Eight Mortal Secrets [Hetalia Drabbles] (Completed, to be Edited)

XXXII: Loung's Present

Hong Kong wasn't a very well known country. He was very small compared to some of his siblings, and many mortals seemed to believe that Hong Kong was just another city in the giant country that was China. It didn't bother him too much; he wasn't really one to pay attention to what people thought about him. But as his birthday rolled around this year, he realized with a sudden sadness just how overshadowed he may be.

First of all, he shared his birthday with Matthew Williams. This had never been an issue. In fact, ever since Canada found out a few decades ago that Loung's birthday was also July 1st, the kind country made a habit of sending him birthday cards and presents every year, and Hong Kong always returned the gesture. But this year would be different. Unlike the other countries, the mortal girls weren't as prone to forgetting about Canada. Hope, Annalise, and Taylor all lived in Canada, and surely would be spending more time fretting about his birthday. Shelby and Jenna would be doing the same, given their association to the other largest North American countries also put them in association with their northern-most brother. Thaovy wasn't as close with Canada, but being that she lived in America, she was also more likely to pay attention to Matthew than to Loung, who lived an entire ocean away. Dreamz lived closer to Hong Kong than any of the other mortals (besides Samantha, of course), but she had the most country friends: Australia, New Zealand, Prussia, and Germany. Loung's birthday would easily slip her mind.

So that left Yào and Sammi, and of course, his other siblings who would be visiting for his little party. Loung didn't want anything fancy, just some cake and ice cream. Yào insisted that Sammi not be introduced to the entire family at once, but suggested that she meet them one at a time, so she wasn't bombarded with too many questions at once. This meant Sammi would have to repeat what she did for China's party, and stay hidden through the festivities. Because of that, Hong Kong would rather keep it short and sweet.

"Aiya! There is no way this house will be ready for the party on time! Samantha, please, will you dust the shelves and fans? Loung, clean the window, aru, while I tidy up the living room." China directed, determined to have the house looking pristine for his family. He wanted to impress them, although he knew that most likely none of them would notice besides Japan and maybe Macau.

"Okay, China. Although, I don't know if I'll be able to reach some of these high shelves..." Sammi trailed off, grabbing a duster from the closet.

"Then use a chair." China stated, already hard at work moving any dishes and stray articles of clothing out of the living room. Loung moved much more slowly, not really as anxious as his brother about straightening up for the party. He grabbed a rag and some glass cleaner, before moving to the living room window. He moved the curtains aside, revealing another stormy looking day. He let out a quiet sigh. It seemed to always be storming in Hong Kong.

He got to work cleaning the windows, spraying the glass with the cleaner and wiping so that no streaks remained. He worked on one pane at a time as his brother rushed around behind him, moving junk that had slowly gathered up on the small couch-side tables and organizing them in their proper spots around the house while Sammi tried not to fall off her chair as she not only dusted the shelves, but also pictures on the walls and the TV.

When Loung reached his last pane, he noticed a girl walking up the sidewalk to his house. She wore a Captain America gray tank top and jean shorts, and her dark brown hair not only flowed down her back, but also sat on her shoulder and spilled over onto her collarbones in a mess of curls and frizz from the humidity outside. Clutched to her chest was a present in simple red wrapping paper, and when her grey-blue eyes locked with Loung's dark brown irises, she gave him a small smile and a nod.

Before she could reach the door, Hong Kong quickly moved to open it. Upon seeing her a closer up, Loung recognized the girl as Shelby, one of Samantha's human friends. Loung had really only met Shelby once, and this time she looked far, far tanner. She awkwardly slipped off her flip flops, something that sorta surprised Hong Kong, but he quickly recovered and silently offered her a pair of slippers.

"Wait, who is here? Is that Taiwan?" China questioned, poking his head back into the living room.

"No, it is Shelby." Hong Kong answered, moving aside and allowing the teen to enter fully.

"Shelby?" Samantha asked excitedly, hopping down from her chair.

"America's girlfriend?" Yào raised a brow.

"Friend. We're just friends." Shelby stated, giving an awkward bow to China. "Sorry for coming unannounced, but surprises are way more fun. I brought a present for Loung." She whispered, not liking the fact that all three pairs of eyes were on her. She quickly passed the package to Hong Kong, avoiding making direct eye contact out of habit. "I hope you like it."

"For me?" Loung blinked, before slowly unwrapping the gift, revealing a hardcover scrapbook.

"Sammi told me you take lots of pictures, but you keep them in boxes. I figured that maybe you could use a scrapbook." Shelby rambled quickly. As she spoke, Hong Kong passed the gift to Sammi, and pulled a camera out of his pocket, before putting an arm around Shelby and leaning down to her level, snapping a picture. Shelby blinked in surprise as he leaned away, shutting off the camera and putting it back in his pocket. "What was that?" She almost squeaked. Sammi giggled slightly in understanding, being used to Hong Kong's picture taking habits.

"I needed a picture for my scrapbook. I hope you don't mind. " He gave the brunette the smallest of smiles. "Xièxiè, Shelby."

"Uh, you're welcome... I think." She responded, looking to her feet.

Translation

- Mandarin: Xièxiè (谢谢)
English: Thank you