The next day, England had felt like someone had kicked his head in several times. He had threw up several times upon waking- (thoughtfully, America had left a rubbish bin right next to the couch) and groaned aloud to the emptiness of his flat. While the morning hours were spent in a hangover hell, by the afternoon his illness had stopped enough to get him to actually think about the previous night's events.

While there were definite gaps in his memory, he remembered two important things:

1.) he had finally had made recognizable, non-subtle pass at America.

2.) America had neither accepted nor rejected him.

And that was what really confused Arthur. As embarrassed as England was now, (and he would have to ensure at the next time he saw America, he would immediately play off anything the nation would try to instigate to rile him up) the night had indeed brought him answer.

He still had no fucking clue if America possibly replicated his feelings.

The nation growled, rolling over on his stomach on the plush couch. America had shown signs of interest- the flushed cheeks, the hesitant gasp there… and yet he had shied away from contact. Every single time.

What did that mean?

The answer didn't come to Arthur until several weeks later, when he had been flipping channels through the telly, landing on the international version of CNN. The American reporter on the screen was standing next to a busy street, while a throng of people behind her waved signs at ongoing traffic.

"Today, in Connecticut, members of the Sunlife Congregation are protesting against the legalization of same-sex marriage'-

England switched the channel.

"TRY CILLIT BANG-"

Ugh.

After clicking through various channels for quite some time, he left the television on the BBC as he went to prepare some afternoon tea. After said tea making was done, he came back to a documentary attempting to explain some holiday in the states called Thanksgiving.

England had only begun to move his finger down the remote in disinterest about some random celebration about eating (typical America), when the narrator mentioned a sentence that had him pause his finger-

"The first American Thanksgiving, celebrated by the Puritans, would mark a tradition that would stem a long lasting tradition of celebrating the harvest. However, it was not officially a holiday in the country until 1863, whereas-"

But England was no longer listening. Instead, he was remembering.

The Puritans.

Arthur remembered their request to go the New World. At the time, he had simply shrugged, given them his blessing, and thought privately to himself it was best if their little religious sect was far the hell away from his own Church of England.

Mulling that over, England recalled the Puritans also being especially opposed to any type of open sexuality. But that was a long, long time ago.

Hm.

Arthur turned off the television with a click of the button.

First, the Puritans had gone off with their beliefs. Then, hundreds of years later, other religious groups had taken their place, protesting many of the same things they had. America had been subjected to centuries of passionate religious thinking.

England knew America wasn't a reflection of these at all. Rather, he was more aloof towards religions, only stating in response to an enquiry- "Separation of Church and State."

But that didn't mean those strong ideals didn't have an influence on how America acted. Thinking it over, Arthur felt he may have misjudged Alfred's denseness in romance incorrectly. Perhaps, deep down, Alfred wanted England as much as he desired his former colony.

However, America might be shy towards any advances… due to that self-repression that began with the Puritans, and was expressed today by other religious groups. That had to be the answer to all this nonsense…it made the most sense…but how to pry America's feelings out of him?

England knew there was only way surefire way to get an answer out of Alfred.

Somehow, he was going to have to get him seriously drunk.