THE EPILOGUE IS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEREEEE!

EH MEH GED, YOU GUYS! I MISSED CHU ALLLLLL! X3333

I FINALLY have some spare time to write this! Sorry it took so long! TwT School has been a lil complicated these days, but hey! I'm still alive (for now) and ready to write, so no worries!

In this chappie we catch up with the lives of our boys -w- It's gonna be a looong chapter with a lot of things put in there to try and describe how our dorks made it into the world! And there's going to be fluff….. like, tons of fluff. They are domestic and it's disgusting and I love it. Also, GO MAH CANADIAN BABY!

P.s., I can't do Italian accents, or any accent at all xDDDD

Now, without further interruptions, let's start with the story!

I do not own Hetalia! It belongs to Hima-papa!

Enjoy!

Epilogue: Next to You I'm Always Happy.

Matthew's P.O.V.! Five years later~

I hummed a little tune as I flipped another pancake, adding it to the stack I had next to me on a plate. Just three more and it would be a perfect pile. Suddenly I felt an all familiar pair of strong arms wrapping around my waist.

''Smells good Birdie.''

I chuckled, ''Merci Bear.''

I felt a weight on my shoulder, meaning that Gilbert had rested his chin there. I turned my head and gave him a tiny peck on his pale cheek.

''Vhat, only on zhe cheek?'' He whined.

''I'm cooking right now.''

''Zhe awesome me still vants a proper kiss though.''

He grabbed my chin with one of his hands and made me face him completely. He planted his lips on mine in a sweet, long kiss. He finally let go and gave me a smile I couldn't help but return.

''Vell, since mein awesome boyfriend cooked such a delicious breakfast, I'll have to be a man too and help vith zhe table!''

''Thank you.''

''No problem, Birdie,'' He said, kissing my ear before leaving to set the table.

I smiled gently at the gesture and went back to the pancakes, making sure none of the burned.

Gilbert and I have been living together for three years and a half, maybe a little more. Once I ended high-school, he demanded that I lived with him. My parents, especially Papa, had no problem whatsoever, as long as I visited the from time to time. Alfie, surprisingly, had been the one to refuse, in a way. It wasn't that he didn't trust Gilbert; he had only been worried about me.

I touched me, knowing that my brother cared that deeply about me, but after some tears and talking, he accepted. Gilbert received a warning though, 'If you so much as make my brother cry, I'll personally go over there to kick your ass.' I was worried about what Gil would say, but when he answered with 'If I ever make Matthew cry, I'll personally show up at jour door and demand jou kick it,' my worries disappeared, because I knew that they meant it.

After that, I moved in with Gilbert. He was living in this nice and cosy apartment. It wasn't a deluxe condo or a spacious house, but it had a homey feeling; plus it was close to the college we were both able to get into.

At one point, he suddenly started to call me Birdie. When I asked why, he only blushed and said it suited me, because I reminded him of Gilbird , who chirped happily at the name. From then on it stuck, and I decided to give him a cute nick-name too. I decided on Polar Bear, but just Bear for short, because that is what he reminded me of; a white, big and adorable polar bear (And in a way he is just like a real bear!).

The first time I called him that he was confused; probably because he didn't think I'd call him by a nick-name, so he waved it off as nothing. The second time though, when I said he was my polar bear, he blushed to the tip of his ears and embraced me, both because he was happy and because he wanted to hide his face on my shoulder.

He loved it.

From then on, things started to become natural. Living separately was something we couldn't imagine anymore, because being together felt so right.

We couldn't be happier.

Could we?

We ate breakfast together, a little chit-chat here and there, but we preferred to just sit side to side and enjoy the presence of the other. Once we finished, I picked our plates and gave them a quick wash before leaving them in the sink.

''Jou have to help in zhose late classes today right?''

''Yes, I should be back around seven thirty, Feliciano said he'd cover the first hours for me.''

He hummed, and I saw an evil glint in his eyes, ''so zhat means zhat I have you for myself all morning?''

''Huh? What do yo-woah!'' My feet left the floor as Gilbert effortlessly picked me up and carried me to bed, ''Gilbert!'' I said, a blush now present on my cheeks.

''Kesese! Don't vorry Birdie, I just vant to cuddle.''

He gently placed me on the bed and laid down next to me, his arms pulling me closer before falling to my hips. He tucked my head below his chin and I felt him bury his face on my hair before taking a deep breath and letting out a content sigh.

He might not look it, but Gil is a huge cuddler. He loves all kind of tangling of limbs, either affectionate ones or… sexual ones.

Yeah, he definitely likes those.

'No no no no, don't think about that! Bad Matthew! Bad Matthew!'

My face was completely red at that point, but I tried to ignore it by resting my ear on his chest, the sound of his steady heart-beat calming me down. After a couple of minutes, his breathing slowed down, so I decided to poke said chest.

''Giiiiiil! Are you falling asleep?''

He only hummed in response.

''You have to get to work soon.''

''Don't vanna.''

I rolled my eyes, ''don't be such a baby; we already had a cuddle day! Besides, it's Friday, so just one more day won't kill you.''

He let out a whine, ''but Birdie! Jou're so varm and comfy! I von't be able to let jou go!''

I smiled, but decided to take action. I un-wrapped his arms from my waist, earning am unhappy grunt, before I sat up and threw one of my legs over his waist, straddling his lap. He looked surprised, his face gaining a pink hue, but also really, really pleased. I, however, didn't have the same plans as him, because the only thing I did was hold his face on my hands and start to give it tiny smooches.

He was obviously dissatisfied, but before he could try to deepen one of my kisses on his mouth, I made my special move. I let him deepen the kiss, and while he was distracted, I grabbed his shoulders, pushed, and made him loose his balance, successfully throwing him off the bed.

He, unceremoniously, flailed his arms before falling to the ground with a 'thud'.

''Ow!''

''That's what you get by being a lazy bum, now go get ready for work!''

He pouted like the kid he is, but complied and went to take a shower. I nodded my head and left the bed, leaving our bed-room to go and let Gilbird free of his cage.

''Hello there little guy, want to get out?''

The yellow fluff ball chirped in excitement when he saw me open his cage, immediately settling on my head. I giggled at the familiar action and I sat down on our sofa, turning the TV on and started zapping, trying to find something interesting to watch. I wouldn't need to leave the house until three, and it was just half past ten.

Twenty minutes later and my awesome boyfriend finally emerged from our room, wearing his usual work attire. He had a dark blue (sorry, Prussian blue) jump-suit, sneakers and a pair of gloves in his pocket. He worked as a mechanic in the local workshop. He wanted to gain as much experience as possible in the stage of gears and mechanical structures so that one day he could be an engineer. I was surprised when I found out that this self-proclaimed 'Awesome', bad-boy wannabe dork was into mathematics, but I found the idea of Gilbert getting really exited once he found the solution to a complicated equation very cute.

Then I imagined him with glasses and just about died.

But on the other hand, I felt a deep respect for him. He had his future in sight. He was sure of what he wanted to be and why he wanted to. He told me that his father used to be an engineer and would often teach him how to fix their appliances (this was certainly very handy in their apartment), and he found it very intriguing when he saw his father's desk-top covered in impossible-looking problems and blueprints. He wanted to be like his father, and the fact that he enjoyed the work he had done made it even better. He would accomplish his goal while doing something he loved.

I, however, still had problems in deciding what to do with my life. That had been the point in my life where I questioned my existence, my purpose. Did I have some kind of impact on people? Did I contribute to society? Was I prepared to become an adult?

If it hadn't been for Gilbert, who supported me throughout my whole break-down, it would have been hell suffering my existential crisis alone. We talked it over for what seemed like hours, and after some cuddle therapy and a long, night's sleep, I was able to clear my head.

For now, I was going to take it easy. I had managed to get a job as an Art assistance in another college, where I had to prepare the materials, help students if the teacher was busy or wasn't present and, sometimes, I had to grade their works. I was very nervous, because this job required social interaction, something I didn't really specialised in, but Gilbert encouraged me to try it and I found it rather pleasant. Another big help was the fact that Ludwig's boyfriend, Feliciano, was also an assistant, though he came from time to time just when they really needed extra help. We became friends, and he taught me a lot of things, since his grandpa was a real artist. Thanks to this job, and the support I got from others, I was able to become more confident in myself, my shyness was, for the most part, gone and I finally became visible to the rest (though I could still manage a tiny, sneaky move here and there, giving some hilarious spooks).

To say that Gilbert has changed my world would be an understatement. He changed my whole Universe. I seriously cannot comprehend how I had managed to survive without him up to the day when I first saw his bird. I would never be able to make it on my own, because now that I have him, I can no longer picture a scenario without my loud albino. He became such an important part of my life, and I love it.

I love him.

Now, my mind is set in becoming an Art teacher once I finish my studies. I love Art, and I've grown to love teaching, so I said 'Why not?', and I finally had an image of my future. I lived with an amazing, or should I say awesome, boyfriend (and pet), I manage to visit my family and the Gil's family, who welcomed our relationship with open arms, I have a job I enjoy, that could possibly help me into my desired career, Gil's happy, I'm happy, and here we are.

Gilbert gave me a long kiss, crouching down so that he could reach my sitting form, and then grinned, ''I'll be back going now.''

''Hm,'' I smiled, ''Have a nice day.''

He pressed another kiss to my lips before heading out to work.

I sighed and let myself fall down on the sofa. Gilbird settled on top of my chest and decided to take a cat nap. Turning the TV off, since there wasn't anything to watch anyways, I decided to sleep a little bit too. I grabbed a pillow and put it behind my head, slowly closing my eyes and letting myself drift into dreamland.

Heh, this scene feels familiar.

This Time-skip is brought to you by My Feelz because OMG HOMESTUCK ENDED.

Around 2:13 p.m., I woke up to my little puff of feathers softly pecking my cheek. I groaned a bit, but woke up, petting the bird with one finger. I looked at the time and my eye's widened.

'I really should try to avoid taking naps… Maple, just how many times has this happened?'

I went to take a shower with haste, wasting no time in getting prepared for my classes. I took about twenty minutes to shower, dry myself and then dress up in some pants, chequered button-up shirt and black sneakers. It was spring already, and the sun was up, so I didn't have to worry about the cold, though I did take a jacket just in case. One never knew with this weather.

I fed Gilbird and made two sandwiches as my lunch, munching on them as I checked I wasn't forgetting anything and looked for a soda. After I ate and made sure that I was ready, I locked up Gilbird in his cage, leaving him with fresh water, and left the apartment, making sure to lock the door before leaving.

I started the car and drove in the direction of the college were I helped out. Gilbert had insisted that I got a driving license so that I could drive our car. I refused at first, because it was his car, but he said he had it all over control.

I didn't expect him to bring a motorcycle home.

Apparently, it was from his father, and his brother let him keep it because Gil had been the one to repair it and take care of it. So now, he drove his motorcycle and I drove the car. We had a pretty good system going on.

After half an hour or so, I got to the college. I parked the car and headed towards my class. I was lucky to arrive early, because that meant I had more time to prepare everything.

Once I entered the Art room, I was greeted by a bubbly and cheery voice.

''Ciao Matthew! I see that you-a made it here early!''

''Ah, hello Mister Vargas,''

''Oh, drop the 'Mister' already Mattie, I've-a told you-a already to just-a call me Julius!''

I smiled and nodded, heading to my little table at the side where I put all of my stuff. Feliciano's grandfather, as I said before, is a real artist, and he's the one who teaches the Art classes I help with, so that explained how Feli and I both worked together and became a little closer when we had the same schedule.

Luckily, the day went on without a problem and the students weren't as hectic as I thought they would be when Mister Va- sorry, Julius gave out a pretty big assignment due in two weeks. I wasn't complaining though, because that meant I could get home as soon as possible, my loving boyfriend eagerly waiting my return.

I packed my things, said good-bye to Julius and some other students, greeted Feliciano, who was going to cover the extra late classes, and I went home.

''I'm home!'' I said as I entered the apartment and took off my shoes. The sound of approaching foot-steps alerted me of the other presence in the room, and when I looked up, I was greeted with an immediate kiss.

''Hello to you too,'' I cooed lovingly.

''Ja, velcome back,'' I heard Gilbert say, hi lips centimetres away from mine. He had wrapped his muscular arms around my waist, my own arms resting on his hips. We stood like that some more time before Gilbert decided to separate himself from me, a big grin on his face.

''Guess vhat? I have a surprise for jou!''

A raised a brow, but said nothing. I let him drag me over to our room and push me towards the closet, ''Go and put on something nice~! It doesn't have to be fancy or anything, but don't even consider veering a hoodie,'' he warned in a mocking tone.

I chuckled and turned to kiss his fore-head, ''Understood. Now go outside while I change, because otherwise we won't be setting foot outside tonight.''

He blushed at my suggestion and left the room, leaving me to contain my laughter.

'Maple, it feels so good when I'm able to tease him!'

I put on a white button-up shirt with some light coloured pants and brown shoes. I grabbed a creamy tuxedo overcoat, made my hair look neat, and headed outside. It seems like Gilbert had already changed too; must have had his clothes prepared outside. He too wore a button-up shirt; though his was lilac and his pants were black, like his shoes. His haired, usually tousled, seemed to be brushed and tamed (even if just a bit), a black tuxedo overall folded and resting on his arm. He looked really handsome.

''Do these clothes look classy enough for your awesome expectations?'' I said when he spotted me, doing a little twirl. He snickered and headed over to me, pecking my lips.

''They're perfect.''

He checked his clock and took his own jacket, ''Vell, shall ve get going?''

I nodded and we headed outside. We talked as Gilbert drove us to our destination. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, because 'It's an awesome surprise!' and it would ruin it. I, as usual, rolled my eyes fondly at his behaviour, but I couldn't stop smiling at the way his gorgeous eyes lit up when he talked about his surprise. Whatever he has planned, he seems really excited about it.

However, as we drove on, I started recognising the route we were taking.

''Gil?''

''Ja?''

''Are we…''

Just as I said that, he pulled over at a restaurant I used to visit all the time as a kid. I turned to Gil incredulously, my mouth hanging open. He just smirked.

''You did not.''

''But zhe awesome me did.''

''Oh my god, Bear!''

Without being able to suppress a squeal, I jumped from my seat and hugged my boyfriend. He chuckled and hugged back, and I could feel him grinning against my neck. Honestly, the things he does never cease to amaze me.

We were at the famous restaurant La Petite Colombe, also known as the restaurant my Papa runs and works at. When Alfred and I were still kids, and this place wasn't as well-known as it is today, we would come here with Dad and eat Papa's fine cuisine. As time went on his little restaurant gained its first Michelin Star, and the business exploded with fame.

Now, with two of those stars, people from all places would come over just to try Papa's food. He was now Head Chef, but still enjoyed cooking in the kitchen, so, even if it became more difficult to visit, he would always make sure he was the one who cooked our dinner when we ordered one of his specials.

However, it had been around two years since our last visit to his restaurant, since Alfred and I were busy with school and Dad's office was getting hectic. In addition, even if we were family, we couldn't get special treatment, so reservations were scarce for us. Some people even had to reserve a table five months prior.

So, to be here again, heading towards our table, my arm locked with Gilbert's, it brought a huge feeling of nostalgia, and I couldn't wipe my smile off my face.

Not that I wanted to anyways.

''You have to tell me how you got a table.''

''Kesese! I'm just zhat Awesome!''

We sat down opposite of one another our hands searching for each other over the table and immediately intertwining our fingers together. I smiled, ''Come one Bear, I know that your awesomeness had a huge part on this, ''at that he chuckled, ''but seriously, how? I mean, I don't even think there are many people here tonight!''

He rubbed his neck, ''I, uh… might have asked some of my… connections, for help.''

I rose a brow at this and was about to ask what he meant, but a cheery voice spoke first, so I turned my head to, what I supposed was our waiter to acknowledge them and-

'…What.'

''A-Alfred?!''

My brother smiled and nodded, showing his pearly white teeth. I looked at Gilbert for some kind of explanation, but just one look at his face and I knew what was going on.

'oh...OH,'

I looked around and noticed that the few people who were actually seated looked awfully familiar. Then, I started recognising them all. In one table sat Arthur, calmly sipping his tea as he caught my eye, smiling when he did. Next to him was a little boy and a young girl, who I recognised as my cousins, Peter and Victoria; they were both waving at me. Then, I noticed spiky hair, and knew that Gilbert's friend, Matthias, was seated there with his boyfriend and three other people, who I got to know were more of his friends, one being his boyfriend's little brother. At another table I saw Feliciano's curl, and saw him seated with Ludwig, Lovino, Antonio, Julius and Otho, who was Gilbert's and Ludwig's grandfather, and ironically, a good friend of Julius. Again, at a table next to theirs, I saw Gilbert's child-hood friends, Roderich and Elizabeta, a lovely married couple, who smiled at us, though I think I saw some kind of glint in Eliza's eye. It's probably just my imagination. Of course, Alfie's boyfriend came too, and he was seated with his sisters, smiling fondly and with amusement at Alfred. I also recognised some other relatives of mine and Gilbert; so practically, the place was full only with people I knew.

''Ok, is this some kind of family-friends get up I didn't know of or?'' I asked, to which Gil laughed.

''Jou'll see Birdie!'' He gestured to Alfred, who nodded and headed to the centre of the room. He cleared his throat and everyone turned to him.

''Hi everybody! I'm all of you were able to come here today! As you might know, my father, Francis Bonnefoy-Kirkland, is striving to get his third Michelin Star, and, even if we all know he's totally gonna get it, he still insists on having a degustation dinner,'' everyone laughed at that, ''So! Today, he booked the restaurant just for us and decided to make us his judges!''

Clapping ensued, and Alfred sat next to Ivan. Then, Papa emerged from the kitchen wearing his usual Chef attire, and smiled at his guests.

''Bonsoir everyone, as mon fils Alfred just said, I am currently aiming for my third star, something most of you all know is something extremely difficult and requires zhe most perfect service from our side, because, not everything's about zhe food, but about-''

As Papa went on about with his speech about cooking with the outmost delicacy and all, I tightened my grip on Gilbert's hand. He looked at me with a gentle smile and whispered, ''Are jou enjoying jourself so far?''

I giggled, ''Of course. Who wouldn't after hearing such passionate words about cooking roasted duck?''

Finally, Papa made his enunciation come to an end, and he bowed, ''Now, without further ado, I welcome all of you to La Petite Colombe~''

Waiters started to appear and went about taking everyone's orders with grace and class. There was soft music playing on the back-ground, and even if this place was supposed to be fancy, I felt at home, surrounded by people who cared for me and I cared about, friends, family and nice acquaintances.

I became overjoyed when Papa came himself and gave Gilbert and I our plates, announcing the dishes as he always did, before heading to do the same with Dad and Alfred's tables.

Dinner was simply perfect. I went around greeting people and talking with everyone, though it was mostly with Gilbert, whose side I never left. Papa, at one point, joined Dad on the table, and I couldn't stop gushing over how good his food was (just like everyone else did). The atmosphere was filled with happiness, and I thought this day couldn't get any better.

But life is always full of surprises.

When it came to the dessert, Alfred stood up and headed to centre again. Once everyone was quiet, he started, ''It seems like everyone is enjoying dinner, huh?'' most people chuckled, and the little ones yelled in affirmation, ''and I'm glad to hear that! Since this must mean that Dad had a pretty good chance of getting his star! A round of applause for him, please!'' everyone did as he said, and Papa bowed again in gratitude and pride. I think he even squealed in delight when Dad kissed his cheek and congratulated him.

Alfred laughed, ''but that's not the only reason we're all here though,'' that caught my attention, ''A good old friend of mine, who is also friends with the owner of this place, was the one who actually asked to organised this get-together! He wanted to surprise his special someone, and what better way to do it than reviving child-hood memories! The part of judging Dad's food was also part of it, yeah, but what he was really planning is something I'm sure is ten times even sweeter and incredibly cheesy, sorry dude, ''more chuckles, ''so, ladies and gents, Gilbert Beilschmidt!''

Gil grinned and stood up as everyone clapped, though I was too busy trying to figure out just what he was planning to do this time, ''Zhank jou, zhank jou!'' everyone quieted down, ''So, as Alfred just said, I'm zhe cheesy dude, and I vas zhe one who planned zhis surprise for Matthew,'' I blushed as most of the people cooed at us, ''and I vouldn't have been able to do it vithout the help from meine freunde, so I vould like to zhank jou all, '' we all clapped in the direction of Alfred, Matthias, Francis and Antonio.

Gilbert cleared his throat, '' and, vell… the reason I vanted to do zhis vas because I have something to ask Mattie about,'' he looked at me and smiled gently, walking over so he stood in front of my seating form, ''Matthew, five years ago, I met jou after jou saved mein awesome companion, Gilbird, jour kindness and lovable attitude catching me by surprise. Ve became friends and I started falling in love vith jou, because every day, I found something new to love about jou. Vhether it vas zhe was jou vould scrunch jour nose in frustration vhen jou couldn't get a drawing just right, or zhe way jou twirl jou finger on jour hair vhen jou're distracted, or jour immense love for Maple syrup,'' I laughed along with everyone when he said that, even though I had gotten got redder and redder as he said those things and I thought I was going to pass out, ''I love jour smile, jour voice, jour everything, and vhen ve confessed our feelings and got together, I didn't expect zhe following years to be so utterly blissful and perfect; though I knew zhey vere going to be awesome from zhe start, kesese!''

At this point, I had tears forming in my eyes, because not only was he saying such lovely and sweet things to me, but he was doing it in front of everyone else! Gilbert's face had a pink hue, but he was smiling, a bit bashfully, but his words never faltered. Not even one bit. I would have been a stuttering and blushing mess, of that I am sure.

''Matthew, jou've supported me throughout zhese years, and for that I vould like to zhank jou. I don't know if zhere are vords to express my devotion and love to jou, and even if zhere vere, zhey would never be enough to tell you. However, zhere is one thing I can do to show it.''

He got down in one knee, and in that moment, Gilbird, who I hadn't noticed was flying over to us, (or had come to us for that matter) landed on his hand with a little velvet box. After the yellow puff ball settled down on the table, Gilbert opened it, revealing a silver ring with a tiny blue gem-stone elegantly decorating it.

''Matthew Bonnefoy-Kirkland Williams, vould jou marry me?''

Tears were falling down my cheeks freely as I nodded and threw myself at Gilbert, chanting 'Yes!' all over as I peppered his beautiful face with kisses. Everyone was cheering for us, taking pictures and videos, shouting their congratulations and some even shedding some tears of their own.

Yet, even with the entire ruckus around us, the only one I was able to focus on was Gilbert. My Gilbert. My amazing, awesome, sweet, perfect Gilbert.

''Ich liebe dich, Matthew,''

'' Je t'aime aussi, Gilbert.''

We shared a loving, long kiss, tears now in both our eyes, as this was definitely one of the happiest moments of our lives. When we separated and actually stood up from the floor, he slipped the ring into my finger, me doing the same when Gilbird gave me the other ring. His was silver too, but it had a golden gem stone instead.

''I zhought it vould be nice to have something zhat reminded us f zhe other, so I asked for zhe rings to have gem stones vith our favourite colours, so zhat every time I look at my ring, I'll remember zhat I belong to jou, and hopefully, vhen jou look at jours, jou'll think about how jou belong to me too,'' he said when I asked about it.

I smiled, ''I'll always remember I'm yours, with or without the ring,'' we embraced each other, the rest of the people around us cheering even louder when we did. Gilbird flew around us at maximum speed, chirping loudly and excitedly, and Gilbert and I both laughed before kissing again.

''I love you, so very much.''

''I love jou too, vith all of my heart.''

That night, as we were over-flown with affection and love, we kept repeating one thing, over and over, inside our heads; the words, each time, gaining even more meaning the more we looked and smiled at each other.

'Next to you, I'm and I'll always be happy.'

The End.

So, here we have it, El Fin.

I loved writing this story, and now that it's over, I don't really have anything to say, hehe. My quota for feels was pretty much full filled last chappie xDDDD But again, I would like to thank everyone who ever read, liked, followed or reviewed this story. Knowing so many wonderful people like my story fills me with pride and happiness, and fuels my desire to keep providing everyone with stories like this one. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but I wanted to make sure it was perfect, so that you guys got the happy end you deserved and were satisfied to know that our dorks are happy with each other x3

Anyways, thank you so very very much for reading! If you'd like, you could go check out my other story, 'Our Precious Garden'!

Song Recommendation of the Day! 'Blue Lips' by Regina Spektor! It's so pretty and it's officially the Fandoms Song. If you know about it because of a fandom, comment which one it was! Mine was Homestuck. Equius TwT

And now, my dearest Readers, it is time to close the stage, or in this case, the story.

Chau Chau!

Spread the Love and KILL ALL THE TITANS!

Much love, Kimi~