North American Hurricane (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In the same vein as Bunnies For Your Amusement, I now bring you my collection of oneshots and short stories featuring the North American twins, America and Canada! Now including non-LJ drabbles.

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: Random Shit, Bros Being Bros, Magic v Nonmagic

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"Woah, what the heck was that?"

Matthew strongly resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the young man staring at his now-empty hands, not for the first time wondering what had compelled him to save someone so infuriatingly nosy. "It's just a banishing spell - most mages learn it once they have the power to, since it's a lot easier to deal with than just leaving the trash around."

"Okay, I got that but, like, does it send it somewhere, or make it just dissolve, or what?" Alfred asked, ignoring the pursing of Matthew's lips.

At first he'd humored the other man's raving about another world and portals, figuring that it was a mild insanity from being lost in the further wilds for who knew how long with only questionable foods available to him. Matthew considered himself a kindly enough soul, if preferring his privacy, so he'd thought nothing at the time of escorting him back to whichever village or town he'd come from so his family could help him right himself.

Then, of course, he'd been foolish enough to cast magic in front of him. He'd actually winced when he'd realized he'd used a minor shock hex to drive off the harpy who'd been following them, convinced the mundane would start panicking over a 'mysterious and deadly mage' in his midst.

Instead, he'd been the wide-eyed focus of a silent, impressed gaze for about three seconds before the questions started, dropping off the man's lips as if they were all trying to push out of his mind at once. He lost track of them all somewhere around the mutterings of 'natural laws' or some such, content to just stare back at him blankly until Alfred finally stopped to take a breath.

Such was his first introduction to the concepts of 'science' and its erstwhile companions 'method' and 'skepticism'. And oh, was there a lot of that, more than anyone he'd ever met would dare think of, much less breath into the winds.

"It banishes it. They don't go anywhere, they just stop existing."

Three, two, one- "That violates thermodynamics, though!"

Matthew sighed. "It's magic."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't have to follow any rules," Alfred shot back, as he always did when he used that argument, especially since they both knew magic did have rules, though obviously the untrained of the two had no idea what they were. "You can't destroy or create matter or energy - it's as fundamental to everything as gravity or electromagnetism!"

As the mage resisted the urge to, again, remind the other man that both of those laws could be ignored with magic, he couldn't help but lean forward slightly as Alfred started delving deeper into the mathematics behind the law, because it was rare to have someone outside of a paid tutor or a master teaching so thoroughly, and those were still leery of passing on all their knowledge. Matthew had to admit, if only to himself, that there was something nice about being able to learn something new without having to go through all the messy trials himself for once, and something nicer still about someone willing to challenge him for no other motive than to make him think.

Mundanes, in general, were too awed and afraid of mages, and other mages were more interested in sniffing out new secrets than anything. Few, he knew, would ever waste time questioning why their world was the way it was, so long as they got results.

Alfred's world, it seemed, demanded the question be asked. Or at least, those of his profession, though the other's bias made it difficult to say either way. Maybe that was why he didn't like the questions - it made him more and more aware of just how much he didn't know, when once he'd been so certain in his intellect.

"Where does the mass go when you change forms?"

I don't know.

"Why does making fire take more energy than making ice?"

I don't know.

"What makes some people able to control magic while everyone else can't?"

I don't know.

"Why?" "Why?" "Why?"

"I don't know, alright?"

Alfred balked, the half-asked question dying on his lips as he watched Matthew work through several deep breaths before continuing. "I don't know how most of this works - I've always been taught to be more concerned with results and immediate needs, not- not why this spell or that incantation do what they do."

He grimaced, looking away into the woods as he continued. "I'm sorry if that makes me sound stupid or backwards to you, but I never lived in some fantastical land where everyone has the chance to learn whatever they please, and demand the universe tell them everything about it before sharing it with everyone else. I don't know about magnets or physics or potential energy or calculus because none of those things have ever mattered, and- stop laughing, damn it!"

Indeed, Alfred had started losing it somewhere along the way, corners of his eyes actually tearing up from the force of them. As Matthew glowered at him, he got it under control, though a grin still graced his face. "Dude, I wasn't laughing at you, really, I just-"

He giggled again, hand over his mouth as he finally continued, "I thought you were getting pissed 'cause I'm an idiot, not for making you seem like one. I was just trying to figure out what I could before we reached civilization so I could at least pretend I didn't grow up under a rock somewhere, and I just figured you were one of the types who isn't much into having to explain everything in small words."

...oh. Matthew could feel the heat rising in his face even as he sunk back down to his seat, wondering why he hadn't really stopped to realize that every concept he'd been introducing to Alfred was just as new to him as atoms were to the mage. Asking about the banishing spell wasn't just about how it worked, he'd stand out like a sore thumb if he freaked out the first time he saw it happening in the middle of town while everyone around him remained unphased.

Were their situations reversed, he'd probably attempt to do the exact same thing.

"...sorry."

Alfred shook his head. "I should be apologizing to you. Maybe we should try this again, only without making each other feel dumb all the time?"

Matthew finally found a laugh escaping him alongside relief. "Alright, I think I can handle that."

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AN: I honestly spent most of this wondering what I was writing, and am still somewhat unsure, but it's done and I'm one day into the drabble-a-day marathon for this month. Originally this was supposed to be more actual AmeCan-like, but nothing shippy came out so like. Shrugs. That's what I have the NAH for.