July 4th
Oneshot
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters.
Description: All America wants for his birthday is a huge party. Apparently, that's too much to ask for, since he falls into another recession. England decides to take care of his ex-brother while he's sick, which unwillingly drags most of the family over. And let's just say when almost all of that family is trapped in one place, ciaos follows.
Note: No pairings what-so-ever. This is a FASES-CHAN story (France, America, Seychelles, England, Sealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand (I created the term myself and I'm proud of it). In this, I'm making Seychelles the sister of America and Canada. No other characters will pop up, but the Kirkland brothers and Nordics plus Wy will be mentioned. Canada is Vinland no matter what you say. This is purely for the laughs. Country names used only.
Rated T (Teen) just to be safe.
The sun shone brightly, making it impossible to sleep. The warm summer day radiated heat and promises of suffocation, unless you had air conditioning. Which is exactly how a certain American was able to sleep until the afternoon.
Waking up was a battle the blonde was losing. His eyelids tried desperately to stay glued shut, to hold off long enough for him to fall asleep again, but his mind was having none of that. It was active as ever, planning out everything for his party in two days. But even so, he felt himself slowly slipping back into unconsciousness.
The alarm clock went off, startling America into full awareness. He groaned, reaching over and hitting the button that stopped the blaring. He rubbed a hand over his face, stretched, then got out of bed.
He wondered why everything was blurry for a few seconds before remembering he needed his glasses. He reached over and slid them on, blinking when the world came into focus. He smiled. It was July 2nd. Only two more days until his birthday. That meant two more days until he threw his giant party!
The thought energized America enough to throw some clothes on and stumble down the stairs to get some breakfast. Everything was blurring slightly as he did so. Frowning, America took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. When he put them back on, everything was still slightly out of focus. He'd have to give them a proper cleaning later on. He grabbed a box of cereal and decided he had too much to do to put it in a bowl and add milk, so he just shoved his hand into the box and ate it dry.
The living room was kind of tidy, with the exception of a few food wrappers and dishes. America threw himself onto the couch, picked the remote up and started flipping through the channels.
He glanced at the remote, turning the TV onto the cartoon channel. It went to BBC. America stared at the flat screen, confused, and glanced at the remote. That's weird, why were there two remotes? And since when did he have three hands?
He tried again, only to end up on the news. He went to try again, but the topic caught his attention.
"As of late, America has fallen into another recession, this one larger than the last. The citizens are in danger of almost bankruptcy, causing the economic value to fall greatly." The news woman said.
America stared at the story being told, his vision getting worse. His head felt like a bowl of sludge. He frowned deeply.
"Crap."
America passed out.
It was a rare, sunny, beautiful day in London. A green eyed gentleman, with eyebrows that put fuzzy caterpillars to shame, leaned back on his patio chair. He sighed in content, taking a sip of his tea. Really, he didn't get enough days to just sit down and relax. It was either work, the frog or America annoying him. Although, he was always happy to see the Queen. That would never change.
England watched the clouds roll by, only flickering his gaze to watch the fairies play in the flowers. He chuckled. The fay were always so playful when the sun came out.
England's thoughts were interrupted by a ringing. To be exact, his phone ringing. England sighed heavily. He thanked Flying Mint Bunny, who had fetched the phone for him, and quickly answered it.
"Hello?"
"Yo Iggy! How have things been?"
England sighed again. Of course this git would be the one to ruin his perfectly good relaxation. "What do you want, moron? And 'yo' isn't a word."
"Says who?"
"Says the dictionary."
"Whatever. Whoever invented that thing is a prick. Anyways, you coming to my party or what?"
"Or what."
There was a loud gasp on the other line. England could just imagine America pulling a fake hurt expression and putting a hand to his chest. "Iggy! You have to come! It's my birthday!"
"Last time I came, you punched me."
"Yeah well-" The sentence cut off, being replaced with silence. It was filled with what sounded like coughing. England's annoyance and defiance was quickly replaced with worry.
"America? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just-" There was another hacking fit, worrying England even further. "Just a small recession. No big-y. But seriously, you need to come!"
England frowned. "America, cancel that party right now. I'm coming over."
"What?! But-"
"No buts. You're sick and in no condition to party. If you recover before your birthday, then you can start it back up, and I will attend. I will see you in a few hours." With that, he hung up.
England rushed to pack his bags, still in big brother mode. The fairies helped him, flying around the house in a blur to gather everything England needed. In no time, England was standing at the front door, about to leave. His hand was on the doorknob when one of the fay gave him his phone, which was ringing again. He wanted to throw it across the room, but seeing the caller ID, knew he wouldn't be able to avoid this phone call. He answered it hesitantly, and brought it to his ear.
"What do you want, frog?" England snapped instantly.
"My, my, you're in such a foul mood today. Did something happen, Angleterre?"
"America is sick, you bloody git. Make this quick, I'm heading over to his place now."
"America is sick? So close to his birthday? My, this is no good at all."
England rolled his eyes. "Obviously. Now I have to run and fetch a flight. Annoy me later." He hung up and tossed the phone onto his sofa, then rushed out. If he was quick enough, he'd be able to be at America's in a couple of hours.
The very handsome blonde stared at his phone, eyebrows raised. Usually England and he fought over the phone for a few hours before one of them hung up. The 'gentleman' must be really worried, then. France chuckled, making the brunette next to him glance up.
"You're done your conversation with England so soon, Papa?" She asked.
France reached over and patted the girl's head. "Apparently, America is sick again. England was in a rush to see him. But we shouldn't worry too much, Seychelles. America will be fine with England taking care of him."
Seychelles stared at France, her face blank. "Chicken soup incident."
France stared back at Seychelles, his smile fading into disgusted horror. "Mon Dieu, we have to go. Call your brother and tell him about America's condition while I pack the bags."
Seychelles rolled her eyes, but took the phone out of Frances hands. She quickly dialled the number she knew by heart.
"Hey, Canada. Yep. Papa is packing. Listen, about America."
America stared at the person at his open door, face blank. How the hell he got here so quickly, America had no clue. He tried to shut the door, but England just shoved past it and dragged his bags in. America sighed, too drained from passing out to do anything else.
"Sure. Come in. Worsen my condition."
England snorted. "That would defeat my purpose. You look horrible. Go to the couch and lie down. I'll make you some tea."
"Iced tea?"
"No."
America pouted, but went and lied down anyways (more like fell half onto the couch since he was so dizzy and dragged himself the rest of the way). He did always like how England made tea (not that he would admit it, ever). He picked at a loose thread on the couch while he waited. That didn't last long.
"Iggy! Hurry up!"
"Be patient! It's impossible to find a good tea pot in this stupid house. And don't call me by that absurd nickname!"
"Awe, I thought it was good. And it suits you!"
England just rolled his eyes. He finally found a pot and filled it with water. Ten minutes later, he had a steaming cup of herbal tea with honey. He took it out to the living room, making America sit up before he handed it to the other.
"Be careful. It's hot." England warned.
America snorted. "Oh really? I thought it would freeze my insides together. Shows what I know about science."
"Don't be a smart ass." England huffed, walking back to the kitchen to get himself a cup.
Just as he finished it, there was a knock on the door. He sighed, but walked to the living room to see who it was anyways. He met America in the hallway to the door.
"Oh, no. Go back."
"But-"
"Go. Back."
America pouted, but went back to the couch, wobbling slightly. England walked to the front door and, after straightening out his vest, and opened the door.
"Bonjour!"
England went to shut the door. There was laughter, then the door was forced open. England glowered at France, who just smiled cheerfully back.
"Ah, Angleterre, so nice to see you again! I assume America is over there. You haven't cooked anything yet, have you?" France walked past the Brit, over to the living room.
America blinked at France, then narrowed his eyes. "Iggy, I think I'm hallucinating again. France is here and you're not killing him."
"Again?" Seychelles shouted from the entrance, then smiled at England. "It's nice to see you again."
England sighed, then smiled back. "Hello, Seychelles. You're looking well."
"Is that Seychelles?! Little Sis! Get over here!" America shouted back. "And yeah, before Iggy arrived I thought I saw Jesus. He went away before he could talk to me, though."
Seychelles rolled her eyes, walking into the living room and stepping around France. "Don't get your recession germs on me. Cover your mouth, I'm going in for a hug."
America laughed, holding his arms out. "Oh come on Sey, recessions aren't contagious."
Seychelles picked up a random cloth laying around and shoved it into America's face. She then hugged him briefly and skittered back. "Tell that to Canada."
America's smile twitched. "Low blow, sis. Low blow."
She shrugged and plopped down on the couch beside him, shoving his feet off. France chuckled, turning to England, and shrugging, as if to say 'kids'. England couldn't help but smile and agree. He quickly wiped that smile off of his face and went to grab his tea from the kitchen. France turned back to the squabbling children, and chuckled again.
"Oh, by the way, Canada should be here soon." Seychelles mentioned casually.
America blinked, then grinned a grin that split his face in two. "Dude, family reunion!"
Seychelles snorted. She punched America lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up. The last time we had a family reunion with everyone, even England's brothers and the Nordics, we ended up destroying the place."
"That was entirely Denmark and Scotland's fault."
"Please. You punched the wall down."
America's try at a serious expression broke out into a smug grin. "Yeah but it was pretty awesome."
Seychelles laughed with him. Then America screamed like a child and flailed around, sinking further into the couch, like he gained another hundred pounds in that moment. There was a small chuckle, then another America appeared on the other one. He laughed, tucking a strand of his longer blonde hair behind his ear.
"Hello, brother. I've been informed you've gone and gotten yourself into another recession."
"God f- Canada! Get your fat ass off of me!" America grumbled, still flailing. "How'd you get in?!"
Canada laughed again, sliding between the arm of the chair and America, making the lower half of the continent shove over. "Hello, Seychelles. Hello, Papa. How are you?"
Seychelles reached over and patted Canada on the knee. "Fine, as always. Did you lock the door?"
"Yep." Canada took a set of keys out of his pocket and gave them to America. "You need to find a better place than the garden gnome to hide the key. Being invisible pays off in times like this."
"I hate your awesome power, you god damned ninja." America grumbled.
France blinked out of his stupor. He would never understand those three, especially together. He rubbed his head and walked into the kitchen.
"Well, Canada decided to join us."
England looked up, having one of those rare moments where he actually remembered Canada. "Oh, that's good. He can help then."
"And I have a sneaking suspicion he called some others."
England narrowed his eyes. "What 'others'?"
France chuckled. "You should have a hunch."
There was another knock on the door. France's smile widened, while England's scowl deepened. They heard Seychelles say she'd get it, and heard Canada laugh when America accused him. France and England both popped their heads out of the kitchen, and watched Seychelles open the door to the large, intimidating mass of Australia and the child Sealand.
"….Damn it."
Australia put a hand up to steady Sealand, who was perched on his shoulders. He glanced at England, and smirked. He looked back to Seychelles and tugged one of her pig tails. She swatted and him and whined, to which he laughed at. Australia ran a hand through his own brown-blonde hair, and walked into the house.
"So! Where's my bros?"
"Yeah! I want to see my nephews, Jerk England!" Sealand shouted, speaking finally.
"Too bad. America passed out." Canada walked into the entrance, picking at a loose thread on his hoody. "Hey guys."
"Bro!" Australia cheered, reaching Canada in two long strides and pulling him into a hug. "It's been too long."
"Yeah! You never come to visit us!" Sealand complained, patting Canada's head.
Canada laughed and hugged back. "Sorry. Nation business. You know how it is. Is Hong Kong with you?"
"What? You called him too?"
"Of course. I thought this would be a good time to catch up, well most of us. Besides, America would sulk to no end if there wasn't a party on his birthday."
"No party." England frowned at Canada. "He's too sick."
"It'll just be us. I didn't invite anyone else. It'll be a small one, so it shouldn't do too much damage. Plus, America's condition isn't as bad as the news makes it out to be." He smiled slightly. "It's still America's birthday, so we should celebrate it anyways."
"Speaking of which," Australia pointed at Canada. "Wasn't your birthday yesterday?"
Canada nodded. "Yeah. I celebrated it with Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden this time. Ever since they found out I used to be Vinland, they've been really close to me."
"Wait! Sweden is my dad, and Finland's my mum, and you're their brother, so that means you're my uncle!" Sealand gasped, pointing at Canada as well. "What! Which one of us is the nephew and which one of us is the uncle?!"
"I think you're still my uncle, since Sweden bought you off of E-Bay and I'm not sure that counts as familial ties."
"Please don't start the nation family argument." Seychelles grumbled. "That always twists my brain around."
"It still hasn't processed in my brain that you have a second family." England sighed.
"Nor mine, but it's pretty cool." Canada giggled, walking back to the living room, where America was laying on the couch again sound asleep.
His cheeks were a little more red than usual, and sweat left a fine sheen on his brow. England rushed over and placed the back of his hand on America's forehead.
"He's burning up."
France rushed and grabbed a cloth and put ice water inside a bowl. He dipped the cloth inside the bowl, then started dabbing at America's face and neck. He tutted, clearly unamused by the worsening condition of his illegitimate son/brother.
"Anything we can do?" Australia asked while putting Sealand down.
"Grab a blanket and turn the air conditioning down a bit. Maybe we can break this fever stage. I'll also need medication for when he wakes up. England, make some of that healing tea you have." France instructed, not taking his eyes off of America.
"Way ahead of you." Canada muttered, placing a few medicine bottles on the coffee table.
Seychelles looked around for the controls for the air conditioning while Australia got a blanket. England did as France said, for once. Sealand watched them, only turning and walking away when there was another knock on the door. He opened it, and was staring right into the blank, brown eyes of Hong Kong.
"Hey." He said. "Is America alright?"
"He's in the middle of a fever." Sealand informed him, pulling the Asian inside then closing and locking the door behind him. "Everyone's rushing around trying to help."
"I brought over some oil."
"What else did you bring? You've got five backpacks. Do you really need all of that?"
"Yes."
Sealand didn't argue. Instead, he looked behind Hong Kong when he saw someone else approaching. This person was female, with long, wavy blonde hair pulled into a side braid and dusty green-blue eyes. They had a soft smile on their face, like always. Hong Kong stepped inside and out of her way as she came in as well.
"Hey, New Zealand! Now everyone's here!" Sealand cheered, closing and locking the door.
New Zealand nodded as a greeting, her smile never wavering. "Is brother alright?"
Sealand had to strain a bit to hear her, but nodded to the question once it processed in his brain. "He's sleeping right now. But his fever is getting worse."
New Zealand's smile faded a bit, replaced by gentle worry. She walked to the living room with the two males behind her, and smiled again when she saw everyone helping America. The others looked over when they heard the footsteps, and Australia immediately walked over and hugged New Zealand.
"Hey, sis. Glad you could make it." He said without his usual boaster.
She hugged back briefly. "Hello. It's been a while."
"Well, now that everyone's here," England clapped his hands, catching everyone's attention. "We should assign rooms."
"I'll do it. I know this place almost as well as I know my own house." Canada chuckled. "Some of us will have to double up, though. I'll sleep with America. New Zealand, Seychelles, do you two think you could share?" The two girls nodded, and Canada continued. "Then you two will have the room at the very end of the hall. Australia, you can take the room to the right of that one. Sealand, you'll be across from him. England, take the room next to Sealand and France next to that room. The one across from you two is the main bathroom and America's room. Sound good?"
There were nods all around, and everyone went to unpack. Australia helped Canada get America up to his room, and lie him in the bed. As everyone separated, they knew one thing for sure: This would be one hell of a week.
America opened his blurry eyes, only met with darkness. For a moment, he thought he was blind, then his vision cleared and he recognized the white ceiling of his room (it had a stain from where he tripped and tossed a burger up, of course he'd recognize it). He first became aware of how warm he was, and how much he was sweating. He kicked off the covers. He was next aware of the even breathing and warmth of a body next to him. He was already sure of what he'd find, but he looked anyways.
Canada lay next to him, curled up with one of his stuffed animals. America couldn't help but smile at the sight. His brother looked like a kid again when he slept, which just brought back memories of how he would crawl into Canada's bed most nights when they were both still under British rule. England tried desperately to keep them from relying on one another and keep them in different rooms, but they would always find a way to sneak into the others bed, sometimes both of them into England's (only on nights where they both had really bad nightmares, though).
America grinned and snuggled up to his brother, wrapping his arms around Canada and pulling him to his chest. Canada stirred a bit, but didn't wake up, instead shifting a bit closer to America. He chuckled. His brother was adorable.
America's eyes drifted around the dark room. He didn't know what he was looking for, maybe just the familiarity of it all. He yawned, and relaxed into his bed. He should get some more sleep before having to get up tomorrow.
As he was drifting off, his body went through a series of hot flashes. America shifted uncomfortably, trying to cool down without letting go of Canada. When that didn't work, he tried sleeping away from his brother. That just made him a bit upset as well as uncomfortable. After a while of tossing and turning he gave a huff. He sat up, scooted to the end of his bed, and wobbled out of the room. He tried to be quiet, but Canada was actually a very heavy sleeper like him. It would take more than him crashing around the bedroom to wake Canada up. America pretty much fell through the doorway trying to get to the bathroom, but was able to steady himself on the door frame. His legs shook under him, so he slowed down on his way to the bathroom. His vision blurred and swirled, and America cursed himself for leaving his glasses behind. His wavering vision did nothing to help his coordination or his swimming head. His nose felt like it had two corks shoved up them. While he was laying down, it wasn't as notable how horrible he felt. Now that he was walking, it was like god was trying to crush him under a water-like pressure. America panted from his hot flashes combined with the effort to get to the bathroom. When he finally reached the door to his tiled paradise, he flung himself to the sink and used it as a support. America turned the cold water on, and took many deep gulps before turning it off again. The hot flashes didn't coma as often, which he was more than thankful for. Shaking his head a bit to try and rid himself of the remaining sleep, America raised his head and looked in the mirror.
His scream was so shrill it almost broke the mirror. Thumps and groans came from the other rooms, doing nothing to calm the American. He started hyperventilating, turning quickly and staring at something on the opposite side of the bathroom. Doors in the hallway opened, revealing tired, worried, and curious nations. England was the first to rush to America's aid, followed closely by Canada and France. Seychelles and New Zealand were out next. Hong Kong, Sealand, and Australia stayed asleep.
"America, what's wrong?" England asked soothingly, approaching the shaking male carefully.
America pointed a wavering hand to the other side of the bathroom, but nothing was there. England glanced at France, his eyebrows raised, but France just shrugged. Canada walked over to America next and placed a hand on his shoulder. America's face was drained of all colour, which just worried them more.
"What is it? What's there?"
America voice a few strangled, jumbled sentences that were more like mixed up vowels, before he actually said an understandable word. "G-G-Gho-GHOST!"
New Zealand and Seychelles shared a look, before they headed back to bed. The others could handle this.
Canada wanted to laugh, but that would be extremely mean and rude to his brother, so he clamped his mouth shut and took America's arm and started leading him back to bed.
"Come on. England will cast a charm to protect you from it, so calm down. Let's go back to bed, eh? You need some more sleep." He shot a look back at England, practically screaming 'you better pretend to cast that charm before he has a heart attack'.
England raised his hands and chanted random words, hoping that America, tired and feverish, wouldn't notice the difference between this and real spells. France ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and went to get another cloth and bowl full of cold water. He suspected he would be up for a while. Canada managed to get America tucked back into bed, having to pull the covers up five times before America gave up trying to kick them off. He picked up some of the ointment Hong Kong had given him before they went to bed, lifted America's shirt, and stared applying the medication. France came back a few minutes later, and started wiping America's face and neck. When England tried to come in, France waved him back to bed, saying he had to appear like he was still casting the charm or America would start freaking out again. He huffed, but went back.
Canada and France shared tired glances. America finally fell asleep, but his fever was raging on. They sighed together. They wouldn't get any sleep tonight, would they?
Australia groaned, stumbling down the steps. Sealand, who had woken up around the same time as him, clung to him like a baby koala and stayed there until he reached the bottom of the steps. They both dragged themselves into the living room, and sat on the couch, squishing themselves next to Seychelles and New Zealand. The girls grumbled their good mornings, which the males, returned, then the four of them went back to vegetating. They heard the rattling of someone cooking in the kitchen, and wondered who the hell could have gotten up earlier that them, and wanted to make breakfast right away. Only three people in the family got up early enough for that. England, Canada (sometimes), and Hong Kong. The rest of the family could hardly move until past ten.
The realization that England could be cooking jolted them to sit up. But when a good scent came wafting out of the kitchen, they all relaxed back into the couch. Alright. That crossed out one possibility. Now there were two left.
"Who do you think is cooking?" Sealand tried to ask, but yawned in the middle of his speech so it came out more like "Who'd yaaa-ink ooking?"
Luckily, the others understood what he was trying to say. Seychelles stretched. "Probably Hong Kong. America started hallucinating badly last night, so him, England, and papa had to take care of him. I suspect they won't be out of bed until noon or so."
"Neither will America." New Zealand pointed out. "The poor boy might just be bed-ridden for a while."
"His fault for getting himself into another recession." Australia mumbled, earning two warning looks from the girls. Sealand watched them converse, confused, still not entirely educated in the field of nations. He decided to ask England about that later.
The next minute, Hong Kong peeked his head out of the kitchen. "Breakfast ready. Dining room set. Go eat."
Sealand was the first to peel himself off of the furniture and rush to the dining room to eat. Seychelles got up next, dragging her feet as she walked. Australia and New Zealand looked at each other, groaned, and got up together. New Zealand just fell back onto the couch, pouting. Australia laughed, looped an arm around her waist, and hoisted her up onto his shoulder. She squealed and clung to his head. Australia laughed again and walked to the dinning room.
The table was huge. Like it should fit twenty or more people. Australia raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He placed New Zealand down carefully into the chair next to Seychelles, and then walked around the table and sat next to Sealand. They ate their eggs, bacon, and hash browns in silence. Hong Kong joined them a few minutes later, informing them he put aside a few plates for the others still sleeping.
Once they were finished and all in the living room, watching some American show about crimes (because that clears it up), England stumbled down. He waved a hand at the others, who watched him with amusement as he tripped onto the coffee table. He muttered a string of mild curses, but just laid on it. Australia poked him with his toe.
"How much sleep did you get?" Seychelles asked, looking back to the screen and regretting it since there was blood spurting. She looked back to England and tried to wash the image from her brain.
"Next to none." England mumbled into the table, not bothering to lift his mouth off of the cool surface to speak.
"Shouldn't you go back to bed?" Australia suggested, still poking him.
"No no, I'm fine." England finally dragged himself off of the coffee table and going to the kitchen. He picked up one of the food plates, thanking Hong Kong briefly before heating it back up and eating it at the table.
"He looks horrible." New Zealand whispered, worry evident in her features.
"Not as bad as America will look." Australia patted his sisters head. "Maybe after he eats, we can force him back to bed together."
"Sounds like a plan." Seychelles giggled.
Hong Kong raised a hand from his place on the floor. The others looked at him. Hong Kong kept his hand raised as he spoke, since he had his back to the others and couldn't tell if they were actually paying attention to him.
"I have smelling salts. One of them is able to knock someone unconscious."
. . .
"You really need to stop being so creepy."
But twenty minutes later, Sealand leaped at England with an open bottle in his hand screaming "DIE JERK ENGLAND DIE" and waving the bottle in his face. England couldn't even comprehend what was happening before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backwards. Australia caught him, flashed the girls, who were hiding around the corner, a thumbs up. They stared back with blank stares. Hong Kong got off of the floor and helped Australia drag England up to his room. They passed France in the hallway, who watched them with half-lidded, tired eyes, then went back to his room assuming he was still asleep.
"I'm going to check on Canada and America. Want to come?" Seychelles asked New Zealand.
"No. The boys might blow the house up if someone doesn't watch them." New Zealand shot Seychelles a calm smile.
She smiled back and shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Seychelles walked up the stairs slowly, glaring at them as she went. Too many stairs for one house. She almost sat down and dragged herself up the rest of them, but managed to build up enough will power to make it to the landing. She stretched when she did, using the lasts of her willpower to go to the brother's room. When she opened the door, she bent over laughing.
America was sleeping, spread eagle, his mouth hanging open and drool pooling onto the pillow his face was semi-pressed to and was snoring like an elephant. Canada was trapped under pretty much half of his brothers body, lying on his stomach, an arm over his head so his face was trapped pressed to the pillow. One hand was poking out on America's other side. Seychelles was pretty sure he was still asleep, put he would move every minute or so in an attempt to un-trap himself. Seychelles gasped for breath, trying to regain her composure, then looked at the brothers and burst out laughing all over again.
Eventually she calmed down enough to walk over to the bed, and drag America onto his side. Canada flopped onto his back, still asleep, and took a few deep breaths before his breathing evened out again. America whined a bit, turned over, and dragged Canada to his chest. Canada didn't seem to be uncomfortable like that. Seychelles giggled, wiped down America's face and neck since her papa was resting in his room, and left the two to get some sleep.
"Night, boys. Don't kill each other."
France could think of worse ways to wake up. Hell, he'd experienced many unpleasant ways. Being drenched in any type of liquid, stabbed or poked with sharp objects, jailers yelling, getting his balls stepped on, and his personal least favorite, being dangled over a shark pit. Having a girl jump into your bed, babbling something you don't understand yet since your still tired? Yes, there were way worse ways to wake up.
As France slowly gained his senses, the babbling became actual words. France focused on Seychelles, who was currently tugging at his arm, and tried to listen.
"-and England's passed out so he can't help and Canada's trying but none of us know what to do and America hasn't even ate and he's throwing up and he's shivering but he feels hot and he's screaming at ghosts again and I don't know what to do-"
"Calm down, mon cher. Calm down. Breathe." France sat up, taking Seychelles by the shoulders. She calmed down from her hyperventilation. "Now, what's the problem?"
Seychelles, looking much too pale, gulped. "America woke up screaming, then wouldn't stop and we couldn't calm him down, and he started throwing up, and he's shouting at ghosts. We knocked England out so he could get some more sleep, but now he won't wake up, and we don't know what to do."
France got up, lightly pushing Seychelles out of his room as he went. "Someone get a bucket, another clean the mess up. Get Hong Kong to retrieve some of his natural medications. Can you wipe America down? I'll be there shortly."
Seychelles nodded, then ran back to the open door, to which France could hear panicked shouts and retching come from. He rushed to his suitcases, going through them and looking for a specific bottle. When he found it, he snatched it up and went to the room himself. Canada and New Zealand were cleaning up the little, watery puke that was on the ground. Australia was holding a bucket under America's face, which he would dry heave into then shout at thin air to go away. Hong Kong was applying some ointment to his exposed back, being careful not to get any on anything else. Seychelles sat next to Hong Kong, gently dabbing at the sweat and grime on his skin. America was shivering, but he didn't seem to notice. France walked in, took the water on the bedside table, and knelt in front of America.
"Mon petit, look at me. America, look at papa France." France moved his head to where America was staring, and the boy focused on him. He smiled gently. "Cher, I have some pills that will make the ghosts leave you alone. When you stop... puking, I'll give them to you, okay?"
He felt a little bad for lying to him like this, but when America shot him a grateful smile, he knew he was doing the right thing. When America was done heaving out air, France put some pills in his mouth and helped him sip the water. America swallowed down the pills, and relaxed into the pillows on his stomach. That would do nothing to help the medicine digest, but Hong Kong was still applying ointment, so it seemed to be for the best.
"What was that?" Sealand asked from the door. "The pills. What are those?"
France glanced down at America and confirmed that yes, he was sleeping again, before looking at Sealand with a secretive smile and a shake of the pill bottle. "Tamiflu and Relenza. Will only work within two days of catching the flu. America acquired his sickness yesterday I believe, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Aren't those for really weak flu patients?" Canada asked.
France patted him on the head. "This is the exception."
"We should take turns looking ofter him." New Zealand offered. "Take shifts. That kind of thing. He doesn't look like he'll be waking up soon, so we shouldn't run into any problems for a few hours."
"And to think, his birthday is tomorrow." Seychelles sighed. "Poor guy."
"We will still make it a spectacular celebration." France declared. "Now, Hong Kong, do you mind taking the first shift? You have to make sure the ointment settles alright with his body, right?" Hong Kong nodded to the request. "There is seven of us, and if we take half-hour shifts, that will cover three and a half hours. Rotate through that, and we have seven hours. Any objections?" Silence. "Good. In order, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada, Sealand, me, Australia, Seychelles. Now I'm going to get some more sleep, and Canada you should do the same. Wake me up when it's my turn."
And with that, France dragged Canada into his room to sleep. Canada was too tired to resist, so he just let the Frenchman tuck him in and snuggle close to him as they fell asleep.
The others were downstairs again, minus Hong Kong. They were now watching some comedy show about couples and weird experiences and maybe mothers since that was in the title but so far there was no mother in sight. But most of them weren't focusing anyways. They were all worrying about America, no matter how much they were showing or not showing it.
"It's really bad." New Zealand whispered to herself.
Australia glanced at her, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his shoulder, eyebrows drawn together. She didn't like the image she had of America dry heaving into the bucket. She wanted it gone. But it wouldn't be gone.
"Come on. America's a superpower nation. He won't let a little recession get in his way." Seychelles nudged New Zealand, smiling. "Besides, Canada's not sick, so that's a good sign that they have it under control."
New Zealand managed a small smile back. She was right, after all. She shouldn't be worrying too much, because America always bounced back.
England came stumbling down a second time, drawing everyone's attention. He looked a little better. He glared at the group sitting on the couch halfheartedly. They all smiled. England sighed, then sat in one of the arm chairs close by.
"What did I miss?"
Sealand leaned forward. "America woke up and had a fit, but we calmed him down and now he's sleeping. So are France and Canada. We're taking shifts now, and it's Hong Kong's shift right now. You can join, too. You'd be after Seychelles."
"That would give us eight hours of watching him." Seychelles observed.
England sighed, leaning back in the arm chair. "Has his condition improved?"
"It worsened." Australia shrugged, rubbing New Zealand's arm.
England sighed again. That damn brat just couldn't stay out of trouble, could he? England rubbed a slow circle into his temple, trying to relieve some pressure before it became a headache. He glanced to his side, where his fairies were hovering around him giving him sympathetic looks.
"Can you go watch over him?" He asked Flutter, the fairy he trusted the most. She nodded with a small giggle, and flew off to find a nice perch in America's room. "Thank you!"
The four younger nations stared at England with blank looks on their faces. Sealand slowly scooted himself into Seychelles lap, slightly terrified. She patted his hair, looking to the TV for a distraction from her crazy family member.
"Please stop talking to the air. You're freaking us out." Australia asked bluntly. New Zealand gave a small smile, which was a mix of sympathy and amusement.
England twitched. "I'm not talking to the air, I'm talking to the fairies. And please, before you call them not real, think of insulting them in your head instead of out loud so you don't get angry fairies chasing you."
"Right. Keep the mocking to myself. Got it." Australia gave England a thumbs up. New Zealand chuckled.
Hong Kong came down the stairs, tapping New Zealand on the shoulder briefly before sitting on the floor between the arm chair and the couch. She took a breath, groaned, and got to her feet. Australia gave her a light pat on the arm, then reached out, snagged the back of Hong Kong's shirt, and dragged him onto the couch. New Zealand giggled lightly, then ran up the stairs. Hong Kong glanced at Australia with a raised brow.
"Hey, we've never gotten close as a family. It's better late than never." The warm island nation grinned.
Hong Kong stared at his supposed brother for a few moments. He looked to his other side, to where his other supposed family members were. He leaned back into the cushions.
"Alright." His mouth twitched up at the cheers.
America felt like he was swimming through jello.
Alright, it was more like sludge. He could actually move and stuff, but it was much slower than normal. His nose, ears, eyes, lungs, brain felt like they were filled with sludge, keeping him gasping for a good breath of air and a way to think. But thinking was just so hard. The only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to sleep some more. He was vaguely aware of someone talking to him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was female, he could tell that much.
He must of said something, probably a muttered 'wha'app'n' since the person placed a hand on his forehead and it was so cold and so nice that it actually cleared his head up a bit and he was able to recognize the person as New Zealand for a few moments. He was even able to recognize her words as 'Go back to sleep'. And he did just that.
The next time his brain felt sludgy, there was someone different in his room. They were sitting on the bed instead of on a chair next to it, like New Zealand did. He was sitting there, a hand running through America's hair. It was much colder than the previous hand, which helped him in seeing the person (it was Canada, which pleased him greatly). He was reading a book. He glanced at America, and smiled.
He spoke. America could see the words 'sleepy' and 'feel' form on his lips. He didn't catch it all, but that's what he was able to make out. He smiled back as best he could, and tried replying. He was pretty sure it came out 'glue skull in lungs tiny'. Luckily, brothers understand you even if you make no sense. Canada looked like he made a snorting sound, then leaned over and kissed his forehead. America thought it was a very France gesture, but it was welcomed anyways. He fell asleep soon after that.
Every time he came back to the land of the living, there was a new person hovering over him. Sealand tried to have a conversation with him, which ended in dry heaving and resentful silence. France was a nice experience, actually. Although it was a little weird to wake up with his head in the Frenchman's lap. And it got weirder when France force fed him. But then it didn't matter since he threw some of it back up. France cheered and tried to keep things positive, saying he actually kept something down.
Australia actually cuddled with him. Cuddled. With. Him. Okay yes, the big guy had always been extremely lovable and caring, but America didn't think he would go that far. But when he woke up, he was wrapped up in his arms, confused on why Australia seemed keen on keeping him there. He found out a few seconds later when he started shivering to the point where he was almost convulsing. Australia held him tightly until he stopped, then tried to warm him up (even though his actual temperature was probably off of the roof).
Seychelles was almost the opposite. She tried not to touch him at all, the only exception being replacing the cloth on his forehead and pulling up the blankets. It actually amused America greatly that when he started coughing, Seychelles pretty much leaped into the closet and stayed there with all of his dirty clothes since he didn't wash them often. She only came out five minutes after he was finished, and she looked like she could take the bucket beside him at any time.
As the day went on, America felt himself become more and more responsive. His brain cleared to the point he could actually think like a normal person and pay attention, he could hear people when they talked, his eyes weren't as blurry, and he could breathe slightly better. His nose didn't get any better, but he kind of expected that. Seychelles told him to take one more nap, and then he'd have to eat dinner.
When he woke up next, England was drinking some tea on a chair pulled up to his bedside. England was staring out the window at the sun-filled streets, seemingly deep in thought. America would have just rolled back over and fell right back asleep, not try to converse with his former brother, but that thought was dashed when he yawned.
England's head snapped over to him, blinking in surprise when he saw America was awake. He scooted his chair a bit closer. "Good afternoon, lad. How do you feel?"
"Like crap." He muttered, voice gravely. "But much better than before."
"That's good to hear. Do you think you'd be able to come down and eat dinner? France and Canada are almost done cooking."
"Possibly." He yawned again. "Depends on how I feel when I stand up."
England nodded. "Well, it might take you a while, so we might as well start heading down now."
America groaned, but tossed the covers off anyways. He took some medicine that England forced on him before standing. The room wobbled slightly, but he was able to keep his balance as he started his journey to the downstairs. England snatched his glasses off of the bedside table and shoved them on America's face before he got too far, then walked a few steps behind the younger nation to make sure he didn't fall.
America made it to the stairs without falling, of which he was extremely proud of. But then things went downhill (literally). He stared at the stairs, eyes slowly narrowing. England watched him for a few moments before offering his arm. America looked at him, pouted, then sat down and started scooting down the stairs. England's outstretched hand slammed into his face without warning, and he groaned. Only America would refuse help in favour of making himself look like a fool.
Once he made it to the bottom, he hoisted himself to his feet, and stumbled into the living room. England hurried down the stairs and after him.
New Zealand was the first to notice the new additions to the room. She smiled and stood, offering America her seat. America took it gratefully, rubbing at his head to try and stop the headache that had started.
"Hey, how are you?" She asked, sitting on the floor next to Hong Kong.
"Better." He supressed a yawn before elaborating. "Head's cleared up, although I do have a head ache."
"We don't really want to give you any more medication. We might be nations, but we never know how they'll affect us." Australia shrugged.
America grunted, a little annoyed, but he understood. Nations weren't really supposed to take human medication, since there was no way to stop whatever happened to them, and therefore the medication could have any effect on them. The last nation who took strong medication consistently ended up having a verbal tick. Not like've' or 'aru' or 'daze', but it was a verbal tick where they spoke backwards. No one could understand them, so the nation stopped taking it. Who knew what America would do with too many drugs in his system?
France swept out of the kitchen and smiled brightly. He motioned for everyone to get up. "Dinner has been prepared! Come, come!" He then disappeared into the kitchen again.
America groaned loudly. The others chuckled, and they all headed over to the dining room. America sat at the head of the table, his usual spot, and waited excitedly for dinner. He wasn't sure if he'd just throw it back up or not, but he was willing to take the risk.
France pranced out, carrying a tray with a silver lid over it. America didn't even know he owned one of those. Or two, since Canada walked out carrying another tray. They set the trays down, and with grace only French people could do, took the lids off and set them next to the trays. On the one France was carrying, there was a very tasty looking chicken. On the one Canada was carrying, there were stuffed peppers. They both sat then.
"Bon appetite." France waved his hands dramatically. Canada rolled his eyes, then grabbed some dinner.
The war of who got the chicken leg was solved when America stuck them both in his mouth. Canada and Seychelles sat back and laughed as England and France scolded him for his table manners. Australia and Hong Kong ignored them all, swapping stories and legends from their homes. Sealand talked with New Zealand about his other family, and Wy. Everything seemed well and normal.
You know. Until America started coughing, accidently slammed his hand onto the edge of his plate, and everything on it was catapulted.
The coughing fit came and went. America drank some water, and everything was good again. Almost. Slowly realizing his food was gone, America looked around for where it had gone. He found it splattered across his twin.
Most days, Canada would silently fume and make promises to give America a peace of his mind but inevitably break that promise and go home with a new grudge in his pocket. He'd be once again humiliated, but never want to make his brother feel bad because of it. Even now, he didn't truly want to make America feel bad for covering him in all of his and France's hard work. But, he didn't think he would take it this time. So, ever so calmly, he picked up part of the pepper on his shoulder. Then flung it back at America.
America flinched slightly when the pepper landed on his chest, but he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face.
"Oh, it's on."
"Don't you dare!" England tried to shout, but he got to the 'o' in 'you' when America took a bit of chicken off of Australia's plate and flung it at Canada.
The two started their personal own war. Then Sealand decided he wanted in and dumped his plate on England. Who in turn threw his manners to the wind and stuffed a pepper down the boy's shirt. France took his plate and retreated upstairs before things got too messy. New Zealand trailed after him. Australia grinned widely, grabbed a handful of chicken, and threw it at everyone. Seychelles laughed and picked up a bunch of peppers. Hong Kong grabbed a platter and ducked under the table.
"No one beats me at food battles!" America shouted, grabbing some crushed pepper and tossing it into the air so it hit everyone.
"No one wins moron!" Seychelles laughed, throwing chicken at him. She then threw some at Australia, since he hit her in the cheek.
Sealand jumped up onto the table, gave a shout, then started spinning and throwing. Canada ducked, but still got hit. America laughed loudly when England spat out a bit that landed in his mouth. Hong Kong jumped out from under the table, threw something onto it, then ducked back under. Everyone wondered what it was until it exploded and chicken bits got everywhere.
"How did you even make a chicken bomb?!" Australia shouted, grabbing America by the shirt and shoving some pepper into his hair. Hong Kong just darted for the doorway, dodging any food that was thrown at him. He smirked and ducked out of the room.
America laughed, but cut off when his stomach churned. He paled, then dashed for the bathroom. But it was already rising. He didn't have time. He turned and headed for the kitchen instead. He just reached the sink when his stomach ejected his dinner. Some of it, at least. He actually got to keep most of it, which was good. He felt a hand on his back, and heard the commotion in the dining room stop. He felt a bit guilty for being the reason the fun stopped, but his head started pounding more than before. He placed his forehead on the counter, clenching his teeth to try and calm his stomach down. It worked. America lifted his head, looking blurrily at Canada and England. Australia came into the room and offered to take America to his room. Canada helped hoist America onto Australia's back, and he lugged his younger brother up the steps.
Canada sighed. He got to work cleaning the kitchen. He didn't blame his brother for throwing up, in fact he blamed himself for causing him to move around so much, but it still annoyed him that he was so sick just before his birthday. There are rules to a birthday, and one of them is you're not allowed to be sick.
England told the others what happened, and they got to work cleaning the dining room. France and New Zealand came back down and helped, while Hong Kong went up to help Australia with America. Once the two convinced America to fall asleep, they came down.
And started planning.
When America woke up the next morning, he was alone. This puzzled him greatly. He had expected someone to be there, watching him or sleeping next to him to make sure he didn't die in the middle of the night. Maybe there had been someone, but they went to bed without remembering to get the next person on watch duty. America frowned, a little bitter about being taken care of. But he kind of needed to be.
He groped at his bedside until he grabbed his glasses, and shoved them onto his face. He looked at his clock. It was almost ten in the morning. America sat up, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass, then made his way downstairs.
He might have expected everyone to be sitting around, watching the TV or talking. He wouldn't even be surprised if he found everyone still asleep or that they had gone home. What he did not expect was to see a pile or wrapped gifts to one side of the room, while everyone else was sitting around the coffee table, where a few large stacks of pancakes were. He stared, confused. What was happening? Was there some special occasion? Had he actually died and now he was a ghost? Oh god, he hoped not.
"Happy birthday, brother!" Canada cheered happily. Everyone else followed suit.
Oh. Oh! OH! His birthday! America had no idea how he could have ever forgotten. It was July fourth! His birthday! He grew excited, ready to start jumping off of the walls and call everyone he knew to come over and have one giant week long celebration. But he knew that, in his condition, that wouldn't be very possible. So instead, he would take what was offered. He grinned widely, rushing over and hugging them all.
"Dudes, this is awesome! Thanks!"
"Don't thank us yet, lad. The day hasn't even started!" England chuckled, standing at the back of the group so he wouldn't get punched (again).
America nodded quickly, sitting down and serving himself four fluffy, delicious, maple-covered pancakes. Everyone else did as well. They ate and laughed, England and France telling embarrassing stories about when he was younger. Once they finished eating, America tried to launch himself at his presents, but Australia caught the back of his shirt. He whined, flailing.
"Come on! Presents! I want to open them!"
"Not yet. We're going to have a marathon of whatever show you want first."
"….BBC Doctor Who."
England smirked at that. They set it up, and started watching.
When it was time for the cake, Canada smirked. He said he was the one who made it, and thought that America would like it. When it was brought out, everyone's faces went pale. Except for America's, which gained colour with happiness.
"Bro! It's awesome!" He laughed.
The cake was as tall as him, completely blue, and covered in spaceship themed decorations. It had a lot of candles. Canada told him to wait before blowing them out, and turned out the light. America was momentarily confused, but blew out the candles anyways. Then the cake started glowing.
"YOU MADE THE CAKE GLOW IN THE DARK?!" England screeched, not sure if he could be any more disgusted with it, and that was saying something.
Canada only laughed.
"Come on. It's the afternoon. Can I open them now?!"
"Yup."
America couldn't have grabbed the pile quicker. He immediately tore into the one from Australia. It was long and flat. He almost jumped up in excitement when he saw it was a surfboard. It was completely white, with his flag across the bottom. He grinned and thanked Australia, already planning to use it in Florida.
Next was Seychelles', which was a medium sized box with 'FRAGILE' written in large sharpie across it. He opened it carefully. It was a glass dragon figurine. America took it out of the box carefully, looking over the splashes of colour over it. He grinned and thanked her, placing it on the coffee table.
New Zealand's gift was another medium sized box, but when he unwrapped it and opened the box, it was filled with a bunch of smaller wrapped boxes. Everyone laughed, and America pouted at New Zealand for making him have to go through so much work to get his gift. When he did unwrap them all, it was a bunch of super cool necklaces. Each thing on the necklaces was a different shape, colour, and style. He picked up the one that looked like a grey fishing hook, and threw it on. He thanked her and set the rest on the table.
Sealand thrust his present at America next. It was rectangular, and pretty light. America opened it, and grinned when he saw a mini telescope. Kind of like a spyglass, but strong enough to see close stars. It was bronze, and shiny. America ruffled Sealand's hair, saying he'd use it tonight.
France's was next. It was an envelope, and America was confused until he opened it and pulled out four tickets. To Disney World. America had gone there before, but he hadn't been recently, and he had been wanting to go see Hogwarts. He hugged France quickly, thanking him and putting the tickets on his fridge.
England handed his present over. Or rather, presents. It was a bunch of floppy, squishy, rectangular things stacked up on each other. America tore into them. It was a bunch of t-shirts of his fandoms, like Homestuck, BBC Doctor Who, BBC Sherlock, Supernatural, and others. He thanked England in loud squeals, because he is a fanboy. He ran out of the room, and came back wearing the Homestuck one.
America picked up the last wrapped present, which was from Canada. It was a large box. He opened it with care, since the wrapping had his flag and UFO's on it. He placed it aside, not sure what he'd so with it, but he liked the wrapping so he'd find something. He opened the box itself, and pulled out a backpack. A full backpack. Through a loop on the side of it was a hatchet. America's eyes widened, and he looked at Canada to make sure it was what he was thinking it was, and Canada only grinned. He opened the backpack and pulled out dried food, a handgun, regular bullets, salt bullets, silver knives, strong locks, and things like that. It was a Zombie/Supernatural Survival Kit. It even included a book of sigils and what they were for. He placed it aside and launched himself at Canada, screaming thank you and just squealing in general. Canada laughed, and hugged America back.
Once America calmed down, and gathered all his presents in one place, Hong Kong spoke up.
"My present can't be given until tonight." He said.
"Eh? Why not?"
"You'll see."
With that cryptic answer, America went back to fawning over his new things.
England spread out a large quilt, and everyone piled onto it. Hong Kong had told them to come outside for his present, and had disappeared after that. America was confused, but they brought dinner out and climbed to one of the hills. America snuggled up to his twin, pulling New Zealand in as well, who had been on his other side. England sat with Sealand in his lap. France and Seychelles were behind America, and Australia stretched and rested his head in New Zealand's lap, in front of them all. America laid back as well, taking his siblings with him as he did so. Seychelles frowned as her brother's head flopped into her own lap, but just poked at him. France chuckled.
"Where's Hong Kong?" America asked.
"Somewhere over there." Seychelles motioned vaguely to the field in front of them.
America rolled his eyes. "Thanks. That's so helpful. I should make you my GPS."
Seychelles smacked him lightly, making him laugh. Then something went 'BOOM' and there was a flash of light, making them jump. They all looked to the sky, where fireworks were going off. America's eyes widened, and he grinned.
"Fireworks. Perfect! I knew something was missing!"
They continued, flashing blues and whites and reds, sometimes creating patterns and other times just bursting randomly. They went at a steady pace, pauses between fireworks only lasting a few seconds. A blue one went off, spiralling other fireworks from it that also burst. Everything went quiet. America was disappointed, thinking it was over, when he saw Hong Kong coming over to them with something in his hand. Once he reached them, he handed the thing to America. It was a button attached to a long wire.
"Would you do the honors of setting off the last firework?"
America grinned, taking the button. "Don't mind if I do."
He pushed it. The reaction was delayed, but they waited. When it did go off, America had to suck in a breath. It was a collection of fireworks that went off all at once, creating a picture. It was his flag. Only Hong Kong himself could do something like that, having hundreds of years practice with fireworks. America yanked the Asian down, hugging him, then let him sit with them. There didn't need to be a thank you, because Hong Kong knew America was thankful.
America looked around at the people around him, all eating and laughing. The people that was he family. He looked back to the sky, where leftover smoke was. Maybe he would spend more time with them, just like this. Have only them over for another birthday.
Who knew, maybe they could do something awesome since he wouldn't be sick.
A/N: THE END! God this one took forever to complete. But now that these are done, I can get back to Waking Nightmares! Happy Birthday America, I hope it was a fabulous one! I hope you enjoyed the birthday fic's. Love you all, and I will see you another time! Bai-Bai!