Awaking to the afternoon sun in his eyes and the soft comfort of his bed had been so pleasant that Alfred thought that perhaps he had been killed by the Russian and not saved by his elder brother (or that perhaps the entire ordeal had been a dream.) Lazily he opened his eyes and looked about his eyes falling on his brother's sleeping face. "Matthew..." he mumbled, his voice rough from the screaming he'd done the previous day, his brother stirring despite that.

"Alfred?" Matthew asked his eyes opening slowly to him. He looked half-beaten with dark rings around his eyes.

"Matthew..." Alfred replied his own eyes filling with pain. He'd been the reason his brother suffered that horrible incident. He looked away from his brother in shame and self-loathing.

"Alfred...?" Matthew asked again, reaching out and grabbing his southern brother's wrist. "I...I'm sorry..." he whispered when the American did not answer.

"Sorry?!" Alfred shouted finally looking at his northern brother. "What in hell do you have to be sorry for!?! What Ivan did is not your fault!!"

Flinching at the tone Matthew let go of the arm and curled in on himself away from his brother's body.

Instantly regretting yelling Alfred covered Matt's body with his own, feeling the younger tremble from the moment he touched him. "Matthew...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you...I should have protected you..."

"I should have been stronger...had better defense...none of this would have happened if I wasn't such a fucking pacifist!" Matthew cut Alfred off with his own self-loathing. He trembled even harder, curling into himself and closing his eyes tightly. "I'm a weakness to you...people can use me against you...I'm just..."

"How can you even say that Matthew!" Alfred nearly shouted but managed to stop himself when he realized that he was only causing the other to flinch tighter. Instead he hugged his Canadian brother tighter, kissing his neck. "It's because you're here that I can find peace and...someone who protects me."

"How is getting my stupid ass kidnapped and then used as leverage against you 'protecting' you." Matthew asked with a shaking sob.

"You protect me from myself, when I'm in danger you're always there pulling me out of the mess I threw myself into." Alfred answered softly, "You've always been there...and I'm just so glad that bastard didn't get to...hurt you fully."

Slowly un-tensing Matthew looked back at his older brother. "But I..."

"No buts Canada...Matthew, just as much as you're there for me I'll be there for you too." Alfred said kissing the Canadian's cheek, "I love you and I'm sorry for letting that happen to you."

Looking back into eyes identical to his own Matthew slowly turned and embraced his brother. "I...I'm sorry too."

"Then let's both forgive one another and go kick the shit out of that Russian bastard." Alfred with a smirk.

"That would...be nice," Matthew said with a small smile, "but in a while...right now I just want to lay here."

"Then lay as long as you want." Alfred said and though he knew what happened would not be dealt with so easily at least they had each other's comfort.

Outside the room Francis and England stood with the North American brother's breakfast on trays. "And here I thought that we should be worried...what with them both waking up and screaming all night long." Arthur sighed with a tired smile.

"Let's leave zem pour un moment longer, zey need zeir rest." Francis said with his own smile.