Japan slowly walked towards Greece's house, lost in the moment. The weather felt wonderful here in comparison to back home, and it seemed almost as if the ache in his bones had been lifted. This very fact was a major reason he loved to visit Greece.
The other major reason was Greece himself.
There had been a gentle meowing in the air ever since he began his walk, but it was steadily growing in intensity the closer he got to Greece's house. Japan smiled as he imagined Greece's cats; they certainly didn't hurt either.
He finally reached Greece's house and listened closely for the center of the meowing. Realizing it was coming from the backyard, Japan stood stiff and still, mentally debating on what to do next. It would be improper and impolite to just enter Greece's property without explicit permission. However, if Greece was in the back, he would not hear the knock on the door and could not give permission.
Japan frowned at this conundrum. Greece had also told him in the past that he was always welcome in his home. But did that still apply now? Why wouldn't it? Why would it?
A cat meowed particularly loudly and nudged his leg, causing Japan to stumble. He fell to a knee, running a hand through the cat's sleek fur. The cat arched into the touch and forced his hand along its body, the tail whipping under his hand at last. A smaller white cat gently pawed at his leg. Behind her stood a multicolor group of cats; they walked to the gate, meowed at him, then doubled back. Getting the hint, Japan nodded and followed their lead.
He stopped at the gate, peering over it to find Greece laying against a tree, asleep. And there, head resting in Greece's lap, was Egypt. At first Japan thought that he, too, was asleep, but then Egypt made eye contact, corner of his lip quirking, and Japan got the impression he was being invited over.
Japan hesitated again. They seemed content and Japan would never forgive himself for interrupting such a peaceful moment if he really wasn't welcome. His eyes darted away from them as he contemplated leaving, but the white cat head butted him again. He looked back at the scene, catching Egypt's look of fleeting disappoint at his hesitation.
Japan carefully opened the gate and quietly walked over, taking care not to disturb Greece. Egypt slowly changed positions to lay against Greece's left side instead and settled down close. Japan took note and knelt down on Greece's right, wincing when his knees cracked. Both he and Egypt tensed. Listened. But Greece kept quietly snoring away; Japan let out a sigh of relief. He allowed himself to relax into a sitting position, gently—hesitantly— leaning against Greece's side. The pushy white cat settled into his lap with a satisfied yawn.
"Thanks for joining us, Japan," Greece mumbled, and Japan could just hear the smile on his face.