When Alfred was ordered to go into the kitchen by his brother, he did admit he needed a break from the surreal situation that Arthur convinced them to participate. Sure he got over the fact that Arthur is currently being possessed by a 15th century religious martyr, who was brutally executed for witchcraft and wanted to communicate with Francis, but it was a lot to take in. The American glanced at both of them as if he asked whether they were going to be alright. Their gaze told him they would be fine by themselves and into the kitchen he sauntered.

He slowly shut the door and let out a sigh, peeling off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Today had been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for everyone in a way; with Francis and Arthur, well, Jeanne having the most impact followed by Matthew and then Alfred himself. Matthew had been more quiet than usual since they arrived in France and that's why he placed him third in 'the person who's been affected most by the situation contest' in his mind. He didn't find anything wrong at first but by the time Matthew slumped into a chair with Kumajiro, Alfred could see the despondent expression on his brother's face. His glazed blue eyes stared at the table, almost oblivious to the fact Alfred was in the room with him. The American placed his glasses back on his nose and exhaled again before finally asking the one question which is the most stupid question for the situation and yet, it was the only one he could ask.

"Hey, Mattie? Are you okay?"

"I really had no idea how much he was suffering," The Canadian didn't turn away from the spot on the table as he mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" Alfred leant against the door. He began to worry about his brother's response mainly because he didn't really answer the question but he could tell he wasn't feeling alright.

"Francis…" He started but hesitated as if he was afraid he'd breakdown if he continued with his answer. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I always worried about Francis at this time of year… ever since I found out about the reason why he always forced a smile on today. He did it while I lived with him as a kid." Alfred almost forgot he used to live with Francis before the many wars that drained him financially and was forced to give the Canadian to Arthur.

Once that connection was made, Alfred remembered the first few nights when he, as a child, couldn't get to sleep because he was spooked by the sounds of whimpering from what he thought came from some ghosts. After a week or so, he plucked up enough courage to investigate the noise and tiptoed around the hallway until he reached Matthew's room. Thinking he also feared ghosts, Alfred burst into the room wielding a wooden toy sword but that only led to scaring Matthew and a good telling off from Arthur. The next night Alfred managed to sneak into the Canadian's room and asked why he was crying only for Matthew to sob into him and blubbered how much he wanted to go back to Francis. Since then, Alfred did his best to cheer Matthew up when he wasn't bored and was able to see his brother in the first place. Despite this, it was in the present that the American realised just how lonely Matthew had felt throughout his life.

Once, Alfred received a call from a panic-stricken Matthew; pleading him to come to his house because, and Alfred could quote, that he didn't want to be left alone again. Matthew clung onto him for dear life by the time he arrived, and only managed to say the cause of his panic attack in form of Kumajiro's temporary disappearance from the Canadian's sight. Even after finding the polar bear asleep in the laundry basket, Alfred couldn't leave the house until the next morning because Matthew begged him to stay. And even now, the American was still unsure why his brother was so clingy that night. But he didn't think for one second he'd find out the reason in Francis' kitchen of all places.

"Ever since that time when you gained your independence, I've suffered with the irrational fear of being in a room or building with no-one else inside," his confession pricked Alfred's attention in the form of turning to his brother with a perplexed expression.

"What are you talking about?"

Matthew swallowed hard, bringing Kumajiro closer to his chest for security. "No-one is good at saying goodbye. I know that but over time, my fear escalated to the stage of panic from the moment Francis gave me away to Arthur."

Alfred blinked in slight disbelief; however, it did make some sense when he recalled the time Matthew made a panicked phone call to him that one evening. A lot of nations developed fears of different things thanks to bad experiences from wars to life changing events; for example, thunderstorms reminded Arthur about the blitz and he still felt uneasy because of it. While Toris lived with Alfred in the 1920s, one pat on the Lithuanian's back sent him into a panic attack lasting half an hour. He suspected the flashbacks came from the constant abuse Ivan and Natalya inflicted on his battered and scarred back when Toris lived with them.

Going back to Matthew's confession, Alfred had no idea about his fear since the Canadian looked all right whenever he visited his place. After putting the pieces together, he figured Kumajiro must be the reason why he never found out before. Even as a child, Matthew always cuddled that polar bear and it never left his side as far as he knew. Despite forgetting his owner's name most of the time, Matthew must have been grateful that Kumajiro had been there for him when he really needed the bear's company. Alfred chuckled to himself in his head thinking how a polar bear was doing a better job of being Matthew's source of comfort than he had ever been. That chuckle translated to a sad smile to the Canadian who fidgeted with Kumajiro's fur in between his fingers.

"I… really had no idea," Alfred said quietly. "You seemed okay whenever I see you. I didn't realise you had such a… fear." Alfred's hand grabbed his other arm and squeezed it slightly. He definitely felt bad for neglecting him all this time.

"There's more," Matthew interjected again. "That time when Arthur and I burnt down the White House…" He choked towards the end of the sentence and bit his bottom lip. Finding his new sense of duty, Alfred pulled a chair and sat next to his brother.

"Matthew, you don't have to talk about that. I forgave both of you a long time ago. It's all in the past."

"After you gained your independence, Arthur did nothing but cry. He felt like you threw everything back in his face after he took care of you." The Canadian continued. "I watched him cry and that made me feel sorry for him. I wish I had the gift of making him smile like you could. But I couldn't do anything… until one day, he called me by my real name, asking me to help him get you back for abandoning him."

"Mattie…" Alfred uttered, wishing his brother could sense the slight discomforting tone of the subject and stop talking about it. He didn't want his brother to delve too much in the dark matter for whatever he was going to say.

"When I heard him acknowledge me as Matthew and not you Alfred, I could have hugged him there and then if he hadn't have talked about his revenge on you. I felt ecstatic. I wanted the feeling of recognition to last so I immediately said yes…" He struggled to control his choking voice. "I was too excited about being recognised that I didn't think about how I upset you before it was too late. I hurt you because of a selfish wish…" Alfred could see he was going to burst into tears any second and laid a comforting arm around Matthew's shoulders.

"Mattie, it's okay. I said I forgave you," The American's voice soothed. "You had no choice but to follow his order because you were still under British rule."

"I made the decision myself. I wanted to hold onto that feeling for a bit longer. What I did was wrong! That's why Papa never took me back when he had the chance," tears began filling around the bottom of Matthew's eyes. "I hurt you Alfred, my brother. You may have forgiven me but I still haven't forgiven myself!"

"Mattie, look at me," Alfred turned Matthew's head to face his sincere expression. "Francis would never reject you just because you helped Artie. I should have at least asked whether you were okay more often, played with you when you wanted me, comforted you when you got upset. I should have been a better brother to you when you really needed me. Then maybe you wouldn't have developed that fear you have now. We all should have done something to help you."

Matthew's eyes glistened with the tears that trickled down his cheeks and almost suddenly, one hand grabbed onto Alfred's denim jacket while the other stayed wrapped around Kumajiro. He bowed his head onto Alfred's shoulder and quietly sobbed into it. This initiated the American to embrace his brother with both arms into a hug and rubbed his back with small circles.

"Francis loves you too much to reject you," Alfred said calmly. "His bosses made the decision not to take you back when Francis begged them to reconsider. I bet after he apologised and left you, he cried because he felt like he was losing Jeanne all over again. He never wanted to say goodbye and I think it definitely broke his heart when he had to leave you."

"I know," Matthew whispered. "At the time I felt so emotional so I didn't think of anything else other then calling Papa back, hoping he'd listen, turn around and take me back so we could go back to the way things were, the good times."

"Yeah," Alfred nodded slightly. "I wanted things to go back that way between me and Artie too."

He waited for Matthew to reply but one glance told Alfred that his brother had gone to sleep on him. He couldn't help but raise a smile; Matthew always fell asleep after having a good cry. It was an endearing quality in Alfred's eyes and that made him take charge of being his brother's pillow until he woke up.

He let his thoughts wander and concluded that Matthew and Francis were good together (in a father-son relationship) because they both experienced loneliness one way or another. It was that synergy of their company that Alfred had been envious of in the past. Arthur wasn't a bad elder brother figure but there were times where he felt they were miles apart; like the time Arthur made him try on the suit which made Alfred feel less than comfortable and many petty squabbles similar to that. At one point, he wondered whether their relationship was built on teasing and arguing like a married couple. Life would have been easier but duller too if they didn't argue. But there was something nice about Francis and Matthew being together as a family. It was like they needed each other in order to survive emotionally after everything they went through. Now that he thought about it, there was another reason why he left Arthur to become independent. That reason being because he didn't want him and the British Empire to become so big that he'd disappear suddenly like the Roman and Holy Roman Empire. He remembered Feliciano crying one day after he made fun out of the Italian's cowardice. He could quote the very words he screamed in anger:

"You should be grateful Britain is still alive after being an empire twice! He would have too many scars on his back and he'd disappear just like Grandpa Rome and Holy Rome!"

At first he laughed at him and called him an idiot but after a while, those words grew on him and created feelings of guilt. What if Arthur grew too big and disappeared like Feliciano's grandfather? He wouldn't have been able to handle the loss well. He apologised to him after a week of considering that horrible possibility and had no reason to regret his victory over Arthur in the American Revolution ever since. Suddenly, Matthew's movements snapped Alfred out of those thoughts as he looked down to find his brother waking up.

"Hey. How ya feeling?" The American asked as Matthew took his glasses off and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mmm… how long was I asleep?" He mumbled.

"Not long," Alfred answered simply, realising they were both still in a hug. "Hey, Mattie?"

"Mm?"

"Don't you feel awkward knowing we hugged each other for a while?"

"… Yeah."

"You think we should break apart?"

"… That would be a good idea."

Alfred unwrapped his arms from Matthew as he in turn detached himself from the American. They sat in an awkward silence, not looking at each other for a while before Alfred took the initiative at glancing at Matthew. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks," He raised a small smile back before blushing awkwardly. Silence filled the kitchen again and it was making Alfred feel nervous. He desperately racked his brain to find something to break the discomforting atmosphere until his lips turned into a grin.

"Hey Matt, how about we spy on Francis and Artie and see what they have to say?" He asked with a mischievous tone.

"But shouldn't we let their conversation be private?" Matthew frowned with disproval.

"Come on Matt. You know you want to," The American whinged. "Besides, I need someone to translate the gibberish they're speaking."

"It's French Alfred," The Canadian rolled his eyes with a slight annoyance and opened the door a little.

"Hey! If it's not American, it's gibberish!"

There was a pause between the two men until Matthew's eyes widened in horror. "M-Maple leaf…"

"What's the matter Matt?" Alfred pushed the door open a little more. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Once his eyes met with the scene in front of them, Alfred's eyes grew in size with the same shock. He could only watch for a few seconds before shutting the door as quickly (and as quietly) as possible. It took both brothers the same amount of time to finally say something. "Holy crap! Were they just… kissing each other?" Alfred turned to Matthew who nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah. They were kissing alright."

Before either of them could add anything to their shocking discovery, they heard a thud. Matthew let out a little gasp and snapped his head towards Alfred's before deciding to investigate who or what made that sound. Alfred opened the door once again and exited out of the kitchen with Matthew following behind, carrying Kumajiro in his arms. It didn't take them long to Arthur curled up in a heap on the floor with Francis holding him in desperation, muttering Jeanne's name. The North American brothers gazed at the scene sadly knowing Jeanne had most likely left Arthur's body.

"Francis?" Matthew found his voice as the Frenchman looked up to find them staring at him. He turned his gaze back at the Englishman and looked at him with a dazed expression. Alfred glanced at Matthew as if he said he knew what he should do and approached their former guardians.

"Lets get Artie to the couch," He said softly as he took one side of the Briton. Francis wiped the tears from his cheek and grabbed the other side of Arthur and took his to the couch with Alfred. While Matthew followed them, he couldn't help but wonder whether Jeanne had shed any tears before saying goodbye. Judging by the look on Arthur's face, there was no evidence that he or she had cried. Even when she knew she had to go, Jeanne still stayed strong. Anyone would think she was a nation with the amount of inner strength she had. Once Alfred and Francis laid Arthur across the chocolate brown couch, Matthew took up a place on the couch opposite the one Arthur and Francis now occupied. For a minute or so, everyone watched the unconscious figure until Francis finally spoke up.

"Did Artur mention when 'e'd wake up after being possessed?"

"He said it would take a while for him to regain consciousness but if you wanted a specific time, he said it's different every time so we don't know." Matthew piped up, he held his gaze at Arthur.

"I see," Francis lifted Arthur's head onto his lap. Whether it was on purpose or an unconscious action, neither brother was sure.

"Francis, are you okay?" Alfred asked before the Frenchman raised a smile. They were also unsure about that gesture and his hand that grazed gently over Arthur's blonde locks. Not even a glance between the brothers could help them decipher the answer until Francis responded to Alfred's question.

"I forgive you."

"Forgive us for what?" Matthew couldn't understand why his Papa was saying it. As far as he knew, neither of them did anything wrong to him. Well, maybe it was aimed at Arthur since they had a history of fighting each other. Francis met their confused stares with a relieved gaze.

"I don't know but…" He turned his gaze back at the sleeping Englishman. "Per'aps it's to clear sings up between us non?"

"I guess," Alfred scratched the back of his head while Matthew couldn't help but feel a little emotional once again. Somehow, he felt some warmth wash over him with his Papa saying those words. It was like the world and everything in it felt right, like it had been cleansed. Hugging Kumajiro closer to his chest, he returned a smile back at his former guardian. "Merci, eh?" He said. As he watched Francis caress Arthur with his touch, he decided he would forgive some people too; starting off with Francis, Alfred, and Arthur. And when the next time he would visit Francis by himself, he will confess the fear he told Alfred. No doubt Francis would be willing to help him get over the fear but as long as he had people willing to support him, Matthew felt unafraid of what may come their way. And Alfred could also see that from the smile on the Canadian's face.

!

I was surprised so much while writing this chapter. Never had I had so many ideas come all at once! I had never intended this chapter to go like this but thankfully I went with it and I like it a lot. Matthew having the fear of being in a room or building all by himself has become a new head canon for me and it has inspired me to write a one-shot based on this. But until then, I need to get my college work finished and finish what could be the final chapter of this fan fic.

Once again, thank you for reading this so far and leave comments/reviews when you have the time. I really do like reading them and I always make sure I read every last one of them.