Canada woke with a jolt and looked around. He stared at the small green numbers on his bedside table for a moment, unable to see through the blurry haze. He groaned and weakly felt around the table until he found his glasses, resting just far enough out of reach that he fell sideways out of his bed.

"Ow," he mumbled, slowly sitting up and slipping his glasses onto his face. His vision sharpened and he glanced up at the clock. 1 o'clock AM. He blinked a few times then sighed. He was almost never awake at this hour. Why was he awake…?

He looked around to see if anything had fallen while he slept. Clock still on the table, dresser still upright, calendar still hanging from the wall… He yawned and stood up, walking over to the calendar. He frowned. "It's not June anymore…huh, must've forgotten to change it," he mumbled. He reached out, crossed off June 30th, and flipped it to the next page.

July 1

Canada blinked sleepily. Then his eyes widened. Then a grin slowly spread across his face. "It's my birthday today!" He remembered. His grin grew wider. He started laughing slightly. He turned around. "Kamakujuko, it's my birthday today!" He called to the mound of sheets on the edge of his bed. He turned and ran out of his room, suddenly completely awake.

He was still smiling as he slipped into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth. It was his birthday! How could he have forgotten? He wondered what he'd get for a present. Maybe he'd get himself some pancakes or he'd buy a new phone or…

Canada blinked, realizing what he was thinking. He shook his head abruptly. Stop that, he berated himself. No. Today, everyone will remember my birthday. He smiled at his reflection.

He practically skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, pulling open the cabinet and grabbing the pancake mix. He paused for a moment.

The year before, they'd all forgotten. And the year before that. And the year before that. And the past several centuries before. Heck, the last present he remembered was when England gave him his first pair of glasses and told him, "Happy birthday. Now please stop crashing into my things." It'd been the middle of December.

Canada shook his head again as he started making the pancakes. Stop that, he scolded. He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile.

They were going to remember this time. America had promised him. July 17 of last year, Canada had given up all hope of receiving a belated gift. He'd sat in his room and cried for a while, another disappointing year gone by. America, for once, remembering that he had a brother, had taken it upon himself that, as a hero, it was his job to cheer Canada up. He'd promised that next year, he'd throw the biggest party for him.

Well, Canada decided to trust him. Today, he was going to get the best birthday ever.

He ate his pancake and walked out the door. As he reached his car, he froze. It was one in the morning. No one would be up. And besides that, why had he brushed his teeth before eating anyway? He was so excited he was going completely out of order. He sighed and walked back toward the house.

The doorknob didn't turn. He blinked and tried again. He reached into his pocket and realized at he'd left the key in his room. He sighed and looked under the welcome mat. Then he remembered that America had borrowed it the other day to scrape gum off of his shoe then thrown it out. Great. He strode to the back yard and jiggled with the back door's lock enough that he managed to slip inside. Really needed to fix that.

Nine hours later, he decided it was finally late enough to go visit his brother. "Kamakujo, come on, we're going to America for a bit!" He called. He paused expectantly, for the "Who're you?" But when no response came, he frowned slightly. "Kumojeru?" He called, starting to get confused. He strode up the stairs and over to the bed. "Kamugyro, come on, we need to go." He pulled the blankets back to find, lo and behold, more blankets.

"Huh?" Canada started looking around. "Kamokeru, where are you?" He asked. He checked every room, looked under furniture, checked behind curtains, but absolutely no sign of the polar bear. Canada sighed slightly. Well, that was strange. He sighed and walked back outside to his car.

Hours later, he was in Washington DC. Canada had to admit that it wasn't that bad of a capitol, with plenty of parks and monuments, and those flowering trees that Japan had given him one year. He drove to America's house and walked up to the front door. "America?" He called, knocking.

The door swung open and Canada almost screamed. "Oh, good morning, you," Tony said sleepily, rubbing his head, and along with it, the five different party hats secured to his head. His face was painted red white and blue, as was, well, most of the rest of his body. "You need to see America?"

Canada sighed. "Yeah." He stepped inside as Tony gestured for him to. He looked down at the rad white and blue alien. "So, um, I see you're really getting into the spirit of the whole Fourth of July thing, huh?"

"No. He taped these to my head while I was asleep." Tony walked into the other room. "America, wake up!"

Canada sighed. America as a roommate would probably be the worst thing in the world.

"Oh, hey there dude!" America called. "Wassup?"

Canada smiled. Usually America would take a minute to remember who he was. So that had to be a good omen or something. He turned around. "Hi Ameri—" He froze.

America grinned at him from beneath the sparkly red white and blue streamers tangled in his hair. He was wearing a large tee shirt with an American flag on it, and had red white and blue paint on his face. He had a red white and blue party hat sticking sideways on his head and a red white and blue pair of glasses and red white and blue sweatpants. He had banners and lights and flags and fireworks all piled up in his arms. "So wassup?" He repeated.

Canada blinked. "Oh, I see, uh, that you're getting ready for your birthday already…" he said slowly.

America laughed at him. "Are you kidding? It's never too early to get ready for the Fourth of July! I've been stealing fireworks from China since August!" He set the things down. "So, didja need anythin'?"

Canada smiled slightly. "Well, um, how's the party planning going? Y'know, for…"

"It's going great! I got fireworks and firecrackers and ice cream and cake and I bought like eight more flags and the President said it's illegal to wear one as a cape or some stupid thing like that but I nailed a bunch to the walls and stuff so it works out okay I guess and this'll be the best Fourth of July ever!" America grinned.

Canada stared blankly at him for a second. "…well…that all sounds fun, I guess…b-but…aren't you forgetting about something…?" He asked slowly.

America's face fell. "Huh? What…?" He thought hard. Then his eyes widened. "Oh crap! Sorry, I can't believe I almost forgot!"

Canada sighed in relief. "I-It's alright, eh?" He replied shakily. "I'm just glad that you actually remembered—"

America shoved a piece of paper into Canada's face. "Here you go!" He said brightly. "Thanks for reminding me!"

Canada blinked. "Huh…?" He looked at the paper. It was red white and blue, covered in pieces of shiny confetti, and read:

Dear Canadia,

You are herby invited to America's birthday on July 4th! Bring a present and lots of ice cream and stuff!

~ Alfred F. Jones :) :) :)

Canada blinked. He blinked again. He opened his mouth. Then he closed it. "W…What is this?" He asked.

"Your invitation!" America answered, still grinning. "You like it? Think it's too much? Iggy was saying that the sparkly stuff was overkill and all, but heck, I thought it looked really cool! Anyway, be extra sure to get me a sweet present!" He patted Canada's shoulder. "Sorry 'bout forgettin to send it!"

Canada stared at him. He took a deep breath. "O-Oh. Yeah. O-Okay then, you…you, uh…" He forced a weak smile. "…thank you. I think I'll head home now."

"Kay! See you around, Canadia!" America turned and strode back into the other room.

"Y…Yeah…see you…" Canada mumbled softly. He stood there for almost a minute, feeling a mix of shock and disappointment. Finally he turned and walked outside. "He forgot," he mumbled to himself. He opened the door of his car and sat down slowly. "I guess I should've expected that, huh Kuma—" He turned and paused, remembering that he was alone. He sighed and drove off.

As he drove, he forced another smile. So America forgot, he thought. Oh well. Who cares? I'm still going to have a good birthday! Maybe someone else remembered! He pulled his cell phone out and glanced sidelong at the screen. No new messages. Canada let out another sigh. After a second, he dialed a number with his thumb and put it on speaker phone.

It rang twice. "Bonjour! C'est Francis! Laissez un message!" Another beep.

Canada sighed. What was he expecting from France? And worse still, if it rang twice, then that likely meant France had pressed the ignore button. He bit his lip then dialed another number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Cuba," Canada answered.

"America how the hell did you get this number?" Cuba hung up.

Canada gritted his teeth. He dialed another number.

England answered on the first ring. "For the last time, you bloody wanker, no!" He shouted into the receiver.

Canada flinched. "U-Um, hi England."

There was a pause. "What? Wait, who the bloody hell is this?" England snapped. "You're not Iceland or any of my brothers… Is that you America? For God's sake, I don't have time for your ridiculous party schemes or whatever you want to go on about this time. I'm very busy with dealing with the economy and half of Europe is practically bankrupt and Iceland was—"

"A-Actually," Canada interrupted, "this is Canada."

"Huh?" England thought for a second. "Oh, right, uh, Canada. Err, how're you doing?"

"…I'm…okay…" Canada responded, starting to wonder if maybe calling England was a bad idea. "S-So how're you?"

"Fine, I suppose…" England replied uncomfortably. "So, um, did you need something…?"

Canada paused for a second. "So, uh, today's my birthday."

"…really…"

Canada took another deep breath. "Y-Yeah, uh, well, I was just wondering if…someone remembered…" Canada trailed off. "…You…wouldn't want to…hang out or anything…would you?"

There was a long awkward pause. Finally, England murmured, "Actually, I have something I need to do. Maybe later."

"Oh," Canada muttered. "Okay…never mind."

"Right. Sorry. See you later then." England hung up.

Canada sighed. He drove home and stopped at a bar just inside the border. He got a beer and sighed. He didn't drink too often, but heck, it was his birthday. He drank for a while then thought of something. He pulled out his phone again and dialed.

"Hallo?" Prussia asked.

Canada smiled slightly. "Hey Prussia."

He heard Prussia yawn. "Not again. I already told you the Awesome Me got the beer. I mean seriously do you know how heavy forty-six things of beer is? I had to get West to help me lug it to the car and—"

"Uh, Prussia, this is Canada."

Prussia paused. "Whoa, Canada, your voice sounds really weird over the phone!" He said, sounding shocked.

Canada sighed. "So you want to…go drinking with me?" He asked softly.

There was another pause. "Crap, sorry Canada, I can't. I have some…awesome stuff I need to take care of."

Canada sighed. "Of course," he mumbled. "Sorry to bother you."

"Listen Canada, maybe—"

Canada hung up and put his head down on the bar. He sat there for a while, until the bartender walked over. "Excuse me. May I see some form of ID?"

Canada rolled his eyes and handed him his license without looking up. After a moment, the bartender said, "It says here that you're nineteen."

"So?" Canada mumbled.

"Um, well, the legal drinking age in America is twenty-one."

Canada blinked. He sat up. "Oh, I forgot."

"Yeah, you're going to have to leave."

Canada sighed. "Right." He turned and walked outside, feeling tired and unhappy. He climbed into the car and drove off. As he drove, he smiled grimly to himself. So much for 'best birthday ever', he thought. Maybe next time I should just sleep the whole day. Better than expecting something to actually—

A siren went off behind him. Canada glanced up and pulled over. The policeman strode over. Canada glanced up. "So what did I do?" He muttered unhappily.

"You were swerving," the man replied. "Please step out of the car."

Canada sighed. "I was not."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Sir, have you been drinking alcohol today?"

"W-Well yeah, a little bit but—"

"May I see your license and car registration?"

"Listen I'm really not—"

"Sir, I asked you to step out of the car."

Canada stood up and stepped out. As he stepped, his shoe caught the door and he slammed into the policeman.

The policeman glared at him. "Sir, you just assaulted a police officer."

Canada blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

The man pulled out handcuffs. "You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent—"

"Oh for the love of…"

(Hours later)

Canada was driving home after a long day, feeling miserable. He'd managed to get out of the police station by late in the afternoon. It was his birthday, and, well, he had absolutely nothing to show for it. Just another forgotten birthday. He didn't even have Kumajiro to complain to or anything. He just wanted to go home and cry himself to sleep.

He got home and strode up to the door. He reached into his pocket and realized he still hadn't gotten his keys that morning when he'd been looking for Kumajiro. He slammed his head against the door. "Come on," he groaned.

He strode to the back door and managed to open it. He stood inside and slumped against the wall. "Man," he mumbled softly. He stood there for almost a minute.

"For God's sake, what are you doing now?" Someone muttered in the other room.

Canada froze, wide-eyed. Was someone there? He looked up and quickly grabbed a hockey stick from the floor. He slowly crept to the doorway and peaked through, ready to smash a burglar.

The front room was crammed full of people, every nation Canada had ever met, all crouched into the corners of the room. Canada almost screamed, but was too stunned to even move. There was confetti and streamers and a large red and white cake with a maple flag and covered with what Canada assumed was maple syrup and candles. And dangling from the ceiling were two banners. One that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY and one that said HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY with the word 'fourth' crossed out and replaced with a messy one.

America was crouched on the other side of the room, staring intently through the window. "Iggy, shut up. I swear I saw him out there," he whispered.

Canada stared at him, then looked over at England, who was rolling his eyes. "You're an idiot. He's not out there."

"No he was! Seriously, he was right outside! Didn't you hear that thump? He's out there!"

"Mon Dieu," France muttered sleepily. "What time is it, anyway? I bet ze cake I worked so 'ard to make is already stale. Not zat it'll be all zat good after America destroyed it with all zat syrup…"

"Stop complaining, Frenchy. He loves that crap. And he'll be here any minute."

"You said that almost four hours ago, idiot," Cuba snapped from the other side of the room, looking annoyed. "I think the ice cream is melting, too…"

"Yeah, and all the beer I bought is gonna get warm," Prussia complained from near where Canada was standing. "You sure he's even coming? Didn't you say he got arrested by that policeman you convinced to distract him?"

"Hey, wasn't my fault Canada punched a policeman, or something," America replied. He looked back out the window. "And he got let out, so he should be here soon…"

Canada burst out laughing.

The room went silent. Slowly, everyone turned toward the doorway, toward the hysterically laughing Canadian grabbing the doorway to keep himself from falling over. He was giggling so hard that tears were starting to stream down his face. Everyone stared at him. Finally, America coughed. "Err, surprise?"

Canada took a deep breath and looked up, still giggling. Everyone followed America's example and let out a loud, "Surprise!" Kumajiro, who was sitting next to America, looked up with a large red and white maple leaf bow tied to his head, and asked, "Who're you?"

Canada just smiled at everyone. Best birthday ever.

Hello, internet! I'm back~!

Today is Canada day. I'm not Canadian, but I just really wanted to write this. Hell, who wouldn't? Canada is just that awesome. I don't think it's completely confirmed that it's Canada's birthday, but oh well.

Feel free to critique or comment!