[Fic Fill] Remembering Mattie day

[extremlygirly.livejournal.com]

TITLE: Remembering Mattie day
AUTHOR: Extremlygirly
RECIPIENT: lynn_pryderi
PAIRING: America/Canada but love is not the main focus
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Al decides that he needs to Remember Mattie a little more.

Remembering Mattie day.

 

Matthew had, over the centuries, become accustomed to his brother strangeness. It was hard not to when your brother was America, but lately Al had been acting more strange than usual.

 

It had started when Al’s old boss came into power, Al became distant from his brother, and even more so when his people had been attacked.  He had stopped visiting, getting wrapped up in his war. Even when Matt had started sending troops the Relationship had been strained.

 

So it was a huge surprise when Al had burst into his office one day, not long after his latest boss had been elected, and declared it to be “Remember Mattie Friday.”  He was so excited to see his brother he had spilt coffee all over the latest lumber reports Matt had been Okaying.

 

“Al…” he started, trying very hard not to loose his Temper. “What can I help you with?”

 

This was the wrong question because it only made his brother talk faster.

 

 From what Matt could gather, between to rapid fire plans being made and his brothers exclamations of how awesome his idea was, his brother felt horrible for forgetting Matthew and that he now wanted to make it a weekly thing to come over and take Matt out. Al had smile brightly at his brother’s polite refusals, citing that his brother worked too hard and that he wanted to hang out.

 

So it was that every Friday since then his brother had rushed into his office, smiling at the woman at the front desk (who by now had stopped trying to stop the man, figuring he was just an act of god) and pulled his brother back to his car.  They had gone to amusement parks, museums, plays and movies, and even had managed to get a tour of The White House out of Al’s boss.

 

Matt, much to his dismay, had heard the women around the offices talking. After all they had never known Matthew to have a girlfriend or a wife, and now a handsome young man came to get him every Friday.  It was enough to convince most of them he was batting for their team.

 

Even when Matt had told Al this, while ringside at a college Hockey tournament, Al had laughed and told him to let them talk. After all Al said, “Is it worth not having a good time because of what a bunch of old fuddy-duddies say?”

 

Matt had to admit that it was fun, his brother’s enthusiasm was infectious and Matt had long ago stopped fighting it, instead canceling his meetings on Fridays and packing an overnight bag. He found himself looking forward to them in an almost nervous way, wondering what they would be doing next.

 

He just wished the he could stop the rumors. It was kind of annoying now that everyone asked who his boyfriend was, and only laughed when he tried to tell them it was his brother!

 

This week was to be a camping trip, and like clockwork Matt had been dragged out off the office, thrown in the back of Americas Sports Utility Vehicle and driven across the border.

 

They managed to get lost three times, and finally Matt had to force Al to pull over so Matt could ask for directions, while his brother unpacked and repacked the car looking for his map (which had been in the glove compartment).  Matt had come back with directions and they were soon back on the road.

                                        

“Where are we going?” Matthew asked after about 3 hours of driving along the highway. 

 

Al grinned and turned on to the back roads. The car bumped on the back country roads. “New York gave me a hot tip about this neat little campsite he says is awesome this time of year.”

 

About three bumpy miles later they had pulled into a clearing and gotten out. The woods looked like they had been cut down, the wood was second growth. He watched his brother get out and stretch, before turning around and grinning.

 

“Here we are.”

 

Matt got out and looked around. The area was a cliff over looking a large stretch of Valley below. There was a rushing sound in the back ground which meant that they were probably camped right near a waterfall.

 

There was a small lean-to and a fire pit, though both looked like they had not been used for a long time. The ground was covered with leaves and sticks so it seemed like the “Hot tip” Al had gotten had been a rather old one.

 

“We will have to do some cleaning up.” Al said as he shuffled around in the back before pulling out some rakes and handing one to his brother.

 

They worked quickly and soon the two of them were finished. Al panted as he leaned on the rake. He pulled a hand through his golden blond hair and looked up at the sky. Matt paused as he looked up from where he had pulled out the tent. For a moment he wondered if his brother meant to look like a poster or if he just naturally fell into the poses that looked aesthetically perfect.

Al turned at that precise moment and grinned widely.  

“Well let’s put up the tent, I heard there was a swimming hole around here and I am hot.”  

‘You can say that again.’ Matt thought.

 

 

It had taken a couple of tries and nearly poking each others eyes out but finally the tent had gotten up. They had patted each other on the backs and Alfred had gone to the truck to get his swim trunks and Matt’s.

 

Matt looked around the campsite and considered the fact that Al had really planned this all out. It was pretty far thinking for his brother to have done this, and the fact that he had done it all for him gave Matthew the Warm fuzzies.

 

“Matt I lost the swim trunks.”

 

There went the warm fuzzies.

 

“You what?” he said hoping this was just a bad joke. “How did you do that?”

 

“Well it’s more like I lost our bags which had our clothes and food and swim trunks in it.” Al said looking innocently bewildered. “I must have left them at the place you asked for directions.”

Matt growled and in a fit of fury at his brother’s stupidity he lunged, missing as Alfred moved back, laughing and charged off in the opposite direction. Matt followed, half amused and half wanting to kill his brother.

 

Al ran and soon they were at the swimming-hole Al stopping short only to be crashed into by Matthew both of them tumbling head first into the water.

 

When Matthew came up from under the water the first thing he heard was his brother laughing wildly. He opened his eyes and saw his brother, bent over laughing, a small Lilly pad on his head.

 

 Matt felt all the anger drain from him as he laughed, lunging at his brother tacking him as the two splashed around in the swimming hole, tickling and laughing. They rolled in the water, turning up muck and grime.

 

It was well past dusk when the two of them stopped wrestling, and lay panting on the shore line staring up at the stars that were twinkling into existence.

 

Matt sighed.

“Hey ..”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Today was perfect.”

 

“No...”

 

Matt found himself pinned to the ground and his brother leaning over him, leaning in to give him a light kiss on the lips.

 

“Now it’s perfect.”

 

Matt thought for a moment and then smiled up.

 

Al was right, he thought as he leaned up for another kiss.