Virginia had seen her father get like this enough times to no longer be alarmed by his mood swings, but she never ceased being irritated by her father's carelessness. "So you're going to let him stay? With him admitting what he's done? He hasn't even apologized to either of us!" She stomped out of the room, slamming the door on her way out.
"Are you still at it?" America asked the baby, who was rooting against him. America repositioned his son, got up, and left the room as well. He called back to England, "You know where everything is. And I meant what I said, you're not allowed in my bed. Sleep in one of the other bedrooms, your old room is now Virginia's."
He didn't know where his daughter had gone and he didn't check; America just headed back to his bedroom.
There, he set New Netherland down on the bed and poked at his tiny hands and feet while the baby waved his little arms around and made happy squeaking sounds at this game. Seeing the baby go from indifferent to laughing cheered up America. Like all the times he couldn't get any sleep because the baby wanted to eat every other hour, or the baby wouldn't keep quiet unless America was walking around while holding him, all it took was New Netherland suddenly smiling or doing something else that showed off his developing personality to melt America and make him not lose his mind.
"I don't even remember what your father looks like," he said softly, wiggling his fingers inches from the baby's face. "I keep looking at you, trying to see if you look like me or you look like him, and after a year, I can only remember he's tall and has spiky hair. You've got the hair, but I can't even say now what color his was. Blond? Brown?"
New Netherland cooed and grabbed at America's fingers.
"I'm not asking you, you couldn't possibly know." America smiled at the baby, tracing the little fingers curling around his.
"Netherlands has brown hair and amber eyes," England said, from the doorway. "Light brown, it would be easy to mistake it for some shade of blond, if you were having trouble remembering."
America resisted asking England what he was doing. It was annoying that these peaceful moments with his son were being intruded upon, but America also liked that England hadn't just taken off, after that disastrous meeting.
England walked around the bed, sitting down opposite America. Looking down at the baby, he stared hard, then gently stroked New Netherland's wild hair. New Netherland, still clinging to America, watched England as if not sure what to think about this new person. "He's giving a look like Netherlands would, and his hair has a life of its own like Netherlands's, but really, he's still too little to look that much like either one of you."
"I told you you weren't sleeping in my room."
"The other rooms are dusty. I won't try anything shifty, I promise."
It would be nice to have someone other than a child sleeping with him. "Fine. You won't be able to do much anyway, with the baby in the bed."
"He sleeps with you? Don't you have a crib?"
Where was he supposed to get extra furniture? "Maybe if you or Netherlands had ever helped out with your babies, I'd have useless things for them."
Frowning, England quit paying attention to the baby. "A crib is not useless. America, you can't have a baby in the bed. What if it smothered by you or the blankets?"
This horrified America, who up till now, had never had any worries about sleeping with Virginia and New Netherland--the worst that ever happened was America not quite getting enough sleep. Was he endangering the baby, by not having a crib for him? Guiltily, America felt that if he could find ways of getting clothing for his children, he should have been able to find a way to step things up, and get a crib.
Thinking America was being resistant, England continued reasoning. "I'm sure it's easier, not having to get up to feed the baby during the night, but he shouldn't be eating much...er, how many times do you feed him?"
"Whenever he wants," America answered, wondering if this was the wrong thing to say. New Netherland didn't get a lot from each feeding; frequently nursing seemed to even out everything. The baby didn't look like he wasn't getting enough to eat, and his crying always sounded impatient, not like he was suffering neglect.
"You're spoiling him."
"He's three months old!" How many newborns had England raised? None of the colonies had ever been that young!
"There are certain things you have to do to properly care for a baby, America."
America sat in awkward silence, eyes on New Netherland, trying to see some sign of mistreatment--why else would England be telling him better ways of raising the baby? But New Netherland was alert and curious; Virginia had been the same way when she was his age, and she'd made it eight years without coming to harm, even with tampering around with firearms. He couldn't have been doing that bad a job with his children.
England leaned across over the baby and hugged America, in what was obviously meant to be a reassuring gesture. "You have me to help you now."
While he tried to appear grateful, America couldn't shake off a sense of dread that England's "help" was going to create more problems.
I was all ready to head to bed and then I saw you updated! Every new chapter always leaves me hungry for more. I'm such a broken record when I comment, sob.
/)_(\ Sometimes I come back to this story in-between updates. A bittersweet affection passes over me whenever I reach that moment when Canada hugs America -- a simple gesture that comes across as extremely meaningful because America has always had to push people into being with him when he needs them most. It's only two lines, but I find it so poignant. I can't help thinking that you're drawing a parallel between that scene and the one at the end of this chapter because of the placement. Maybe it's just crazy talk at 3 AM. :|a
That just says that something spoke to you! Which is a good thing!
I definitely have been trying to keep parts of this open-ended so that certain things can be assumed/interpreted, even if they're not explicitly put into the story, so to get comments that readers are finding parallels/gathering a situation-thought-statement is more loaded than being said...makes me all flaily with glee.
I love England's theory, and I find myself thrilled that we'll hear the full of it in the middle of the Cold War...could it have anything to do with Alaska, and America' decission to sleep with Russia? And fuck yeah, Virginia is badass and angry...England better behave! Only, we know he won't, as America is bound to have more states sooner rather than later...and he took America's sleeping with Netherlands surprisingly well, tooXD
A question: are you gonna write about every conception/birth of the 50 states? I hope yo do, because this story is awesome chand your writing and characterization are fantastic. And it'd be nice to see all the states, instead of the most popular ones (Virginia, New York, Florida, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Pennsylvania when she/he is Prussia's, California, New Mexico, Louisiana, sometimes New Jersey). And it'll also be interesting to see America's sex experiences with all the different daddies, and how they evolve from his first time with them to the many other times (at least with England, France and Spain). You're doing a wonderful job showing America's selfishness and mood-swings typical of a child/teenager, which only serves as a reminder of how painfully young he is.
All fifty? Oh God no. I could not do all of them, but there will be different fathers shown, because poor America still needs to have a sexual encounter that will convince him sex doesn't suck, and there are further circumstances concerning Hawaii than have been stated so far, and Canada will be the one to find out about that.
England...did a bad thing and will continue doing bad things, but I don't want him being turned into an unrepentant monster. He's criticizing everything, but I'd like to think even he would admit expecting America's ass to be his only when he was gone nearly ten years would be asking too much. :D
because poor America still needs to have a sexual encounter that will convince him sex doesn't suck,
You wrote this and my mind immediately went to shout France! And Spain!. Because the poor kid has earned his experiences with the world's best renowed loversXD
And I'm so glad England won't be villainized...I mena, it's pretty clear he isn't, you're giving very fair treatment to everyone here, but...the Revolution is yet to happen, you know? ^^U
I like this fill... a lot. Sorry I haven't commended before but I just... don't know what to say. orz The story is disturbing but good. Seriously, it gives me the creeps, especially thinking about how YOUNG and ALONE America was, but I keep coming back anyway.
I pitch Utah and Colorado for states. Or Nevada, born right before the civil war ended. I love this story. is there any reason Texas is so angry at New Mexico for the toe thing? It seems he's being a bit parental.
Hi! Texas was pissed about the toe thing because that glue's not going to come off easily, and the parental thing...is my personal fanon is that older states get pretty overprotective about the states they grew up with/share the same parents. And with that many states, they'd have to help out a lot with the littler ones, like Virginia's case. So the way it would work here is Texas and Colorado, being the oldest of America's states with Mexico, would be super vigilante over Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.
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All is Not As it Seems - 7c
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 02:47 am (UTC)(link)"Are you still at it?" America asked the baby, who was rooting against him. America repositioned his son, got up, and left the room as well. He called back to England, "You know where everything is. And I meant what I said, you're not allowed in my bed. Sleep in one of the other bedrooms, your old room is now Virginia's."
He didn't know where his daughter had gone and he didn't check; America just headed back to his bedroom.
There, he set New Netherland down on the bed and poked at his tiny hands and feet while the baby waved his little arms around and made happy squeaking sounds at this game. Seeing the baby go from indifferent to laughing cheered up America. Like all the times he couldn't get any sleep because the baby wanted to eat every other hour, or the baby wouldn't keep quiet unless America was walking around while holding him, all it took was New Netherland suddenly smiling or doing something else that showed off his developing personality to melt America and make him not lose his mind.
"I don't even remember what your father looks like," he said softly, wiggling his fingers inches from the baby's face. "I keep looking at you, trying to see if you look like me or you look like him, and after a year, I can only remember he's tall and has spiky hair. You've got the hair, but I can't even say now what color his was. Blond? Brown?"
New Netherland cooed and grabbed at America's fingers.
"I'm not asking you, you couldn't possibly know." America smiled at the baby, tracing the little fingers curling around his.
"Netherlands has brown hair and amber eyes," England said, from the doorway. "Light brown, it would be easy to mistake it for some shade of blond, if you were having trouble remembering."
America resisted asking England what he was doing. It was annoying that these peaceful moments with his son were being intruded upon, but America also liked that England hadn't just taken off, after that disastrous meeting.
England walked around the bed, sitting down opposite America. Looking down at the baby, he stared hard, then gently stroked New Netherland's wild hair. New Netherland, still clinging to America, watched England as if not sure what to think about this new person. "He's giving a look like Netherlands would, and his hair has a life of its own like Netherlands's, but really, he's still too little to look that much like either one of you."
"I told you you weren't sleeping in my room."
"The other rooms are dusty. I won't try anything shifty, I promise."
It would be nice to have someone other than a child sleeping with him. "Fine. You won't be able to do much anyway, with the baby in the bed."
"He sleeps with you? Don't you have a crib?"
Where was he supposed to get extra furniture? "Maybe if you or Netherlands had ever helped out with your babies, I'd have useless things for them."
Frowning, England quit paying attention to the baby. "A crib is not useless. America, you can't have a baby in the bed. What if it smothered by you or the blankets?"
This horrified America, who up till now, had never had any worries about sleeping with Virginia and New Netherland--the worst that ever happened was America not quite getting enough sleep. Was he endangering the baby, by not having a crib for him? Guiltily, America felt that if he could find ways of getting clothing for his children, he should have been able to find a way to step things up, and get a crib.
Thinking America was being resistant, England continued reasoning. "I'm sure it's easier, not having to get up to feed the baby during the night, but he shouldn't be eating much...er, how many times do you feed him?"
All is Not As it Seems - 7d
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 02:48 am (UTC)(link)"You're spoiling him."
"He's three months old!" How many newborns had England raised? None of the colonies had ever been that young!
"There are certain things you have to do to properly care for a baby, America."
America sat in awkward silence, eyes on New Netherland, trying to see some sign of mistreatment--why else would England be telling him better ways of raising the baby? But New Netherland was alert and curious; Virginia had been the same way when she was his age, and she'd made it eight years without coming to harm, even with tampering around with firearms. He couldn't have been doing that bad a job with his children.
England leaned across over the baby and hugged America, in what was obviously meant to be a reassuring gesture. "You have me to help you now."
While he tried to appear grateful, America couldn't shake off a sense of dread that England's "help" was going to create more problems.
***
♥
Re: All is Not As it Seems - 7d
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 10:16 am (UTC)(link)/)_(\ Sometimes I come back to this story in-between updates. A bittersweet affection passes over me whenever I reach that moment when Canada hugs America -- a simple gesture that comes across as extremely meaningful because America has always had to push people into being with him when he needs them most. It's only two lines, but I find it so poignant. I can't help thinking that you're drawing a parallel between that scene and the one at the end of this chapter because of the placement. Maybe it's just crazy talk at 3 AM. :|a
That said, thanks for writing! o7
a/n
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)I definitely have been trying to keep parts of this open-ended so that certain things can be assumed/interpreted, even if they're not explicitly put into the story, so to get comments that readers are finding parallels/gathering a situation-thought-statement is more loaded than being said...makes me all flaily with glee.
Thank you!
Re: All is Not As it Seems - 7d
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 02:18 pm (UTC)(link)A question: are you gonna write about every conception/birth of the 50 states? I hope yo do, because this story is awesome chand your writing and characterization are fantastic. And it'd be nice to see all the states, instead of the most popular ones (Virginia, New York, Florida, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Pennsylvania when she/he is Prussia's, California, New Mexico, Louisiana, sometimes New Jersey). And it'll also be interesting to see America's sex experiences with all the different daddies, and how they evolve from his first time with them to the many other times (at least with England, France and Spain). You're doing a wonderful job showing America's selfishness and mood-swings typical of a child/teenager, which only serves as a reminder of how painfully young he is.
a/n
(Anonymous) 2010-09-30 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)England...did a bad thing and will continue doing bad things, but I don't want him being turned into an unrepentant monster. He's criticizing everything, but I'd like to think even he would admit expecting America's ass to be his only when he was gone nearly ten years would be asking too much. :D
Thank you so much, for reading and the comment!
Re: a/n
(Anonymous) 2010-10-01 01:25 am (UTC)(link)You wrote this and my mind immediately went to shout France! And Spain!. Because the poor kid has earned his experiences with the world's best renowed loversXD
And I'm so glad England won't be villainized...I mena, it's pretty clear he isn't, you're giving very fair treatment to everyone here, but...the Revolution is yet to happen, you know? ^^U
Re: All is Not As it Seems - 7d
(Anonymous) 2010-10-02 01:30 am (UTC)(link)Re: All is Not As it Seems - 7d
(Anonymous) 2010-10-11 12:25 am (UTC)(link)a/n
(Anonymous) 2010-10-11 04:19 am (UTC)(link)I'm really glad you like the story!