Reclining in the wooden chair, the beaten country set his feet on the table. His bright crimson uniform was tattered and the furry that had once been in his emerald eyes had come to fade. They seemed distant, as if he were lost in some memory. Tears attempted to well up in them, but he immediately blinked them away. There was another nation in his presence, one that was still under his control. As he stared at the young blonde sitting across from him though, he found it hard not to think of what he had just lost.

"B-Britain?" Canada spoke up, soft voice hard to hear over the crackling of the fire.

"What?" England said in a horse reply.

"Are you sure you don't want to...get out of the house for awhile?" Ever since America had won the Revolution, England had retreated to Canada. It had been several days since the ending of the war and he had yet to leave the seat he was in now.

He sounded a sigh as he set his boots to the floor. Leaning over with his face in his hands, England tried to regain his composure. He knew that his charge was right. If he continued to remain as he was, it would not be long until his weakness was preyed upon. "Give me a moment and we'll leave..." He stood up and immediately felt the ache in his body. It had not been moved for so long which had made it become incredibly stiff. After a short stretch, he left the room to return to his own so that he could change out of his uniform. Arthur wanted to put the past behind him.

"West! How's it going?" a loudmouth albino asked before stumbling into the bar. He took a seat next to the blonde seated there as he wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulders. "Still in America, eh?"

His hardened blue eyes widened. There was a moment where he found himself stuck between spitting out the alcohol in his mouth or swallowing it. The blonde slammed a fist to his chest to keep from choking before the liquid slid down his throat. "P-Prussia? Vat are you doing here?"

"I'm awesome. Do I need more of a reason?" the albino said with a raise of his brow. He ordered himself a drink. After taking a sip, Prussia scrunched up his face in distaste. The beer that the colonists were making was less than desirable.

Both of them turned to look back as a rather loud and obnoxious laugh sounded. The door swung open and a victorious America stood in the doorway. He still adorned his blue uniform. He set his hands to his hips before turning his head to the side as if he were trying to make some kind of dramatic pose. "I'm the hero!" he declared.

"Mein Gott..." Germany grumbled under his breath as Alfred came to sit down on the other side of him.

"Someone is drinking again," America said to him with a wide grin. It was clearly a tease aimed at the reason why the Hessian troops had lost at the Battle of Trenton. The battle itself had come as a surprise to the Germans, especially after the drinking they had indulged in for the holiday. Germany ignored the stab at his pride though.

"I hear you kicked the old Brit to the curb. I'll drink to that," Prussia said with a wicked grin as he slid America down his drink. They leaned over the counter to clink their glasses, not giving the comfort of the blonde between them a care at all.

England entered the establishment with Canada at his heels. The shy country stayed a bit behind him as he peeked out to survey the scene. Those already seated turned back to glance at those who had just entered and the room fell silent. Green locked with blue as England and America surveyed each other. The Brit quickly spun around, no longer seeing the need to be there. Not really catching the mood at all, Alfred stood from his seat. "Britain...?" he questioned, features pulling into a frown.

"You've already won. Allow me to enjoy an evening away from you in peace..." Arthur said. His back faced the man in uniform. Eyes still on the ground as he tried to hide his tears, he requested that Matthew follow him out.

Surprisingly, Canada stayed where he was. There was clear worry in his violet irises and he opened his mouth, preparing to voice his concern. The Brit silenced him with a slam of the door to the pub. "Uh..." Matthew said, frowning deeply. He was unsure what to say now.

America frowned; setting down his glass before walking passed his brother. He set a hand on his brother's shoulder before offering him a smile. "Don't worry, Canadia. We'll sort it out," he told his brother before he tailed England.

Canada sighed once his brother had left. He appreciated the kind words, but they seemed to be countered by the fact that Alfred had not called him by the correct name. Hesitantly, he took a seat next to Prussia. The albino turned to look at him and grinned. He patted Matthew on the back without realizing his own strength. "West and I'll take care of ya!" Gilbert told him after he had jerked forward against the counter. The thought of being in the care of the two German speaking countries frightened him a bit. Nevertheless, Matthew offered him a shy smile.

"You've won the bloody war already. What more do you want?" England shouted as he turned around to face America. Alfred had not been very stealthy despite having been known for his recent pick up on guerrilla tactics during the war.

"I want the truth, Britain," America answered as he looked the other nation dead in the eye. He took a few steps closer.

"What do you mean the truth?" the nation asked as his thick brows knitted together. His fists clenched. "Don't come any closer."

As if to irritate England further, he continued to advance toward him until there were only a few inches of distance between them. Rage hitting its boiling point, the British man sent a well aimed punch at Alfred's jaw. America stumbled backward. He set a hand to his throbbing cheek before coming to stand tall again. "What am I to you really?"

With a grunt, England let his hands relax. "You mean now that you're not my little brother?" he asked. He turned his face to the side, no longer able to meet Alfred's gaze. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the younger nation nod. "Well, Al-America," the Brit began, catching himself before he called the other by his human name. "You got what you wanted. You're a man...and although you fought less than honourably, I do respect you..."

A light smile came to Alfred's face as he let his hand fall away from his cheek. Despite this revelation, there was something still missing; there was one more thing that he needed to know. "Arthur...do you love me?" he asked suddenly.

The question caught Arthur off guard and it showed very clearly. He tried his best to cover it up though as he returned to normal. "Git, be happy that I respect you at all. Now head back to the pub and I'll buy you a drink."

"Kesesesese~" Gilbert laughed. "Drink up, Mattie," he said to Canada as he tried to convince him to drink another mug. Through the peer pressure that is Prussia, Matthew had been persuaded to down three different mugs. He seemed a bit dozy at this point as if he were going to pass out at any moment.

"G-Gilbert...I don't think I can," he told the other nation. His friend finished off a mug of his own before wrapping a casual arm around him.

"Come on. You can do it," the albino purred as the yellow chick that followed him everywhere circled their heads.

"Prussia, leave him alone," Ludwig muttered with a shake of his head. Unlike his brother, he had the ability to drink responsibly so he had only gone through three glasses compared to his brother's seven.

"Don't be such a buzz kill, West," the albino said.

He slid the mug closer to Canada and after Matthew caught sight of the look Prussia gave him, he found it hard to refuse. He drank the beer before setting the mug down. A few minutes later, Matthew found himself closing his eyes. His head, feeling rather heavy, fell to the side onto the Prussian's shoulder.

The door to the bar opened once again and England and America entered. They were bickering with one another, but the air seemed less hostile than it had before. Gilbert rose his glass in greeting before downing it and setting it on the counter. He gently set Matthew's head on the counter as well, allowing Gilbird to settle in his hair moments later.

"Hey, Britain. I bet I can beat you in a drinking contest," Alfred challenged as they both sat down.

"Don't you wish. I know I can hold my liquor better than you," Arthur answered.

Two mugs were slid down toward them. Each man took one before clinking glasses with the other. With that, the next battle began.

Translation Notes:

Mein Gott - My God

Author's Notes:

I had originally planned doing another Revolutionary War fanfiction that focused on Germany since at good 20,000+ of his soldiers were involved. During a history tour, I was told that the Hessian troops actually weren't mercenaries, but that is beside the point. I have recently received a Beta and as a thank you for volunteering to look over my works to put them in proper order before I posted them to you, I made this request fic. Without having meant to, this basically ended up the sequel to my oneshot, Shout so I Can Listen. Regardless, I hope my Beta is pleased along with the rest of my readers.