“It's going to be okay.” He whispers, and he knows England can hear his voice. How he wants to embrace him and hold his hand, persuade him that America's going to protect him, but he doesn't; he sits on the edge of the bed, while England is still slumping and sitting in the middle.
“I'll fight off all the bad guys, okay? So you can just sleep; don't worry about it.” America smiles, his face and body glow against the light of the moon and the small, dull lamp in the room. England doesn't move though.
“En-- Arthur, it's fine. It's just a dream; remember, you're here, you're with me, and I'm not going to hurt you in the slightest. Russia isn't coming here.” His words are confident and filled with warmth, England feels gulps and takes a nod; something in his instincts tell him to just go to sleep as he is told.
He lays back down, and America shoots him another smile; “I'll stay here until you fall asleep, so don't worry.” England doesn't respond, and America knows England couldn't have not heard him. For the following hour or so, he sat, watching England breathing, watching him try to sleep.
It is when England manages to fall back into a slumber, America narrows his eyes; he's so small, so weak... it's nothing like how England once was. America picks up his hand, his eyes graze over the bandages wrapped around it, and how rough it feels; Well, he has been in a jail cell for so long... and he resists the urge not to tightly hold England's hand, because remembering the jail cell, remembering how much England suffered (and he didn't even know half the story, mind you.), and who did it all...
He lifts up England's pale hand and lays his lips against it for a moment, and lets go; he brushes a hair out of his face and, “I'm sorry,” so barely above a whisper, before he leaves.
It wasn't the last time America has to come to England's room; in fact, he winds up making a second round trip. It's frequent for the first few nights, but America feels a twinge of hope when he realizes he's coming at England's room to comfort him from nightmares less and less, but as China tells him when he calls; “Don't get your hopes up- aru. He's still unstable; he's only okay now because you're giving him all the affection he needs, but if something like what Russia did to him happens in the slightest, you'll wind up back at square 1- aru.”
Hold Me Close [12/?]
“I'll fight off all the bad guys, okay? So you can just sleep; don't worry about it.” America smiles, his face and body glow against the light of the moon and the small, dull lamp in the room. England doesn't move though.
“En-- Arthur, it's fine. It's just a dream; remember, you're here, you're with me, and I'm not going to hurt you in the slightest. Russia isn't coming here.” His words are confident and filled with warmth, England feels gulps and takes a nod; something in his instincts tell him to just go to sleep as he is told.
He lays back down, and America shoots him another smile; “I'll stay here until you fall asleep, so don't worry.” England doesn't respond, and America knows England couldn't have not heard him. For the following hour or so, he sat, watching England breathing, watching him try to sleep.
It is when England manages to fall back into a slumber, America narrows his eyes; he's so small, so weak... it's nothing like how England once was. America picks up his hand, his eyes graze over the bandages wrapped around it, and how rough it feels; Well, he has been in a jail cell for so long... and he resists the urge not to tightly hold England's hand, because remembering the jail cell, remembering how much England suffered (and he didn't even know half the story, mind you.), and who did it all...
He lifts up England's pale hand and lays his lips against it for a moment, and lets go; he brushes a hair out of his face and, “I'm sorry,” so barely above a whisper, before he leaves.
It wasn't the last time America has to come to England's room; in fact, he winds up making a second round trip. It's frequent for the first few nights, but America feels a twinge of hope when he realizes he's coming at England's room to comfort him from nightmares less and less, but as China tells him when he calls; “Don't get your hopes up- aru. He's still unstable; he's only okay now because you're giving him all the affection he needs, but if something like what Russia did to him happens in the slightest, you'll wind up back at square 1- aru.”