"Dinner is almost-am I interrupting something?"
Arthur looked up at him.
"Yes. We're having a family moment."
"Oh…"
'England still thinks his family is not connected to me. The two of us are starting a family and he still shuts me out.'
"Is there any way I could help?"
Arthur shook his head.
"I can handle this. What were you going to say?"
"Huh? Oh. Dinner is almost done."
The English nation nodded.
"Okay. I'm going to take care of this then we'll be there."
"Can't the children come eat?"
"No," he said sharply. "They need to wait for everyone to be seated but without me being there, they won't."
"I'm sure they'll behave."
"You would think."
"I'll be there to watch them. Can't you trust-?"
"NO!" Arthur yelled.
China took a step back.
"I-I'm sorry. I shall go finish dinner."
"Good. We'll be out soon."
The other man nodded and left.
Dinner was an awkward event.
Arthur sat at the head of the table, still angry, while China sat timidly at the other end.
The little boys sat quietly between them, two on each side, with Steven in a high chair closest to Arthur.
Alfred was also mad, mostly at China, but a little at his dad for making Matthew cry.
Beside him, Matthew was sniffing, still upset about Francis.
Peter was confused and didn't know what to think.
Steven just slammed his fists into the tray attached to his high chair and threw food around.
A piece of banana smacked Arthur's forehead and that was it.
He leapt to his feet and took the food away.
"Stop that!" he yelled at the baby. "Why do you have to be so damn difficult? Why can't you just behave for five fucking minutes?"
Confused, and scared from the loud noises and Arthur's mad face, Steven started to cry.
"Shut up! Shut the hell up!"
China jumped up and ran around the table to Arthur.
"England! England, don't! Don't yell at him! He doesn't understand!"
Alfred also got up.
"Daddy! Daddy, don't be mean to Stevie! Stop being a bully, you jerk!"
Arthur flew around.
"Shut your damn mouth and go to your room! Leave your plate!"
Shocked, Alfred started to cry again. "I hate you!" he yelled as he ran from the room.
The other two boys followed him quickly, fearing an outburst directed at them too.
China picked Steven up and started to comfort him.
"Put my son down!" Arthur ordered.
"No!" the other man shot back. "Someone needs to calm him down!"
"That doesn't mean it has to be you!"
"You're not fit for it! Look at what you just did! And it's not like I'm going to hurt him!"
"You might!"
"I raised Japan! He's perfectly fine!"
"That doesn't prove anything!"
"You just don't trust me!"
"Of course not! You RAPED me!"
"That wasn't me!"
"I don't care! It might not have been your mind but it was your body! And that's the body that got me pregnant!"
"You need to learn to trust me if you're going to live here!"
"I only came here because of Francis!"
China stopped.
"I knew it. You didn't come here because of the baby or a need to give it a real family. You came here out of anger; a horrible reason to leave. France loves you."
Arthur's anger left him and he looked down.
"I know he does and I know I made a rash decision but I DO think we should raise the baby together."
"Then you have to learn to trust me."
He was quiet for a moment before sinking to the floor.
"I can't believe I yelled at my son. I cursed him! I'm an awful father. He'll never forgive me."
China walked over and put his free arm around the man's shoulders; Steven in his other.
"He'll forgive you. You need to apologize though."
Arthur leaned into China and cried.
"Everything is my fault! I'm destroying my family!"
China rubbed his back.
"Everyone goes through hard times but they end. Sun will come out from behind dark clouds."
Arthur looked up at him.
"That was beautiful. How did you think of that?"
China smiled sheepishly and held up a small piece of paper.
"Fortune cookie," he admitted.
The other man laughed.
China joined him after a few moments.
"It's nice to hear you laugh again," he said after they stopped.
Arthur nodded.
"Yeah. I'm started to go back to normal."
"That's good."
They were quiet.
Arthur put his head on China's shoulder and closed his eyes.
China's eyes, on the other hand, widened drastically and wasn't sure what to do.
Eventually he put his hand on top of the blond hair and stroked it gently.
Steven curled up into his other shoulder and fell asleep.
'I hope things stay like this,' China thought. 'I wouldn't mind having a nice little family and a husband who actually showed some loving emotion.'
He continued stroking the other's hair and leaned back, imagining the picture in his head.
AN: Uh oh! Are China and Arthur getting along now? Does that mean that Arthur will stay with him for the baby?
Find out next time! Maybe...