Matthew Williams ((Canada))'s Story

The blonde boy began to stir, his fingers flexing slightly and brushing against a few blades of grass. He stretched out his legs, an airy yawn escaping as he stretched. Kumajirou grumbled with irritation at the sudden movement, and the small bear retreated a few steps back before plopping his haunches back down. When Matthew shifted into a sitting position and opened his eyes, he was more than a little surprised. The last thing he remembered was settling down into a hotel -- the land the hotel was located on was only about an hour's drive away from the American border of Maine, he figured that a brief rest would be nice before he set off to the school -- for the night, so finding himself lying in a bed of grass was a little shocking.

Casting his gaze about, the first thing Matthew noticed was the beauty of the surrounding land. The only prior knowledge that he had of the school was that it was located somewhere near the coast, but this was nothing that he had expected. The distant crash of ocean waves against the shore, the soft 'caw' of birds flying high above; it was breathtaking. The second thing Matthew noticed was the two luggage bags that were lying in the grass next to him. He was certain that those weren't his, and he looked behind him to check to see if there was anyone around.

That was when he noticed the Italian standing over him, a smirk curling his lip as he looked down on Canada. In retrospect he should have noticed that while there were no trees nearby and it was quite sunny out, he was sitting in a shadow.

"Hello, Roma--"

The boy had shoved a bright red tomato into Matthew's mouth, looking supremely pleased with himself as he did it. The darker-haired individual put a thoughtful hand on his chin and spoke, "I was wondering why that bastard America was so quiet, and I figured it out! I'm so amazing. You must be a robot, built by that bastard Japan no less. If my suspicions are correct, then that tomato should cause your circuits to shut down and make you explode! Hahaha! Maybe if I'm lucky, you'll take down this lousy excuse for a school with you and I can return to my country!"

Being remarkably patient with the other teenager, Matthew reached up his hand and removed the vegetable/fruit from his mouth. He rolled his jaw around a little bit, sighing slightly as he did so.

"I'm not America, Romano, I'm Cana--"

"So you've foiled my plan! I see how it is, robot-America. You're a tricky one, aren't you, you bastard? I'll have to come up with another, more awesome plan to defeat you. I know of your plans to take over the world and you'll never get Italy, I tell you! Never! I'll stop you even if I die trying!"

"But--"

"No, shut up! I don't want to hear any of your filthy, robot words!"

Canada merely ran a hand through his hair, trying to fight off the developing migraine, and began to stand up. While it may have been quite warm outside, the dew that had settled into Matthew's clothing chilled him to the bone. He shivered slightly, pulling the damp jacket he wore closer around him. A couple feet away, Kumajirou watched the exchange with curiosity.

The Italian boy was still scrutinizing poor Matthew and coming up with a new plan of attack when Britain walked over. He turned his head to acknowledge the country, and listened while he was being spoken to. When he was referred to as 'Romanio', he stuck his chin out in indignation, a slight growl emerging from his throat. If one listened closely enough, they could hear the quiet, irritated chigigi's the Italian said under his breath.
However, when it was mentioned that the shivering blonde boy before him was neither America nor a robot, a curious look crossed his features.

"Canada?" He said experimentally, shrugging like it was just a little mistake, "Sorry, I've never met you before."

Of course, he had met Canada before. They'd both been present in more than one World Conference together, but Matthew just supposed that he had a forgettable face. Since he was used to this kind of treatment, the Canadian held no special resentment towards him. Like everything, he simply let it go.

By the time Britain had made it over to Canada, Romano had lost interest in the now unexciting situation and taken off with his bags in search of his roommate. If the information he'd received in the letter was correct, Romano's new roommate was the soft-spoken Japan. He intended on confronting the nation and setting some precautionary ground rules.

"Thank you, Arthur." Matthew said quietly, the slightest of smiles ghosting over his lips as he filled in the blanks. He knew England well enough to know what he had almost said. "I'll make sure to let you know if he does anything."

When Britain began brushing grime off him, Matthew's already pale cheeks flushed slightly. Unlike himself, the other nation was very forward, and when you combined that how easily embarrassed Matthew was, he found himself in quite a few awkward situations, "S-something like that, I guess. I'm not even sure how I got here, to be honest.."

He was even more startled when he was offered the other boy's jacket. Normally he would have politely refused, but he was cold enough that he gratefully accepted the offering. "T-thank you!" He said again, with more enthusiasm this time. After offering the other nation a wide smile -- something that he rarely handed out -- Matthew unzipped his dew-soaked jacket. Underneath he was merely wearing a white T-shirt, and it was thin enough to clearly show that he was trembling hard. It took a lot to make a Canadian so cold he shivered, so it was a sign that he was probably frozen solid.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." Matthew said dismissively to Britain's offer to clean his jacket after he had slipped on the warm, dry coat. After he buttoned it up, heat flooded his sluggish limbs. As he slowly began to thaw, Matthew looked down at himself and laughed quietly, "Holy Maple, it's been a while since I looked like this, eh?"

He referred back to the days when he had been a part of Britain with that smile still on his face. He could still remember when he was unclaimed land and had been found by both the French and British. That had certainly been a confusing time for him; half the time he wore the French uniform and the other half he wore the British.
Then he thought about England's comment about roommates. Come to think of it, he didn't know who he was rooming with either. He should inquire about that to the school's office...

Matthew smiled, bobbing his chin to show he understood. Britain didn't really need to tell him, the Canadian already trusted him quite a lot. If anything did come up, he was definitely one of the first people Matthew would go to. Of course, even that trust did have its limits. There were still things that he would never be able to tell his friend, regardless of how much he may want to.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, feeling a tad guilty, and laughed, "Even back then you were quite hard-headed, that much hasn't changed."

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Matthew recalled those days with nostalgia. He'd been so timid back then -- even more than he was now, if you could believe that -- that he wondered what such a fiery country saw in him. "I was so jealous of you back then, it was ridiculous." He added softly, not too long after he finished his previous sentence.

When England suggested that they go in together, he nodded without hesitation, "Of course. I need to find out who I'm rooming with too."

He looked back at where Kumajirou was sitting and watching them with interest, pulling a hand out of his pocket and waving the animal over, "Come on, let's go."

When the other nation began walking, Matthew shook his head silently and followed without a word, Kumajirou close at his heels. He had listened to England's response with no surprise whatsoever, and was now contemplating it as he walked. That was exactly how he had expected the other boy to respond to his comment, but even then Britain didn't understand why it was that Matthew had envied him. "Fine young man.." He mumbled under his breath before sighing and shaking his head again.

"Stop that," He said, an uncharacteristic annoyance in his tone, "That was exactly why I envied you. I'd take everything you just said over what I have now without a second thought." Canada had disappeared so deeply into his thoughts that he hardly realized what he'd said, and didn't feel any embarrassment until a few seconds later.

A bright pink color blossomed on his cheeks when he finally realized how bold he had been, and he looked away from the other country, towards the east. "S-sorry, I stepped out of line there. Please, forget what I said."
As his gaze rested on the far landscape, he thought again with a dry amusement that he'd seriously underestimated the beauty of this land. No matter how immature Al acted sometimes, he did take care of his country. He toyed for a moment with the idea that maybe if he looked hard enough he could see his own country from here.

Matthew had been examining the scenery when Arthur's sudden outburst made him jump. He didn't have time to turn and look before he felt gloves on either side of his head, forcing him to look the other nation in the eye. The timid blonde boy swallowed nervously, not missing that look in Britain's eyes; he was staring right into them, after all.

"You are you. I think you're perfect. Do you honestly need anyone else to think that? And I'm pretty sure that pervert of a man, Francis, thinks the same. I think you're perfect, well, for everything. If people don't notice you, then, well, I say bloody hell to them, because they're missing out on talking with a nice boy. I know this probably means nothing, Matty, but oh well, at least I try at some things." Britain said to him, the stars in his eyes seeming to dance as he spoke. Matthew listened, far too shocked at the lecture to say anything at all.

He just stood there for a moment, then two, then three. They kept passing, time seeming to slow to a stop before Matthew's chin began to shake. It was more than obvious that it took everything he had to hold himself together. Anyone else might have been more composed, but for a boy that was lucky to be noticed at all the other country's words had unbelievable impact.

"N-no," He began, in response to England's comment about not being good at giving advice or convincing, his voice trembling as he tried not to break down, "y-you're pretty good at t-this." He gave a shaky smile, "S-sure you haven't d-done this before?"

Gathering his courage, Canada stepped forward and quickly hugged the other blonde boy. "Thank you, Arthur." He whispered before quickly pulling back and turning his head so Arthur couldn't see how red his face was turning.

"L-let's get going!" He said, his voice a bit louder than his usual whisperer-soft tone. "We still have to get our dorm information!"
Before he could find himself in an even more embarrassing situation, Matthew began to jog ahead to the school building's entrance.

(( Nah, sounds like you got it. c; ))