Dedicated to my bud Panda.
Edit 023/09/2015: this is on AO3 now! Hooray!
America Goes to Bed
"...And they lived happily ever after. The end," said England.
"Wow!" exclaimed America. "These stories are so awesome! Happy endings are the best!"
"Ah...indeed they are," said England as he got off the bed and walked towards the door. "It's already past your bedtime, America. I'm going to go bake some scones for tomorrow's breakfast, so why don't you go to sleep?"
"Aw, but I don't want to go to sleep! I want to hear more stories!" America crossed his arms and turned away.
"I'll read another one tomorrow, okay? Just go to sleep," said England, closing the door behind him.
"Wait up, Mr. England!" Little America wasn't satisfied. He was going to get another story whether Mr. England liked it or not.
The young country then got out of bed and went over to the door. As he reached it, however, he realized that the doorknob was too high for him to reach.
I still want out, thought America. He then attempted to jump up and turn the knob; when he came down, the knob was in his hand. Feeling guilty about breaking it, America decided to go back to the bed and wait patiently for Mr. England to come back.
America was anxious. He thought it was revolutionary that a charming prince would marry an ordinary girl. From what Mr. England had taught him, weren't princes supposed to marry princesses? And wasn't it supposed to take more than a kiss to get married? Either way, all of Mr. England's stories ended happily. America especially enjoyed the parts when a prince would kiss the girl in order to wake her up from a long sleep.
The boy sighed. He hadn't known Mr. England for very long, but it didn't take a genius to understand the fact that a rapport was quickly forming between the two. The idea of having two men fight over the title of big brother frightened America; simultaneously, having a big brother was indeed an exciting prospect for the young country.
America noticed something, however; Mr. England frequently ignored him when he talked about being a man. Such behaviour made him suspicious; at the thought of this, America remembered a crush he had once.
Not far from where he lived, there was a village. The American had visited a few times and met a timid yet friendly young girl. Completely taken with her, America confessed and asked if he could be her boyfriend. She responded by running away and saying he was gross. Afterwards, America bawled his eyes out. It wasn't long before he got over it; he thought girls were gross anyway.
Mr. England explained that sometimes people don't recognize their feelings for each other at first. He also said that sometimes people become attracted to each other when they are older. America couldn't pinpoint exactly what those words meant, but he felt he was close; could Mr. England be afraid of his manhood?
America kept thinking about Mr. England. He knew the Englishman was extremely busy at home; the fact that Mr. England's favourite thing to do was visit his colony made America extremely happy. Still, he thought his big brother should be happy no matter where he was. After all, what was war and conflict to a child? America didn't yet understand the concept of such a word...war.
Maybe he should get married like the princes in his stories, thought America. If everyone lives happily ever after, I think Mr. England should find an ordinary girl too!
However, when America put his mind to it, he wasn't as enthusiastic as he imagined he would be. It was difficult to imagine Mr. England getting together with anyone in the village. America then started to wonder about something.
Something that would get Mr. England into an intense amount of trouble if anyone found out. Something that would destroy Mr. England's reputation, if such an idea was even possible in the first place.
What if the Englishman married another man? America had once seen two women kissing as he strolled through a rather thick forest. Why should it have been any different for two men to do the same?
But even then, who would be best for Mr. England? Poor America desperately wanted his big brother to be happy.
Suddenly, it hit him; when he grew up, he could marry Mr. England! It was a wonderful idea; from what America could see, England's only happy times were when he spent time with his young colony. And America liked Mr. England very, very much.
Blushing at the thought, America found himself to be even more anxious to proceed into adulthood. He imagined himself and Mr. England kissing, holding hands, a stork bringing them babies...he wanted to wake his brother up with a kiss.
He would be Mr. England's prince.
Was it even possible for two brothers to get married? America wasn't sure. He didn't think it would matter, though, since Mr. England simply showed up one day and started referring to him as 'brother'.
Wait, am I thinking about kissing Mr. England? Does this mean I like him the same way I liked the village leader's daughter? wondered America. As he thought about it, the possibility of a crush on the Englishman was all too possible.
The door then opened. Impulsively, America looked over to see who it was.
"America! Why are you still awake? And why is the door knob on the ground?" said England.
"I'm sorry Mr. England!" cried America. "I was too scared to go to sleep without you..."
"Really? Well, alright. I'll let it slide...this time." England sighed as he walked over to the bed.
To America's delight, sleeping with his brother would certainly increase their bond.
Once we grow up...once we grow up...
"I love you, Mr. England!" America then grabbed his face and gave him a kiss. When he let go, England gave him a confused look.
"What the hell, America? Why did you do that?" asked England. "You're still not getting anymore bedtime stories until tomorrow night."
"I know," replied America, smiling.
"Goodnight, America." And with that, England fell asleep.
For the time being, he wouldn't have to worry about America's manhood.