"Well pardon me!"

Florida smiled happily at his boyfriend's defeated sigh. He had doubts about this prank California wanted to pull, but it was brilliant in a way. They knew DC was having a tough time, so something small that would make him smile was surely the best medicine. Any minute now, DC would pick his head up again, laugh, and then thank everyone for cheering him up.

A minute passed.

"Rosie?" California whispered.

Okay the next minute DC would pick his head up, he was probably overwhelmed with laughter.

Another minute passed.

"California what the fuck did you do?" New York hissed, unaware of the prank.

"I-I just wanted to see if it cheered him up!" California yelled as Florida stood up.

"Pres?" District whispered, standing up and going over to his cousin, putting his hand on his shoulder. DC quickly jerked it away.

"Dee?" Florida whispered now really worried.

"It's just a HUGE FUCKING JOKE FOR ALL OF YOU ISN'T IT?" DC screamed, finally picking his head up.

"We just wanted to cheer you up rosie! It's been a rough week!" California pointed out.

"Oh yeah a rough week? A rough week is the Patriots losing, or Texas losing some cattle in the desert NOT MY LIFE BEING THREATENED." DC yelled.

"I knew this was a bad idea." Oregon said as DC stood up, knocking his chair back.

"Pres!" District tried again, grabbing his cousin's arm.

"No don't--DON'T TOUCH ME." DC yelled, ripping his arm out of his cousins and throwing open the door. District watched his cousin storm out with tears in his eyes, jumping as someone touched his shoulder.

"District listen to me." New York ordered. "He loves you, that didn't mean that he doesn't, but right now he doesn't want to be touched."

"DEE." Florida yelled dashing after his boyfriend with California following.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." DC screamed as more states came out of their rooms or peeked in from the living room.

"The hell is going on?" Texas yelled.

"It backfired." California announced meekly.

"I could've told you it would've sha!" Louisiana pointed out.

"Dee you need to stop." Florida hissed trying to stop DC from opening the door to his office.

"And why should I? Just so I can hear you all mock a madman who I've had to work for, FOR FOUR YEARS?" DC screamed. He managed to get the doorknob to open, and attempted to slam the door, unfortunately New York was faster.

"Cherry!"

"GOD WHY CAN'T YOU ALL JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." DC screamed, the tears falling faster now. He ignored the protests of the states and his boyfriends and stormed over to his desk, grabbing folders upon folders and just tossing them to the floor.

"Sha, get District out of here." Louisiana ordered. Florida nodded and grabbed the hand of District, who was still scared, and pulled him away just as Texas and Louisiana walked into the office.

"Sugar you need to stop." Texas ordered.

"WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME?" DC yelled, grabbing another folder and throwing it to the floor.

"I'm going to call IDC." California whispered ducking away from the group.

"I'M JUST A BIG OL' FAILURE WHO CAN'T CONTROL THE PRESIDENT OR STATES. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." DC screamed, grabbing another folder and throwing it. His knees buckled and he collapsed on the side of the desk, Louisiana moving quickly and grabbing him around his waist.

"I can't....I can't...." DC cried, sinking to the floor.

"Shh....darlin' it's over now. It's over." Louisiana whispered into DC's back as the fed sobbed.

"I'll get my stuff off my bed, he can rest there." New York whispered leaving the office as Texas knelt down next to his two boyfriends.

"It'll be alright sugar, it'll be okay." Texas whispered, running a hand through DC's hair. DC just whimpered and cried, not even trying to struggle to get out of Louisiana's arms anymore. It was like he was completely broken.

"IDC says she'll come and get him tomorrow, she says it'll be better if he's with them for the last few days." California announced later, voice shaking.

"That's bull." Florida hissed. "He should be with us."

"IDC and Gov are his family." New York muttered. "He needs to be with them."

"How's District?" Texas asked.

"He's shaken, but he understood. I'm sure he'll be up DC's ass trying to make him feel better." Florida explained. Silence fell among the boyfriends.

"All I wanted....was to make him smile..." California whispered.

"Poppy....we know." Texas sighed. "But it could've been anything but that."

"I know." California whimpered, taking off his glasses and covering his eyes.

"Dee will probably find it funny now if it helps." Florida pointed out. California didn't answer the smaller state, just continued to cry silently. New York reached over and drew California in close as the boyfriends sat in silence.

"I'm going to ask if sugar needs more of Coco's gummies." Texas muttered getting up and leaving the living room. He knocked on New York's door and opened it gently. Louisiana was laying in bed with DC, who was facing away from the door and the Cajun man, and only he looked up when the door opened.

"He need anything?" Texas asked.

"He's sound asleep." Louisiana muttered sitting up. "But I want him to have some more water."

"C'mon, I'll walk with you to the kitchen." Texas whispered. Louisiana kissed DC's cheek and then got up out of bed, following Texas out of the door.

Neither noticed that DC was awake.

"That's bullshit, he doesn't need to go back there!" Louisiana hissed filling up DC's water glass.

"Honey, he needs his family...."

"HE NEEDS US." Louisiana yelled, throwing the glass in the sink.

"Loui...."

"That was the first time I ever saw him have a reaction like that, this election broke him. I knew this would happen. I KNEW IT." Louisiana hissed taking off his hat and clutching it.

"Okay so it happened. Now what are we going to do? We need to do what's best for him." Texas pointed out.

DC sat up in bed, the intrusive thoughts returning with full force. He reached over for the bag of edibles his Colorado graciously gave him as his boyfriends were trying to calm him down, and popped another in his mouth and laid down.

"Gov and IDC won't let us see him again." Louisiana pointed out.

"That's bullshit and you know it, yes they will." Texas hissed.

DC groaned again, and grabbed the bag, downing a couple more edibles and laying back down.

"After what District tells them, probably not. Poppy is on the lower end of favorite boyfriends to them and this will make the rest of us look like trash!" Louisiana hissed, catching out of the corner of his eye California going into New York's room. California approached the bed carefully, not sure if his boyfriend would even want to talk to him right now.

"Baby?" California whispered sitting on the edge of the bed where DC laid. No answer.

"I....I just wanted to apologize. I really wanted to make you smile but, I should've thought of how it'd make you feel. I never meant to hurt you." California explained.

"Cali...." DC whimpered.

"Rosie?"

"I....why is the room all wavey?" DC whimpered reaching out for his hand. California looked around the room, finding it completely normal, but taking DC's hand anyway.

"What do you mean baby?" California asked. He looked over at the edibles back and his mouth dropped.

"Rosie, how many of these did you take?" California whispered.

"Poppy I'm scared." DC cried as Texas and Louisiana walked in.

"Poppy what's wrong?" Texas asked.

"He took too many edibles." California announced smoothing out DC's hair.

"I knew they were a bad idea." Louisiana hissed stomping the ground.

"Honey, they calmed DC down and that's all that matters." Texas pointed out.

"I'll....leave you to take care of him." California announced attempting to pull away. DC gripped California's hand tighter.

"Please....please don't leave." DC begged. California's mouth dropped in shock; he thought after what happened DC would want nothing to do with him.

"Okay....okay." California whispered, manueving in a way so he could still be spooning DC while still holding his hand.

"I'll go talk to Coco, see if he knows what to do." Louisiana announced putting the glass of water back on the side table and leaving the room with Texas in tow.

"It's okay baby, I'm here." California whispered as DC whimpered. "I'll always be here."

"Please don't leave me." DC begged.

"Never." California promised, kissing DC's cheek. "I will never abandon you, like you'll never abandon us."