Blackout

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

"Hello Matthew." America said in his usual, over loud, very obnoxious voice. Matthew didn't say anything, he just glared. "Cold, okay." Alfred hummed. "Have you tried any food yet?" The American paused waiting for an answer, but he wasn't going to get one. Matthew was still glaring, but on the inside he was scared. "Oh come on Mattie. You're still not over that? It's been over two hundred years."

"Really?" Canada managed to get out. He was beyond angry and was fighting the urge to beat Alfred to the ground right there. "Of course I'm not fucking 'over that.'" He snapped pushing past America, but he caught his wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" The American demanded with a death grip on him. He yanked Canada back. Matthew froze looking nervously up at the blond. He felt so helpless in that moment. "That's no way to treat your host."

"Let him go." Gilbert barked suddenly at his side. Alfred looked annoyed at the albino's appearance and let Canada's wrist go. Matthew ducked his head and Prussia put an arm around his waist in reassurance. The albino shot a dirty look at Alfred as he led Matthew away. "I'm tired, ready to go?"

"Yeah." Matthew said quietly as they walked towards the door. He was starting to calm down now and his mind was clearing. He was happy that none of the other nations seemed to notice the exchange.

"Jou okay?" Prussia asked as they walked quickly down the street.

The Canadian nodded. "I'm fine." But he knew he really wasn't. He could still smell ghouls around. They must have been following them. Blackbird looked over his shoulder and spotted someone duck behind a bush. "Shit." Matthew cursed quietly.

"Vhat is it?" Prussia asked raising an eyebrow, but his face was still full of concern. Blackbird didn't say anything; he just looked over his shoulder again. He could smell another couple ghouls, but couldn't pinpoint their locations. "Ghouls?" The albino asked quietly and Canada nodded.

"They're staying back." Canada said judging their distance by scent. He still couldn't relax when there was a possibility of an attack. All his focus was on protecting Prussia and getting out of there. He kept checking over his shoulder to keep tabs on the ghouls following them. He caught some motion out of the corner of his eye.

Matthew saw a shadow running and ducking behind cars on the opposite side of the street. He knew it was another ghoul by scent. He let a small growl out keeping Gilbert close to him. He was ready to attack at any moment if one of the ghouls got too close for his comfort.

After what seemed like years, the pair finally made it back to the motorcycle. Canada handed Gilbert his helmet giving one final visual sweep of the area trying to get a good look at one of the ghouls, but couldn't. He put his helmet on and started the bike before the pair sped off.

-❄"Never trust anyone too much; remember the devil was once an angel."❄-

"Birdie?" Prussia asked as soon as they entered their hotel room and closed the door. "What did Alfred do?"

Matthew shook his head and sat on the bed. Gilbert sat down next to him. "He didn't really do anything. I just let my mind slip for a second and walked into him." He sighed. "I froze." Canada shook his head again. He rested his head on Gilbert's shoulder. "He's right though. I should be over that by now. It's been over two hundred years."

"It's fine that jou're not over it yet." Prussia said giving Canada a kiss on the cheek. He knew that the Canadian was most likely going to be fairly quiet tonight. "It vill take time." Matthew just tucked his head into the crook of the albino's neck. "Jou need to remember that jou're a strong and awesome man, but it's okay to have fears."

Canada didn't say anything, but nodded slightly. They sat like that on the edge of the bed for a while. Gilbert hummed quietly to fill the silence and played with Matthew's hair. The blond was taking comfort in Prussia's touch and him just being there.

-❄"You have no control: who lives, who dies, who tells your story."❄-

AN: Flashback! And not 100% percent sure if the translations are correct. Couldn't find much on the Internet.

As a child, before his land was discovered, Canada lived with his native people. He lived with many tribes over the years never sticking with one for too long. Back then, ghouls and humans lived together in harmony at least in north America. The ghouls would go out and do the hunting for the humans in exchange for companionship and food.

Matthew at the time wasn't called Matthew or Canada. He didn't get those names until much later. Most people called him Tsó:kwaris meaning red-winged blackbird or Cahcahka meaning blackbird depending on who he was staying with.

His mother Native America, just before she had disappeared, had warned him that new people would be coming to his land soon. He was very excited to meet them and his brother that he'd heard so much about, but she warned him that these people were different. She said that the men were ruthless and to be very wary of them. Native America warned him that these people didn't treat ghouls the same as humans and to never, under any circumstances tell someone that he was a ghoul. She had tried to teach him how to eat without gagging, but Cahcahka, being only about four in human years, didn't quite understand the importance of it.

Many years later he did, after he had met France he understood the importance of appearing human. The elder nation talked about ghouls as less than human. He did the same about the native people as well. Canada didn't like what the blond was saying about them. Matthew learned quickly how to hide his ghoul habits around France.

There had been a few close calls. He had snuck away to go throw up the food he'd eaten that night with Francis, but the elder nation found him. Canada had managed to convince France that he was sick and had to act so for the next couple of days. Over the next few decades he mastered hiding.

Canada was surprised the first time he had met his brother. The blond had always assumed that America would have been a ghoul as well, but he wasn't. He met more and more nations and none of them were either. He was the only nation that was also a ghoul.

Both of the younger nations became friends quite quickly. They talked a lot about the problems they were going through as new nations under Britain. America was being governed hard by England, but Canada on the other hand, would just roam around. England would constantly pester America, but left Canada alone for the most part. It didn't take long for Alfred to get fed up and start fighting back.

Matthew didn't see much of Alfred for the next couple of years. He would get a letter here and there, but the nation was busy with the revolution.