Arthur let out an irritated sigh as he woke up that morning. He sat up in his bed frowning out his window at how stupidly sunny the weather had decided to be today. "Figures," he grumbled to himself as he slipped on some trousers and went downstairs to fix himself some tea.

Usually he would have one of his workers make it for him, but presently he was staying at his summer home he visited when he felt like taking some time off. Plus he just liked the task of making it himself. He looked up out his kitchen window. Of all the days not to rain, it just had to be today. He thought maybe he could use the rain as an excuse not to go this year, but now that was out of the question.

A wave of heat hit him as he stepped on his porch to grab the morning paper. "Ugh, humidity." He bent down to reach for it before he noticed there was a blue envelope perched on top of the newspaper. He knew who it was from of course before he even picked it up. That damned wanker somehow managed every year, without fail, to have invitations sent out to every damned country to announce to the world it was the fucking Fourth of July.

He tossed the envelope on his coffee table as he went inside without bothering to open it. He opened up the newspaper as he stalked into the kitchen and plopped himself down at his kitchen table to read it. He sincerely hoped that a good cup of tea and a decent article could keep his mind off things and maybe lift his foul mood. A little smile crept across his face as he read about some financial troubles in France. Serves him right, the frog. He took a nice long sip as he turned the page, only to nearly spit it out at the sight of the next article.

There, in the middle of the page, was America's stupidly idiotic grin plastered over top a short article about some patriotic crap. He was winking to the camera while giving a thumbs-up to the crowd of people behind him, waving little American flags at the press.

"God DAMN IT!" He yelled as he threw it on the ground in disgust. He stormed up the stairs, grumbling to himself on the way, leaving his tea to get cold. He angrily undressed and got in the shower, not caring that it was too hot. He tried scrubbing his frustrations away as he adjusted to the heat.

How the hell did that bastard get himself into a British freaking newspaper? Arthur had met the Editor in Chief on a few occasions for interviews on his opinions on the county's welfare and what-not. He really didn't care for the fellow very much. He was quite strict and kind of blunt with absolutely no sense of humor. He smirked at the thought of Alfred bursting in, demanding for an article about himself with that stupid grin on his face not giving the man room to argue. Just imagining the bewildered look on his face was enough to brighten his mood, even a little bit.

It wasn't like he could really decline anyways, he thought to himself as he turned the shower off. Despite being an idiot, he was still a country, which gave him authority. Even as just a normal person, he left quite the impression. He wrapped a towel around himself and strode over to his bedroom across the hall to change into some light summer clothes. He wondered to himself if Alfred had pulled this little stunt in any other countries, or if it was just to irritate him specifically. Probably the latter, he thought, annoyed. He decided he might as well go for a walk to clear his mind of unpleasant thoughts.

As he stepped outside he squinted at the cloudless sky. Strange how uncharacteristic the weather was being today. He noticed it had gone up in degrees since this morning. As he walked down the road he enjoyed the sound of near silence, just the sound of nature. He didn't care much for noisy neighbors, and sometimes just liked being alone.

For about ten minutes he walked until he reached the end of the road where there was a small wooden playground next to a pond. The park was surrounded by trees, so he was thankful for the shade as he sat on a bench next to the water. After a while he saw a pair of boys run into the playground. One was older than the other and he watched the smaller one try to use the swing on his own, nearly falling flat on his face in the process. Laughing, the older one helped his little brother, immediately cheering the little one up.

Arthur smiled to himself. The little boy's clumsiness kind of reminded him of—no. His smile faded as he quickly dismissed those kinds of thoughts, smacking himself mentally for letting his mind wander to such things. Those days were over and they weren't ever coming back. He had to face that sooner or later.

He got up, angry with himself, and walked back home. He arrived in a worse mood than when he had left, and it was his own damned fault. He plopped onto the couch and put his face in his hands, trying to think rationally. Centuries had passed since that time, so why does this feeling always come every year at this time? He most certainly didn't regret any of the decisions he had made, so why the hell did this pain in his gut come to haunt him every Independence Day?

He sat up and refused to think about it anymore. He looked over to his coffee table and at the neglected envelope. It was stupid. All of this. These thoughts, these memories… Slowly weighing thoughts in his head, he reached over and opened it. Not surprisingly, the card was all stars and stripes with confetti that annoyingly fell to his clean carpet. Opening it, he noticed it was all handwritten, as usual.

As you all surely know, the day has come to heroically celebrate

the glorious day of my Independence! You won't wanna miss it!

There'll be loads of food to munch on! Plus a free bar for all to enjoy!

It's gonna be total kick-ass y'all! Come to my place at 7 and don't be late!

-The Hero

Rolling his eyes at his disgraceful English, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It didn't really seem like he had much of a choice. If he didn't go, he knew Al would pester him for weeks afterwards. Whether he went or not, he would have to face him sooner or later. He smiled. Plus if there was a free bar, he could finally prove to that bastard that he really could hold his liquor better than him!

Ta-da! My very first Fanfiction! Phew! Is it always this hard to upload a file? Anyway, chapter 2 is in the works, don't worry it gets more exciting at the party. Plus, this time it'll be Al's POV. Please R&R! Tell me how I did! Fingers are crossed. :)