I do not own Hetalia, okay? Been a little while since I updated but hey, I'm here. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Alfred tapped his hands as he pulled into the driveway and turned off his car. "We're home." he said as he headed into the house, sighing as Emma and Matthew took their bags out of the trunk. It had finally hit him that the band could do something. It wasn't just talk. Part of him thought it would be just like last time when they got a bad manager, and it would erupt in a fight especially now that they had back up plans that provided stability. Lien would be a great teacher after all. But part of him was envious and started to doubt himself. If getting a different lead singer was all that it took, then was he as good as he thought he was?

"Oh, I love your childhood home Mattie." Emma said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's something else…." Alfred said as he offered a polite smile to her, but defeat started to fall over him. Trying to shake the sadness away, he turned to Matthew and Emma, "Need some help with your bags?"

"Nah, I got this bro." Matthew smiled. "Years playing hockey and all…." He winked in a teasing manner that caused Alfred to roll his eyes and open the door with an annoyed look.

"After you Wayne Gretzky." Alfred rolled his eyes. He sighed knowing that would get Matthew and once he and Emma were inside, Alfred headed up to his bedroom and laid down on the bed, sighing. He looked over at the picture of Ivan on the side of the bed, one he had often held tightly to at night." You'd know just what to say to me Vanya." He looked up at the ceiling. Did I do the right thing after all? I could have made it in LA if everything fell apart. Maybe take Lien with me and we'd work together. She was going to be a teacher after all and I'd just... Alfred paused. He had realized until he had met Ivan, he had not given a thought to his talents outside of music. His professors had said he was doing a great job with his studies and what Ivan had said had helped motivate him to make something for himself.

Ivan stared out the window, realizing just how far away Dimitri's farm was from the train station in Kiev. "Just how early did you have to leave to get to the train station to pick me up?"

"Oh, it's only about a 2 hour drive. I also get up very early anyway." Katyusha smiled. "I was born to farm and that is why I think Dimitri and I are perfect."

"But farming can take all hours of the day." Ivan said. "Do you have animals?"

"A few. We have some cattle and chickens mainly for personal use. The main crops are grain, sugar beets and you favorite, sunflowers. You should really bring Alfred in the summer. You two getting lost in the tall flowers, ones that somehow are taller than you," Ivan rolled his eyes at how his older sister would always talk to him like he was a child, even though they were siblings. To be fair, she did have to raise pretty much him and his sister and that she partly blamed herself for both Ivan and Natalya falling into a bad crowd in their youth. "Will I have to look for you two in the fields when the sun goes down and you get lost in the fields?"

Ivan grew red in embarrassment. Sure, as she described it, it seemed like his romantic dream to lie with Alfred in a field of sunflowers like that, but Katyusha talking to him like that about it, made him feel awkward. "Dimitri won't have a problem with your brother having a boyfriend?" He whispered. The biggest part of the transfer that he was looking forward to, in addition to having Alfred by his side and knowing he could keep him safe from anyone who wanted to harm his sunflower, was that he wouldn't have to feel like he is hiding himself, knowing how most people didn't really care about his preferences. He worried that Dimitri would leave his sister if he found out.

"Of course not." Katyusha smiled. "Trust me, if he did, I would never let anyone who wanted to hurt my siblings see the light of day." At this Ivan gulped, knowing that while Katyusha seemed like a loving and soft woman but if someone had crossed her, she would make them pay.

"Well, that's good to know." Ivan said as she turned into the farmhouse. As she did, Dimitri came out of a barn wiping his hands off with a rag. "Is that him?"

"Yes." She smiled as she turned off the truck, and opened the door and ran to Dimitri and grabbed him and spun him around. "Dimitri, that's my little brother Ivan!" She said as Ivan got out of the truck and grabbed his bags out of the back.

"Oh, hello." Ivan said with a polite smile. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the man. He could not picture it, but it seemed like if someone was to come up with a man who was a picture perfect accompaniment for his sister, then this was it, if not just the male version of his sister. "So, this is your farm huh?"

"Yes, been in the family for years." Dimitri said, "And I intend to keep it as long as I can, maybe even to my own children." At this Katyusha blushed and giggled looking away from him.

"Oh Dimitri, not yet!" Katyusha said.

"Yes, not until you are married." Ivan scowled as Katyusha sighed rolling her eyes.

"Ivan, must you be like this?" Katyusha said.

"Relax, I can handle this." Dimitri said as he headed up to Ivan and smiled. Ivan looked on with a deadly glare, that Dimitri seemed unphased. "Look, I understand why you would think the worst of me. I know that Katyusha has had some unfortunate luck with men. I know why you want to make sure that no one hurts your sister, I have a younger sister and brother myself and if someone would wish to harm them or break their hearts, I would take a pitchfork to their guts, and run them under the harvester as they would deserve no less. And if I were to do the same to your sister, I would understand why you would feel the same."

"I would take a metal pipe to your head and to your nutsack and then hit you in the kneecaps then throw you in a field and leave you for dead." Ivan said.

"And I would deserve no less." Dimitri said. "I hope that one day you see me as worthy of your sister. She told me of how it was when you were growing up, she had to be like a mother to you and your younger sister and that is what made me love her. Her willingness to care for you when she could have just left you to your own. I know at that time, so many families fell apart, and I do not want that. I intend to be what Katyusha needs and to give her the farmhouse she always wanted. It's the least I can do."

"Well, I do hope you keep to your word." Ivan said. "Or else."

"Understood." Dimitri said as he put the rag in his pocket. "Now come on inside, I will clean up and make us some galushki. You must be hungry after a long ride from Moscow."

"Thank you." Ivan said as Katyusha smiled.

"Dimitri makes a very good galushki." She reassured him as they headed into the farmhouse.

"That is good to know, I am hungry." Ivan replied, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"See, if you just will get to know him, you'll see that Dimitri is a good man." Katyusha smiled as Ivan followed her into the house.

As he sat down on the couch while Katyusha and Dimitri were in the kitchen dishing out the food, Ivan closed his eyes and thought back to Alfred. Something was telling him that this holiday was not going to go well for him and that he was going to be in pain during it. He wanted to just be there for him, but he was not going to be back in America until the transfer was started. He knew that it was going to be this year once all the paperwork was done, but each day away seemed painful and it worried Ivan. And then there was his friend Lien. He didn't know what to make of her, but she seemed like a threat to the relationship. If that band does make it big, then she will have a much more glamorous career and money and could use that to pull in Alfred. Especially if his father does act like he did at Christmas. One was prone to making bad decisions when depressed.

Matthew smiled as he got up to get himself something to drink while Emma talked with his fathers. However, something didn't sit right with him. He hadn't seen Alfred since they came to the house. From how he spoke when the song came on the radio from his old band, he could tell that his normally bold brother full of bravado and an ego that could never be deflated, had a crisis of conscious. And it wasn't just his training as a psychiatrist but as his brother's twin that told him that. He could tell when there was something wrong with Alfred and when things went wrong with him, it hit him hard. Seeing how entranced his fathers were with Emma, he headed up to Alfred's bedroom and opened the door.

"Dude!" Alfred jumped up. "You ever hear of knocking? God knows what I could have been doing in here!"

"Jerking it to Ivan's picture, I got it." Matthew said. "Trust me dude, we grew up together, I've caught you doing worse." Alfred rolled his eyes. Matthew sighed. "So, the band made it huh?"

"Yep." Alfred said.

"And you're doubting your choices." Matthew said.

"No…." Alfred said as Matthew gave him a look that said, 'really?' "Fine! Yes. Ever since you became a shrink, I cannot keep a thing to myself."

"Bro, you were an open book before I went to college. And we're twins, there's something like I don't know cosmic between us. And besides, how many times has people mistaken us for each other?"

"Uhhhhh…." Alfred began, trying to remember being called Matthew.

"Well, I know personally it was TONS of times myself." Matthew said. "Anyway, I know you're doubting everything you've chosen to do since you heard about the band getting a second chance?" Alfred held his knees close to him and nodded. "And into your melodramatic teenage girl pose? So, I am right," Matthew smirked.

"Fuck you." Alfred said sticking out his middle finger. "But yeah, I thought it was good they got the second chance, but I didn't actually think they would make it any further than we did before. I had already written off that part of my life. And here they find a new front man and they hit it big with him. So, did I suck and was I holding them back? Could I have made it if I did go back?"

"Well, here's the thing, you'll never know. And you will drive yourself MAD trying to figure that out. But also, look what you gained by not heading back," Matthew said as he pointed to the picture of Ivan on the nightstand." Alfred looked over. "Think, you've said it's hard enough for you to talk with the time difference here on the east coast. How would that have worked if you went back to LA and had to work all those jobs you did back then?" Alfred paused. "You would grow distant from the one person I know you have a deep connection with."

"What makes you so certain?" Alfred asked back.

"Twin brothers." Matthew said. "I said it before, but I know you. When you speak of Ivan, it makes you happy,"

"Well, he is totally awesome after all and put me onto what I am doing now, and I am waiting for the company to get their fucking shit together and then Ivan will be over here." Alfred laid back on the bed and an apartment finder magazine fell on the floor.

"Already scouting out a place for you guys huh?" Matthew smirked. "Can't say I blame you, wouldn't want to put up with Dad and Papa more than I have to." Alfred looked on curiously. "I know you think they think of me as the favorite." Alfred pout. "And I can see why you see it that way, I told them to try and stop treating us that way. Just because you didn't follow my path doesn't mean you are worthless, stupid or untalented. You need a lot of determination, skill, talent, smarts and dedication to have gotten as far as you did. Papa seems to get it. Dad…."

"Well Dad could use another night on the couch if he doesn't shut his trap." Alfred said.

"He hasn't said anything yet and if he does, I'll be there for you little bro." Matthew smiled. "I did tell him where to get off at Christmas after all."

"Thanks." Alfred said.

"And you and Ivan were getting off…." Matthew said as Alfred punched him in the shoulder. "OW!"

"Aww, what's the matter? Big tough hockey player can't take a friendly slugging from his computer nerd brother?" Alfred laughed as Matthew took a swing back. "Son of a bitch!" Alfred said.

"Guess you aren't as tough as you thought." Matthew smiled. "I still got it. How do you think I was able to survive those games, hockey isn't a sport for sissies after all, and that padding isn't just for warmth on the ice."

Meanwhile, Arthur looked up at the roof, hearing the thudding coming from Alfred's room. "Where did Matthew go?"

"I think he went to check on Alfred." Emma said as she sipped her tea. "He was so worried when his old band was on the radio. I think it may have upset Alfred and he wanted to make sure he was okay. I hope he didn't make Alfred mad…."

"Oh, it's quite possible that they are playfully fighting, both were prone to roughhousing after all." Francis reassured Emma.

Emma placed down her tea cup and headed up stairs to the room where she heard Matthew and Alfred talking. Opening the door, she smiled as she noticed that Alfred and Matthew were laughing. "Mattie, are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh, we're just fine sis." Alfred said as Matthew nodded. "Just brotherly bonding, Mattie and I were doing things like that for years. I cannot tell you how many times he kicked my butt when we were playing roller hockey."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Emma smiled. She then looked back at Alfred who seemed to be smiling but something wasn't right. "Is everything okay Alfred?"

"Yeah, fine, just fine." Alfred said.

"It's about your old band, isn't it?" Emma said as Alfred nodded.

"Emma, I think I got it…." Matthew began.

"Alfred, I will let you know that Matthew had played me some of your songs from your old band. You were great. Never doubt yourself. You just had bad luck. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. Your friend's luck just changed. Maybe their new frontman is also a good businessman?" Emma said.

"You know I never asked Lien about that." Alfred said. "I really should."

"And Matthew told me of your new career path and of Ivan. It sounds lovely." Emma said. "It kind of sounds like fun, think of all the hacker movies you see. You will be the person sneaking in and getting all the secret information and stopping bad guys from stealing things."

"You make it sound cooler than it can be sometimes." Alfred laughed.

"Well, it's still a good career path. I know I need to do a lot of cybersecurity work in my veterinary practice. You would be surprised what people try to do with that type of information." Emma said.

"Oh yeah I have heard stories in school about things that hackers do with businesses." Alfred said. "I mean one thing I am thinking of doing is trying out for something like the state police or maybe even FBI as a part of their cybersecurity division. And Ivan thinks that's good too."

"Is this him?" Emma asked at the picture on the nightstand.

"Yes, he's a big cuddly teddy bear." Alfred said as Matthew and Emma laughed. "Oh, fuck both of you."

"Why don't we go downstairs? I think Papa has finished his h'ours derves. You know he goes nuts when people are over for the holidays." Matthew said.

"And I have to make my Easter deviled eggs." Alfred smiled.

"I cannot wait to try them!" Emma smiled.

"You will LOVE IT sis." Alfred smiled as Matthew smiled, seeing how well Alfred took his soon to be wife.

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. I don't honestly have much to say other than remember to read, well you just did, and review. Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm.