A/N: So, I have recently found some writing types online, that I thought were pretty helpful. Usually, I don't listen writing advice on the internet, but the advice I had found seemed to have made my writing improve. At least, in my opinion. The sentences are easier for me to read, which I know sounds weird, since I'm the author and should be able to read my own work without any problems, but I actually did have trouble in the past with reading some of my sentences, and I didn't understand why. But now, I found a solution to that problem, and I'm so happy about that! I hope you guys like the change to my writing style too, but if you don't notice it, that's fine. I'll try to find time to edit the previous chapters.
Also, I've been wanting to make a cover for this story for a while, but I don't know what to put on it. Nor do I have much faith in my ability to draw. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask for advice on what to put on the story cover, as for one, you guys don't know yet how the rest of the story will go, and for another, this just seems very rude of me, but I really would appreciate some advice. I'll definitely give you guys credit, if you do decide to help me out. It's fine if you don't want to, though.
Two hours passed since the doctor's appointment, by the time Russia resolved to check on how America was doing. Everyone figured that a couple hours would be plenty of time for him to recover from being frightened at the doctor's office, so they presumed he would be almost completely over what happened when his caretaker entered the bathroom, in order to check on him. Besides, lunch was almost ready, and the three nations who were caring for him were eager to try out his new diet plan. While America was engrossed by the grief he was suffering through, due to his recent, horrible experience with having his blood drawn, England and Canada spent an hour shopping for some food in which they deemed suitable for the weight gain plan. Six weeks left the two with more confidence in the unintentionally intimidating nation's integrity, so they were willing to leave it up to Russia to watch over the young nation while he waited for the one he was caring for to emerge from his hiding place.
Upon entering America's haven, Russia's heart clenched with sympathy when he spotted the one he was responsible for lying on the tiled floor. Despite his tear stained face, there were no tears streaming from his eyes and onto his cheeks, but distress and exhaustion were still obvious on his features. His thin, frail body shivered under his baggy clothes, yet he didn't show much care towards the chills attacking every bit of warmth that remained for his consumption. Perhaps this notion sprouted from a bias, due to the bond that was developing between him and his broken ally, but Russia would never be able to fathom how anyone could not find the young nation's current condition pitiful. Everything in America's demeanor begged for his comfort.
Even if Russia did have a lot of sympathy for him, he still didn't understand how someone could remain upset for two hours straight after having their blood drawn. It was true that going through such a procedure would bring back unpleasant memories, but surely his comrade should've registered at some point, during the long while after his encounter with the doctors, a lack of negative effects from the needle used to pierce through his skin. Even with his brain wiped of any basic, scientific concepts, America was no idiot (contrary to what some believed). He wouldn't have been afraid of the needle, if he wasn't aware of any potential threats it posed. He was definitely well-informed, due to personal experience, about what they were capable of doing.
Which was why Russia found himself considering some other possibilities as to why the poor nation was still so upset. Was America afraid they were going to send him back to the scientists? The moment this conclusion entered his mind, the young nation's caretaker shoved it to the side. It was obvious, even to his confused ally, that they weren't going to return him to those disgusting excuses for human beings. After all, they did return right after the doctor's appointment, to the comfort of his home, and allowed him plenty of time to himself.
Flashbacks after the procedures performed by the doctors was something Russia could understand, though. It wouldn't have been the first time America was haunted by such memories, and it wouldn't be the last. Sometimes, his caretaker had to pull him from night terrors. The wrong movements were also capable of clouding his mind with fear. Russia could relate to this. At one point, he himself had been broken to this extent as well. To this day, there were still some things that triggered his darkest memories. Witnessing the same happening to someone else depressed him, but he tried not to dwell on this too much. After all, it would take more than sympathy to try and heal his fellow nation. Though the empathy would grant him patience towards any unpleasant outburst, or complications, doing something about this was the only thing that would make an impact.
Russia strode over to where America laid on the floor, and knelt down upon arriving right next to his figure. The increased proximity between them allowed his caretaker to examine whether or not any potential fear radiated from the other's demeanor. Though, it wasn't as if a lack of fear during the current moment would prove the concerned nation wrong about the other having experienced some flashbacks, he was curious as to why America expressed desolation. Even if it didn't take half a brain for one to figure out that he was panicked to the point of being afflicted with a potential heart attack (if he'd been a human, anyways), he still hadn't shown any signs of despondency. He wouldn't have tried to find a solution to his situation if he'd believed there was nothing he could do to control his life. Now, the other nation's expression and body language gave off a vibe, to Russia, that he loathed himself. What could've been the cause of this sudden self-hatred? His caretaker wished he could ask him, as he wasn't able to figure out anything that would trigger such insecurities. Since the root of this problem would be difficult for him to figure out, he hoped his fellow nation would overcome these negative emotions soon. He also hoped he was wrong about the other feeling insecure. It wasn't easy for one to detect such an emotion in another, even if said person could utter words. Maybe he was even basing America's body language on his own during times when he succumbed to insecurity.
Since finding the root of the problem at hand wasn't something Russia believed he'd be able to do with the other nation's lack of communication skills, he settled on comforting his ally. He lifted America off the floor and pulled him into a gentle embrace; hoping this would at least encourage the other to forgive him for making him go through with the doctor's appointment. The young nation expressed no signs of caring for the affection. Though the lack of rebellious behavior made things more convenient for the one who was comforting him, the lack of fight in his demeanor did worry his caretaker a bit.
Russia tried to push the concern from his mind. Fretting would probably only end up making things worse, as his comrade was likely to detect a lack of certainty in his demeanor. Which was something his caretaker believed would only lead to more inconvenience, as he had given America the impression that he was supposed to be strong. A slip up in this act could lead to disobedient behavior from the other.
The fact that America's face was a complete mess, along with how exhausted he appeared to be gave Russia the incentive to clean up his face and place him onto the comfort of his bed. He rearrange the other in his arms so that he could carry him bridal style to his bedroom. Upon arriving to said room, he set the one he was caring for onto his bed, and pulled out a tissue from the tissue box. He applied the Kleenex to America's face, so he could rid him of all the evidence (aside from how red parts of his face became) he'd been crying. When his fellow nation's face was cleaned, he disposed of the tissue, and strode over to the dresser to gather a set of comfortable clothing. He rid the young nation of his daytime raiment, and replaced them with the more comfortable outfit he'd selected.
He wrapped a blanket around America's form when he was finished changing him, and left him alone until lunch was finished. The young nation still didn't appear to be too thrilled with his company, even after he'd made an attempt to try and make him more comfortable. Perhaps some more alone time would help, though he didn't plan on leaving him alone forever.
About ten minutes later, Russia returned to the room with a plate of food, which contents were high in carbohydrates and proteins. The dish was also dense in nutrients the doctor considered vital for gaining weight, and keeping the young nation healthy with his dangerous lack of body fat. He figured after America's long episode of crying that the other would be ravenous. Perhaps the one he was caring for would willing to eat an entire plate of food and beg for more. Eating something might even improve the other's mood. Russia was elated at the idea of his ally's mood improving simply from eating.
America glanced at the plate of food when Russia stood right next to him, but turned his head away from it after studying it for a few seconds. He wasn't interested in eating at the moment, as he'd lost his appetite when he found out he was a human. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to urge himself to want to take a bite from the food being offered to him. All he wanted to do was sleep for a long, long time. Maybe if he did this, he would grow indifferent about the fact that he was a human. Sometimes, sleep was all he needed, to overcome negative emotions. Even during times when it became difficult for him to believe that things would be better.
Since it appeared as if America would need some encouragement to eat, Russia scooped some chicken onto the fork and allowed it to hover near the other's mouth. He figured that maybe the aroma drifting from the sweet sauce on the chicken would make the young nation more eager to eat. The scent coming from the food was even enough to make his caretaker envious. Usually, he wouldn't be so jealous towards the one he was caring for during feeding time. Even when he waited until America was done before having something to eat himself. This meal, however, had been something he was craving for a while, and there had never been a time he wasn't in the mood to eat this dish while he was hungry. He also didn't know another person who found said meal revolting. He believed it would be insane if they did.
However, America still hadn't shown any interest in the meal being offered to him. At first, Russia was baffled by the lack of interest, but was eventually able to figure out a few reasons as to why the other didn't want to eat. He set the plate down on the nightstand and ran a hand through the young nation's dirty blonde hair as he stated, "Alright, I won't make you eat right now if you don't want to. I guess that you did have a large breakfast this morning and you still seem pretty upset by what happened. I'll just leave this plate here in case you become hungry later."
Russia wrapped his arms around America, in order to give him a quick hug, and added, "I hope you feel better soon."
Russia left the other alone, as he walked out of the room. He knew, in any other situation, that it wouldn't be wise to leave America alone with food, as doing so would only result in a mess. However, something told his caretaker that he didn't want to have any company at the moment, and maybe, his chances of eating lunch would increase if was allowed more alone time.
~O~
Unfortunately, whenever Russia checked on whether or not America had eaten anything, he found that the other hadn't even touched his food during lunch or dinner. This was how the caretaker knew that something was majorly wrong with the other, as for one, this was not normal behavior for the young nation. Even though he was in the process of healing, the other was usually energetic, and had quite an appetite. Instead, after the doctor's appointment, he always appeared tired and had shown no interest in eating. For another, it had almost been twenty-four hours since America ate, and everyone knew he couldn't afford to go without eating any longer. Even if he was at a healthy weight, they wouldn't allow this unless he was sick and couldn't stomach anything.
While breakfast was being made, Russia told the other two nations, "Amerika hasn't eaten anything since the doctor's appointment. I even tried giving him snacks that can sit out for days without going bad, but he refused to touch them. I'm beginning to think that there might be something seriously wrong with him."
Canada's expression was full of concern as he asked, "He's not sick, is he?"
"Nyet, I don't think that he's sick. He shows no signs of nausea or physical discomfort. In fact, he looks healthy. He just seems to be a little depressed at the moment, and I don't know why. There's no way a needle could make someone that upset for an entire day. There must be something else going on."
A silence made itself present in the room as the three nations pondered for a solution to this problem. How was one supposed to make someone, who couldn't speak, overcome these complicated emotions when they wouldn't be able to find the root of the problem? Especially when such negative emotions sprouted out of nowhere.
England had been the one to break the silence, as soon as an idea came to him, "I realize that this is going to sound rather harsh, but we might need to force him to eat if he's going to keep on rejecting all of the food we give him. It's the only way we can get it across to him that eating isn't an option, since he won't understand what we're saying if we try to tell him why."
Apprehensive about the harsh solution, Canada replied, "There must be another way. We don't have to be forceful about this. Can we please try to research another way of going about this before deciding whether or not we should go through with that idea? Forcing food down his throat is going to end up stressing him out. Maybe it'll make him even more emotionally damaged."
"We've tried finding another way to make him eat, but we've run out of options. We even gave him the chance to try and eat on his own, yet he still refused to eat anything. We can try to find a way to help him get over whatever emotional struggle he's going through later, but right now, he needs to eat something."
Canada tried to formulate an argument in his head, but soon came to terms with the fact that England's point was valid. America was causing harm to himself, and he'd been given many chances to snap out of this behavior and eat. Even if it would be disrespectful to his brothers autonomy, the Canadian couldn't think of any other way to going about solving the issue at hand. Besides, it wasn't as if they could treat America the same way as they would a normal, functioning adult at the moment. If they did, he would be stirring up chaos, and wouldn't have much of a chance to become civil at all. It was the equivalent to raising a child; there had to be some control over what he did and how he behaved.
With defeat evident in his voice, Canada said to Russia, "Alright, if you absolutely have to force feed him, you can. Just try not to hurt him while you do so, alright? I don't want him to end up in the hospital."
Russia tried to sound as reassuring as possible with his response, "I won't hurt him, I promise."
The three nations remained silent as they waited for bleakest to be ready. It didn't take much longer for America's plate to be prepared, and by the time it was, Russia grabbed the dish and carried it with him to the young nation's room. Anticipation fluttered throughout his chest during the short trip there; he still pondered whether or not what he was probably going to have to do was right. As it was stated before, though, it didn't appear as if he had any other choice. Which was why he'd mentally told himself to accept what he would probably have to do to America, and try to come up with a way to make it up to him later.
Upon entering the room, he found America was wide awake, and staring at the ceiling. Though he didn't appear as upset as he had the day before, Russia was still concerned about his depressed demeanor. Well, at least he'll be hungry now. He mentally told himself, There's no way he can't be hungry, after going so long without eating. Especially since he's not sick.
Russia set the plate of food on the night stand, and arranged America on the bed so he was in a sitting position. He scooped some eggs onto the spoon and offered it to his ally. Though the young nation was famished, there was still something within him that didn't want to eat. He didn't understand why his mind was telling him not to consume any food. Even during times was he was depressed, he would still have a strong urge to eat. It often outweighed any common sense to not consume anything the scientists gave him. However, when he recalled the horrifying discovery he'd made the other day, queasiness settled in his stomach; causing him to not want to eat.
His caretaker was patient, as he waited for the one he was caring for to take a bite from the food. At that point, he didn't even care if his fellow nation only ate half of the food on his plate. As long as he ate at all, things would be fine. However, as his gentle attempts to feed America continued to fail, it was becoming more and more obvious to Russia that doing this in a respectful manner wasn't going to work. Guilt spread throughout his nerves, causing an unwanted pressure make his body tense. Words could not explain how much he didn't want to force feed the other, but it wasn't as if he had any other choice.
Russia grabbed America's jaw, applying pressure to his joints. This caused the young nation to flinch, as he had not expected his caretaker to treat him with such harshness. He tired to move away from the hold on his face, but struggling only caused his jaw to feel more uncomfortable. A small pinch of pain made itself present as the one caring for him continued to hold his face.
Five minutes passed when America came to term with the fact that the other wasn't going to quit in his attempt to try and feed him, and the young nation gave in, as allowed the food to enter his mouth while tears developed in his eyes. Russia let go of his hold on the other, when he opened his mouth to allow the food inside it, but guilt only continued to gnaw at his heart when he glanced at the tears forming in his comrade's eyes. He didn't want to make America cry. All he wanted to do was make him eat something.
When America finished eating everything on the plate, Russia pulled him into a hug, and whispered soft words of reassurance to him. His caretaker taker hoped by comforting him, he could show that he still cared for him, despite the discomfort he'd caused him. Yet, no matter how much effort he put into trying to improve the other's mood, America continued to tremble and cry, until he was too tired to continue doing so.
Russia grabbed the glass of orange juice he'd brought with him, and held it up to America's mouth. Perhaps something sweet would help improve the young nation's mood.
Though America did enjoy the sweet taste in his mouth when he sipped the orange juice, as well as the fact that the cold liquid soothed his sore throat, which had been worsening since he awoke, he still couldn't help but be disturbed by the lack of control he was experiencing. His discovery about being a human had been terrible enough. Couldn't he at least be treated as an equal by his own kind?