Book 3 - Retrievers

XXXIX - Cat Dad

Russia moves his gaze to the ground, and his face feels like it's on fire. The sounds around him blur as he tries to breathe.

'Why now? Why does this have to happen in front of everyone?!'

"Ruuuuusss?" America calls.

Russia looks to America's collar and no higher. He feels the shifting under his hat as his ears pin back and prod at the fuzz under the ushanka. Russia feels the fur on his tail stand on end. He catches glimpses of the dark grey fur as it aggressively starts waving behind him. He begins to fight the movement, and he holds it stiffly behind his back.

'Great. Now I have a dead giveaway for my emotions.'

Russia wrings his hands together and reluctantly begins pulling at his hat. His ears press against the top uncomfortably as he yanks it down. Shivers run down his spine and his tail puffs out even more. He starts to lift it up to relieve the pressure and get the itchy feeling out of his scalp.

He looks around for somewhere to hide, only to realize that they were trapped. The few sounds that he can hear are muffled so greatly by his hat that he can't understand anything they say.

'I can't hear anything now unless I take it off.'

His heart sinks. His cheeks grow even hotter, and his stomach twists.

The familiar thought of 'I just want this to go away!' rings through Russia's mind.

His ears push painfully against the cloth. He starts fighting with it for a second, digging his fingers into the flaps. Then, he yanks his hat off and hugs his chest. He fights back tears and holds his breath for the teasing to start.

"Oh my God! You're adorable!" America chirps.

"So, are you a cat now?" Finland asks nonchalantly.

Russia opens one eye to see Finland standing back with Alberta at her side, looking amused but not surprised. Ohio is snickering a little, but Kansas smacks him to quiet him down. The Dakotas just look on in awe. Florida squeals and Russia flinches at the noise.

America slowly walks up to him with his hand outstretched and Russia hisses, backing into a corner.

"Russia?" America asks carefully, "are you okay?"

"No!" Russia hisses under his breath.

America pulls his hand back and steps away. Russia takes a shuddering breath and presses his shoulders into the wall. The magic floating around the room weighs on him. Russia looks at the floor and sniffles, fighting back mortified tears.

"Ruby?"

"I -this wasn't supposed to happen. Not in front of you or anyone," Russia mumbles, hugging his hat tighter and staring at the carpet, looking for a distraction.

"Ruby, it's okay," America comforts, reaching out.

Russia tucks his face into his shoulder, squinting his eyes to keep tears at bay. He hopes that the whining in the back of his throat isn't audible. He bares his teeth.

'I'm acting like a child!'

"Rue, it's actually okay. Really."

"Yeah. Why are you so upset?" South Dakota asks.

"Because I- this- I," Russia stammers, his thoughts screeching to a halt.

"Rue, listen," America says, cutting off Russia's rambling, "we need to keep going. I know that you're embarrassed, but we can't just stop now. You can't shut down like this, okay?"

Russia takes a deep breath and nods. He blinks back the tears and sniffles. He takes a few more breaths and the fur on his tail begins to smooth out.

"Okay," Russia mumbles, waving his hands.

"Are you okay now, Ruby?"

"Yes."

Russia pulls his backpack off and shoves his hat inside. Shame builds in his stomach, but he shoves it down the best he can. His ears lay flat on his head.

'I can't let this stop me.'

"Okay," Ohio exclaims, "now let's see what that did to the door."

Finland shoves her way to the front, and Alberta pushes Ohio again for good measure.

"Hey!" he protests.

Finland opens the door and inside is a magically charged closet. Russia watches confused, and gets the urge to go inside and shut the door.

"Are you getting the feeling we should stand in there too?" America asks, looking to Russia.

Russia's ears perk up a little. He nods, and they carefully walk inside. They are about to close the door when South Dakota shoves her foot into the frame with a shout.

"Don't close it until Dak is in here," she scolds.

North Dakota pulls the door open, and it slams shut as soon as she walks inside. Russia's heart sinks, and it feels like they're in a descending elevator. Russia's tail starts puffing up again and begins swishing. When he tries to stop it, he finds the anxiety gets worse. When that feeling fades. Russia carefully reaches forward over the states to open the door again.

It opens to rows of unfathomably big machines. Russia walks out into the start of an aisle that looks far too big to be built for human use. Russia stares up toward the ceiling, but can only see the tops of the machines fade into shadows. It smells metallic here, and the air is heavy with something Russia can't place.

All the machines move in unison, moving pieces as big as cars, creating a rhythmic clang that echoes from all directions. Russia's ears perk up significantly, and he tries his best to analyze where exactly they are.

"Why is it so dark?" Ohio asks.

"What do you mean?" Russia asks his tail swishing nervously.

"I can barely see my hand in front of my face," America admits.

"The door's gone," Finland comments.

Russia turns around and sees Finland feeling around on the wall. Russia begins scanning the wall and sees that it's completely smooth metal now.

"Huh."

"Rue, where are you?"

"I'm over here. You can't see?" Russia asks.

"You can?"

"Yes?"

"Huh."

"It's probably cuz you're a cat now, cat dad!" Florida exclaims.

Russia freezes. America also goes quiet before nervously giggling behind his hands. North Dakota feels along the wall, looking for the doorway, and South Dakota follows just behind her.

'"Cat dad."?'

"Dude! You broke him!" Ohio exclaims.

"Guys, calm down," Kansas tries.

"Cat dad!" Alberta yells, cackling.

Finland walks over, turning on a flashlight. She puts a hand on Russia's shoulder.

"Congratulations, you're a father," she says jovially.

Russia stares at America; who begins tearing up and giggling hysterically.

"Finland, you might want to stop," South Dakota says carefully, "we want to make sure Russia still works right."

Finland laughs.

America gets out his own light and clicks it on, still giggling.

"Come on Ruby. Let's look around a little," America says, grabbing Russia's hand and dragging him forward.

'"Cat Dad."' Russia's mind repeats as he numbly follows, his tail flowing out behind him.