Date Written: September 12, 2011

Word Count: 1 397

Summary: Alfred thinks that Alli looks tired, something that is confirmed when he finds her falling asleep during their after-school study session. Just some short England x genderbent!America fluff. Human names used, high school AU.

Warnings: For excessive fluff that has the potential to make your teeth rot.

Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me.

When I walked through the door that evening for our study session, I could see immediately that something was wrong with Alli. One only had to catch a quick glimpse of her abnormally pale face and the dark purple shadows under her eyes to see just how tired she was. She smiled at me when she let me into her house, but it was not Alli's usual sunshine-bright smile. No, this smile was half-hearted and sleepy, and the normally turned up corners dragged down. When the smile was coupled with a few slow blinks, her fatigue was accented even more. Each blink was slower and sleepier than the last and it gave me the impression that it was taking Alli a herculean effort to open her eyes and keep them open after every blink. For a few moments, I was actually afraid that Alli was going to fall asleep standing in the doorway.

In a few strides I was through the door and in front of Alli, reaching up and gently placing my hands on her shoulders. This close I could see even more clearly the tired lines etched into Alli's face, and it worried me. This Alli was not the Alli I knew, standing quietly and blinking slowly. My Alli was bouncy and bubbly, and would have tackled me the second I knocked on the door. This Alli was, quite frankly, scaring me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked softly, gently turning Alli around by the hands still resting on her shoulders and walking beside her towards the living room. I was usually a relatively patient person (I had to be, being friends with someone like Alli), but the length of time I had to wait for her to even acknowledgethat I had asked her a question was much too long, even for me. Alli blinked large blue eyes blearily at me a few times before a faint look of realization flitted across her face and she shrugged, taking a seat (read: nearly falling) on the couch.

"No, nothing. Why?" When Alli replied, I could barely even hear her voice. This would have been a change from Alli's usual loud, brash, butcher-every-aspect-of-the-proper-English-language, scream-in-your-ear-even-though-you're-standing-right-next-to-her manner of speaking, had I not been so worried about her. However, I decided not to pry for now; Alli usually blabbered on to me about whatever was on her mind or happening in her life. It's a miracle that we actually get any studying done, with how much Alli usually chattered.

"You just look a tad tired." I stated. Hmph. A 'tad'. The poor girl looked like she was going to fall asleep at any moment! I knew for a fact that Alli had definitely not looked this tired when I last saw her on Friday. It almost seemed as if she had not slept for the entire weekend. 'A tad tired' was a huge understatement.

Alli just shrugged again and glanced over at the coffee table. I followed her gaze and, to my surprise (and, judging from the expression on Alli's face, hers as well), the table was empty. Whether it was the glass coffee table in the living room (Alli's house) or the wooden dining table in the kitchen (my house), whatever we had planned to work on that night was already laid out. My anxiety heightened a bit as I caught the puzzled look on Alli's face. That was an expression I had never in my life seen Alli wearing. I had neverseen Alli be any less that absolutely sure of herself, no matter what it was she happened to be doing.

"Um…I think I left the books and stuff upstairs, I'll be right back." Alli muttered, partially to herself and still with the confused look upon her face. She got up slowly, wobbling slightly as she stop up, and walked towards the stairs. I was a bit nervous that she would trip up the stairs in her obviously sleep-deprived state (and yes, it ispossible to trip up stairs (don't ask…just don't)), but she managed to walk up the stairs well enough (admittedly, leaning heavily on the railing).

And so I waited. And waited. And waited. As I was beginning to grow more curious (no, I was notworried about her…not entirely…) about why Alli had not yet come back downstairs with the study material, I got up and went to go look for her. My first guess was that Alli would be in her room, maybe still looking for the books we would be using (but I had my doubts). Thankfully, my first guess was correct; Alli was in her room, however she was not still looking for the books.

Alli was sprawled spread-eagled on her bed; almost as if she had tripped on something, landed on her bed, and just not bothered to get back up. I called her name quietly as I got closer to her, but Alli did not move an inch. She was, in fact, fast asleep. I guess my earlier observation that Alli looked dead tired was another thing that I was right about (but really, that girl looked like she was sleepwalking, who could have missed noticing that?). I figured that I should probably let her sleep as we could always just catch up on our studying tomorrow. Besides, Alli looked oddly peaceful sleeping like that.

I would have felt guilty if I woke her, but I did not want to just stand there either. So, instead of standing around like a creeper, I went to the hallway closet and pulled out a blanket before going back and draping it over Alli's sleeping form. I was about to turn around and go back downstairs (and maybe actually get some studying done before I had to be back home), when I felt a hand clutch my wrist and tug (read: drag) me closer. A mumbled voice broke through my thoughts and I watched as Alli lifted her head a few centimeters and turn towards me.

"M'sorry…" Alli slurred sleepily, sighing. I was more than a bit shocked at this. Alli never apologized. At all. Except for half-asleep Alli, apparently. I was…shell-shocked, for lack of a better term, by her words. It was ironic actually, that the one time I hear Alli apologizing for something and what she happens to be apologizing for is not even her fault. And so I said so.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault." I said gently, trying to loosen Alli's death-grip on my arm. Not surprisingly, she wouldn't let go. Normally I would not have minded this (although I may have to borrow Elizaveta's frying pan if anyone said that (and, before you ask, yesa frying pan can be used as a weapon. A pretty damn good one too, if wielded by Lizzy), but Alli's hold was tight enough to cause me to start to lose the feeling in my fingertips. For a girl, Alli was strong; stronger than most of our class, actually.

"Al, you bloody git, you are squishing my hand." I grumbled under my breath, still trying to free my arm. And still being unsuccessful. Alli did not give any sign that she heard me either, so I tried again. "Alli, let go of me." Still no answer. Then I realized that she had probably fallen back asleep. But shouldn't I have been able to escape her grasp if she was asleep?

Suddenly, Alli tugged on my arm again, mumbling something I couldn't quite hear, and causing me to lose my balance and fall sideways against the bed. "Ow, see I told you to let go of me…" And still no reply. I was about to stand up and was still trying to free my wrist when Alli slung a hand across my chest and kept mumbling something. Damn, sleepy Alli was as clingy as hell. "Alli you git, let me up." Her only response was to pull me closer and snuggle into my side. Obviously she wasn't about to let me move any time soon.

It was times like these when I was reminded exactly why I had ended up falling in love with Alli. Maybe someday I would tell her. Maybe not. But for now, I was perfectly fine with being used as a pillow. Well, minus the fact that I still couldn't feel my fingers. That part sucked.