Edit
German fixed, spelling and accent mistakes fixed, grammar fixed and chapter expanded.
Sigh, sick again, I don' know why this has happened so often this year. Nothing better to do than exercise my muse.
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Prologue II Middle Ground
Gilbert sat, staring out the window of his room. His body ached, breathing was still a chore and the man at his shoulder refused to go away. That man with the innocent face that was crueler than life itself. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, a small noise escaped him for fear of what would come next.
"Gilbert?" The Prussian relaxed and turned to look back at the wonderfully kind face of his loving brother. "You'fe been sidding dere schtaring for hours…" Ludwig gripped the shoulder harder. It had been two months since the talks in Ottawa, there was less screaming now, but now the Prussian barely talked to him. And when he did, it was always he wanted to see someone named Matthew Williams. When Ludwig asked Gilbert who that was he always said "De man who fount me in Nofemper. He's de nation of Canada." Ludwig had no idea there was a nation called Canada off the top of his head, the name rang no bells either. So, he just chalked it up to the insanity that made his brother scream at nothing to stop touching him.
"It's spring… I'm watching the people enjoy the weather…" Gilbert avoided speaking English now too. The last time he had spoken English, he was apologizing to nothing. Then again, perhaps it was just easier to default upon his native tongue in his stressful situation.
"Would you like to go out and enjoy the weather?" The silverette did not answer. "Please, speak to me." Ludwig grabbed either side of the man's head and shook it back and forth. "I vant to know vhat ist going on insite dis het of yours!"
"Kese."
"Dit you jus' laugh?" Hope filled the blonde's words. A tongue came out and licked the fingers closest his brother's mouth. "Ew!" Ludwig withdrew his hands, wiping the one on his pants. "Kesese." Came from his brother and a smile covered his own face.
"I want to see Canada." The smile fell and the German sighed.
"Who is this Canada?" Ludwig asked, trying to get Gilbert to speak to him more.
"I've already told you who he is."
"Den you know I'fe alreaty tolt you dere's no such person."
"Where did we go two months ago? That conference."
"Somevhere callt Oddava I dink…" Ludwig wasn't totally sure where Gilbert was going with this, but he was speaking to him at least.
"Which is the capital city of?"
"Hell if I know. It vas jus--Hey, vhere ahre you going?" Gilbert stood before his book case for a few moments before reaching up and pulling down something that resembled an atlas. As he turned back towards Ludwig he flipped through the pages. Once he stood in front of his younger brother he settled upon a page. The blonde's face quickly met with the open pages as the silverette slammed the book into it.
"Mmf!" Ludwig back-stepped to keep from completely toppling over backwards, catching the book and looking at the page as it fell from his face.
"Kesesese, read it." The German felt irritation rising in his stomach and decided not to yell. His real brother had just told him to read something.
Ludwig examined the page, it appeared to be a map of North America. His brows furrowed and he looked to Gilbert, confused.
"I only see America." Gilbert rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Find his northern boarder. Look above it." Groaning, Ludwig complied… What was that huge landmass on top of America? He found the capital city quick. Ottawa… Ludwig quirked his brow and located the name of the country.
"Canada…"
"Kesesesese, I'm not that insane." Ludwig chuckled, ruffling his hair. That was somewhat a load off his mind. Perhaps Gilbert was not as out-of-touch as he thought. "You're going to forget him again, though. At least you'll have some inkling I'm not crazy."
"Vhat?" Ludwig closed the atlas and wandered to put it back on Gilbert's shelf. "Vhy voult I forged?"
"Everyone does." The Prussian was silent again. "Can I see him?" His little brother stared at him, he almost looked happy…"Vhat? Ist my hair on fire?"
"You're schpeaking Englisch."
"Und? Like I nefer dit bevore?"
"Vell… You heven'd schpoken Englisch in two monds… Heven'd schpoken to me dis much in fife."
"I know… Schpeaking of Canada makes me vant to talk dough… I don'd know vhy. It makes me vonter vhat ist wrong vid me efen more. It makes me feel like I cahn be vhat I vas. I dink it's because of dat day in Nofemper. He ditn'd run avay… He dit de opposide. Und he broughd me to you." Ludwig supposed he saw some logic in that, someone wanting to help his brother probably stoked his deflated ego. Made him feel important again. "You ditn'd answer my qvesdtion."
"Do I hev his numper?" Excitement flared in his eye with those simple words. Finally he would be able to see himself again.
"Ja, it's wridden ahs C-A-N in your contacds." Ludwig nodded and left the room. He hadn't missed that glint in the Prussian's eye. It was the glint of a kind of cruel excitement.
---
Gilbert stood before the large house in Ottawa, his brother beside him. In that house he saw his way to normalcy. That little wimp inside would return his personality to normal. This was his way to becoming him again.
I get to see myself… Just don't let go this time.
"Ahre you sure you cahn be hier alone?" The blonde German asked skeptically. A smirk barely pulled at his brother's lips before he answered with "Ja, I'll be fine." Gilbert walked up the sidewalk and up the stairs to the Canadian's porch and front door, dropping his suit case and duffle bag to the ground. Ludwig stood back and watched as the Prussian knocked.
C'mon you little idiot open the door. Open so I can talk how I want to! He rose his hand to knock again, the door pulled open and the blonde head he was expecting poked out.
"H-Hello." Canada nervously greeted, his hair pulled back and hidden underneath a sort of kerchief. He looked like a woman to Gilbert.
"Yo." He felt his face pulling back into a smirk that showed his teeth, the face that followed on the Canadian made him laugh then. "Vhat's wrong? You look like I'm gonna invate your vidal regions suttenly." Thank Fritz! He screamed in his head, he hadn't been able to threaten someone with that in forever and finally he had someone! Canada stuttered a few times, his face turning red as he looked away.
"Uh, y-you just scared me is all, eh."
"Eh. Kesesese." The blonde's face suddenly went stern as he slugged Gilbert on the arm.
"I am letting you stay here at my house so you can get better, against my brother's wishes. The least you can do is be nice." The Prussian stared down at him, had he seriously punched the awesome him?
"Ooo, vhat you gonna do?" Canada's face went sarcastic as he stood to his full height, strangely he was taller than himself…
"I can always kick you out and make you stay at a motel, eh." He was serious… Gilbert blinked again, he had spunk at least. That would probably help his personality more, he thought.
"Kese, I'll make a node to be nice, kay?" With that he shoved himself past the boy and into the house, the smell of something heavenly catching him as he did.
Sighing, Canada looked over at the other blonde standing on the sidewalk, he looked incredulous. Canada rose an eyebrow, curious as to the look he was getting. He somewhat felt obligated to at least say hello, so he lifted his hand and waved slightly as he stepped outside and picked up Prussia's things. Germany didn't appear to notice and just looked to the sky in askance before walking around to the driver's side of his car and getting in.
"Canada! Vhat ahre dese?!" The boy blinked, walking inside and closing the front door behind him, looking around the house as he did so. Gilbert was nowhere to be seen… His voice though had come from the side of the hallway the kitchen was on.
"Prussia what are you doing?" He asked poking his head into his kitchen. The Prussian was sitting at the table, eating the stack of pancakes he had made for the visiting man.
"Dese dings ahre delicious! Vhat ahre dey callt?" Canada tipped his head to the side, he'd never had pancakes before?
"You've never heard of pancakes?" Canada picked up the broom he had been cleaning with earlier. The Prussian watched him as he began to sweep up the excess flour that had fallen from the counter to the floor.
"I'fe heart of dem bud I'fe nefer eaden dem bevore… Dey're awesome." A blush worked at Canada's face, no on had ever said anything he made was awesome before… Sure, Alfred had mentioned some of his "special" brownies were good, but that was it.
"Thank you… Uhm, if you think they're good now… Uh…" He shuffled over to the refrigerator and pulled out his gallon of maple syrup. "Put some of this on them." Gilbert stared at the dark liquid within the jug. The stare said something along the lines of "it's impossible to make these even more awesome". The blonde chuckled at the look and bumped the man's shoulder with it. "Really, it makes them about a thousand times better."
Canada had wished he never introduced the man to maple syrup, later that night, during dinner, the Prussian soaked his entire dinner of pasta and meatballs in it instead of tomato sauce. He had used half of what was previously in the jug. His table manners weren't bad Matthew observed, but he seemed to have a problem with swallowing before speaking.
The gracious host wiped his face off with his napkin after a spray of chewed noodles and maple syrup coated it as Prussia spoke.
"Prussia, I-"
"Call me Gilbert." Prussia cut him off, taking another forkful of noodles and chewing it. Matthew smiled sarcastically and wiped his face again.
"Gilbert, you seem fine. Why are you here again?" The albino stopped his frantic eating and just stared down at the pile of noodles and meat. The spark in his viewable eye seemed to dim slightly and he calmly stuck his fork into the noodles. Now Canada felt slightly sorry for ruining his good mood, but from the moment the man had arrived he showed nothing more than rudeness and the willingness to eat (and drink) him out of house and home.
"De me dat you schee… Ist nod de von ef'ryvon schees. I don'd know vhy it ist, bud I cahn only be de me dat ist me vhen you ahre arount or ve ahre talking aboud you." Canada's brow arched, that sounded like a big load of bullcrap to him.
"Why? What makes me so important?" He took a bite out of his pasta, waiting for the man to reply.
"Hell if I know." Gilbert took a bite. "May I call you by your name?" Canada blinked, most people never asked him if they could, and it seemed very out of character of the man that had been at his house for the past few hours. His diction was so exceedingly polite too… He either really was mentally unsound like Germany had told him or he was faking.
"Sure…" In the event of him being crazy, it was best to just give him what he wanted.
"Danks. Anyvay, I don'd know vhy, bud Westen nodicet it too… Und dat's vhy I'm hier for de nexd mond."
"So…. I have to deal with you, being you, for a month? What's to stop you from relapsing when you leave?" Gilbert shook his head and shrugged.
"Ve jusd hope it doesn'd heppen…" That spark re-flared in his eye "Vhat's de madder vid 'dealing vid me being me'?! Who voultn'd vant to?! I am de awesome Prussia!" Matthew rolled his eyes and tapped the table. There was a tug to his pants leg and he looked down at the white bear. "Hey! Don'd you ignore me vhen I'm-"
"What is it?"
"Food?" Canada sighed and put the rest of his food down at the bear's feet. He really didn't feel like eating today. Gilbert watched him as he stood and walked over to the cabinet above his stove and opened it. His hand reached into a box and extricated a cookie from it, he had to lean up on the balls of his feet to reach into it properly. Walking back to the table, he plopped down in his chair and nibbled on it. He just looked so depressed…
"Vhat ist dat?" Gilbert asked finishing his food and watching Matthew nibble slowly on the confection.
"It's a cookie…"
"Vhat's in it?"
"… Uhm… Sugar?" Why was he even asking? Prussia smirked, poking his host lightly with his fork.
"You depresst?"
"Whats it matter?"
"Mint gifing me von?" Matthew shrugged, what could it hurt? One barely ever did anything for his mood and was going to get up and get himself another one later anyway. He stood and walked over to his cabinet, opening it and the box inside of it, extricating a few cookies. He tossed two to the albino and kept the other for himself.
"You know Matthew, I dink dis ist de beginning of a very pleasand recofery." Gilbert bit into one of the cookies and his smirk widened. Matthew remained silent and finished his first.
---
"Gilbert! Gilbert!" Matthew quickly backpedaled to avoid a fist that swung up by his face. A blood-curdling scream tore from the Prussian's throat as he thrashed wildly on his bed. "Please! Wake up!" It was about three A.M. He had heard the screams from down the hall in his bedroom. When he arrived in the room he had been greeted by a lamp being thrown across the room at him. It had shattered against the wall and nearly hit his head. Gilbert had only continued to scream in his sleep, having not even known about it.
" Rühr mich nicht an!" Canada winced as the flailing man banged his head on the metal head-board of the bed. "Bitte ... Ich werde brav sein ... Nur, bitte, tu mir nicht weh." He sounded almost defeated as he curled up on the bed, tears falling from his face even in sleep.
"Prussia…" The blonde put a hand on the sleeping man, only to have his hand smacked away and his neck in Prussia's grip a second later. The Prussian was panting, his hand slick with a cold sweat. "G-Gilbert! Let me go! Eh!" He blinked at the man in his grip, it was not him… His fingers parted and Matthew fell to the floor, gasping for breath and coughing. Neither of them spoke as Gilbert wiped the tears from his eyes and Matthew got his breath back, still sitting on his knees.
"You're fine righd?"
"I'll be okay… Do you want something to eat?" Matthew could guess he was not going to go back to sleep after a nightmare like whatever he had. Gilbert playfully poked the side of the Canadian's head with a bare foot. The blonde nearly smiled at the gesture.
"Cahn you make pancakes?"
"Still hung up on those, eh?" The temporary tenet of his house chuckled before standing up… "Agh! Put some pants on!" Matthew yelled falling backwards in front of Prussia.
"Kesesesese, impresst?" Gilbert struck a pose showing off his muscular (and very well endowed) physique. It also showcased his extensive collection of new and old scars. Covering his eyes, Matthew got to his feet stumbling and tripping over Prussia's boots in the middle of the floor. Of course the Prussian responded with raucous and uncontrollable laughter. Canada felt his face go red as Gilbert doubled over, gripping his stomach and pointing. "It's nod like you'fe nefer seen von bevore you liddle vuss!"
"I don't appreciate having someone's-" The blushing man on the floor sputtered for a seconds. "Thing! Waved in my face like a flag at three in the morning, eh!"
"Oh you don'd, eh?" Gilbert punctuated his sentence with a pelvic thrust in Matthew's direction.
"Ahh! Stoppit!" Somehow, he managed to scramble to his feet and promptly run into the door, closing it. A very unmanly scream of frustrated and embarrassed protest escaped him as he wrenched the door open and looked over his shoulder at the wildly laughing man. "And put some pants on when you come downstairs!" The door slammed behind him as Prussia stood naked in the middle of the room, a wide grin still on his face. At least he was with someone who had a personality.
Downstairs, Matthew was whipping together all the ingredients for pancakes. He grumbled animatedly to himself, making some unintelligible noises as his Quebecois accent tinted his voice and French slowly blended with English. Why in God's name had he agreed to house this man! For a month?! He needed a cookie!
"Maaaaatthew." Dammit… He turned to face Gilbert as he poked his head into the kitchen, a smirk playing malevolently across his face. His exasperation was plain as he greeted the man and beckoned him into the kitchen. Without really paying attention, he snatched a cookie from the bin in his cabinet and furiously nibbled on it. "Vow, I'm dat annoying, eh? I musd be gedding bedder alreaty!" Canada snorted, if that scene in the bedroom earlier was any indication he still had a long way to go… He was going to get even more annoying?! Taking out a piece of paper and a pencil, Matthew scribbled a note to get more of his medication from his grower ASAP.
The face Prussia was giving him at that moment made him blush, what was going on behind that pleasantly smirking face?
"I'm nod todally sure how you dink I'm annoying vhen your bruder ist America." Gilbert moved to sit down at the table, only to trip over the leg of one of the chairs and fall flat on his face. The man cooking made sure to stifle his laugh.
"Ah, our good friend 'depth perception' seems to have deserted you." Matthew commented turning around to help the cyclops up.
"Peh, schud up four-eyes." Gilbert hissed as he ignored the hand and heaved himself to his feet.
"Least I have the correct amount of my real ones." Maybe the blonde shouldn't have said that… The look Prussia was giving him suggested that he was giving serious thought to leveling the playing field. "You break my glasses you're buying me new ones, eh."
"Whoefer sait anyding aboud me breaking dem. C'mere!" And that was the start of their very first food fight. Gilbert lunged, Matthew side-stepped. The Prussian picked up the bag of flour, the Canadian armed himself with eggs. Milk and batter was flung and the table, at some point, was toppled over. Maple syrup coated most of the kitchen and Matthew's hair, Gilbert was predominantly eggs and batter. Kumajirou was even whiter than normal, covered in flour, a small yellow bird sat upon his head as he lapped the milk up off the floor.
"M… Mm…. My kitchen…" Matthew nearly started crying at its state, it looked as though Alfred had thrown a party and hadn't told him about it. Gilbert merely laughed and clutched at his stomach.
"You remint me of Westen. He ust to say dat vhen…" The Prussian died again and he seemingly stared at nothing, lost in a memory. Canada watched, worry evident on his face, not for the man himself more just what he would do if he started crying and carrying on like he had at the conference room two months ago. "Dat vas ofer fivdy years ago…"
"What was?" The blonde asked, genuinely curious.
"He vas sick avder de firsd vorlt var… Und I vantet to be nice. He schlepd und I mate him foot." He paused to laugh once. "Bud, I cahn barely cook. Soh de kidchen lookt like a minefield hat migradet in und explotet. De firsd ding he sait vhen he voke up und I hat foot for him vas 'vhat does my kidchen look like?" Matthew focused on the Prussian's face, it seemed pleasantly reminiscent rather than horrifically tortured. "Westen schtill knows how to fighd vhen he ist sick. His fighding efen geds bedder in my opinion…" He pursed his lips in thought. "I vant to ged back to dat. I vant to fighd vid him und argue… Bud I cahn nefer seem to talk to him vhen home. It's too close to… Dat place."
"I'm sure you'll get better while you're here…" Matthew felt inclined to say, lightly putting a hand on Gilbert's arm. His kitchen was a mess, but it had been fun making it he had to admit.
"Peh! Of course I'll ged bedder. I am de Awesome Prussia! Conqueror of all vital regions!" He struck another pose to accentuate his good looks. Canada couldn't help but snort at that.
"Not mine."
"You dare-" The albino went quiet as the Canadian picked a mop out of the closet in his kitchen. "You're nod gonna…"
"Oh, yes I am. Get a bucket 'cause, ha-ha, you're helping."
"Noh more cookies for you avder dis, you ged mean."
---
Three weeks had passed since Prussia had initially come to live with him. There had been plenty more indecent exposures in this time, a drinking contest, stealing of the fretful blonde's glasses and the occasional "Kodak moment". Always though, there was pancakes for breakfast and pancakes after nightmares. It seemed as though pancakes was Matthew's remedy for anything (other than those strange cookies). Gilbert wasn't complaining though, the Canadian's pancakes really did fix everything.
This morning was not one of those Kodak moments, though. Aforementioned drinking contest had occurred the previous night and Matthew was dealing with a splitting hangover.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. How do Germans deal with these every weekend. They're all crazy!! The squeak of his door opening made him twitch as it sounded like angels screaming for mercy to him.
"Gilbert… If you know what is good for you, you will turn around this instant and leave the room." Matthew growled in an ungodly voice at the intruding roommate.
"I god you foot for Gott's sake." Matthew turned his head to look at the man, instantly he was assaulted by the sunlight. The shining star obviously knew nothing of his misery nor did it seem to care. There was the sound of an annoyed sigh and the blinds being closed, encasing the room in a pleasingly low light. "Dere, now sid up und atmire my kintness." Canada groaned and managed to flip himself over off his stomach and push himself up into a sitting position. He gave a yelp of surprise as Prussia flicked his long ahoge. "Kesesese, jus' like Italy."
"Eugh… How do you not have a hangover?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes.
"Oh I do, bud I vasn'd dat drunk lasd nighd." Gilbert dropped something in Matthew's lap, it felt like a Styrofoam container and a bottle of something. Carefully, the Canadian opened his eyes and looked at it. A pleasant smell floated from the container and a bottle of Gatorade sat next to it. Canada blinked as Prussia held out a fork and two pills.
"Take dese und ead. It vill kill ovf your hetache und some of de voosiness by noon." The container held some eggs, bacon and toast, it made Canada's mouth water and his stomach grumble.
"Thank you." He unscrewed the top of the Gatorade and swallowed the pills right quick, wondering at Gilbert's choice of drink to get him.
"It replenisches elecdrolydes dat you losd. Vill make de voosiness go down." The strawberry-blonde rose an eyebrow, slipping his glasses on and skewering some eggs.
"You of all people have a scientific explanation to a hangover cure?" Prussia snorted.
"Vhat's dat suppost to mean? Look aht vhere I come from, don'd you dink I know vhat I'm talking aboud?" Matthew would have laughed if not for the construction worker hammering away in his head trying to rip it apart.
"I never said anything about not believing you. I just thought it was funny, eh. Thanks for caring. I'll make you pancakes later."
"Score!" Gilbert grinned and made a victorious hand gesture, Matthew got the feeling that this was the Prussian's original intention in being nice. He sighed then, taking a bite of some eggs and another sip of Gatorade.
"Do you like me?" Prussia blinked, what the Hell kind of question was that?!
"Do I like you? Vhat de fuck Canada?" The blonde shrugged, he really was not in the mood to care this morning.
"I'm just saying. Whenever you're pleasant it's always to reach some end. Getting me to make you pancakes, getting me to buy you more beer, rarely have you thanked me this entire time. I can't help but get the feeling all you wanted to achieve this entire time was stable mental health… You've had utterly no interest in connecting with me on any level. I'm just some kind of drug for you to use as you please." Gilbert stared at the man as he continued to eat, albeit slowly. Neither of them spoke for awhile, surprisingly enough, when the silence was broken, it was Matthew to do it. "Whatever, I don't care. Everyone is like that. I'll help them and then they'll forget about me fifteen minutes later. Sometimes… Like with Arthur or Francis, I'll think we've actually connected as son and parents but they always forget. Even Alfred forgets you know… Sometimes I wonder… If it would just be better if I didn't exist." Now exceedingly uncomfortable, Gilbert fidgeted with his fingers, twining them and untwining them with one another.
"Vhat does it madder if I do or don'd like you? I am, technically, deat." It was his first time actually admitting it to himself. "My opinion no longer madders. You dough, you ahre schtill alife. De reason ef'ryvon forgeds you ist because of your schtupit mendalidy aboud dings. Dis whole 'bedder ovf deat' ding is jus' ridiculous. Dis ist coming from somevon who ist deat, okay? It sucks dat ef'ryvon forgeds you, bud you know vhat I voult do? I voult make dem rememper me! Remint dem dat I am vord someding-"
"I'm not you Gilbert." Matthew cut him off as he put aside his breakfast. "Kumaroro, breakfast." The polar bear jumped up onto the bed, the yellow bird still sitting upon his head as he planted his butt down and started eating.
"Hey! I vas nice enough to go oud dis morning und buy you dat! Respecd m-"
"Only so I would make you pancakes which I would have anyway. You wasted your effort." Gilbert growled, leaning over and clasping Matthew's head between his hands and shook it hard.
"I do like you! Jesus-fucking-Chrisd! Yes! It vas for you to make me pancakes fasder, I knew you voult make dem anyvay because you're a doormad! Bud I vantet to be nice! Despide how many times I'fe destroyt your house since I god hier you nefer actually kickt me oud! I am a morally uprighd person. Yep. I know vhen to be dankful for some dings." He released the mans head and received a long glare in return.
"My head… Fucking hurts… I have a goddamn hangover… You do that again, your ass is getting booted out into the snow."
"It's spring…"
"D-uh! I can wait, eh!" Gilbert chuckled, smirking at the boy.
"Dis ist vhy I like you. Sense of humor, und you hev enough schpunk to attempd to orter me arount."
"I do more than just attempt."
"V-Vhen hev I acdually listent to you?!"
"Many times, I just don't think you realized it."
"Peh! De Awesome Prussia does nod ged ortert arount by… By… Canada!!"
"Just for that, no pancakes."
"Vhat?! Vhat dit I say!?" Matthew couldn't resist chuckling, he really didn't mind these fights with Gilbert, he found them quite humorous in nature. He really hadn't needed most of the cookies he'd baked earlier in the month, usually a fight with Prussia did the trick to cheer him up. It never ceased to amaze him either just how benevolent their arguments always ended. "You vill make me pancakes! Or! I schall invate your vidal regions!"
"Oh, I'm sooo scared." The blonde made a "whatever shall I do?" face in mock terror.
"You bedder be!" Gilbert snorted triumphantly, a big haughty smirk adorning his face. Meanwhile, Matthew just couldn't help but smile. He was going to miss the big oaf when he left. Then a frown replaced the smile. When he left the house would be the way it used to be… There would be many more cookies, more of his pet forgetting him and no one to make it seem like it was pointless to worry about it. Worst of all maybe, the albino would probably forget him if he didn't see him very often… "Hey! My awesome selv ist in de room, vhat's de madder?"
"Nothing." He smiled at Gilbert, it would have been pointless to tell the man as all that would have occurred was he would've laughed and went on about how awesome he was. Which, his rants about his awesomeness were more and more common. He no longer feared the insanity that caused him to cry and yell in an incomprehensible language, now it was the insanity that made him go on forever about his awesomenss. That in itself made him smile even wider. "Do you think you are better?"
"I schoult say soh! Lifing hier hes been a vonter! Und de pancakes hev mate it a dousant times bedder! Hm… Atting de maple syrup, two dousant!" The blonde host looked away from him then, a blush very alive on his face.
"Th-Thank you. Y-You're too nice."
"I know." Gilbert jumped as the small Canadian wrapped his arms around his waist in a bear-hug. "Gah! Vhat ahre you doing! Sch-Schtop hugging me!" He began to squirm trying to get away from the display of affection. "Dis ist soh gay!"
"If you hug me back I'll let go!"
"Grr… Fine." And so it went Gilbert and Matthew shared their first hug, even if the albino was very uncomfortable during it. Matthew, meanwhile, happily chuckled at his skittishness.
"Haven't you ever given someone a hug before?"
"Ja actually. It's jus' it's usually Westen. I'fe huggt France und Schpain too. It's jus' ott avder soh many years." He didn't zone off at mentions of the past. It so rarely happened anymore and for that, Canada was very grateful. The nightmares were still frequent, but some of the time, if they were lucky, Gilbert woke up before screaming and thrashing ensued. It had been a rather slow change for them to deal with, but a blink of an eye for people with conditions similar to his. They both could only hope that after he left, Gilbert would be able to cling to his personality he had gained back.
It was unclear whether or not this would be the case, Germany had not come for a visit in all this time, there were phone calls and letters sent back and forth but it always seemed to be Germany who set off his bouts of insanity. The last phone call they shared though, had been the best one yet. They got into a fight, yelling at each other and carrying on about something Matthew couldn't remember now.
"Well, now you can hug me!"
"I know I'm posidifely irresistible, bud cahn you led goh?" Once again Canada chuckled.
"Try harder than that."
"Agh!"
---
Matthew was sad to see Gilbert go at the end of his month-long stay. He had grown rather used to waking up every morning to the oaf demanding pancakes. So there he sat in his family room with Kumajirou, watching TV. It was so bland without him around, but he didn't feel the need to munch one of his cookies. He could stand this without the need of his medication.
How odd that the Prussian had stayed with him as a way to get better and ended up helping him too. As time passed and the weeks without him turned into months, Matthew couldn't help but think about the man. Considering he never called, it was to go without saying that he was better and didn't need him. It also made him think that maybe Gilbert had broken him of eating his cookies on purpose. He used to steal them from him and eat them himself. When Canada didn't have a cookie and he was going for one, Gilbert usually found a way to distract him from it with some sort of stupid comment or inane idea. They weren't friends, he knew that, so he never called him up to ask about it, it just seemed stupid to do.
Once months turned into years he stopped thinking about Gilbert on a daily basis. Stopped wondering how he was doing or considering on checking up on him. He saw him in passing at the few annual world meetings and that was fine. They never spoke even though Gilbert always seemed like he had something he wanted to say. Matthew let it go though, if the Prussian had an interest in friendship, he needed to take the first leap by himself without his help.
---
The leap they needed didn't occur for nearly nineteen years though. It was a strange one if anything and started with "April fools!"
End Prologue
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Notes:
"Italics!!"--Denotes the speaking of a language other than English if the dialogue is long-lived in a different language or if it is important.
Rühr mich nicht an--Don't touch me!
Bitte ... Ich werde gut sein ... Nur, bitte, tun mir nicht weh--Please… I'll be good… Just, please, don't hurt me…"
Canada's Cookies--For people who haven't read my other fictions addressing this, Medical Marijuana is legal in Canada (though at the time (1990) it wasn't but Canada is a nation and can get away with stuff like that) and it's commonly baked into confections like brownies, muffins, cupcakes and cookies as a way to medicate people. Canada has depression in this of course and hence eats many of these in a day.
Sigh, feeling better this morning and am going to school in a few minutes. Can't wait to start work on the next chapter. As always, comments fill me with love and happiness.