Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.

AN: *whispers* They never got Thailand.

Vietnam didn't smile much.

Not when she'd lived with China, not when she'd belonged to France, not even when she had her independence. She had to be serious to be taken seriously, and she had a lot of work to do to catch up to the rest of the world. She yawned as she walked into the kitchen. The party had been fun, even if she couldn't handle South Korea's…everything most of the time.

"Who gave you permission to cook?"She narrowed her eyes at Thailand, who was digging around in the fridge.

"Oh."He turned around, scratching the back of his head,"Do you not want me to?"

She sighed,"It's my house. I'll make breakfast."

Every time the Thai man cooked it was either too sweet or too spicy. She wasn't in the mood for either. France had required all his colonies to learn to cook, probably to rub it in England's face. She got out what she'd need for banh mi op la, which always reminded her of an omelet sandwich,"How many people ended up here?"She hadn't checked her spare bedrooms, or the couch for that matter.

"Um…"He thought about it,"A lot?"She stared at him, and his smile widened,"I'll go check!"

She hoped everyone was decent before the cheerfully oblivious man barged in on them. If either Indonesia or the Philippines came with their new boyfriends…it was better Somchai than her. Knowing him, he wouldn't even notice.

Malaysia smiled at her as she walked in to grab a cup of tea,"You making breakfast for everyone?"

"Depends on how many people 'everyone' is."Vietnam answered.

"Well I came here with Azwan and Ryan."Joyah shrugged. That meant Brunei and Singapore were somewhere,"And I told Maria I was crashing here."

"I brought Somchai."She beat the eggs,"He's checking the rest of the house."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"Her friend asked.

They heard a loud scream, and the former French colony shrugged,"I wasn't going to do it."

Laos ran into the kitchen,"Who's screaming?"

Vietnam sighed when the two of them left to investigate. It was probably best to assume that all of ASEAN had spent the night. She hoped that they didn't return to business straight away. She was all for getting and being serious, but Cambodia and Myanmar tended to get defensive easily. They'd all had fun the night before, it would be a shame to go right back to bickering.

They couldn't delay business forever…but there was little harm in one day.

Singapore stumbled in, and she stared at him,"You know-"

"I know."He grumbled, and she went back to cooking. He tried to use the dish soap to wash the marker mustache off his face, but it resolutely stayed in place. He checked his reflection in one of her spoons,"Do you remember who did this?"

"No."She had not paid attention to him,"Though Joyah was the one trying to get you plastered."

The young man sighed, and then sat at the counter. Australia stumbled in next, and didn't say a word as he began making coffee. She watched him go through her cupboards, before Singapore went and showed him where the cups were. He nursed the coffee as he sank into the seat next to his fellow commonwealth member, before snorting,"What happened to your face, Ryan?"

"Shut up, Jack."Singapore flushed,"What are you even doing here?"

"This is where Kirana brought us."The blond grinned, then messed up the darker haired's perfectly done hair,"Is Brunei here? I need to ask him something about the next commonwealth games."

He scowled, hastily fixing his hair,"He's somewhere."He moved away from the other man before he could touch him again,"Linh, may I set the table?"

"Go ahead."It would bother him if it wasn't set to his standards.

That left her alone with Australia. They weren't exactly friends, but Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore were all members of the commonwealth so she was used to the other member occasionally dropping in with them. He was also exceptionally close to Indonesia, and the Philippines. He looked at her,"So…do you want me to apologize to America for you?"

"What?"She scrunched her eyebrows together.

"You smacked him in the face with your paddle last night."The Aussie explained, setting down the mug,"Remember?"

She quickly finished what she was cooking and made sure everything was off the heat. She closed her eyes. A lot of the previous night was a blur, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that she had drunkenly lashed out at the superpower. She wasn't what many would call a 'fun' drunk. And she was annoyed with America…she opened her eyes,"I do not, but I believe you."She went back to making breakfast,"I can apologize myself."

Vietnam had only recently put the Vietnam War behind her. It helped that his last president had ended the lingering embargoes and both had apologized, but their friendship was mostly strategic. She didn't want to have China influencing her too much, and the superpower served as the perfect counterbalance.

It angered her that Russia and America had been involved.

If the Cold War was a lover's spat…if more than a million of her people had died…if she was left to struggle for decades for a reason like that…

America was the one less likely to do anything about violence to his person. She had enough control of herself to not do anything sober, but drunk her with her paddle would.

Thailand came back into the kitchen,"Um…Linh?"His cheek was a bright red,"Do you have an ice pack?"

She sighed, before turning to her freezer and grabbing him some ice. She wrapped it in a dish cloth, and pressed it to his face. Somchai's hand came up and pressed on top of hers. He pouted,"No one told me South Korea and Maria were sleeping together."She slipped her hand out from underneath his.

"You didn't notice?"Philippines glared as she walked in.

Vietnam sighed at her outfit, which consisted of South Korea's shirt. It was a good thing he was taller than the rest of them or she'd be indecent. She gathered all the food onto a platter, and left the kitchen to set it down at the table. Her guests had dragged chairs from all over her house so they could fit on one table. A small cheer went up as they passed around the food.

"Thanks, Linh."Cambodia smiled.

She nodded, then went to make a phone call.

"Hero speaking."A voice yawned when they picked up, and she could hear South Italy's grumbling in the background,"Wassup?"

"America."She closed the door behind her so no one would overhear,"I am apologizing for my behavior last night."

"Don't."A rustling of sheets as the man presumably got up,"I knew the rumors weren't getting it right. S'my fault for not telling you."

He wasn't wrong. She adjusted her phone,"Should I call back later?"

"Now's as good a time as any."America yawned again,"Russia and I broke up in 1918. The Cold War had nothing to do with it. I genuinely didn't want communism to spread. If another country had been the communist superpower, my actions would have been the same. That still didn't make all of them right, but I didn't drag you into my personal stuff."

Vietnam took a few seconds to think about it,"I…understand."

"Sweet."She could basically hear his smile,"How's everyone doing after last night?"

Thailand opened the door, and he had somehow squeezed himself into one of her shirts. He still smiled cheerfully, and she brought a hand up to her mouth as she laughed. Green was more her color than his.

"Whoa."America sounded shocked,"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh."

That's because the only person that could make her laugh was Thailand. The only one of them to never fall under a European's dominion. The one that sided with the Axis in the second world war, but decided not to deliver the declaration of war to the US. The one that would laugh off his many, many changes in leadership. Granted, if she'd had thirty in a fifty-year period, she would get used to it as well.

"It's nothing."She recovered, smiling still,"Just Somchai."

"Oho?"He asked, and that sounded too much like France,"Just Somchai?"

She paused,"Are you implying something?"

"No."It was the superpower's turn to laugh,"I just didn't realize there was anyone in the world that could make you sound that happy."

Vietnam abruptly ended the phone call. Them being back on good terms did not give him the right to make that type of insinuation. She got enough of that from Indonesia and Taiwan.

Thailand beamed,"Breakfast is getting cold."

She couldn't help but smile a little. But who wouldn't smile at Somchai? If there was an incarnation of happiness, it would be her neighbor.

Naturally she would like him.

France ran.

He didn't know where he was running to. He just ran. He wasn't entirely naked, so he didn't need to go home, and it wasn't like he had his keys to get into his house…not that it mattered. He sat down on a bench, relieved that the park was nearly empty. He bowed his head, pretending that the shaking of his body was due to the cold and not his own tears. He…he didn't want to think.

He hadn't had sex with Scotland.

He knew that. When they had stumbled home in the early hours of the morning, Allistor had pulled him into his room to threaten him. He truly was a good brother when he didn't think anyone would notice. They'd talked until they fell asleep.

He bit his lip. Arthur had not given him the chance to explain.

Did he truly have that low opinion of him? Did he doubt his commitment? His love?

"France?"He didn't look up, not until a coat was wrapped around him,"Have some decency."

Ah, so he had overshot his house and was in Switzerland.

He wiped at his face,"A thousand apologies, hedgehog."

Vash pressed a hand to his face,"You're freezing."He muttered, but the concern in his eyes belied the scowl,"Let's go."He tugged him to his feet,"I'll make you lunch."

"You don't have to."He murmured. He knew his neighbor didn't like him and liked spending money on others less. He didn't want pity.

"Lily would be upset if I left you out in the cold."The neutral nation kept a firm grip on his wrist, and they quickly made their way to his house. Liechtenstein was working on some paperwork at the table, and the Swiss man left him with her while he went to grab him better clothes. He took a seat.

"Are you okay?"The mademoiselle inquired.

He managed a small, sad smile,"I do not know."

Perhaps he deserved this. He'd always had a different attitude towards sex. It mattered less to him than it did to others. He had many partners in his life, that was no secret, but it was purely lust between him and them. Arthur was different. He loved him before they got intimate in a pleasurable way. He was wholly content with him, even if the island nation were to tell him they could never make love again.

Had he not done enough to prove his absolute adoration?

"Is it Mr. England?"Liechtenstein asked.

"Non."He ran a hand through his hair,"He was not wrong to make the assumptions he did…"

"What assumptions?"Switzerland demanded as he was handed a shirt and pants.

He pulled the articles of clothing on,"I fell asleep in Scotland's bed…"He sighed.

"So?"The hedgehog scowled,"Obviously nothing happened."

"Arthur does not feel the same."He fumbled with the buttons of the dress shirt, his hands still trembling.

The young lady got up and did the task for him,"You shouldn't blame yourself."Lily smiled up at him as she adjusted the collar,"This is just a misunderstanding."

"You don't know how far England will take a misunderstanding."Her older brother muttered. His phone started buzzing, and he scowled at it,"But it wasn't your fault, France, and that's coming from me."He walked to another room at answer it.

France enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the house as much as he could. This was hardly the first time Arthur had rejected him, but it was the first time after he was genuine about his intentions. This wasn't like his refusal to marry him in the Suez Crisis. This time his reasons had been proper…but he was fundamentally flawed. And now he was hiding from his problems.

Alfred was right. He should be better at running away.

Not that running saved him from this pain.

Liechtenstein answered the door when someone knocked,"Ah, Lily."It was Austria and Hungary. She didn't move to let them in, and he stayed in the kitchen,"Have you seen France?"

"France?"She asked innocently, bless her,"Did something happen?"

"England and he got in a fight."The aristocrat sighed,"No one's seen him since and Prussia's worried."

Was his rabbit already telling everyone they were over? He leaned against the wall, and slid down so he could hug his knees. He didn't look up, even when he noticed the boots entering his peripheral vision.

A hand touched his,"Francis?"Elizabeta softly tried to get his attention. He resolutely kept his eyes shut, his head bowed,"Arthur would like to apologize."

"He doesn't need to."He muttered,"It is my fault for being untrustworthy."

Hungary smacked his head,"Don't you dare think like that, Francis Bonnefoy."

He let out a pathetic laugh,"What else am I to think?"

"Something a little less melodramatic."The central European crossed her legs and sat in front of him. They stared at each other for a moment before she sighed,"You know, I can understand why England thought the worst."Of course she would, she had also never liked him much, though he had always attributed that to his association with Gilbert.

"As can I."He let out a shaky breath.

"I doubt Roderich occasionally."She told him candidly,"He's been married so many times, it's hard to imagine ours meant anything."

"I don't think anyone would dare not take you seriously, belle."He chuckled.

"Sometimes I forget that."She sighed,"And it looks like England forgets as well."She brushed some of her hair behind her ear,"A few months in a real relationship doesn't erase centuries of watching him be with others. It's easy to convince myself that nothing has changed…"She shook her head,"But that isn't a reason to give up."

He slowly smiled,"Merci, Elizabeta."

Time was what they would always have.

He had been patient thus far. What was a little more time?

Ireland stared at her brothers,"You really are an idiot."

She was almost sad she had missed the party last night if this was the result. Though the last thing she was expecting this morning was Seamus furiously pounding on her door and demanding if she had seen France. When she'd asked why he had just groaned and said it was a family emergency, and then dragged her back to the manor.

Why did all their family emergencies involve England?

Said nation glowered at her,"Thank you for pointing out the obvious."

"Just making sure you know."She accepted the cup of tea from Wales,"I can't believe you thought he'd cheat on you with Alli."

"Belt up."The former empire muttered.

"And now no one can find France because you've upset him."She finished her take on the situation. Her brother was truly an idiot sometimes. She was surprised it had taken this long for there to be a bump in their relationship. It was inevitable given the two of them. They'd kiss and make up like they always did, now with actual kissing involved.

"I told ya that."Scotland rolled his eyes.

She raised her eyebrows,"No need to get your knickers in a twist."She set the cup down,"Have you thought about what you're going to say to him when they find him?"

"If they find him."Arthur's ridiculous eyebrows furrowed.

"Last I heard, Hungary was helping."Ireland leaned back,"She can find anybody, so I'll ask again. Do you know how you're going to apologize?"

"Fuck off."He growled.

"I don't think fucking would help."She snorted,"You did imply he is a whore."

"I know what I said."And the pacing continued.

She let him continue for another minute, before sighing. He could apologize, acknowledge that he was wrong this time, but that wouldn't make their relationship any better. Ever since the Trouble had finished she'd thought relations between them were improving. If it wasn't for Brexit she would've said they were the best they'd been since her independence.

She cared for all her brothers. Granted, she had a favorite and a least favorite, and the latter was Arthur, but she cared.

It didn't look like anyone had decided to dig into why he'd been so quick to judge. She looked at Scotland, who flickered his gaze to the blond one and back to her, then raised his eyebrows. She understood. He wanted to know if she was going to ask. She scowled back at him. Like hell was she going to open that can of worms.

"Are ya really that insecure?"Allistor asked.

"What?"Arthur stopped.

"To doubt France that easily…"Ireland trailed off,"What's your issue?"

"Is now really the time-"

"Yes."Wales interrupted,"If we don't address the cause it will happen again."

"Please."The youngest of them added,"You've been trying harder with America to be a better brother. Let us try being a better family."

"We're hardly a family."England scoffed.

"Don't think we don't fucking know that."Ireland growled, growing quickly tired of his shit. None of them were all that social, but she was probably the worst. She didn't have that many friends simply because she didn't like dealing with drama like this,"But believe it or not, Arthur, we do want to see you happy."

He scoffed again,"Do you?"

Scotland got up,"Is your skull as thick as your eyebrows?"

"We've never acted like a family."England said hotly.

"Is that why you always got so attached to your colonies?"Rhys inquired, causing both to freeze before they could hit each other. She hadn't even thought of that. The brunet adjusted his glasses,"What? You try to be a better brother to them than we were to you."

"That…"Arthur slumped against a chair,"That isn't the main issue here."

"Then what is it?"She demanded.

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't tell them. They were all proud, and that led to them not sharing their emotions. He moved around the chair so he could sit in it,"France is popular."She fought not to snort. That was the nicest way to say what he was,"And I'm the black sheep of Europe. I'm not exactly…well liked."

This time she did snort.

Rhys shot her a look. Allistor sighed,"That bothers ya?"

"It would bother you as well if you had to represent us internationally."The blond grumbled.

"Then let them."Ireland rolled her eyes,"They aren't going to sabotage you."

"We aren't."Scotland and Wales said together at the doubtful look on his face.

Northern Ireland leaned forward,"Does it matter what other people think? So long as France likes you everything's fine."

"I know that."England snapped,"It's just…difficult to believe he wants me when nearly everyone else that's permanent in my life…"

"Thinks you're an arse?"Ireland finished, and ignored Rhys' look again,"France's a dick, you two are perfect together."

"Thanks."He rolled his eyes,"That's reassuring."

Scotland ruffled his hair,"Don't ya think we would have left by now if we couldn't stand ya?"

"They all left."

None of them needed to ask who they were. She kept her mouth shut, since she was part of the they.

Rhys sighed,"This is different, Arthur."

"I know."He ran a hand through his hair,"It's not exactly easy to adjust to..."

"What? Going from practically being a married couple to an actual couple?"She couldn't resist asking,"The only thing that's really changed is you're a lot more touchy."He met her gaze and she tried for a comforting smile,"He's not going to be mad at you, Arty. Not if you explain yourself."

"Properly."Northern Ireland added.

England nodded, and then the phone rang. He went to the other room to answer it.

"That was…"Wales trailed off.

"Weird?"Ireland supplied.

"Pleasant."Green eyes rolled,"It would be nice if we could act more like a family."

It would be.

But she wasn't going to say that out loud.

"How does Thanksgiving work?"

America glanced up from the paperwork he had to bring home with him,"What?"

His boyfriend rolled his eyes,"Thanksgiving. You and your brother celebrate it on different days, right?"He nodded, not seeing where this was going,"I know it's supposed to be a big family event, and my brother was wondering if we are going to celebrate both or go all out for one."

"Oh."Thanksgiving back when they lived together had never been a big event, but they'd had a lot less to be thankful for,"We always go big for Mattie's."

"Alright."Lovino nodded,"Should I invite him and the potato over for yours?"

The superpower hesitated,"I don't really…celebrate mine."

"Why the fuck not?"Hazel eyes narrowed.

He shrugged,"One Thanksgiving is good enough for me."

"Bullshit."His eyes were almost as squinted as his brothers normally were,"Does this have to do with your mom?"

America froze,"Excuse me?"

Names I'm using since I don't think they were given human names:

Liechtenstein- Lily

Vietnam- Linh

Thailand- Somchai

Brunei- Azwan

Singapore- Ryan

Malaysia- Joyah

Indonesia- Kirana

Ireland- Siobhan

Northern Ireland- Seamus

Wales- Rhys