"Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck.
Some nights, I call it a draw.
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off
But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know anymore... oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh.
Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh
This is it, boys, this is war, what are we waiting for?
Why don't we break the rules already? I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack
My style", he sang at the top of his lungs. He didn't have an angel's voice but it was a great day, after all it was his birthday.
He smiled happily he was turning a party like he did every year. And every year almost every nation showed. And every year that same nation came up with a new excuse not to show up.
If there was one thing America knew, it was that, even though he had a silver tongue, he could never sway the old Englishman. But, just because he couldn't change England's mind, it didn't mean he couldn't try…right?
America paused the music on his iPhone, dialed England's number, and just hoped that his long time ally and friend would show up. But, he even laughed at that.
[England's POV]
He sighed-slash-laughed when he looked at the number on his phone, and saw that it was America.
"Right on time", he muttered as he looked at the clock. 8:35 a.m. America always waited to around that time to try to convince him to go to America's party.
The main reason England never showed up, he did feel happy for his ally, but he didn't like remembering that day, the day he showed someone his sensitive side. Today's reasons, first it was raining, second, work, work, work, and lastly work. But he would always answer the phone and wish the American a happy birthday.
"Hello?"
"Hey Artie! Guess what today is?"
"Thursday"
"Aww, c'mon Artie!"
"Yes yes, happy birthday America", England could almost hear the American frown at the fact he didn't say the American's human name.
But America recovered, "Well, I'm having a party."
It was more of a question versus a statement.
England sighed, "I'm sorry, but I can't go, it's raining and I have work I have to do for my boss".
"C'mon, besides it always rains at your place!"
"America, I have work that isn't just going to do its self."
He heard America sigh defeated, "Alright".
"Besides", England laughed, "You don't want me there. I'm just an old stick in the mud".
America laughed, "No you're not a stick in the mud!"
"Yes I am."
"No, you are not. But if you get done early can you please come? Please?"
"I can't make promises, but sure."
"Alright, bye Artie."
"Goodbye."
England hung up and placed his phone on his desk with a sigh.
"You're always like this!", a female voice complained from behind England. England turned around startled, but recovered and rolled his eyes, "Go away, I don't want to hear it from you!"
"Can't. Remember, I'm a part of your imagination."
The girl looked to be around sixteen, had one blue eye and one green eye, thin, long, curly blonde hair, and wore a torn red dress with a white rose tucked behind her right ear.
"And that is why I hate schizophrenia", England hissed. He had the blasted mental disease since as long as he could remember. And the girl was a hallucination of his little sister Brittany, who was killed by France in one of their many wars against each other.
England gave an aggravated sigh, "Besides, he doesn't want me there!"
"Yes he does!", the hallucination countered.
"How would you know?!", England snapped.
"I know just as much as you do! And you know, though you don't accept it, he wants you to be there!"
"Proof it! Since you know just as much as I do!"
"If he didn't want you there, why would he bother to call every year asking you and trying to convince you to go?!" Brittany snapped.
At that England was silenced, his dead sister had a good point. But this was England and he was a stubborn old man, "He would do it to make me feel like I'm not forgotten!"
Then the girl vanished and reappeared in front of her older brother and smacked him on the head. And she smacked him hard, "You idiot! Even if that was the case it would that he cared about your feelings!"
England looked at the ground, then looked at his sister's hallucination, and asked, "Do you really think I should go?"
"I'd do anything to get you out of this miniature library of yours!" She said looking around the room that had filled bookshelves as walls.
"And what are you going to do while I'm gone?"
"I'm going with you, I kind of don't have a choice", she said while poking her head to remind she was just a hallucination of his, not actually alive.
"Right!" England laughed then asked, "Wait, I need to give him something!"
The hallucination motioned for him to follow her, she pointed to a drawer in the Englishman's desk. England opened the drawer to find a long, skinny, wrapped package.
"I convinced you to do it one time when you were drunk, just in case Alfred or I was able to convince or force you to go to Alfred's party".
England nodded and smirked, "Well, that explains why I don't remember doing this".
Brittany laughed and smiled. This was the older brother she knew when she was alive.
Then England remembered something he grabbed his phone and dialed a familiar number. His boss' number.
"Did he finally convince you to go?", his boss asked immediately.
England smiled, "Nope, someone else did. But, um, what about-?"
"Well, I guess France is going to have to wait another week for us to repay our debt".
"Thank you, sir."
"No problem. And Arthur?"
"Yes sir?"
"Do me a favor. Avoid any form alcohol".
England laughed, "Yes sir".
"Have fun".
"Will do, boss", and England hung up and headed to the door.
[America's POV]
Everyone had started to arrive already. Canada was first, like always, and the Italy brothers were the last ones so far. But some nations still hadn't shown up yet which didn't surprise America. America was having a great time, some humans in the neighborhood had started launching fireworks already and the sun wasn't entirely down yet.
America was blaring random music from his iPhone through speakers, and everyone started laughing when Canada changed the song to American Idiot by Green Day, and wrapped his arm around America's shoulders and started singing the song at the top of his lungs. And surprisingly Canada was perfectly as this happened. Luckily, the doorbell rang and America managed to sneak away from his younger brother to open the door.
And when America answered the door he was greeted with, "Well, it's about time you answered this bloody door!"
England gave his friend a amused look when he heard the song be blared from the speakers.
"For the record, Mattie turned that song on and started singing it! You should have seen it!"
"Hmm, maybe if you opened the sooner I would've!"
"C'mon in!", America said moving out of the way of the door. England stepped into the warm home.
"Here, it's for you", England said handing America the wrapped gift.
The American started unwrapping the gift, and England blinked, "You're opening it now?"
"Well I want to see what you brought me!"
"Can't you wait?"
"Nope!", America smiled and England just shook his head.
And when America gasped, England suddenly became worried, he hadn't bothered to look at what was wrapped in the package. But when America pulled out of the package a new looking toy soldier that looked like one of the ones he had given America when he was still a colony, and when America pulled England into a hug, England mentally thanked Brittany.
After everyone else showed up but before they'd go outside to launch and watch fireworks, America opened his gifts.
Canada gave America a bunch of CDs. France gave America Lés Misérables because he how much America loved the movie. China had given America fireworks, because he couldn't think of anything else. Seychelles gave America glass bowl filled with beautiful sand dollars and seashells.
And then the last present was from Japan, and America almost died when he opened it. On the top was a bunch of copies of different mangas America liked, but at the bottom was some things that made America uneasy. At the bottom were two plushy dolls, one of Kagamine Rin and the other of Kagamine Len, both dolls were dressed in all black outfits that had red stripes on the sleeves, and in Rin's hand was a red, felt rose. America looked up to see Japan smiling and asked, "They aren't going to come to life, blindfold me, then kill me right?"
Japan smiled and replied, "Only if you forget about them!"
America laughed at the joke, then Canada, who was sitting next to America on his right smirked and said, "Hey…Give me some?", he gave a really creepy giggle at the end of the question, causing America to elbow him and say, "Don't you start!"
They all went outside and launched fireworks, then after that everyone starting leaving. After awhile England was the only one still at America's house. Then America had to ask, "What made you want to come?"
England gave America a look. America knew England could easily skip past his work and come to his party but it was just that England didn't want to. Even an idiot could tell that much.
America also knew England had schizophrenia, he had known that ever since he was a colony and caught England having a one-sided conversation with himself.
"Brittany convinced me", that was England's reply.
America smiled softly, England had told America stories about Brittany when he was a colony. And from what he was told, Brittany was a smart, independent, girl who could care less about authority, and seemed to notice the things people would normally miss.
"Well, tell Brittany that I said good job", America said, not looking at England.
"She already knows and she's threatened to smack me on the head with War and Peace if I don't come to your birthday next year", England laughed.
America smiled and laughed too, "She had a thing for smacking people on the head, didn't she?"
"I will never understand why but she did", England shrugged.
After a couple more minutes of talking, England stood and said, "Well I should get going, it was nice seeing you America".
England was almost to the door when America nearly shouted, "Wait!"
England turned around confused, "Yes?"
And that's when America pulled England into a hug and whispered, "Thank you for coming Artie, thank you…"
England chuckled and hugged back and whispered back, "You're welcome. And happy birthday Alfred".
D'aww, now isn't that cute? Now back to my original point, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! I wish you have a fun and firework-filled (if that is even a thing) birthday! And please be careful with fire and/or fireworks, because I got burned with a miniature blowtorch while trying to light a firework, I used a blowtorch because the punks we got sucked ass. Anyways have fun and for all you fans who are reading this and are not American or in America, have a good night or day.
