Part of the Family [Parts 1-7]
Title: Part of the Family
Author/Artist: xglass
Character(s) or Pairing(s): America, Sealand, SwedenxFinland
Warnings: A bit of a sad beginning, but becomes ridiculously cavity-inducing.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Hetalia.
Summary: (Kink meme de-anon!) Someone invites America to be part of the Sufin and/or Nordic family (or he invites himself). So, a story behind that or how they all interact. It can be a human AU with America as a foster kid.
-&-&-
Alfred F. Jones was a brave little boy. In fact, he was the bravest boy that ever lived! Nothing could scare him!
At least that’s what his mama had always said.
He’d been living with mama for awhile now, in the car! It was so silly. Mama slept in the trunk and Alfred slept on the back seat of their SUV. It was like camping.
Sometimes mama had to leave and go get work. Alfred had to stay in the car all day which was no fun because it was hot even with the windows rolled down! They’d taken away all his toys, too.
Except Mr. Tony. Alfred grinned at his stuffed alien. Mr. Tony was the best friend in the whole world. They’d spend all day playing together.
One of Alfred’s favorite places to park was Wal-Mart. When mama parked in Wal-Mart, Alfred and Mr. Tony could play people stories because there were always lots of people.
“See those guys, Tony? That girl has a mommy and a daddy and they’re going to go buy some ice cream in Wal-Mart! And I bet some toys, too!
“I bet that little baby and his mommy need to buy some diapers.
“You know what, they’re going to get some chocolate! And a hamburger!” Alfred’s tummy would rumble when he though of hamburgers, so he tried not to think about them too much.
He also liked to play the animal game. He loved to listen to the birds and watch for dogs in the parking lot. He really wanted a puppy because they were cute.
“Mr. Tony, do you think I’ll ever have a dog?”
Mr. Tony said yes.
“Me too!” Alfred grinned happily. “I want them to be happy and play catch with us!”
He had a daddy too. But daddy left with Mattie and that’s when Alfred and mama moved into the car. They drove for awhile, but then mama said she was out of gas.
Mama had to buy gas from the store and bring it to their car whenever they needed to switch Wal-Marts. The worst thing was during the day when Alfred had to go potty he had to use the bucket. It was smelly and icky for the rest of the day until mama got back and cleaned it out.
And he even had to take sink-baths in Wal-Mart! He missed his rubber ducky bubble baths, though, and those toys that squirted water out the top when you squeezed them.
And then All The Bad Stuff happened.
Mama would keep coming back later and later to the car and sometimes she would act funny. Sometimes-it was scary. But Alfred was brave. There was this one time a man came back with mama and Alfred hid when he saw the big scary guy and mama made weird noises in the trunk and Alfred hid in the passenger’s seat and hugged Tony really tight.
Instead of food, mama started to bring back powdery stuff in baggies.
“Mama, what’s this?”
“Don’t touch that!” Mama would say, and she’d snatch the bag away from Alfred.
Sometimes Alfred felt like it was his fault. Like he should have gone with Mattie and daddy. Mama didn’t have any money and she had to feed him. Alfred felt guilty for complaining sometimes. At least he had Mr. Tony to talk to.
Mr. Tony felt guilty, too, but he didn’t eat and said that Alfred could eat all his food. Mr. Tony was the best friend ever.
And then mama didn’t come back.
-&-&-
The first night Alfred hadn’t known what to do. Didn’t he get to go potty in a real toilet? Didn’t he need his sink-bath? Wasn’t there… wasn’t there any food?
Alfred’s tummy rumbled angrily. It was really hard to sleep because he was worried about mama and he was really hungry.
The next morning mama still wasn’t back. Alfred used the bucket and then went up to sit in the driver’s seat. His usual games couldn’t distract him from his growling stomach.
“Mr. Tony, what should we do? We need to get some food. What if mama comes back, though? I don’t wanna scare her.”
Mr. Tony said that Alfred should wait one more day. So Alfred did. The next morning, though, Alfred was so hungry it hurt and he decided that he was going to be brave and leave the car all by himself.
Mama locked the car when she left, but Alfred was clever. He knew how to unlock the car!
He grabbed Mr. Tony and exited from the driver’s side door.
Alfred didn’t know what to do. He stood in the parking lot. Then he climbed back in the car and cried for a few minutes.
Even to a little boy of five, it was obvious that things were going to be different from now on. Mama was gone. It was very sad.
Alfred wiped away his tears and rolled back his shoulders. Mr. Tony was hungry! Alfred would not let his best friend starve!
So he jumped out of the car and approached Wal-Mart.
It was very scary. He’d never been inside all by himself before. The greeter smiled down at him.
“Hey little guy, how’s it going?”
“Mr. Tony is hungry!” Alfred chirped, shoving the stuffed alien in the greeter’s face. “He needs food!”
The Wal-Mart greeter laughed. “Well, why don’t you ask your parents for some money?”
“Mama hasn’t come back to the car in three days.” Alfred said, Mr. Tony dropping closer to the ground. “Mr. Tony is very very hungry.”
Greeter looked alarmed. “Hang on, kid. I’ll call for the manager.” Greeter walked off towards the cashiers at a brisk pace. Alfred watched him forlornly.
“That’s great and all, but Mr. Tony really wants a hamburger.”
-&-&-
The Wal-Mart boss man was really nice. He gave Alfred two-yes, two!!!-hamburgers from the Wal-Mart food store. And an apple. And an orange. Alfred ate it all.
After his meal, Wal-Mart boss man wanted to know where Alfred’s car was. So Alfred took the man by the hand and lead him out into the parking lot. He pointed the white SUV out with ease.
“How long have you been living there?”
Alfred shrugged. “Well, since daddy and Mattie left… so maybe like ten years?”
Boss man eyed him fondly. “Could you be… overestimating?”
“Well, a bit.” Alfred replied. “I know that they weren’t here at Christmas though. We had that in the van.”
“So over seven months.” Boss man murmured. “Well, tell you what. Why don’t we call you daddy and see if he can come get you?”
“You can’t.” Alfred said. “Daddy and Mattie are gone.”
“What do you mean, gone? Gone where?”
“I don’t know. Mama said they were gone.” Alfred made a poof motion with his hands. “Mama said daddy took Mattie to the sky castle.”
“The what?”
“The sky castle!” Alfred pointed into the air. “Like, all the way up there! I’m super jealous that Mattie gets to fly up there and I had to live in the van. Hey, can I have another hamburger?”
Boss man looked confused. “The sky castle… Why don’t we wait for the police to come? They’ll probably help us.”
“What about the hamburger? Mr. Tony hasn’t eaten in a long time.”
“Then I suppose another hamburger would be alright.”
-&-&-
Alfred munched happily on his third hamburger of the day while the police asked him some questions. Mostly about his mama and his daddy and Mattie.
“Wreck on I-85 last September.” A group of the officers were whispering to one another. “A tractor trailer overturned… crushed the car next to it. The Jones’.”
Alfred ignored them. Stupid old people, didn’t they know what the sky castle was? Alfred was sooo jealous of his brother.
“Well, kid, we’re going to turn you over now.” One of the police officers said.
“To where?” Alfred asked. “Can Mr. Tony come?”
“An orphanage.” The officer replied. “And yes, your alien can go.”
“Orphanage… but I have a mama?” Alfred asked.
“Then foster care. The social worker will know, okay?” The police officer tried to reassure Alfred. “You’ll be just fine. No more van.”
Alfred nodded, but clutched Mr. Tony very tightly.
-&-&-
“Hello Alfred.”
“Hi!” Alfred said. “Can I go home to mama now?”
“No, honey.” The woman replied kindly. “Mama can’t take care of you anymore.”
“Why not?” Alfred was curious. “Is it because of the powder?”
“Well, partially-“
“Or the scary guys?”
“That and-“
“Why did she stop bringing food? I waited.” Alfred remarked sadly.
“Honey,” the woman said tentatively, “she just isn’t capable of looking after you anymore.”
“Is it my fault?” Alfred said softly. “I’m sorry!” He burst into tears. “Tell her I’m sorry! I would have waited longer, I was just so hungry a-and…!”
The woman made shushing noising and held Alfred against her shoulder. “Oh, Alfred. It wasn’t you.”
“I want to go home.” Alfred said.
“I know.” The woman replied. “I’ll see what I can do.”
-&-&-
Alfred didn’t want to go to an orphanage. He didn’t want a new mommy or daddy. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way we would like.
Alfred was sent to an orphanage against his wishes. He was among several children, most of which were older than him.
It was sad, Alfred thought. He could read, but the boy who lived under him couldn’t and Christian was eight.
Alfred and Mr. Tony shared a small bed on the top bunk in the corner of the room, closest to the door. As the youngest, he had to be close to the door.
Alfred was brave, but he was very intimidated by all the other boys that shared his large new bedroom.
He counted them up one night when he was having trouble going to sleep. There were 39 other boys, and he made 40. Forty boys in one room! Alfred tried to pretend they were his brothers in his head, but whenever he did that he thought of Mattie and these guys weren’t like Mattie at all and he just wanted to go home.
Mr. Tony did his best to reassure Alfred, but Alfred was very depressed. He didn’t feel like himself at all.
Heroes were supposed to save people. None of his family was around anymore. Regardless of what the nice woman had told him, Alfred felt like it was all his fault.
Sometimes he cried. Some of the other boys laughed at him, but most of them just gave him commiserating looks. Alfred didn’t like to be laughed or stared at, so he tried to hide his tears and save them up for nighttime where he could quietly release them into his pillow.
The orphanage was really lonely.
He really missed his mama.
-&-&-
Alfred wasn’t sure how long he spent in the orphanage, but he began to associate Saturdays with Visiting Days.
Visiting Days were the days that everyone had to get cleaned up and look nice because people were coming to meet them.
One of the older boys explained that these people might be potential adopters, and that it was very important for Alfred to be on his best behavior.
If there was one thing Alfred wasn’t good at, it was being on his best behavior.
After tons of Visiting Days, Alfred decided they were no fun. He was getting used to the orphanage, even if it was a bit lonely when everyone else went to school, so he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to be adopted anymore.
So one Saturday morning, instead of getting dressed nice, he pulled on his dad’s old bomber jacket and headed out to explore the morning. Mr. Tony came too, of course.
So Alfred and Mr. Tony played Aliens and Cowboys for awhile until Alfred spotted something new.
A little boy was sitting by the edge of the sandbox. He looked a bit cold in just his little sailor suit.
Alfred was a hero! Heroes don’t let babies get cold!
He pranced over to the little boy and presented his bomber jacket.
“Hello fellow citizen! I present you with my daddy’s jacket to keep you warm while you go about your business!” He parroted after something he’d heard on TV.
“Tanks.” The little boy said. “Pay wif me?”
“Of course I will! I am playing aliens and cowboys!”
“Mm?”
“I am the cowboy and Mr. Tony is the alien. We normally play these roles.” Alfred explained. “You can be the space sailor if you want.”
“K.” Alfred helped the smaller boy to his feet.
“What’s your name?”
“Peter.”
“Peter! It’s nice to meet you. I am Alfred! I am the most cool and super hero in the whole world!” Alfred chanted. “I’m five years old. How old are you?”
Peter held up two fingers.
“Excellent! We shall conquer now!”
“Khonkr?”
“Yeah. It means go attack and take over and stuff.”
“Oh. K.”
So Alfred led Peter by the hand as the two traipsed around the inside gate of the playground attached to the orphanage.
-&-&-
“Ber, are you sure it’s okay to send Peter out there? What if he eats sand or something?”
“We’ll keep an eye on him.” Berwald replied. “It’ll be fine.”
Tino bit his lip, uncertain. “He’s just a baby…”
“He’ll be fine. It’s gated in. We’re sitting near the window. It’s fine.” Berwald attempted to reassure his overprotective wife. The two were waiting patiently for the their social worker.
“Elizabeta!” Tino smiled as the brunette woman entered the room.
“Hey you two.” She greeted in return. “Back for another?”
The two blondes smiled at each other and nodded. “We’re thinking of another baby-maybe in a year or so? We got Peter through the same system, so we’d like to do the same thing again.” Tino explained.
“Are you sure I can’t interest you in anyone older?” Elizabeta pressed gently. “There’s nothing wrong with adopting older children.”
“There’s something about holding a baby, though.” Tino said fondly. “We’d like to be able to raise this child from birth, like Peter.”
Tino and Elizabeta continued to chat. Berwald leaned back in his chair to glance out the window. What he saw made him pause. His chair hit the floor with a thud, startling Tino and Elizabeta.
“B-Berwald?” Tino spluttered, staring as his husband walked over and pressed a hand to the window. “Oh my gosh, is Peter alright?”
“He’s fine.” Berwald said, and made a motion with his hand.
Tino took in the scene with wide eyes, and his open mouth spread into a smile. Elizabeta joined the pair and the window and laughed at what she saw.
“What’s his name?” Berwald asked.
“Alfred.” Elizabeta replied. “He’s supposed to be inside…”
“We’ll take him.” Berwald said.
“What, already?” Tino looked up a bit startled. “We haven’t even met him. And we don’t ‘take’ them, we adopt them.”
“Same thing.” Berwald said. “Look, Peter’s smiling.”
Tino watched as Alfred showed Peter something on the ground that the two little boys found utterly delightful. Tino felt the smile creep back onto his face. “I’d still like to talk to him.”
Berwald squeezed Tino’s hand. “Me too.”
-&-&-
“ALFRED F. JONES!”
Alfred flinched when he heard Elizabeta calling his name. “I’m in trouble.” He told Peter sadly. “I’m supposed to be inside.”
“Oh.” Peter said.
“Not to worry, sailor! We will live to fight another day.” Alfred dragged Peter along with him as they walked back to the main building. “A hero’s work is never done!”
“K.” Peter replied. “Daddy!”
Alfred stared up at the two blonde men behind Elizabeta.
“Lizzy,” he said conspiratorially, “there are people behind you!”
The woman laughed. “I know, Alfred. They wanted to meet you.”
Alfred looked at them curiously as Peter toddled towards them. The smaller man bent down and scooped Peter into his arms.
“Hello, Alfred.” He said cheerfully.
“Hi.” Alfred shyly replied, digging his toe into the ground.
“My name is Tino, and this is my husband Berwald. You’ve already met Peter, right?”
The little boy in question had been passed from Tino to Berwald and was curled against the taller man’s chest. He turned to face Alfred at the mention of his name.
“Oh, yeah! We played cowboys and aliens! Mr. Tony, too!” Alfred waved Mr. Tony around enthusiastically. “It was very cool.”
Tino grinned. “Well, Alfred, we’d like to adopt you.”
Alfred blinked. “You mean like… adopt?”
Berwald nodded. Tino brushed his hand through Alfred’s hair. “You and Mr. Tony. Couldn’t leave him out.”
Alfred’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Mr. Tony would love to be adopted!”
Tino and Berwald smiled at Elizabeta, who was jotting furiously on a clipboard. “I’ll see what I can do.” She said, as she walked towards the exit. “Give me time.”
Tino and Berwald sat in the two chairs in front of Elizabeta’s desk. Peter had fallen asleep against Berwald’s chest.
Alfred looked up from the floor to study Berwald.
“You don’t look like a bear.”
Berwald blinked.
“If your name is Berwald, shouldn’t you look like a bear?” Alfred asked. “Bears are tall and big…hey! Maybe you are a bear!”
“No, just a person.” Berwald replied.
“A really gigantic person!” Alfred spun on the ball of his foot. “Can I be as big as you one day?”
Berwald was amused. “Perhaps.”
“YES! Didja hear that, Tino! I’m going to be a superhero!”
Tino laughed. “A superhero?”
“Tall and big and strong! I’m going to save the world!”
“Go for it.” Tino replied.
“Mr. Tony will help, too.” Alfred continued his explanation. “And once Peter grows up he can be my sidekick!”
“Why not now?” Berwald asked, rubbing gentle circles on his sleeping son’s back.
“Cause he’s a baby.” Alfred said. “You gotta take care of babies.”
“Mm.”
-&-&-
Elizabeta returned within three hours, looking slightly worse for the wear but very excited. “
“We already had all your information on file, so this adoption was very easy!” She explained. “It’s all clear. His belongings are packed and ready to go.”
Alfred perked up from his spot on the floor. “I get to go home with you guys?” He said delightedly.
“Yep.” Tino squeezed his hand. “It’s a plane ride, though.”
“A plane ride?” Alfred gasped. “To where?!”
“Sweden.” Berwald replied.
“You live in Sweden?! Whoa! That’s like… another planet!” Alfred whispered to Mr. Tony. “You’ll fit right in, buddy.”
Tino and Berwald watched their new son fondly.
Berwald caught Tino’s gaze and mouthed a quick “told you.” Tino shrugged and smiled.
-&-&-
“THIS IS SO EXCITING!” Alfred squealed as the first plane took off.
“This is super boring.” He muttered during the nine hour flight. “I’m tired, Tino.” He whined.
Tino and Alfred were sharing the small 2-person row by the window. Alfred had the window seat, of course. He’d been studying the outside world with great interest.
Tino pushed up their armrest and pulled Alfred down so the small boy’s head rested in his lap.
“Go to sleep.”
“I’m not tired!” Alfred protested with a yawn.
Tino smiled and carted his hand through Alfred’s hair. He repeated the movement, gently coaxing his new son into slumber. Once Alfred was asleep, Tino bent down and pressed a small kiss to his forehead.
-&-&-
“THIS IS SO EXCITING!” Alfred shrieked as the plane descended into the Stockholm-Arlanda airport. “Swedenswedensweeeden!”
“Do you have Mr. Tony?” Tino checked for all their carry-on items as he and Alfred got ready to exit the plane.
“Yeah! Where are Ber and Peter?”
“They should be a few rows ahead of us, sweetheart. Are you excitied?”
“Oh, yes! Yes yes yes!” Alfred chirped. “Mr. Tony is soooo excited!”
Tino chucked and ruffled Alfred’s hair. “I’m sure he is.” Tino gently took Alfred’s left hand in his right (Mr. Tony was clutched to the left side of Alfred’s body) and led the small boy off the plane.
Berwald and a yawning Peter were waiting for them in the airport.
Alfred took all the sights in happily. “Now what? Now what do we need to do?”
“Customs.” Berwald mumbled. He passed Peter’s diaper bag to Tino and scooped Alfred up in his other arm. He carried the two boys with ease, Tino following after hefting the second bag over his shoulder.
Alfred could only be distracted for so long. The line wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. He began to ask Berwald questions.
“What happens in customs? Is it a dance?”
“No.”
“Oh. Why not?”
“It just isn’t.”
“What’s customs for?”
“Declaring your belongings.”
“Like Mr. Tony?” Alfred asked, waving the alien around.
“Yes.”
“I see.” Alfred said.
Finally, after maybe ten minutes of waiting which felt like forever to Alfred, it was their turn.
“Yes!” Alfred cheered as they approached the counter. “We’re in Sweden!”
Tino had their passports ready to go. “Alfred is with us.” He explained to the immigration officer. “He’s the reason we went over in the first place.”
The officer checked back through their files and found the Oxenstierna’s earlier request.
He nodded at the family and let them proceed.
“Bye!” Alfred called to the man, waving frantically.
-&-&-
“A train!?” Alfred jumped around. “This is the best day of my entire life!”
Tino was seated with a content Peter in his lap. Peter was fascinated by Alfred’s undying energy, mostly because the American kept bouncing around the train.
Fortunately, most of the Swedes were just highly amused with the child’s enthusiasm.
“Guess what, Ber?” He whispered loudly, so loudly the entire car could hear them. “Guess whaaat?”
“What?” Berwald whispered back.
“WE’RE IN SWEDEN!” Alfred cried, tossing his arms and Mr. Tony by accident into the air. Berwald caught Mr. Tony before he went flying into some unsuspecting Swede’s lap.
“Yes.” Berwald said. “You are a very smart young man.”
“I know!” Alfred said with a huge grin, drawing a chuckle from Tino. “When will we get home?”
Berwald glanced at his watch. “Not much longer. Mr. Tony needs to be patient.”
“Yeah, Mr. Tony.” Alfred took the alien back from his guardian and waved a finger at him. “You gotta be patient.”
-&-&-
“Your house is in a skyscraper!” Alfred commented.
“It’s an apartment building.” Tino corrected.
“A SKYSCRAPER! Can you believe it, Mr. Tony?”
Tino rolled his eyes and watched his husband cart their kids up five flights of stairs.
Once they reached their apartment door, Alfred wiggled madly and Berwald set him down. Tino handed Berwald the keys, and the taller man opened the door.
Alfred immediately rushed in and began to explore.
“Wow!” He said. “Everything is so cool! Look, Mr. Tony!” He pressed his face to the large window leading out to the small balcony. “It’s like, we’re flying above the city like superman!”
“Alfred,” Tino called, “you’re going to be sharing a room with Peter.”
“Great!” Alfred said. “I used to share with my brother.”
Tino bent down and pressed another kiss to Alfred’s forehead. “I’m sure you’ll be a great big brother.”
“Mr. Tony will do his best.”
-&-&-
Berwald was sitting at the kitchen table, paper in one hand and coffee in the other. He sighed happily, taking a sip and enjoying his article on the institution of new international student fees associated with Sweden’s universally free schooling system. Berwald was quite absorbed in the article (personally, he believed that international students who could afford education elsewhere shouldn’t get free rides as the Swedes paid taxes for a reason), when he felt a tug on his pants leg.
He let the paper flop and peered over the top to see his son.
“Good morning, Alfred.”
“Hi.” Alfred yawned, holding his arms outstretched.
Berwald set the paper down on the table and leaned over, picking Alfred and Mr. Tony up and settling them in his lap.
Alfred hummed contently and rested his head on Berwald’s chest. “Whatcha doing?” He asked.
“Reading the paper.” Berwald replied, taking another sip of coffee.
Alfred eyed the beverage curiously. “What’s that?”
“Coffee.”
“What’s coffee?”
“It’s the reason I can move this early.”
“Oh. Can I see?” Berwald lowered the cup and Alfred peeked inside. “It’s brown.”
“Mm.”
“Do they have other flavors?”
“Of coffee? It’s a bean; it has one distinct taste. You can alter the flavor with the addition of milk, cream, sugar, or vodka.”
“What’s vody-ka?”
“Ask Tino.”
“Oh, okay.”
Alfred sat quietly for a moment or two. Berwald took another sip of coffee.
“Can I have a taste?”
“Mm.” Berwald lower the drink to Alfred’s mouth. “S’hot. Be careful.”
Alfred took a giant gulp anyway. “Ack! Augh!” He made a face. “Mr. Tony says that stuff is horrible!”
Berwald shrugged. “More for me.”
“Would it taste better with vody-ka?”
“Ask Tino.”
-&-&-
Tino wandered into the kitchen maybe fifteen minutes later, a towel slung around his neck and his hair damp from a shower. He smiled at Berwald and Alfred.
“Morning, guys.” He said, making his way to the coffee pot.
“Morning.” Berwald replied.
“Tino! Ber said that you put vody-ka in your coffee!” Alfred chirped, wiggling off of Berwald’s lap and darting into the kitchen energetically. “Can I have some?”
“Sweetie,” Tino knelt down, tilting his cup to show its contents to Alfred. “Berwald was just teasing you. I don’t add anything to my coffee. It’s called taking it black.”
“Oh.” Alfred replied, sticking a finger into Tino’s cup. “Ouch! Hot.”
Tino rolled his eyes good-naturedly and kissed Alfred’s boo-boo before picking up the five year old and carrying him and his mug into dining room.
He plopped Alfred back onto the floor.
“Alfred,” he began, “can you do a very special job for me?”
Alfred perked up instantly. “Mr. Tony can always help!”
“Excellent.” Tino said cheerfully. “Would you go check on Peter for me? Usually he sleeps in a bit longer, but I’m wondering if we woke him up.”
“I can!” Alfred danced around enthusiastically. “It’s like a secret mission!”
“A stealth mission.” Tino corrected. “You must not make a single sound or else!”
Alfred gasped, clasping his hand over his mouth. He nodded vigorously and darted off towards his and Peter’s shared bedroom.
Tino gave Berwald a look.
“Vodka, dear?”
Berwald shrugged with a smile.
“That’s only on special occasions! In the winter! And you can’t deny that the vanilla flavored kind adds something...!”
“Mm.”
Alfred raced back into the room, dropping onto the ground and attempting a somersault.
Tino and Berwald watched his entrance amusedly.
“How did your mission go?” Tino asked.
“Peter is still sleeping!” Alfred whisper-yelled. “Mission completed!”
-&-&-
And I will reiterate: I know adoption is not nearly this simple. But it’s a fluffy story and I will ignore reality. :D
Next!