Just Survive::AmericaXreader

Chapter Twenty-one

You chewed on your thumbnail as you paced back and forth. Alfred and Ivan were supposed to be back a week previous. You started to regret letting Alfred go instead of convincing him to stay. Worry built in your gut as you started to panic.

"Open the gate, Frenchy!" Ned shouted from on top of the inner gate. Once you heard him, you hurried over as well as a handful of other people. No one had gone out since Alfred and Ivan left, so it must have been them. The car they drove slowly pulled into its parking spot, then sat still. You stood beside Elizabeta towards the front of the crowd. After a tense moment, the driver's door opened and Ivan stepped out.

"Ivan, you're back!" You shouted with a grin as you stepped closer. However, his gaze was downcast and his jaw was tensed as he stood in front of you. "Where's Alfred? Did he stay at the outer wall to talk to Ludwig or Arthur? Is he out in the fields with the dogs? Oh, is he-" you stopped when the Russian wrapped his arms around your shoulders and tugged you close.

He was silent for a moment, as well as the crowd. "I'm so, so sorry..." Ivan trailed, pulling back. Tears were in his violet eyes as he tried making eye contact. "I stayed behind an extra week to look just to make sure it wasn't, but... But I..."

Ivan tucked his hands in his pockets, then brought out two items. You nearly choked as tears rolled down your cheeks. "This was all I could find... And it was near a stretched out food supply for the Biters. Bits and pieces of organs and blood was everywhere... It was have been impossible to even tell if it was human, but..." He raised the two items which you shakily plucked one of them from his hands. You inspected it.

"The scratch... On the left lense... These are his... And that's his gun..." You looked up at Ivan sobs starting to tumble from your lips. "Oh no... No..." You started to whimper and tremble. You cried out, your knees giving out from under you. Ivan quickly reacted and caught you,then held you as you cried. Your wailing was all you could hear, even though it was muffled by Ivan's jackets. You clung onto him, soaking his jacket with your tears.

You felt constricted... You couldn't breathe right and your chest burned with grief. You started to scream Alfred's name and asking why. Ivan just cradled you, his own tears streaking his cheeks. Eventually, you had stressed and grieved yourself to sleep.

~

You woke to the unforgiving rays of the spring sun and Sarge shifting against your back. You stared emotionlessly at the nightstand on your side of the bed where Alfred's glasses and gun lay.

For a week, you've woken up to this, knowing that Alfred wasn't coming back. You sighed, slowly sitting up. No matter what, you refused to leave your room, but you couldn't stay still so you wandered around the room until Johnathan and Elizabeta would come in with breakfast. Elizabeta was seven months pregnant, and you could tell how incredibly happy she was. Sometimes you'd look out the window to watch the sky, but you'd end up looking down and seeing all of the couples conversing or kissing or cuddling. Lovina and Feliciana were both pregnant again and Ned would kneel in front of Madelyn and talk to their unborn baby.

"(Name)?" You looked up at Ivan's voice. He shut the door behind him and slowly advanced in your direction. "I meant to give this to you when I came back, but I didn't want to pile anymore onto your shoulders. I still don't want to, but I feel like I have to." The Russian pulled out a velvety box from his pocket. "Alfred was... He wanted to take the two weeks away to practice how to say it." Ivan opened the box, and your eyes widened. "For being a capitalist bitch... He had nice taste."

You sat down on the bed, hand over your mouth as you started to sob. A beautiful, yet simple silver banded ring was placed in the box, the small diamond sitting proudly on its silver support.