Super Hero Capes
229
I seem to be on a roll this week. Whenever was the last time that I posted so many stories? Last year?
Disclaimer: Let's hope that this inspiration remains for a while. Oh and to those who read "Seeds of Glory", France's seeds were quite delicious. XD
Super Hero Capes
It was almost two months since that horrible, horrible day. At first, America had seemed to be okay with it and had put up a strong front, but England had been able to see through that quite easily. It was obvious to him that inside, America was slowly falling apart. Even though America had been relatively quiet during those first meetings after the event, it hadn't been long before the younger country had completely changed. His ideas were more and more insane and his plans for revenge became murderous. England no longer recognized the boy he had tried to raise anymore.
Still, despite this, England always stayed close by in case he was ever needed. There were times when the older nation simply wanted to pull America to his chest and hug him closely like he used to do when the wounded nation had been a youngling, but England knew better than to do that. He knew that America's pride was big and that he didn't want to show that he was vulnerable. However hard he tried, sometimes England found it hard to resist the urge, especially when he would catch that look of despair and extreme sadness in America's usually vivacious, sparkling blue eyes.
It hurt him to see his old charge this way. America simply wasn't one who was really used to having tragedies happening in his own backyard. He had always been used to being liked by the majority of the world, but now, after what had happened, after all those people who had perished in such a tragic and cruel way, America was devastated.
England sighed; he didn't know what to do anymore and he didn't want to see the usually happy-go-lucky America destroy himself. England put down his cup of tea and looked around himself. He was in a department store doing some shopping. Once he was done with his tea, he thanked the waitress and continued with his tasks.
As he was heading out of the centre, he happened to pass by a rack with various different articles. A red piece of material stuck out and caught the older nation's attention. He walked to it and pulled it out.
It was a cape; a very long, red superhero type cape. England stuffed it back into the rack with the other clothes as a flash of America shouting: "I'm a hero!" crossed his mind. However, even though he tried to block out the mental image, an idea had bloomed at the back of his head. He ended up smiling to himself and going to buy some red material at the fabric store.
He knew that America wouldn't notice the different between the store bought and the tailored one, but to England he knew that he was putting that much more heart into it.
~-
About two weeks later, England was walking towards America's house. The younger nation had no idea that he was getting this visit, but England knew that America would be home.
When he walked up to the front door and knocked, he didn't hear the usual running down of the stairs that signalled to him that America was on his way. England counted to twenty before knocking again. When there still wasn't an answer, England tried opening the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. It was so unlike the paranoid American to have his door unlocked at this day and age.
England let himself in and made sure to lock the door behind him. He walked up the stairs to America's room and found the door closed, but he heard some noises on the other side. England knocked and the door softly and waited for some sort of acknowledgement.
"Go away." He heard his former colony say. England paid no attention to the warning and knocked again.
"It's me, England." He added, hoping that it would change something in America's answer. He heard movement from the other side of the door accompanied by footsteps. A moment later, the door opened revealing a very dishevelled looking America.
America's hair was tousled and his glasses had been left on his bedside table. At first, England didn't really understand what fashion statement the American was trying to make, but upon further inspection, he realized that the clothes all looked somewhat familiar.
The first thing he noticed were the green chequered pyjama pants. It was the same pair that England had given him at Christmas. Then he noticed America's slippers. They had been offered by America's brother, Canada, the Christmas before last. The socks had been hand knitted by France and had been a birthday present. Finally, the large sweater that America was wearing over another white baggy shirt was what took England mostly by surprise.
It was a regular, plain, long sleeved, blue sweater, but all around the front, (and he suspected the back as well), there were various signatures that had been handwritten and then printed on the sweater. England firmly believed that the messages had come from various birthday cards and other such paper work. It surprised him how America could apply himself when he wanted to.
"I wanted to feel loved again." America chocked out when he felt England's eyes on his sweater. America looked up at England for a moment before this last one threw himself in the older one's arms and started sobbing uncontrollably. England had been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later, but it still caught him off guard. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the younger man and pulled him towards the bed so that he could sit them down.
"There, there America. It's alright, England's here now." He whispered to him.
"Why… why did this happen? I don't know… wh-what to do anymore. I'm try-ing to listen to my people and to what every-everyone else is saying, but I keep hearing their voices in my head at night. They scream out in p-pain and I can't do an-anything!" He continued sobbing and England pulled him closer.
His back was resting on the bed frame and he had his hands around America's upper back and neck. America on the other hand was holding onto England's midriff as though his life depended on it with his head lying close to his former mentor's lap. This setting reminded England of a past life when a younger America had come crying to him after he had scrapped a knee.
"Hush now, you'll pull through this one like you always do." He stroked his hair and hummed a lullaby to soothe him like it used to do when he was younger. It seemed to work, for the younger nation stopped sobbing and simply snuggled into England's lap.
"Shall I make you a cup of tea and honey?" He enquired. England knew that the only time America ever drank tea was when he was distressed and feeling crummy. Naturally, it didn't happen often, but England remembered that his charge had always found the drink comforting in the past. America nodded against his lap and England excused himself while he went to the kitchen.
~-
By the time he got back to America's room, he found this last one wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. England put the tray that he was holding on the night stand and sat down on the bed. When America felt the shift on the mattress, he found his way to the other man and resumed his previous position. England helped him sit up against him and gave him the cup of tea. He then watched as America blew on the tea and drank from the cup.
Once he was done, America handed the cup back to England who put it back on the tray. America then laid his head on England's chest and let the older country stroke his back in circular motions.
When England felt that America was much calmer, he decided to offer him the present that he had brought with him. America had been surprised at first, but he eagerly took the box in his own hands after he had put his glasses back on. England watched as the wrapping paper was torn and the box opened. America wasn't quite sure what the present was at first and looked up at England with quizzical eyes.
"You know, even heroes need a cape so that they may fly over their troubles and climb over to new heights in order to conquer their problems." England took America's head between his hands and placed a soft kiss on the younger man's forehead. When he pulled back, he noticed that tears had welled up in America's eyes yet again.
"Thank you… for always sticking by my side no matter what I do." England patted him on the head with a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I'll always be there when you need me." America gave him a small smile and asked England to help him tie his cape. When that was done, he leaned back into England and sighed before closing his eyes.
Noticing that America was about to sleep off his sorrows, the elder of the two was going to leave him be, but when he made to get up, America's hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed at England's jacket.
"Please, don't go. Stay with me." England saw no harm into giving in to this request and made himself comfortable as America wrapped his arms around the one who had always stuck by his side. America shifted a bit and the cape fell over to cover the both of them. Once England was sure that they younger one was asleep, he held him closer and allowed himself to follow his companion into sleep.
OWARI
Yay, it's done! This idea came to me because every time America would strike his hero pose, there was never a cape and I figured that he needed a cape to look even more ridiculous in a way that only America could ever achieve.
P.S. the events take over in September of the year 2001. You figure out what the terrible, terrible event was…
Started writing: November 6th 2009, 8:20 am
Finished writing: November 6th 2009, 11:27 am
Started typing: November 6th 2009, 5:11 pm
Finished typing: November 6th 2009, 7:02 pm
Op
