Little America was sick.

England entered the room and sat beside him on the sofa, wrapping an embroidered blanket around the small colony. America smiled, and ran his fingers across the stitching before looking up at his big brother with a slightly pallor face.

"Dying, Engwand…" he murmured.

England stroked his hair. "Don't be silly, America, a country like you can't die!"

"Feel wike dying," he replied sadly, and burrowed into England's chest. His big brother smiled, and stood up. America chewed on a thumb, his blue eyes following him across the room, watching him climb onto a chair to reach a small bottle of dark liquid from the top shelf of a cabinet.

"What's that?" he asked, his speech slightly muffled from the thumb in his mouth.

"Medicine," England said, unscrewing the top and pouring the thick, disgusting looking stuff onto a spoon. "Now, open wide."

America pouted and shook his head, wrinkling his nose. England sighed, a small, patient smile escaping his lips.

"Come on, now," coaxed England, "Don't you want to feel better?"

America nodded, still refusing to open his mouth.

England pretended to look piteous. "It is horrible stuff, you know. Only the very bravest countries ever get better from sickness because they're strong enough to take their medicine."

America pouted. "I'm brave!" he protested, puffing out his chest.

His big brother smiled. "Really, now?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, then, a small spoon of medicine should be no problem for such a strong country as you!" England held the spoon closer to America's mouth, who quickly took out his thumb and swallowed the medicine eagerly, licking the traces from the grooves of the spoon.

"There's a good lad," England said, ruffling his colony's hair, replacing the grimy medicine spoon with one full of sweet syrup. America grinned in delight and wolfed it down.

"Will I be stronger now?" asked America happily. England smiled and nodded.

"In time, you'll be the greatest nation the world will ever know."

"Even better than you, big brother?"

England blushed slightly and smiled. "Even better than me."