Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or the title of this chapter

Chapter 8: What is Love?

"Gilbert, have you ever believed in love at first sight?" Matthew asked. They were over at Matthew's house that Friday afternoon studying for the Maths test the following week. He had no idea why the question popped up all of a sudden, but he just felt like he needed to ask that, you know that feeling?

"Huh?"

"So have you?" Matthew questioned again.

"What? Me?"

"Yea, you. Who else?" Matthew dismissed Gilbert's appalled face as another of the little quirks of his personality he had come to know over time. But if he had studied Gilbert more closely at that instance, he would have found that the albino's pale features broke out in a dusting of pink the moment he asked that question.

"Eh… ja I guess." Gilbert mumbled under his breath, hoping Matthew didn't catch what he had said and also didn't get him to repeat it.

"Yes? That comes as a surprise I guess…who'd ever knew."

"What? What's so surprising about that? I'm the awesome you know." Gilbert crossed his arms and shot a look at Matthew.

"I don't know, you always hit me as the kind who wouldn't believe in these kinds of things."

"How about you then?"

"No, I suppose." Matthew whispered with a hint of wistfulness. "It's utter nonsense. The way you can just tell that you love someone when you don't even know them right?" Matthew looked up at Gilbert from the ground below his bed (obviously Gilbert had hogged up his bed in typical Gilbert fashion).

"They always say never judge a book by its cover, why should you believe in love in first sight then? How would you know that the other person would accept you for who you were?" Matthew said almost forcefully.

Gilbert raised a platinum eyebrow, never had he seen the normally quiet-spoken blonde become so worked up about something so trivial.

"Whoa, no need to get so…"

"So what? Love isn't a small thing, why do you think my parents got divorced? It was love Gilbert, or so they thought at least." Matthew spat out.

That really hit home. The betrayal of his father, everything that happened after that- all because of love and trust, the only reason why Gilbert didn't dare open himself up to anyone. No one would ever know what he went through, the terror of it all. Even thinking about it made his head spin and his heartbeat speed up in fear.

Matthew seemed to have noticed his discomfort as well. "Gilbert, are you okay?"

"Yea." Gilbert managed to croak out, trying to smoothen out his voice.

"I'm sorry if I was too…forceful. My parents split up when I was pretty young, but I was still aware of what was happening back then, so it's still hard to totally get over it all these years."

"I understand. My parents broke up as well." He knew it wasn't exactly the truth, but what else was he to say?

Matthew was shocked at Gilbert's words. "Y-you as well?"

"Yeap. I was adopted by Mr Beilschimdt from foster care. He's actually nice you know."

"Oh. I never knew. Sorry." Matthew suddenly felt guilty for making Gilbert upset.

"Nah, you never knew anyway." Yes, you didn't know. He looked at the top of Matthew's bowed head, suddenly having an urge to reach out and touch that blonde hair, wishing that it would be so much easier to tell Matthew, instead of lying and deceiving him.

At this stage, Matthew had felt a twinge of understanding for Gilbert's predicament. They both didn't have easy childhoods, having to go through the trouble of a family breakup.

"But…but if I knew that person, if I actually loved them, knew them, then love, I guess it would be possible." Matthew tried to switch the topic of conversation, seeing that they both were hesitant about it.

"It isn't impossible. But it would take some time. A long time." Matthew looked at Gilbert for any sign of a response, receiving a blank look from Gilbert.

"So have you been in you know…love?" It seemed weird to ask Gilbert such a personal question after the previous one, but he felt it was different his time, he felt a tug in his chest that he had grown familiar with after a while.

"Maybe." Gilbert gave Matthew a small and mysterious grin, seemingly to have forgotten the troubling conversation before.

"E-eh?" Matthew blushed, that grin had had more effect on him than Gilbert would have ever known.

"You know, like crushes? Everybody has them somewhere along their life. Some more than others." He said, as if teaching Matthew the art of love.

"There was this girl who lived down the street back in Germany that I used to fancy. Blonde hair, bluish eyes, almost violet. Like yours."

Matthew felt his face redden even more from Gilbert's words. He had inched closer to the edge of the bed, head resting against the headboard, his voice getting low and husky.

"You know, actually…you look almost like her…" Gilbert trailed off, he leaned over the side of the bed, reaching for Matthew's chin and tipping it up slowly.

Matthew's breath hitched when the silverette's fingers came in contact with his skin. The other's crimson orbs lined with dark kohl surveyed every inch of his face, his face dangerously close to his.

"Those eyes, they aren't as similar to hers as I thought. They have more quality to them, more colour, a deeper meaning hidden in them."

Matthew didn't know whether to be flattered or appalled at Gilbert's words. On one hand he was kind of praising his features; on another hand he did compare him to a girl. Gilbert was near enough now that he could feel his cool breath blowing on his face, his mind now in a frenzy, his head spinning at their close proximity.

"MATTIEEEEE!" A loud voice rang out, the owner of said voice slamming the room door open and barrelling in, stopping short when he caught sight of the situation in front of him.

"OHMYGOD MATT." He almost screamed. "Did I just interrupt something?" He whispered, cupping his hand to the side of his face, as if telling a secret.

Matthew quickly scrambled out of their compromising position while Gilbert acted like absolutely nothing had happened.

"You! Gilbert Beilschimdt! What are you doing to my baby brother? Do not fear him Mattie, the Hero is here!" Alfred exclaimed triumphantly, before launching himself at Gilbert. Gilbert, not having enough time to react let out a strangled OOOF sound as all 82.6 kilograms of Alfred crashed onto him.

"Stop that Alfred! We weren't, I m-mean, he wasn't doing anything to me!" Matthew shouted, his shouting volume only slightly above the average human's normal speaking voice, feeling extremely flustered at this point of time.

"Are you sure Mattie? Cause I'm the Hero! And the Hero saves the damsels in distress! And you seemed like one!" Alfred gestured wildly to show his point and his *ehem* Heroicness.

" Just get off him Alfred!" Matthew returned back to his normal demeanour.

"Okay Mattie! Whatever you say! The Hero's work here is done! Kthxbai!" He yelled, before rushing out of the room as fast as he came in.

The two remaining inhabitants of the room sat there in stunned silence before Matthew offered a shaky apology to Gilbert. The tension in the air thickened even more after that, leaving Gilbert to make a quick excuse for leaving.

Matthew sighed inwardly, why did so many of his meetings with Gilbert end like this?

AN: ARGHHHHHH. WHY DO ALL MY CHAPTERS END SO WEIRDLY. -.-ll lol, Alfie's such a cockblock...

It's been almost 2 weeks since I last updated this story...sorry for this *fail* chapter.

REVIEWS ARE AWESOME!