A/N: I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but I guess it was just meant to be. Sure, maybe there are some details in this chapter that don't need to be there, but I personally didn't mind reading through this, and I also don't want to shorten it, now that it's so long (I know, not a good reason to keep it the way it is, but I'm proud, this is the longest chapter I've ever written at 8,752 words, not including this author's note).
It was one of those rare times when morning couldn't come fast enough (as normally, one would say it came too quickly). Even if Canada was one to rise from bed during early hours of the day, he still managed to find waking up at four in the morning and being unable to go back to sleep exasperating. Despite the fact that it was only two hours before the time he'd normally wake up. The reason this bothered him so much was because he had nothing to do until everyone else was awake. All his work was completed, the house was clean, it was too early to prepare breakfast for everyone, and he couldn't hope to form an idea of what he should do to entertain himself, as everything he wanted to be doing couldn't be done. What he wanted to do most was bake a cake for America, but Russia had told him he wanted to do it. As much as Canada enjoyed baking once in a while, America's caretaker enjoyed it more, and he didn't want to bake the cake if someone else was excited to do so themselves and wanted to do it alone. Perhaps he could check if they have all the ingredients for the cake Russia planned to make? The meals for the day had all been planned in advance, so it wouldn't hurt to double check and run to the store if there was something missing. At least this would give him something to do.
He couldn't help but be relieved when he found there were some ingredients he needed to buy. Not only would this give him a speck of excitement this morning and an excuse to leave the house, but double checking, something he probably wouldn't have done until the last minute without boredom, prevented him from having to go out while he was busy preparing the special meals for America's birthday. He hated being interrupted in the middle of his work. When he started something, he wanted to finish whatever he was doing as soon as he could and as well as he could. Besides, pausing in his cooking didn't always make the final product turn out as well as it initially could have.
Even if Canada wanted to walk to the store, as it was near by, it was too dark outside during the current moment for such an idea to be a safe one. Sure, he was a bit on the tall side for a male and had been granted extra strength because he was a nation, but neither of this was much. Compared to his brother, his extra strength wasn't so impressive. He could count on being able to knock out two average sized males without a problem, but he doubted he would ever be able to take on a group of body builders. Especially if said body builders had weapons. Night was a perfect time for such people to strike pedestrians wandering around on their own. Whether they were male or female didn't prevent it from being dangerous.
Instead of walking, he drove to the store. Not many people were there, which was fine with him. He hated when stores were crowded. It wasn't easy for someone who tended to be soft-spoken around strangers, and sometimes with people they were familiar with, to navigate a store cluttered with people. It was awkward.
Even if he was appreciative toward the lack of people, he still wasn't too fond of the interesting characters wandering the store while it could still be considered night. Canada wasn't one who wanted to judge people based off appearance, or even first impressions. He believed it was wrong to do that to another human being. Appearance wasn't something one could always help, and he was a strong believer of second chances. Besides, it was still dark out, so this caused him to be a bit paranoid.
However, even if it was day, he still found it difficult to trust the odd individuals lurking around the store. If he was an idiot, he would've mistaken them for zombies. Self-care didn't appear to be a main priority to these people, their eyes lacked a lively spark of aspiration, and their actions hinted they only lived for the sake of existing. He hoped there happened to be someone who was more lively in the store. Even if it was only one other person than him, he would be much more relieved if he came across them; to discover that not everyone in the store had the appearance of a predator. He figured there was bound to be at least one other person, aside from him, who could be considered "normal."
Though this reasoning filled him with hope and helped him understand his surroundings were not as dangerous as his instinct was trying to make them, it still made him repentant for patronizing those he assumed to be low-lives in his head. As he'd established to himself before, it was dark out, so he was paranoid. As many people were when they wondered outside at night on their own. All this made him wish he'd waited until the sun had shown hints of peeking out in the horizon. Even a single streak of faint sunlight would calm his nerves about the situation at hand.
Making sure no one in the store was stalking him, Canada set out to search for the food items they'd somehow forgot after a week of planning America's birthday. He figured it would be best if he completed this task and left the store soon, if he didn't want to make himself become foolish over his hypothetical ideas of what could happen to him. Fortunately, there wasn't much they'd forgotten, but based on how spread out the foods were in the store, he was going to be walking all throughout the building in order to complete his task. He might as well buy an extra treat for his brother while he was at it. Not only could it be his good deed for the day, but an act of kindness would make him have more faith in his karma.
As luck would have it, fresh doughnuts were being put out to sell in the bakery section. Sure, it was a bit early for them to be doing this, but Canada found this convenient. He grabbed a chocolate, cream-filled doughnut with rainbow sprinkles (one of America's favorites), and placed it in a small bakery bag. It'd been a long time since his brother had a doughnut for breakfast, as the other nations were worried one would be too rich for him, or not healthy enough to have for the first meal of the day. Besides, his appetite wasn't as strong in the morning as it was during other times of the day, when his body was more warmed up and hydrated. It was difficult for one to eat when their body was still half asleep, and they were somehow dehydrated from sleeping, despite having a cup of water not too long ago. Even if the stomach swore it was hungry, it would still chose to reject food after a few bites some mornings (not in the sense where one would vomit). Canada could relate to this. His own body was sluggish in the morning as well, which was why he would wait an hour before eating breakfast.
After purchasing everything he needed, and being reassured by the appearance of a cashier who had a harmless demeanor about her, Canada walked to his car with all the needed food items, and drove back to his brother's house. He didn't expect there to be even the slightest hint of a sunrise, as he'd been in the store for at most, fifteen minutes. He hoped someone at the house would be awake, as sitting around in a dark house alone was boring.
Upon arriving to America's house, Canada brought the bag of groceries into the kitchen and placed all the food items where they belonged. Luck must have been on his side that day, as it wasn't long until England, in a half-awake state, wandered into the kitchen. The first thing he did upon arriving to the room was sit at the table and ask, "Good morning, Matthew. Did you get some groceries this morning?"
Canada nodded in response, as he placed the bag with America's doughnut in a cupboard before sitting down at the table as well. Satisfied with this response, England continued on with his inquiries, "Just out of curiosity, did you happen to buy some protein shakes for America? I checked the fridge last night and realized I forgot to do so. Though I wanted to save it for this morning."
"Yes, I made sure to get him his protein shakes. I double checked everything to make sure we had what we needed."
"That's good. Thanks for going out of your way to do that."
"It's not a problem."
An hour had passed, before Canada became aware of his hunger and figured it would be best to cook breakfast for himself and England. Six o'clock was nearing, but it was still too early to wake America. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the young nation when he was cranky. Nor would he ever wish to ruin his birthday by forcing him to celebrate it while he was exhausted. He wasn't an early bird, and possibly never would want to become one. There wouldn't be a problem with him making something for the two nations, who were still asleep, later. Besides, America would probably only end up eating the doughnut he bought for him and be satisfied.
It was nine o'clock, by the time Canada figured it would be best to check on whether or not America and Russia were awake. Though he didn't believe they were sleeping in too late, as it was still three hours before noon, he hoped they would awake soon. He wanted Russia to work on the cake in the morning, so he wouldn't be busy baking it during dinner.
Canada strode toward America's room, in order to check on his brother. Upon reaching the room, he couldn't help but be shocked, due to the fact that his brother wasn't in there. He couldn't recall witnessing any evidence of the young nation roaming about the house. There wasn't a single sound coming from him all morning. Perhaps the other happened to wander about in a quiet matter? It wouldn't be too far fetched for him to have learned how to be more stealthy.
He was on the light side when it came to his weight, so his footsteps would be quieter than they would be for the average person. Being thin also made his movements faster. His small form would make it easy for him to hide. These two qualities would make it easy for him to escape from someone's range of sight if they were nearing him, or if one of his footsteps ended up being louder than what he needed them to be. This way, his presence could be put off as a figment of someone's imagination, if they didn't manage to figure out he was there.
Canada checked the other rooms in the house. He couldn't help but worry for his brother. Not having a clue as to where he was would, most of the time, mean trouble. He didn't have a clue as to whether or not Russia was keeping an eye on him. He prayed for the possibility the large nation was keeping him near by, but staying silent about doing so. Sure, he would've wanted to be informed about this, but he didn't have the right to be angry with his comrade, as he hadn't even met with him recently. He believed the other was still asleep, anyway.
Considering the possibility of America being with his caretaker, regardless of whether or not said person was asleep, Canada set off toward Russia's room, in order to be sure. Upon reaching the door, he knocked on it a few times. He received no response. He knocked on it a couple more times for good measure. There was still no response. Anticipation lurched in his gut as he grabbed the door knob in order to open the door. Sure, most of the time, no response meant he was either being ignored, or that there was no one in the room. He didn't want to be too sure, though.
Canada gazed into the room, after opening the door, and was shocked by the sight before him. America was snuggled up against his caretaker, with his face buried into the other's chest. Russia had his arms wrapped around him in a protective hold. A thick blanket was wrapped around both of their forms. There would be no need for Canada to worry about whether or not his brother was warm enough at that moment. Instead, he was more concerned about whether or not America was being smothered. Sure, it would take more than Russia's tendency to be overly affectionate for him to be harmed from a lack of oxygen, as nations were resilient and could survive anything that could suffocate a human. However, as his brother, he still could help but worry about the silly ways he could be injured.
Canada had to convince himself that his brother was going to be fine, before leaving the room. Of course Russia wasn't tying to hurt him. For one, he was sound asleep with America, and to be able to make another person have to go to the hospital while in a deep slumber would be both an impressive and terrifying feat. For another, the entire time he was caring for the young nation, Russia had never attempted to cause him any harm. Instead, he pampered him every time he had the chance to and wasn't bothered by the clingy behavior the one he was caring for displayed when he grew more comfortable around his caretaker. It was as if he viewed America as a member of his own family.
It did make Canada question why he cared so much for making sure America his friend. He appreciated the fact that Russia's intentions were harmless, but the more he worked them out, the more questions he had. He obviously wanted to improve his relationship with him, but there had to be more to this than politics. Was Russia lonely to the point where he wouldn't mind taking care of a full grown adult, whose behavior was equivalent to a toddler's? Loneliness wasn't a far fetched possibility. Sometimes when he made eye contact with him during world meetings, he could detect emptiness in his gaze. As if something was missing in his life. Sure, Russia had his sisters, but they weren't exactly... normal.
Recent memories of Russia spending time with America popped up in his head, and Canada couldn't help but believe that maybe his theory was correct. The other nation appeared to be much happier around his brother than he was before he had the chance to take care of him. His smiles were always genuine around him, and he would often give him looks of adoration. Canada had never witnessed this new, strange behavior from Russia, and in a way, he couldn't help but view this as a blessing. He preferred this nurturing, gentle side to him over the intimidation he would often express (whether it was intentional or not). Even if he wasn't on the receiving side of his affection (not that he would want someone to smother him, as if he was a brainless object of affection), he was happy his brother was receiving all this love after everything he'd been through. The quiet, friendly environment, as well as the love, was helping him heal. Though he was sure Russia wasn't going to baby him forever, as it wouldn't be healthy for him to do so. He was sure he'd always express affection toward him, but at some point, America was going to need to be challenged, if they wanted him to become a functioning adult.
After Canada left the room, he figured it would be best if he prepared something for Russia to eat that morning. Even if he was still asleep, he didn't believe he would be sleeping in much longer, as he had gone to bed at eleven the night before and was normally a morning bird, who only needed eight to nine hours of sleep. Though he had been busy the day before, so he probably needed more sleep than usual, as he was exhausted after doing eight hours of paper work. Plus, he had America to take care of.
Meanwhile, in the room Russia was staying in, said nation stirred, due to all the sunlight leaking through the window and pestering his eyes. It'd been partially cloudy before, so the room had been darker, but unfortunately for him, the sun didn't want him to sleep in any longer. However, despite not being able to sleep any longer, Russia still wasn't willing to leave the comfort of his bed, and instead, lied there for ten minutes as his heavy eyelids were forced to remain open. He swore, taking for ever to fall asleep and having trouble waking up in the morning was a horrible curse. He was sure if he didn't waste an hour lying there and trying to fall asleep and spending the first hour in the morning exhausted, he would not only have more time on his hands, but he'd also be a happier person. Not that he wasn't already happy with America around.
Russia turned his gaze toward said nation and smiled at the sight of him. The other was still sound asleep, despite the ill-mannered sun attempting to ruin their morning with its blinding rays of light. For whatever reason, America didn't appear to mind the sunlight in the slightest. The fact that light didn't bother the young nation when he was trying to sleep was something that confused his caretaker. He'd been locked up in a dark cell for two years, when he wasn't being poked at by scientists. When there was light, it would've meant trouble, so why didn't he mind sleeping with so much light in the room? Despite having a lot of energy in a healthy state, it was true that sometimes, America did tend to laze about. Russia didn't even understand why it shocked him when he found out the one he was caring for slept so often. Though he did have times where he was an insomniac, so perhaps these phases mislead him. He also proposed that cuddling him was helping in fall asleep in uncomfortable settings, such as a bright room. Perhaps being loved by and having trust in another person enough to encourage him to all asleep in environment others would have trouble sleeping in.
Russia brought a hand toward America's face and stroked the others cheek as he proceeded to sleep in peace. It wasn't necessarily his intention to wake the other from his deep slumber, as much as he was hoping this gentle action would eventually cause him to stir. His main purpose for this action was to express his affection toward the nation snuggling with him. Even if it would go unappreciated, due to the fact that the other was still asleep and wasn't aware of what was going on. Rubbing his cheek in a slow motion was the best way to awaken the young nation, aside from being affectionate. After all the trauma America had been through with the scientist, the other three nations were better off figuring out as soon as possible that it wasn't wise to startle him, so they couldn't used loud noises to awake him, but instead, quiet voices and if they were desperate, small shakes that couldn't possibly cause anyone harm. Sure, it was common sense, and it wasn't as if they weren't able to guess that it wouldn't be wise to surprise him, but there still were a few actions they'd performed while caring for him that they had no clue were going to shock him. Unfortunately, they weren't able to America's mind and found out every thing that scared him within a second. It wasn't realistic, and they were sure anyone would understand if they made mistakes, which resulted in frightening the young nation, once in a while.
Fortunately for the caretaker, it didn't take much of his stroking to awake the one he was caring for. America's eyes fluttered open, and after spending half a minute to try and keep them open for good, he gazed with unfocused eyes toward whatever happened to be in front of him; still halfway in the world of dreams. In response to this, Russia ran his fingers through the dark blonde locks the young nation had been blessed with. They were soft and thick, and were only becoming more appealing as he became more healthy. His caretaker couldn't help but be happy for the others improved health. Not only was it making America happier, but it was also improving his appearance. Not that he hadn't been handsome before, but Russia could've understood someone being repulsed by the condition the poor nation had been in the first day he was away from the scientists. His hair had been unkempt, his skin was too pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his demeanor expressed nothing but paranoia. Had someone not understood the context of how he'd ended up this way (though, it'd been obvious he'd been through Hell, and it wouldn't require too much brain power to understand something horrible had happened to him), they would've assumed the worst of him.
Now, instead of being a complete wreck, America expressed more confidence around the humans who earned his trust. Sure, he had moments where he'd express submissive, anxious behavior, but Russia was able to help him out of these spells with ease. He wanted the other to obey him, as there were still rules he needed to follow in order to make everyone's lives easier, but he didn't want him to be afraid of him. There was a difference between firmness and cruelty. Firmness did not involve taking every opportunity he could to control the uncivil nation. It only involved teaching him to be more disciplined and mold his character when he did something wrong. Giving him a hint that what he was doing was not acceptable was often all it would take to make him understand. If this didn't work, a scolding would do the job. America wasn't stupid. He understood when his caretaker was telling him to stop doing something, despite most of the words being foreign to him. It was one major trait that separated him from a child. Children tended not to understand authority, or why they should even listen to their parents, but he understood his caretaker had a reason for not wanting him to perform certain actions. In a way, it was a sign of maturity. A sign that not everything had been lost when his memory was erased.
Besides, it wasn't as if the nations caring for him wanted to do anything more than scold him when he did something wrong. Fortunately, in the past month, he was well behaved, and didn't need anything more. To this day, Russia was still regretful for force feeding him when he wouldn't eat. It wasn't meant to be a punishment, but to him, it might as well have been torture. Since nothing else was working, so he didn't have a choice. It was another unfair situation life threw at him, but at least America was willing to forgive him. No one deserved to fear the ones they were stuck living with.
Aside from the improvement in his mental health, he'd become more handsome. Though he was still pale, there was more color in his face. His eyes were more lively, and appeared to be brighter. His hair was becoming easier to manage, and due to sun exposure, it had accumulated medium blonde highlights. When Russia had grown aware of the slight change in hair color, he couldn't help but be fascinated. He was curious as to why America's hair had been darker when he first caught sight of him in his vulnerable state. Now, he could tell that the other's hair was quick to lighten in the sun. He also believed he could now say with confidence that the other had blonde hair, as a couple months ago, it could've easily been mistaken for brown.
When America had gained enough consciousness to focus on his surroundings, he turned his gaze toward Russia's face, in order to make eye contact with him. He was delighted to find the other staring back at him and running his fingers through his hair. The affection helped him remain content, despite the fact that he was still tired. He also couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised when he found himself lying next to Russia, as his caretaker would always tuck him in and have him sleep on his own whenever he fell asleep next to him. Though, he was quick to overcome this shock, as he didn't mind sleeping next to his caretaker at all. After all, the other nation was warm.
Russia halted in his stroking and withdrew his hand from the young nation's head. At first, America was disappointed with the fact that he was no longer receiving affection, but he was quick to overcome this, as he understood that they couldn't lay in bed forever. There were tasks the two of them would need to complete. His caretaker wasn't going to let him do anything until they were finished with their morning routine. Fortunately, having his hygiene taken care of didn't take too long. The longest part of the routine was having to take a bath, but at least the water helped him wake up in the morning. He loved soaking in the warm water in the morning, as well as being allowed to play around in the tub for ten minutes before Russia scrubbed him with soap and water. He also appreciated how having his hair washed wasn't something that occurred every day. He hated it when the other nation washed his hair, as every time, shampoo would end up in his eyes. His hair was still washed often, though.
After being bathed, America would have to deal with shivering in the cold bathroom air, as he'd be unprepared for it after soaking in warm water. As much as he wanted to keep the towel clung to him, in order to stay warm, Russia was determined to try and dry him off as soon as possible. This would lead to the majority of his body being to the cold air, which made him miserable. At least when his hair was wet, his caretaker would take out a hair dryer, after drying off his body as much as he possibly could with the towel, and used dried off his hair with the machines warm air. The warm air from the hair dryer relieved America and stopped him from shivering. By the time it was turned off, it'd helped his body dry off enough so the cold air wouldn't bother him as much anymore.
There were a few other tasks Russia would perform, in order to maintain the young nation's hygiene, which annoyed America. Especially when the other nation would force a strange plastic object in his mouth with a revolting, sweet cream on it. He still wasn't used to having the strange object in his mouth, which was why he was always tempted to move his head away from it when it time for Russia to insert it. He hated how he had no control over what his caretaker would do with it when he forced it into his mouth, or how he couldn't figure out what the purpose of scrubbing his teeth with it was. The scientist never did this to him. Did this mean there was a valid reason for inserting the strange object into his mouth? His caretaker was smart. He viewed him as a natural leader, so perhaps it was best if he went along with his strange ideas of what needed to be done.
America was happy when the morning routine was complete. The moment he awoke, he hadn't been hungry, but after forty minutes of waking up from being in a bath, shivering in the cold bathroom air, and dealing with other strange procedures, he was famished. He couldn't wait to discover what the other nations had, or were going to prepare for him. Sure, since he had no understanding of what a birthday was, he was unaware of how special the day was. Instead, he viewed this day as any other day. This still didn't stop him from wanting something delicious for breakfast. Sausages and pancakes weren't a bad idea. Nor were bagels. Could they, perhaps, even make cinnamon rolls? America's mouth watered at the idea of eating cinnamon rolls. They were one of his favorite things to eat in the morning.
Much to his adversity, America was halted in approaching the kitchen when England stood in front of him and Russia. He was holding a scale at one of his sides. The Brit turned his attention toward the caretaker, after examining the young nation's current condition, and spoke, "I know I've been putting this off, but we need to check how much Alfred weighs. I want to make sure he's gain some weight in these one and a half months since the doctor's appointment."
All Russia replied with was, "Alright, we can do that real quick."
With that said, England set the scale down on the ground, and Russia encouraged America to stand on it and remain still. They waited for the results on the scale to show up. It wasn't long until the number one-hundred thirty appeared on the screen.
"What?" England exclaimed, "He only gained three pounds!?"
"That's not so bad," Russia said in response to England's disappointment, "That's an average of two pounds a month. If this keeps up, he'll be at a healthy weight in a year."
"Three pounds still isn't much, though. For all I know, this could all be water weight."
"I wouldn't be so worried about water weight in the morning if I were you. He pees a lot after waking up."
England cringed at the crude comment, "I didn't need to know that."
"I'm just saying."
"Anyway," England tried to change the topic away from America's tendency to pee a lot in the morning, "since water weight isn't a cause of concern, I suppose the amount of weight he gained in one and a half months isn't too bad, but I still think he could gain more. I guess it's a good thing we got him some protein shakes today, because I want him to start drinking one of those every day."
With that said, England left the two nations alone in the living room. Russia turned to America and said in a low voice, "Sometimes, he worries too much about you. I don't think you're doing a bad job at gaining weight. At least you are a lot healthier than you were three months ago. Your seem to be a little stronger too."
America studied Russia's speech as he was spoken to. He kept his eye out for all the unique movements the human's mouth made while he talked, to determine if he could correlate them with specific sounds. He mouthed a few of the words, in an attempt to mimic his caretaker and memorize the movements with his lips. He also mumbled what sounds he believed went with each movement, in order to figure out whether or not he could produce the sounds correctly.
It wasn't long until Russia grew aware of what America was doing. He couldn't help but smile at this and say, "Are you mouthing everything I'm saying? You have a silly way of learning how to speak. It's kind of cute."
America detected laughter in the other's voice, and couldn't help but be discouraged. He gave up on mimicking what Russia was saying through mouthing his words. Not understanding before hand that what he was doing was strange caused him to be self-conscious of his own behavior.
Russia caught onto the lose in confidence, and tried his best to console the other nation, as he brought him into a one arm hug, "Hey, I didn't mean to make you feel insecure about what you were doing. I thought it was a great way to learn how to speak! It just wasn't something I expected to see. It was different, but not bad!"
America was less embarrassed about his method of learning speech, after being held by his caretaker and having the other speak to him in a reassuring tone. Taking the more relaxed demeanor as a sign that he'd been forgiven, Russia changed the topic, "Why don't we have breakfast now?"
The young nation perked up at the word "breakfast", though at this point, it wasn't shocking to Russia that America understood what that word meant. The one he was caring for had always been a huge fan of food. Any word relating to food would be helpful for him to figure out, as it would help him understand when it was time for him to eat.
Russia guided the young nation into the kitchen, and sat him down at the table. Though he himself was eager to eat, he made sure to always feed America before he fed himself. This way, the other wouldn't have to watch him eat while he was still hungry, as he wasn't allowed to eat on his own unless the food he was eating hardly left a mess and didn't require silverware.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Russia was handed a doughnut, and was informed by Canada, "I bought this doughnut for America while I was out shopping. I figured it would be a nice breakfast for his birthday, and that it would go well with his protein shake."
"That was thoughtful of you," Russia stated, "I'm sure Amerika would be more than happy to eat this for breakfast."
Though America had never had a doughnut before, the sight of the pastry was enough to interest him. He could tell, by the appearance of the food, this meal was going to be sweet and filling. He wasn't sure whether or not the cream splattered on top of it was chocolate, but he was eager to find out. After all, the humans never gave him anything too gross to eat, so he figured it couldn't be anything disgusting.
Russia disposed of the small bag the doughnut was once in, and approached America with his breakfast. The young nation couldn't wait to bite into the sweet pastry. His mouth watered, as he anticipated the new flavor he was about to experience. As soon as his caretaker sat down in the chair next to him and hovered the doughnut near his face, so it was in eating range, America bit a large chunk of the pastry off. It wasn't long before he had the entire meal gobbled up and washed down with a protein shake.
After he was finished feeding America, Russia made sure to wash his hands and clean the young nation's face before he went to work on the cake. Since there was food being made, the uncivil nation remained in his seat at the table. Despite being full from breakfast, he was curious as to what his caretaker was making. Perhaps the human would give him whatever he was making? He didn't care if eating any more food would make him sick. He loved to eat and he would rather be queasy than hungry.
Russia didn't mind the company as he cooked. In fact, he found it amusing and cute how the young nation always wanted to hang around whenever there was food. He was fond of the other's large appetite. Instead of putting it off as gluttony, he considered it gratitude toward the food that was offered to him. Besides, he was a huge fan of cooking. It was one of his favorite hobbies, so to have someone who was always eager to eat what he made was flattering.
America was entertained by the process of making a cake. He enjoyed watching all the ingredients being measured and mixed into the cake batter. There was something about observing another person cook that gave him a sense of satisfaction. The end product wasn't what gave him this sense of accomplishment, though, even if it was one reason why he loved it when his caretaker cooked. It was the fact that the clunky ingredients would be turned into a smooth liquid, which never ceased to give him a sense of accomplishment. It was magical. He wished he could perform such sorcery, but the humans never allowed him to use the tools required for the task. Perhaps one day, if he managed to obtain their level of intelligence, they would teach him how to perform this strange magic.
After Russia placed two round cake pans full of batter in the oven to bake, he focused on his next objective: prepare the buttercream. He figured since the cake was a chocolate flavor, he would make cream cheese frosting to create a contrast in the flavor. Though chocolate was delicious, and the majority of people on the planet would agree with him on this (even if they weren't a fan of sweet foods), chocolate buttercream was too redundant and typical when combined with a chocolate cake for his liking. He was sure the one he was caring for wouldn't mind this choice in flavor. He wasn't picky, and Russia was personally a fan of the combination, so perhaps this increased the odds of the young nation enjoying it. Besides, cream cheese frosting was an off white color, which would make the colors of the cake decoration pop. Sure, he could've made vanilla buttercream, if this was what he was going for, instead, but vanilla wasn't as strong flavor wise as cream cheese was. Vanilla frosting had a gentle sweetness to it, while cream cheese frosting was both a sharp cheese flavor and sweet.
During the two times Russia had turned on the mixer, America didn't do so much as flinch. His caretaker observed this lack of response to the loud noise, and when he was finished mixing the buttercream, stated, "I see you are no longer afraid of the mixer."
America eyed up the frosting on the beater; eager to have a taste of it. Russia wasn't oblivious to this desire, as he could detect the curiosity and hunger in the young nation's demeanor, "I suppose you deserve a reward for overcoming this fear. Why don't you try this frosting out?"
Russia removed the beater from the mixer and handed it to America. The young nation licked the frosting until the beater was clean and handed it back to his caretaker. He hoped he would be allowed to have more of the buttercream later, as it was one of the most delicious treats he'd ever had the privilege to enjoy. The human appeared to be delighted to find he enjoyed the treat, so perhaps he would be given more at some point.
Hanging around the kitchen wasn't the only form of enjoyment America was given that day. The other nations had gone an extra mile to make sure he was happy at all times. This didn't mean he was allowed to do whatever he wanted, as he would still be scolded if he did something wrong, but they were willing to play with him more often than they had any other day. He didn't understand why the humans were being so friendly toward him that day, but at the same time, he didn't want to question it. Maybe they were in the mood to spend time with him, or over time, they bonded with him more and wanted to hang around him more often. He was happy with the company, as sometimes, only having one person play with him for hours on end was boring.
However, spending their time keeping America satisfied all day, while preparing for the evening, had left the nations caring for him too exhausted to want to work on preparing dinner. Instead, they figured it would be best to order some food from a restaurant, as the young nation wouldn't take any offence to not having his birthday go as planned anyway (nor did they believe he would care if he was back to his normal self). They ordered Chinese take out, as all of them were having cravings for it and they wanted America to try it out, since he hadn't had it yet while they were caring for him. It wasn't the most American meal for the day, which was important to his country, but he had no awareness to this fact. They were sure, later on, he wouldn't care. It wasn't as if they were planning on going to the fireworks and doing other things other people did during this holiday anyway, as doing so would be too much for the young nation to handle. They only wanted to make him happy because it was his birthday.
As they predicted, when the food arrived, the scent caused America to stalk them out of excitement and hunger. It was a primitive behavior he still exhibited to try and receive as much food as possible. This often involved him being a mooch. Since he had no way of understanding it was rude to stalk people when they had food, they didn't shun him for this behavior. At least he didn't try to steal the food off their plates and would wait patiently to be fed. Besides, the stalking made it so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of making sure he came to the kitchen during meal times.
They figured it would be best to eat outside in the backyard, as it was beautiful outside. The sun was out and clouds were scarce. It wasn't too warm or cold and the wind wasn't causing any problems. The table in the backyard was also shaded, so no one would be forced so sit in the sun (even if it wasn't sweltering out, the sun could still burn their skin).
As soon as the food was placed on the table, Russia grabbed all the food he was planning on feeding to the nation he was caring for. There were all sorts of foods he wanted America to try out, and the sooner he prepared his plate, the better. The young nation was dying to try out this food, as he hadn't eaten in a while. His stomach was on the verge of throwing a tantrum, due to how empty it was.
America gobbled down every bite of food served to him. He enjoyed every bite of the food, as there was nothing he was being served he wasn't a fan of. He also couldn't help but be shocked at how well the sweet sauce covering the chicken he was fed complimented the meat. Sure, he'd had chicken with barbecue sauce before, which he supposed, in some sense, was sweet, but this sauce was sweeter, and yet he somehow managed to enjoy it better with the chicken. These humans never ceased to amaze him. First, they had the power to create food or make it appear out of no where, and then they were able to combine flavors he'd initially believed were not wise to combine. Were other humans able to do this too? It didn't appear to be a talent for everyone. The scientist hadn't even bothered trying to do this and one of the humans caring for him, during the rare moments he cooked, always failed to make something delicious. Either two of the humans caring for him had special powers, or this was something some humans were capable of. He wondered where they received the food they didn't cook, though. They hadn't cooked this Chinese food, so did they have the ability to materialize it? If they had the ability to do this, why would they bother cooking? All they would have to do is go outside for a while and come back with food. Other humans were too complex for him to understand.
After America was fed a decent amount of food, the cake and ice cream were brought out. The young nation couldn't help but be excited about the fact that he was now going to be allowed to eat the cake and have vanilla ice cream to go with it. He loved how his caretaker decorated the cake, and though a part of him didn't want to destroy the beautiful creation, another part of him found it too tempting to leave uneaten. It wasn't as if he had a say in the matter anyway, as the moment it was taken out, they cut a chunk of the cake out and gave the slice to him with a side of the ice cream.
He savored every bite of the desert, while the other nations brought out presents for him to open. He wished he was able to finish everything given to him on his plate, but alas, his stomach could only hold so much food. Half way through finishing the ice cream, he was gagging due to how stuffed he was. This caused his caretaker to set the plate to the side and rub his back. Panicked by the fact that his food was now being taken away from him, he reached out to grab the plate, but was prevented from taking the food back, as he was pulled into a hug by the human who was once feeding him and told in a low voice, "It's okay. We're still going to feed you. I just don't want you to get sick from eating too much. But we would never let you starve."
Soothed by the reassuring tone, America snuggled his head against his caretaker's chest. Of course he wasn't taking the food away from him out of meanness. There was always a well-meaning reason for everything the humans did and they didn't want to do anything to cause him harm. The human understood his stomach had reached its limit and didn't want him to become sick. He didn't want to be sick either, even if it was better than going hungry. However, there was still something about leaving food uneaten which he didn't believe was right. Both logically and morally, he was against wasting food. However, his caretakers were never angry with him if he couldn't finish the food given to him, and it wasn't as if the food waste was excessive, so perhaps this shouldn't make him ashamed of himself.
A birthday themed bag was placed on the table, in front of where America sat. At first, he was confused as to why there was a bag stuffed with tissue paper in front of him. He didn't want to peak inside to find out if there was anything else, as he feared the humans would become angry at him if he did this. No one was touching the bag, and were instead staring in his direction and using an encouraging tone, for whatever reason. This made him nervous. Did they want him to check what was inside the bag? Why would it be acceptable to do so now, but not previously? Were they trying to find an excuse to be angry with him? What would be the point in doing that? Why did humans have to be so confusing?
His speculation was interrupted by the sound of his caretaker's voice, "Go ahead, Amerika. You can look inside the bag."
Understanding the term 'go ahead' meant he was granted permission to search the bag, he lifted it from the table and did so, but was still nervous about doing this. Fortunately, no one yelled at him when he shoved his hand into the bag, so he continued to search for anything that wasn't colorful tissue paper. When he touch something squishy and soft, he couldn't help but be delighted. He yank whatever the object was out of the bag and became even more excited when he discovered a golden dog plush in his hand. He held the dog to his chest in a tight embrace; excited to have this toy as a new friend.
However, the moment was ruined for him when the sound of a small explosion erupted near by. This caused America to yelp and cling to his caretaker for protection. Canada sighed at this reaction and stated, "I forgot, some people like to set off firework in their back yard during this day."
"I guess we should go inside, then," Russia replied.
With that said, the nations entered the house. It was when America was in the living room where he experienced a stomach cramp from being uncomfortably full. It didn't take long for Russia to become aware of this and he brought the young nation to sit on the couch so he would be more comfortable.
At first, all America did in response to being placed on the couch was groan in discomfort, so his caretaker figured he needed to do more for the one he was caring for to make him more comfortable. Perhaps a belly rub would do? With this fresh idea in mind, Russia placed a hand on the young nation's stomach so he could rub it. However, he was interrupted when the other curled into himself and giggled. With a sigh, he told America, "Please, try to relax. I'm doing this to try and make you feel better."
It required a few more tries, but Russia had managed to keep his hand on the young nation's stomach without him jumping and laughing. As adorable as he found the fact that America was ticklish, he wasn't in the mood to tickle him. Instead, he preferred the one he was caring for didn't suffer with his stomach ache.
America was in heaven. Though he was sure the ache would still be there if his caretaker stopped rubbing his belly, this still didn't prevent him from enjoying the moment. All he wanted to do was lie on the couch and have his belly rubbed for hours on end, or until he fell asleep. He didn't understand how it was possible, but the humans had managed to spoil him even more than they did on a normal basis. There was no doubt about it, this was the best day of his life, or at least, of the part of his life he could remember.