Black Coffee :|: America x Russia :|: Countryhumans

Act II, Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Okay, so what do you do exactly?"

"Annoy you, yell at you, complain about everything you do and tell you everything you do wrong."

"Oh, okay, so just my usual inner monologue."

Morning Star shrugged, "Pretty much."

"Ugh, god, what am I gonna do?" America groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Now Russia knows. RUSSIA. The one person who I actually care about hating me – okay well that's not really true, I don't want anyone hating me, but I especially don't want him gone forever!"

Morning Star sighed, analysing America carefully under her cold, calculating gaze.

"He won't hate you."

"How do you know that?" America wailed pathetically, curling up into himself.

"Because I'm really, really clever," Morning Star smiled, sitting down beside America on the frigid, white tiled floor. "And I know that he cares about you. I've been watching you for some time and, since he's always around you, I can tell that he genuinely likes being around you."

America chuckled slightly, sniffing as he wiped some tears that escaped his uncovered eyes, "'Watching me?' Wow, stalker alert."

"Say something like that again and I will never try to cheer you up in the future," Morning Star growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sir, yes sir."

"You're pushing it."

"Whatever you say Morning."

"Nicknames? Really? Already" Morning asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup! I figured if we're gonna be stuck together I might as well get comfy with each other. Also, Morning Star's a long-ass name."

"Rude, but true," Morning chuckled, looking away. She stared at her bare feet before her head shot back up as though she remembered something important, "By the way, I need to talk to you about something important."

"Is it my tattoo? I know it's a little weird, but it does have a meaningful and actually pretty cool backstory – "

"No, this isn't about your stupid drunk mistakes," Morning Star interrupted, frowning slightly as she searched America's confused gaze. "It's about your eyes."

"Oh. Right. That," America mumbled, fiddling with his multicoloured fingers, shifting his line of eyesight so that he didn't have to look at her. "Yeah, I've always hated them – they make me feel like an outcast even though Leah made me feel less alone about it. Although hers did eventually turn white, but I'm not sure what from - she never told me."

"That's the problem. Your sister's eyes returned to normal because of her guardians arriving to return her to the light – it's part of the process," Morning explained, her fluffy hair bouncing whenever she slightly moved her head. "Once you slowly regain your history and begin to accept the truth, your eyes turn white. A guardian – which is what I am, in case you forgot – arriving means that it's time for your eyes to revert back to their natural white colour, and they will do so on their own. We can't change them."

America frowned, standing up shakily and darting up over to the mirror where two pitch-black eyes stared right back at him.

"But mine are still black - what does that mean?"

Morning Star's expression hardened as she stood and joined him at his side by the bathroom sink.

"It means something here is very wrong."

▪▪¤▪▪

"Wait, so you all found out about this whole thing because Meri was piss ass drunk?"

"Yup, it's the reason he doesn't really drink anymore," Mexico confirmed solemnly.

"None of us really minded, we always want to be there for Ame," Greenland translated for Antarctica, watching his sky blue hands move carefully. "But Philippines didn't exactly..."

"...take it well?" Russia finished.

The three nodded and Russia sighed, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes. Why couldn't he just have one normal day?

"Basically, America brought Philip to the bar for our weekly drink night once and got drunk off his ass; slurring and staggering, the whole shebang," Greenland began, leaning up against the wall. "Philip decided to take advantage of America in his state and asked for him to take off his sunglasses, which he did after a small argument between the two of them. Snowflake and I were sympathetic and hid him from the prying eyes of the people at the bar, and Mexico just laughed."

Russia sent an accusatory glare in Mexico's direction, to which he blushed out of embarrassment and rubbed his neck, looking down.

"Philip was so – I can only describe it as horrified – that he left without another word. The next day America didn't show up to class, so we all knocked on his door where we found him crying on the couch with his two besties Ben and Jerry. Apparently, Philip had broken up with him, claiming he was some kind of "monster" and he vowed to never love or drink again."

And yet He went and dated Vietnam, Antarctica signed, causing Greenland to laugh and flick him on the arm.

"Meri never did tell me how he and Philip broke up – but it's just..." Russia trailed off, a pained look flashing across his features as he stared at the bathroom door. "...Phil was my friend. He was always so nice and optimistic and cheerful – it's hard to believe he would act in such a way."

"People don't like what they don't understand,' Mexico grumbled, kicking at a fluffy blanket draped over a chair that was drooping dangerously close to the floor. "It can make them act in crazy ways; had a friend do it once – not pretty."

"So...what do we do?" Russia questioned, staring at the bathroom door once again. He longed to just throw it open and wrap his American in a big hug – shower him in kisses and mumble sweet nothings into his skin and play with his soft hair to calm him down.

Wow, okay, that came out of nowhere.

Иисус Россия, перестань думать о твоем лучшем друге! Ты такой мерзавец. (Russian: Jesus Russia, stop thinking this stuff about your best friend! You're such a creep.)

"Whatever we can to make sure he doesn't spiral again," Greenland muttered, squeezing one of Antarctica's hand

"And be there for him when he does," Mexico grinned determinedly, kicking the blanket harder.

Russia nodded, leaning back into the wall behind him as he watched the door America had disappeared behind vigilantly.

"Sounds good to me."