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Description
A hand ran through his dirty blond locks. A voice, unusually soft and gentle, rang in his ears. The words were jumbled, but it was perfectly clear that he was being sang to. The melodic tune always made him smile.

Alfred couldn't concentrate while his head was being pet; a trait he had picked up from his older brother. He smiled and leaned into the touch, earning a chuckle from the man he was laying on.

"You should be asleep already, you twit." Arthur stopped petting the boy's head, hearing a whimper from the boy on his lap. "I've been trying to sing you to sleep for half an hour, now." The brit huffed and laid down next to the younger nation.

"Are you gonna tell me a story, Iggy?" Alfred giggled as the lights were shut off and his brother's arms wrapped around him. There was a kiss pressed to his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah. What should it be about this time? Cowboys and indians?"
He shook his head
"What about...going to the moon?"
Another shake.
"I want to hear the one about the knight!"

Arthur sighed. "Again? Don't you want to hear about something more exciting?"

Alfred shook his head and snuggled into the older boy's chest. "Please, Iggy? Pretty please?" That was a plea the Brit couldn't ignore. They wrapped themselves in blankets and closed their eyes. Arthur continued to pet the American's head as he talked.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named--"

"I want her name to be Arthur." The younger boy chripped happily. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes.

"But that's a boy's name, twit. There's no way anybody would name a princess Ar--"

"Then let's name her Iggy!" Arthur knew he wasn't going to win this fight. Alfred smiled as his brother continued.

"Princess Iggy was the ruler of a very large kingdom. But there was nobody else, just the Princess and the people she ruled over. So, one day, a letter sat on the Princess' pillow, inviting her to a meeting for all the rulers of all the kingdoms in the world. The Princess never got along with anybody else, so she never went.

But the meeting was very important. Because she didn't go, the other kingdoms thought that her kingdom didn't like theirs. They thought her armies were going to try and attack them. All the other kingdoms of the world had another meeting and decided that they were going to capture the Princess and take over her kingdom."

Alfred bit his lip and stared through the dark, searching for his brother's eyes. "Why didn't they like her, Iggy?" His voice was so soft and innocent.

Arthur sighed, holding the American closer to his chest. "Nobody can like everybody. Sometimes, everybody just hates one certain person. You'll learn when you grow older." Alfred swore he heard something wrong in the way Arthur spoke.

"As I was saying, men from all over the world took over the Princess' kingdom and the Princess was taken to a far away land. The kingdoms kept her in a high tower on a distant island where nobody would find her.

But one day, a boy, let's call him--"

"Alfred!" Arthur knew that the younger nation would suggest he use his name.

"--Alfred, lived on the island and he was going on an adventure. When he walked by the tower, he thought he heard crying. So, Alfred broke down the tower door and climbed step after step until he came to a small black door that led to the source of the crying noises. He kicked down the black door only to find Princess...Princess..." The tired Brit lost his train of thought and closed his eyes.

"Iggy! Princess Iggy!" Alfred shouted, waking Arthur from his short nap and continuing the story.

"Yes, the Princess was lying in her bed, crying. When Alfred asked her what was wrong, she told him that because she wasn't a princess anymore, she was alone and nobody cared about her. Alfred said that he would take care of her and he helped her get out of the tall tower.

Alfred told Iggy that even if she wasn't a princess anymore, he still cared about her. They lived there together and Alfred and Iggy became the king and queen of their own little island." Arthur, content with his half-assed story, closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep. He quietly snored, his lips pressed against the younger boy's head.

"Are you asleep?" Alfred whispered softly, poking the older nation in the cheek. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." The boy sighed, holding onto the man next to him.

"When you're in trouble, Iggy, I'll be your hero. I'll be just like the Alfred in the story. And I'll save you from everybody else, and maybe you'll be able to smile like you did when you first saw me. You think we could ever be like them, Iggy? You think we could live together forever?"

Alfred kissed his older brother on the cheek and relaxed against his chest.

"I'll be your hero, Iggy. I'll protect you forever." With that, America closed his eyes, not knowing that a few years from then, Arthur would be kneeling in front of him with a gun in his hands and tears in his eyes.

Description
A hand ran through his dirty blond locks. A voice, unusually soft and gentle, rang in his ears. The words were jumbled, but it was perfectly clear that he was being sang to. The melodic tune always made him smile.

Alfred couldn't concentrate while his head was being pet; a trait he had picked up from his older brother. He smiled and leaned into the touch, earning a chuckle from the man he was laying on.

"You should be asleep already, you twit." Arthur stopped petting the boy's head, hearing a whimper from the boy on his lap. "I've been trying to sing you to sleep for half an hour, now." The brit huffed and laid down next to the younger nation.

"Are you gonna tell me a story, Iggy?" Alfred giggled as the lights were shut off and his brother's arms wrapped around him. There was a kiss pressed to his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah. What should it be about this time? Cowboys and indians?"
He shook his head
"What about...going to the moon?"
Another shake.
"I want to hear the one about the knight!"

Arthur sighed. "Again? Don't you want to hear about something more exciting?"

Alfred shook his head and snuggled into the older boy's chest. "Please, Iggy? Pretty please?" That was a plea the Brit couldn't ignore. They wrapped themselves in blankets and closed their eyes. Arthur continued to pet the American's head as he talked.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named--"

"I want her name to be Arthur." The younger boy chripped happily. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes.

"But that's a boy's name, twit. There's no way anybody would name a princess Ar--"

"Then let's name her Iggy!" Arthur knew he wasn't going to win this fight. Alfred smiled as his brother continued.

"Princess Iggy was the ruler of a very large kingdom. But there was nobody else, just the Princess and the people she ruled over. So, one day, a letter sat on the Princess' pillow, inviting her to a meeting for all the rulers of all the kingdoms in the world. The Princess never got along with anybody else, so she never went.

But the meeting was very important. Because she didn't go, the other kingdoms thought that her kingdom didn't like theirs. They thought her armies were going to try and attack them. All the other kingdoms of the world had another meeting and decided that they were going to capture the Princess and take over her kingdom."

Alfred bit his lip and stared through the dark, searching for his brother's eyes. "Why didn't they like her, Iggy?" His voice was so soft and innocent.

Arthur sighed, holding the American closer to his chest. "Nobody can like everybody. Sometimes, everybody just hates one certain person. You'll learn when you grow older." Alfred swore he heard something wrong in the way Arthur spoke.

"As I was saying, men from all over the world took over the Princess' kingdom and the Princess was taken to a far away land. The kingdoms kept her in a high tower on a distant island where nobody would find her.

But one day, a boy, let's call him--"

"Alfred!" Arthur knew that the younger nation would suggest he use his name.

"--Alfred, lived on the island and he was going on an adventure. When he walked by the tower, he thought he heard crying. So, Alfred broke down the tower door and climbed step after step until he came to a small black door that led to the source of the crying noises. He kicked down the black door only to find Princess...Princess..." The tired Brit lost his train of thought and closed his eyes.

"Iggy! Princess Iggy!" Alfred shouted, waking Arthur from his short nap and continuing the story.

"Yes, the Princess was lying in her bed, crying. When Alfred asked her what was wrong, she told him that because she wasn't a princess anymore, she was alone and nobody cared about her. Alfred said that he would take care of her and he helped her get out of the tall tower.

Alfred told Iggy that even if she wasn't a princess anymore, he still cared about her. They lived there together and Alfred and Iggy became the king and queen of their own little island." Arthur, content with his half-assed story, closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep. He quietly snored, his lips pressed against the younger boy's head.

"Are you asleep?" Alfred whispered softly, poking the older nation in the cheek. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." The boy sighed, holding onto the man next to him.

"When you're in trouble, Iggy, I'll be your hero. I'll be just like the Alfred in the story. And I'll save you from everybody else, and maybe you'll be able to smile like you did when you first saw me. You think we could ever be like them, Iggy? You think we could live together forever?"

Alfred kissed his older brother on the cheek and relaxed against his chest.

"I'll be your hero, Iggy. I'll protect you forever." With that, America closed his eyes, not knowing that a few years from then, Arthur would be kneeling in front of him with a gun in his hands and tears in his eyes.