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Kuya Martial

As the light of the rising sun flitted through the aeroplane windows, he lifted a hand over his eyes lazily. The glare of the sun blinded him and he reached over to close the window. His white dress shirt rumpled as he adjusted his position and his navy blue jeans were just as rumpled. "Rise and shine everyone! We'll be reaching C.H city in about 10 minutes. Please ensure you have all your belongings with you and don't forget to take any carry ons with you on your way out," the cheerful greeting from the captain awoke all the passengers on board. Most began reaching under their seats for their bags while others made to use the restroom. He patted his pockets and was relieved to find that the only carry ons he had were with him.

Meanwhile, Phil was sound asleep in his room he shared with Mal and Indo. His single bed was situated under the window and the double decker bed was across the room from him. An alarm clock buzzed insistently and Phil draped his arm over it. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and checked the calendar he had hung on the wall. Several arrows and a few smiley faces were drawn on one particular date. Squinting a little in the dawn's light, Phil's eyes widened in further excitement and he dashed to wake his friends. "GUYS!!! KUYA MARTIAL IS COMING HOME!!" his cheerful yelling caught the attention of the entire household. The bedroom door opened and Phil found Thai already awake and beckoning him and the others outside.

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?Are we there yet?How about now?" Phil bounced in his seat in anticipation and impatience. Mal and Indo both smirked at poor Brunei who had been driving for the past 15 minutes. Between them,Singa hid her mouth with a hand but it was obvious from her bouncing shoulders that she was laughing at her boyfriend's expense. "We'll get there in another 10 minutes Phil. That is, if there's no traffic." Indo called to his friend from the backseat seemingly putting the filipino at ease. Smiling gratefully at Indo in the rearview mirror,Brunei continued driving peacefully. Or so he thought. Not even seconds after Phil had quietened down, Mal and Indo took up the steady chant. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?Are we there yet?How about now?" as Singa's laughter filled the car, Brunei rested his head against the dashboard in mock despair.

Meanwhile,Thai was stuck in a car with 4 girls and no boys. He was generally okay with it. That is, until Vietnam asked him about his non-existent love life. Leaning against the window,he turned towards the view and away from the grins of Cambodia and Vietnam beside him. Laos turned from her spot in the front passenger seat and even Myammar tightened her grip on the steering wheel in anticipation. "Well? You have a crush don't you?" Viet prompted him,sure that he was going to break. Rubbing his neck, Thai prayed to whatever god that sat in the heavens that they were reaching the airport. He needed to take a break from these ladies!

As per tradition, the banner was brought out and balloons at the ready. Confetti poppers were held up in anticipation and a small slice of cake for the arriving country was waiting. Martial saw all this and cracked a small smile. Scanning the greeting party,he was amused to see Phil bouncing on his feet with the slice of cake in his hands. Looking around to ensure that no one was watching, Martial Law jumped the barrier that separated him from his brother. "MARTIALL!!" Phil jumped into his arms, practically breathing him in. The rest of the Asean family followed suit and Martial was soon drowned in a group hug 11 people deep. As the balloons flew everywhere, the confetti landed in a few bystanders' hairs. Smiles were all around and the Asean family was complete at last.

Asean looked up from the bed he was preparing for Martial's arrival. Once again, he had cancelled a meeting with EU to reunite with a member of his family. Checking the closet one last time, Asean dusted off all the dust from the walls and ran a finger along the side of the desk. Once everything was up to standards,he headed downstairs where chaos had gained control. Phil was constantly by Martial's side while Thai and Brunei brought his stuff to his room. Asean offered to help but the two boys insisted that he should go meet Martial downstairs. Along the way, he met Singa who was toting one of Martial's shotguns and that was when Asean began to question his wards' sanity.

Over lunch, the countries took turns to bring Martial up to speed on all he had missed. Unlike Singa, he hadn't been gone for 5 years and instead had left only a few months prior. Adding in a few details of his own here and there, Martial was content to listen as Myammar and Laos began bickering over the precise date when SK confessed to Japan."Didn't that happen just a week ago at the park?" Indo interrupted the two bickering friends. Bad move. Both girls whipped their heads towards him, the personifications of wrath and rage. Martial's smile only grew as Indo's screams of fear filled the room.

That evening, Phil and Martial were hanging out on the balcony of the latter's room as they watched the sun set over the horizon. "Bet you missed me didn't you little Sunshine?" Martial teased his brother,ruffling his hair in the process. Phil ducked out of the way and gently punched the bigger man in the ribs as he puffed a laugh. "You're only older by 4 minutes Kuya," he replied,taking comfort in the brotherly teasing. Yes, Mal and Indo were the closest thing he had to brothers but none of them could ever replace Martial. As if reading his thoughts, Martial slung his arms over Phil's shoulders and pulled him closer to his sides."I missed you too Sunshine," his soft smile was a wonder to behold and a tresure in itself since no one ever saw it. "Hate to break it up but I was wondering if you guys would like to watch the latest drama happening in our living room?" Mal and Indo popped out from the doorway. The filipino brothers turned curiously,"What's showing?" Martial wondered aloud,thinking it was a regular movie. "The Chocolate Cookie Thief revealed. You want in?" Indo answered with a hint of fun in his voice.

"...in conclusion,Singa couldn't have been the Cookie Thief since she only got back a few weeks ago and the theft has been going on for months now. Therefore Singa is innocent!" Martial,MalPhilIndo,Asean, Vietnam and Myammar munched on their popcorn and nodded thei heads as Brunei proved Singa's innocence. "If Singa's not the thief than that leaves only one plausible suspect! The true culprit is....Cambodia!" the aforesaid country blushed in embarassment but surrendered anyways, a lazy smile on her face. Raising her hands over her head, The Chocolate Cookie Thief was sentenced to a week of washing dishes. As the Asean family cheered its approval, Martial found himself clapping along with his crazy family.