A/N: This story now has a cover, thanks to VivaciousReader. I hope you guys love it. I personally think the cover is lovely. I think you guys can understand the symbolism in it. I'm very grateful that someone was willing to make a cover for me, and I know that there were other people who wanted to volunteer. And I'm grateful for that! I'm not sure if I ever would've been able to make a cover myself. At least, not a decent one. So this definitely saved me from wasting my time. Also, you can find this cover on Deviantart; under the same username as the person who made it on here.
And in case you guys were wondering why the guy on the cover has brown hair, it just happened to turn darker through all the editing. He was originally blonde. Oh well. It's no big deal.
Fortunately, America's fever never rose pass thirty-nine degree Celsius, and since the first day of his sickness, the rest of his symptoms had improved. Sure, he had difficulty walking during the first few days of his ailment, but there was a vast improvement with his appetite on the third day. Which was what helped him restore his energy. Russia also couldn't help but appreciate how the other was much more friendly towards him, after he prevented him from drowning in his own vomit. It made caring for the young nation a much easier task. It was also refreshing to receive gratitude every time America caught sight of him, instead of having the other try his best not to make eye contact with him.
A week had passed since America first became sick, and now, his ailment showed no signs of remaining. Instead, he was restless, and no amount of attention he received from the other three nations was enough to keep him satisfied throughout the day. Which was why Russia was relieved when it finally dark out. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, the young nation would usually relax for a couple hours before falling asleep. His caretaker was happy to find there were no exceptions that day, despite the high amount of energy being expressed by his comrade. Instead, he settled for snuggling next to Russia on the couch, while the other searched for a movie the two of them could enjoy.
The caretaker tried his best to find something that wouldn't be too triggering for America. This was a difficult task for him, as a majority of the movies he loved involved at least a bit of blood. It wasn't as if he was a fan of gore, or anything. He didn't mind a little blood once in a while, he sometimes found it tasteless. Though there were many well-made movies out there with themes he was sure his comrade wouldn't be able to handle in them. As exasperating as it was to try to find something the other could enjoy, without it being too stupid, Russia understood his ally wasn't a wimp for possibly not wanting to witness such content. Who could blame him, after everything he'd been through not too long ago?
By the time Russia found a movie he was sure both he and America would enjoy, he grabbed the bag of chips he'd brought with him. He was aware of how unhealthy and gross this may be to some, but he wasn't the type of person who could sit through a whole movie without eating something. Food was too delicious for him to reject, if he had time on his hands to enjoy a few snacks throughout the day. He hated going without something to eat for at least a few hours (unless he was sleeping). Being hungry, or having low blood sugar brought him memories of the times he was suffering through a famine. Sure, he was worried about whether or not he could be considered overweight, as he was a bit pudgy, and compared to other nations, he did run out of breath faster (though in a battle, his strength could easily make up for a lack of energy), but his love for food outweighed his insecurity for his weight. Besides, he was sure America wouldn't mind there being a bag of chips near by; as long as he was allowed to have some.
Sure enough, as soon as the bag of chips was open, America was reaching his hand in to grab a hand full of them. The two nations happily munched on the snack while the movie played, and it wasn't long before half the bag was empty. This was when Russia figured it would be best to place the chips out of their reach, so they wouldn't end up eating the entire thing. After all, Canada and England wouldn't be too happy if the snacks disappeared before they even had the chance to touch them. America tried to move from the couch, in order to grab the chips, but his caretaker pulled him back and stated, "No, you've had enough junk food today. You're going to get a stomachache if I let you eat anymore chips."
America understood, after being pulled into a firm hold, the human wasn't going to allow him to eat anymore chips. As much as his mind begged him to steal more of the salty treat, he figured it would be a better idea to ignore the temptation, and instead, snuggle with his caretaker. Maybe if he acted obedient and sweet, he would receive another treat later. It'd happened before. The human loved it when he behaved, and would sometimes give him praise and a small treat.
As time passed on, America grew more and more cold from not moving, and it wasn't long until he was shivering. Sometimes, even when he was wrapped in a blanket, he would find it quite chilly in the house. This didn't surprise the other three nations, though. It was difficult for one to stay warm when they didn't have any fat to help them store heat in their body. Since the young nation wanted more warmth, he drew himself closer to Russia, and latched onto his soft, warm scarf. The shivering and sudden movements alerted the caretaker, so he pulled America onto his lap, in the hopes that this would help him warm up. He also drew the blanket the other was wearing tighter around their forms.
Russia was shocked to find how bony America's thighs were. Sure, he'd been able to observe how thin they were during times he changed his clothes and bathed him, but he wasn't expecting them to be bruising his own thighs. Even if he was a male, the young nation was supposed to be squishy anywhere on and around his hips. Instead, he was the opposite of that, and it was a painful observation for his caretaker to make.
There was now a pang in Russia's heart. He didn't understand why this hadn't made him upset before. He heard the doctor announce his height and weight and was able to figure out what his body mass index was. Even glimpsing at America could make anyone figure out he was underweight. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd touched the young nation either. Though he'd expected the other areas on his body to be bony. Russia always had sympathy for the other because of how thin he was and how much he had to suffer through. For whatever reason, having him sit on his lap was too much for him to handle, though. It reminded him of the times he witnessed his own people starve, and he wasn't able to do anything about it, because he didn't even have enough food for himself. He hated the helplessness; wondering what he'd done to deserve such suffering. It was a normal part of being a nation, but that didn't stop it from hurting.
A tear escaped from Russia's eye as he tried to fathom how many weeks had passed, while America was being starved by the scientists, before hunger no longer bothered him. How long did it take for the scientists to figure out how to erase his memory? Had he continued to fight them off until this happened, or were they able to break him while his memory was still there? Did America have any idea what was going to happen to him? He did appear to be a bit uneasy during the last meeting he attended. Almost as if he was confused about what he should believe would happen to him in the future. Some of his citizens were happy about what his ex-boss was doing, while the rest either didn't have an opinion, or were horrified of what might happen to their nation. Considering the fact that his ex-boss betrayed him, Russia could tell the young nation was going to have a hard time trusting any of his future bosses. This caused his caretaker to become even more upset with everything the other had been through.
Russia hadn't expected a hand to gently brush his cheek and wipe the tear away. He focused his attention towards the nation sitting on his lap, to find the other's face was full of concern and confusion. It was almost as if America was talking to him through his eyes; saying, 'Don't cry. You should be happy right now! We're both living in comfort.'
Russia smiled at the sympathy being expressed towards him and pulled the other into a tight hug. It was probably the sweetest someone had done for him in a long time. Not to mention, it was something more selfless and civil than what most humans would do if they caught someone crying. It also helped him snap out of his pity fest. There was no need for him to be upset about what had happened almost two months ago. It was the past. He learned from it, and he would make sure it never happened again. Sure, there were still many things he would have to worry about, when it came to how America recovered from his horrible experience, but at the moment, he was happy. His happiness was the one of the most important things, and it was his job to maintain it. Making himself upset wasn't going to keep the young nation happy; it was only going to confuse him, and possibly cause him to be hurt. As Russia had told himself many times before, he needed to stay strong while caring for the other.
America relaxed when he figured his caretaker was no longer upset, and rested his head on the others chest, in order to absorb his warmth. As the movie continued to play in the background, the young nation fiddled with Russia's scarf; finding it surprisingly entertaining to play around with the piece of cloth. He was no longer shivering, due to the 'cold' air, and sighed with content when the human ran his fingers through his hair. If he understood the concept of heaven, he would've believed he was there.
It wasn't long until Russia found the young nation fast asleep in his arms. He gave the one he was caring for a smile of adoration, before returning his attention to the movie. Even if this had caused him to be upset at first, he was now happy to have America on his lap. His comrade was enjoying the warmth his body provided to him quite a bit and the closeness was helping a bond form between them. He was aware of the fact that England and Canada might find what was going on to be a bit strange, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had an explanation prepared, in case anyone questioned this display of affection.
Sure enough, Canada entered the room half way through the movie, and was shocked by the sight before him. Russia smiled at this reaction, giving him the same childish smile which caused most not to have any desire to oppose him, and asked, "Hello, Matvey. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great," Canada replied, yet he still wasn't afraid to express his confusion, "How come my brother's sitting on you're lap?"
"He was starting to get cold, so I wanted to try and warm him up. He doesn't seem to mind this at all, though. So is there anything wrong with this?"
"No, there isn't anything wrong with it. I just wasn't expecting to see that."
That went over better than I expected, Russia mentally told himself. He would've expected Canada to not be so open-minded towards him cuddling with America in this way. He held America closer as he continued, It looks like I'm starting to gain their trust.