It feels like falling up.

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

Characters: Canada i_luv_syrup and You.
Setting: The 20th Floor
Format: Either or.
Summary: Canada's climbed to the top of the tower to see what's around them if possible.
Warnings: NA.

Canada felt like he had been trapped in the building for much too long. Even in the forest it felt artificial and forced, like a garden or terrarium. It didn't feel like there was any connection to the outside world. So, gathering up his bear Matt headed up all those stairs, passing some terrifynig rooms like the one with the bloodied walls and screaming or the room that was a complete void.

Finally reaching the top and standing on the very top of the tower he sighed. Nothing could be seen through the fog but at least he could smell the fresh air instead of whatever was recycled within the building below his feet.

Comments

[edes-virag.livejournal.com]

She had noticed he had gone from floor to floor and rather worried as to why he was- well- wandering, she followed after him but not too close to cause suspicion. What else was there to do in the tower, after all?

Up on the 20th floor. Hungary glanced around with her eyebrows knitted at the feel of the fresh air hitting her face. In so long, it felt a blur of lines in wondering if this was real or artificial but more importantly...

"Canada? What are you doing up here?"

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

The voice made him start and he turned around pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his narrow nose. He was surprised to see Hungary out at the top of the tower, had she been following him?

"Hello Miss Hungary, I just wanted fresh air, was starting to get a little cabin fever."

[edes-virag.livejournal.com]

"I can understand that." She said quietly as she looked out over the edge to nothing but fog below. Even she was getting just a bit of vertigo and worry on the height before her.

"I wish there was something more...ground level than this to roam out in though."

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

Canada couldn't help but gently grab her wrist and pull her back from the edge of the crumbling tower. He didn't trust the edge and it made him anxious to have her that close when he knew the ground was unstable.

"I agree, but let's not fall off of the tower today."

[edes-virag.livejournal.com]

Blinking, she looked back at him with confused eyes. Someone actually worrying for her well being without a backhanded comment was still always so new to her.

"Don't worry. I have rather good balance."

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

"Please, just humour me." Matt smiled softly and let her go once he felt they were a safe away from the edge.

[edes-virag.livejournal.com]

Watching him for a moment, Hungary then nodded and stepped back farther so she was more so at his side rather than infront of him. "Alright, just this once." She teased.

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

THe smile brightened on Matt's face one they were a comfortable distance from the edge.

"How have you been?"

[edes-virag.livejournal.com]

"As well as can be, I suppose." She said while looking up at him with a smile. "My leg still hurts a bit but working it out has proven successful in getting it back to normal."

"And yourself?"

[creme-master.livejournal.com]

As the tower seemed to expand itself, to add more (and horrifying) floors, the hope of ever getting out of this prison. The staircase stretched higher than the old man really wanted to think about. Still, rumor had it that floor twenty was open-air and Francis thought that alone was enough to balance out the staircase.

There was fog that greeted him when he finally reached the top. Fog and isolation as far as the eye couldn't see; but air! An actual breeze he hadn't felt so freely blew against him (a testament to the elevation) and cleared some of the more pressing thoughts from the forefront of his mind. Something caught his eye and for a moment he thought those ghosts plaguing the tower had snuck up on him again.

France recalled the pang he'd felt after having mistaken Canada's female counterpart for him in the kitchens. As time continued and her presence remained without a peep from her masculine half the hope that his Mathieu would show up dwindled. Yet, just standing out of reach with bear in tow was a sight he thought damned near impossible.

Hesitantly and from a distance (ghosties, remember?), he called out to get the boy's attention. "Canada? Mathieu? Is that you?" Please be you.

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

The voice made Canada turn and he blinked, he had heard France was in the tower but it made him smile once he saw the older man. Moving over toward France he waved and stopped a few feet in front of him with a soft smile.

"Nice to see you, Papa. I heard you were around the tower, where have you been hiding?"

[creme-master.livejournal.com]

If this was a phantom it was doing an a commendable performance of imitating his former charge, the mannerisms identical down to the soft smile and the way he addressed the Frenchman. Madeline, while certainly resembling Mathieu greatly, hadn't done the same and it had been more than missed. He wagered it was worth temporarily (he prayed) biting the dust to step forward and wrap the boy in a hug.

Here's hoping that the poor Canadian didn't find it too odd, this sudden rush of paternal goo. France, well, he was always a rather passionate man which meant for certain occasions being more outwardly expressed than others. Relief being one of those certain things.

"You do not even understand how nice it is to see you-" He finally let the poor lad go, hands settling on his shoulders as he got a good look at the younger boy. "Ah...désolé. I was just so worried when newcomers filtered in and I didn't see you. You were the one hiding, mon cher. I have been wherever I can be to try and keep sane around here. I take a lot of naps when not putting my life at stake in the forest. And you? Where have you been running around?"

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

The sudden hug was no surprised to Matt and he returned it. Despite all that was said the tall Canadian loved hugs even though having France suddenly go into father mode was a little jarring the Canadian accepted it as he let go and gave France a kind smile.

"It's nice to see you too Papa. I haven't been hiding, mostly just wandering the halls and talking with England. But why were you going in the forest? I've been warned about it and I'm a nation that spend most of his time with his wildlife." he looked at France rather concerned. He hadn't seen his father of sorts distressed like this in a very long time.

[creme-master.livejournal.com]

The huff was an automatic response to hearing England's name. "Of course." Shaking his head, he tried to smile with a little more ease. "You would think that they would have warned me mais non. The first time I visited the forest went without consequence and I wanted to do a few sketches. It's all very aesthetic until you are chased deeper by a monster."

He could see the look of concern Matt was giving him and sighed. "I just... I have been here for over two months. I think... This tower ends up having an effect on you and I missed my sweet boy. That is all, I promise."

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

"I can tell it's had an effect on you, you look like you have a major shift in politics about to drop on your head, Papa." He gave Francis another hug, the older man looked like he needed the contact almost as much as he needed Matt as a security blanket. It didn't bother Canada at all, feeling wanted and needed was something he enjoyed all the while worrying about France.

"Well, I missed you as well. Course in my mind I saw you about a month ago and I talked to you a week ago on the phone."

[creme-master.livejournal.com]

He winced. "Do I really look that bad?!" Major political shifts for Francis had involved guillotines and widespread panic. There were no such thing as a calm, diplomatic shift in power and he was well aware of how it made him look. "I thought I was managing to look somewhat sane in this miserable place," he chided, arms wrapping tight to the slightly taller boy.

He probably looked a sight. To what or whom was unimportant though as he took in how he was very sure this was real. He'd be dead right now, wouldn't he? Then again, as he stared off over Matt's shoulder - the fog blotting out existence uninvolved with the tower itself - he fancied this could be damned close.

Finally pulling back, he laughed weakly. "I do not imagine my phone would be very useful here even if I had it. Not here. What did we talk about?" It was curiosity; he roughly remembered... perhaps.

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

"Not that bad, just stressed" he gave France's arm a pat. "Really, you just looked a little out of sorts compared to how I usually see you." He had a feeling that France really needed him around at that moment in time. It was an odd feeling having Francis be so paternal but Matt shrugged it off as the pressure from being in this creepy tower.

"I think we talked about what was going to happen this year for christmas. If I was going to visit you or if I had planned to go visit England with Arthur this year. I really hadn't heard anything from Alfred so I was going to spend it with you just like old times when I was small." he gave France a small smile, Christmas had always been insanely awkward for Matt ever since the whole issues of whos custody he was under. Even now it was still a headache when everyone started arguing about holidays and politics.

[knightofangst.livejournal.com]

Suzaku had been exploring, this made no sense these floors had not been here before and yet now they were. This seemed to be the top though, apart from the dormitories. He looked around seeing nothing in the mist and then noticed the man stood there. He nodded politely.

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

Matt nodded back and stared out into the fog. After a moment of searching and being able to see nothing he glanced at the man beside him.

"Terrible weather here isn't it?" he smiled softly his voice incredibly soft for someone nearly six feet tall.

[knightofangst.livejournal.com]

Suzaku hadn't quite noticed the mans height before, but it gave him a small start now. He was almost as tall as Gino, add that to the blonde hair and Britannien features...

Suzaku shook his head, it was no good thinking about the pilot who had befriended him, who definitly hated him and was probably dead.

He nodded, "It's been like this since I arrived three weeks ago."

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

"Really? I guess that's not surprising seeing as some of the rooms downstairs." Matt looked back out at the fog and sighed, it was a little saddening the fact that he couldn't go home nor feel his people or any connection to his land. It distressed the Canadian unbelieveably.

"Sorry I'm being so depressing, I'm Can- er, Matthew." he suddenly recalled the conversation he'd had with Arthur. Human names were easier and less likely to freak out other people.

[knightofangst.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry about it," Suzaku looked around again. The height and the hair were the only similarities between Gino and this man. Suzaku had a feeling that not even this tower and the threat that the world had ended would stop Gino from being, well Gino.

"Pleased to meet you Matthew, I am Kururugi Suzaku."

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

"Likewise, are you Japanese?" he asked, he found it odd that some people here had very japanese names and yet didn't know what japan was at all. It still confused him but that's what was the chaos of multiple worlds here.

[knightofangst.livejournal.com]

A strange look that could have been guilt flickered over Suzaku's face before he nodded, "Yes I am, though I hear my world is different than most here, does Britannia exist in your world?"

[i-luv-syrup.livejournal.com]

The guilt surprised Matt but he didn't comment on it. "Where I'm from there's Britian, which is known as England, I think the only time it's been called Britannia was in a song or there was a ship called that. Sorry for asking, your name just sounded very Japanese." Matt apologized and looked back out at the fog, obviously something had transpired in his world against Japan and England, or what was close to those nations. In a small way Matt wasn't too sure if he wanted to know what went down.