A World Turned Upside Down

Sob

"YES. It's literally just politics!"

"We're countries! Do you understand how important politics are?!"

"I don't care!"

"You're a fucking disgrace."

"I wish you were dead!"

"Go to your room. I'm very disappointed in you."

China ran to his room, still making sure to not slam his door, and finally let the tears come. He curled up on his bed, clutching at his face. It wasn't so much about the punishment as it was about Republic being disappointed in him. He knew that writing in his notebook was already letting his older brother down, but it didn't hurt as much if Republic didn't know. He knew that his older brother only wanted the best for him, but his views were part of him. China wiped the tears from his eyes and curled up even tighter.

The Republic of China sighed as he looked out of the window. How could he have let his yojnger brother go down this path? They were the last remanents of their family, having survived everything that their brothers and parents had not. He didn't want the last country that he cared about to end up like this. He knew that USSR wasn't stable; plauged with revolutions and uprisings. This wasn't what he wanted for his younger brother, whose sunny smiles were nowhere to be seen anymore. Maybe it was because PRC was too much like him, and because he was scared what would happen if he made the same mistakes. Republic had already made enough mistakes. He still regreted not working with his brother during World War Two.

The tears kept coming. The sobs wracking his body. China cried himself to sleep.

He woke up, still crying. But he could also hear the sound of sobs coming from his older brother's room. China looked at the clock. It was the middle of the night. Maybe he should go outside again. So, he quietly put on his shoes and slipped out the window. The cold air was calming, the wind slowly drying his tears. Maybe it wasn't all that bad. China continued walking around absent-mindedly, looking up at the bright moon every once in a while. Before he knew it, his feet had carried him to USSR's house. And before he could register what he was doing, he knocked on the door.

The door quickly swung open, revealing USSR looking at China with an expression of utter confusion on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked. China was pulled back to reality, and realized that he looked like an absolute mess, which wasn't too far from the truth. He looked up nervously. "I-yes I am okay." He said, not sounding okay at all. USSR thought for a while, and decided to just take what the younger country had said and not inquire. He then asked, "So why are you here? Did anything happen?" China tried to think of what to say, to no avail. "N-no! Uh-n-nothing happened at all!" Shit, I'm going to cry, China thought as he spoke. USSR sighed and said, "You're a horrible liar. Come in." China went into the older country's home and sat down at a table.

"Let me ask this again, are you okay?"

"Y-yes."

"You're crying."

"No I-I'm not..."

"There's clearly something wrong."

"No. I'm fine."

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"I-it's just...fine..."

China proceeded to tell everything, everything, to USSR. He cried.

...

USSR hugged China, wiping the younger country's tears away gently. China sniffed and looked up at USSR. "T-thanks..." he mumbled. 

"Also, I love you."