Betaed by Blind Alchemist sama, my dearest beta! Thank you very much! (although you must have been bored with my thanks DX)
Enjoy!
I am glad that yesterday was a very happy day for you, Hong Kong. However, I need to ask you something. Have you told your parents about your dropping grades? And about your red marks for the English essay last week. If you need help, you can talk to me.
Hong Kong read the answer from his teacher and stopped thinking. He bit his lips before writing.
My name is Hong Kong,
I am 7 going on 8 years old.
Teacher, do you hate me?
Hong Kong tried to rub the sentence he just wrote, but he gave up and scratched the paper until it was blue-coloured instead.
Teacher, I have already told them about it. So you don't need to worry. If you don't believe me, I can show you my correction. I have rewritten the essay for the previous English class test. I think I corrected everything. So you don't need to call my parents because they are busy. I swear I have told them.
Hong Kong read and reread his sentence, making sure that he had no grammatical mistakes. And since everything looked fine, he closed the book in satisfaction.
"Hong Kong, let me see your results from last week aru," China suddenly asked his son when they were having their family dinner the next day. Hong Kong stopped munching the lemon honey chicken he loved so much and paled.
England noticed the reaction. "Did you get bad marks, Hong?"
"…I did good. Quite good." Hong Kong answered, yet he didn't dare see his parents' faces. China sighed.
"Your teacher called and said that you haven't shown her the signatured paper, aru! She said that every time you get red marks you need to show your parent's signature. But I haven't gotten any from you, aru!"
"…I never get red marks, ma."
"Don't hide it, Hong." England closed his chopsticks together (after being married with China for so many years, he had given up using a fork and knife, resorting instead to chopsticks and a spoon). "If you lie, we will get mad."
"…. I did my best." Hong Kong answered softly, trying to cover his fear.
"I know you did your best, my son. But if you don't understand, you should ask your mother about it." England sighed.
China fumed. "Why me? You always blame me when everything goes wrong! Don't you realize, aru, that the said exam is an English paper? You should have taught him that, aru! And I know Hong never gets any red marks for math, because I help him, aru!"
"I am busy getting money, remember? You are always at home, and I believe you have all the time in the world to teach him!"
China replied back, and England responded further. It grew to the usual fight, endless shoutings and bad names and China got angry because England used inappropriate language in front of Hong Kong. Hong Kong was silent on his chair, all appetite gone, eyes wet but silent.
That's the reason why he never wanted to show his red marks to his parent.
China washed the dishes in a rage, almost breaking some plates, but his head was still filled with the fight just now. Suddenly he felt his apron tugged on from behind. He looked back and found Hong Kong with glassy eyes, yet with no fallen tears.
"Mama, I am sorry. This is the paper, I got red marks. I swear I did my best. I have made all the corrections. So please don't stay mad at papa? I am sorry I am a bad boy."
China stopped washing plates. The small hand which tugged his apron was shaking, and he knew that his son was trying his best to not cry. He washed his hands clean before he squatted down, smiling.
"You are honest, aru. It's good. You are not a bad boy, and I am not mad at papa, aru. It's OK."
Hong Kong started to sob, but still without sound. China hugged the child closely, smiling.
"It's OK, Hong. We don't care whether you have bad marks. We need you to be honest, aru. Don't be afraid to show us, and ask me when you have something you don't understand. We believe you, aru."
Hong Kong nodded between his sobs, rubbing his face with his mother's neck. He felt good… he loved his mother's hug so much. He felt bad from hiding, but he didn't want them to fight like that. And England entered the kitchen.
"Wha…" He asked when he saw that China was hugging the sobbing child, but China signalled to his husband to keep quiet. Hong Kong, realizing his father was in the picture, pushed China away and turned to his father.
"Papa, I got red marks for my English essay. I am sorry. So please don't be mad at mama too?"
England's eyes got teary and he rubbed his eyes. He smiled. "I am not angry, Hong. And I am not mad at you, so let me sign the paper."
China rubbed his son's hair and smiled.
"Let papa sign it for you, aru. Mama will come when I finish the dishes."
"… Let me help, Yao." England blushed, scratching his head. "I feel bad… giving you all the housework. Sorry."
China was stunned for a moment, but he blushed too.
"Sure, aru! Thank you."
And in the end three of them washed (and dried) the plates together.
And I cried. honestly marks for exam is one of the sources of fights in homes like mine~
Tell me if you do too.