Author's Note: Rated Mature for some suggestive material, almost rape, prostitution. Characters may be out of character. Sort of AU. Couples: Main—Franada. Slight PruCan, PrusRus, USUK.

-[Matthew's POV]-

xx

I sigh and walk around, glancing at my feet a few times. I walk towards the house I want to be at – not just for tonight, but for forever, if that's even possible—and I knock on the door. My hands are shaking violently.

Calm down, I tell myself. It's only Gil…

I knock again, since no one came to the first response and I notice a note on the door.

'Will be gone over the holidays with Ivan; won't be back until mid-February'.

I scowl slightly. MY Gil is out with Ivan? Well, I understand that they are having a rough time and that they are trying to patch everything up between them, but still… He's MY Gil. He came to me after seeing my advertisement and we did it. A lot of times actually, shouldn't he leave that scumbag and get me?

I shake my head. No, Matt… Maybe them getting together would get you out of this situation with him… My mind thinks but I push it aside. The thoughts keep coming back though and I grunt in disgust. It's not Gilbert's fault I was in debt with my brother and I had to repay him, but this is the only way I could think of getting big money.

I curse my mind for saying that; it's actually not as bad as most people think. I'm just paying my brother back for… well, that's a different story. But I know that I have to pay a lot, otherwise I'm kicked out with nowhere to go, no food, shelter or anything of that sort.

"Hey you." I hear someone say and I turn expectantly, thinking it was just another customer. But it wasn't – in fact, I'd never seen him before in my life.

"W-who are you?"

"You're that Alfred's brother right?" He asks, his golden teeth clenching up. I roll my eyes slightly and grab onto the inside of my coat pockets.

"What about it?"

"Word on the street is, you like gettin' raped…" My eyes widen and I shake my head no.

"Sorry, businesses are only to customers who pay first." I say, turning around. I start walking off, but I still have this strange feeling he's watching over me. I start to walk a little faster – not too obvious – but fast enough so that he can't catch me. The feeling of choking starts to happen subconsciously and I hide behind a corner. The man, who was following me after all, corners me. "S-sir! Come on! I-I'm not on sale for you!"

"So you have a specific customer you favor over all? Isn't that kind of… Unfair?"

"Unfair or not, there's still no entrance for you!"

"Oh please." And with that, the man spits behind him and hits me violently with a spare lamp that was there, knocking me out.

But not full enough to not know what happened next.

It was a strange blur, but before anything burned too badly with friction, there was a sudden pause. A man towered above me and my head spun.

I've seen this man before.

But where?

xx

'Honestly, you frog, stay away from Matthew! He's my boyfriend's brother; no prostitute-kink for you!'

'But, Angleterre, you're being WAY too over dramatic. I'd take over him and raise him perfectly fine, so he wouldn't have to be a prostitute.' The tall blonde's words were powerful and venom-stinging too. I-I was a prostitute now…? What ever happened from being invisible to a nasty slut who gets paid to have sex?

'Don't I have a say in this?' Brother appears in the doorway.

Oh yeah. That's how.

'Francis. Leave now. Matthew has to learn from his mistakes and you helping him isn't helping him at all.' America scowls at him and I scream at the top of my lungs.

'Why can't I ever have a say in anything? I'm here, you know!'

'Shut up.'

xx

I wake up in a bed, a fluffy one with lots of pillows. "Wh-where am I…?"

"Hello, Maple~!" I'm greeted with a pleasant cup of milk and the smell of pancakes rushing throughout the house. I look at the sound and see the Frenchman standing there, flipping pancakes. "How are you, sleepyhead?" I nod and rub my head, scratching it slightly. A piece of fabric falls down and covers my left eye. Francis looks at me and runs over to help. "You have to be careful, silly canadien,"

"I-I fell on my head?"

"The meanie hit you with a la—yeah, you fell…" He says, sitting down next to me. I look at him.

"Are we in your house…?"

"Mmhmm~!"

"Am I… Safe in your house?"

He looks at me confused. "What do you mean, 'safe'? Of course you're safe from any harm." He leans in and kisses my forehead. I cringe slightly and he kisses my cheek instead.

When I cringe again, he moves to my lips, but before his could touch mine, I pull away. "No, I'm not. Not here… I'm never safe again…"

"Maple, you're always safe with me. That's how the original plan was supposed to be…"

"How am I exactly, safe, whenever you just tried to kiss me?" I shout angrily, standing up. I get a little dizzy and I stumble, but I fall right back onto the bed into his arms.

"I didn't mean to, you're just so cute…"

"Cu-cute…?"

"Mmhmm, of course Maple… You could trust me… Please…?"

"Why should I?"

"Because if I wanted you just for sex, I would've taken you to a hotel, rather than my house. I would've already done it then and there, not wrap your wound and make you pancakes in the morning, which are your favorite."

"It seems too suspicious…"

"Would it be suspicious if I, honhon, took care of your debt with your brother?"

My eyes widen. "Y-you… You paid it off…?"

"But of course~! And… I wouldn't have kicked that guy's sorry ass for almost raping you if I was just trying to get into your pants."

"Alright… Alright… I trust you. But no… Lovey-dovey stuff."

"Why not~?"

Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert Beilschmidt… Just tell Francis you don't like him!

But… My heart argues. Gilbert's with Ivan. Remember, Matthew…? Sure you got money from him, but that didn't matter now. Gilbert's with Ivan. Your debt is paid off.

Gilbert's with Ivan. Your debt is paid off. Gilbert's with Ivan. Your debt is paid off. Gilbert's with Ivan. Your debt is paid off…! Don't screw up this relationship with Francis based off a bias with Gilbert, Matthew…!

"B-Because I'm not ready yet. I just got raped last night, Francis."

"Almost raped."

"…Almost raped. I'm not ready yet."

He kisses mine and Kumajiro (when did he get here?)'s nose and chuckles. He then hops up and puts the pancakes on a plate, setting it down with syrup. "Maple," He says as I sit down. "I'm prepared to wait as long as I can, until you're ready…"

I sigh, stuffing a piece of pancake in his mouth. "You silly Frenchman."