Countryhumans Oneshots

The Faceless People You Have Yet to Meet

Remember, this was happening in 1900, and no one has the language or terminology for DID yet. Also, TW for ableist language and a character thinking a DID System is insane.

It had been hard talking to America since her annexation. It was tense and awkward, and America's moods only made it worse. Sometimes, he was unapologetic about taking her freedom, insisting that it was necessary, while other times, he was apologetic, acting like it wasn't his fault like he was some observer who had nothing to do with anything!

It made Hawaiʻi nervous. She never knew what mood he would be in, and trying to guess his mood now was so much more nerve-wracking as a colony than as a kingdom.

It reminded her a little of living with Britain all those years ago when she was never quite sure if something she said was going to set off his temper.

Hawaiʻi hated it.

Thankfully, America seemed to be in a good mood today, and while Hawaiʻi didn't want to be talking to him, their conversation had yet to dissolve into screaming or an argument.

"So...how have you been, Wai?" America asked, his tone holding a note of hesitation and awkwardness, made all the more worse by the fact that he was actually pronouncing the nickname he gave her so long ago correctly. A strange mix of hurt and grief burned in Hawaiʻi's chest before she pushed it away, swallowing back the tears that threatened to emerge as she tried to figure out how she would answer that question.

Hawaiʻi was thankfully saved from answering by a state walking through the door. While Hawaiʻi had a very hard time telling states apart from each other, this one she did recognize as being Georgia.

"Hello D—Caleb, is that you?" Georgia asked. America nodded, and Hawaiʻi took a nervous step back.

"Am I allowed to hear his new human name?" she asked, not wanting to do anything to make her time in this household more miserable. She didn't want to give the states more reasons to hate her or harass her about feigned crimes against their father.

Although it was strange that Georgia called her father by his human name, Hawaiʻi wondered if they had perhaps fought recently.

"Oh, Meri, I thought you and James were taking care of telling all the new people," America said, sounding very annoyed. Who were Meri and James? Tell them what?

Georgia snorted, "You're just unlucky. I think they meant to, but they've probably just been looking for a good time."

"What are you talking about?" Hawaiʻi asked, feeling hopelessly confused. America grinned something that looked so out of place on his face that it took Hawaiʻi aback.

"You know those 'moods' of mine that you've noticed? How it can sometimes seem like I'm different people? I walk differently, talk differently, have different tastes, etcetera, etcetera."

"Yes?"

"That's because we are! All those moods, they aren't moods. That's what it looks like when different people share the same body, but all have to pretend to be America in public because otherwise, we'll get thrown into an asylum. My name is Caleb. I'm not Meri, America; Caleb is not America's human name. I'm my own person in every way, aside from the body. I'm not America; I'm Caleb." America's eyes glistened as if he was holding back tears, with a worried look on his face.

Hawaiʻi stood there in shock, unsure of what to say or how to react. It made sense, of course, it did. Hawaiʻi had commented before on how America's moods made him seem like different people, but could that really be the case? What if America was just mad?

It didn't matter if it made sense. Nobody had multiple people in their head.

America had actually gone mad.

"Many of the territories used to exist in Dad's body. I did before I became an official state, back when I was a colony. I...we don't know for sure why it's happened, but we think it's a weird country thing. But..Caleb—Dad's not mad. He's fine, just sharing his body." Georgia added.

America had gotten his children wrapped up in his madness? Or was Georgia just pretending to believe in the delusions because she was scared of her father?

"I know you think you know we're mad. America did at first, and so did Florida, Ana, and all of them. But...they came around. We hope you will, too." America said. Hawaiʻi nodded.

"Okay...may I leave now?" she asked, careful to keep her voice polite so as not to anger the madman in front of her.

"Of course you can. Meri won't say it, but this is your home now, too. You can come and go as you please." America said, a soft smile on his face but worry in his eyes.

He didn't look mad. He looked normal.

That was more terrifying than anything. Why couldn't he look mad? Why couldn't he just look like the terrible person he was? Why did he have to be so painfully normal?

Hawaiʻi nodded and stepped away, walking to her room as she tried to process everything.

America was mad. That much was clear. He was convinced that he had multiple people in his head who could speak to him and control his body. Or he was convinced he was multiple people. Either way, it was scary. Hawaiʻi briefly considered the idea that America could be possessed by some sort of demon but quickly put aside that thought.

Countryhumans were supposed to be holy. So America couldn't be possessed.

He was just mad.

Hawaiʻi had said before that living with Britain could be enough to drive a man mad, but she wasn't truly serious when she said that. But was Britain the one to drive America mad, or was he mad from the beginning?

Hawaiʻi didn't know how to feel.

How could she not have seen this before? So what if this explanation made sense? So what if she had commented before that sometimes America's moods—America's madness—made him act like different people?

You couldn't just have multiple people in the same body, even if it was just a country thing.

That's not how it worked. That's not how any of it worked.

America had to be mad.

It was the only thing that made sense.

Right?