What is... "Home?" (Hetalia Fanfic, W.A. '13 Finalist)

Chapter 29~!

I sat up in bed and winced at the soreness still in my legs. "Maybe dancing yesterday wasn't the best idea, am I right?" I looked down at Zip as he lay curled up next to me. he lifted his head and blinked at me sleepily, as if saying "Should I care?"

"Yeah, you don't care," I replied, but when the breath hit the back of my throat it stung and caused me to cough violently. I hunched over my blanket-covered knees and slapped my hands over my mouth, eyes squeezed shut and tiny tears dotting their corners at the pain.

I don't know how long I coughed, but it was a good couple minutes at least. The tears had grown and made two neat paths down my cheeks, and my face felt hot while my body felt cold. My head throbbed and... why does the bed feel like it's shaking?

'No, it's me. I'm shaking.'

"I-I'm sick," I concluded before coughing horrifically again. "R-Really sick."

Zip pawed my leg and whined, so I petted his head while coughing into my other hand. "I'm okay, boy. Don't worry."

He wagged his tail and hopped off the bed, slipping out of the room through the cracked doorway. I curled up with my back tot he door and tried willing my coughing to subside. 'This sucks...' 

America's POV~

The phone at my bedside rang, jerking me awake. Groggily I picked up and put the receiver to my ear. "Dude, this is Alfred."

"Fucking~ Fucking~"

"Tony, brah! 'Sup, dude! You haven't called in forever, what took you so long?" I sure wasn't sleepy now! I listened to his reply.

"Aw, you won't be here until after Christmas? What happened, did your ship break down 'r something? Bummer! You'll be here like the 27th though? That's great! See ya then, dude!" I hung up and lay back down for a sec, staring at the ceiling and the superhero posters stuck up there. 'Awesome, Tony'll be back soon! I wonder what he got me for Christmas...? It'll probably be something totally crazy and outta this world! Literally!' I laughed at the joke I made and sat up, looking around at my room without glasses on. 'The world looks so weird... 'Sall blurry and stuff...' (A/N: XD Jeez I'm making him sound like a crack-head or something HAHA~!)

My door was nosed open and Zip walked in, wagging his tail excitedly. I stuck my glasses on and swung my legs over the bed, leaning down to scratch him behind the ears.

"Heya, bud. Whatcha doin'?" I asked him, and he yipped and circled around at my door expectantly, looking back at me repeatedly as if saying "Come on, slowpoke!"

I laughed. "Jeez, you're pushy for a little guy." I got up and threw on some pants over my boxers (American flag-printed, baby! How awesome is that?) and followed him out of my bedroom. He went next door and pushed that door open wider with his nose. 'That's Melina's room, right? Why's he taking me there?'

I stepped in and saw Mattie sitting on the edge of the bed, talking with Melina. Her face looked flushed and she looked a little shaky. "Whatsa matter, dudette?" I asked.

"Hi, Al," she managed to get out before coughing a couple times into her fist. "I think I got sick..."

"Hero's cure!" I exclaimed, raising a pointed finger to the sky as I hurried out the door and into the kitchen. I dug through the cabinets and pulled out just what I was looking for.

Canada's POV~

"Oh no," I mumbled as I watched my brother's retreating back. "Here we go again."

Melina giggled, but it turned into more coughing. "Well, it can't be that bad. If worse comes to worst I'll eat it or give it to Zip when Al isn't looking."