Belarus strolled downstairs, carrying an empty dinner plate to the kitchen before dropping it in the sink.
Just then, Tony marched into the kitchen from the backyard, setting a toolbox on the island before collapsing onto a nearby chair. Using a nearby washcloth, he wiped off a bunch of oil smears from his face.
Wondering how he got so dirty, Belarus peeked her head out of the back door, finding a half-repaired spaceship. Wait ufos use oil?
She didn't really care too much about Tony's problems, so she began walking out of the room. Seeing this, Tony decided to explain for her.
"That was America's fault, if you were wondering."
"I wasn't wondering," Belarus shut him down, but he continued anyway.
"Of course he's too fucking inept to build a proper relay device. So I come back to my spaceship blown the fuck up!"
He was full on ranting now.
"The nerve of him, asking to borrow the other spaceship like he didn't completely destroy mine. Oh but he was trying to go to his brother's birthday party, I don't give a fuck."
"Wait, so he isn't here?" Belarus interrupted. "No, he isn't," Tony answered. "He left hours ago."
Damn, hours she could've spent reading his book.
"So how long do you think he'll be gone?" She asked. Tony shrugged. "Beats me, though if he needed a spaceship then it's probably somewhere far."
"Ok," Belarus said before leaving to grab the book. Going through the routine again, she found a comfortable place to sit and began reading.
September 17, 1787
Man it's been a while since I've opened this book! (Though it's not the longest I've gone without writing in it.)
A lot has happened in these past 4 years:
•The final peace treaty has been signed, making me fully free.
•There's trade with Britain now, not a lot, but some.
•We switched currencies to a decimal coinage system, meaning dollars and quarters and stuff. You can keep your crappy pence, Britain.
•We're in the process of making something called a "steam boat," obviously it's powered by stream rather than wind.
•The switch in currency may have started a small rebellion in Massachusetts. . . minor setback but hey, at least it was stopped before it got too bad.
•We've been having talks about how to replace the Articles of Confederation, because they're wack and don't work. The only problem is that it's now split into parties, the very thing Washington doesn't want. On one side there are the Federalists like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton advocating for a strong national government in what's called the Virginia Plan. Then on the other side there are the Antifederalists like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry that want strong state governments in the New Jersey Plan.
This led to a lot of conflicts between everyone, but that has mostly come to an end with Roger Sherman's Connecticut Compromise, which is so simple I don't know how we didn't think of them sooner. Why not just combine the two?
And so that led up to today where we finally adopted the new Constitution. Hopefully this will fix all the problems of the Articles of Confederation and heal the divides in the convention.
February 4, 1789
Washington has been unanimously elected as our President, and I couldn't be happier. No one seems more fitting for the title than him. I also really like the title... President... it's modest, not too powerful sounding like King or Emperor, just a leader of a group.
September 24, 1789
Cool, so now we have a President, Congress, and Supreme Court.
I know this is basically a mirror image of Britain's three branches of government, but unlike theirs ours is actually balanced.
July 16, 1790
Since it's right next to the most populous state, in the middle of the country, and to appease the southern states, the Capitol has been moved down to Maryland from New York.
That's about it.
April 22, 1793
France is going crazy, declaring war against everyone, even Prussia. I thought they were friends.
I can't help but feel like this is my fault, inspiring the French people to revolt. I have nothing against fighting monarchies but this is just utter chaos.
I said I would stay allies with France and help them on their wars like he did in mine, but Washington believes I'm still too young and weak and should try to avoid all conflicts with Europe. I regret to say I agree. I just hope France doesn't declare war against me too.
September 19, 1796
So George Washington is stepping down... huh.
It feels weird, not having him be in charge anymore. He's led me through so much, the war, my early years as a country, everything. Honestly he's been more of a father to me than Britain ever was. Though Britain did technically refer to me as his "brother."
In his farewell address he emphasized the importance of not getting involved with anyone else. No permanent alliances and a small military, we're not the constables of the world.
I take this advice to heart. I've lived most of my life away from everyone. Most of my original people are gone, the early European settlers left, my mother died, so did Davie, Mattie was taken away, and Britain... he just didn't care enough about me to stay.
But I don't see isolation as a problem, in fact this puts me in a very unique position. I can be a haven, a place for people to come when there's too much war or drama in the rest of the world. A place that is separate and above the problems of Europe and Asia.
The only problem I can see with this is that countries that are isolated will almost never stay that way. The world is greedy, and there will always be some dickhole that wants to either take over or get innocent countries involved in trivial problems not worth their time.
Like I said before about waiting to meet the other nations, I think the best thing to do is just avoid them entirely. They didn't help me in my Revolution, they don't trade, 99% of them don't even know or care about my existence.
Just like they haven't done anything for me, I likewise haven't done anything for them, and it should stay that way. Honestly, how much am I missing by staying away? The world doesn't need another nation to compete with.
- Alfred F. Jones
This was bizarre, America wasn't just different, this was the complete opposite of what he is now. Maybe she just didn't pay attention enough, but in her experience America has always been the loud, narcissistic, attention-seeking "hero" with the ridiculous goal of "helping" everyone even if they don't want it.
But this America was quiet, intelligent, reserved, and didn't give a damn about the business or opinions of others.
How is it possible that within the two hundred years of his country's history, he's gone from smart and sensible to a blithering oaf?
March 4, 1797
John Adams is the new President, with Thomas Jefferson as his Vice President. They're good picks to succeed Washington, but it's big shoes to fill. I know they can do it though, they're smart.
Though I hope them being in different political parties doesn't make things too hostile between them.
July 7, 1798
So Congress finally cut ties with France, after it raided a bunch of our ships. I know it's not France's fault, it's that bastard Napoleon's.
That dictator is making France's life a living hell.
December 14, 1799
Washington... no. There's just no way, he can't be g—gone. He's a god damn soldier! I refuse to believe a man that fought in as many battles as him got taken down by some stupid illness.
He's 67, sixty fucking seven, he still has so much time to live. He can't be dead, he just can't!
What am I supposed to do without him?! He's been my general, my boss, my father. How can I continue without his guidance? Without him, I'm... I'm lost.
I. . . I need to sit down.
- Alfred F. Jones
Lost. Belarus was well aware of how that felt. That's all she ever feels when separated from her brother, how she feels now.
It's so unfair. How could America act so happy all the time, knowing the loss and pain he's been through. She's never been stuck in a perpetual loop of being hung, burned, and drowned. Freezing to death maybe, but that makes her miserable any time she remembers it, so how did he manage to smile?
December 20, 1803
A while ago Thomas Jefferson bought a large expanse of land from the French. And when I mean large I mean large, the U.S. has practically doubled in size.
Prior to this we added Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and territories around the Great Lakes and the Mississippi.
I just hope the Native Americans aren't too mad.
February 4, 1804
So New Jersey is the latest of the northern states to abolish slavery, making it about a 50/50 split between the north and south.
And as a split, that means I'm stuck somewhere in the middle. I get that it's dehumanizing, but it's such an integral part of our agriculture I just don't see any conceivable way to get rid of it completely.
May 14, 1804
Jefferson has ordered two men, Lewis and Clark to lead an expedition of the newly purchased northwest, specifically to try and find a northwest passage to come connect the oceans.
Myself, as well as a woman named Sacagawea have been tasked with being their guides, since we have way more experience exploring the land.
September 23, 1806
Ok, so apparently while I was gone Alexander Hamilton has been shot and killed. What the fuck?!
I guess him and Aaron Burr had a duel and Hamilton lost, then Burr ran away. Fucking coward!
Hamilton was a great man, and has done so much for our country. I really hope people will remember his legacy rather than as just another random politician.
My condolences go out to Eliza. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this is on her. I may have lost people I've loved, but never my significant other.
Also why are all of the founders dying so fast? First Washington, then Hamilton, why can't they all just grow old then go peacefully in their sleep?
June 15, 1810
British forces keep seizing American sailors, about 4,000 I think. As a result trade with Britain has completely stopped.
Don't test me Britain, unless you want a repeat of what happened last time.
June 18, 1812
So we're actually going to war with Britain again... well alright then, guess I'm doing this.
Though some states like Rhode Island and most of New England don't want to, which is completely understandable. It's barely been 30 years since the Revolutionary War.
April 27, 1813
Burning down York was not part of the plan! The explosion was an accident, the British just didn't want us getting their supplies, they didn't know it would ignite and kill 200 of us.
I know our army was upset about losing General Pike and so many others, but that was no reason to burn down the entire damn capital.
The capital. . .
Oh my god I burned Mattie's capital! He could die!
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
August 24, 1814
Looks like they finally got their revenge. Took you long enough Mattie.
I already know how much burning alive hurts, but I really didn't want a reminder.
Good to see he's finally grown, even if I'm the reason for it... God I'm a terrible brother, I deserve this.
I felt bad about hurting Mattie, and Mattie didn't seem like he enjoyed hurting me, but Britain? He laughed at me, I was writhing on the ground with a smoldering pit in my chest and he just stood there and laughed.
Damn you Britain!
December 24, 1814
Both the British and Americans met in Ghent to sign a peace treaty. After two years of fighting all it's resulted in is both me and Mattie getting burned, and a draw. An absolute waste of time full of needless pain.
January 8, 1815
A group of British soldiers apparently never got the memo that the war ended, and as a result they ambushed a bunch of Americans.
Funny thing is they got absolutely dominated, a good 2,000 casualties compared to 71 of ours.
Suck it Britain!
- Alfred F. Jones
That's enough for today. For being such a small part of U.S. history, it was actually a pretty loaded chapter.
Before she developed eye strain, Belarus stopped reading and looked at the clock. Midnight?! What crazy time warp does she enter whenever she picks up this book?
As she began moving to set the book on the nightstand, suddenly the bedroom doorknob began turning. In her panic, she dropped the book on the bed and sat on it. Not only would her dress cover it, but no one would dare try to look there.
When the door fully opened, America marched in, with his stupid grin and two armfuls of candy.
He abruptly stopped to analyze her face, she was looking back at him with her ever stoic expression, but she was extremely pale.
"Yo dudette, you all good?" He asked. Belarus' eyebrow twitched as she frowned at him. "Well I was trying to sleep, but then you barged in, you didn't even knock!"
America smiled, happy to see she was her normal self. "Sorry, I was just coming to show you this candy I got," he said as he held his hands out to her.
Belarus grabbed a piece of candy and held it up to her face, finding its label to be in Spanish.
"Did you seriously travel all the way to Spain just for candy?" She asked. America chuckled as he dumped the rest of the candy on her bed.
"Nope, I was in Cuba celebrating my bro's birthday. As I was leaving I raided the candy bowl, since they were all too hammered to stop me."
"You should have stayed and gotten drunk as well, then you wouldn't be stomping around in my room while I'm trying to sleep," she stated as she shoveled the candy into a pile and began sorting through it.
"I would've, but I can't be hungover while trying to set up my own birthday party," he admitted.
Belarus cringed, realizing she was going to be in his house while that was going on. America noticed her disgruntled expression and just gave her a warm smile.
"Chill out, you don't have to attend. I'm not gonna force you to do it just because you're staying with me."
"Oh, well, thank you... I guess," she scratched her head to distract herself from the awkwardness.
"Right well, I'll see you tomorrow then," he waved before walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Belarus took that as her signal to actually go to bed. So after hiding the notebook and putting the candy away, she left to brush her teeth and put on a nightgown, before coming back and rolling into bed.
Instantly she fell asleep, drifting off into the recurring nightmare of fighting with her brother. But now it had the disturbing twist of ending with burning down each other's capitals.
For the next two days, America was seemingly everywhere. One minute he was in the kitchen mixing cake batter, another minute he was running around the house putting up red, white, and blue streamers and ribbons. Then another minute he was somehow all the way in town buying a literal ton of fireworks.
This was probably the busiest Belarus has ever seen him. Besides the countless times he's left for one reason or another.
Then when the day of his birthday finally came, he was elated. He was practically glowing in joy, even his smile seemed bigger... if that was possible.
He couldn't go 5 minutes without humming one of his most patriotic songs, much to Belarus' annoyance. What was the point of going through all this effort? She's had countless birthdays, they're not worth this excitement.
That didn't seem to be the case with America, he wasn't able to stay still. In fact his whole country was abuzz, all waiting to have their bbq dinners and light off their fireworks.
While America waited for the party to start, Belarus actively did her best to bar herself in her room. She could already picture how the party would go. England would be constantly bitching about colonies and the Revolutionary War, France would be preying on any poor nation that made the mistake of getting drunk, Prussia and Denmark would be unbearably annoying, then they would somehow find a way to drag everyone else into it. Just like the world meetings.
The only good thing that would come out of this is that Russia won't be attending. But China wouldn't either, and he would most likely spend that time with Russia.
If only that little bastard would come, so she could cut off that stupid ponytail and strangle him with it.
But whatever, she just has to get through these few days and the world meeting, then she can figure out her next course of action.
(Meanwhile with America)
America nervously rubbed his wrist, starting to get antsy now that it was beginning to get dark. Though it's not that big of a problem, Fourth of July parties can only really be enjoyed when it's dark, with its fireworks and all.
'None of dem are comin', ya know dat.'
'They will.'
'Course dey will, just like dey did da year before, and da years before dat.'
America shrugged off the doubt and walked outside to the front porch, facing directly at the driveway where the nations were sure to pull in soon. He took a seat on one of the chairs and leaned forward, putting his forearms on his knees and clasping his hands together as he stared at the ground, waiting patiently for his friends to arrive.
Eventually his impatience began coming back, causing him to fidget and shake his leg. Seconds felt like hours, until it actually became hours. Booms of fireworks in the distance reminded him that it was now completely dark out. He slid his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, squinting at the bright screen.
9:16 PM. Just perfect. America let out a sigh and put the phone away, leaning back in the chair as he stared up at the porch ceiling.
A few more minutes went by, until the voice decided to speak up.
'I told ya so.'
'Whatever, people are just busy is all.'
'Is Matthew busy?'
'That's different, you know why he's not here.'
'Unless dat's wat dey want ya ta think. Face it, no one cares.'
America's lip quivered slightly, but he bit it and held it in place. 'That's not true, Mattie, Prussia, Denmark, Japan, and Lithuania send me gifts. They always do.'
'Those are pity gifts at best.'
America bit his lip a little harder, his frown deepening. 'Shut up! You don't even have a birthday.'
'And yet yers are just as lonely as mine, how pathetic is dat? Honestly yer just pathetic in general, no wonder no one likes ya.'
'People do like me, I'm their hero.'
'Oh right, da hero dat everyone always complains about. Da hero dat can't seem ta stay outta others business. Dey all see ya everyday, fuckin' up der shit. Why would dey ever celebrate yer useless existence?'
America held his head low, his eyes vibrating with anger and self-loathing. As more fireworks sounded off, America sat in dead silence, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in rage, wishing there was some way to kill that stupid voice in his head.
Suddenly he snapped his head up to look at the driveway, finding it still completely empty. He stood up and marched toward the center near the fountain, listening for any car noises, waiting and waiting, but none ever came.
Hanging his head once again, he spun around and marched back to the porch, opening the door and slamming it hard behind him.
It was about 11:00 PM now, and Belarus was actually pretty surprised by the party's volume. She couldn't even hear it, nothing like his crazy big Halloween party a few years ago.
She was actually contemplating going down to join. There wasn't anyone there she particularly liked, but if there was at least one girl then she could manage. Who knows, maybe it could be fun.
Making her decision, Belarus removed the barricades from the door and began walking down the hall... the dead, silent hall. As she descended the stairs, the only noise that could be heard was the clacking of her shoes against wooden steps.
She then turned toward the doorway between the stairs and walked through, noticing giant bowls and plates of food far away on the dining room table.
But as she got closer, she began to get confused when she found that none of it was touched. Grilled chicken, steak, even burgers, not a single thing was missing.
That was certainly... troubling. America was a complete glutton, there was no way he wouldn't scarf it all down at the first chance he got.
Next place to look was the living room, but when she opened the door she was once again met with an empty room. Just to check, she placed a hand on each cushion of the chairs and couches, discovering they were all cold.
Suddenly she heard explosions in the distance. Oh of course, they're all outside watching the fireworks. They were probably waiting to come in and eat when the finale was finished.
Taking the nearby back door, she slid it open and walked outside, wandering around the backyard for where the nations might be. She was turning around in circles, looking for anywhere they could go. Suddenly she noticed the terrace on top of the house. It would give the best view of the fireworks.
So she ran all the way back to where she started, before going to the third floor then up the ladder, climbing up to the roof. She looked around in a circle, but once again didn't see anyone.
She was about to go back down and give up, until she heard the faint humming of the American national anthem.
She fully climbed up and began slowly creeping toward the noise, finding its source laying limp on a lawn chair.
Instantly she recognized who it was. "America?"
Said nation perked up, slowly turning around and looking at her. As Belarus walked over to him, she began to notice something was off with him. His eyes were dark and droopy, his face was flushed pink, and he had a stupid grin on his face, but it was way stupider than normal.
"Heya Bela, join meeeeeeee!" America giggled as he held his hands above his head, holding a large, half-empty bottle of a brownish liquid in one of them.
Belarus eyed the bottle, before they widened when she recognized its contents. "America, are you... drunk?!"
"Pffff, yup. Now join meee," he requested again as he held out the bottle to her. Belarus grabbed it from him and inspected the label. Whiskey.
"Did you drink half of this bottle?" She asked. America just nodded dumbly, grinning like a dope. "That's muh second one."
"America where is everyone else?"
America's big grin instantly dropped, before he turned around and looked away from her in silence. Belarus moved forward and sat on a nearby chair, looking across at America's pissed expression.
"America what happened?" She asked, imploring him to answer. America gritted his teeth before snatching the bottle from her hand, taking a large chug of it.
As the bottle left his lips, he lazily wiped them clean and looked out at the fireworks. "Duh nations ar all assssholes iz wut happened."
Belarus sat in silence, not looking away from America as she thought about what he meant. "Did... did no one show up?"
America scoffed and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Whadda u care? I thought u didn't wanta attend."
"I didn't because I thought it would be loud and annoying. I didn't realize no one would show," she admitted.
America snorted and took another swig. "It'z not lowd, but it'z definitely annoyin'."
"I just want to know what happened, can you tell me?"
America let out a dry laugh. "Y? So u can laugh at me? I know u hate me, yuh don't hafta pretend u don't."
"Please," Belarus spoke softly.
America stared at her, looking for any insincerity in her expression. When he found none he stumbled to his feet and held out the bottle to her. "Drink first, den I'll tell u." Belarus nudged the bottle away. "I'll pass."
America groaned and stumbled back a little toward the edge. "God yur such a party pooper. Like literally, yur poopin' on muh actual party."
Belarus got to her feet and inched toward America, who was coming dangerously close to the edge. Suddenly his foot caught on the ledge, sending him careening backwards.
Belarus quickly shot forward and grabbed him by the arm, yanking him back onto the terrace. Sadly his bottle had fallen out of his grip and shattered on the ground far below.
"Maybe we should move away from the ledge," Belarus urged as she began leading him to the ladder.
"Get offa me ya pooper of parties!" America whined, though he was the one leaning on her. Belarus ignored him and dragged him to the ladder, slowly but safely getting him down it and the flights of stairs.
She brought him all the way to the living room, where she dropped him on the couch and stood above him with her arms crossed. "Now talk. You can't kill yourself to get out of this."
America pulled himself up in a sitting position and smirked at her. "Gimme sum moor booze and maybe I will."
Belarus rolled her eyes and dropped her arms. "This is a waste of time. I'll just ask you when you're sober."
With that she turned to leave, much to America's alarm. He quickly staggered to his feet and reached out for her hand. "Ok ok, I'll talk, jus-" He stuttered out as he grabbed her hand, causing her to spin around in confused anger, but that changed to a feeling of heartbreak when she looked at his distressed face. "Pleeze don't leave."
Belarus clutched his hand and led him back to the couch, setting him down before trying to release her hand, but America refused to let go.
Seeing no other choice, she just let him hold it for now. "Ok, now tell me what happened."
America looked down at the ground, his intoxicated brain grappling with trying to form a cohesive sentence. "I umm... I-I sent out invitations, but... dey jus didn't gettum?"
Belarus could easily see through that lie, and simply narrowed her eyes at him until he cracked.
"Ok, jeeeeez. It'z jus dat dey, dey..." as he struggled to answer, his grip on her hand tightened, shaking intensely as his whole body began quivering. Belarus looked up at his face with concern, seeing that he now had water flooding his eyes, one blink away from falling.
"Besides Mattie, dey've... d-d-dey." Suddenly a hand cupped the side of his face, startling him with its warmth and comfort. He looked up at Belarus, who was staring deep into his eyes with a sad but calm gaze. "It's alright."
For a second America's face was one of utter shock, before he completely broke down, leaning into her hand as tears rolled off his face and down her arm.
Using the hand that wasn't clutching to hers, he pinned down the one on his face, never wanting it to leave. He couldn't bring himself to break away from her gaze, fearing if he did she would disappear.
Belarus' heart shattered as America broke out into childish sobs, leaning deeper into her hand as he tried his hardest to fight back his crying.
"Besides Mattie, no one has shown up in... in... 44 years!!" He whimpered as he broke out into another fit of sobs.
Belarus was appalled. She knew he was abandoned a lot as a child, but in the digital age with phones and planes, for 44 years? How was that even possible?
She moved the hand from his cheek to the back of his head, before pulling him down to rest his forehead on her shoulder. There were another few seconds of stillness, before America wrapped his arms around her back and waist, clutching as hard as he possibly could. His fingernails were painfully digging into her back, but she ignored it, it was a lot less pain then what America was in.
Belarus slowly rocked him back and forth while combing her fingers through his hair. By this point her shoulder was completely soaked with tears, but she didn't mind.
This experience was some much needed catharsis. She's read about his damaged childhood, as well as heard and gave constant insults about his immaturity and childishness, but she didn't see that he truly was just a child. A little boy that grew up too fast.
For half an hour they stayed in that position, until America finally pulled away. Shakily he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flask, before unscrewing and attempting to drink it.
Belarus snatched it from his hand and frowned at him, before downing it herself. Without a word she stood up, tossed him the empty flask, and walked away, returning a minute later with a bottle of moonshine and two more whiskeys.
She opened the first whiskey and took a big gulp, before handing it off to America. He looked at her for a second, then back at the bottle, before raising it up and chugging some.
"So uh... how's duh bifthday party so far?" He asked sarcastically as he lowered the bottle.
"It's the best party I've been to, though I don't really go to that many," she answered truthfully as she snatched the whiskey back.
"Y not? Ya seem like alotta fun, even if yur a massive party pooper," he commented, earning him a weak punch to the arm.
"I'm not a party pooper, I was saving your sorry ass from painting your lawn red," she argued before taking another gulp of whiskey.
"Yeah yeah wutever," he waved off. The two stopped talking for a while, opting to drink more of the alcohol.
In no time the first bottle was completely empty, so the two moved onto the second one. Belarus drank most of it, so now she was decently buzzed, but not quite at America's level yet.
"So uh... u never answered muh question. Y dontchya go ta parties?" America asked again.
Belarus sulked, not really comfortable with answering. Though he did pour out his feelings to her, or more specifically on her shoulder for half an hour, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad to answer one question.
Belarus played with a strand of her hair, nervously twirling it in her fingers as she mustered up the courage to speak.
"Most people are too annoying, but in general.. everyone is too terrified of me to want my presence."
"I get dat," America nodded as he drank some more.
"Who would be scared by a child like you?" She laughed as she tugged the bottle of alcohol away from him.
"I nevur said dat, I meant dat sum peeps annoy me. . . 'And don't want muh presence'," he corrected her.
"Like who?" She asked.
"Well ya know: North Korea, Cuba, a bunch of duh Middle East, China... yur brother."
Belarus stared down at the bottle in her hands, frowning slightly as she tried to convince herself she didn't feel the same way.
America watched her face as it scrunched in a mix of anger and sadness. Russia and China still seemed to weigh heavily on her mind.
"Sorry, I shudn't've said anythin'," he apologized as he rubbed his head, but Belarus shook her head. "No, it's alright, I. . . I agree with you."
America was beyond shocked to hear her openly agree with him, talking bad about Russia of all things. Though it was completely understandable why.
Belarus took another sip, before sighing and propping her chin up on her hand. America gave her a knowing look, before saying, "fur all itz worth, I think hidin' China frum ya wuz a pretty douchy move on yur bro's part."
Her eyes became huge, only to narrow when she looked at him in the face. "How do you know about that?"
America kept his expression flat as he rubbed his neck. "I hurd a while ago when he called ya, I jus didn't say anythin' cuz it'z none of muh business."
"Oh, well... thank you." Her suspicion quickly dissipated, only to turn into full blown fear when America mumbled, "I wish I wuz duh only one dat knew."
"What?! Who else knows?!"
America looked at her terrified expression, his stomach constricting in guilt knowing what was to come wasn't going to make her happy.
"A few days ago Russia went ta China fur a visit," he started speaking as he pulled out his phone. "Well apparently he did moor than jus visit, and Hong Kong caught dem and sent this ta Japan and Hungary."
He was about to hand Belarus the phone, before hesitating to look at the image. He heaved a depressed sigh before finally dropping the phone face down in her hands.
Belarus raised an eyebrow and looked over at America, who was purposely looking away from her. That sent her into a panic as she anticipated what she would see when she turned the phone over.
As she slowly turned it over, her worst fears were realized when she came face-to-face with the image of a naked Russia on top of China.
She wanted to look away so bad, but for some reason her eyes were stuck staring at it. Her eyes and mouth were twitching, slowly drooping more and more until it finally collapsed, along with her grip as she dropped the phone to the ground.
The noise alerted America, bringing his attention back to Belarus who was unmoving, staring blankly at nothing with her mouth hung open in disbelief.
America raised a hand and hovered it above her shoulder, before slowly lowering onto and gripping on it. Belarus slowly turned to him, focusing on his knitted eyebrows and sorrowful eyes. "I'm so sorry Belarus."
Oh great, now it was her turn to cry.
America instantly pulled her into an embrace, hugging her tightly against his chest. Unlike America's crying fit, Belarus began with quiet sniffles and muffled gasps, before taking one big inhale and releasing it as a loud wail.
She gripped hard to the front of his bomber jacket, pulling herself even deeper into his chest.
"Why?! Why?! Whyyyy?!" She screamed as she hit her forehead against his torso. America hugged her closer and rested his chin on top of her bow. "I don't know."
Belarus could no longer speak, sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt. America awkwardly rubbed circles on her back, trying his best to get her to stop crying. With how abrasive she was all the time, it was sometimes hard to remember she has emotions just like anyone else.
After she finally began to calm down, America let go of her, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and holding it out to her.
Belarus wiped her eyes before grabbing the bottle with both hands, holding it straight up as she chugged the entire thing. She didn't care about the tears rolling down her face or the burning in her throat, she just wanted to forget this night.
When it was empty, she gripped the bottle harder and chucked it, sending it shattering against the wall.
America usually would've been mad about something like that, but he let it slide due to a mix of being drunk and sympathizing with her anger.
She then reached out for the moonshine, but America beat her to it, keeping it far away from her. "Jus waita bit, ya haven't even let duh whiskey set in. Trust me, ya don't wanta get alcohol poisonin' like muh bro."
Belarus lowered her arm and held her head low, before leaning forward and connecting it against America's chest again.
"U feelin' any better yet?" America joked, trying to lighten the mood. From America's chest she mumbled, "gimme a few minutes."
America smiled and pet the top of her head. "Take yur time, it'za lot ta take in."
Belarus raised her head and looked at him, their faces only a couple inches away. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin in the crook of his neck, hugging him very tight.
"Thank you. . . Alfred."
America's whole face brightened up, his classic smile finally coming back after hours of decommission. He returned the hug, holding her firm against himself.
"U finally said muh name," he announced, his voice laced with pride. Belarus' eyes opened, realizing she did do that. "That's a one time occurrence."
"Can I, know yur name?" He asked. Belarus huffed in amusement as she finally pulled away. "I'm not drunk enough for that yet."
"Yet? So yu're sayin' der's a chance?" America smirked.
Belarus scoffed and scooched away. "A tiny, microscopic one," she emphasized by putting two fingers next to each other with a tiny gap in between. "So don't do anything to annoy me."
America held up his hands in surrender and smiled. "K, k, I won't."
After about an hour, Belarus had finally begun feeling the effects of the whiskey, getting even more drunk than America. But that wouldn't last long now that they were busting out the moonshine.
America was the first to take a drink, mainly to catch up to Belarus' drunkness. She was soon to follow, taking a small sip of the unfamiliar liquid.
She broke out into a a bunch of coughs, covering her mouth as the burning alcohol traveled down her esophagus. "Holy shizz dat's strong!"
"I told u so," America chuckled as Belarus handed the bottle back. "It'll catch ya off guard if, if ya uh... uhh suck! HeheHehehe."
Belarus swung at his head, missing by an embarrassing amount. "Uggggh, stop duplicatin' ya bastard!"
"Yur duplicatin' too!" He laughed as he poked a finger at her face, actually pointing off to the right of her.
The two sat in front of each other, wobbling around as they tried to poke each other, missing every time. Eventually America got a poke in, shouting in victory as he fell backwards on the couch.
"Haha, I win!" He announced as he pumped his fists in the air. Suddenly Belarus collapsed on top of him, before crawling up and looking down at him while sitting on his abdomen.
"U didn't win shit dummy!" She yelled as she started pounding on the top of his head with her fist, causing him to begin swiveling his neck around to try and dodge the incoming attacks.
After one too many hits, America put his hands on the underside of her thighs and rolled sideways, sending her tumbling off the side of the couch.
"Uh... ohhhhh," he said as he looked over the side of the couch, finding her sprawled out and looking up at him. "Whataya lookin' at?" She slurred out as she teetered up into a sitting position.
"I'm lookin' ata dummy dat fell over," he laughed as he pointed at her, moving too far forward and falling off the couch as well.
"Well wut're u den? Cuz I wuz pushed, yu're justa moron."
America laughed as he crawled over to lay down next to her. "Yeah, I guess I am."
The two laid side by side with shit-faced grins, staring up at the swirling ceiling. "Ya know... dis iz probably duh best party I've been ta in like, furevur," Belarus said as she rolled over to look at America.
America did the same and looked at her. "Same, I can't thinka duh last time I got dis wasssted. Or celebrated wit anyone besidezz Matty."
"Dat remindz me, you said Matt or wutever usually comez here. So where iz he?"
America's sad expression returned as he rolled on his back again. "Like I said before, Matty got alcohol poisonin' durin' his party... but dat's not wut's botherin' me... it's everyone else. Dey didn't even have duh decency to come up wit an excuse, or jus be like Russia and Cuba and tell me no. So now I'm left here expectin' der arrival, only fur none ta come."
He moved his palms up to his eyes, covering them to hide the cold tears that had begun to fall again. Belarus watched silently as America suddenly started laughing, removing his hands from his face.
"Oh but don't worry, I'm sure dey'll do wut dey alwayz do and make sure ta swing by on muh anniversary. Jus 56 moor years ta go!" He huffed.
Belarus reached out and tugged on his sleeve, bringing his attention to her. "Don't act like yur duh only one wit bad birfhdays," she said blankly, though if you looked closely you could see she was starting to well up too.
"At least u have people to invite. Wutda I have? Russia's too terrified ta go near me, Estonia doesn't care, Latvia jus hides, and Lithuania acts like a creep and gives me stuff he shudn't know I like. Ukraine's duh only one dat really celebrates wit me, but even she looks uncomfortable."
She now had fresh tears dripping off onto the floor as she gave America a strained smile. America reached out and wiped her eyes with his thumb, before pulling back and giving her an equally teary-eyed smile.
"Y does everyone hate us?" He asked with a defeated laugh. Belarus rolled on her back and laughed with him. "I have no clue. Fear, annoyance, envy... it could be anything."
America nodded and wiped his eyes as he got to his feet. Through her blurry vision Belarus could see him bend down and extend a hand to her, which she took as she was pulled up to her feet.
He then led her back to the couch, where he sat back down, grabbed the moonshine and took another gulp, then passed it off to Belarus.
Their drinking continued again for a while, getting them completely hammered.
"Holy fuggin'... fuggin' shid," Belarus muttered as she finished off the bottle. America was leaning backwards, completely catatonic as he stared blankly at the ceiling. " 've nevur been dis drunk in muh... uh... in my—my life."
"Meee neether," Belarus agreed as she dropped the bottle, before flopping over and leaning onto America's side.
Suddenly, America's phone dinged, finally bringing him out of his paralysis. He reached down to the ground where the phone had been laying and picked it up, turning it around to find a notification for his doorbell camera.
On the screen was a lanky man, probably in his early 20s, dropping off a small package before turning around and disappearing into the darkness.
"Oh, Matty'z g'ft iz here," he told Belarus as he stumbled to his feet. He took one step, only to sway a crazy amount before stumbling into a wall.
"Woooaaaah... it'z reeeelly hard ta walk," he said as he held himself up against the wall. He then took another step, only to fall to his knees.
Belarus couldn't help but burst out laughing at his struggle. America looked back at her, his smile wobbling as he tried not to laugh. " 'M really tryin'."
Belarus laughed harder, clutching her stomach as she rolled off the couch.
He crawled on his hands and knees as he left the room, returning a few minutes later with the package in hand.
Belarus was still laughing and laying on the ground, so America crawled over and sat next to her.
He made quick work of the package, ripping it open and pulling out a big red book. Instantly he started hysterically laughing, confusing the hell out of Belarus and interrupting her own laughing. She looked at the book, which was titled, "The Way of the Maple Leaf" by: Matthew Williams. Under the title was an image of Canada holding a giant maple leaf in each hand as he held a karate pose.
Maybe he drank too much, because he had been laughing for a minute straight over this completely unfunny thing. "Y ar ya laughin'? It'z n't dat funny."
"It'z 'n inside joke, ya wudn't geddit."
Belarus watched in jealously as America admired his brother's gift. She never got anything like that.
"It'z not fair, "Y da u g't duh good brother?" She said out loud. "Huh?" America turned to her.
"Wut?! 'Awww shit I said that out loud!' Well, it'z jus dat... duh last birfhday pr'snt Russia gave meee wuz a restrainin' order," she confessed.
America looked at her straight-faced and unmoving, making her extremely uncomfortable as she jumped to the conclusion that he was silently judging her.
That was until he gave her an empathic look, melting away her nervousness. He then propped himself up on the couch and began wobbling away. "If ya think dat's bad, lemme show ya duh l'st g'ft I got fr'm England."
He then left the room again by leaning against the wall, leaving Belarus alone in the room for a good while. As her drunkenness began to get even stronger, she got back on the couch and laid on her side as she began dozing off. Just before she could fully fall asleep, a loud crash shocked her awake, leaving her clutching her chest and breathing heavy as she blearily looked around for the source of the noise.
Her eyes then focused on a large brownish-black object sitting in the middle of the coffee table, with little bits of crumbs and smears from where it had impacted.
Following back from where it landed, she found America standing in the doorway with a big drunken grin. He stumbled over and picked up the object, before dropping it in Belarus' lap.
She picked it up, inspecting the amorphous mass to try and understand just what it was. Just looking at it made her brain hurt... though that may also be because she's suuuper drunk.
"Duh fuk iz dis?" She finally asked, lazily tossing it to America. Obviously he couldn't catch it, so it missed his hand and loudly smacked against the floor.
"Dat... wud be one of England's famous scones," America stated as he stared at it. His face growing pale as he internally relived the trauma from years of eating England's food.
"Y wud he g've u dat?" Belarus asked, genuinely worried for America's safety. America shook his head as he kicked the scone to the other side of the room.
"Not sure. Either he's tryinta pois'n me 'r thinks I like'm... 'm not sure wich."
"Iz it... ev'n edible?" She asked as she stared at the "food" in terror. America laughed at her expression. "Yes, frankly 'm da only one dat can eat it. Still tastes l'ke shit tho."
America then crawled over and picked up the scone again, before moving over to the porch door and doing his best to walk outside. Belarus slowly stood up and struggled to follow him out.
After staggering a good ways away from the house, America picked up a random stick from under one of the trees and began trying to hit the scone, failing miserably.
He eventually dropped the stick and instead threw the scone with all his strength, sending it flying off into the night.
"Well I wuz gonna show u how I use dem fur b'seball practice, but I can't hit shit," America said as he wobbled back over to Belarus.
Belarus was about to respond, but stopped and covered her mouth as a large yawn suddenly hit her.
"Tired?" America asked.
Belarus nodded again as she rubbed her eyes. America pulled her into a side hug and yawned as he looked up at the star-filled sky. "Meee too."
America's eyes suddenly lit up as a shooting star went by. "Yo Bela! It'za shootin' star, make a wish!"
"U can do dat, it'z yur birfhday 'nyway."
America closed his eyes and thought hard on a wish, before opening his eyes and smiling.
"So wuchya wish fur?" Belarus asked.
"I can't tell ya dat, den it won't c'me tru."
(Outside England's house)
It was a calm morning in London: sunny, warm, and a nice breeze. No frog, no America, no puking up blood... it was absolutely perfect. That was until...
A star suddenly fell out of the sky, hurdling toward England's roof before crashing through. Loudly blasting a hole through every floor before lodging into England's head.
"Blimey!!"
Using each other for support, the two nations turned to walk back inside, until America suddenly remembered something.
"Duh fireworks!," he screamed as he let go of Belarus, who fell hard onto the porch floor.
"Ahhh, u bitch!" She yelled from the ground. America looked down at her and flinched. "Oopsieeez," he said as he bent down and picked her back up.
He set her down in the nearest chair and slowly crawl-walked off somewhere, coming back with a metal case full of switches and buttons.
He sat next to Belarus and fiddled with the buttons, trying to remember the controls in his drunken state.
"S'nce it'z late 'nd we're both exhausted, imma jus make dis quick," he told her as he slammed a big red button.
In the distance, Belarus watched as hundreds of small golden streams of sparkles shot up into the air, before exploding into a dazzling display of colors, sparkles, and shapes.
A few seconds later, a literal shockwave hit the two as the deafening sound of explosions started, and didn't stop.
"Holy Fuk!!!" Belarus screamed, barely audible over the noise of the fireworks. America smiled and looked out at the fireworks.
"I know, right?! I bought ab't an hour's w'rth, so prepare fur duh n'xt... however long dis'll last!!"
Five minutes later, the finale finally came, lighting up the entire sky so much that it looked like it was day. Another shockwave soon followed, blasting America and Belarus out of their chairs.
After it had ended, Belarus raised her head, looking over at America who was laying face down on the ground.
"Owww," he groaned out as he raised his head. His eyes met Belarus' who was staring back at him in amazement.
"Dat wuz... amazin'!!!" She screamed as she jumped up to her knees. America smiled as she went off about how cool and loud the show was.
"Glad ya enjoyed it. Let's jus h'pe duh cops don't come cuz of an'ther noise compl'nt," America commented as he got to his knees.
"Ya bett'r hope not, if duh cops find out we ar drunk den we w'll get arrested," Belarus noted. America just smirked as he began crawling over to her.
"Wut're dey gonna do, g've me a l'fe sentence? He joked as he grabbed her by the arm and lifted her up.
The two leaned on each other as they walked back into the house. "U c'n drop me off at duh couch, 'm jus gonna sleep der," Belarus said as she led them to the furniture.
America let go of her and set her on the couch, before stumbling over to the nearest wall and making his way over to the porch door to close and lock it. From outside he could see it was already starting to get brighter.
"Do ya need any bl'nkets 'r anythin'?" He asked as he closed the curtain. Belarus just shook her head and rested it on one of the couch pillows.
America nodded and began making his way over to leave the room, but the second his hand left the wall he fell forward and collapsed to the ground.
Belarus watched him struggle to get up, before rolling her eyes and getting back up to help him. She held him by his upper arm and lifted him back up, but instead of leading him to his bedroom she took him back to the couch.
America was too tired and drunk to protest, so when Belarus laid down he went down too, falling on top of her.
"America, I-I-I can't breathe!" She stuttered as she struggled to get out from under his chest. America just grumbled and slid down, resting his head on her chest rather than the other way around.
Belarus looked down at America who was laying on her breasts. But of course... since she was drunk... she didn't really mind.
She then placed a hand on his head, petting his fluffy golden hair. America lazily opened his eyes and looked up at her, his blue eyes now dark and bloodshot.
"Gudnight Alfred," she said with a small grin. America just grinned back as he closed his eyes again. "Gudnight Belarus."
Belarus' smile got a little bigger as she flicked Nantucket, startling him awake again. "Wut?" He asked.
"It'z Natalya."
"Huh?" He raised his head a little bit to look at her.
"Muh name... it'z Natalya."
America took a few seconds to catch on, but when he did he gave her a huge smile as he rested his head back on her chest.
"Natalya. . . dat's a *yawn* a pretty name," he mumbled into her chest. Belarus blushed slightly and closed her eyes as well.
"Gudnight Natalya."