A/N First of all, let me say how sorry I am for this being late! My computer crashed a few weeks ago and I lost ALL of my documents, it sounds funny but it wasn't considering I had a term paper due two days later.

Anyway, I'm having to re-type all of my chapters that I have written for this story so far. Seven beautiful chapters down the drain!

Moving on, thank you so much for the people that are following and favoriting this story, it really means a lot! Also, if you have any characters you want to see involved in this story, PM me or review who it is.

Alright, enough bolded words that most people have skipped over. See yah later!

~0~

"You're serious?" Mathias looked at his new owner with a suspicious expression while sitting on the couch. Clyde sat across from him in a wooden rocking chair.

"Yes, I'm a female," Clyde answered, taking another sip of her tea and staring into the cup. Mentally shivering as she remembered those etiquette classes from years ago.

'Look into your cup when you take your fill, or you will most likely surely spill.' Clyde could hear Ms. Morgan's voice in her head. That woman had a thing about rhyming… The oldest Marshall smiled lightly. Charlie would call it a fetish.

"Hm… I don't believe you." Mathias poked the oldest Marshall in the shoulder twice.

"I know my own gender."

"Are you a tranny?" Clyde paused and took a deep breath.

Stupid Danish moron. Clyde thought while clutching the tea cup. She dropped her hand behind her back and dug her nails into her palm. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. And… I'm calm… No one has ever been as calm as I am at this very second.

"Why would you think I'm a tranny, Mathias?" Clyde asked with a blank face and drank her tea with her pinky raised.

Don't punch the Dane… This tea is not working. And I didn't get any chamomile… No, I'm calm. Trees swaying, ocean breezes, freshly cooked pancakes…

"Well…" the personification of Denmark then started listing off reasons on his fingers. "Your name, broad shoulders, short hair. You're really tall, you are also pretty muscular though not as much as me, and you don't have a chest at all. All things considered, I am positive you are not a girl." Mathias then grinned like he just won the lottery.

Tell Mother Nature that.

"Those are some good points," Clyde conceded and put down her teacup before continuing. "But when I came to this country, I chose my name, knowing that it was commonly a male name. Broad shoulders? Genetics, blame my parents for that. I cut my hair because I was spending a lot of money on shampoo, money that I could be saving. Also, short hair is easier to manage.

"My tallness? My grandfather is 6'4, do I need to explain anymore? I am muscular because I having been working out each day for that past few months consecutively. And it is a lot easier for males to develop muscles more quickly and more prominent than females. No chest?" Clyde seemed to pale a bit at having mentioned that. "… There's a reason for that."

"What is it?" Mathias asked, oblivious to the uncomfortable topic or just choosing to ignore it.

Clyde stared down at her clenched fists in her lap.

"Clyde?" Mathias called, she hadn't responded for a while.

Her head snapped up.

"Sorry, you must be a level seven friend to unlock my tragic backstory." Clyde then stood up from her chair and collected her teacup and to-do list.

Mathias got up and followed his owner into her kitchen.

"Why are you following me?" Clyde asked, while placing the cup in the sink.

"Because I want to know the story," Mathias replied honestly.

"No," Clyde responded, and went back to her list.

"Please, Clyde?"

"No." Clyde turned her back and started walking back to the living room.

"C'mon just tell me. I'll take you out drinking with me."

"The offer's appreciated and I might take you up on it."

"Yes!" Mathias whispered, thinking he cracked her.

"But… no," Clyde responded, smiling a little when she saw his shoulders droop.

"Little brother, please!" Mathias whined.

"I'm a girl. And the answer is still no."

"Then you leave me no choice." Mathias narrowed his eyes with a grin on his face.

"Will you finally drop it?"

"Nope!" Mathias jumped on Clyde's back. "Tell me the story!"

The Marshall Child swayed a little bit before she straightened and continued with her list. Mathias locked his legs around her waist and clasped his hands under her neck.

"What are you doing?" Mathias questioned with a confused expression as his owner didn't even react to him hanging onto her.

"Trying to figure what I need to do this week," Clyde answered.

It was confusing. A lot of the owners before Clyde would just tell him whatever it was, ignore him, or lock him in a room with something to do until he forgot about his question. But Clyde was different. She wasn't backing down and giving him answers, she also wasn't ignoring him, and she hasn't shoved into a closet with Legos or Norway… yet.

"What do you have to do?" Mathias asked, sticking the other question away for later pestering.

"A lot of things," Clyde answered while starting to walk up the stairs.

"Like what?" Why is she climbing the stairs? Mathias thought with a head tilt.

"Apparently answer your questions," Clyde stated while placing her hand on the wooden stair rail.

Good gracious, he's heavy. She realized. Why did I think going up stairs with a fully grown guy on my back was a good idea?

"I'm not apologizing for my curiosity."

"I wasn't asking for an apology." Clyde paused in her accent up the stairs. "Can you please get off of me though? You're hurting my back."

"Sorry!" Denmark shouted and literally jumped off Clyde. Surprisingly, he didn't trip and twist his ankle on a stair when he landed. Clyde stumbled forward before turning to face Mathias.

Oh God, I hurt my owner. I didn't mean it, I swear. What if she sends me back like the others? Mathias thought while stepping back down the stairs with wide eyes.

"It's alright," Clyde replied honestly, noticing how he was acting.

Like a caged animal, she noted. A complete 180 from earlier… What caused it?

"Mathias," Clyde started and tucked the to-do list under her arm. She walked down the steps and stood in front of Denmark, actually crouching to be eye-level with him. "It's fine, you didn't mean it. You did nothing wrong. Understand?"

Mathias nodded uncertainly.

She could still send me back. He thought gravely.

What is going on in his head? Clyde thought before she came up with the perfect way to get his mind off of it. Whatever 'it' was.

"Do you want to grocery shop with me?"

~0~

Clyde pushed the cart, with a fully grown personification of Denmark in it, into the store.

Mathias sat in the cart with the grocery list in his lap and elbows on the sides of the cart like it was a throne.

A little old couple stood a few feet away. The lady glanced up every now and then from the squash to look at the weird pair of adults. The old man beside her just stared at them before turning to look down at his wife.

"Why can't I ride in the shopping cart, Martha?" He asked indignantly; as if riding in the shopping cart was a basic human right that he had been denied.

Martha slapped her husband on the shoulder and rolled her eyes before facing the squashes once more.

"Why exactly am I pushing you in the cart?" Clyde questioned while dropping a bag of long carrots near Mathias's feet.

"Because you're a good little brother," Denmark answered with a large grin. He looked down at the list. "Next on here is lettuce."

No, that's not the reason why. Clyde thought while looking over the various lettuce assortments. You literally jumped in the cart when I got it and refused to get. I just saw no point in arguing and started shopping.

"It doesn't matter," Clyde muttered to herself.

Mathias scooted the cart forward bit by bit until he was right next to Clyde. He too started searching the lettuces before he got bored.

"What are you looking for?" Denmark asked after exactly fourteen seconds of lettuce watching.

"Trying to determine which deal is better," Clyde mumbled half-heartedly and in her native accent, not even realizing the words were coming out of her mouth.

Mathias blanched when he heard the way she spoke.

That was… That sounded… Could she be part… that nationality? Denmark thought warily.

"Aye!" Clyde cried when she found the perfect head of lettuce, which startled the piss out of Mathias. "Here we are." She dropped the lettuce near the carrots and left the vegetable area.

Clyde turned down the aisle with various jams, jellies, spreads, and peanut butters. Instantly, she grabbed a large jar of strawberry jam and tossed it to Mathias. She rolled the cart to the peanut butter section and stopped right next to it.

"Hm…" Clyde hummed.

Personally, I like extra crunchy. Clyde thought with a blank face. But lately I have been feeling lazy.

Mathias stared at his owner with a curious expression. She's a lot like Berwald. He noted with a nod of confirmation. Straightforward, not really bothered, and stoic… I wonder if he'll show up sometime soon.

"Mathias," Clyde crowed.

"Yeah?" Mathias replied, snapping to attention.

"Which one would you pick?" Clyde asked, holding up two different jars of peanut butter. "Extra crunchy or smooth?"

That's what she was thinking about? Peanut butter? Mathias thought before shrugging and answering.

"Why not both?" Denmark decided.

Clyde nodded in agreement.

"Right then." She handed the peanut butters to Mathias and started pushing the cart down the aisle.

Clyde looked over her should while walking.

Coast is clear. She thought while spinning the cart around.

"Get ready." That was all she told Mathias.

Clyde took off running and about hallway down she hopped on the bar above the wheels and rode the rest of the way down.

"Whee!" Clyde drawled, passing the peanut butter once more.

"Woo Hoo!" Mathias yelled, lifting his arms up. "I'm King of the North."

Well, I'm the King of Ireland, so ha. Clyde thought before hopping off the bar and walking once more. No one suspects a thing.

"That was cool!" Mathias stated. "Can we do that again?" He asked, turning in the cart to look at Clyde.

"Whenever the aisle's empty," She answered, while checking out the tortilla chips.

"Why did you do it anyway? I wouldn't think someone like you would be childish."

Just when he thinks his owner is all stoic and Swede-like, she rides a shopping cart down a grocery aisle.

"What's the point in being grown up if you can't be a little childish?" Clyde questioned in reply.

"That's a good way to live life," Mathias commented.

"It's a quote from a television show."

"Ha!"

~0~

"Who the hell is this?" Cody asked as soon as he saw someone other than Clyde enter through the back door with groceries. Mathias placed his bags on the table while Clyde kicked the door closed.

Cody stood up from his seat at the kitchen table, most likely he was playing a game on his phone just seconds earlier, and tapped his foot expectantly. Clyde placed her bags on the countertop and started unloading.

"I'm/ He's Mathias." Both Denmark and Clyde answered at the same time.

"Nice to meet you," Cody snapped sarcastically before turning to face his sister. Clyde was placed the eggs in the fridge while trying to keep her grin off her face. "What's he doing here? I thought the only time you accept customers was tourist season."

"Well, he's not a customer." Clyde whipped around to her little brother who was exactly 1.2 centimeters (she measured) shorter than her. "He lives here."

"What?" Cody yelled.

"Really?" Mathias questioned, his eyes lighting up. It was always nice for units when their owners accepted them completely and allowed them to live in their own house.

On more than one occasion, an owner didn't have room, so he and a few other units were put in an apartment together. Then there were other times when the owner would insist on the units all living together under one roof. It sounds like a fun idea in theory, but having eight fully grown people living in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house was not fun, at all.

Denmark even remembers one time that the bathroom was occupied and he really needed to go. Needless to say, after much whining and knocking (banging) on the bathroom door, he kicked it down. That action scared the soap off of Taiwan, who was in the shower at the time and was listening to music, and he got hit around by China for a bit; but when you gotta go, you gotta go. It was either kick down the door or go in the yard… And Mathias is very positive he made the right choice.

"Yeah," Clyde chimed in, opening a box of rice thins and eating one after the other.

"When was this decided? Who decided it?" Cody questioned, foot tapping even faster. Mathias looked at the Ginger Boy, who looked like a mirror image of his owner, and his foot.

Is… Is it going to fly off or something? He thought while watching the boy's foot wearingly.

"I decided it." Clyde checked the watch on her wrist. "And about two hours ago."

"Without me?" Cody exclaimed, hands flying out. Mathias jumped back to not be hit in the face and not-so-subtly hid behind Clyde a bit.

"Well, yes," Clyde replied. "This is my house."

"Oh!" Mathias yelled, dramatically wincing back. "You need to apply some aloe Vera to that burn."

Cody just stared at Mathias with an annoyed expression while Clyde didn't hide the smile on her face as she finished putting up the groceries by herself, seeing as the boys were too busy pissing each other off.

"I have to go get something," Clyde stated before leaving the room.

Mathias and Cody both awkwardly stood in their same spots for a few moments before anything happened.

"You look a lot like Clyde, you know that?" Mathias asked while pulling a chair out to sit on. He sat down in it backwards and folded his arms over the top of it, his ever-present grin still on his face.

"That could be because we're twins," Cody muttered before sitting down as well. He crossed his legs together and crossed his arms over his chest all while staring at the Dane who had invaded his home.

"So…" Denmark drawled out, tapping his hands on the chair. "Are we just gonna sit here in silence till Clyde gets back? Or… what?"

"Who are you?" Cody questioned in response, ignoring the personification of Denmark's question.

"Already told you, I'm Mathias."

"I know that. But who are you?" Cody raised a hand when saw that Mathias was about to talk again. "Not your name- you. I know my big sister, she doesn't normally let random strangers live in our house, unless it's her tourist season or she has a valid reason… So, what I'm asking is, what makes you so special?"

"Probably the fact that he hasn't hit you yet," Clyde butted in as she entered the kitchen once more. Cody spun around in his chair to face her and Mathias's eyes lit up.

"How much did you hear?" Cody asked, standing up from the table. He automatically pushed his chair in; Momma Marshall had proper table manners drilled into her children since they could walk.

"Enough, and it seems that you've forgotten that I am older than you and can make my own decisions." Clyde narrowed her eyes at her little brother. "Who I let into my home is my business."

"But-"

"Cody," Clyde placed a hand on his shoulder.

Cody looked at his sister for a moment, and unspoken conversation between the two of them. Mathias felt a little out of place here and was currently watching their argument like a spectator, he had even cracked open a bag of peanuts.

"Okay," Cody muttered before heading up to his room, grabbing an unopened box of fruit gummies that were sitting on the counter.

"Save me some," Clyde called out.

"Heck no!" Cody faint yelled was heard as he climbed the steps to his room.

Clyde sighed while shaking her head, she turned back to Mathias who froze when she looked at him.

"Peanut?" He offered while sticking the bag out to her.

"Sure," Clyde grabbed a handful and started cracking them apart. "I apologize for my brother. He isn't normally like that."

"Nah, it's alright," Mathias said over a mouthful of peanuts. "In fact, it's actually kinda cute."

"How so?" Clyde raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he's really protective of you and you guys seem to have a good relationship… that's always important." Denmark muttered the last part but Clyde still heard it.

I remember, Mathias thought while staring at the half empty bag, that some owners thought it would be funny to pit Iceland and Norway against each other. He didn't notice a frown growing on his face.After they fought, Iceland would lock himself in his room for days at a time and Norway would hide away in some room of the house, reading about spells or whatever, and when anyone tried to talk to him he would lash out at them verbally.

Mathias shook his head.

That was the girl before Clyde. I don't remember her name or what she looked like, FMB took care of that, but I do remember what she did. I remember her actions and how she treated us… as if we weren't even people… It was shit.

I really hope Clyde's different.

"Mathias," Clyde called softly.

He snapped to attention.

"Oh, sorry about that, little bro." Mathias gave her a closed eye grin. "Just lost in my thoughts."

Clyde nodded even though she knew he was lying to her.

I know he may not trust me, she thought with a blank expression. I understand that. And I know he's been through some stuff. But he's here now, and to some extent… my responsibility. I need to show him that I'm here for him, no matter what. Because I've seen those hurt eyes before, I saw them for quite some time. Right now he needs someone who's just there for him.

Clyde took out the room key from her pocket and slid it across to him. When she next spoke, it was with a smile.

"Welcome to the CM Inn, big brother."