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Papa Asean

"Hey guys! North Korea's here!" Thailand yelled from the front door. North winced as his voice sent sparks of pain shooting up his head. Thailand noticed it and raised an eyebrow in question. North quickly shook his head while rubbing his neck embarassingly. Suddenly, Thai was shoved aside and the Rice Gang ran past the two countrues and onto the pavement outside. North leaned against the pillar in amusement as MalPhilIndo ran from what looked like an angry Laos. "GET BACK HERE YOU SONS OF HADES! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GIVE ME ANY SPOILERS!!!" Smiling faintly,North allowed himself to linger for a moment before heading in with Thai.

"Hi North! How've you been? Can we get you anything?" Singa asked from the kitchen where she and Brunei were doing the dishes. Both had smudges of dirt on their faces and North was amused at how out of place Brunei looked in the kitchen. "No thank you Singa but I appreciate the offer," he declined politely. Not that he could eat anything even if he tried. His appetite had decided to take a vacation that day and he hadn't eaten much since that cup of coffee he shoved down his throat for breakfast. "Well let us know if you need anything. Though, I have to warn you, Thai's the only one who can cook anything edible!" Brunei joked as he wiped his face on his shirt sleeve. Thai rolled his eyes at his friend and led North to the living room where Myammar,Vietnam and Cam were playing Uno on the coffee table. "Hi North! Wanna join in?" Cam offered as she put another +4 card on the growing pile. "No thank you Cam but I appreciate the offer," a uniform reply. Polite and effective, it had helped North get out of a few situations before.

"Welcome North. My, you've grown. How are things at home? South still giving you a headache?" Asean greeted the country as Thai brought him into the study. Asean ran his eye over his guest and was quick to notice the slight shift in expression when North sat down , the sublte movement of the hand that now grabbed his abdomen and the shadows beneath the eyes,marking nights spent either in discomfort or in nightmares. The smile that seemed a bit too tight and the lips that were dry and cracked. Asean quickly looked at Thai who was studying North like he was. Giving Thai a tight nod, Asean dismissed the lingering country.

Their meeting had only just started 10 minutes ago but it felt like forever to North. Thanks to his headaches, Asean's words were like a fog and he could only grasp every 4th word. "Argh!" he grabbed his head as a flash of pain danced in his head. Asean was by his side immediately, hand on his shoulder, like he'd done something like this many times before. Bile raced up North's throat and he pursed his lips in anticipation. Lucky for him, Asean had slung him over his shoulders and helped him to the washroom that was adjoined to the study.

While North empited his stomach's measly contents, Asean rubbed his back and murmured words of comfort to the sick country. Once his stomach was thoroughly emptied, Asean brought him to his bedroom which was (not surprisingly) also adjoined to the study. Laying North on the bed, Asean left the room to find Thai. Their voices carried from the study and to North Korea as he lay in bed, helpless as a lamb. " Fetch him some clothes and tell Phil to call South. Maybe tell Vietnam to brew a cup of tea if she's still in the house," North tried to sit up,to tell them that it wasn't necessary but even the slightest movement brought an onslaught of pain. Shortly after, Asean came back with a cup of tea,a hoodie and pair of baggy jeans courtesy of Thailand. North tried to sit up again only to have Asean strip him of his own clothes and dress him in the hoodie and jeans. " Try to rest up okay? Your brother will be here soon North." North looked back at Asean, too weak to utter words but one. "South...?" his voice heavy with drowse and the poor country fell asleep immediately.

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER?!" South Korea barged through the front door and past the kitchen. When Phil had called him 2 hours earlier, he had rushed out of his studio apartment and nearly tore up the road with how fast he was driving. Brunei got up from his spot on the couch and put both hands on the anxious country's shoulders. "Calm down. Asean's with him right now. He's asleep right now but you can see him if you'd like," his calm aura washed over South and he gently shepherded him to where his brother was sleeping peacefully. Asean looked up from the book he was reading at North's side and stood to greet South. Noticing the wet cloth on North's forehead, South bowed deeply and began uttering words of thanks and apologies. Asean crouched down, met South's eyes and smiled.

" He has a fever and may be unconscious for a while. If you'd like, we can arrange for guest rooms to be prepared for you and your brother until he recovers." Asean offered South as the two sat at the ornate desk in Asean's study. Shoulders sagging in relief, South barely said his thanks when Asean bade Singa and Cam to prepare the guest rooms. "No problem Papa Asean!" the girls chirped as they flited to their assignments. As preparations were being made, South asked Asean what had been on his mind for days. "Why 'Papa'? you're not their dad right?" his eyes widened at his words. If North was awake at that moment, he would've spanked him into tomorrow. Asean chuckled lightly,as though the question wasn't offensive in the slightest. " It started when I began taking them in. They decided that I needed a nickname since they couldn't keep calling me 'sir' all their lives. Thai called me Father Asean by accident but everyone took to that. Cam tweaked it to fit our relationship with one another and thus, 'Papa Asean' stuck," Asean shared,his face filled with that paternal warmth one would find in a proud father. South nodded in understanding and thanked Asean for the story.

2 days passed. South now stood by North's bedside, wetting the cloth and placing it on his brother's forehead. North was wearing a sweatshirt and baggy jeans courtesy of Brunei. Having stayed in the Asean family household for 2 days now, South was inclined to call Asean 'Papa' too. In all he did over the course of 2 days, he could see that they weren't wrong to dub him as such. "A watched pot never boils. He won't get better if you keep staring at him like that," Vietnam stood in the doorway to the room, interrupting South's thoughts. A new voice piped up, nearly stopping South's heart clean. "He can stay Vietnam," North Korea sat up from his position on the bed and looked at his brother fondly. South pounced on his brpther and embraced him with everything he had. "I'll just...go get Asean..." Vietnam excused herself from the scene, her heart overflowing.

"Thank you sir, I apologise for all the trouble I caused you." North bowed to Asean before the twins left the next day. Asean had insisted they stay an extra day despite North insisting that he had recovered. "No need to apologise North. Just take better care of yourself okay? Don't overwork and take these for the road" Asean advised him as he pushed a container of cookies into his hand. Singa and Brunei were helping South shove all his clothes in the boot of the car and the others were watching from a respectful distance. North looked down in embarassment. "Thank you Papa Asean," he whispered only audible to Asean and his brother. As the Korean twins drove away, Asean's face once again was filled with that paternal warmth.