(Months later)

I lay below Arthur after we left Elli to sleep. His green orbs shined in the darkness of the room. I kissed him for a long time. I drank in his presence, and his warmth, which I had an absence of. We let our tongues dance together, explore each other as if there was new territory to discover. I felt his bare chest against mine as we departed from each other. "Alfred..."

"I love you...I love you, so much...I'm so sorry..."

He stroked my cheek with his thumb. "Don't apologize...don't speak anymore words...just act..."

We had traded positions, allowing me to be on top. I kissed behind his ear. which gave him great pleasure, and made him moan in delight. I wasted no time, and placed a line of kisses down his neck, all the way to his collar bone. It had been so long since we had felt such pleasure.

(Months before)

Arthur opened the front door and peered inside, only to see if I was downstairs. When he knew it was clear, he stepped in and closed the door behind himself. "Alfred?" he called. I was in the bathroom upstairs, much like the scene had been months before, only induced by alcohol. He ascended the stairway, only praying to God that I wasn't dead. It had been a full year of drinking, including the months he had been in the hospital. I was addicted, and it's fairly hard to stop once you've started. He reached the doorway, through which he could hear me empty the nonexistent contents of my stomach. He opened the door quickly. "Alfred..."

Sweat was dripping from my face, and wetting my hair. I tried to breathe, but it was all in vain, because I was again forced to place my head into the toilet bowl. Arthur rushed in, and despite the sweat, removed the bangs from my face, and rubbed my back gently. I took a deep breath, and it was all over. "Alfred..."

"W-why..." I wiped my mouth with a cloth. "Why are you here? You left me...you left me alone..."

"It was the best for Elli...I love you, Alfred...nothing is going to change that."

Tears started to flow down my face. I grabbed onto him and cried. He continued to rub my back as I cried, for comfort, more or less. I started to shake, not from being cold, though my chest was bare. He helped me off the floor and into the bedroom, and to the messy bed. I laid on my back, and let him take his dominance over me. Pleasure coursed through my veins. It had felt so good to feel him inside me again, until I felt a burning sensation run through my body. I moaned, but it came out more pleasured than pained, and it went unnoticed. I felt my heartbeat increase even more, making me feel light headed. When at last, the worst happened. I gasped in pain, and it felt like fire was licking at my body. I couldn't breathe, so I grabbed at my chest to try to help with no avail. Arthur began to be worried. "Alfred? What's wrong!" He removed himself from me and propped me up into a sitting position. It hadn't helped. I coughed as breathing got harder. I felt my consciousness begin to fade as my vision started to go black. "Alfred!"

I couldn't stand it anymore, and blacked out completely.

I awoke in the hospital, with many a wire connected to me, a monitor beeping, and a tiny nurse placing a new baggie on the hook. She looked over. "Oh! You've awakened. Are you feeling alright, Mr. America?"

I did not know what to think. She looked at the monitor. "Everything is normal, would you like-"

"Is he here?" I asked in a rasp.

"Yes, Sir. He's been waiting. I'll get him for you."

She left, and not soon after, the door reopened, and Arthur walked in. "Are you feeling alright?"

I shook my head. "I shouldn't be alive..."

"Don't say that, Alfred..."

"No. It's true. This is the second time this has happened."

"Second?"

I nodded. "To be honest, I have a very low alcohol tolerance. So, everything just builds up until it becomes dangerous, and almost kills me. It's sad, really, that I've lost myself to this."

"When did it happen the first time?"

"After the Revolutionary War. I felt so terrible that I turned to drinking for comfort. I went so many years like that, up until one day it finally caught up to me. The Doctor said I died on the table that night, and I believe him. I lost who I was to alcoholism. So, I decided to do something about it."

I looked at my wrist to find my string bracelet. "I made this with the first counseling group in the United States...It was my promise, as much as theirs, that it would never happen again...I let them down..."

"Oh, Alfred..." His green orbs were filled with tears.

"I'm going to go back there for as long as it takes, so I can become sober again..."

He wiped his eyes. "I'll wait for you, at home with Elli...we'll wait, and we'll visit you when we can. I won't give up on you. I won't leave you again."

I placed my free hand behind his head and pulled him close. "I love you, Alfred F. Jones."

(Months later)

Elli ran into the room, late the next morning. "Daddy! Papa! Wake up!"

I groaned. "I don't wanna..."

"Stop being lazy, American, and get up!"

Arthur snickered. I opened my eyes. "Something else you learned in school?"

"No, papa told me."

I grabbed him from behind. "Did he now?"

She giggled. "Run, papa! Daddy's going to get you!"

I poked his nose, and he opened his eyes to peer at me. "Sorry to disturb you, but I need your assistance in capturing a certain little girl..."

She squealed as Arthur sat up. She tried to hop away, but I caught her. "Oh no you don't, little monster!" I started to tickle her.

"Eep! Papa, save me!"

"Allow me to use my one hit move." He poked me in the side, which was very sensitive, and I toppled over onto the floor, dragging the blanket with me. They both laughed. She looked over the edge. "Are you okay, daddy?"

I reached up at her, growling like a cat. She squealed and moved back. "It's a scary animal!" she shrieked.

"No, it's just Alfred."

"Oh, you're so kind..." I tried to untangle myself from the blanket. Elli hopped off the bed. "I'm going to go change..." She left the room. I successfully removed myself from the blanket and tossed it up onto the bed. Arthur leaned his head over the edge, a wide smile across his face. I leaned up and kissed it. "What's the smirk for?"

"It's Saturday. I get to help Elli make breakfast for you."

I smiled. "Is that right?"

He slid off the bed to sit next to me on the floor. "Plus, I invited a few people over to celebrate..."

"Mm...food from all over the world...I'm hungry now."

He poked my stomach. "You've lost weight."

"Yeah...they fed me portions. It was torture!"

He chuckled. "You'll be well fed here with me, I assure you."

I laid my head next to his neck, between his jaw and his collar bone. "I know."

He stroked the back of my head, messing with the hair that had grown too long in my absence. "We need to cut your hair..."

I kissed his neck. "Yeah..."

"You know what else you need?"

"Hm?"

"A shower!" He pushed me onto the floor and poked my sides, smiling in satisfaction as I squirmed and spasmed. I laughed hard, while trying to escape. "H-hey! S-stop! Ha-ha! Iggy, stop! Aah!"

Arthur paused and smiled. "You haven't called me 'Iggy' since before we were married."

"I hadn't even noticed I said that..."

(Years before)

"Yo! Iggy!"

He sighed, irritated. "Stop calling me that."

"Dude, it's just a nickname, chill."

"What do you want, America?"

I thought for a moment. "Ha, I forgot."

"Splendid...anything else?"

I stood behind him, looking at his hands. "Were you out in the garden?"

He nodded. "Just tended to the flowers that were wilting...so early in spring too..."

I moved to his side, and grabbed his hands. "A-Alfred! What are you..."

I had a band-aid unwrapped and I placed it on his finger. "I heard you curse earlier, so I figured you'd cut yourself...You should be more careful, Iggy. It could get infected."

He stared at his bandaged finger, and his dirty hands in my clean ones. He knew at that moment that his feelings were true. "Alfred."

"Yeah, Iggy?"

He reached up with both of his hands, and pulled my head down close to his. I stared into his beautiful green eyes as he stared into my crystal blue ones. He locked our lips together. My eyes closed as we fell deeply in love.

Our relationship hadn't always been so great. The Revolution placed a wide gap between us. Around the time of World War I, our bond had started to grow. It wasn't until World War II that we realized how in love we were. He took a shot for me in battle, which baffled all the other Nations because of our history together as rival countries. Some knew it was inevitable that we would end up together. He was my kind caretaker when I was young, though I never viewed him as a father. An older brother, maybe.

We were married a while after the war ended, and years after that had we adopted our daughter Elli. We received her after birth, saving her from the life of poverty she would have had to face. She grew up accepting the fact that she had two dads, and she enjoyed it. Never once thought it weird, in a sense. Two males married with a child was unheard of, but hey, love is love. Acceptance of it had grown over time, of course.

I would die for both my child and Arthur.

(Months later)

I sat at the kitchen table, waiting to see what I was going to eat for breakfast. I hear laughter in the kitchen, and very badly wanted to see and join in. But I knew if I stepped foot into the kitchen, that Arthur would gut me alive. So I remained seated and listened. I noticed how clean the house was, and how bad of a condition I had left it in. It made me shudder. "I'm going out back for a few! Come and get me when you're ready!" I called, then got up and walked into the backyard. I grabbed my soccer ball and kicked it against the wall, letting it bounce back so I could block it. The ball flew into my face, and caused me to fall back into the grass. It came to rest next to me. I stared up at the big blue sky. "L-LOOK OUT!"

I rolled over just as a ball whizzed past my face. I waved at Ludwig, Feli and Lovi as they walked up the path. "Hey guys!"

Ludwig offered me a hand, and I got up. "Nice to see you!"

"Very nice! I brought you a present!" The quirky Italian Nation shoved a box in my face. I laughed and received it graciously.

"Thanks, Feli!"

The backdoor opened suddenly, and from it flew Francis. Arthur put his foot down. "You damn frog!" He slammed the door.

"Yo, Francis! You down for a game of soccer?"

"Are you ready to lose again?"

"Shut-up, wine-drinking-bastard! We play better than you!"

Feli grabbed the soccer ball. "We need more people!"

Arthur ran outside and jumped onto my back. "I'll play once we've eaten!"

I held him on my back. "We're even now! But food sounds good."

I ran through the backyard with him on my back, and the other European countries trailed behind. Elli was already at the table. "Daddy! We made a feast!"

"It looks great! I'm so hungry too. You always know what to do!"

Arthur hopped off my back. "Eat as much as you'd like."

"I will take you up on that."

I sat in a chair and grabbed for the food, while the others remained standing. Elli hopped onto my lap. "Don't stand there, eat!" She gestured to the lavish spread of food. "I put all my love into it!"

"Do you have any left for me?" I asked.

"I always have love left for you, daddy!"

I nuzzled my face into her soft hair. "Papa! Come sit!" She pointed to the chair next to us. He smiled, and walked over. The others took a seat.

"How does it feel?" Feli asked.

"Good." I wiped a smudge of batter off Elli's face. "Really good. It's hard to believe it got so bad."

Elli grabbed a maple leaf shaped glass container. "Uncle Matty said to give this to you..."

"Maple syrup! Now I can make my waffles sticky!" I popped open the bottle and poured the contents onto my plate.

"Heads up!"

"Don't you know how to kick a ball?"

"Sorry, Lovi!"

"Hamburger-eating-"

"Watch your language, there's a child around!"

"Oh hon...Can't we ever just play a normal game of soccer?"

"Shut it, frog!"

I smiled and wiped the sweat drenched bangs from my face. I sat on the grass, and Elli sat a few feet away. "That was fun, daddy!"

"Yeah it was!"

Arthur flopped beside us. "I am so tired..."

"Look out!"

I ducked as a ball flew over my head. "Feli, you idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Lovi!"

"Will both of you shut up!"

"Oh hon hon...Very interesting game indeed."

The European Nations all sat in the grass as well. Elli hopped up. "Let's play duck-duck-goose!" She started to walk around the circle calling out duck. She called goose on Feli, and he chased after her until she jumped in his spot, and he was left to go around next. Arthur leaned on my shoulder. "It's all so normal..."

"Yeah..."

A church bell chimed in the distance. We all stopped to listen to the beautiful melody that could only be defined as one nation's love for another.

(Years before)

Arthur sat alone. He did so often, even though our relationship had grown to be so much more. I opened the door quietly, and stalked inside. I walked down the hall and stopped inside a room with a piano. "I hope this goes right..." I sat down at the piano, and used as much as I had learned from a certain Austrian Nation, to play a beautiful melody. Arthur heard this, and walked in its direction. He had never heard such a song before. He stopped in the doorway. The keys flowed beneath my fingers in harmony, until the melodious tune was over. Arthur was overjoyed. He ran over and hugged me. "That was beautiful, Alfred..."

"I learned it for you...let it be known as one Nation's love for another."

The song blended the American culture with the English culture, and the two came together very well. Was there to be any doubt?