A/N: Hey guys, before I say all this, just know that I'm not discontinuing any of my stories. So you don't have to worry about that. I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible (I was so naive lmao). First, I just want to thank some of you guys for being so understanding. it warms my heart to see your support.

Okay, no matter how much I want to deny it, the hetalia fandom is dying. It makes me so sad whenever I see how author's on this website are undersupported. Don't believe me? I implore you to check the update page every day for the next week. It's very painful to look at. Anyways, I'm exhausted. Writing for this fandom every week is no longer fun for me anymore.

The silent majority is killing this fandom. I'm speaking out, not because I care what happens to my stories (I've written enough, if I was going to become a popular author it would have already happened) but because I care about this fandom. People aren't following, favouriting, or reviewing despite the fact that I attract hundreds of visitors. I've talked to other authors and they're experiencing the same thing. It becomes pointless and more like a chore to upload content if I'm not connecting with people. Again, I'll repeat, I don't get enjoyment from writing for this fandom. All of my creativity has just been drained away. It's not worth it to upload a chapter and be lucky to maybe attract five followers (vs the 50-100 visitors attracted each update). I keep getting my hopes up and am routinely disappointed/ stressed every week.

If author's aren't praised for the work, content will die out. So many authors now are hardly updating now. Why? Because they're not getting responses. And because I'm not a relevant/ popular author, there's no point in me updating every week as well. I would rather devote the time to writing my own original stories. Stories in this fandom hardly grow anymore, basically. Simply put, my updating schedule is up to you guys and your responses (supply and demand!). It always has been.

But forget about me and my stories. There's something so much more important. Let's just speak about the fandom. I'll repeat myself again. The silent majority is killing this fandom. Author's are dropping like flies. How can we change that? Well obviously clicking the button and reaching out to others. A fandom is a community- and if there isn't any interaction, how can you expect it to be upheld?

But Ella, stop bitching and whining, what are you going to do about it? I'm glad you asked that, Ella! From now on, I'll be accepting fanfic recommendations via PM. In each author's note, I'll be recommending fics. The best thing you can do to an author is show your support. The worse thing that you could do is not support them- it's basically the same thing as ignoring them. Personally, I feel used and unappreciated (*sad violin music), but I don't speak for other authors. There are some very amazing people in this fandom, nonetheless. I have to acknowledge them out of gratitude for their support, of course.

Literally, I don't care what happens to my stories. My updating schedule will solely be dependent on my readers. I'll write when I feel like the effort is worth it. What I care about is that those who read this might take something from this note. We need to support our authors otherwise updates will continue to become even more sparse. I love this fandom and want to see it surge in popularity. But none of that will happen unless people become active again.

Thank you for reading this. please do send me your recommendations. I know that I'm not a relevant author, but I do have a decent-sized amount of visitors and would love to help other authors out. We need to stick together. :)

I'm not upset by the way. Might as well change my username to EllaAnxious lmfao. Anyways, to spread the message, join my one man dork team *that's me* and post #savethehetaliafandom/ #notdeadyet on your profile. Or don't and make me look like a total buffoon. It's alright. Just crush my nerdy aspirations of assembling a unison of fangirls/ boys.

Enjoy the chapter my fellow cinnamon buns.

~Morning Shift~

Pasty Bastard Refuted:

Matthew's POV:

Today wasn't a good Saturday morning. Although, I probably shouldn't be complaining right now. Alfred had been gracious enough to cover my shifts all through out the week. Why, might you ask? Well, let's just say that I've been a tad bit heartsick.

Gilbert and I's first date had gone very well, or so, at least I had thought. We had listened to music, talked, laughed, made homemade pancakes, and all that other cute fluff in between that couples typically do. Heck, we didn't even kiss, which had come as a huge surprise to me. The Bad Trio was infamous for their love affairs, but all I had received at the end of the night was a chaste peck on the cheek, and an "I'll text you later," farewell.

Despite this, things took a turn for the worse after last week's karoke night. There Gilbert and I were, enjoying our time together, when all of a sudden Roderich gets onto the makeshift table stage. I look to my side, only to realize that Gilbert has gone up to join Roderich. Much to my horror, they start dancing together.

And sure, I know what all you sassy buns are thinking. It's only dancing, Mattie! No big deal. Uh, hello?! It is a big deal! Those two were just so familiar and intimate with each other! Roderich, mainly because he was drunk out of his mind, but something told me that Gilbert knew exactly what he was doing. Liza looked torn between being angry and amused, but I'm just going to take a wild guess and assume that she was leaning more towards the latter.

I, on the other hand, wasn't having any of Gilbert's over flirtatiousness. I had left the café very upset, and from that night on, I refused to answer any of Gilbert's texts. Last night, he had apparently gone to visit my dorm room, but thankfully, Alfred was there to act as my loyal dumb guard mutt and block him off.

I'll admit, I was jealous. But more than that, I was hurt by how carelessly Gilbert had treated our fling, almost as if it had never really existed in the first place. I mean, I should have known better. Based off his reputation, it was a miracle that we had lasted more than a week. It just sucked that I had been naïve enough to believe that maybe just this once that I was the anomaly, that I was the one person who would stand out in Gilbert's eyes. Whatever, I had never been that relevant or noticeable anyways, and Gilbert throwing me away like a discarded play toy was something that I should have expected.

"Oi! Maple douche!" Lovino mused, walking out of the kitchen with a plate of fresh pancakes sitting on top of his right hand.

Lovino set the plate of pancakes down onto the front counter, aiming a sharp look at me all the while. I was surprised that he had managed to scrounge up so much energy this early in the morning. The bags under his eyes were dark enough to reap souls.

"Keh!" Lovino clicked his tongue at me in annoyance, placing both hands onto his hips.

"What?!" I spluttered, finally caving under his glare.

"Don't you play stupid with me!" Lovino growled. "You're going to go over there and fix whatever the hell happened between you two. I've never seen Frosty the Fuck Nugget so quiet before! It's weird!"

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Gilbert was currently sitting at table ten, alone as per usual in the morning. His other two friends apparently couldn't be bothered to wake up this early. Regardless, he had been staring at me all morning, but I was having absolutely none of his moping. He could sulk for however long that he wanted to.

I giggled a bit in disbelief. "Frosty the Fuck Nugget? That's a new one," I remarked.

WHIP!

Lovino raised his hand and backhanded me across the chin, causing my face to jolt to the left. He hadn't hit me that hard, but it was still pretty rude of him to be so aggressive all the time. Jeesh!

"Ouch!" I protested. "Was that really necessary?!"

Lovino raised his hand again, causing me to flinch. "I'll keep doing it until you grow some balls and serve that damn bastard his food!"

"Why do you care so much? I thought you hated Gilbert?"

"I'll hate him more if I continue to see him make my friend upset. Now go on, you shy, tall ball of cringe. These pancakes aren't going to stay hot forever!"

Lovino was a lot more perceptive than I gave him credit for. I don't know how, but he had somehow managed to force the plate of pancakes into my hands.

"Lovino, I don't know if I can do this…" I trailed off.

"Ugh, you're just full of angst, aren't you?" Lovino groaned. "What would Alfred do if he was in your position?"

"He would go over there and serve Gilbert these pancakes."

"Then do exactly that!"

"But I'm not Alfred!"

"That may be, but I know for a fact that you have just as much courage as him, if not more."

"Um…"

"Fuck!" Lovino rolled his eyes. I know, I know. I was usually a very difficult person to motivate. "Are you a man?!"

"Last time I checked I was…"

"Good. Now prove it and confront your problem!"

I paused, while Lovino facepalmed. "Fine," he relented. "I'll take the pancakes to him then. Keh! And here I thought that you were brave!"

"I am brave!" I spluttered.

"Really?" Lovino drawled, grabbing the plate of food from me. "Because that's not what I'm not seeing right now."

Lovino took a few sauntering steps forward, teasingly looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

"Matthew's a fucking bitch, tall and stout~!" Lovino sang, his hazel eyes narrowing in that shit-disturbing way that I knew all too well.

"Here is his pancakes, and there is that bastard. When he gets all butthurt, here him shout: Fuck me over, and watch me pussy out!"

My face reddened indefinitely, but rather than it being from embarrassment, it was from anger.

"Give me that!" I hissed, snatching the plate of food from him.

"Reverse psychology, motherfucker," Lovino smugly chuckled to himself.

Without even thinking about it, I stomped over to Gilbert's end of the café. When I approached his table, his face lit up with surprise. "Mattie! No wait! Don't leave! Let me explain-!"

SLAM!

I placed his food onto the table and turned around to leave, faltering when Gilbert grabbed onto my wrist.

"I'M SORRY FOR BEING SUCH AN ASSHOLE TO YOU!" Gilbert bellowed, causing everyone in the café to turn their heads in our direction. The room was so silent that you could hear my racing, uneven heartbeat.

I crouched down, lowering my voice into a harsh whisper. "Would you keep it down?!" I snapped. "Everyone's looking at us!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Gilbert shouted again. "PLEASE, JUST SIT WITH ME! FIVE MINUTES! THAT'S ALL I ASK!"

I shrugged my wrist out of his grip, grumbling as I slid into the opposite side of the booth from him.

"Well," I sighed. "I'm listening."

Although, that still doesn't mean that I'll believe what he has to say.

Gilbert fidgeted, reminding me of a sad puppy. If he had floppy ears, they would have been turned down.

"I'm sorry for what happened last week. I know that you're probably mad at me…"

"Oh, believe me. I am!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Mattie, I just want you to know that I do stupid shit like that all the time. I don't even mean it. I'm just overly friendly that way."

"This is turning out to be a really shitty apology," I mumbled, frowning.

"I know! I know! Shit!" Gilbert fumbled for words, appearing to be quite flustered. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry."

"You already said that."

Gilbert nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "And I'll say it again. I get it. What I did was wrong. I shouldn't have danced with Roderich because of…well…I'd like to say that we have some sort of thing going on. I like you a lot, and nothing's changed that. I wasn't thinking that night. I didn't realize that what was nothing to me would mean a whole lot to you."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gott, I'm sorry."

"Golly Gee, Gil. Why don't you tell me something that I don't know?"

CLANG!

Gilbert reached over the table to grab my hand, knocking over his cutlery in the process. I jumped a little from the contact, feeling my face flush in response.

"I only have feelings for you. If you let me, I promise not to do something like that ever again. I'll always be flirty, it's just part of who I am, but I can always tone down the awesomeness if that's what you want."

The honest expression on Gilbert's face told me that he was being completely genuine.

I shook my head, biting my lip to prevent myself from smirking. "You don't have to tone down your awesomeness for me. But you're right. If we're going to go any further with whatever 'this' is," I made air quotes with my hands. "I want us to be exclusive."

"Awesome! Wow!" Gilbert smirked right back at me. "I didn't think that you would be so forgiving."

"I haven't forgiven you entirely just yet," I reminded him.

"Fine by me!" Gilbert exclaimed. "This just gives me the excuse to spoil you with a whole bunch of make up dates!"

I sighed, feeling my lips spread into a shy smile. "I don't know how to say no to that smile of yours. It's contagious."

Gilbert squeezed my hand gently. "Just you wait, Mattie. I'll treat you right."

I lifted my pinkie finger to the air. "Promise?" I asked.

Gilbert didn't hesitate to wrap his pinkie finger around mine. "Promise."

…

~Evening Shift~

Lord of the Pigs:

Alfred's POV:

Yep, tonight was another busy shift for yours truly. Feliks was bringing in way too many food orders for me to keep up with. It didn't help that I was still worried about Matt. One of my worst nightmares came true when my beloved brother had told me about the jackass that he had a crush on.

Gilbert. Agh! I was gritting my teeth just at the thought of him. Not only had he totally cheated on my little bro, but he had also had the audacity to buzz our dorm room last night. The nerve! Luckily for Matt, I had managed to get rid of the pasty pest by threatening to call the cops on him. He sure disappeared quickly after that, I'll tell you! All in a day's work of your friendly campus-bound Hero!

When Matt came back from work, however, he appeared to be a lot happier. I hadn't had much of a chance to interrogate him about his change in mood just yet, as I still had my own shift at the café to work. But not to worry! As soon as I got home, I would inevitably wrestle the details out of him.

Well, it was either that, or have a civil conversation, and we all know that that was never going to happen with me. What, you don't think that I'm self aware? HAHAHAHA! Y'all are all so adorably naïve.

The kitchen doors swung open and Feliks poked his head into the room. "Like, Alfred? Ivan has another complaint about his food. He would like to speak with the chef."

I slammed my knife onto the wooden chopping board, easily splitting it into two. "What does he want now?!" I growled, rolling up my sleeves.

Feliks shrugged, batting his neon pink eyelashes at me in boredom. "Like, hell if I know."

"Ugh!" I washed my hands clean in the sink. "Why won't he just leave me the hell alone?!" I grumbled to myself.

With that done and over with, I pushed open the doors of the kitchen. "Ve! Alfred?" Feliciano called out to me.

I walked over to the drinks station where Feliciano was in the midst of performing coffee art for the customers. "Can you give this to Ivan while you're at it?" he asked.

I forced a plastic smile onto my face. "Sure, dude! No problemo!" I grabbed the coffee mug from a very grateful-looking Feliciano. The poor guy had always been terrified of Ivan, whereas I was sure wasn't.

I look down and scowled at the contents in the mug. Feliciano had drawn a smiling cartoon pig out of the cream. That's it! This meant war!

I stormed over to Ivan's table, slamming down his cup of coffee. "Is there a problem, Ivan?" I said through clenched teeth.

Ivan looked up from his laptop, a devious ear-to-ear smile stretching onto his face. I felt my face redden with anger when I spotted three untouched ham sandwiches resting on his table. Forget the fact that he wasn't eating any of the food. Ivan purposefully ordered anything that was pig related just to drive me off the wall.

"Hmmm. Yes, these sandwiches don't look very good," Ivan answered.

"But you haven't even tasted them!" I protested, making a point to avoid looking at the arm muscles that were protruding out from his beige trench coat. What?! It's not like I wanted to look at them! They just popped out, okay?!

Ivan picked up a sandwich, absently twirling it around for me to see. "So careless in its design!" he mused. "The bread isn't cut evenly."

"Ya know, most people don't care about these sort of things," I snorted.

"I forgot!" Ivan mused. "Piggies like you eat anything that you can latch your big, greedy mouths on."

"Listen man," I bit my lip. "I'm not refunding you for an unevenly cut sandwich."

"Sandwiches," Ivan corrected.

"Yeah, well whatever!" I rolled my eyes. "So, are you going to eat those or what?"

"Nope~!"

"Thought so." I bent over to pick up two plates, stacking one over the other. The last plate was all the way over on the other end of the table.

Ivan put in his two cents by grabbing the other plate for me. When I reached over to take the plate for him, however, something unexpected happened: we brushed hands with each other.

Ivan's face reddened, and before I knew it, he had shoved me backwards. "DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FILFTHY PIG!" he screeched.

CLANK!

I dropped the plates from the shock of this unexpected outburst. When he called me a pig this time, it wasn't nearly as playful as it had been before. It was malicious, and quite frankly, scary.

Several glass shards surrounded my shoes. Ivan's violet eyes widened as he realized what he had just done.

"S-sorry," he murmured, rubbing his hands together nervously. His voice had dropped to a tone much lower than I had ever heard him spoke before. "I d-don't react well to being touched… W-we're still friends, da?"

I spared Ivan a concerned look. "No worries, buddy. I'm sure that you didn't mean it. Of course we're still friends."

I didn't have time to register that this was the first time that Ivan had ever called me his friend.

"G-good." Ivan bent over, intending to help pick up the broken shards of glass.

"No! No! I got it!" I stammered. "It's fine, really! I'll get a broom. Wouldn't want you to cut yourself, hahaha!"

I've always had a horrible habit of laughing whenever I was nervous.

Ivan's shoulders sank as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. He morosely went back to typing away on his laptop, bashfully ignoring the stares of everyone in the café. Thankfully, Liza wasn't in tonight to witness this disaster.

I passed by Feliks on my way to the backroom. "Like, are you okay, broski?" he asked.

"Yeah man, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

"Like, if you say so."

When I knew for sure that I was alone, I let out a shuddering sigh. "What the heck was all that about?"

Thank you for reading. Have a great day/ night.