The 11th State

6. Others Will Follow

"Mornin'," America greeted, giving England a kiss on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around his love's waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Wuzzat? Tea?"

England raised an eyebrow. "What else would it be? I'm not about to drink that sludge you call coffee."

"Coffee's good," America muttered, staring sleepily at England's teacup. "Can I have some?"

"Some of what?" England asked, confused. Surely his boyfriend wasn't asking for him to make coffee for him. That had been nothing short of disaster the last time he tried. But it was even less likely that the younger Nation was asking to have tea. (Unless, as England had discovered weeks before when they were in the Deep South, it was sweet iced tea.)

America sleepily mumbled something into England's neck, his head lolling as his eyes began to close.

England rolled his eyes. He'd told his boyfriend not to stay up all night playing those ridiculous video games with Japan, but he didn't listen. Being too sleepy to do anything but stand around in a daze was purely his fault and England was not going to help him.

He sighed and turned around, carefully unwrapping America's arms and trying to keep the younger Nation steady. "Let's get you to bed."

Okay, so maybe England would help him a little.

But only a little.

Not for the first time, England cursed the fact that America's house was so large. Why couldn't they have gone to the apartment he owned in the north? At least then he wouldn't have to drag him through a maze of hallways and up the stairs to the master bedroom.

Although… The shorter blond paused at the foot of the stairs to catch his breath and get a better hold on America. I supposed I should be honored that it's lasted so long; that he loves staying here and showing it off. He smiled fondly and reached out to grasp the banister, feeling the smooth wood beneath his fingers. The house I built for him, all those years ago…

He ignored the loud footsteps on the front steps, figuring it was just a mailman or that guy in one of the big brown trucks coming by to drop off a package. America had mentioned that he was waiting on a delivery. Taking a deep breath, he decided he was ready to start up the stairs.

The front door swung open and in marched two very tan teenage boys, glaring daggers at each other as they bickered about oil and drills and cars and oil and gas mileage and oil.

"At least I produce more than just oil!" Proclaimed the one with darker hair.

"Oh yeah? And what else you got?" Asked the other with a sneer.

England blinked in surprise as they walked right past him, continuing their argument.

"Natural gas and agriculture! So tell me, Lone Star, what else do you have going for you? Desert? Cattle? Cowboys?"

"Fuck you, Okla. At least I don't have the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in my capital city!"

"Well you should! It would suit you!"

The last thing England heard was one of them hissing something in what sounded like Spanish before he decided his first priority was to get America upstairs and tucked into bed so he could sleep for a few hours. Only once he was done with that would he go see who had just invaded the house. He figured it was safe to assume they were States. Actually, he knew for sure that one of them was a State, since he was confident that the one with glasses was Texas, who he'd met back at the beginning of June.

"I wish you'd wake up," England muttered to a snoozing America after the fourth step. "Or stop eating so many blasted hamburgers. They're unhealthy and add unnecessary weight to your body. And those milkshakes and cola are just as bad! Honestly, America…!"

America merely mumbled something in his sleep and tried to cuddle closer to England, making the older Nation stumble.

Several minutes later, England finally made it to the bedroom without dropping his lover along the way. He shoved America onto the bed, not at all surprised when the young man didn't wake up, and pulled over half of the blanket to cover him. He decided that he'd done a good enough job and left, but not before quickly kissing America on the forehead.

He slowly walked back to the kitchen. After the last time America had dragged him away from home to meet some of his States, only to change his mind shortly after, he wasn't sure how he felt about meeting two who Alfred hadn't even mentioned coming over. Though his accidental meetings of New York and Connecticut (though he hadn't realized at the time that Eric Hale was actually Eric Hale Jones, the state of Connecticut) had gone pretty well, who knew if his luck would continue.

You are England, he reminded himself. Not only that, you are the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You can handle a few teenagers on your own. Besides, Texas was perfectly nice the last time you met him.

He really hoped it was Texas.

England cautiously peered into the kitchen and watched them for a few minutes. The boys had gathered around the stove with a multitude of ingredients. Bacon and sausage links sizzled away in a pan. A cartoon of eggs sat nearby another pan, ready to be cracked open and cooked.

"Nothin' like a hearty Texas breakfast!" Bragged the boy with glasses.

The other one rolled his eyes. "I'd call it a typical Southern breakfast."

England cleared his throat, announcing his presence before they could continue with their argument. "Ah, hello." He faltered for a brief moment when they both turned to look at him with surprise evident on their faces. Reminding himself that he was a strong Nation and didn't need to be afraid of a pair of States, he walked confidently into the kitchen. "I'm starting to think you Yanks have absolutely no manners. First you barge in the front door without even knocking and then you walk straight past America and myself without so much as a 'hello'. Now I find you standing around in his kitchen cooking and arguing."

"Howdy, England," greeted the one with glasses. "Sorry we didn't see you back there. This here's Oklahoma."

"Robert Jones," he introduced, eyeing the British man with a small frown. "So you're dad's… friend."

"Oh, get over it," snapped Texas. "The rest of us have. And if I can deal with it, you can." He grumbled, turning back to the food.

England walked over to pick up his cup of tea, which was on the counter next to Texas. "It's nice to see you again, Texas. I never got to thank you for helping me out before."

Texas smiled as he flipped over the eggs. "It weren't a problem, sir. Just doin' what any gentleman should. So, I hear you got to meet Miss Virginia. Whaddija think of her? An' keep in mind, this is my big sis we're talkin' 'bout. Don't wanna hear nothin' bad on her."

"Er, right. She seemed…" England hesitated a moment. "Odd, I'll admit. Though I wasn't around her for long before America dragged me away. That was right around the time New York's people legalized same-sex marriage."

Texas laughed heartily.

Oklahoma scowled.

"Glad I wasn' there for that! That chica is bad enough on a regular day," said Texas.

"California complained about it for a week," Oklahoma spoke up. "I stopped talking ta him 'cause he wouldn't shut up." He stared at England for a long moment before sighing heavily. "I suppose you're not so bad. Out of everyone dad could've chosen, I'm glad it's you. I guess."

Texas grinned and nudged England. "That's his way of sayin' he likes ya."

"Shut up! It is not!"

Texas ignored his brother and went back to cooking. "So, who wants breakfast? England? Okla? Calif?"

'Calif?' England thought, bewildered. 'But it's just the three of us, right?' He turned around to check the rest of the room and found another teen leaning casually in the doorway of the kitchen. He wasn't surprised. He felt he was becoming numb to the Americans and their habit of appearing suddenly.

"So… you're California?" England asked, taking in the boy's appearance. A weary look appeared on his face as California narrowed his green eyes and began to slowly walk over to him. "You look like Spain…"

Once he reached England, the State beamed and exuberantly shook his hand. "I totally get that a lot! So does Florida. So you, like, must be England!"

Texas rolled his eyes and Oklahoma coughed to hide a chuckle.

"Been spendin' time in the Valley again?" Texas asked.

"Yeah! How'd you know?" California asked, leaning over to peer at the food. "That totally looks delicious. Too bad I'm watching my weight."

"Yer a bigger gal than our sisters," Texas said. As an afterthought he added: "And Missouri as well."

California's eyes lit up. "How is our dear Mother of the West? I haven't talked to him for a while. He still pissed about incorrectly predicting who would be president?"

"He was gettin' there. Then he referred to Kansas as Dorothy so Kan decided to be a dick and bring it up," Oklahoma said with a shrug. "I got a more important question. Who wants to start the countdown?"

"Oooo! Me! Me! I do!" California cheered.

"Countdown?" England asked. "Countdown to what?"

Texas grinned at him. "You'll see."

"Ten!" California began.

"Nine," said Oklahoma.

England retreated to the kitchen table to drink he tea and try and figure out why they were counting down. If it was a countdown until America would come downstairs in search of food, they were out of luck. He doubted anything could rouse his boyfriend.

"Cinco~!" California sang.

"Speak English," Oklahoma said with no real bite in his voice. "Four."

"Tres," Texas said with a laugh, just to spite their younger brother.

England took a sip of tea and frowned at how cold it had gotten. He would have to make another cup once Texas was done cooking.

"Uno!"

Silence.

"Huh," Oklahoma scratched his head and looked around. "That's odd. Where is she?"

England raised an eyebrow. "Would one of you care to explain what that was all about?"

"She did say she was spending time with the territories today," California said with a shrug, ignoring England's question. "I guess she's, like, still over there. You know how those three get when they're together."

"As long as she's not with that damn Cuba again," Texas said, cracking an egg a little too hard. "I'd like to punch his face in."

Movement by the door caught England's attention. For a brief moment he thought he was looking at a female version of Spain, but he quickly reminded himself that it wasn't possible. Besides, why would Spain be carrying around a rather large black cat?

"Could you not say mean things about my friends?" She asked. "And anyway, I can take care of myself! I don't need any of you to protect me! I've got Bagheera if I ever need help."

"," spoke the cat.

Pleased with the answer, the girl ignored the States in favor of looking curiously at England. "Hmm…? Who are you?"

"I'm England," he said. "Nice to meet you, miss…?"

"Florida!" She replied happily. "You can call me Esperanza if you'd like. Oh, and Diego," she turned her attention right back to her brothers, no longer interested in the European country. "I thought you'd like to know that your ban from Disney World has expired. Can you not get banned again? I'd hate to have to explain it to dad and the others. Though it might be worth it to watch D.C. struggle to comprehend how you managed something like that for a second time."

As the States continued talking amongst themselves, England abandoned his tea and left the room, decided he had no desire to sit there and listen to them. He walked back upstairs to the master bedroom and quietly opened the door to peer inside. He smiled when he saw that America had kicked off his blankets and was shivering slightly. He stepped inside and softly shut the door before walking over to the bed. He watched his boyfriend for a moment before crawling into bed next to him and curling up at his side. America breathed a sigh of content and snuggled closer to the newfound warmth, flinging one arm over England's waist.

England chuckled and kissed America on the cheek. "If you'd come to bed last night then neither of us would be so tired," he whispered.

Why was it that he could only speak his feelings when the younger Nation was asleep? Better yet, when had it gotten to the point that he had difficulty sleeping without the other blond next to him?

"Mmmm… Eng…land… Love ya…"

The Briton blushed, despite knowing the American was only talking in his sleep. However, it was because he knew his love was asleep that he could unfalteringly say his next few words without worry. "I love you, America."

America smiled in his sleep.

Bonus Scene

Four pairs of eyes peered through a crack in the door; two brown and two green. Florida was trying to keep from giggling as she snapped pictures with her brand new camera. California looked as though he was barely restraining his glee. Oklahoma and Texas, though okay with the fact that there dad was dating another man, had identical expressions on their faces which clearly told that they would rather not be there.

"They're so cute~" Florida said gleefully. "Oh, the Virgin Islands are going to love this! Especially Catharina. She's been dying for something like this."

"This ain't right," Oklahoma muttered. "Why are you taking pictures of 'em?"

"Shush," Florida said, smacking his arm. "They're cute together! Aaron, you agree with me, right?"

"Totally," California replied. "You've got to give me copies. It'll make a fantastic scrapbook."

"Only if I can see it when you're done." Florida snapped a few more pictures before she was content to back away. "Let's leave them be. I think they deserve a day alone. Robert, can you send a message to everyone else telling them to give dad a day alone?"

"If ya swear ta never show me one of them pictures then I'll do it," replied Oklahoma.

Florida giggled, making a mental note to plaster the pictures all over his office the next time he did something to annoy her.

-.-.-

End Chapter

-.-.-

Texas - Diego Jones - straight, dark brown hair - brown eyes, glasses

Capital: Austin

Absolutely refuses to dress like a cowboy in public. He leaves that up to Kentucky.

A southern gentleman who lives on and operates a ranch. He's an outdoors type of guy who's unafraid to pick up a rattlesnake or any other poisonous wildlife. (Which makes him Australia's favorite nephew.) He and New Mexico can often be found trying to keep America and Mexico from fighting. They're also fond of fireworks. He speaks with a heavy southern drawl.

Part of the Bible Belt.

Currently arguing with Wyoming and Oklahoma over oil.

Nickname: The Lone Star State

State Motto: Friendship

Joke "State Motto": Si, Hablo Ingles (Yes, I Speak English)

Oklahoma - Robert Jones - dark brown hair - light brown eyes

Capital: Oklahoma City

He's a major producer of natural gas, oil, and agriculture. It's not uncommon to find him bickering with Texas and Wyoming about oil. He's also home to many Native Americans.

He's a rather conservative state and is part of the Bible Belt.

He's considered one of the most business-friendly states. He's also very big in the arts and has several prominent threate companies.

Part of the Bible Belt.

His companion is a small American Bison.

His siblings tend to make fun of him for his floral emblem being mistletoe.

Nickname: The Sooner State

State Motto: Labor omnia vincit (Labor conquers all things)

Joke "State Motto": Like The Play, Only No Singing

Interesting note: There really is a National Cowboy Hall of Fame and it's in Oklahoma City.

California - Aaron Jones - curly brown hair - green eyes

Capital: Sacramento

The "Golden State" who once belonged to Spain until it became part of Mexico. He was a short-lived Republic as well. He's very diverse, sometimes seeming to have a split personality because of how different the northern and southern parts of his state are.

Only a little over half of his people speak English as a first language. Around 28% speak Spanish, and the rest speak one of the Asian languages. (Filipino, Chinese [Catonese and Mandarin], Vietnamese, Korean.)

He's accepting of just about anything and is surprisingly laid back.

Best known in history for the California Gold Rush.

He loves movies. Most of his gifts to America and the other states are movies. His dream is to star in one, though he knows that it's not possible. He makes fun of New York for her Broadway on occasion.

Nickname: The Golden State

State Motto: Eureka (I have found it)

Joke "State Motto": By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda

Florida - Esperanza Jones - long, curly brown hair - hazel green eyes

Capital: Tallahassee

A surprisingly relaxed State but bubbly at the same time. She's very proud of her Spanish roots. She is also home to the Everglades. She is a major tourist attraction and it makes up a large portion of her economy. She's constantly battered by severe storms and hurricanes, but doesn't let it get her down too much. She always bounces back.

Though she seems peaceful, she can be incredibly tough. She's ranked the fifth most dangerous state.

Her companion is the Florida panther, which is coming close to extinction.

Nickname: The Sunshine State

State Motto: In God we trust

Joke "State Motto": Ask Us About Our Grandkids

Interesting note: Her animal companion is a panther, which she named Bagheera after a character in the 1994 Disney film, The Jungle Book. Actually, he should really be more of a tan color rather than black, but the word "panther" always makes me think of black panthers, which are really black leopards and not at all like cougars/pumas/mountain lions, which are what Florida panthers are.

A brief note on Missouri -

The States mention two things about him. The first being his nickname "Mother of the West" which comes from the fact that trails to the west began in several of his towns. The other is him inacurately predicting the next president. According to wikipedia, Missouri's results in Presidential elections have accurately predicted the next President since 1904 except for two occassions: 1956 and 2008.

-.-.-

I think I mentioned to a reviewer that I wanted to include a little more EnglandxAmerica in this and I think I finally succeeded with this chapter. It helps that I can't imagine the Spanish states (and Oklahoma) being very interested in England aside from "Oh, hello, nice to meet you" or "so you're dad's boyfriend".

The territories that Florida spends time with are Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (and occassionally the British Virgin Islands). Catharina represents the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her twin brother is the British Virgin Islands. (I don't have a name for him or Puerto Rico yet, but I will by the time I officially introduce them.)

Next time: Northwest

ALSO

I've also got a poll up on my profile right now. Since we now have official artwork for Romania, I wanted to include him in a story. I just need to figure out his human name. So that's what the poll is for!

In addition, I've got a link on my profile leading to a preview of my next multichapter story, just in case you're interested in seeing what's to come.