Dancing plants and family surprises.
As time went by, it began to become more obvious to the other countries (everyone really)that the Canadian and Mexican were together. At most of the meetings they went to, they'd hold each others hand under the table. And they were more likely to be seen together, although at times Canada was still almost always invisible. Really, they were the same as before they started dating. But if you watched the couple carefully, you'd see subtle differences. Canada wouldn't stutter as badly as he did before and spoke louder, if only just a little. And Benny wouldn't pick so many fights. And she tried to hold back her temper as much as she could, which was really the only major difference anyone could see. They were changing the other for the better, if barely.
One day, after America and Canada came home from their respectable jobs, they decided to go visit Benny. Before they left, they invited other countries to come see the girl. Lili and Gilbert, Ludwig and Felicia, Antonio and Lovino, Francis, Arthur, Yao and Ivan, and Kiku as well agreed to go. They met up at the corner leading to Benny's house. As they walked up to Benny's door, they noticed not a single light was on. She didn't open the door when they knocked. And it sounded like her dogs weren't even home.
Everyone was starting to freak out. What happened to Benny. They were talking to each other up until Canada shushed them.
"Do you guys hear what I hear?" They all hushed. They suddenly heard, more like felt, a drum's rhythm. It sounded like it was coming from Benny's backyard. They walked to her gate and the sound was intensified and had other instruments combined. They opened it and walked right in, and the scene in front of them made them gasp.
Benny was in an old pair of shorts, a painted on shirt, and some huaraches. She was pulling weeds as her speakers were blasting out some Latin songs. But this sight wasn't what made them gasp, it was the plants themselves. It's said that the women in Mexico are gorgeous, this is true, but the plants in Mexico are breath-taking. So many plants and trees cluttered her yard, whether potted or actually in the ground. So many colors,so many smells, the groups were awestruck.
"Like what you guys are seeing?" Mexico asked from their left, somehow managing to move to where she was while they weren't paying attention. She looked pleased with her work.
"Oh, uh hai! This is a beautifur garden you have, Benny-sama. Where did you get the prants?" Japan asked.
"They come from my country, every single one. I love them so much."
"Zhey look amazing! Especially svaying in the vind like that." Gilbert said.
Benny stared at them as they all agreed. Her look was such a confused one that Antonio asked," why are you looking at us like that?"
"You really, REALLY think they look nice swaying in the wind? REALLY?" She asked causing them to stare at her, trying to get what she was implying.
"Ve~ yes! They look pretty swaying in the wind." Italy replied.
"Guys, listen very carefully. What wind are you talking about? There isn't even a slight breeze." Benny explained.
They stood there as it dawned on them. She was right, there wasn't any wind.
"So why are the plants swaying, dudette? That's starting to freak me out."
Benny walked up to her speakers and pressed stop. Her garden stopped moving. "They're dancing, not swaying." She turned her music back on and her garden started to move again.
"How the hell do they fucking do that! Are they possessed or something?" Lovino asked.
"No... They grew off me." Benny stated, in a rather monotoned way.
"What the fuck does that even mean?! You're starting to scare me!"
"They grew off me. My blood is the first thing they had ever drunk. They all come from battlefields where my blood was spilt. These plants, they live because of my blood, my heart, and my soul." She was rubbing the trunk of a tree next to her.
"Well, that's freaky." America looked like he was going to piss himself.
"Maybe, but I love my garden. Especially this beauty. This one goes back to my first war. It's name is Esperanza Verde. I used it for my flag." She was rubbing a cactus, but it didn't prick her. It looked like it was nuzzling her hand if anything. "They like my music, so I play it for them."
"How do they hear the music, they haven't any ears?" Canada asked.
"It's the beat, not the music. Every song I play are my heartbeats. The drums, the bass, every little rhythm, is my heartbeat. The blood in them responds to my heart. That's why they dance. They react to other types of music too. Though, not as strongly."
"Oh! Why did you guys come over anyways? Your lucky, I was going to leave soon." Benny asked as she wondered what time it was.
"We came to see how you were. Where are you going to? Did we came at a bad time?" Arthur asked.
"No, this isn't a bad time. I was heading towards the airport. I have to go pick up my babies in...ten minutes." Benny stated as she looked at the watch on her wrist.
"You have kids! Since when?" America exclaimed.
"Since I was engaged to Guatemala. They're my kids, not hers. I really should be going, or Chiapas and Veracruz will get scared. You guys want to meet them? They've always wanted to meet you guys. We can take my van, it'll fit us."
"Zhere's thirteen of us plus you and your kids, that's sixteen. Are you sure ve'll fit?" Lili asked sweetly.
"Hmmm... Maybe not. Would you guys mind staying here? I have some meat ready to be cooked, we could have lunch or something.. Just stay out of the garage,my dogs are inside there sleeping. They'll leave you alone for now." Benny assured them.
"Vell, if ve're not imposing. I suppose ve could stay." Ludwig said.
"Bien, I will be right back. Be careful of my dogs." Benny was about to walk towards her gate when Alfred and Matthew asked if they could go too. Benny gave permission and walked out with them.
On their way to the airport, Alfred asked," what did you mean your kids weren't Guatemala's kids? I thought you were engaged. And how old are they?"
"We were, but I had little Xavier and Maria little bit before we were together. They're my sunshine. They're 188, but looks like they're 5. Xavier and Maria are MY kids. I'm not their dad though."
"What do you mean?" Canada asked, very much interested in his girlfriend's children.
"I, uh...well... I'm their mom." Benny stated.
"Yeah, but you were their dad before. Oh, that's confusingly weird." Alfred said.
"No...I have always been their mom. They, they came from me." Benny was looking at only the road, not wanting to meet the two's eyes.
"What do you mean? What, you birthed them ?" Matthew joked.
"Uh...yeah."
"What does they look like? Are they cute?" Alfred asked. Benny reached over and opened her glove compartment. She took out a picture of herself( when she was José) and a little boy and girl around five. Passing it to Alfred she replied, " I think so. You be the judge though. I think I'm biased."
The twins were shorter than Benny. The two looked a lot like her. The girl had her eyes and the same facial structure. But, the boy's eyes were a different color, Alfred couldn't tell because the boy was somewhat in the shade of a big tree. His hair was a blondish-brown, which was pretty long, all the way up to his chin. The girl had very long hair, a brownish-blonde. The boy was holding a small handmade plush donkey, his sister holding a white plush bear, and both looked genuinely happy. They looked vaguely familiar,but Alfred couldn't place why. The boy had a slight curl in his hair, one that just seemed to look a lot like America's own Nantucket, but was longer, and was slightly curlier. The girl just had wavy hair.
"They looks familiar, but I can't figure out why. Have I ever met them before?"
"No...but you've met their dad before." Benny answered flatly. They had reached the airport and was now looking for a parking space.
There was an awkward silence as Benny parked the car, thankful for finding a parking space. As they got out, Matthew asked, "who's Maria and Xavier's dad then."
"Hehe... Funny you should mention that. Uh... Well you'll see in a little bit." She walked right off towards her children's terminal. The two others rush after her. Before either one could question as to what she meant they heard a kid's voice ring out.
"Mamá! Mamá, I'm here. Dondé stas?" The voice was a sweet voice, far from the deep voices of the other passengers.
Benny smiled," ahqui! Over here mi bebés!" She waved so her children could come faster. About a minute later, Benny was jumped by a brownish-blonde girl with hazel eyes and blondish-brown boy with almost violet eyes.
The boy looked up at her and said," hi mamá. Hehe, you really look like a mamá."
"Oh, do I? Well, then I suppose me loving on you will seem less weird,huh?" She replies as she snuggled her children's faces closer to her own.
"Mamá! You look very pretty, muy linda!" Little Maria exclaimed.
"Oh, thank you. I missed you too soooo much!"
A cough was heard behind them. "Oh! Sorry guys. Niños, this is your uncle Alfred. And this, this is Matthew. Guys this is my son, Xavier and daughter Maria.."
Xavier stared at both men, but mostly at Matthew. Maria happily waved up at the two, smiling her mother's smile. They smiled back, trying to figure out why these kids looked so familiar. Who the heck were their dad?Xavier stuck his hand out and said, "hello. It's nice to meet you!" After shaking his hands, both men continued to stare, still trying to figure out this huge question.
"Well, we'd better get going. The others are waiting." She grabbed her kids' hand and began to walk away.
"Others? We get to meet more people?" Maria asked.
"Yes, mi amore. You do." She replied as they head off to their parking space.
"Yay! Come on then, eh?" Chiapas said to the men still staring at his mom, sister and last word made a lightbulb go off in Alfred's head. He stared at the kid, then Matthew,then Benny then back again. They neared Benny's car when Matthew noticed his twin's face.
"What's up, Al? You seem to have an idea." Matthew asked as they opened their door to get in.
"Their dad! Their dad is Matthew! Am I right Benny? Am I?" Alfred asked eagerly.
"Yes... Yes you are. Matthew really is my kids' dad." She replied as she started the car. Matthew sat there in shock.
"How...when... Why didn't you... I... I ...I'm a dad." Matthew was trying to get his thoughts in order.
"Yup, you're my dad!" Xavier, who has known since his mom and Guatemala broke up, said happily.
"I...I'm sorry for not being there. I.. Didn't know, but that's no excuse."
"You're here now, aren't you? I mean you are dating my mom, so that's something." Maria, always the optimistic. Matthew nodded then looked to Mexico.
"Benny, you're going to have to explain how... How we made them"
"Uh..ok..remember when we got drunk after the meeting at my house and decided to get tattoos? And you woke up at my house and I wouldn't explain what happened other than our tattoos? Well, we made them."
"Whoa...2things. 1)should you be talking about that with Xavier and Maria right here? And 2) you guys got tattoos?" Alfred asked, amazed that they got tattoos.
"Yeah... I got a donkey, an eagle, and a polar bear playing poker. It's on my left shoulder blade,you've seen it. And I'm not going to details as to how they were made, just why it happened." Benny replied.
"Oh...what kind of tattoo did you get Mattie?"
"A donkey and polar bear dancing tango. It's on my was I never told? Did you not want me around?" Matthew asked, a little hurt.
"No...I wanted to tell you, but when I found out, my boss had already announced my engagement to Guatemala. I couldn't break up with her, my boss had made that clear. So for the first few years of Maria and Xavier's live, they were raised by Silvia and I. She wasn't very happy about it. I guess that's why she got clingy. She wanted a kid with me, but I couldn't do much for the first half of our engagement. When I finally had my babies, she got clingy-er. I spent so much time with the babies, she felt she wasn't needed."
"What about after the break up? Why didn't you tell Matthew then?" Alfred asked, wanting to know more about his new nephew.
"What was I going to say to a man I hadn't seen in a year? 'Hey Matt! Remember when we got drunk? Well, I got pregnant, and you're a dad!' It wasn't the best time to tell him anyways. I was going through some cra-crude, with Spain's king." Benny was careful to watch her mouth with her kids right behind her. They knew swear words, but Benny wanted to keep a few from them.
"Even if I didn't have to deal with that idiot, I probably wouldn't have told him. I was a new mother, a male mother, and I was afraid to be rejected by my friend.
And as time went on, I just kept this to myself."
"I wouldn't have rejected you. I would have gladly helped raise them." Matthew said as he gazed up at Benny.
"I didn't know if you would or wouldn't. I wish I wasn't such a chicken." Benny replied quietly.
"Well, what matters now is what our daughter said. I'm with you and that's something." He ruffled his kids hair lightly, making both of them smile.
"How are we going to explain this mess with the others? I mean they're bound to notice, right?" Alfred asked as they turned on Benny's street.
"If they ask, I'll answer. But they don't know I'm their birth mother, so I doubt they'll notice. Of course, I did mention that they weren't Guatemala's kid. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there, or I'll mention it while introducing him. Oh! Baby, how was your first flight? Were you scared?" They all got out and Benny helped her kids with their bags. She had just realized she hadn't asked a thing about how her children's trip had gone, which made her feel like a neglectful mom.
"Oh no mamá. We was fine. The lady we were sitting with was very nice, so I didn't get scared. She was going to meet her grandson. He sounded like a nice kid. Wow mamá! Your house is so pretty!" Her son sounded like he had fun, so Mexico didn't worry much. It's not like he could lie, he sucked at it. A lot like his dad. Her daughter was a little better at it, but just barely. Neither had inherited Benny's silver tongue.
"Gracias. Oh, and that's good. Sorry it took so long getting you here baby. There was a lot of paper I had to file." They went up to the door. Benny opened it and let the others in before walking in. The group she had left at her house were in her living room talking about something. Xavier and Maria were never to good with other countries,so they hid behind their dad, looking out around him.
"Hey guys, we're back. Do you guys want to start cooking, or should we wait a little?" Benny replied as the others turned around.
"Hey Benny, vhere's your kids?Ve vanted to meet zhem. And yeah, food sounds good right now."
"My kids is right here. Guys, this is Xavier and Maria." The two looked around from his hiding spot and gazed at the grown ups in the room.
"Xavier, Maria, this is mi Apa and mi mamá. So, your abuelos." Benny gestured at Antonio and Lovino. "My aunt and her husband." "Ve~ what a couple of cuties!" "Ja, looks familiar though."
"Your uncle's boyfriend, Arthur. That's my drinking bud, Gilbert, and his wife, Lili." Gilbert was staring at the kids as if trying to figure something out. Lili simply smiled and waved sweetly. Arthur was slightly blushing being called Alfred's boyfriend like it was something natural.
"Another of my drinking buds, Ivan and his husband, Yao." "Zhey are small, da?" "Ivan! That's not nice, aru."
"Yao's little brother, Kiku, and that," she pointed right at France, "is your other abuelo, Francis."
Alfred and Matthew were smiling as the room got quiet.
"Francis...is their other abuelo? What does that mean? Who is their mother, hija?" Antonio asked smiling. Always smiling, although this one was a confused smile.
As Benny headed off towards the kitchen to start to cook, she called back behind her," I am. I'm their birth mother." Alfred, sensing the room for once, followed her silently so the others wouldn't notice.
"Oh...uh...ok, so the father is...?" Gilbert asked, making a motion with his hand for her to reply. Matthew had answered instead," I'm their dad." Xavier hid closer to his father as Matthew rubbed his back reassuringly. They stared at him in disbelief. Francis marched right up to Xavier and stared right at him. That was freaking the poor boy out so bad, he started to shiver. Matthew instantly pulled him back and growled, " why are you doing that? You're scaring my kid. Stop that papa."
Francis smiled and said, " mon petite, 'e looks a lot like you. Il est très mignon. I had to make sure 'e really was yours. But zhey both look so much like you, zhere's no way zhey aren't your children."
"Geez, Francey- pants! You don't have to scare zhe poor kid." Gilbert scolded as Lili went to apologize to Xavier.
"Sorry, but zhey really are nice. Zhey just don't know quite how to show it sometimes." Lili stuck her hand to shake Xavier's. Romano walked over to the twins and stared at them. He scowled which made the duo stare in wonder. "You know, these bambini haven't made a noise since they got here. Can they even talk? Or are they mute?"
"They aren't mute! You're just scaring them. They can talk just fine." Matthew was getting really protective of his children, and he barely knew them. He looked down at his kids and smiled sweetly, "you're a chatterbox when you want to be, right kids?"
Both looked up at their dad. Maria gave him a small smile while the boy simply nodded. A thought popped into Kiku's head. "Matt-chan, how rong have you known you had a chird? I don't recarr you ever saying so."
"I just found out today. It's pretty shocking, but I can't help but love these kids. Wonder why, eh?"
"Oh honhonhon, mon Matthieu, it is your fatherly instinct. Protecting a little one makes a boy a man. It makes both parents unbelievably protect of their children."
Deciding to see how protective Canada could get, Prussia snuck up behind Xavier and yelled out while he grabbed at him.
Chiapas jumped three feet in the air as Canada turned around to see what happened. As soon as he saw the smirk on Gilbert's face, Matthew swung his fist at him. He hit Gilbert straight in the nose as Benny called from the kitchen, " you guys better not be scaring my kids!" She came running in and saw a Prussian with a bloody nose, an angry/surprised Canadian, her startled son, her daughter trying to comfort said son,and a room full of shocked people. She instantly understood what had happened.
"Matthew! What the hell!" The addressed man turned to face her and looked like he wasn't even sure what happened. He looked back at Gilbert and said," oh maple! I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. I d-don't know why I did that! I-I-I... I didn't break it did I?" He sounded worried.
"Geez Mattie! All I did vas startle zhe kid. You didn't have to jab at me."
"You know, you really shouldn't get Matthew mad. He might have an insane amount of patience, but the second it runs out, so does your luck." Alfred said, leaning against the doorway. Benny dragged a whining Gilbert to the sink in the kitchen to clean up his nose. The others followed too, wanting to see how bad it was.
After cleaning all the blood off, Benny said," you're lucky, he didn't even fracture your nose. But, don't scare my kids like that. The boy, he's got anxiety issues. He could have fainted for all I know. It wouldn't be the first time he's done that."
"Is it really that bad?" Arthur asked, suddenly very concerned.
"Yup, poor baby isn't very good at meeting countries, or grown ups for that matter. Especially if you seem even a little scary."
"Aww geez, I didn't know. I vas just messing around. I'm sorry kid, come here. Let zhe awesome me give you a hug." Gilbert opened his arms wide.
Xavier stared at him until Benny said, "mijo. He isn't going to bite. And if he does, I'll beat him senseless. Unless your dad does first." She winked at both mentioned. Nodding, Xavier walked up to Gilbert and gave him a hug.
"Y-you know... You really did scare me. But, dad got you back, so I'll forgive you. Y-you clearly got the worse fright,"Xavier joked quietly.
Smiling, he looked up at his mom and said," is the food ready mamá?"
"Si, lets eat. I'm hungry." They all agreed and started to serve each other. After they ate the others started to ask about the little kids. They chatted for three hours, Benny fed her dogs, and the guests started to have to leave. As she waved good bye to the last one, she sighed. Alfred and Matthew were staying the night, wanting to spend all the next day with Xavier and Maria.
When their bedtime came along, they almost fell asleep while playing poker with the two men. Benny got their new room ready, seeing as they were going to live with her in this house instead of the one in her home country. She was so happy to have their paperwork done. She missed her son and daughter terribly and she had been rather anxious to leave them with her cousin Panama.
Usually she'd tuck Xavier and Maria in and tell them a story, but Matthew wanted to instead. "I've missed every day before, I'm not missing any more," was his reason. Benny listened intently as Matthew told them a story from his own childhood. One about running after his polar bear after Alfred managed to scare Kumajiro with an alligator first. When the kids finally fell asleep, Matthew walked out quietly and closed the door slowly.
Turning to face Benny, he whispered, "that was nice. They're sweet kids."
"Takes after their father," Benny replied quietly.
"Hey, where exactly do I sleep?" Matthew asked, not really caring where.
"Well, seeing as I only have one guest room now, either with Alfred, or...you could bunk with me."
"I like the second one...a lot." Matthew teased.
At the end of the day, lying next to the man she loved, Benny thought life was pretty good. Before falling to sleep, Benny asked Matthew "did you know Alfred and Arthur have matching tattoos?"
"What?" "Yeah, they both have a green bunny with wings snuggling up next to a bald eagle."
"Really? Where?" "Right on their thighs. The left ones. Didn't you see them get plastered at Ivan's last party? They got drunk enough to take their pants off. You could barely see them though."
Matthew chuckled, "makes ours seem less silly."
"Which ones? We've gotten drunk enough to get tattoos three times."
"Our matching ones. The donkey and polar bear snuggled up in a garden."
"Oh! You mean the ones on our chests. No, ours are still sillier."
Laughing, they snuggled up next to each other. "Good night, mon amour."
"Good night, mi amor."
They slept well up until they got pounced by Alfred,Maria,and Xavier, demanding some breakfast. Benny had a sneaking suspicious that this was going to be a daily thing. She, of course, was right.
(a/n: this chapter was surprisingly written before the previous. I felt that saying Canada was a dad was a bit too surprising, especially as you the readers didn't even know Benny was a mom. So I had to make sure to imply that. About the plants, I felt like writing that. Don't ask me why, I just did. I might use some to represent other mexican states, or just add more kids. I don't know, what do you guys think?
Oh! And the tattoo idea came to me as I thought of what was a silly thing drunk people do together other than get the other pregnant. Just so you don't have to count, Mexico and Canada have three, America has two and Arthur has five thanks to his punk phase. I meant to upload sooner, but again, I felt I was rushing the details. Thanks for reading. Please review and I'll try to upload sooner.)
