Instability - Countryhumans Tenebrous AU

Chapter 5: Crescendo

/ America POV /

/ Washington D.C. /

I had made a deal with the devil.

Was it worth it? To finally be free from all this pain, this suffering...but to violate the very principles that my nation was built on? I suppose that's yet to be seen. All this felt so, so wrong... yet so right. I would endorse the vice president's future presidential run, pull a few strings, and he would put an end to everything that's in the way of restoring my greatness on the world stage.

Was this what nationalism felt like? The pounding of my heart, like the steady rhythm of a clock. Energy.. and a strange sense of bloodlust that was a new sensation to me. I'd remember my long-dead brother Confederate, and how he had described these very same feelings to me before I put a bullet through his head. It worried me, to say the least. I wanted nothing to do with the brother I had hated so dearly, yet his presence seemed to be wrapping around me—engulfing my very personality—once more.

I haven't seen a fresh face since the UN meeting, where many countries had questioned my sudden disappearance. The vice president had advised me to not leave DC, warning me they'd try to persuade me, influence me, against doing what must be done. They don't understand, America, he had said. But you mustn't worry. We'll convince them soon enough. I felt a lingering sense of unease with that last statement. What was he trying to imply? Was I being overly dramatic?

Gosh, why are politics so damn complicated?

All I knew was that I wanted the pain of the protests to stop, and if that meant breaking a few rules to do that, then so be it. After all, it will only be temporary.. right?

/ Canada POV /

/ Toronto /

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about America's upcoming election season. Seeing as his and I's cultures, politics, economics, and overall fates are extremely intertwined, I always paid close attention to his rather unstable politics. As of current, a semi-moderate candidate was in office, but it was his Vice President that scared me the most. The VP had already announced his reelection as an independent. Normally, given how polarized US politics have been, the possibility of a third party candidate running would have been laughable, at best. But the VP had collected significant backing from major political figures and donors, which made him a force to be reckoned with. The American personification had stayed mostly quiet on the issue, yet (quite scarily) had attended one of the vice president's rallies as a special guest.

I had tried calling America, but to know avail. The phone had rung for a good five seconds, only for the call to be disconnected as if America had hung up. I'd assure myself, saying that he was probably just really busy. After all, election season was always quite stressful for the country...yet he almost always had time for his brother.

As far as I had heard, he hadn't been talking with anyone. He had even missed a NATO summit—incredibly unusual for the country who took delight in flexing his military power. It was almost as if he had gone into isolation...

I shook the thought away. After world war 2, America had vowed never to be isolationist again. He was the world police after all, we needed him to keep authoritarian powers like China and Russia in check. He wouldn't abandon his allies so quickly without a single word of warning... would he?

The rest of NATO, with the exception of Britain and Canada, had taken this as a sign to build up self reliance. They feared that due to America's unstable politics he may become unreliable as an ally. Britain and Canada, however, had their own disagreements with that rhetoric. Just as the US government had been promising, this would all blow over eventually. A sensible candidate would be elected into office, fix the two-party system, and America would finally have time for his family again. We would just have to wait.

...

And wait he would, for the next three months. America wouldn't return his calls. The election was only a week away. And he was afraid, for both his brother and for himself.

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A/N: 

781 words

Hiya, readers! There'll be one more chapter after this, which will be the beginning chapter (written in my own words) of  Reflection's  Tenebrous AU. This is meant to be a rather short story, but if you'd like a continuation of it feel free to comment. 

This had been more of a side project for me than anything else, and I'm thinking of writing another countryhumans book once I'm done with this one. If you have any ideas, do tell!

- catastrophicoconut