Chapter 148~!

                                    

                                          
"We've got a meeting in a little while, y'know. Are you gonna be alright for then?" Alfred asked the display screen with Arthur's image on it.
                          
The Brit was ill for the first time in a century. Countries' immune systems were incredibly advanced, and the only times they did get sick were when their people were going through some sort of epidemic.
                          
"It's just a cold, Alfred. I probably got it from Joy," Arthur replied, wiping his nose with a tissue like a sir.
                          
"Dude, we don't get colds. That's the thing," Alfred pointed out. "Don't you think something's wrong with this picture?"
                          
"Of course I do. I'm not an idiot," Arthur snapped irritably. "Funny you should bring this up when you yourself didn't know what a cold was for a long time."
                          
"That's because we don't get sick!" the younger exclaimed while throwing his arms into the air like he had just flipped a table. "Jeez, I'm tryin' to say something's definitely wrong, Iggy!"
                          
"Don't call me that," Arthur added. "I understand that, git. Don't think I don't. I wa planning on doing some research about this, in case something really is wrong. It could be an imbalance of magical levels or-- Are you even listening to me?"
                          
Jokingly, Alfred snapped his head up and looked around blearily. "I'm awake, I swear!"
                          
"Agh, you're impossible," Arthur stated as he made to cut the call off.
                          
"Wait, wait!"
                          
"What is it?"
                          
"I know our kids aren't exactly countries like us, but they don't usually get sick either, right?" Alfred asked.
                          
"Usually. What's your point?" Arthur inquired.
                          
"Nekochi's sick, has been since yesterday. It's just a cold, but I'm kinda worried now that you both have basically the same symptoms." The American couldn't help but wring his hands a little as he spoke of his daughter's woes. "You don't think something bad is going on, do you?"
                          
"Not especially," Arthur replied. "Call Kadi if you want to, but I have to go."
                          
They bade each other farewell and disconnected. Alfred turned away from the display screen and went into his daughter's heavily decorated bedroom to check up on her. His head was poked around the doorway and he smiled at her.
                          
"How're ya doing, Chi?" he asked softly.
                          
Nekochi, who hadn't been asleep and was staring blankly at her television, looked at her father and smiled a little. "Little better, Dad."
                          
"Hey, cool! Want anything?" he asked. "Ice cream was always a good thing when I got injured."
                          
"I'm just sick, though," she pointed out.
                          
"True. And I got injured trying to get to the ice cream that one time," he added, a reminiscent look on his face before he shook it off and sat on the edge of her bed. "Did you take your temperature recently?"
                          
"Yeah. One hundred point eight," Nekochi said while she tightened her unkempt, multicolored ponytail.
                          
"Hey, it's going down!" America said happily. "Okay, I'll be in the office if you need me, hon. Call me when you want something for lunch, m'kay?"
                          
"M'kay, Dad," Nekochi responded, smiling at the peck she got on the forehead from her father.
                          
When America opened the door of his home office, though, he sneezed and immediately froze up. 'No way... Am I getting sick, too?'
                          
"Heroes don't get sick," he laughed, trying to push it from his mind as he went in to work on his boring, unheroic paperwork.
                          
~