新快（Happy New Year）
I did try my best to rush this in before the Chinese New Year…but I'm apparently a couple days late…well, more than a couple…
Certain human names I gave to them: Tessa: Taiwan(fem), Gray: Japan, Allen: China, Korea/勇诛: South Korea, Jade: Hong Kong(fem), 小澳：Macau (he prefers to be called so), 朝（zhao）姐: North Korea(fem), William: Britain, Phil: The Philippines(fem), Davie: Maldives (twin brother of Phil don't ask why), Lynn: Vietnam(Fem)
Certain Families: East Asia: Tessa, Gray, Allen, Korea, Jade, 小澳. The Sea Islands (twins): Phil, Maldives,
The Cps that are actually together: Phil&Korea, Germany&Italia, Vietnam&Canada, Hong-Kong&Macau
I renamed all of them with the help of a friend so if you find the names uncomfortable I do apologize for that. This is kind of an introduction to most of the Asian characters I have so far (they might come up in my future stories), so do pay attention if you're interested in reading more of my work. I will be working on new characters.
文中有中文出没（There may be some Chinese, but I'll translate all of them. Yep. English isn't my first language.）
Note: This is not a story centered on New Year's tradition so there will not be a lot of details on that subject. The story is also not related to any politics or true events.
Historical accuracy NOT guaranteed.
Enjoy!
Part One
Noon. Two days before the start of the Spring Festival. A ship somewhere on the Pacific Ocean.
"Are you sure about this?" Phil (The Philippines) asked, handing over the telescope.
"Positive." Tessa(Taiwan) said, taking it and peering through at the same spot she'd been peering at every two days for the past four weeks.
"At least, I hope." She sighed.
Phil put a hand on her shoulder, this was the final day, and there was no backing out.
"Good luck." She said.
"Wait, you're not coming to the dinner?" Tessa glanced away from the telescope at Phil,
"No. It was nice of Allen to invite me, but I promised my brother I'd spend it with him." Phil replied, her voice got a little quiet,
"He…wants to spend as much time as he can…with, me." She said, looking away
"Well, good luck to you too, then." Tessa smiled, but her heart ached for the sister who'd soon lose her twin to the rising sea-levels of the Indian ocean.
Fact: All of the islands of the Maldives are extremely sensitive to rising ocean levels. Indeed, the country's highest point is only two meters above sea level. Human-induced global warming is causing glaciers and polar ice caps to melt, leading to a rise in ocean levels. If ocean levels continued rising at their current rate, the entire country could disappear under water in less than a hundred years.
A hundred years' time. Is not that long for a country.
Morning. A day before the start of the Spring Festival. William(Britain)'s place.
William sat before the computer with a cup of his usual morning coffee and typed away busily on his keyboard.
He hadn't thought twice about the fact that tomorrow would be the first day of the Chinese New Year, and he didn't care much. New Year's Day for him had ended a month ago, spent with all the people he ever cared about, they'd gathered at his house and there had been a party, fireworks, celebrations, food…the usual. For him, it was already a new year, he was eager to put 2016 behind him.
But there was one person. A person he also cared about. A person whose new year hadn't started yet….
His doorbell rang loud and clear, as if he'd somehow summoned this person with his thoughts, he went to open the door.
"Happy New Year, William." Jade (Hong Kong) stood on his doorstep holding a wrapped present in her hands,
"Oh, um, hi." He tried and failed to hide the surprise in his expression,
"Didn't expect me to turn up, did you." She pushed the present into his hands,
"I thought you'd be spending today with your family." He said, opening the door a little wider to allow her in
"You are my family." She smiled and stepped inside. His heart rose at her words, a childish feeling he couldn't help but feel.
"I can only stay for a little while though, I've got to return and help Allen with tonight's dinner." She added,
"Oh, thought as much." He said, using the sound of the closing door to drown out the disappointment in his words.
"I'm making up for missing out on your New Year's Eve party." She walked inside and sat down on the living-room sofa as if she was more than familiar with this house, and William couldn't help but smile at the way she could make herself at home so easily, she'd always been like that, she rarely held grudges, she was comfortable with others so long as they were comfortable with her. Plus, she doesn't hate him. Not anymore.
…
"Well, that was a nice ten-minutes." She said as she left through the door and down the steps. Yes it was beyond nice, it was nice to see you, it was nice to talk to you. He thought.
He watched her leave in silence, until,
"新年快乐（Happy New Year）." He called in his best Cantonese, at which she turned in surprise. A gust of early morning wind caught the wispy strands of her short hair, she raised a hand to shoo them from her face, but ended up giving him a tiny wave instead,
"新年快乐 to you too…" She said.
His words swam in her head as she made her way back to Allen's place, grasping at every syllable of the first Cantonese words he'd ever spoken to her, playing them back again and again and again…
Perhaps it's true. Perhaps the new year really does bring changes.