The date was July 1st, 1997. A young city stood beside a well-known nation. Though their features did not resemble each others', their expressions and the way they carried themselves would make anyone who walked by know that they're related somehow. They also had equally thick eyebrows, spoke the same language and wore similar clothing. Both of them were currently stiff like wooden boards, and a bit nervous.
"England, do I really have to like, go back over there?" The younger man muttered under his breath, soft but loud enough for the country to hear.
"Leon, you belong over there. I shouldn't have taken you in the first place." The blond-haired country replied, putting a hand reassuringly on Leon's shoulder. "I just want you to know that even after today, you're still going to be my little brother, you git."
The city looked at the smirking country, his face still impassive as always, though he was touched. He'd never thought England would like him, and he would like said country back.
"Honestly I'd always wanted to like, go back to my big bro but now I'm like, not so sure anymore-"
Leon's sentence was cut off as Arthur was called over to the middle by the officials. Arthur smiled, trying to hide his frown before headed over to where he needed to go.
As the horns sounded, memories came rushing back to Hong Kong. As the music became more melancholic to him and the British, his memories became more vivid. Simultaneously, England was experiencing the same thing next to the lowering flag of Britain.
The both of them closed their eyes, reliving every single moment they'd had together.
A small Hong Kong was pounding a younger looking England's stomach with his fists, eyes continuing to well up.
"Nei ho sui ah! Ngo bun sun tong Gor-Gor zhu mai yut chai mai ho lor! Nei jo meh yiu fun hoi ngo dei ah!?"(1) He cried and screeched, his nose red from all the crying.
England didn't know what his colony was talking about. It was a foreign language, even more foreign than Mandarin. It was definitely not Mandarin. It sounded like it, but he knew it wasn't. Why was he so upset? Hong Kong should be overjoyed that he's under better rule now, not under that behind-the-times China!
"Oi, kid, stop wailing! You're really starting to annoy me!" England pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, if you stop that, I'll buy you new toys okay?"
The city with his hair tied in a ponytail continued punching him, still screaming.
What was he thinking? Why would Hong Kong understand him if he didn't understand the city either? He groaned. Maybe if he gave the young Chinese a cuppa or something he'd quiet down.
Tea. The whole thing that started this nonsense. He'd have to take care of a seemingly more annoying America who didn't even speak his tongue.
England fished a soldier toy figure from his pocket and gave it to the brunette, in hopes of him starting to play with it and thus calming down. It resulted in him crying even more.
Again, why did he do that? That was a figure of one of the very soldiers from his country who helped beat China and cornered little Hong Kong. He really was harder to take care of than Alfred. Wait... Alfred. A sudden idea popped up in his mind.
"There, there... I'm sorry okay lad?" Arthur spoke in a gentle tone. Slowly he proceeded to hug the Chinese and scoop him up into a warm cuddle. "You're going to live a better life here... I'll take good care of you..."
Eventually, Hong Kong fell asleep peacefully in his arms. England looked at his colony, sleeping with a small frown on his face. He used to do that with America when he threw tantrums, and it'd always worked wonderous. Undoubtedly, it's going to be more difficult raising him than Alfred, but he was going to raise him to become a gentleman like him. Yes, an absolutely invincible gentleman.
"You'll become successful like me in the future, won't you?" The British Empire smiled slightly at the asleep city. He was definitely going to become a gentleman like him.
England clutched his bow tie with a frown, green eyes staring into nothingness in front of him. Leon didn't turn out to be too much of a gentleman, but he still brought him up well. Standing just a few metres next to China, he could feel the older nation's frequent glances at him, and glances at other places in hopes of finding his youngest brother. He really shouldn't have taken Hong Kong. Yao seemed to have missed him a lot, and Arthur himself was going to miss him after today as well.
Hong Kong gazed at England and China, gold eyes shimmering. If there was a way for him to live with both England and China, he'd be the happiest place in the entire galaxy. He didn't want to leave England. He didn't want to.
"Leon, It's tea time." The Brit told the now slightly older Hong Kong as he set out a plate of crumpets and a kettle on the table.
"Li Xiao Chun... Not Leon..." The small boy looked down at the floor, obviously displeased that England called him by a different name. He was getting more familiar with the western environment, but he wasn't going to forget his own culture, let alone his own name. Even if he was forced to speak only English, wear English attire and have his ponytail chopped off, he wouldn't forget his origins.
"Leon sounds more gentlemanly anyways, kid." England waved his hand dismissively. "Just have tea, mate."
Hong Kong reluctantly shuffled over to his seat and sat down, pouting and crossing his arms.
"What's wrong, lad?" Arthur asked, drinking a sip of tea as he looked his colony up and down. Li Xiao Chun puffed his cheeks and turned away from the thick-browed-nation. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Yes. You do something wrong." The boy said with a thick Cantonese accent. "You not call my real name."
The Brit scoffed. "Well, what do you want me to do? Call you by your name in Chinese?"
The Cantonese boy nodded as he placed a crumpet in his tiny mouth. The Englishman stared at the small boy in disbelief. He was the motherland, and he was merely a colony. He should obey him, not the other way around.
"Listen up, Leon." The blonde said, fierce emerald eyes boring straight into Hong Kong's gold ones. "You will listen to what I say. I will call you whatever I want, because you are property of the British Empire, and you will do what I tell you."
Hong Kong's eyes slowly became glassy. He leaped off the chair and ran to his room, shutting the door loudly.
Arthur wondered if he went a bit overboard. After all, Leon only lived here for a year, and was just taken away from his family. What he said was not gentlemanly, it was barbaric!
Cursing to himself, England went to knock on Hong Kong's door. "Eh... Hong Kong? I uh... Am sorry..." He stuttered. "N-not that I care, of course! Uh... May I come in?"
Receving no reply, England sighed to himself. He really did go too far this time, didn't he? Putting his ear on the door, Arthur could hear sniffles. It broke his heart- why, how- to listen to the colony cry. The European shook his thoughts away before he quietly turned the knob to Hong Kong's room.
The small city laid face flat on his stuffed panda, the only reminder of China for him. The island country hesitated before he made his way over to the Chinese's bed and sat down.
"Look... Uh... I went too far just now and I uh... Hope you can stop crying because you're like my brother and- Not that I care, pssh." Britain looked away. "A-anyway... please stop crying..."
"I only forgive you if you let me do thing." The city bargained, his voice muffled.
"Of course." England nodded. Ah, what the heck. What could little Leon do anyways?
Suddenly, he heard a bunch of explosions in the room. He thought his eardrums bursted before the period ended, accompanied by Hong Kong's cackles.
"Hong Kong! What was that?!" England hollered as the city continued giggling.
"Firecrackers. Me like them. They go boom boom!" The small boy's face lit up with excitement as he opened and closed his hands.
"Seriously?" England sighed as Hong Kong chuckled. A beam slowly took over Arthur's features.
Hong Kong stared numbly as Britain's flag dropped and China's and his rose. He should be happy. He would'd been happy a hundred and fifty six years ago. Bromance just had to develop, hadn't it? Stupid! China and him had bromance as well, but it was insignificant compared to England and his. After all, they'd been apart for more than a century and a half. Why were relationships so complicated? Not that he didn't care about China anymore... He just had a stronger bond with England.
Arthur stared back at the crowd, and at Leon. Arthur knew when the other was upset, even when the others reckon that Hong Kong's expression never changed. It was now. Leon was upset, even when the city was rarely fazed by anything.
It was only natural, England himself was hurting, too.
"Oi, Leon, you okay?" England sat on the sofa next to Hong Kong, where said city was looking out the droplet-covered window.
"Yo, England." The teenager replied, gazing at the rainy streets of London. "I'm like, fine, I guess."
"If you were fine you would be tapping on your phone instead of looking at the rain fall."
Hong Kong's emotionless eyes met England's concerned ones. "Fine, you caught me. Can you like, go now?"
"No."
"Why? Like, Leave me alone dude." Leon said monotonously, turning back to the window.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"Like you care. You've always like, said that you don't care." The brunette muttered.
England tensed at his sentence. Why did he stiff up? Of course he didn't care! He never cared! ...Did he?
"Uhm... Right... I uh... Bought you this electric guitar." Arthur whipped up an instrument from behind the sofa, hoping to cheer the smaller nation up. "I can teach you how to play if you want-"
"Electric guitar?" All of Hong Kong's troubles seemed to have melted away. "Thanks, man!" He grabbed the guitar and started strumming loudly.
"Leon! Lower the volume you twit! This is even worse than the firecrackers!"
"I can't hear you!" Hong Kong smirked slightly and ignored England, continuing to play.
"Do you want thicker eyebrows!?" Arthur screamed. He couldn't even hear his voice anymore. It seemed as if the walls were shaking, too.
Leon kept on playing. That is, until the walls collapsed and fell on them.
"Leon you bloody git!"
Hong Kong almost forgot what was happening in reality. It would be great if he could turn back time and treasure it, but he couldn't. He was to be given back to China this day, this hour. He would no longer be Leon Kirkland, but Li Xiao Chun. No longer colony of Britain, but city of China. He was glad that he had his real identity back, but he would forever also be Arthur's brother. Forever.
That was it. The flags were almost done moving to their respective directions. Only a matter of seconds left before the colony would no longer be a colony. England closed his eyes in sadness. He didn't treat Hong Kong as a colony anymore, he was his brother.
"Tomorrow's the day, huh?" England said as he helped Hong Kong pack his belongings into a super-sized bag. "The Handover."
"Duh. You like, signed the contract yourself." Hong Kong scoffed, putting his stuffed panda into a special backpack. "Is your memory like, getting fuzzy already, gramps?"
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" The Brit folded Hong Kong's blanket and placed it in his bag. It took up most of its space but he didn't care. "You must be thrilled to see China again."
The gold-eyed teenager managed to stuff a couple of clothes into his bag. "...Yeah. Sure. It's going to take me like, a lot more time to adjust to the environment though."
"No, I meant Wang Yao."
"I know."
The two continued to pack for the city's journey tomorrow in silence, each with thoughts racing in their heads. They weren't willing to admit how much they would miss each other, but England's actions already told Hong Kong how much he actually cared for him.
"Do tse."(2) Hong Kong murmured under his breath.
"What?" England asked.
"Nothing."
The flags were done moving. Hong Kong was officially back under China's rule. The Chinese were cheering, and Hong Kong should, too, but he felt like isolating himself from everyone.
He saw as England fled down the stage, shielding his face from everyone. Maybe he was embarrassed, not sure. He sat down on the ground, his mind blank.
He was no longer England's. He was back where he belonged.
It took him all of his physical and mental strength to stand up. It pained him so much to leave England. He didn't want to leave. He knew it was wrong but he didn't want to leave-
Unknowingly, tears started brimming in his eyes. If only he could have one more century with England. Or better yet, if only the three of them can live together. He knew it would be almost impossible for him to reach England once he got back to China. Everything would be blocked. He wanted to stay in England. He wanted so bad-
A strong pair of arms hugged him. England. England was hugging him. England was crying harder than he was. Why. Why did everything have to turn out this way? Hong Kong himself was sniffling like the child he was a hundred and fifty six years ago in England's arms.
"Y-you git... Take care of yourself o-okay?" Arthur choked, tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes. Hong Kong managed to nod before he closed his eyes, like he did when he was young.
They would always be brothers, forever and always.
(1): You're so bad! It was great when older brother and I originally lived together! Why do you have to separate us!?
(2): Thank you
Author's note: I was originally studying when the idea of this story popped up in my head XD So I used 4 or more hours to write it, and here it is! I've always loved the brotherly bonds between different nations and I figured I could write one of England's and HK's because why not? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it :) I might write one for China and HK as a sequel after I finish my exams, so be sure to watch out if you liked this one :3 Please review, and no flames please, thank you :P