Alfred had left the house at exactly half-past twelve, the drive to the train station wasn't far, and the train wasn't due for another hour, but he just couldn't help himself. His brother had been gone for the normal six months, but it always felt like longer. He always got used to the schedule, also having video calls like every other day as a plus, but there was nothing quite like having his brother close and waking up to maple pancakes that made home feel like, well, home.

Alfred looked down at his watch. Mattie had given him the watch, there was an alarm set to go off once every six months at the exact time the train was supposed to pull in. Alfred had laughed off the gift at first but now, he wears it everywhere, not that he would tell Mattie that. The only time he didn't wear it was when Mattie did come over, Alfred wanted time to stop when his brother came to visit. There was nothing else to it, ever since he had lost his memory last year, Mattie had been the only person that he truly could remember. Not his parents, and definitely not this guy that Alfred had started dreaming about. It had started a few days after Mattie had last left, this guy, he seemed important but his name eluded Alfred. The best his brain could supply was Iggy, but somehow that name didn't seem right. For the time being, "Iggy" was this guys name. Thinking about him had lately taken up all of Alfred's free time, but he was starting to remember a bit about him. Iggy couldn't cook to save his life but at least he could bake, and he had a British accent, at least Alfred thought it was British maybe it was Australian.

Alfred had a tendency to let his thoughts wander so, the next time he looked at his watch, he was only slightly surprised that the train was already an hour late Man, Mattie was supposed to be here already. Well, Alfred didn't blame him. He did, however, blame those train conductors. The company in charge of the rail system had recently replaced all of the conductors on the line between Canada and America with Brits. That's right, the British had found a way to infiltrate America and it was ticking Alfred off. To be fair, the trans-American railroad was built by the British, but Alfred tended to overlook that particular detail.

To be honest, Alfred had no idea why he hated the Brits, it felt like he just had to hate them that was all. Maybe his parents had taught it to him. That was another thing Alfred had felt like he was missing. Mattie had told him that they were orphans and that was why he couldn't remember having parents. They had simply aged out of the system before getting adopted. So where did this hate for the British came from? Maybe hate was the wrong word but Alfred couldn't think of another word for explaining it at the moment.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Alfred looked down the line to see a puff of smoke coming down the line. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He really had wanted to show his over-enthusiastic excitement, but the last time he did that he had almost pushed his brother into a train. Honestly, neither wanted to pay the repair bills of an engine. The things that he didn't know about himself that kept piling up, Alfred had no idea where he and his brother had gotten such inhuman strength. Mattie said it must have come from one of their birth parents but being orphans made that kinda hard to figure out. So Alfred waited as patiently as he could while the train pulled into the station and released her passengers.

Alfred had to wait until almost the whole train was emptied before he caught sight of his beloved brother. Good news, his brother hadn't brought along that German, sorry Prussian, that had taken to following him around. Bad news, his brother was talking to someone, but who it was, Alfred had no idea.

The pair approached the waiting American, who by now had replaced his impatience with curiosity. The newcomer was a sandy blond with his back to Alfred. It must have been his first time in the states because he looked around with wonder in his eyes. Alfred had to agree, New York station was a grand place. However, it had lost its charm on him years ago, Since he practically came to the place once every few months and sometimes even more often.

The pair finally made it to Alfred, who had broken out of his curiosity trance. After giving a polite nod to the stranger before he promptly glomped his brother. Both surprising the newcomer and almost knocking his brother over.

"Ten minutes, new record Al". Matthew smiled at Alfred, who in response only laughed as he hugged his brother tighter. After a hug that lasted at least two minutes, Alfred remembered that there was another person in their little group. Matthew noticed his brother's grip loosen.

"Alfred, this is Arthur, he's going to be staying with us while he studies America. Sorry, I forgot to ask you aboot it, but he needed a place to stay and since we live in such a big house I thought it would be a good idea".

Arthur gave a small smile and put out his hand. Alfred for his part stared at it, then batted the hand away. Arthur looked insulted until Alfred caught him in a hug.

"Welcome to the family, Arthur! We do hugs, not handshakes".

The three left the station, Alfred chatting about what had been going on in the states and what had been happening in Canada while Matthew had been gone. Matthew for his part listened closely to his brother and gave feedback whenever it was due. He also tried to get Arthur included in the conversation. Alfred at least asked a few questions to Arthur. Things like his home life, travel experiences, and why he was studying the states.

"Hey Arthur, Where did you say you're from?" The question was out of place for the American who seemed to only care about food and those he deemed important. Arthur and Matthew exchanged a look.

"I'm from…"