Hetalia - Pandora's Box

Ch.8 - What A Fathers Is

'Ring'
'RING'
'RIN-'

Texas - "Hello? Jones residency how may I elp ya?"

Japan - "This is Kiku Honda, to whom am I speaking to?" (Background noise - "Where's Engla-")

Texas - ".......wats ya business wit Alfred?"

Japan - "Please terr Ame-... Arfred-san that I carred. He should know what I'm speaking of." (Background noise - 'Thump' "Give us the-")

Texas - "ok....Is that all?"

Japan - "Hai, thank you for your time." (Background noise - "Their not yours!")

'CLICK'

"Who was that on the phone?" Kansas sighed out, looking over at Texas as he hung up the house phone.

(A/N - who still has a house phone? 📞)

Texas looked worried and a bit pissed off at the same time. "They should be leavin dad alone." He huffed mostly to himself, but loud enough for Kansas to hear. Kansas stood shoulder to shoulder with Texas. His emerald eyes glanced over to meet Texas's jet blue ones.

"Dad is just an important nation I guess, but dats no reason for ya to be gettin all mad at people." Kansas replied to his brother. Texas let out a sigh and relaxed his stressed shoulders. "Sorry I'm just worried..." His voice seemed to be laced with a hint of guilt.

Kansas wanted to say something smart or wise to his brother, but no words came to mind. Sometimes silence says enough when words fail to work.

"Oi! Texaz! Kanzaz! Come over here fazt!" Pennsylvania's voice echoed throughout the hallway reaching the two states. Kansas ran his hand through his sandy blond hair trying to keep calm. "So loud..." the two mumbled as footsteps came running down the hallway towards the them.

Pennsylvania stopped in front of his brothers. He was a head taller and his frame stronger. What made the state stand out the most was the fact that he was an albino. Like the nation Prussia, his hair and skin were white and his eyes a chiming red.

"Itz dad..." Pennsylvania's two words seemed to strike his brothers like a knife. The gut sinking feeling made their world spin.

Without a moment to spare they took off in a full sprint down the hallway, leaving Pennsylvania standing there unable to finish his sentence. They ran down the hallways and up the staircase.

Down the final hallway their father's bedroom door was open. Virginia and Massachusetts sat outside the doorway slumped against the wall, their faces were unreadable emotionally. From this distance they could hear what sounded like their sisters Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas crying inside the room.

The world seemed to stop and everything stood still in that moment. They felt numb. Texas took the lead stepping through the doorway prepared for the worst. Kansas followed his brother's lead.

The sight that greeted them was a sight for sore eyes. Alfred was sitting up awake being hugged to death by Georgia and Florida who were in tears. North and South Carolina were next at the bedside leaned over on their knees. The blanket on the bed muffled their cries. Florida was mumbling something in Spanish as she cried into her fathers shoulder.

Alfred's eyes glanced over to meet his sons gazes. His smile widened and the two boys rushed over to their father's side. Kansas who normally puts on a front over his emotions had warm tears streaming down his face. He joined his sisters and squashed his dad in a hug.

Texas realized that Virginia and Massachusetts as two of the older states kept their composure and chose to keep their tears on the down low. He too found it hard to keep his own composure. Texas settled himself on the opposite side of the bed across from the Carolinas.

Alfred smiled warmly and embraced his kids. "I'm sorry for frightening you all like that." He tried to comfort the young personifications, but it was to no avail.

Georgia looked up at America with teary eyes and a tear stained face. "Bitte verlassen Sie uns nie! Ich möchte nicht, dass du dich wehst."
("Please never leave us! I don't want you to get hurt dad.") Her German tongue was what she resorted to when emotions gripped her heart. 

Alfred had always been there for his states and colonies. Unlike nations, when most of his states were born they started out as mere infants or two year old toddlers. The only ones that started out as children, like nations do were the original thirteen colonies. Only after he gained his independence did his states start to gain personifications. Currently the states looked to be the age of middle school to high school children/teens.

Texas tried to hold back any tears that threatened to fall. Despite his best efforts, one stray salty tear ran down his face.

America had collapsed suddenly in his office a few weeks ago. He had a fever and his breaths were sharp and short. He hadn't been awake until a few minutes ago.

Alfred let out a sigh. Pennsylvania, Virginia and Massachusetts at this point had walked into the room and sat at the foot of the bed. "How long was I out?" Alfred inquired trying not to be crushed by his kids hugs.

All of his states had after all inherited his inhuman strength. So to have three of them tightly hugging him wasn't comfortable, but for him it was manageable.

Virginia was the one to answer his father's question. "It's been three weeks..." His voice seemed to waver a bit. "What's been happening? Is everyone and everything ok?" Alfred may have acted immature around the other nations, but he was a very responsible father.

Massachusetts cleared his throat and spoke up next. "I called everyone to tell them your awake and they should be here soon."

"Japan called, at least dats what he wanted me to tell ya." Texas inputted.

Pennsylvania has just spoken on the phone with Hawaii and the others at Canada's place. "D.C. had a run in vith England, but I don't zink zhat he knew who she vas. Uncle Canada can explain zhe rezt. Hawaii, Vezt Alazka, Eazt Alazka, Delavare, und D.C. are all at Canada's house. They zhould come here in a few hourz to explain zhe vhole zituation." Pennsylvania's German/Prussian accent was very thick despite the fact that America had raised him. A lot of the states had accents and were multi lingual.

(A/N - Do you speak more than one language? Is so have a cookie. 🍪)

America smiled and nodded at all of this new information. He knew Japan had called due to being concerned about him.

What seemed to worry America was the situation his brother and his kids were in concerning the other nations. If he needed to he would protect his brother. That's what brothers do for each other. On the subject of his children, however he wouldn't hesitate to start a world war for them.
He would die for them....
After all....
That's what a father is.