Melt- Antartica

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A/N: Hello there! Wonderful day, isn't it? *haha no* Anyways, sotry #100 somthing big and I can't even tell anymore.

We'll be starting off with Antartica, for no reason. Hope you guys like. Please review, I get lonely T-T

Headcanon for this chapter is: "Because the eyes of Antartica represent the Antartic ice, each year he loses a little more eyesight due to the melting of aforementioned ice."

Anyways, I'm going to be doing some really random headcanons here. Sometimes I'll expand it into something bigger, most times not. Give me headcanons, I'd love that. :) If I don't already have it.

And in my world, I like to change things- like coldstone4815 with her audaciously delicious Miles and Inches. She inspires everything for me now. Thank you, coldy, for giving me my inspiration back. I owe you... over 70 now (Saved me many a grade, you have).

Suggest anything and everything, I'll probably be able to take it. :D

Enjoy.

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"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Apologizing haistily while backing up, Antartica shifted under his coat while rubbing his left eye. Even with glasses he still had mediocre sight at best. Sighing, trying not to cry for the hundredth time that day, he reached out with his gloved hand until he touched a building. Scooting over so he was practically pressed against it, he kept his left hand up a little in front of him in case he ran into anyone again.

Each year, it'd been getting worse.

The first year things got a little foggy. Nothing big, and not a real problem- it was like dust getting in his eye.

The next few years it went from foggy to blurry.

From blurry to smudges.

From smudges to one big smudge.

Diverting his eyes down to the blurry grey of the sidewalk, shoulders hunched, Antartica remembered sitting at the table across from the blurry doctor and hearing, clearer than anything he saw, "You are slowly going blind, and so far we can find no cure- not knowing its origin."

He remembered the cold leaving his body, replaced with a fear-cold that settled in his chest and refused to leave. The fact that no matter what they tried, he was losing his sight. He was going blind.

He remembered someone asking him if he was okay, and responding with a bright yes.

He remembered when he could still see things clearly, when he could tell one shape from another. When he didn't have to wear contacts just to make sure he could tell colors apart, for the majority of the time. He sniffed from inside his jacket, wishing for things to go back to when it was still good. When he didn't stay in his house most of the time, spending hours trying to figure out what was food and what wasn't. He'd started setting out bowls on the counter, and easy-open cans of soup for every meal. And even opening the cans took over ten minutes at a time, and he now had a computer program that told him what time it was (since he couldn't read it anymore).

He shrunk a little further into his jacket, knowing the answer to his deteoriating eyesight. As the ice melted on his continent, his eyesight melted away too. If it were completely melted...

He'd be left in the dark forever.

Because of poor eyesight, he was already getting better on using his other senses to tell when someone was around him- sound, feel- occasionally a hollow flooring can give someone's footsteps away-, even taste and smell.

In public places, however, this didn't help much.

Suddenly Antartica jumped, as his hand rammed into what seemed to be the stomach of someone much taller than him.

"Damn!...Antartica? What are you doing?" Wincing as he recognized the voice, Antartica tried to shift past the taller person that stuck an arm out to block his path, and refused to meet his eyes.

"Uh, just out. Why?" There was no reply for a moment, then the voice of Australia said, "You're just 'out', over ten blocks from your house. For no reason."

"Uh, yeah, Sure. I mean, I didn't have anything to do today, so I just wanted to take a walk, and stuff, 'cause, you know-"

"Stop." Hands fell onto both his shoulders, and when he didn't look up, Australia huffed. After a moment, the smaller felt hands wrap around his sides.

"Wha- hey! Put- me- Australia!" He yelled, because the taller was now carrying him around the waist, and was now walking. Kicking and whining, Antartica dragged him through street after street, and even with his poor eyes Antartica could tell- everyone's eyes were on him.

Face red, he shouted, "Just put me down! Just- would you- this isn't funny-"

His captor suddenly cut him off. "No, it's not."

In moments Antartica fell to the ground, a carpeted place that smelled like home. Probably because it was.

The fear-cold came, and he winced as he realized Australia could see everything he'd been hiding. The books on eyesight, blindness, sheets with exceedingly large print just so that Antartica could read them, the soup cans and bowls set on the counter, numerous food stains and a few droplets of blood from the time Antartica had accidentally cut his thumb with a can lid.

When Australia finally moved to whip around to Antartica, the smaller didn't need perfect eyesight to know that the taller was glaring at him. Nervously laughing, he diverted his eyes to his boots. He hadn't taken off his clothes in weeks, simply because he was worried that if he did remove them, he wouldn't be able to put them back on.

Australia kneeled down to Antartica's sitting position on the floor and pulled up the smaller's chin. "Just how long have you been hiding this from us all?"

Grimacing, he waited a moment before replying... "...seven years."

Australia swore lowly, standing. He walked over to the desk, looking at the papers and books that were spread there, at the abundance of pencils- all dull, no sharp- pens, and highlighters. "So you're going blind and you haven't told anyone for seven years?"

"Well, I went to the doctor's, but they don't know a cure..."

Australia grumbled. "And you do?"

Hunching over a little more, feeling the blue of tears fill his eyes, he whispered, "When the ice melts, my sight will be completely gone. I'll be permanently blind." The repetition of this fact usually just made him a little more down- but now, saying it to one of the few true friends he had left, it shoved the tears out in a rush, taking his heart and stabbing the fear-cold knife through it. Curling into a ball, he rocked back and forth, biting his lip.

"The ice on your continent?" Australia inquired, not really listening. He was looking at one of the notes on the desk still.

"...I don't want to go blind," he murmured, and the tears bubbled even more. He began silently sobbing, thinking of the fact that soon, he might not even be able to see a smudge- next year it could be non-ending darkness. Whimpering, Antartica stuffed his head between his knees, into his thick coat.

Australia looked over, realizing just then how hard it was hitting the smaller. Going over next to him, the taller put an arm around his friend and patted his back a little. "Hey, now. You're not blind yet."

"But I could be soon," the smaller pointed out. The taller sighed, and simply pulled the crying one closer. He blinked at the next words- "And you're mad at me for not telling you."

Frowning, Australia said, "No, I'm just upset you stuck yourself in this place for months and never let us know what was wrong, and just kept us worried. You should tell me if anything goes wrong like this, okay? Ever again. I don't care how crazy it is, tell us, your friends. That's what we're here for, right?" Antartica sniffed, smiling a little.

"Okay."

Australia smiled too. "We've still got today. How about me and you go out and get something better than soup? Get you back some calories, because even for a twig you're light."

"Hey!" Australia laughed as Antartica punched him on the shoulder.

"At least I'm not a giraffe who rarely can go through a doorway standing upright," the smaller pushed. He grinned.

Australia smirked. "Oh, is that so? Well, it means I also have much longer arms... to tickle the hell out of you!" Both were soon laughing, laying on the carpet that held more dust bunnies than a fifty year old house.

Of course, laughing turned to sneezing rather fast.

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A/N: Whew! Love this chapter. At first it was just going to be Antartica-self-reflection, but I got an idea and ended up with this. 3 (Could be seen as a ship, but I think of it as a brotherly thing. :3)

I write for prompts! :D