DISCLAIMER: Hetalia and its characters, which to this date are canon (April 2023), belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. The plot and the rest of the characters belong to me. The following fanfic was only made for entertainment purposes, and doesn´t intend to encourage any of the character´s actions and/or behaviors. Also, since English is my second language and this fanfic is a translated version of the original, feel free to correct any writing mistake on the comment section. Finally, it´s strictly forbidden to plagiarize or copy any element related to my work, as well as to reupload the fanfic to other websites without my authorization. Without further ado, welcome and hope you enjoy the story.

1

… … …

Mexico sighed of relief as she stopped near the main entrance and saw that the doors were still open. The world meeting had not started yet! Panting, a consequence of the race she had to make from the hotel to that building, and wiping with her sleeve the light sweat from her forehead, observed that some nations searched for the place assigned to them and took their seats, while others gathered in small groups to talk.

It was great that the hotel was only a block away, the young woman thought. Thanks to that, this was one of the rare moments she arrived on time, in which she did not have to invent ocasional absurd justifications if she was caught trying to sneak to her seat.

Well, I´ll have to use the pretext I was preparing for the next meeting, said to herself while adjusting her white blouse and her green blazer, whose lapels were embroidered with handcrafted flowers. Then she took out from the pocket of her black pants a compact mirror, and checked that her hair and her makeup were presentable. From the latter nothing had been spoiled. Only her long and messy bangs needed a small fix, since most of her hair was collected by her two classic braids, which at the same time were joined in a bun, a hairstyle reserved for formal occasions. Once finished, she put the mirror back in its place. It was time to greet the others and to announce her arrival.

"Hey everyone!" exclaimed cheerfully, raising her right hand and waving it in the air, as she tried to make a quick eye contact with each one of the present, searching for two people in particular. Some countries, especially the extroverted ones, greeted back. Mexico's smile grew when she finally found her best friends and almost family: Chile and Colombia.

"Until you arrive on time, weona!*" Said the first one.

"Look who's saying it!" Answered Mexico, remembering amused what happened two meetings ago.

"Mex! We latinos can sit together! " Exclaimed Colombia, pointing to an unoccupied seat near them.

This time the meeting room was a large space in which the tables were organized in the shape of the letter U and divided into ten rows, which were separated in half by the wide staircase that descended to the podium, where there was a huge projection screen and a lectern with a microphone on it. Latinos were sitting on the third and fourth rows near the screen, in the left section of the room.

Due to her unexpected punctuality and the fact that she could be with her friends, Mexico began to believe this was her lucky day. She was about to obey her curly-haired friend´s directions, when she heard familiar voices behind her. Now that she remembered, she hadn't seen the owners of those voices when greeting half of the world.

"Stop drinking coffee, it´ll make you more stressed!"

"What? Who says I'm stressed?"

"Do not pretend!"

Mexico let her curiosity get the better of her and took a few steps back, sticking her head out of one of the doors. In her haste she hadn't realized that on the right side of the hall were some tables of coffee break. Standing there were America and England. The first one was waiting for one of the coffee machines to finish filling a disposable cup, which was strange, since on the table were porcelain cups stacked. Mexico deduced that her northern neighbor went to a coffee shop before arriving at the world meeting. At the same time, England was lectured him in vain, since the American only laughed at his reprimands. However, there was something about his laugh that was atypical. Mexico would have sworn it sounded forced and fake.

"I don't know what you're talking about dude." Said America once he stopped laughing. "I´m one hundred percent fine. I don't need you to be my babysitter."

"And who said anything about being your babysitter?!" At that moment England's patience reached its limit. "You know what? Do whatever you want!"

The irate Brit walked to the meeting room´s front door. With a swift movement, Mexico moved away from her hiding place, so he wouldn't discover she had been spying on them. However, England passed so quickly that didn´t even notice her. No matter, the girl managed to hear his grumble ("What a wanker, stupid bloody American…"). She empathized with the man with the tousled hair and thick eyebrows, because she knew perfectly the American's ability to drive someone crazy.

Mexico tried to take one last look at her northern neighbor, but at that moment a voice spoke through the microphone on the lectern.

"Please, everyone take your seats. We´re about to start."

Mexico saw the person who said the latter. It was Germany, who although his indication was polite, his way of speaking turned it into some kind of order. So Mexico left the American aside and went to her friends.

"Who were you spying on?" Asked Colombia with a lot of curiosity when she sitted next to her. But before answering Germany turned to see them, and with his serious look told them the time for talking had ended.

"I'll tell you later." Mexico whispered to her friend.

During the meeting, the mexican nation was listening to music through an earphone, whose cable was hidden under her blazer. With her favorite songs, meetings became less exhausting for her.

So far everything had gone well, but there was just one thing that kept her distracted. She occasionally looked at America, who was sitting on the right side of the front row, along with the most powerful countries. Due to the alignment of the tables, she could see certain behaviors that were not typical of the North American: it seemed that the caffeine had already taken effect on him, because he was tapping the table with his fingers, while one of his legs was shaking restlessly, as if he wanted the meeting to end at that very moment. And although he tried to concentrate on the speeches of the nations who passed to the podium, there were moments he would close his eyes for several seconds, just to abruptly open them again. On his table was the coffee cup, along with a can of Ghost and empty energy bar packages. How many of those things had he already consumed?, Mexico wondered.

… … …

"Alright, we'll take a fifteen-minute break and then we´ll approach the other topics." Said Germany halfway through the meeting. Some nations left the room to have a well-deserved snack at the coffee break. America was one of the first to get up from his seat and to head towards the corridor.

"Bloody hell! Again?!" England scolded his former brother, while following closely.

"Oh, come on dude!" Shouted America. "Leave me alone!"

It was quite common for the two of them to have fights and disagreements, but the american's reaction alarmed Mexico. The blonde man used to take such discussions with a good deal of humor, but this time he seemed genuinely upset. Something was very wrong.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed." Commented Mexico aloud, without realizing it.

"Who?" Chile asked. Colombia also turned to see her. Mexico realized her mistake, but pretended what she´d just said had been intentional.

"The gringo*, who else?"

"Oh! So he was the one you were spying on." Said Colombia, and Mexico nodded.

"I saw him argue with England. Something that he was drinking a lot of coffee, and from what I see, a lot of energy products too."

"That weon* has been acting like that for a week or so, but he refuses to admit it." Chile answered. "Didn't you know?"

"Hey! Just because we're business partners doesn't mean I'm aware of his personal life." Said Mexico as the three of them got up from their seats and went up the steps. "Besides, I had to take care of other matters."

"Maybe you should talk to him and investigate why he's so bitter, and then you come with us and tell us the gossip." Said Colombia.

"And maybe he´ll ignore me as he did with Anglocejón*." Mexico was going to change the subject, but when she turned to see Colombia, her friend gave her a pleading look. Sighing, she say: "But I´ll try."

Once in the corridor, Mexico walked throught the countries discreetly, until she reached America, who was waiting for his cup to be refilled again. It seemed like he wanted to beat the Nordics in their record for how much coffee they drank per day. Taking advantage of the fact that England was not with him, Mexico placed herself on his right side, pretending she was not looking for him, while taking a chocolate cookie from one of the trays. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she finally got a better glance of the American. Under his glasses she could see dark circles, and his face had become a little rounder, giving the indication that he was gaining weight. In addition, he had a meditative look, while the hands with which he held the cup and the button of the coffee machine resisted to tremble.

If America had been in his usual mode, he´d have already noticed the woman´s presence, and would have besieged her with a lot of questions and comments, but at that moment he didn't realized she was standing next to him. For Mexico, the truth was that this last change did not bother her at all, but it was obvious that the state of his neighbor was disturbing. However, she wasn't going to show him she was worried. In front of him she liked to show herself as a proud girl who lived up to his ego. It was a game both had since their "reconciliation" at the end of World War II.

And so, Mexico gave a long yawn and stretched her neck from one side to the other, so she could get the American's attention. Despite everything, he did not react. Then the latina had to resort to the next step.

"These meetings are eternal, aren't they gringo*?"

Clueless, America finally snapped out of his trance.

"Oh, yes of course."

With that answer, Mexico was sure that the north american had not heard her well in the first place. However, she still had to get answers out of him. But once the blonde man finished preparing his drink, he walked away from the table and from the other countries. Mexico saw how he walked slowly in circles at the end of the corridor, while drinking his coffee. She decided to follow him. It was time to be direct and frank.

With her hands behind her back, she approached him, standing face to face, separated by only half a meter. The young brunette rose on her toes to reach America´s face, who got a little nervous and almost made his cup wobble. It wasn't normal for him that Mexico get so close to him, and when that happened, she did something unexpected. The girl took the frame of his glasses and raised them slightly, to have a better look on his dark circles.

"Just look at that! What happened to you?" said Mexico as she putted the glasses down. Then she mockingly made a pensive gesture, and smiled "I know! You played video games all night again, am I right?"

America adjusted his glasses as he tried to catch what the girl had told him. He then answered.

"Oh yeah! Video games… right."

Being an expert on the subject, Mexico knew he was lying.

"You're sure? People who stay up late one night don't drink coffee like crazy."

America cursed himself. No matter how hard he tried, the other nations soon realized he was going through a bad time.

"I've had a lot of work, more than I expected." He replied.

Mexico wanted to support him and to give him some encouragement words, but at that moment the blue-eyed boy straightened up, putting his free hand on his waist and laughing, just as he did with England before the meeting.

"But hey, it's normal for us heroes to have many responsibilities, and to suffer crises from time to time!"

And there he goes with that nonsense of being a hero, Mexico thought with displeasure.

"Could you stop comparing your life to comics?" She reproached him. "You're not a Marvel character!"

"Of course not, because Superman is from DC."

"Whatever!" Mexico was about to leave, but she decided to make one last try. Unlike England, she was not going to give up so easily. She took a deep breath and talked to his neighbor, now in a calm tone. "You should take a day or two off. If you continue like this you will worsen your health."

"I don't think so, and if that was the case, we´re countries! We can recover faster than any human!"

Like the English man, Mexico no longer knew what else to say. It was going to be impossible to make him see reason. So she turned around, but not before having the last word.

"Well, your problem."

… … …

"And with that we conclude today's meeting. Members of the G8, we'll meet here in an hour, and the others can go home. Have a safe trip." Said Germany once the presentation of the last country finished. France and Italy, who belonged to the group mentioned by the German, complained loudly. They envied the good luck of the other nations, and if it had been up to the french man, he would have already staged a strike so they would let him go home. However, he knew his limits when it was time to make decisions on important matters, as one the most powerful countries on Earth. For his part, America pretended to be excited about the next meeting, but to the others his lack of energy was evident.

Before retiring to the hotel with her friends, Mexico made one last attempt to find out more about America´s condition. She was sure that his brother knew more, so he waited for him at the entrance of the building. When she spotted Canada, she approached him.

"Canada, do you know why your brother has been working a lot?"

"Well, there have been many problems in his house these months, and things have gotten worse." He answered while holding Kumajiro, the little polar bear that always accompanied him. "He also has to resolve several issues with the other countries."

"And why haven´t you done something about it? Or the other members of the G8?"

"We've tried Mexico, but he won't listen to us." Replied Canada, feeling a little indignant at the woman's implication, that he and his colleagues were indifferent to his brother´s situation. "We've told him that he can be absent from our meetings until he gets his own business resolved, but he doesn't want to."

"Santísima Virgen de Guadalupe*, he is so stubborn!" Complained Mexico, crossing her arms.

"You tell me!"

They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, which involved America. After a few seconds, Mexico's eyes lit up as she had a brilliant idea. "Wait a second." She said, taking the Canadian's shoulder. "Perhaps he won't listen to us, but there´s someone he would not be able to disobey, and who´s the only person a country cannot defy?"

"You mean his president?"

"Exactly!" Mexico took out her cell phone from the right pocket of her blazer, and looked for the contact number of her president. "If I make my boss contact his´ to explain the situation, he will have to force the gringo to stay at his house and take care of himself."

Canada was not very sure about Mexico´s idea. It was reasonable, but knowing his brother and the state of stress he was in, most likely he was going to neglect his health in one way or another, even when he was in his own house. They needed someone to keep a close eye on him. He would have been that person, but it was certain that the tasks he was going to be assigned after the G8 meeting would prevent him to do so, as well as England or France, who were the other two people close to his brother. Maybe Mexico or Philippines should be the ones in charge of that mission, he thought. But before he could told that to the brunette, she was already five meters away talking to her boss, ready to execute her plan.

"Will there ever be a day the others take my opinions into consideration, Mr. Kumasaba?" He asked melancholy to Kumajiro, addressing him wrongly.

"You have to work on your self-esteem and to take the initiative." Answered the bear.

… … …

The next day México was back at home, taking care of his pets and preparing enfrijoladas* for lunch. Thinking of the delicious taste of the dish made her mouth water. Nothing like a good meal before resuming work. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by her the ringing of her phone. She took it and looked at the screen.

"Hi? Boss?" Greeted once she answered.

"Hello Mexico." Replied the president of the republic. "As you requested, I spoke to the President of the United States, and he agreed to give him a few days off."

"Great." Said Mexico, while checking that the tomatillos for the sauce had finished cooking along with the serrano peppers.

"However, he needs someone to go to his house, in order to watch over him for a week or two."

"Uh-huh..." Mexico didn't like where the conversation was going.

"And he assigned you."

The brown-skinned woman complained to herself on her thoughts. Of course, by trying to help her northern neighbor, even if it had been indirectly, she would had to suffer some consequences.

"Why me?" She protested. "What about Canada or Anglocejón*?"

"They're both very busy." His boss replied. "In fact, all the G-8 members are busy."

Mexico didn´t know, but under Kumajiro's endless insistence, Canada had also called America´s boss to tell him that they needed a voluntary nation.

"And what about Philippines?" Mexico continued questioning. "Or his states?"

"I suppose that Mr. Philippines was not chosen because he lives far away, and they need someone to take care of United States as soon as possible. Regarding his states, due to the crisis in their country they also have several issues to attend to. And as the third member of the T-Mec, you have the responsibility to help him."

"But that wey* is very strong, he will recover by himself. And besides, that happens to him for wanting to be a first world country…"

"Mexico!"

It was useless, she had to obey her superior´s orders.

"Alright, alright! I´ll do it!" At that moment the delicious aroma of chicken and cooked tomatillos invaded her smell and taste´s senses. "But first let me enjoy my meal in peace, before I have to live a few days without my gastronomy."

"America is at his house in Washington D.C. I want you to report me your arrival before the end of the day." Her boss commanded, before hanging up.

Why these things happen to me?, Mexico complained.

To be continued…

… … …

GLOSSARY:

Weón/Weona: Slang word from Chile which has many meanings depending on the context. In the fanfic case, it means pal or dude.

Gringo: Slang word which in Mexico it´s reserved to people who speak English and that are from the United States.

Anglocejón: Spanish play of words, mixing the word anglosajón (Anglo-Saxon) and cejón (a person with thick eyebrows). This is an original term my Mexico OC uses to refer to England. It´s not an actual word.

Santísima Virgen de Guadalupe: Holy Mary!

Enfrijoladas: Traditional mexican dish made of corn tortillas covered with bean sauce and stuffed with salsa, avocado, mexican crema, cheese and onions.

Wey: Slang word from Mexico which has different meanings depending on the context. In the fanfic case, it means dude.