(Author's note: I didn't enjoy the idea of Alaska being his daughter, so she's just his very young sister now.

America sat as his kitchen table, the other states had gone home besides Texas, DC, and Alaska. The little eight-year-old was upstairs sleeping, while the other two were trying futilely to get the American to keep his food down. "Oh come on, Alfred!" DC shouted, her loud voice bouncing off the walls.

"I can't help it!" He whined, "I just can't keep it down!" Texas leaned back in his chair and sighed, slightly pushing the front legs off the ground. DC rubbed her skull and mumbled under her breath.

"How long had it been since you ate a full and proper meal...?" Texas asked, grabbing the American's attention. Alfred thought for a second and shrugged blankly, "maybe..uh... Three weeks ago? I didn't really barf all of it up though, got interrupted..." He said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Texas seemed a little upset by that but continued calmly. "How long has it been since you were able to keep a full meal down?"

"...I don't wanna tell you." He refused. DC gave him a glare that sent shivers down his spine. "Six weeks ago." He confessed, looking away from the stunned faces of his siblings. He hugged himself and tried to ignore the tension that hung in the air.

"I know I'm a mess and I need to get myself together." He said, "Believe me, I've tried so many times, even succeeded a couple of times. But as soon as I was insulted, I was thrown back to square one." So many times. I've lost count. All I know is that as soon as my self-esteem was even slightly damaged, it immediately plummeted. Nothing helped. He had stopped taking antidepressants after his OD years back.

Maybe he could revisit those.

He looked up to see DC and Texas getting up. "I think it's time for us to go. We'll be checking in every week from now on, just so you know." She said, walking to the front door and putting on her shoes. Texas followed and they left.

Alfred locked the door behind them and looked at the meal they had made him, in hopes he would be able to stomach it. It looked good, so he took a small nibble. He swallowed hesitantly, feeling his stomach gurgle slightly, but nothing else. No blast of nausea. He took another small nibble and another. After a dozen of those, he began to feel a little queasy and decided not to push it.

After trashing the food and washing the dish, he went upstairs. He saw his younger sister, Alaska in her bed, snoring peacefully. Drawings and doodles were strewn across the room, some hanging off the walls with pins, some on the floor. Crayons were everywhere, all different colours. He sighed and cleaned them up, placing them neatly in their packs. He kissed his sister on the forehead and bid her a quiet goodnight, and almost swore he heard her reply.

He walked out of the room and closed the door, leaving it open a crack just in case she needed something. He walked to his room and changed into comfortable clothes. He laid down and closed his eyes, drifting off slightly, before he got an uneasy feeling. He tried to ignore it, but it got worse and worse until he opened his eyes.

He saw a shape in the darkness. It looked...kinda like himself. Its eyes seemed to glow in the dark, the dark pink irises illuminated. It, or he, was staring at him.

"Hello, Alfred." It said, moving forward. He could swear he recognized the voice...

.

.

.

"Allen?"

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