I'm sorry it has been so long. This should have taken me only one night . . . but I had school, and would like the money spent to go NOT down the drain. ^_^ Thank you for waiting! (Mr. Himaruya owns Hetalia, not me!)
Chapter 3
Matthew sat down in his favorite chair, seeing his "family" walk through the door. Alfred tried to smile at him, but was shot down with a glare.
"So," Arthur started warily, "You indicated you knew we were coming – "
"A birdy told me," Matthew said sternly, "Didn't know you would actually come, though. It's not really like you all to think about me."
Francis went to Matthew's side, bending down on one knee, "Mon Cher, I am truly sorry I forgot. I have had so much work, and –"
"And there was no time to call. No time to think. No time to look at your calendar, and say 'Oh! My only son's birthday is today!* I think I'll notice him for once!'" Matthew sweetly spat out, "Well, we all can be a little busy, now can't we."
France was stunned into silence, his head bowing down in shame.
"Matthew, dear," Arthur said, "You can't blame the man for that. You should know how much a country works, especially during this time of the year-"
"And yet, you seem to always remember America's birthday," Matthew stated, poison on his words, "or is that just because you lost to him like a sorry beat down mutt that day? And then, didn't you come home and cry to me about how you lost your 'dear old son,' and how you didn't know what you would do without him, even though I was right there tending to your wounds?"
"Matthew, I-"
"You didn't even see me after that; you always mistook me for America, to fill that void in your heart."
And just like that, Arthur stood there, silenced by his shame as well.
Alfred looked around Matthew's small living room, trying to avoid his brothers' eyes, when he spotted a game on the console Matthew had. He picked it up, examining it, "Hey, Matty. I thought you weren't able to buy this yet. You said it was too expensive."
"Gilbert gave it to me. He came over yesterday, demanded some pancakes for breakfast, and surprised me with it," Matthew stated matter-of-factly, "Of course, that was before Ukraine, Holland, Cuba and a couple of others came over for a surprise birthday party. Hell even Russia called to congratulate me, even though he said something about sitting on me again at the next world meeting."**
Alfred slowly put the game down. He then walked over to Matthew, crouching down to his brother's eye level. Crystal blue eyes stared into amethyst ones.
"I can't say I'm sorry . . . because that wouldn't cover it," Alfred said.
Matthew was taken aback by how serious his brother was being. Usually Alfred tried to play off missing his birthday with some lame excuse. But right now . . . it was different to say the least.
Alfred took his brother's hand into his, "We've all failed at being there for you. We're your family, and we plain forget about you. It's not right."
"Alfred-"
"Mon Cher is right," Francis looked up at his former colony; his former son, "We have all been too busy to notice you. But that isn't right."
Matthew looked at him, "Papa."
A clearing throat made all three heads turn to see an embarrassed Brit standing on the other side of the room, "They are both right, Matthew. We've been so caught up in our own countries and lives, we forgot about you. And family – " he grew a little quieter, "Well . . . family should stick together."
"Arthur?"
Matthew did not know what to say. All three of the men, the proudest people he had ever known throughout his life, were apologizing. There were no hints or slight indications towards being sorry for what they had done. They were upfront about it. All three just confessed to how ignorant they were to him and his feelings. Matthew could not believe it.
"So," Alfred spoke, breaking the silence, "if there is any way we can make it up to you . . . well, is there?"
Matthew looked down once more to see his brother's big puppy-dog eyes staring back at him. He smiled.
Without a word, he stood up and headed to the kitchen. Alfred and Francis looked at each other. Was he going for a make-shift weapon? No, couldn't be. That smile was genuine . . . maybe.
Matthew came back into the room, holding a cake, which had red frosting with white in the middle, and a small red maple leaf made out of strawberries.***
"Can we just sit down and watch a movie. I hear Meatballs is a pretty good one."***
All three men smiled.
"Sure."
"That would be great."
"Mon Cheri. What a great idea."
As Francis and Arthur grabbed some plates, Alfred found and put the movie in, turning on the flat screen TV. Matthew sat down on the large couch and started to slice the cake into eight equal pieces. He figured that if his former caretakers would not be able to finish two slices, his brother would.
With cake on their plates, and each one of them sitting comfortably on the couch, Alfred pushed play on the remote. Each and every one of them – Arthur, Francis, Alfred, and Matthew – were completely content.
Hearing the noise from the living room, Kumajiro walked in to find the family enjoying themselves. He walked up to his owner, looked up at him, and asked, "Who are you?"
"He's Canada," three of the men said before Matthew could chime in.
Matthew started to silently laugh. Even if they did forget him sometimes, his family meant a lot to him.
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Gilbert woke up to the sound of his ringtone buzzing through the night. He sighed, leaned over to his bedside table, and grabbed his phone. The awesome energy lost in those moves was well worth it, when he opened the text and saw a picture of Alfred, Arthur, and Francis sleeping on a couch, heads leaning on each other's shoulders. The words under the picture said, "They look so adorable right now. Should I still be mad at them?"
Gilbert grinned evilly. One of his best buddies was severely hurt by the people who were supposed to be the closet to him. But they looked so innocent right now.
Gilbert typed his answer and sent the message, falling back to sleep once his laid his phone down.
Matthew's phone buzzed in his pocket just as he placed the dishes in the sink. He looked at Gilbert's response, almost laughing loud enough to wake his guests.
"Well I guess I should take his advice," he told himself, walking back into the living room.
Kumajiro, who had followed his owner into the kitchen in hopes of food, was able to read the message before Matthew walked away, "Uh-oh."
"They don't deserve mercy. If they want some, let them have cake! On their heads!"
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End?
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*I am basing this theory on the fact that Canada was the only place – now nation – that was under France's care (with a male persona in the Hetalia world.) However, correct me if I'm wrong. I know Seychelles was under France's rule, but she is female in Hetalia.
**Canada has many friends. He was the first to recognize Ukraine as a country. He helped to save the Netherlands in WWII, ending up with the country giving him tons of tulips each year. He and Cuba are friends in the anime series. And yes, Russia still sits on him – but I think it's because Russia doesn't know what a real joke is. And let's not forget that Canada is friends with Prussia, which probably stems back to him being under France's rule, and Prussia (anime wise) being France's friend.
***I was looking through Google images, and found many pictures of "Canada Day cake" where the maple leaf is made out of strawberries. Sounds delicious! Also, the movie Meatballs was a 1979 Canadian comedy, which is also noted as the first film appearance for Bill Murray. Haven't watched it yet, but it sounds really good.