Book 2 - The Angel Against Revolution

XLI - Snarky Comments and Staircases

Russia didn't remember falling asleep, but he's startled awake by soft whimpering from somewhere next to him. All the countries that could climb the stairs, were moved to stay on cots upstairs, leaving Russia and America on the larger couch and Egypt on one of the smaller couches in the living room.

Russia, disoriented, looks around. Looking to his side, he sees America curled up and quietly weeping. Russia pulls himself up and winces. 

'I can't do anything to help.'

The thought is sobering, but Russia decides that he isn't going to leave America to suffer. 

'Dixie can help. Must find Dixie.'

Russia forces himself to his feet and he muffles his yelp with his fist.

'Can't give up now.'

Russia stumbles to the stairs and takes a moment to breathe before staring up the staircase, his head spinning. Another whimper, louder this time catches his attention, and he steels himself over. Russia forces himself to his feet and up the first step. 

He claws at the handrail and collapses as soon as he makes it up the staircase.

Russia gasps. He stays on the floor for a second and tries to catch his breath before rolling onto his hands and pushes himself back up to his feet.

'Need to get help.'

Russia uses his shoulder to balance himself on the wall and he wanders down the hallway. His vision gets spotty and his peripheral vision has all but blacked out. He makes it to Dixie's door before his legs gave out on him and he crumbles like he is made of wet cardboard. He hits the floor with a heavy thump, and the snoring from in the room suddenly stops.

The door opens a moment later and Dixie stares down at Russia, the remnants of sleep and confusion in his eyes.

"Russia?" Dixie asks, sounding exhausted and baffled.

"Something wrong. America needs help," Russia explains through clenched teeth, propping himself up on his arms.

Dixie's eyes go wide before he rushes downstairs, his footsteps pounding against the wood. Russia pushes himself onto his hands until the pain in his right hand becomes excruciating. He falls back down, landing hard on his chest. He flinches violently at the impact but finds it's not as painful as he had expected. His eyelids begin to fall.

Strange footfalls echo through the hallway, and a set of feet, one real and one prosthetic, skid to a stop in front of Russia's nose.

"Russia? What are you doing? How did you get up here?" New York asks from above him, sounding perplexed.

"Something's wrong with Meri. Needed help," Russia says quietly.

Russia tries again to force himself up and off the cold ground. He hears another kid come running up through the hallway, and Russia looks up just in time to see New Jersey nearly tripping over him to get to New York.

"Woah!" New Jersey exclaims, "What the fuck is going on?!"

"Shhh!" New York hisses, "and I think something's wrong with Dad."

"I'm gonna go get Tex," New Jersey says before running off.

"No! Wait!-" New York shouts before he cuts himself off and sighs.

New York crouches as much as his prosthetic would allow and looks at Russia in the eyes.

"Do you want to stay up here or do you want to go back downstairs?"

"Downstairs," Russia replies.

New York nods before looking back up.

"Tik," New York says, faint disdain in his tone, "we need your help."