Saudade | CountryHumans RusAme

63 ‎ ‎ Two Graves, One Gun

AMERICA
He looked around furiously to make sure everyone else was safe, the soles of his shoes cushioning the harsh fall and the small, almost invisible specks of shattered glass. Ukraine had done a great service cleaning them all up before the rest of them made their escape through the window. 

He fought the urge to look for Russia, pressing it to the bottom of his system, and grabbed Canada's wrist instead, who was wincing at the impact. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, panicked.

Canada nodded his head. "I'm fine," he said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. He whipped his head around to face the others sprawled on the grass of the lawn, buckling slightly when he attempted to stand. "Does anyone else smell smoke?"

A pause. Then─ "Yes," China muttered, getting to his feet. "Something's burning." 

★

Almost every Representative had wrestled their way past their schedule constraints and bolted doors to the main field, flames engulfing the crystalline blue of the skies as brawls erupted across the land. NATO stood in the crossfires of it all, holding a gun, lips pursed, hair in disarray, looking as if he was debating whether to shoot more or stand down. 

America caught a flash of red hair in the chaos, the sight flickering something awake in his head. He followed it to Romania, Vietnam, and Switzerland, centered in the field and standing defensively in between Thailand and a sobbing Philippines. 

Hurt blossomed in his chest as their eyes locked across the crowd, azure blue onto brilliant yellow, bearing the weight of a hollow future and an unsuccessful attempt at a surreptitious breakup. 

"You," she mouthed, lower lip quivering. "Where have you been?" 

"I─" he began as he felt the presence of the other Representatives disappear, North's warnings to get to safety a distant hum muffled by the battle cacophony.  

Romania turned at the noise. "America," she whispered, unblinking. "How long have you been here?" 

"Since your great speech," he replied, and tears gathered in Philippines' eyes. Thailand bolted away, her restrictors distracted. "You deduced it. You guys did it." 

Switzerland pursed his lips. "At what cost?"

"We're still finding out," America admitted, cautious. 

"I'm sorry," Romania barely managed. "I'm sorry for cutting you guys off. The revelation scared me. I didn't want to face you guys." 

America smiled sadly, and even then it didn't quite go to his heart. "Do you even owe me an apology? I started this mess. You put it all together, gave Neo the truth. You don't need to say sorry for that." 

"But─" 

"I take it then, that you remember it all now?" Vietnam asked stiffly. The initial relief they'd felt at the convergence of paths had now mellowed into an awkward silence. He guessed absentmindedly that he had been rescued from his hospitalized setting. 

America opened his mouth to speak, the words acidic on his tongue, leaking through his teeth like quinine. The answer was undoubtedly yes, because now his memory was no longer hazed and now he was nearly blinded by the clarity of the production...  

Because suddenly it was their first day at Neo, a hand extended by Mexico, and seeing Russia play on the basketball court, his hair white and aglow in the thickening twilight. Suddenly it was traveling to Times Square through the Portal Path both times, and then kissing strangers and future lovers, breakups and makeups galore, cursing his name in the rain, and then it was lying with South beneath the stars, discussing meaning and the lack thereof. It was his birthday, and then it was brain scans at China's, and then a motorbike ride and laughing the hardest he ever had and shopping. It was the loss, and it was Reich's expression that day, and suddenly it was a bullet carding through the air, aimed most pointedly for his left shoulder─