"Oh my god, dude, oh my god, I can't watch this," America hyperventilated as he hugged his pillow tighter. "AHH! This is so freaking scary, I can't do this, I can't!"

Canada rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder in comfort. Why he agreed to a horror movie marathon with America, he didn't quite know… No matter how many times he had tried to weasel his way out of the situation, the American had still insisted. And so here he was now, attempting to comfort the other nation who was currently freaking out for what seemed like the millionth time.

"America, it's just a fictional movie," Canada said emotionlessly as his brother put himself into the fetal position on the couch. "Meaning, it's not real. So please, can you maybe try to calm down just a bi–"

"Don't go in there! Do not go inside that closet!" America interrupted Canada, his eyes glued to the screen as he squeezed his pillow even tighter to his chest. "Don't do it! Dude, there's totally a ghost inside, don't do it!"

Canada let out a sigh as America leaned toward the TV in anticipation.

"No! I said, don't go in there!" America was now outright screaming at the TV, his voice shaky with fear. "Come on, dude, listen to me! Don't do it! Don't – "

And then, just as the character on screen threw back the door to the closet, everything suddenly went black with a PLINCK, leaving the two nations sitting in complete darkness.

The room was silent as America blinked again and again, his widened eyes still fixed on the spot where the TV's bright screen just was a second ago.

"Mattie…" he said slowly. "Did you switch off the TV?"

"…No. I think the power just went out."

America took a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing scream, making Canada jolt in surprise.

"Oh, come on, Al," Canada said to the whimpering American. "Would you please just try to calm dow– "

"No, Mattie!" America interrupted the Canadian once more as he grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook them vigorously. "I can't calm down! There's no TV and no power! It's totally dark, I can't see, what if that ghost from the movie comes out of the closet and gets me and haunts me forever, oh no, Mattie, he's totally coming to get me, isn't he? I don't want to be haunted forever! We're all gonna die!"

"Would you get a grip, eh," Canada muttered as he threw his brother's hands off his shoulders and fumbled around for a flashlight. "No one's going to die, and no one's going to haunt you. And there's no ghost."

His hands finally making contact with the flashlight, Canada switched it on and light filled the room.

"Oh, maple… "

Canada found himself releasing a sigh as he took in the sight of a trembling America curled up into a ball, his arms wrapped tightly around his pillow and his eyes squeezed shut, quietly muttering the phrase "There's no ghost" over and over as he rocked back and forth.

"Don't worry, America," Canada said as he patted his brother's back comfortingly. "It's just a power outage. Nothing's going to happen. If you want, I can just call my boss and– "

Canada's brows suddenly furrowed in confusion. He tapped his phone several times, but there just didn't seem to be any sort of connection.

"Well, that's weird," he said. "My phone's not working… I guess this power outage thing affected my country, too."

When America didn't respond, Canada had to resist the urge to roll his eyes again.

"America, I promise you this wasn't caused by a ghost."

At this, America lifted his head and looked at his brother questioningly.

"So if it wasn't a ghost, then what else could it have been?" he said before letting out a sudden gasp. "Unless it's terrorists… Oh my god, Mattie, that's it! It's terrorists, I just know it!"

"No, Al, I don't think it's terrorists either…" Canada said. "It's probably just a regular power outage. Everything should most likely be back to normal in a few minutes."

-2 hours later-

"MATTIE DUDE, I SWEAR, WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!"

"For the last and final time, America, no, we are not going to die," Canada cradled his head in his hands as he unsuccessfully tried to drown out his brother's full-fledged panic yet again. "And, before you ask again, no, this isn't some sort of evil ghost spirit, or terrorists, or an alien plot to take over the world. And it definitely isn't a giant anti-American mutant robot come to destroy us all!"

"But what if it could be– "

"No, it's not," Canada said, finally reaching his breaking point. "Whatever you're about to say, it's not that. This is just a normal power outage! There's no ghost, or terrorist, or alien, or robot, or supervillain, or-or any of that stuff! Everything is normal! Understood? N-O-R-M-A…– "

PLINCK.

"…L." Canada finished slowly as the power suddenly returned and all the electronic items in the room roared back to life. "Well, would you look at that, eh."

"YES!" America said, pumping a fist in the air. "It's back! Thank god, it's back! The hero has saved the day once again!"

With that, he turned to Canada with a grin.

"So, did we totally handle that well or what?"

Author's note:

On August 14, 2003, a giant power outage affected the eastern US and parts of Canada. About fifty million people were affected, and the power remained off for as early as two hours or as late as an entire day. People were stuck in stalled subway trains, elevators, and even stranded mid-ride at amusement park roller coasters; and, yes, some Americans did in fact believe that terrorists were the ones responsible.

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day (or night)!

XOXO,

Cora