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For Alfred, it had started as a pretty normal day, and he had excpected it to continue like that. He woke up, got dressed, and went to have breakfast... Their maid was already cooking some food, and his little sister Magnolia was sitting at the table waiting, with that stupid bear doll that she always dragged everywhere sitting in the chair next to hers. He sat next to her, they talked for a bit, all boring stuff... Alfred really just wanted to go outside and play, but Arthur had told Alfred a million times that he wasn't allowed to go play before breakfast for whatever dumb reason. However, the morning quickly got more interesting when their father, Arthur, had come to sit at the table with them.
"Another child is going to be living with us. He's arriving today" Arthur had explained, immediately cutting to the chase. "He's your age, and you will be allowed to play together, but.. he doesn't speak the most English. I wouldn't be surprised if he won't be able to understand you."
Alfred was confused by that. They'd had other children living with them briefly before, but this was the first time that his dad had made such a big deal about it. "Wait, another kid? And he's a boy!?" The American excitedly asked, perking up slightly in his chair. "What's his name? Is he staying for a suuuper long time?" Under the bombardment of questions, Alfred didn't notice the slightly nervous expression on Arthur's face.
That child was Ka Lung, or Hong Kong. Custody of him had been given to Arthur alongside Hong Kong becoming a British colony due to the original parent of Ka Lung— Or Leon, as he was going to be made go by during his time living with Arthur's family— being trapped in the throes of an addiction to opium. It wasn't the first child that Arthur had to take care of because of taking their country as a colony, but it was certainly the one he was most nervous for. He'd have to raise Leon alongside his other two children that he was going to have for more long-term, which was why he had stalled so badly on telling Alfred and Magnolia about it.
"Well, his name is Leon, and he'll... be staying with us for about 100 years." Arthur bluntly responded, a silent sigh of relief living him as his children's faces lit up. As long as they got along, this wouldn't go as badly as it could have. "100 years??!! That's suuuch a long time!!" Alfred excitedly repeated back to his father, a bright grin across his face. They ate their food, Alfred got to go outside and play like he had wished to, and he had almost completely forgotten about the idea of the new kid until later into the day.
It was a few hours before sunset, and Alfred had been exploring the docks for the millionth time as always. A ship had docked, one that Arthur had apparently been waiting for, given his reaction. Alfred paid it no mind, instead sitting on the side of the dock with his legs dangling down towards the water. He had zoned out at some point, and wasn't quite sure how much times had passed, when his father approached him with another young boy, maybe only slightly younger then Alfred himself. The boy didn't look like anyone that Alfred had ever seen before— Pale, sure, but he had long, pin straight, dark brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and his almond-shaped eyes were a similar deep brown colour. He was dressed much like the other boys in the area already, besides a green bracelet around his wrist. Actually, Alfred kind of thought that this boy was a girl for a moment. Weird. Boys weren't supposed to look like that.
"Alfred, this is the boy that I had mentioned. Leon, this is... my son. You'll be living alongside him." Arthur had explained to both boys, talking slightly slower when speaking to Leon as if that would help with any kind of misunderstanding with what he was saying. Leon remained quiet, giving Alfred a shy nod of the head. "Uhm... Hello? I guess I'm gonna see you a lot, so uh..." Alfred awkwardly replied, before just... nodding back.
That was awkward. Painfully awkward. Leon was mentally killing himself at this point. His dad's friend— Ex friend?— was talking to him like he was dumb, and the way that he struggled to say hello really wasn't helping the idea that he wasn't. He was scared, really, he had never been to America, or outside of China at all, really. But now here he was, having to adjust to living here for the next 100 or so years. It felt like a lot, even if he was basically immortal. The home that he would be staying in, quite a large one, wasn't far from the docks. It didn't take long to get there... to get... home? No, this wasn't his home. It was just somewhere that he was staying. For a really, really long time. Actually he felt horrible, extremely out of place, especially after being on a boat for like a month.
They had walked back to Arthur's home, Leon cowering behind the man the entire time, trying to stay out of the prying eyes of the people around them. They were sentient nations, people kind of knew they existed, of course people would be curious when they saw one walking home with a child they didn't recognize. Alfred eventually wandered home too, later then he normally did. Usually he would get an earful from Arthur about how he shouldn't stay out so late, but this time it was different.
The boy that Arthur brought home earlier, Leon, was sitting in a chair that had been pulled into the middle of the kitchen. Cut locks of dark brown hair covered the hardwood floors– Apparently Arthur had decided that Leon needed his hair to be cut shorter if he was going to live here. Previously being down to his waist, his hair was now cut to his jaw. His bangs had been trimmed to, so he could no longer hide his face. "There we go... Shoddy work, but now you can't hide behind your hair, huh? At least you don't look like a girl anymore." Arthur remarked, chuckling like it was something funny. Leon wasn't laughing along, though, actually he looked quite sad. "Alfred, darling, would you please show him the spare room? That will be where he's sleeping. Thank you."
Ok... He wasn't expecting that. Leon quietly got up from the chair, peering at the floor as Arthur got a broom and began sweeping up. Alfred didn't say anything back besides 'Okay, papa', leading Leon up the stairs without a further word. He opened the door for the room that Leon would be sleeping it– It was bare, there was sparse decorations or furniture besides a bed with light blue sheets, a wardrobe which Arthur had already put some clothing in for Leon, and a shelf on the wall. Nothing more, nothing less.
"This is.. where you'll be staying, I guess." Alfred said with a little shrug. He turned his head to look at Leon. "You're so quiet. Do you... speak English? At all?" He questioned, his voice taking an almost sarcasm tone. Leon nodded his head yes, simply saying, "I can..." Alfred gave Leon a once-over as the smaller boy stepped into the room in front of him, his eyes catching on the green jade around Leon's wrist.
"That- uh- the green bracelet thingy you're wearing is cool. My mom wore those too, but uhm... a little different, they were normally some green-blue stone, I dunno." The American boy commented, stepping into the room beside Leon, who had sat down on edge of the bed. Leon's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked away again. "Oh... thank you..." The Chinese boy meekly responded. Alfred followed him further into his new bedroom, sitting down on the bed beside him.
Alfred let out a little yawn, turning his head to look at Leon. "So... You're from- Wait, where are you from? My dad never told me." Leon only cowered into himself further. Why won't he go away already? He hadn't been left alone since he got on that damn ship, why won't they leave him alone... Still, Leon now felt obligated to respond. "Hong Kong, China... I am from.. there, yeah." He said with a little nod of the head. Alfred gave a small hum, looking away from the boy again and instead peering into the wall across from him. Okay, so the awkwardness hadn't faded yet. Amazing.
Before they could talk any further, Arthur called them back downstairs for dinner. They ate their food without a word, not even Magnolia spoke up. There was an odd tension in the air. Arthur was clearly stressed, Leon seemed nervous, Alfred was just plain uncomfortable, and Magnolia managed to pick up on all of that and decided to shut up for once. Arthur prayed that this wouldn't continue for much longer, that maybe tomorrow would be less tense, but he quietly sent the children to bed that night.