A world meeting taking place in the United States of America was scheduled a week after America's birthday. The few hours in the morning, during the day before the meeting was to take place, would be the last the young nation would be able to enjoy in his house for the next three and a half months. It was time for him to venture out and become more familiar with other places in the world. At some point, he was going to have to progress from his housebound state. Even after being pampered for a few months by the nations caring for him, he still hadn't gone to commonly visited places, such as a grocery store. The three nations caring for him figured being pushed to live in different countries for a while, as well as spending a few nights in a hotel, would make him less afraid of public places.
Unfortunately, since America wasn't aware of the fact that he only had a few hours left at his house and didn't want to wake up early and prepare to leave, he made a fuss the entire morning. Perhaps if he'd understood what was going on, he would've done a better job trying to enjoy the rest of the time he had left at his house, but since there was no way to communicate this to him, he remained a grumpy, tired mess. At first, the other nations had tried to ignore the tantrum, in the hopes the young nation would give up due to a lack of attention. Later, they'd tried to tell him to knock it off, but still continued on with packing everything up. However, Russia lost his patience with the uncivil nation when he shoved his bowl of oatmeal away and spilled it in his fit of irritation, "What in the world has gotten into you!? You need to stop it with this bratty behavior! Just because you're tired, doesn't mean you have the right to act like this! No one wants to be up this early, but we have to if we want to get to the city the meeting will be in on time! So deal with it! Besides, you can always sleep in the car if you're so tired!"
There was a moment of silence as America stared at Russia in shock. Sure, he was aware of the fact that he was misbehaving, but he didn't understand any other way he could communicate what he wanted from the humans. At most, he'd expected to be scolded, but not yelled and ranted at. He turned his gaze to the floor in shame and fear. He regretted letting his emotions control him. It hadn't occurred to him how ridiculous he'd been acting until he was given the harsh wake up call. Not only had he wasted food and made a mess, but his caretaker was angry with him. This could've all been prevented, had he kept himself under control. Even if he didn't understand the words the human was using when he yelled at him, it didn't take him long to figure out what he wanted.
Russia turned away from America and tried his best to redeem himself after the outburst. He needed a moment to take a deep breath before he cleaned the mess the young nation had made. However, while he was doing this, a soft voice told him, "I think that was too harsh, Russia. There was no need for you to yell at him like that. I'm not saying that it was okay for him to act the way he was. At some point, he's going to have to figure out that this kind of behavior isn't okay. But yelling at him like that when he can't even speak yet is going to hurt and confuse him. He doesn't even understand why he has to wake up early, and there's no way to explain the reason why to him. He only thinks we're doing this out of meanness and wants to make it known that he isn't okay with it so that it will, hopefully, never happen again. But yelling at him won't get the point across to him, so please refrain from doing so in the future."
Russia turned his gaze toward Canada; agitation was obvious in his demeanor, but he was still willing to try and be civil about the matter at hand, "I understand this wasn't the best thing for me to do, but I was getting so tired of the tantrum and I didn't know what else to do. The silent treatment wouldn't work. Making him do the things he didn't want to do, despite how much he protested, didn't work. Telling him in a calmer tone to stop what he was doing didn't even work. If there was anything else I could've done that wasn't so harsh, I would've done it. But to me, it seemed like he needed a wake up call."
"I still believe there was a better way you could've handled this. I'm not sure how, but there must have been a better way. I'm sure he learned his lesson from this, but it still seemed too harsh. Why don't you apologize to him once your more calm, so he knows you still care about him?"
Russia went over what Canada had told him in his mind. Sure, maybe he had been harsh, but at the same time, he didn't want to tolerate the bratty behavior and end up with America being an undisciplined mess. There was a chance this could've been a one time occurrence, due to the fact that the young nation had to deal with the scientists and such an experience was bound to make someone more disciplined (though he didn't believe such a harsh method should ever be used to 'fix' someone's behavior), but he still didn't want to risk it. He didn't want the other to be scared of him, though, "Fine, I suppose I should apologize to him. I'm sure he's smart enough to realize throwing tantrums isn't a good idea, after receiving such a reaction, anyway."
Russia turned around to face the young nation once more, and couldn't help the guilt clawing at his stomach when he caught sight of tears forming in the other's eyes, as if he was doing everything to try and prevent himself from crying. He pulled America into a hug and told him in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. But you can't act the way you were just because things aren't going your way. I didn't do what I did for the sake of being mean. I did it because you needed to learn this and I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to be harsh to the point of making you cry, though."
Relief flooded through America at the forgiveness being shown to him. He nuzzled his head against Russia's shoulder and allowed himself to be comforted. He wanted to make sure he and his caretaker remained on good terms, as it would be foolish to burn this bridge. He vowed to himself he would try his best to never do this to the one who cared for him again.
Due to the more calm reaction, Russia was given a vibe the one he was caring for was going to be more well behaved for the rest of the day, which made it easier for him to be more forgiving toward the bratty behavior. It wasn't as if he believed this situation made America a brat. He hated to admit it, but if this was the case, the bond between them wouldn't be as strong as it was. All he had was a moment. He was sure the other wouldn't turn this into an everyday occurrence. He still believed the young nation was a decent person to be around and didn't mean any harm with his actions. Besides, he could've been worse with his tantrum. At least he hadn't screamed up a storm or turned violent, as some kids would. All he did was refuse to listen to the other nations, shoved away anything or anyone who came near, and groaned with irritation.
When Russia released America from the hug, Canada stated, "Here, why don't I clean up this mess while you prepare Alfred for the car ride. I guess we'll have to pick something up for him to eat for breakfast before we leave the city, since there's no time to make him anything else to eat."
With that said, Russia brought America into the living room to put a jacket and a pair of shoes on him. Once he was ready to venture outside, his caretaker brought him to the car and placed him in the seat next to the window. He himself choose to sit in the middle, so the young nation would be able to snuggle against him if he wanted to and would be easier to deal with if there was a problem. He wrapped the one he was caring for in a blanket, as he was aware he was going to be cold from the air conditioning (and the other three didn't want to suffer with the heat because he was unable to keep himself warm).
It wasn't long until the other two nations entered the car. After a brief argument over who should drive, Canada sat in the driver's seat, while England sat in the passenger's seat in the front; irritated he'd lost the argument. Russia tried his best to hold back the laughter, as their fights about driving were always entertaining.
The car ride hadn't been pleasant. It was difficult for Russia to not make a mess while he was feeding the young nation his breakfast, despite the fact that the other three had tried to give him the least messy meal possible. A couple pieces of hash brown still ended up on the car floor, but at lease he hadn't spilled the protein shake everywhere.
Aside from feeding being a difficult, messy process, Kumajiro wouldn't leave the warmth of Russia's lap no matter how many time the nation told him to get off. In fact, he'd even fallen asleep on his legs, and didn't stir while he was being bossed around. He'd tried removing the animal by picking him up and setting him aside, but this resulted in the polar bear growling at him. It wasn't long until the exasperated nation gave up on trying to make the stubborn animal move.
Worst of all, America wouldn't stop shifting about in his seat, due to how restless he was. Russia had tried to find ways to make him fall asleep, as he could tell the other was still stressed out from being tired, and from the fact that he was being forced to endure a long car ride. However, despite all his efforts, the other was unable to relax, and a few hours into the ride, he was whimpering. This was when the other nations figured it was time to take a break from all the riding. In fact, they were worried they had spent too much time in the car at once, as the young nation had never been in one for more than fifteen minutes.
They stopped at a rest area in the middle of the woods. Fortunately for them, this rest area was deserted, so they wouldn't have to worry about the young nation being frightened by the presence of other people at the moment. There was plenty of space for him to walk around and he was eager to explore the trail. The four nations spent twenty minutes at the rest area before resuming to their car ride, and this time, America was content.
However, it wasn't long before Russia stated, "Do you think we can stop to eat somewhere soon? I haven't had anything to eat yet today."
Unfortunately, since they were all in such a rush, they hadn't packed any food for the trip, aside from America's protein shake. The reason why Russia hadn't eaten anything before they left was because he was preoccupied with making sure the one he was caring for was fed and comfortable. He wanted to make sure the other didn't go insane from all the stress of the car ride. It wasn't the first time he skipped meals to care for America, but it didn't bother him much, since he'd had multiple times in his past where he'd struggled to feed himself and had grown used to it. Even if he didn't mind the hunger and the fact that he'd lost a few pounds in the past months, he still wanted to make sure he didn't end up a living skeleton, as this would make it difficult for him to function as a nation. There was also the concern of rapid weight loss setting a horrible example for the young nation.
Neither of the two other nations appeared to be opposed to this request. They must had been famished as well, as even if they had eaten earlier in the day, it hadn't been much. Besides, America had a large appetite. Even if he had a full meal only three hours ago, there was still a high probability he was hungry. Canada replied to the request, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. We'll be at the next city in about half an hour. It'll be about lunch time when we get there. Besides, it probably wouldn't hurt to have Alfred get used to being in public. Maybe if we find a restaurant that doesn't have too many people in it, it'll be a small step in the right direction with Alfred's anxiety. The whole reason we left so early was to get him used to road trips and what not, anyway. So we need to take things slowly, for his sake."
Though his stomach was impatient and didn't want to wait any longer for food, Russia was excited to discover it wouldn't take more than an hour before he could eat something. Besides, America's snugly behavior was making it easier to ignore the hunger. The fact that the one he was caring for was in a more calm state of mind than he was before gave him relief.
America had closed his eyes, and considered dozing off until he was awoken when the car stopped once again. Even if he was confused as to why he had to wake up and why the humans parked the car in front of some unfamiliar building, he did what was requested of him, as he didn't wish to be yelled at for a second time that day. Besides, the scent of food was welcoming, even if he wasn't certain about whether or not the building was safe. He was sure, though, the humans caring for him wouldn't bring him to this place if it was dangerous. At least the place didn't appear to be occupied. He didn't want to have to put up with strangers.
However, he changed his mind about there being a possibility of this strange place being safe, as when they entered through the front door of it, it wasn't long until the group of nations was met with a tall lady. Even if the human before him was a woman, America was intimidated by her. She stood a few inches taller than him, and though he could detect similarities between her and the eye doctor he met, such as long hair and a few feminine facial features, he still didn't doubt her potential to be stronger than him. He even believed this girl could be competition for his caretaker, when it came to size and strength.
America hid behind Russia, in the hopes this lady wouldn't bother him if he was out of the way and out of sight. He was blessed with the ignorance of the other human's embarrassment toward his behavior, as if he'd been ashamed of himself for acting this way in public, it would only add to the distress he was in. The problem was terrible as it was, and he didn't wish for it to worsen.
Though her expression hinted the fact that she was weirded out by the American's strange behavior, she tried her best to pretend he wasn't acting the way he was, and plastered a smile on her face as she asked, "Is it just the four of you?"
Canada answered the question, "Yes."
"Would you like a booth or a table?"
"A booth, please."
The waitress lead them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant, much to the three more civil nation's relief. They had been tempted to ask the tall lady serving them if they could have the most secluded booth in the restaurant, but they were worried such a request would be odd. Though it didn't matter what a handful of strangers assumed about the lot and it was silly to care, it was only human nature to not want others to be suspicious of oneself. No matter how trivial such a request happened to be.
With some coaxing, Russia was able to have America sit at the end of one of the padded benches, where he believed the young nation would have the hardest time catching sight of fellow customers. This, however, didn't reduce his anxiety in the slightest, as he wasn't oblivious to the strangers speaking among themselves in the room. If he hadn't been afraid of his caretaker's disapproval, he would've bolted out the door and ran until he was far away from any human. He hated this place to the point where his nose no longer registered the aroma of food surrounding him. It was as if it too believed the place was a trap.
After the waitress asked them what they wanted for drinks, Russia turned to America and grabbed one of his hands. He spoke in a quiet voice, "Don't be scared. No one here's going to hurt you. All they care about is eating their food. They'd rather do that than bother you. What would they gain from harming someone they don't even know?"
The soft tone was working wonders on the young nation's mood, as it lessened his anxiety. This encouraged Russia to continue, "I'm sure you'll learn to love this place soon enough. They have a bunch of tasty food here and the kind lady you met at the front only wants to serve you something to eat. It's her job to bring food to the people here."
America tried his best to prevent himself from flinching when the waitress returned with their drinks. If his caretaker was sure this woman, as well as all the other people in the restaurant, didn't intend to cause any harm to them, he didn't wish to disappoint him by letting the comforting words be forgotten or ignored. Besides, when he was with the scientists, he found that in some cases, showing fear to a human would encourage them to cause him harm; as if the fear made him come off as easy prey.
Fortunately, when the waitress left the four nations alone once more, America was able to relax after a while of the human's absence. Since the young nation had been stressed throughout the day, and understandably so, his caretaker was willing to let him have a cup of pop as a treat for being well behaved during the car ride. Ever since his memory was erased, he had never had the privilege to drink pop, as the humans caring for him feared the beverage would be too sugary for him. However, after the nation had consumed a bunch of sugar throughout the time they cared for him, they grew less wary at the idea of giving him such a sugary, caffeinated drink. After all, America had proved time and time again he was capable of handling large quantities of sugar without acting like a lunatic or growing anxious of his surroundings, as would be expected of someone who hadn't had more than a pinch of sugar every day for two years straight.
They didn't allow America to guzzle the pop down, though, as they didn't want him to become too bathroomy or full from the drink while he was eating his lunch. Not only would it be annoying, but it would interrupt someone's meal if the nation kept needing to use the bathroom. It would also be a bother if he was full to the point where he was finished eating before everyone else, making the other nations have to find ways to entertain him, as he would have to wait for the others to finish eating their own meals before he was allowed to leave the restaurant.
Since America had been prevented from consuming all his pop, it was clear there was still plenty of room in his stomach for the lunch ordered for him, as the moment the plate of food was set in front of him, he gazed at it with hungry eyes. The plate in front of him presented to him two large, triangular sandwiches with a side of fries. He wanted to devour the meal right away, but was forced to wait, as his caretaker wanted to fix the food so it was easier for the young nation to consume without help. The toothpicks holding the two sandwiches together were removed, and the sandwiches they once held were split into four tiny ones. After this, ketchup was poured next to the fries, but the other nation was careful to not cover half the plate with it and make a mess. Though some would've preferred a drizzle of ketchup all over the french fry half of the plate, there was no way America could eat the fries in such a fashion without making his hands messy. He wasn't even capable of using silverware to eat anything messy with, which was why he was given a meal that didn't require any in the first place.
The moment Russia left his food alone, America dug into his meal. Anyone who wasn't used to caring for the young nation would be disgusted with the fashion in which he ate his food, but the other nations didn't mind the crude manner in which he ate at all. They were over it, after putting up with it for over three months and having no way to teach him to be more proper while he was eating (as he wouldn't understand a word they were saying), so there would be no point in being bothered by it. Besides, one of the reasons they wanted a table out of the sight of others was so he wouldn't bother fellow costumers at the restaurant.
None of the other nations were shocked when they found America was the first one finished with his meal. However, Russia was impressed with the fact that he had finished eating everything on his plate, as the meal was huge. He figured this accomplishment warranted praise, "Wow, you ate that whole plate of food! Good job!"
America perked at the words "good job" and allowed a smile to spread across his face. He loved being praised. Especially for something as easy as eating. He appreciated the fact that eating was something he was often allowed to do and how he was often rewarded for it instead of punished. He also loved how, aside from the one time he he was forced fed for refusing to eat at all, the nations caring for him weren't pushy when it came to feeding him. They reassured him when he wasn't able to eat anymore food or had an upset stomach. If the scientists were dead set on making sure he ate something they offered to him, or believe he was "being a brat and going on a hunger strike", they were quick to resort to a force feeding. This sometimes resulted in injuries for the poor nation. This had lead him to being confused as to whether or not he wanted to eat food at all, while he was under the scientist's 'care'. It was tempting to eat food, and he understood he needed it for energy, but he also hated what the scientists would sometimes do with the food and how they made it taste. After having the privilege of tasting real food, any time he recalled the food from the scientists caused him to gag. Fortunately, he was aware of the triggers: rotten, sterile, or sour scents.
He didn't mind waiting for the other nation's to finish eating their lunch. He was too full to want to do anything other than sit on the cushioned seat and day dream. However, his mind wandering was interrupted when his caretaker grabbed his hand and encouraged him to stand and follow him someplace. America obeyed the silent command and walked with him through the restaurant, despite the couple stares he received from fellow humans. Though he was nervous about being in their sight, he was calmed by his full stomach and the comfortable temperature in the room. He didn't understand why, but tasty food was an easy way to help him grow more comfortable around humans.
Russia, on the other hand, couldn't help but be embarrassed about the idea of helping the young nation use the bathroom in a public restroom. This was the first time he had to do this, and it was no surprise he didn't want to be caught standing next to the one he was caring for while he was peeing, or worse, have someone watch him aide in unzipping the other's pants. A part of him assured it wouldn't be the end of the world if he explained why he needed to invade the other's privacy (though the helpless nation had never shown signs of being disturbed by these invasive actions). He could tell whoever desired to question him the one he was caring for had special needs. It wasn't a lie, as the young nation wasn't capable of living on his own, and needed help with normal human functions. Besides, he had medical documents to support his claim, along with qualifications allowing him to care for the poor nation.
Once he returned to the table, after giving America a potty break, the three more civil nations paid for the food and headed out to their car so they could continue traveling. Fortunately for the others, they didn't have to worry about keeping the young nation entertained while they were on the road, as his full stomach made sleep easy for him. There was a warmth in Russia's stomach as the other's head rested on his shoulder, as if it was a pillow. He found it cute when the one he was caring for was willing to cuddle with him and wished he would do it more often (even though it was clear he was cuddly by nature as it was).
America was allowed a five hour nap for the rest of the car ride. Even if the other nations weren't fond of the idea of letting him sleep this long during the day, as they were worried he would have trouble sleeping at night if he did, they still didn't bother to wake him. They figured the nation needed to sleep, after being forced to wake earlier than he was used to, having to deal with strangers, and suffering through a long car ride.
When they arrived at the city the meeting would be taking place in, America was forced out of his long nap. At first, he protested being awoken, but it didn't take long for him to accept the fact that he was going to have to wake from his peaceful sleep. He waited for the other nations to stop at a hotel and for one of the humans to check into a hotel room, while he sat in the car, before having to follow the ones caring for him into the mysterious building. Since there appeared to be even more people in this building than there were in the restaurant, America was nervous about entering it. However, he was aware it wasn't up to him whether or not he entered the hotel, so he complied.
Upon entering the hotel, America tried his best to pretend he was else where. This, much to his adversity, had resulted in him being distracted and bumping into someone. At first, he'd wanted to scramble away and act as if the incident had never happened, but was unable to upon catching sight of the stranger he'd disturbed. The man, though a few inches shorter than him, had an intimidating air to him. It was disturbing how similar in appearance he was to one of the scientists the young nation had the misfortune of meeting. His hair was the same shade of dark brown and his skin a similar level of paleness. The only differences were his eye color (a brownish hazel instead of a light blue), face shape, and the clothing he wore.
Though he was aware there was no way this could be the scientist, America still couldn't help but be horrified by this man. He wanted to run away, or scream for help, but he found all the muscles in his body were frozen, so all he could do was stare and hope the stranger chose to leave him alone. Fortunately for him, all the human did was say, "Watch where you're going!" before walking away. Even if the human hadn't done anything to hurt him, he was still in shock at the sight of him. The only thing in his mind at the moment were vivid memories of how the scientists treated him. It wasn't long before tears were rolling down his cheeks and his breathing quickened.
It didn't take long for Russia to grow aware of the fact that the one he was caring for stopped following him. He turned his head to try and find out where America was and couldn't help the shock when he discovered the young nation standing still and staring at a wall. When Russia strode over to him, to determine if the other was okay, he was saddened to find the other was crying; with fear evident in his expression. Since the caretaker only had one hand available, due to his task of carrying a couple bags, he tried his best to comfort the one he was caring for with a one arm hug as he asked in a quiet voice, "What's wrong? How come you're standing there like that?"
At first, America tensed upon being touched, but it wasn't long before the other turned to face his caretaker and clung onto him, due to his fear. Russia responded by tightening his embrace and saying, "It's okay. No one here is going to hurt you. Once we're in the hotel room, we won't have to deal with strangers anymore. You can rest in a comfortable bed."
Despite the fact that he was upset, America was still willing to follow Russia to their hotel room, but only if he was allowed to cling to him while they walked. When they entered the bedroom and had all their luggage set on one of the beds, Canada stated, "England and I will go get some food while you try and make America comfortable, okay?"
"Okay," was all Russia said as the other two nations headed out of the room.
While America cried over his encounter with the human whose appearance was similar to one of the scientist's, as well as how stressful his day had been, his caretaker changed him into a comfortable outfit for bed. He also attempted to calm the other by holding the other and mumbling soft words to him. After doing this for twenty minutes, he reached over to grab one of the bags at the bed they weren't sitting on and searched through it until he found the dog plush the young nation was given on his birthday. He presented the dog to the upset nation and told him, "Look, your puppy's here! He came along with us. He doesn't want you to be afraid of this place. He hates seeing you so upset, so he came to make you feel better!"
America smiled at the sight of the dog and pulled it into a tight embrace. He stroked the plush's soft fur, in an attempt to calm himself in the unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, the stuffed animal was doing its job, as it wasn't long until the young nation was relaxed. Russia couldn't help but smile, as he found the display in front of him adorable. How could anyone not be happy about the sight? Any time the sweet, innocent nation found happiness in his life, a warmth grew in his caretaker's heart, as if his world gained more meaning.
An hour passed by the time England and Canada returned to Russia's hotel room with groceries. They placed bags on the table and the three more civil nations sorted through them, so they could determine who would have what. While they did this, Canada asked, "Is Alfred doing any better?"
"Yes," Russia replied, "I was able to get him to stop crying. He seems pretty happy with his puppy right now. I just hope it doesn't end up being too noisy in the hotel. It's already bad enough that some parents let their kids scream down the hallways of hotels when you're trying to review your notes for meetings. I don't need a bunch of noisy kids scaring Alfred as well."
It didn't take long for the nations to sort through the food and before Canada walked out of the room with the food he and England would be sharing, he gave America a hug and told him, "You be good for Russia, okay?"
America gave him a quick hug back, before he was left alone with his caretaker. He turned toward the one caring for him, as the sound of rustling bags grabbed his attention. While Russia prepared dinner for the two of them, he stated, "It's nice that I don't have to go to the meeting tomorrow. I get to spend the whole day with you!"
Even if America was still lacking in his ability to understand English, the enthusiastic tone excited him. Perhaps there would be a reward for the long, uncomfortable car ride he was forced to suffer through?