Happy Valentine's Day from the #foreveralone author Alex! And this was seriously based off a dream that involved Canada somehow (at least 50% is the dream, the rest are other ideas that help the story lol)

Matthew's POV

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"Oh, Mattie~! Come on! I have shit to pick up before we go to school!" Alfred yelled while practically dragging me out of the house and onto the frost-covered sidewalk ahead. I groaned out of annoyance, a little jealous about how eager Alfred was on this day; Valentine's Day. It was a day I personally dreaded the most, considering I was never a social person, much less a popular one. All the "cool" kids got many confessions and gifts from their fellow students who happened to admire them, myself being left with the feeling of loneliness and jealousy towards the other kids with every year that passes by.

"Alfred, you know how much I hate Valentine's Day!" I exclaimed, struggling to get Alfred to release my arm from the tight grip he had on it, "Plus, I already told you, I'm not going to school today." Alfred only laughed in return, claiming that he would forcefully make me go to school, "no matter what happens! Unless you're dying, of course. So don't die, pleeeeeease???"

"I'm not going to die, by why are you dragging me out with you to do your stupid errands, exactly?" I questioned as we walked down the street, small footprints being left behind us. We stayed silent (Alfred finally letting go of me after walking a little over two blocks) until we reached the small market most teens our age stopped at after school. It was a small market, but one that had a lot in it. Alfred, ignoring my question, immediately greeted the cashier while grabbing one of the biggest bags of Hershey Kisses he could find. I could only laugh as he struggled to carry it to the register, receiving the death stare as a way of saying "I hate you, Matthew Williams."

As Alfred was paying the cashier (and possibly flirting with her), I glanced at the rows of candies and chocolates. They entranced me, boxes wrapped in some red and pink foil lined up on the shelves, a few stragglers trying to get a last-minute gift for their partners. Some were in a heated debate with each other, both trying to buy the giant teddy bear with the giant box of candy. Another person with platinum hair, about my age, was in a heated debate with himself about whether to get the purple box or the dark red one, only to stopped when I tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped and turned around, those familiar red eyes focusing on my own violet ones.

"What'cha looking for, Gil?" I asked him as he shoved box boxes back on the shelf, trying to hide the fact he was looking. "Nothing! It's just for my brother, he needed help trying to come up with something to give to his boyfriend or whatever!" I was confused for a moment, then I remembered the little lighthearted Italian Ludwig always hung around with, myself finally connecting two and two to realize they are actually dating after being oblivious for so long to each other.

"So Ludwig and Feli are a thing? Wow, never would've thought that that would have ever happened," I said, Gilbert shifting his feet while trying to avoid my stare, him looking straight down at the ground. This confused me a little, but it was probably his own problem. I sighed as I heard Alfred call my name (very loudly, by the way), and slowly started to back up, hopefully breaking the awkwardness between Gilbert and me.

"I'll see you at school then? Afternoon break?" He asked, myself sending a nod in reply, a little smile on both our faces. I waved at him as I ran out to help Alfred, my face heating up dramatically while walking through the double doors. I already knew I was a blushing mess, having walked into the person I liked on Valentine's Day at a store. I sighed as a cheeky grin appeared on Alfred's face, knowing he caught me. I have to say: he's oblivious as hell sometimes, but not that oblivious to not notice things like this.

"So~ Are you even going to tell Gilbert your undeniable love for him anytime soon? Or are you just going to make yourself suffer from these feelings for the rest of our high school years?" Alfred asked me, his over-dramatic side showing. I only playfully shoved him, the weight of the bag being dropped down onto my as Alfred let go of his side. I sighed, "We've been over this, Alfred. I already know he doesn't like me like that or anything, Plus, he said he was in there shopping for his hopeless brother, who apparently doesn't know what to get for his own boyfriend."

I threw the plastic bag back at him, said person stumbling as he struggled to carry the load by himself. As we continued to walk down the sidewalk, I looked over at Alfred, noticing a little pink heart-shaped box in his jacket pocket. Well, not his jacket. It was in the pocket of his bomber jacket, which was hidden underneath his bigger jacket he wore on top of that due to it being chilly outside. Of course, he kept it unzipped, which is how I noticed it. Now it was my turn to smirk at him, only receiving a groan in response.

"Did you finally get something for you-know-who? Since that heart-shaped box is kind of a dead giveaway that you got something for him," I teased, the bag being thrown back at me as he zipped his jacket up while coming up with excuses, each one a blatant lie. "W-What box? Who are you even talking about? I don't even have any pockets so you have no proof that I even got a small thing for Arthur because today's the day I'm actually going to be confident and tell him or anything like that..."

He kept rambling on, a trait he's had since childhood. So I did what everyone does to me best: ignore him. I tuned him out as he kept rambling on about his own personal life and his friendship with Arthur and minded my own business, my mind wandering to the subject on my current friendship with Gilbert and how I'm not going to mess that up with the yearly occurrence of the day of love, one where couples were now appearing more and more often as we neared Hetalia High. Boys went with girls, and girls went with boys. For the most part, at least. It had been sort of a rare occurrence to see a gay couple at school, but even since that assembly where Antonio came out as gay with his demisexual boyfriend Lovino, there have been more people coming out and more couples who are of the same sex. Everyone's supportive and all, but I was scared, especially for whenever I decide to come out, especially to Gilbert, who is the idiot I just had to have a major thing for.

I sighed as Alfred and I reached the entrance to the school, him finally being done with the long rant he just had. He didn't ask my opinion about it since he was whisked away by a group of girls who were trying to get him to date them. He just kept talking to them, no fear within him whatsoever. But then there's me, too scared to even go to school on Valentine's Day. I kept this to myself and walked in, noticing Gilbert and his friends Francis and Antonio all behind me. They were all deep in conversation, all of them laughing about something. Well, Gilbert wasn't; he was shoving the other two away and saying something incomprehensible from the distance I was at.

Realizing I was accidentally staring at them, I looked away, bumping into random people in the hallways. I stuttered apologies towards them, but they never really did seem to like me, especially with the way the acted towards me afterward. They usually glared at me, called me names, but I paid no mind towards them. Me being the quiet person I was, I just left it, since I most certainly did not want to get into a fight, especially not today.

So I carried on towards my locker, where I pondered my thoughts of me being the one to tell Gilbert how I felt. How it would happen, the bad thoughts of him saying no filling my mind, the like. I sighed as I slammed the locker door shut, the stuff for my first and second classes being carried with my other arm.

~~~

"Mr. Williams! What great timing!" A deep voice yelled from behind me as I walked through the doors to get outside during the fifteen minutes we had. I sighed as I turned around, our awfully cheerful principal's face uncomfortably close to mine, I chucked and took a step back, his voice rising once again while he was right in my face (again), "So, I needed someone else to help Alfred with taking down the decorations in the back of the school! So I thought to myself: Hmm... why not his dorky brother that's also kinda tall! So here we are! Also, it shouldn't take you more than a half-hour to an hour, so if you have any friends on the soccer team, then you should be able to catch them after their practice is done!" I agreed to it, wiping some of the spit off my face as I did so. He happily walked away as I almost ran out the door, slamming it behind me in relief that I got away from him and was not stuck in another twenty-minute conversation about how students should be reading more books and not just play on their XBox One's all the time. Let me tell you, that was a very weird conversation to be having with your principal.

"I can tell that sucked by that look on your face, y'know," Someone said from under the lone tree in the courtyard, the final crunch of an apple also being heard after that statement. I laughed to myself, looking up at Gilbert, who was casually standing with a book in his other hand, a sight not seen so often during class, but one often seen when we're hanging out during our afternoon break.

"Damn, you can read me too well. You've known me too long so you know too much," I jokingly replied back, walking over to my albino colleague. We both sat down as I asked him the annual question of, "What's Francis and Antonio up to this Valentine's Day?" leaning back against the tree, the rough bark of the tree slightly digging into my back. I was used to it now, plus I wouldn't be for a long time either way. The wind blew slightly, sending a small chill down my spine. I brought my legs to my chest to help me keep warm as I listened to Gilbert talk about his idiot friends, or the other two in the so-called "Bad Touch Trio," as I like to call them.

Every year was a different story, from Francis getting tomatoes thrown at him back in the 8th grade to Antonio getting slapped in the face (and kicked in the crotch) three times in the span of only two hours. I never did witness any of these encounters, but sometimes I wish that I was just that cool and on time to see the weirdest or funniest shit ever, especially if it was on the day of love.

"... so Francis was like, 'Dude, I'm not gay no matter how many times you try and say it's true.' The girls then pulled up pictures of him very close to other guys, screaming at them at the same time. And I swear, they were, like, screaming! Like there was no tomorrow or some shit like that, I don't know. Girls are weird, right?" I shook my head, focusing back on what Gilbert was saying. I laughed at both myself and the story, hoping it got better as it went on. I (sorta) agreed with his statement as he went on, noticing Antonio with Lovino in the hall. They seemed to be looking at us, talking to one another about something else. I sighed and nudged Gilbert, who stopped talking as I (softly) elbowed him in the ribs, pointing to the translucent window where the duo was, smiling like they were super innocent.

"I-I'm sorry Matthew, but I gotta go," He stuttered, running inside the building (carrying his book and apple core, which he threw out in the trash can as he entered the building). Once he got inside, I swear I saw him blush..? Or maybe it was just something with the lighting, I don't know. He ran down the hallway with them, probably to the gymnasium or the cafeteria to buy a snack. I only sighed, standing up from the position of sitting on the cold ground. My legs were a little shakey and asleep after sitting in a sort of uncomfortable position but were back to normal in a matter of seconds.

Regaining my balance, I ran my hand through my hair, walking back towards the shiny black double-doors, the rest of the afternoon waiting for my arrival. My stuff was already in my next class, so I just wandered the hallways for a few minutes, students tricking in and out of the classrooms they were assigned to. I wasn't assigned to a class, considering I was on good terms if the principal (as if it wasn't obvious enough) and most of the teachers.

The soccer team ran down the short hallway to my class, and I dodged it just in time not to get stuck in the middle of whatever that mess was. I stood against the wall as two of them slowed down after they were a short distance away from me, saying the one sentence I heard out of all their obnoxiously loud voices:

"Hey, isn't that the guy Gilbert always talks about?"

I felt my heart stop for a moment, my body going weak for a split second. Nonono... they have to be talking about Alfred, and they just thought that I was Alfred, like everyone else does, right? I mean, I'm only a side friend to him and maybe I'm just overthinking the hell out of this and just need to calm down before I overheat and get a headache or get sick or-

"Holy fuck, this is a major problem," I whisper-shouted to myself, my face probably tomato-red and my breathing heavy, the pure thought of Gilbert being my... dare I say it... boyfriend filling my mind, knowing it won't happen, at least not anytime soon.

The sound of the bell finned my ears, students and faculty alike coming out of their classrooms for three minutes to get to class or monitor the hallways. That broke me free of my thoughts and I walked into my class, my face still red-hot as I sat down at my desk...

This was going to be a long afternoon...

~~~

"Mattie! Let's go! I gotta finish this to catch Arthur after he finished his newspaper club meeting-thing today!" Alfred shouted at me, dragging me outside just like he did this morning. I followed him this time, practically letting myself be dragged out from our shared flex classroom and out the back door. No one was there (like there usually would be) because all the sports teams started practice one hour earlier than usual today. That's why all the sports would be done at the same time as the clubs instead of later.

"This school does really go all out for some stupid holiday," I muttered, looking at the rows of paper hearts and garland decorating the cream-colored school. I heard the whistle from the soccer coach in the nearby field, his slightly high-pitched voice being even louder outside than inside for some reason.

The two of us got to work, wanting to be done with this even more with each passing second, the temperature dropping at least one degree every two minutes or so.

About fifteen minutes into it, we were almost halfway done, realizing most of the stuff was attached to each other. We spent this time in silence, Alfred being the first one to break it.

"Okay, something's bothering you," He started, an annoyed sigh escaping my mouth, "What happened between you and your man-crush?" I laughed at the stupid name, then proceeded to tell him what happened in the hallways with the rest of the soccer team, only to earn a very happy squeal from him, making me actually laugh a little bit at his childish behavior.

"Mattie, if the fucking soccer team is talking about how Gilbert probably talks about you because I'm sure as hell he wouldn't be talking about me since he is your friend, then there's obviously a fucking chance!" He exclaimed, a light blush appearing on my face as I ripped down one of the hearts of the window. I looked at it for a moment before crumbling it up, throwing it into the trash pile behind me.

"First of all, watch your fucking language, Mr. Jones; second of all, it's probably just a rumor, so stop screwing around with your insane theories," I replied, throwing a strip of garland at Alfred so he could put it in his reusable pile. He caught it, "True, but I'm just trying to help you, Mattie. Plus, I know if a certain pair will work out, and I'm pretty damn confident that it will work out if you just-"

"Say something, say something, I know that. But how?" I finished the sentence for him, taking down the final few hearts that were left on my side. This time, I shoved it into my pocket, hoping it could probably give me some sort of luck later today when-

"When you're/we're walking home together, you/I can tell him then!" Alfred and I both exclaimed at the same time, an eruption of laughter coming quickly after that. jeez, I know we're brothers and all, but we didn't need those types of weird sibling-powers or anything like that.

"I got it! Even though it's probably something that's useless to you if you're gonna actually tell him right now," He said, digging into his pockets, looking for something. I turned around, looking at Gilbert, who was running over towards us. I returned the smile he gave me and put on my backpack, ready to leave.

"Practice was hard, I guess? I heard the coach yelling from all the way over here," I chucked as Alfred exclaimed that he found whatever he was looking for, signaling me to go over to him. Telling Gilbert he should start walking, I ran back over to Alfred, who held up the last Hershey Kiss from his (now empty) bag, the light pink wrapping glinting in the setting sun.

"You can do it, Mattie, because if you don't, I will go into your room and burn your authentic Canadian flag," Alfred muttered as he shoved the small candy into my jacket pocket, my reply being, "And if you do that, I'll burn your American flag and tell Arthur about that time you fed his homework to a stray dog and claimed that I took it instead," making Alfred shudder as I jogged up to Gilbert, who was just at the gates to the school.

"What did your brother want?" Gilbert asked, the two of us starting to walk down the street to get to our houses, his house only being about two away from mine. That's one way we became good friends, another way being how we just kinda... clicked, I guess.

"He gave me something, just in case," I muttered, shoving my hand into the pocket that had the small candy in it.

"So... how was yet another Valentine's Day? AND DON'T SAY HORRIBLE BECAUSE IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN THAT BAD!" He exclaimed, swinging his soccer bag around his shoulder, carrying the messenger bag he used as a backpack instead of wearing it.

"Well, since I'm not allowed to say horrible, I'll say, it was a little different, but for no specific reason," I answered as a small smile of approval appeared on his face, my own face heating up slightly as he did that. Damn Gilbert and his cuteness even though he is sort of a major flirt, "and how was your Valentine's Day?"

"Oh my god, you don't know how fucking horrible it was. First of all, I got the same girls swooning over me every five fucking seconds, " He starting, even making a little swooning motion (I laughed, considering how corny it was), "and they all kept trying to give me these shitty and half-assed gifts. Hell, one of them actually gave me one of those shirts that you can print at the mall that said 'I am #Awesome' and I automatically denied it, just like with all the other gifts I got!" Denied? The gifts? That was new for him since he would literally take any gift that was given to him and practically bathe in it, considering he always "cherishes his admirers," But this... this was all new to me.

"Why did you deny the gifts? Don't you want to at least be nice and accept them to only throw them out later?" I joked, lightly punching him in the arm. He sighed, stating that, "I got my eye on someone else, so it would be kind of rude in that sense."

I felt my heart drop to my feet as I processed this information, realizing that he was actually interested in someone that I was ((% sure wasn't me. My throat went dry as the question arose as to who it was, but I kept quiet, the shock still surfing throughout my veins. I didn't realize I was not moving until Gilbert looked back, a little bit of concern in his eyes. I cleared my throat and ran back up to him, us both not talking for what seemed like an eternity.

Well, during this time, my brain was in a heavy two-sided argument with each other; one side saying I should just tell him already, the other saying I should play it safe until next year when I had more of my non-existent confidence.

Thing is, the risk-taking side was winning, Alfred's voice echoing in the back of my mind to be confident and that I could do it. I heavily sighed and stopped walking again, Gilbert facing me immediately this time. The thoughts of being rejected harshly faded from my mind as the world disappeared, Gilbert and I being the only ones left.

"G-Gilbert... I'm not one to really tell these things to someone, especially to someone as amazing as you," I stuttered, my face heating up more than ever before, "B-but... I really do like you, like... like like you, maybe even love you, even though you're a fucking idiot sometimes. But that's not the point right now. The point is, I really fucking like you, Gilbert, and I really do want to go out with you as, you know, boyfriends. I mean, we can do so many things together, not that we don't do much right now- Look, what I mean by all this is that I really like you and I hoping you accept me back cause i-if not then at least do it gently... oh god I'm rambling again... just take this..." I handed the chocolate over to Gilbert, whose rosy cheeks were way redder than usual, making even more adrenaline rush through my veins as if there wasn't enough to begin with by saying all this.

I didn't realize he took it until he smiled at me. He fucking smiled at me after all of that, making my heart flutter from my chest and into the sunset, a small smile playing on my lips as well. A surge of confidence rushed through me as I took a step towards him, our faces practically touching as I leaned in. Closing the small gap between us, I kept my lips on his for only about three seconds, but it felt like an eternity, me not wanting to pull back. I did though, smiling towards the blushing albino in front of me.

After what felt like for-fucking-ever, he spoke, "Well, now you figured out the person I'm interested in," Both of us laughing as we went in for another kiss, making it last way longer this time. The way his lips perfectly fitted onto mine, the happiness, and love that was in my heart finally being able to spread its wings, everything in general just ending up being perfect.

"You know, Gil, you were my first," I said, chuckling under my breath as my eyes eyed his free hand, his grey, and black gloves protecting his hands from the cold atmosphere around us. He laughed, saying, "Do you even know how sexual that sounds?"

Making the connection, my face heated up as I tried coming up with a response, only to have random words mixed in with stuttering coming out as a response, "T-That's now what I meant, you should know that already. I meant that you were my first kiss, idiot."

Screams of joy came from behind us, only to have them stop with a shout of, "SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING GIT!" That duo could've been identified by just the actions and what they said, the easiest guessing game ever, in my opinion.

"Were you two watching the whole time?" I asked as Gilbert and I turned around, looking at the jumping Alfred and the embarrassed Arthur, a sight that wasn't uncommon for that duo. The only uncommon this was that they were holding fucking hands, meaning that Alfred told Arthur and the latter actually returned his feelings, no matter how many times he tried to deny them.

"YEAH, WE WERE! Plus, I actually told Arthur, so now you can't do anything to me since I didn't do anything to you!" He called, the memory of how he said he'll burn my Canadian flag coming back into mind. But I didn't do this just because of the flag; I did it because I wanted to, because I wanted to tell Gilbert how I feel, because I like him, maybe even love him for all I know.

I faced Gilbert once more, and he faced me (at the same time, haha) and we once again began walking back to our houses, my red-and-white-gloved hand slipping into his grey-and-black-gloved hand, a feeling of warmth and comfort coursing throughout my body at the contact. We smiled at one another as he told me, "Happy Valentine's Day, Matthew," squeezing my hand lightly as a light blush appeared on his face. It went perfectly with the lighting, the rest of the sun disappearing from view as we continued walking down the street on this cold, winter day. I squeezed his hand back, a short breath escaping from my mouth as I warmly grinned towards him, my curl bouncing up and down with each step we took together.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Gilbert."

~~~End~~~

Hope you enjoyed this little thing for Valentine's Day^^

~Alex/AlexTheDuckPotato/BouldersRolling