AN: Hi everyone! First off, happy Canada Day/happy birthday Matthew! This chapter isn't exactly for today, but it does involve Matt so enjoy him. The song was requested by two different people (you know who you are) and I hope you like it.

The song is Human by Christina Perri. Does not belong to me. The nations belong to Himaruya.

Rain thrummed harshly against the roof, lightning sometimes illuminating the dimmed room. The nations were aware of it, and some listened to it as they listened to the speaker; bored and uninterested. Others took it as a sign of home, or a distraction.

There was little thunder to be heard despite the massive rainstorm that had arrived halfway through the meeting. That meant fewer interruptions for them, and it did help to settle some nerves in the room.

Overall, though, things were slow. Rainy days were usually reserved for doing nothing, or for binge watching movies, not for business meetings. There wasn't a lot of motivation to go around, even in those who were usually very upbeat. Speeches lagged, and things didn't run as smoothly as they could have.

The disorganization of their meetings could be funny at times, but now it was just another lag; a block in the road that led to them getting home. A break had been given ahead of time, but now Matthew was sure that the others were going to try for another- if only to clear their heads. And… he wouldn't deny that he needed that as well.

His mind had been a bit out of sorts… It was just one of those days. There was some sort of… emptiness he had that couldn't be filled; a wave that sent his thoughts into overdrive. It didn't help that things were so quiet now… Though, it may not have been the room that had grown near silence. It could have been him. The Canadian frowned at that, feeling the weight of his apparent invisibility set on once again. His amethyst eyes skimmed the room, his stomach dropping a little.

Just how many of them will forget me today..?

Things had been oddly… better since they had started singing songs. It seemed like the others were actually remembering his words-his voice- and were looking forward to what he might try next. Grant it, he hadn't sung many songs by himself… but now he was starting to regret the fact that he hadn't brought anything up since the beginning.

Matthew leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, listening to a few side conversations and peeking at the lazy light in a few nations' eyes. They're going to forget… He had brought up the issue earlier, said how he felt… or some it, anyway… but it had been too long. The effect had already begun to fade. He could see it in their faces. They were going to ask again- that one stupid question…

'Hey, Matt.'

He jumped, inhaling sharply. Blinking, he searched the room, only to find that Alfred was still in his seat near the front of the room. The Canadian attempted to relax and shake the nerves away from wherever they had come from. 'Yeah..?'

Alfred gave him a small nod, silently saying they would continue the conversation in a minute, and turned to Feliciano and Lovino, who were hosting the meeting. They seemed to catch on to what he was saying very quickly, and Feliciano nodded in agreement. Then Lovino stood, looking about as tired as the rest of them, and announced, "Ten minute break." There was an almost tangible buzz of relief in the air at the words, though there was a pause as the older Italian continued, a frown on a face but something a little lighter in his eyes, "No more than that. If we have to stay longer than scheduled someone is going to get a shitstorm." Thunder rumbled outside and Matthew swore Lovino's lips quirked upwards as he walked towards the break room. "99% chance people!"

Lovino actually… joked. A small smile tugged at his lips and he turned to Feliciano and Alfred, the former with a smile of his own. Maybe Lovino was having a much better day than he was… Maybe they all were.

And… there it was. He could feel himself being pulled back down again, and see the shift in Alfred's expression as felt it. Blue eyes met his, the question silent but all too visible, and he looked away. He didn't need to bother his brother… And he certainly wasn't going to bring down the other nations either.

A few scattered song lyrics popped into his mind, each from a different song. Different rhythms, tones and chords interchanged, but he wasn't sure which to acknowledge… And, instead, he decided not to acknowledge them at all. They just stayed there, under a haze, and he itched to play them…

"…Mattie..?"

He bit back a sigh, and looked immediately seeing that the American was now only a few feet away. He knew the tone Alfred was using… And he met it with a look his brother knew just as well. They needed to have a jam session later. He needed it…

His brother nodded and pulled up a chair next to him, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "You think Lovino was kidding about the shitstorm?" His voice was carefree, but his thoughts were more understanding than anyone gave him credit for. 'They won't forget you, Matt.'

He managed a smile. "It's Lovino. I wouldn't take the chance." '…thanks…'

Alfred paused, obviously hearing the doubt in his voice. He lowered his voice, his smile softening. "They won't… Not now. And if you want, you could show them."

Yeah… Show them. But he really wasn't sure how they would react to some parts of him.

"It's a start," Alfred answered back, shrugging his shoulders.

Part of his mind tried to find a loophole, while the other was already searching through songs. Without an answer, he pulled out his phone and began looking through what was available. It was quite a bit… But then he cursed softly, seeing his battery. He'd tried to charge it the night before but apparently something hadn't been plugged in all the way…

Alfred leaned over his shoulder, checking to see the damage. He didn't seem too bothered though, only taking something out of his pocket. "You can use my phone if you want. I have a ton of your songs on it."

He knew that was true… They shared songs all the time, and Al had probably made a playlist for him just in case. Matthew had done the same… So he smiled a bit, taking the device gratefully, and checked the battery. It was less on the verge of dying than his was. "Forgot your charger too?"

His brother nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah..."

He shook his head and looked through the song list. He didn't want to do something that was too much…yet. There were a few in here that would work… Eventually, he settled on one and fell into a joking conversation with Alfred before the meeting started up again. They waited for a good while, and Matthew didn't even consider raising his hand until they had neared the end of the meeting. He didn't want to give himself time to back out…

Slowly, his hand went up. He waited for a few short moments, listening rather than looking at the others. The noise was constant for what felt like far too long before it began to simmer down. Lovino met his eyes from the front of the room and raised an eyebrow, hardly needing to vocalize his question. Matthew nodded slowly, letting his friend know to let him get on with it. Moments later, the Italian sat up in his seat. "Go ahead."

There was no getting out now… and he was grateful for that. The Canadian pulled out his phone and unlocked it, the song immediately pulling up. Slowly, he took a deep breath and let it out, placing the device in front of him on the table. It's not a big deal… Not compared to everything else.

The song began.

There was a quick build up, as if created by strings. It filled the room for a few moments and then suddenly vanished, leading to a few gradual piano notes and deep, rich strings. There was little time for Matthew to prepare, but he knew what was coming. Moments later, he sang softly, feeling more than a little out of place, "I can hold my breath…" It was obvious that several of the nations in the room recognized the song, if not from the first few notes than from the first bit of lyrics. They seemed a little surprised at his choice- or maybe they were surprised that he had chosen something so open…

His eyes fell shut for a moment, but he couldn't find much to think about. Not yet, anyway. The piano notes continued, relaxed but tinged with a more melancholy tone, and he went on. "I can bite my tongue…" His eyes stuck to the table now, a frown slowly making its way onto his face. "I can stay awake for days if that's what you want… Be your number one." His voice melded seamlessly with the one in the audio track. He hadn't been planning this one exactly, especially the part about using Al's phone, and he hadn't had time to pick out the instrumental. No one seemed to mind, though.

Now he looked up and met their eyes, as the music built a little for the next verse. "I can fake a smile…" He knew so many of them did that from day to day. Feliciano, Alfred, Gilbert… The song wasn't only about him for these lines. It was about them too, because-like it or not- they were just as human as their own people were. "I can force a laugh…" He sighed softly. "I can dance and play the part if that's what you ask… Give you all I am…"

The music built up only a little, as if it were trying to come up with the courage to show itself. Matthew smiled softly, his voice mirroring the change. It was smaller than it could have been, a little hesitant. "I can do it… I can do it… I can do it…" He held out the last word, and, if the others had the insight to look, they would have heard the hint of the true strength of his voice. The music built up a little more. "But I'm only-"

Most of the track seemed to drop out entirely, leaving only the bittersweet paino to accompany his words. "-human." Matthew couldn't help but feel exposed, especially when he wasn't accustomed to all of the attention, but he was glad that they were listening. Relieved… The last time hadn't been some kind of fluke. They actually cared enough to see what he had to say. "And I bleed when I fall down… I'm only human."

His thoughts began to drift, latching onto certain memories and feelings. "And I crash and I break down." There was barely a pause here, but in his mind it seemed slower. "Your words in my head…"

'Who are you?'

'What's your name?'

'You're not Alfred?'

"Knives in my heart… You build me up-"

'Oh, Matthew, right. I'm so sorry, it must have slipped my mind.'

'I won't forget that again, don't worry.'

'How could I have forgotten my little Mathieu?'

But it always came right back… It never failed to come full circle, and they never seemed to remember for long. "And then I fall apart…" Matthew let out a breath and took another, meeting their eyes once more. He wished he could say what he was thinking, how much their words really stung when they seemed to only brush them off, but it looked like they understood.

After all, they were thinking of moments like that themselves…

His voice had grown stronger without him realizing, but he built on it still, if only for a moment. "You build me up 'cause I'm only human…" He trailed off, playing with the notes as he did, his voice becoming as soft as it had when he began. Despite that, however, the song kept what it had built on and continued to grow. His voice did the same.

"I can turn it on… be a good machine…" That was what it felt like at times- that they were only husks to represent a very real population, that they themselves didn't have desires or dreams or feelings to call their own. But that just wasn't true… "I can hold the weight of worlds if that's what you need… be your everything." That was what they did, wasn't it? They were strong, and if they were… than so was he.

Matthew found himself smiling, his voice growing stronger by the second as the music built and built. He glanced towards his brother to see him smiling too, and he knew that the message was received. "I can do it… I can do it..! I'll get through it," A beat. "'But I'm only human..!"

His voice wasn't meek or hesitant any longer; it was powerful. Alfred added to that in parts, but he was an emphasis. He didn't steal the show so much as he managed to add an extra spotlight to shine on his brother.

He continued, turning words that would have been considered a weakness or a flaw into a marvelous strength they all possessed. "And I bleed when I fall down. I'm only human..! And I crash and I break down…" They were all listening. They were actually hearing him… "You're words in my head, knifes in my heart, you build me up and then I fall apart 'cause I'm only human..!"

Again, he trailed off, but the music behind him didn't. It continued to build and grow, just as he had left himself the room to do. The Canadian was grinning now, and he was happy to see that the others shared his excitement. "I'm only human..! I'm only human..!" There was barely a pause and he heard one or two nations cheer or clap, "Just a little human..!" He held it out for, assumedly, longer than they thought he could. A beat hit, and the music tapered off, receding into the returning piano notes.

Matthew nodded towards the other nations, hoping they would understand. "I can take so much... 'til I've had enough…" He didn't want to be forgotten anymore. He had reached his breaking point several times already and he was not looking for another. But he was worried, too, that what he thought and what he felt wouldn't change anything. It hadn't seemed to before…

But no… The music continued built still, and he smiled again, realizing his expression had fallen some time ago. No, now they were beginning to understand. "'Cause I'm only human!" Alfred joined with him again briefly and he remembered that his brother had been there with him, through the worst of it and the best of it, and the others would be there soon enough. "And I bleed when I fall down..! I'm only human! And I crash and I break down..! Your words in my head, knifes in my heart, you build me up and then I fall apart 'cause I'm only human…!"

He held it out and trailed off, the music doing the same. He pressed pause, feeling much better, and then… This time, he wasn't met with the silence he had grown so accustomed to. No, this time… They clapped for him. They cheered.

This time, they saw him. They heard him.

And they had listened.

AN: Thank you for reading! I apologize for any errors that I missed. I have a lot in my head I want to do with this, especially for the North American Brothers. A lot of it involves different headcanons and stuff, so... *shrugs* Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next chapter!