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It was a beautiful afternoon, heavy with sunlight and warmth, and long past the time that any reasonable person should be up. So Naturally, the three alcoholics that had drank themselves silly last night were still not up. Not that Spain ever was up at a reasonable time anyways. Prussia, usually the best at holding liquor and the first to get up in the mornings, had exhausted himself in the swimming race literally no one else had participated in last night, and France was just beginning to stir awake, wincing at his hangover. And, in the other room, exasperatedly waiting for their guardians to wake up, the little brothers tried to pass the time with idle chatter.
"Why is it," Canada mused aloud, "That in every set of siblings, there's the clingy one?"
"Huh?"
Romano stopped giving Germany the stink eye in favour of looking at Canada in confusion. Canada, flinching under his gaze, hurriedly explained himself.
"No, it's just, whenever we sleep together, America is all over me! He's always got to be touching me, and he's hot and it feels like I'm roasting! And you always complain that Veniciano does the same thing so..."
He trailed off, not because he didn't want to finish his sentence, but because he didn't need too. Germany was nodding along with his usual serious face, but neither of the other two were blind to the amount of emotion behind his nodding. Romano, who rarely chose to forget his single-sided "rivalry" with Germany, put it aside for a moment to sincerely question him.
"Wait, your brother too?"
Germany sighed, and that was answer enough, even if he hadn't continued.
"Bruder... He is the same. He always ends up with his arm or leg sprawled across me, and whines if I try to leave!"
And for a moment, both Canada and Romano sat, steeping in the understanding of the situation.
"Sorry..." Canada offered, more out of habit than because he needed too.
"It's fine." Germany shook his head in resignation. "Besides, Italy is the same."
This was the wrong thing to say, because it reminded Romano that he didn't like Germany, and he started off again, snapping various things like
"Stay away from my brother, you stupid potato bastard!"
And,
" Im Italy too! Call us properly, you jerk!"
But Canada was thinking, eyes lit with curiosity.
"I wonder if all siblings are like that?"
No one heard him say this, mostly because his voice was too quiet and Romano's was too loud, so he continued, in a louder tone.
"Do you think Spain is the clingy brother? Or Portugal?"
Hearing Spain's name, Romano stopped harassing Germany to finally listen to Canada, and so Canada was forced to repeat his question. Immediately, Romano had the answer.
"Spain. Its Spain, for sure. That jerk face is super clingy, it's gross."
And, as the only one among the three who had shared a bed with Spain, the other two had no choice but to accept it, but at this point, the concept was already stuck in their heads.
"Hmm. Then for Switzerland , it must be Liechtenstein," Germany contributed, "I can't picture that hardass as clingy."
"Unless he's sleeping with a gun or something." Romano agreed, half-muttered under his breath.
"What about Russia?" Canada proposed. "He has two sisters, right?"
There was a brief chill in the air while they all remembered how crazy Russia was and then another chill as they remembered something else.
"It's Belarus." They all decided together, matching stone faces masking their feelings.
At this point it was a game between them.
"But what about Ukraine?" Canada, the one closest with Ukraine, offered. "She can be clingy too sometimes, eh?"
"Maybe they both cling and that's why Russia is always a complete psycho!"
Romano suggested, and nobody felt the urge to laugh when they pictured Russia, pinned down on both sides by clingy sisters.
After a brief moment of silence, Germany spoke up, obviously trying to change the subject.
"What about Belgium?"
And they continued to guess at siblings from there on, eventually graduating to more distant relationships that could possibly be brother, as the world's family tree was extremely messy. Eventually, Canada thought of something.
"Oh! What about France though?"
Romano gave him a Look.
"Even if you don't ask, everyone knows it's France."
At the same time as Romano started speaking, Germany also bluntly stated, "It's France."
Canada hurried to explain.
"No, I meant, you know when they drink they all end up sleeping together -if they can make it to a bed- so I was wondering."
Immediately the other two understood, and Germany knit his brow.
"But Bruder is also clingy..."
"It has to be Spain," Romano promised, eagerly.
Canada made a dissenting noise in the back of his throat, knowing full well how clingy France was.
"Well, you could just ask?"
A suggestion was thrown out, and Canada recoiled.
"No way! I really, really, do not want to ask France that. Knowing him he will start talking about sex instead, and I don't need to hear it!"
"Then ask me?"
Canada froze, realizing for the first time that it was not Romano, as he'd first assumed, speaking, and that both Romano and Germany were stiff, Germany with awkwardness, and Romano in embarrassment. Slowly, feeling foreboding, Canada turned his head, and his fears were proven right as he met Spain's bright and cheerful eyes.
"It's all of us, by the way!" Spain helpfully provided an answer, even though no one asked him, "But France is a better cuddler, Prussia usually ends up elbowing or kicking me."
"Hey!"
Another voice with a rough German accent protested, and Canada noticed that Spain wasn't alone. Prussia leaned on France's shoulder, looking bright and refreshed, while he bickered with Spain.
"I am a good cuddler! West never complains!"
"I do," Germany grumbled under his breath, "You just don't listen."
"And France says I'm the best for the middle!"
France, who contrasting with Prussia, looked like he'd been hit by a truck, looked disconnectedly from Spain to Prussia.
"Oui, Oui, Prussia is best for the middle, everyone is good at cuddles, now can you all be quiet, s'il vous plaît!"
Unfortunately, neither of France's friends did "quiet" and Romano certainly didn't, bursting out in a loud beligerant scolding at Spain for reasons that were rather unclear, and Spain, oblivious to Roman's frustration, happily soaked up the attention.
"Si, Si, I understand. Then, next time, Romano can sleep with us too!"
"That's not the point!"
Meanwhile Prussia greeted his little brother with a loud voice and a hearty back slap, which Germany accepted without blinking, used to it.
"Guten morgen West! Hey, I'm a good sleeper, right?"
And Germany, whether to save his neck or a stroke of luck, muttered, "Well, you're better than Italy." Which Prussia took as a "yes" which made him beam excitedly and shout about being awesome.
France, exhausted, hungover, and betrayed, sought the eyes of the only country in the room that wasn't being loud. Instead of the commiserating look he'd expected though, Canada had a curious look on his face.
"Hey,"
He started, and sensing some good drama was about to go down, both Prussia and Spain froze and went quiet. Canada chewed his lip for a second, then blurted the rest of his question out.
"When you sleep with England, who's more clingy?"
To Canada's surprise, France responded with a flustered shout of,
"EXCUSEZ-MOI?"
Which was drowns out by Prussia's peals of laughter. Of course, this only made Canada more curious, but try as he may, he couldn't get an answer put of any of them.
That night, as Canada lay in bed with America clinging to his arm and radiating heat, Canada though he could only be grateful that America didn't insist on sleeping naked like the Italy brothers or kick like Prussia.
Romano, finding equal comfort in the embrace of his sleeping sibling as the hug was meant to seek, still pretended to grumbled about the clinginess, but at least, he thought, it wasn't France, or worse: Spain. That had to count for something.
Germany, the more logical type, had calculated what Spain and France said earlier, and had begun to understand why they'd sandwiched the one who flailed around in between the two cuddles, and was testing his theory by trapping Prussia between his back and the wall. Feeling his big brother's back against his, Germany thought that if the kicking and elbowing could be stopped, Prussia really wasn't all that bad after all.
And as for France-he didn't get much sleep that night, imagining an England who cuddled instead of pushing him away. England, sleeping comfortably ALONE in his own bed, shivered in his sleep sensing something foreboding in the air.