's hair before breaking away to shove Alfred away from the passenger's seat.
As Matthew watched the two scuffle in the middle of the parking lot over who was more deserving of the seat, he wondered if it was possible for them to get through the trip without getting arrested.
Matthew Williams really hates life right now.
June 22, 2011 - 12:11 pm via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
Francis B.: What's wrong, cher?
12:47 pm · Like
Matthew Williams: Nothing. It's fine now.
1:14 pm via Mobile Web · Like
"So."
Matthew glanced up as Alfred took a seat next to him in the grass. He said nothing, knowing it wouldn't matter and that his brother would continue talking when he wanted to. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the conversation that he knew was coming and would really rather not prod Alfred into speaking sooner.
"How did we run out of gas?"
And there it was.
Matthew sighed. "My gas gauge is broken. I thought for sure we'd make it to the next town."
"Your car sucks," Alfred informed him.
Matthew cast an annoyed look at his brother, not feeling up to arguing with him. "She does not. She's just old and needs a little extra care."
For once, Alfred seemed to be able to read the atmosphere and shut up about Matthew's car. However, his silence didn't last long and he was soon talking about whatever came to mind. Namely, the things that had happened during their trip so far.
There was a reason it was taking them so long to reach their destination.
First there was their stop at McDonald's for lunch. What they had meant to be no more than a twenty minute break had turned into an hour of goofing off before finally getting kicked out. Then there was the bear in the middle of the road, which Matthew insisted they couldn't drive around and so they sat there for a half hour watching it play with a fish. Then Matthew's panic attack when he thought he ran over a rabbit, which was quickly followed by Alfred freaking out when he finally made out what his brother was crying about. (Gilbert was never going to let them live it down.) And finally was the event which led them to sitting in the grass on the side of the road while Gilbert ran off to find the nearest gas station with the help of Gilbird.
"…and what's the deal with this 'new prussia' thing anyway?" Alfred asked. "What's so special about it?"
"To Gilbert, it's very special," Matthew said. "But then, anything that has to do with Prussia is automatically awesome to him. I imagine that all we'll really do is watch Gil roll around in the grass and then go find the nearest town for food and whatever souvenir he decides to buy." He sighed lightly and angled his head so he could stare up at the sky. Puffy white clouds greeted his vision, floating lazily about against their blue background. "Toronto's an hour or so away. I kind of want to drive out there. I haven't been since winter break."
"Was that where we went for the hockey game?"
Matthew nodded.
"Cool." Alfred was silent for a moment. A very, very brief moment. "So what's a prussia?"
Matthew's gaze snapped to his twin, his mouth hanging open, horror shining in his eyes. Slowly, he gripped Alfred's shoulders, making him look him in the eyes and (hopefully) understand just how serious his question was. "Please, Al, never say that around Gilbert. Ever. I'm serious."
Alfred looked back at him in confusion. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind. But really, bro. I've never heard of this prussia thingy before."
Matthew released Alfred's shoulders and closed his eyes, murmuring a brief prayer in French before he dared to explain to his brother. "Prussia was a Germanic kingdom. It was dissolved after the Second World War by the Allied Control Council. To be more precise, it was dissolved on February twenty-fifth, which is also Gilbert's birthday."
Alfred sniggered. "Dude."
"Don't," Matthew warned. "I mean it. Just don't mention it at all."
"Not what I meant," Alfred said. He caught a knowing look from Matthew and couldn't help but give an ashamed grin. "Okay, I meant it a little. Or a lot. Ah, whatever. This trip is lame."
"Your face is lame!"
Matthew groaned at the yell from his best friend. "You're both lame," he muttered in French.
At least Gilbert was back with a filled gas can, which meant they would soon be on their way to a station to fuel up. That meant, in turn, they would very soon be arriving in New Prussia and the nightmarish road trip could start winding to an end.
Alfred F. Jones On the road again~!
June 22, 2011 - 1:21 pm via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
Matthew Williams: Just can't wait to get on the road again~
1:23 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams: How lame are we?
1:24 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones: I think the better question is "why the fuck are you letting Gilbert drive?"
1:26 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams: because I'm tired and there's no way I'm letting you touch my baby.
1:27 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones: Oh, but Gilfreak can? What is he, your baby's daddy or something?
1:27 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams: Don't be stupid.
1:28 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: thought we'd already talked about this. Mattie's actually a chick 'n we're getting married cuz of the baby.
1:30 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams: EYES ON THE ROAD, Gilbert!
1:32 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones: Shit, way to yell in my ear, bro.
1:33 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Kiku Honda: Wouldn't it be better if you didn't converse with each other using the internet when you are sitting right beside each other?
1:39 pm · Like
Alfred F. Jones: I think you've been spending too much time with Artie, Kiku. You're starting to sound like him. Only with a jap. accent instead of an english one
1:42 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Kiku Honda: Arthur-san has been helping me with my English.
1:44 pm · Like
Alfred F. Jones: I'm so sorry.
1:45 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones to Matthew Williams: Dude. WTF. Really?
June 22, 2011 - 2:18 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams: I told you.
2:23 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Watching Gilbert roll around in the grass was probably the single most hilarious thing of the day. It even topped the "Play Area Incident", as they were calling it. Alfred was running around, laughing obnoxiously and snapping pictures of the albino in all directions. Matthew had long since sat down in the grass, unable to stand from laughing so hard.
To top it off, there were about twenty little yellow birds were fluttering around Gilbert and landing on him whenever he paused for a moment. Gilbird was somewhere amongst the flock, probably tweeting loudly.
"Birdie! Hey, Birdie!"
It took Matthew a minute or so to figure out that Gilbert was shouting at him, staring at him with a familiar shit-eating grin. He fought not to smile back. "What?"
"Come roll around with me," Gilbert requested.
Matthew snorted and shook his head. "Not happening." Especially not with Alfred and his trigger finger on the loose.
"But Maaaattiieeee~" Gilbert cajoled, dragging out his friend's nickname. "You need to come soak up the awesome with me!"
"Ludwig's going to be pissed about those grass stains," Matthew replied.
"Well Luddy can get a boyfriend and suck it."
Matthew choked back laughter, but Alfred let it burst free without trouble.
Gilbert's grin grew broader. "Oh damn, I didn't tell you about that, did I? About that thing I found out about West."
Curiosity piqued, Matthew's laughter faded. "What thing? Is something wrong with Ludwig?"
"Nope!" Gilbert laughed. "And I'm not telling you until you come soak up the awesome with me!"
Matthew considered it for a moment. He really did. Then he decided it wasn't worth permanently staining his clothing with streaks of green and shook his head. Gilbert would eventually tell him. Or else he could go to Elizaveta, who knew everything and more about what went on in the life of Gilbert. (If he stopped to think about it, it was kind of creepy how much she knew.)
"Fine, suffer from not knowing!" Gilbert yelled.
"I will!" Matthew yelled back.
Alfred flopped down in the grass and watched them bicker back and forth, for once staying silent. He quickly grew bored and began texting someone on his phone - probably Arthur or Kiku.
Unfortunately, Gilbert was just as fast at switching between being 'entertained' and 'bored' and he was soon on his feet advancing towards Matthew, who quickly scrambled to his feet, not liking the devious expression on his friend's face.
"G-Gil, what are you doing?" Matthew stammered, slowly backing away from him.
"Making you enjoy the awesome with me!"
Gilbert lunged.
Matthew shrieked and dodged.
Alfred laughed at the spectacle they made.
In the end, Gilbert succeeded in his quest and tackled Matthew onto the grass, accidentally knocking his glasses off. The blond cursed mildly, feeling small pebbles and twigs dig into his back. He tried to shove Gilbert away, but found his arms and legs pinned.
"I win, Mattie," Gilbert gleefully whispered in his ear.
Alfred's loud laughter shattered through their bubble. "You guys are so gay!"
One pair of red eyes and a pair of violet snapped to the American. Without a word, Gilbert got off of Matthew and helped him up. After Matthew retrieved his glasses, the two shook hands and then started for Alfred, who yelped in surprise and dropped his phone before rolling to his feet.
"Two against one isn't fair!" He protested.
"I dunno, I think it's plenty fair," Matthew said. "What do you think, Gil?"
"Completely," Gilbert agreed with a smirk.
Alfred screamed like a little girl and ran.
Matthew Williams posted a video.
June 22, 2011 - 2:43 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Matthew Williams tagged Alfred F. Jones and Gilbert Beilschmidt in a video.
June 22, 2011 - 2:43 pm via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
[Ivan Braginsky, Francis B., Im Yong Soo, and 5 others like this]
Ivan Braginsky: I would very much like a copy of this video, Matvey.
2:56 pm · Like
Arthur Kirkland: So this is why he stopped texting me so suddenly…
2:58 pm · Like
Im Yong Soo: My favorite part is when the albino guy finally tackles Alfred to the ground!
3:12 pm · Like
Ivan Braginsky: I'm rather fond of the girlish scream he made when Matvey joined in the chase.
3:30 pm · Like
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo: What are those yellow things chasing Gilbert?
4:47 pm · Like
Matthew Williams: They were birds.
9:22 pm · Like
"We're not bringing it home with us."
"Yes we are."
"No, we're not."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!"
"No!"
Alfred rolled his eyes. "And you say me and Artie are bad. Jeez, Mattie, just let him bring the stupid bird with us."
Gilbert smirked triumphantly as Gilbird and a second bird landed in his hair. "See, Al says we can bring Matbird come with us."
"We are not calling him that," Matthew said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And since when does anything that Alfred says matter?"
"Hey!"
"Matbird's a she, not a he," Gilbert happily informed him.
Matthew scowled. "I hate you."
Gilbert laughed and swung an arm around Matthew's shoulders. "You love me and all my awesome glory!"
Matthew didn't bother trying to shove his friend away. "I hate you."
"You loooove me~" Gilbert sang.
"Hate."
"Love!"
"Hate!"
Alfred mimed gagging as they continued on in that manner. "Oh god, just kiss or fuck or whatever already! Get a room!" He shut his mouth when the two glared at him.
"Name it Albird," Matthew requested.
Gilbert crinkled his nose. "What? And force Gilbird to be the daddy of little Albird babies? No thanks."
Matthew nodded in understanding. "That's true. We don't need little retarded Albirds flying around. How about Lizzybird?"
They both ignored Alfred's whine of complaint.
"And have Veta murder me? No thanks," Gilbert replied. "I still like Matbird. Just think about it! Cute little, not-retarded, awesome birdies flying around being all cute and adorable!"
"I don't want to think about it," Matthew replied, trying to hide his smile and act like he was cross with his friend. It wasn't working out very well. "Why are you trying to name it after me?"
Gilbert avoided the question with a grin and a comment of: "Maybe I'll name it Birtilda."
Matthew promptly elbowed him in the ribs.
Matthew Williams to Ludwig Beilschmidt Your brother is bringing home another bird.
June 22, 2011 - 3:10 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt to Gilbert Beilschmidt Don't bring another one home.
June 22, 2011 - 3:38 pm · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: I'm not leaving Birtilda behind! She's going to be Gilbird's awesome bride and mother of his awesomely adorable children!
3:43 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt: I don't know where you get your crazy ideas, Bruder.
3:44 pm · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt: Birtilda?
3:44 pm · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: I was going to name her Matbird, but Mattie didn't like that.
3:46 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones is finally leaving New Prussia!
June 22, 2011 - 3:55 pm via Mobile Web · Comment · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: DISLIKE! :(
3:56 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred F. Jones: You suck, Gilfreak.
3:59 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Gilbert Beilschmidt: Ha ha ha! Victory belongs to the awesome me!
4:00 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Alfred sulked as they walked into the small shop. Of all the things they had to drive past on their way out, it was a gift shop dedicated to all things Prussian. Just when he thought they would be going home at last!
He was so tired of cars and driving.
"You suck, Mattie," he muttered to his twin, who was walking right beside him and doing his best to pretend they weren't friends with Gilbert, who was squealing over some black and white flag on the wall.
"It's either this or listen to him complain about it the entire way home," Matthew informed him.
"Yeah, now we just have to hear him babble over whatever he ends up buying," Alfred said in a snarky tone.
Noticing that his friend looked as though he was ready to pull the flag down from the wall and hug it and never let go, Matthew didn't give his brother an answer and instead hurried over to Gilbert to try and prevent total chaos.
Alfred left them alone, wanting just a little time to himself. Not for the first time that day he wondered why it had seemed like such a great idea to tag along with his brother's road trip. Okay, part of it had been so he could spend time with his twin and annoy Gilbert at the same time, but he had all summer to do that. He was tired, hungry (despite having just eaten), and just wanted to get back to Canadian home and give mom a big hug.
He wandered through the shelves, not caring much for the various knickknacks. Then he came across a set of shelves with themes from all around the world. He grinned at the American shelf, with it's brightly colored flag and huge glass hamburger and milkshake. He spotted a fake bottle of coke and other various odds and ends.
He moved on, not paying much attention to the others. He chuckled at the Canadian shelf and made a mental note to show it to Matthew before they left.
Alfred resisted the urge to flick the Eiffel Tower in France's shelf, quickly moving on and trying not to think about the perverted landlord back in America.
It wasn't long before he came across the United Kingdom. Immediately his thoughts went to his crabby British friend who couldn't cook worth shit but could certainly make an amazing cup of tea. (Not that he would ever say such a thing out loud. He had his dignity as a lover of coffee!)
Alfred grinned at the miniature plate of scones. ("So that's what they're supposed to look like.") He was much more interested in the second shelf of English stuff. It was a tea set. A rather simple one with two cups, a teapot, and two extra bowls for cream and sugar, as well as two tiny silver spoons.
When he picked up one of the cups to get a better look, he knew he wouldn't be leaving the shop empty handed. While the outside of the cups was a simple cream color with pretty blue and red flowers, the inside was painted to look like the Union Jack.
Teasing be damned, he was buying it.
Matthew Williams to Ludwig Beilschmidt I'm sorry. I tried to stop him.
June 22, 2011 - 4:43 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt: Is this about the birds?
4:58 pm · Like
Matthew Williams: I wish it was. Gilbert found a store dedicated to all things Prussian.
5:02 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt: Vater will not be pleased about this.
5:03 pm · Like
Matthew Williams: On one hand, I was able to stop him from buying a giant Prussian eagle statue. And that set of plates. And the cups. Though he did get a coffee mug.
5:04 pm via Mobile Web · Like
Ludwig Beilschmidt: Thank you for trying. I know how difficult Bruder can be.
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Gilbert Beilschmidt: What's that supposed to mean?
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"Birdie, am I difficult?" Gilbert asked as Matthew evicted him from the driver's seat about halfway home from their brief venture in Toronto.
Alfred had long since passed out in the backseat. Gilbert was amazed the American didn't snore like he imagined, since all he could hear was soft breathing and occasional mumbling during the pause between songs on the radio. He was glad for the quiet. It meant he could talk to his Birdie in peace without dealing with the American's comments.
"Eh?" Matthew questioned as he buckled his seatbelt. "What do you mean?"
"West says I'm difficult. Am I?" Gilbert demanded.
Matthew hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Gilbert was many things, but he wasn't sure "difficult" was the best way to sum it up. He was… He was just Gilbert. That was the only way to explain it. But he knew his friend wouldn't accept that.
"I guess… you can be difficult at times," Matthew said unsurely. He caught sight of Gilbert's scowl and quickly added to his statement. "Y-you're stubborn and once you decide you want to do something you won't take 'no' for an answer. You won't accept defeat, even when you know there's no way you can win. Like when Elizaveta chases you with her frying pan for doing something she deems inappropriate. You do it anyway, even though you know what's going to happen. A-and with me too! You break into my room at night and rearrange my furniture and leave behind strange things! Then you come barging through the front door in the morning and demand pancakes, no matter how late you made me stay up that night! And-"
"Mattie!" Gilbert interrupted. "Okay, I get it! I'm fucking difficult!"
Matthew shook his head. "No, you're not. Not always. You're always there to help out Ludwig when he needs it. You've gotten Lizzy out of tough situations with some of the jerks at school and acted like it was no big deal. You've cheered at all of my hockey games and threatened to beat up the guy who checked me into the wall and broke my nose."
Gilbert felt warm as Matthew listed all of the nice things he'd done over the years. He didn't dare interrupt his friend that time, instead letting the sincere compliments wash over him.
"…and though you can be absolutely frustrating sometimes, there's really only one word that sums you up perfectly," Matthew said. "Want to know what it is?"
Gilbert nodded. "Yeah. You gonna tell me?"
Matthew smirked and turned the key in the ignition. "No. I don't think I will."
Gilbert's jaw dropped. "Mattie! No fair! Tell me!"
"You're awesome, Gil," Matthew said with a laugh.
Katherine Williams posted a video.
June 22, 2011 - 9:24 pm · Like
Katherine Williams tagged Gilbert Beilschmidt, Matthew Williams and Alfred F. Jones in a video.
June 22, 2011 - 9:24 pm · Comment · Like
[Elizaveta Héderváry likes this.]
"Careful, Gil."
"Yeah, yeah. I doubt a little bump on the head could do much more brain damage."
"I'm pretty sure he needs all of the brain cells he has left. Don't drop him!"
"Kesesesesese!"
Mrs. Williams giggled behind her hand as she watched Gilbert struggle to hold onto the slumbering form of Alfred while Matthew fretted over them between unloading the car. Her boys were so sweet! She had imagined needing to call Ludwig to get Alfred out of the car and into the house. That poor boy could sleep through anything…
She turned away from the partially open window, ignoring the curses in French that spilled from her darling Matthew's lips. She quickly checked the video camera to make sure it was still rolling and focused on the three of them.
How could she possibly pass up the chance to get all three of her boys on video without them knowing?
End Chapter
So.
New Prussia.
Have I mentioned how much fun it was trying to find information about it? No? Lemme tell you, it wasn't fun. In fact, pretty much the only thing I could find out about it is that it is "an unincorporated region in Wilmot Township, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada". Yup.
So everything about their adventure there is made up. Except for the fact about it being roughly an hour from Toronto. (Which I read somewhere during my journey for information, but I can't remember where.)
Sorry for the usage of facebook! It just sort of... happened. I won't need it for the next chapter, which hopefully won't take nearly as long to write as this one did.
Next Chapter: Birthday Bash