I KNOW. I KNOW. THIS IS MEGA EARLY. I got bored and didn't feel like working on Avenger's House Rules. So... SEQUEL IS TO HE'S HURTING ME IS EARLY~! I doubt anyone is complaining, though.

Inner Kiwi: I'M complaining.

Me: When are you not complaining? OH! And see if you can spot all the references I make!

Warning- This is, in fact, a sequel. That means that there is another full-length fanfiction before this. Full warning, it DOES contain domestic abuse, so if that's a trigger for you or if it just isn't your cup of tea, I understand completely. Just hit the back button and go about your day!

DISCLAIMER: I've been taking tips from Plankton, but alas, the secret Hetalia formula isn't mine yet.

(PS- I changed the twin's birthday to July 2, 11:59:30, because it's as close as I can get to right in-between Canada day and Independence day.)

Beta'd by BlacktwinWhitetwin.

Matthew stood at the bus station, playing fretfully with his duffel bag strap. The pleasant Early-July sunshine warming his skin, glinting off his citrine hair, which was tied up off his neck with an elastic. His stomach was burning with excitement; he couldn't wait to see his friends again.

After he'd been released from the hospital, his parents had been understandably overprotective. Ivan had been sentenced to six months jail time (which meant he'd be out in August), and the entire school knew about it, and why. They wanted Matthew out of the city until things calmed down and everyone forgot. So, they'd made him and Alfred move back home, two hours away from Fredericton, for the rest of the school year. Originally, his mother wanted to keep him home permanently, but he'd managed to convince her that it would be old news by September. Alfred would be moving in with his two friends Clint and his girlfriend, Natasha and Kiku. Matthew was going to stay with the Beilschmidt brothers (plus Feli, who apparently spent breaks at their house) for the summer and, if it worked out, he'd move in. So, here he was, fresh off the 12 O'clock bus from Moncton two days after his 17th birthday, waiting for that distinctive yellow Chevy.

Matthew was surprised to say that he'd enjoyed his time in Moncton. It had been boring and lonely, with only his twin (who had stuck to him like a burr) for company, but at the same time, he felt closer to his brother than ever before. In the beginning, Alfred had been a bit angry, both at himself for being ignorant to the situation, and at Matthew for keeping him in the dark, but after a few tear-filled conversations, they had moved past that. The two brothers had finally reconnected now that Matthew hasn't being weighed down with his terrible secret. He'd even gotten to see his older brother Michael who had had a few weeks off from his job as an RCMP officer. Everyone told him that he looked eerily similar to his older brother, looking more like Mike's twin than Alfred's, despite the ten-year age gap.
There were other aspects of his temporary exile that he had enjoyed as well. Like how for the first time in forever, he had been free from Ivan's reign of terror. It was like being held under water for years and then finally being able to breathe again.

It had been weird at first, feeling so free. For the first little while, he'd been constantly on edge, expecting to see a pipe-wielding Ivan come back to finish the job. He was better now, though. He wasn't broken, just bent, and with the help of his family and the counselor he had been seeing twice a week for the past four months, he was slowly but surely straightening himself out again.

Sure, He still flinched when people yelled, and violence made him nervous, but he'd opened up more. He had come a long way from a skittish, anxious shadow person back to his old shy and sweet yet witty self. Ivan was only a bad memory, one that he wouldn't let plague him. He wasn't worth it, and frankly, he wasn't important enough. He was an abusive bully, and Matthew wouldn't give someone like him the satisfaction of breaking him. He was done with him. Besides, it's not like he'd see him in September; Ivan had been expelled from their high school.

However much he had enjoyed the break, Matthew desperately missed his friends. Sure, he'd Skyped with the whole gang at least once a week, and Lili had even come to visit him a few times, but it wasn't the same. Even though he hadn't known them for long, Matthew had formed a pretty close bond with everyone (even the surly ones like Lovino, Natalya, Arthur and Lukas) and it sucked to be alone. Alfred had tried to fill their place, but it didn't really help that he missed his friends and sort-of-boyfriend Kiku, too.

Speaking of sort-of-boyfriends, Matthew had finally come to terms with the fact that he was hopelessly in love with his albino bestie. Not that he'd been denying it before, just... Ignoring it. Obviously, at the time, it hadn't been the right time, what with Ivan and moving away for four months. So, he'd decided that he would test the waters during the summer, and if Gilbert by some miracle returned his feeling well, then, what was to hold him back?
Some would say that it was still too soon, but damn it, Matthew would not let that Russian bastard hold him back anymore. He didn't want him to continue dictating his life from behind bars. He said he was done with him and he meant it. He. Was. DONE.

Besides, this was Gil. With anyone else, he probably would have let it wither off and die, but Gil was different. The Prussian was his first and best friend, with Lili and Lovino as close seconds. He was the first person to ever look at Matthew and see Matthew, not Alfred's twin brother or the scary kid Ivan's boyfriend, and that meant everything to him. Plus, he trusted him. Gilbert had been there for him from the moment they met. Any other person who would have bumped into him on that rainy day months ago would have flipped him off and continued on, leaving him alone in the rain. Gil would never know how much he had helped him. To be honest, if it weren't for him, he probably wouldn't be here.

Matthew didn't like to admit, even to himself, how close he had come to taking his own life. When he had finally told his family, his father had broken down into tears. He'd explained that he didn't feel that way anymore, and he was ashamed of how low he had been. Unlike what he had feared, no one called him weak or was disappointed in him. Instead, they were all very understanding and comforting. They let him know that they were proud of him for making it through, and that he should never be ashamed of himself, not for anything. No one treated him like he was breakable, though, for which he was grateful.

The sound of a purring motor in front of him broke him from his thoughts. "Get in, Loser, we're going shopping."

Matthew's eyes shot up.

Before him was Gilbert behind the wheel of a silver 2002 Lexus SC 430 Z4. His face was covered in an enormous grin and a big pair of aviators. His hair was cut shorter than before and styled into messy spikes. However, Matthew's attention was drawn back to the car.
"Is that...?"

"The exact car that Regina George drives in Mean Girls?" Gil cut in, his grin stretching even wider. "Why yes, yes it is."

Matthew rolled his eyes. How is it that the entire school is convinced that this guy is cool? "Oh my God, Gil, you're like, Alpha-Level gay. It's not even funny."

"Ahhh, and yet you recognized the car, so that AT LEAST makes you my second in command in the Gay wolf pack. You're like the Scott to my Derek," Gil pointed out, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Pssht, what is this, Gay Teen Wolf?" Matthew shot back, throwing his bag in the back seat and opening the passenger side door, sliding into the seat.

"Isn't Gay Teen Wolf the same as Regular Teen Wolf?" Gil put the convertible into drive, pulling away from the curb.

"Touché."

And just like that, Matthew felt like he was home.

SOOOOOOOO, What do you guys think? To be honest I actually really like it! I feel like a did a half-way decent job on this chapter.

Inner Kiwi: Pfft, are you drunk?

Me: shut UP before I put you in the suitcase again! Also, In case there is any confusion, Mike is 2P!Canada. Yeah... That wasn't planned...At all. I re-named him because naming your youngest child an English variant of your oldest child's name is cruel and unusual punishment.

Love it? Hate it? Wish I had stopped 18 chapters of this series ago? Please review and tell me what you think!