Chapter 3.
It was a lovely Sunday morning. The sunlight peered through the curtains and England stretched himself out, relieving the tense body from the night's activity. He was contempt, happy, full. He loved to woke up and found China… not beside him.
"Yao?" He whimpered. "Yao?"
It used to be a habit; starting from their honeymoon. China would be beside his side of the bed, purring softly, snuggled closer to him. China always complained when he found that England was ready to leave the bed, saying that he didn't want his personal pillow to go. Back then, China didn't have stubble either. Maybe all Orientals are born without the gene. England smiled when he was relieving the memory, while searching on his pyjama top. It seemed like China was wearing the top, so he needed to get another shirt.
"Yao?" England opened the door, yawning loudly.
"Aru? Morning, Arthur." China smiled at him from the kitchen. England was right; his top was worn by China under the frilly apron. He was having a frying pan in one hand and two eggs in another. Without even looking, China cracked the egg and fried it on top of the pan. England came closer and found out that his three children were all hugging their mother's feet.
"What happen, kids?" England smiled. "Come here to daddy. Ma is busy."
China suddenly laughed. England shot him a glance.
"What's funny, Yao?"
"The way you call me 'ma~' is like calling 'horse' in Chinese. You should learn more of my language, ahen!"
The kids laughed alongside their mother, finding the silliness of their dear father quite amusing. England pouted and pulled America from China's legs, but America immediately refused.
"Don't want!"
"Why?" England grimaced. "Daddy's hurt."
"Because the 'just-wake-up' daddy stinks!" Taiwan mooed and hugged China's leg tighter. China sighed.
"Ain't all people the same aru? Your mouth also smelled bad when you just woke up, Mei."
"But…" Taiwan started to cry, "But… Ma ma always smells good."
China smiled apologetically and closed the stove. He pulled Taiwan into his arms and kissing the girl's forehead. The other two boys; reading from the atmosphere; moved from their mother feet to the table, sitting beside their dad.
"I am sorry Mei. I didn't mean to hurt you, aru. But you need to know that there are some things that better left unsaid. It's impolite when you say people like that. You are hurt when I told you you smell, right aru? Daddy feels the same too. So, what should you do now?"
Taiwan sobbed louder before puffing her cheek and faced her dad from her mother's shoulder. "Sorry, daddy."
England smiled softly. "I am sorry too."
"But really~" America moaned loudly. "Stay closer to mama is better. Mama can cook better than daddy."
Hong Kong snickered and laughed. America laughed alongside his older brother too. England pouted, grabbing the two boy's heads and ruffled their hair roughly.
"Don't you dare to laugh at your own father!"
China laughed as he put Taiwan on the chair, asking England to take care of the children while he cooked their breakfast. China went back to the kitchen (their kitchen and dining table was only separated by a semi-wall, which looked like a bar tender. In no time, nice smell of fried rice filled the room.
England was busy admiring the movement of China's cute butt under his pyjama top (albeit covered by some tight short pants) when Taiwan tugged his clothes.
"Daddy…"
"Yes?" England was torn between irritation due to the disruption (from his imagination) and happiness because his daughter is definitely cute like China.
"You should treat mama better. Otherwise you will lose him, you know."
"… What do you mean?" England asked in alarm. America looked at his mother before turned to England and whispered, "because mama have a lot of fans!"
"What?" England asked in disbelief. It was, of course, true. Ever since the day he courted China, he was aware of many competitors trying to fail their relationship. "How do you know?"
"You know?" Now it was America's turn to ask in disbelief. "Mama told you?"
"No, I mean, he didn't tell me, but I know he was always popular. Why do you know?"
America shot a look at him. England realized that the boy took after him. "Duh! Like, every time we went shopping, mama always gets some guys practically asking him our phone number!"
"Yes! And last Thursday when I went with mama to the mall, this really big guy came to us and asked mama whether he wanted to be his personal baby sitter. Mama the told him that I am his daughter, but the guy refused to acknowledge it, saying that mama is trying to lie because mama doesn't look like a mother of three!" Taiwan added oil to the flame.
"And I am sure some of them really want to kill you, dad." Hong Kong smirked, drinking his milk smugly. "Just be careful. And try to learn more Chinese, will you?"
Whoa. England was taken aback. He knew the fact that China was so beautiful is a two edge sword. He was proud of the fact he could get a very pretty spouse yet it also dangerous because pretty China attracted m' ore bees than England could scare away. When they were still dating England always noticed how people eyed the beauty in his arms and how they kinda looked down on him.
"….Fine. I will try my best. But you must help me too."
"We are actually trying too." Taiwan nodded. "We won't let anybody get mama."
"We'll help." America nodded proudly, before putting out his little finger to his father. "Man's promise."
England smiled and returned the little finger gesture his son was offering him. "Yes. Man's promise."
"What are you talking about, Alfred? Why do you make that pinky promise aru?" China came beside them, hands full from a bowl of fried rice and a platter of side dishes.
"Nothing." Hong Kong answered immediately. "It's just some stupid talking about man promise, mama."
"Man promise?" China laughed. "What are you promising on, Arthur?"
"You will always be our mother." Taiwan exclaimed faster. She took one of the egg rolls from the plate on China's hand. "Mama, I like this!"
"Really? That's great, aru!" China smiled. "Can somebody help me put out the plate, aru?"
"I will do it." Hong Kong stood and went to the cabinet, while China stared at England.
"What was that? I will always be their mother aru? Of course that's true! Do you doubt me, aru?"
"No, Yao. Don't misunderstand…"
"Mama, mama will always be my mama, right?" Taiwan begged in her cutest voice, stretching both of her hands, signalling that she wanted a hug.
"Yes, Mei." China pulled his daughter into his embrace again, hugging closer. "What's this, aru? Why suddenly you are so attached to me, aru? Hmm? Haven't I spoiled you too much already, aru?"
"Mama." America, didn't want to lose, climbed down from his seat and went to hug China's feet. China laughed and squatted, so that he could hug both children together at the same time. America smiled and buried his head deeper into China's shoulder blade, inflicting pain on China but he didn't complain. It was warm, between the short arms of his two children.
"Mama."
"Mama."
"What is this, aru? A group hug?" China stared at England for information. England smiled gently and shook his head. China frowned. The children suddenly started crying. Taiwan sobbed while America bawled like a siren. China was flabbergasted.
"What… What?... A… Arthur! Help me! Why are they crying aru?"
"Ma." Hong Kong suddenly appeared from the kitchen with plates and utensils, but when he saw the mess his siblings were in, he started to cry inaudibly too.
"Hong? Why are you crying, aru? Come here…" China was panicked, because his first son was never a crybaby. In fact, he had stopped crying ever since he was two. Hong Kong was an infant with no expression. If all of them cry at the same time, something must be gravely wrong. Hong Kong sobbed, refusing the invitation to come to his mother. So instead, England came closer and hugged the sobbing boy.
"They are just afraid, Yao."
"Afraid of what, aru?" China asked, trying to understand. "Did they have nightmares?"
"No. It is more than that. For them, you are their only mother. They are afraid you might leave them—us—when you love somebody else, Yao."
"… Is this a big joke or what?" China was fuming. "Everybody, stop crying! I promise you, aru, I will NEVER love somebody else like I love you all, aru. I won't go. Don't be ridiculous. Children are supposed to think just simple nice things, understand?"
America refused to see his mother's face, so he buried himself deeper in the warm, comfortable embrace. Taiwan nodded softly before hiding her face between China's neck and shoulder. Hong Kong stopped crying, nodded and let go of his father.
China sighed. "Thank you, aru. You are all so kind… but please stop crying? Mama doesn't like to see his children cry, aru."
"But…" Taiwan sobbed, and that made America sobbed louder too.
"Hush." China smiled, patting both his children inside his arms. In the end he started singing the lullaby he used to sing for them when they were babies. The voice echoed in the room, nobody dared to breath and disturbed the perfect melody. England saw the importance of mother in their family. China was the backbone of everything—he made them cry and he made them laughed again. England swallowed, realizing that yes, he would never give China up for somebody else. Eventually, America and Taiwan was lulled by the soft voice and fell asleep.
"I will put them on the bed, Yao." England smiled and took both of the sleeping bodies from China's hand. China nodded, feeling that his body was tired from squatting for such a long time. He took the nearest seat and felt bliss overcome his back. But he then saw his oldest boy, and smiled.
"Come here, Hong."
Hong Kong walked slowly and stood in front of China. China smiled.
"You know I love you, Hong. You are my first son… I know sometime you felt I don't pay enough attention to you anymore, but it's not true. You need to learn how to share, aru. I believe you can. I see that you didn't ask to be hugged by me when your smaller siblings were crying on me, aru. That's a piece of maturity I found in you. I am proud of you, Hong."
Hong Kong nodded, but tears swelled up in his eyes. China chuckled and patted the seat beside him. "Do you want to eat now, aru?"
Hong Kong nodded and sat down in silent. When England came back from the room, he smiled.
"You really can't leave us, Yao."
"Aru?"
"I would never let you go." England sternly made a pact on himself. China laughed.
"What—you felt blue too now, aru?"
"I am." England whispered. He stared at Hong Kong, but decided that Hong Kong was mature enough to listen. "You might be their only mother—but you are also my only wife, Yao. Don't forget that the saddest of all when you leave would be me… because we share no blood, we only share this ring."
He grabbed China's hand softly, playing with the plain gold band that encircled China's wedding finger. China blushed.
"… I don't know why all of you suddenly feel so… melancholic like this, aru."
"Because we love you, Yao. That's why."
Hong Kong smiled, hiding his smirk between the spoons of tasty fried rice. It was always nice to see reassuring scene from your parents.
Fua fua... fua fua... Fua fua!
Fua fua! Fua fua, fua fua, fua fua...
Anyway, fua=fluffy feeling in Japanese.
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