Longer chapter today! Bit more oc devo going on(bear with me), but a bit of nations at the end.
As soon as Zachary's head hits the pillow, he dreams.
The crisp summer wind breezes through his hair. He could see the blue skies overhead, dotted with white pillows and illuminated by the golden sun. Some farmland underneath him divided like a picnic blanket passed by.
Here, he felt free.
Flying this plane made him feel like he was flying like an eagle. Eagles were his favourite. Besides the illusion of flight, he found some peace in looking over the land. From bustling and developing cities, to quiet farmland, he loved it. All of it was part of the blooming country that was America.
After a while, he headed back and landed safely in the outskirts of a small town. The surrounding woods shrouded his little cabin from view and had a large clearing beside it. He liked to live here when he wasn't working because then he could fly whenever he wanted.
A small, bubbly stream flowed along his cabin. He went there after doing some checks with his plane. His reflection gazed back at him and grinned just as he did. He splashed some refreshing water to his face, sending ripples through the water.
The dream changed.
It transitioned to a bright room that gleamed with seemingly all the light in the world. The surface of the walls were shiny, and he further deduced that they were mirrors when he saw himself. A room of mirrors!
He fooled around, dancing and pulling faces. To his surprise, his reflection didn't follow his actions. The image in the mirror smiled and laughed at him. It shifted, its appearance changing slightly. There was an entirely different person now, who looked like him and felt familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on who it was.
He turned around and found another different looking person. It scowled and looked very serious. Another side of the wall showed something he knew! A girl with messy blonde hair and a cautious glint to her eyes. He raised his hand to wave, as he thought she wouldn't be able to hear him, but she disappeared too.
In fact, everyone disappeared. The room seemed smaller, and the walls were fractured like someone had punched the mirrors. All that was left was himself regarding his reflection with confusion.
"Mr. America, will you do it?"
Zachary woke up with a jolt. He felt a presence beside him and his eyes darted in that direction. I07S04 was watching him creepily. He was about to comment when the sight of her jogged a memory of his dream. His mind was still foggy with sleep, but it sharpened as he remembered his dream.
It was a bizarre dream, now that he was awake and thinking. But it had felt real just like any other dream that makes sense in it but not when you wake up.
"What are you thinking about?" I07S04 broke him out of his reverie. She stared at him evenly, expressive blank.
"My dream..." he said, "it was really weird. I think you were in it."
That lit a spark of interest in her eyes. She leaned forward the slightest bit, but didn't say anything.
Zachary continued on. "I was riding a plane for fun, even though I've never done that in my life. There was a cabin in some forest outside a town, small old looking towns, and then I was in some kind of mirror room. That's where you were, and then..." He trailed off, remembering the bone chilling words that jolted him awake.
"And then?"
"And then I woke up. What time is it anyway?" Zachary casually glanced at his clock on his bedside table. 10:42. "Did you sleep at all?"
"No, I was guarding you."
He frowned deeply. A stranger with such devotion to protecting him was strange and made him feel guilty. Zachary didn't think he was worth the loss of sleep, or anything really. "You shouldn't have. I doubt they can find us. They're just some organization and this is a pretty big state." He sounded unsure, for he was trying to convince himself more than anything. "Do you wanna take a nap?"
"I don't like sleeping," she grimaced, "I've had too much sleep."
Zachary gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
"Before Alfred found me, I slept almost all the time." She fiddled with the paper bracelet on her wrist he had noticed on the first day. "He woke me up. In return, I help him."
He nodded, although he was confused. The blonde didn't try to pester for more information, as I07S04 didn't seem to want to divulge anymore. Speaking of I07S04...
"Do you have another name I could call you?" Zachary thought he was trustworthy enough for her to tell that, at least. It must be weird for her to be called by random numbers and letters. "One that's less than seven syllables hopefully."
"I do not have another." She wore a confused look, as if the idea of it was new to her.
Must have been some weird parents to have named her this. "Do you want a nickname, maybe? I'm sorry, it's just a bit of a mouthful and you don't have to choose one-"
She let out a sharp breath of air, annoyance flashing across her features. "Okay. I'll get one."
"So...I07S04, I-0-7-S-0-4. I-I...Ivy maybe?"
Her gaze was elsewhere, on his bookshelf. She went over and pulled out a paperback. "I like this one."
He read the title. "Matilda?"
"Yes, I read it last night while you were asleep. But," I07S04 now Matilda paused, "can I have two?"
"Yeah, plenty of people have middle names and stuff."
Matilda pulled out a children's people in history book that Zachary had read mostly as a kid. She flipped to the right page and showed it to him. "Amelia Earhart. No Earhart, just Amelia. I admire her bravery."
"So, Matilda Amelia?"
She nodded and Zachary grinned. Somebody knocked at his door.
"Come in!" He replied with ease while Matilda Amelia tensed.
It was his mother, looking a bit more energetic after a night's sleep. "Thought you two were awake. Do any of you want to eat something before we leave for the hospital?"
"Sure," he said.
Zachary and Matilda Amelia helped make the breakfast. She ate it efficiently, while Zachary took small bites. He moved his eggs around is plate and nibbled on his toast.
He was nervous.
In an hour or so, he was going to see his brother. His brother. It was even more nerve wracking than just an announcement that his mom was pregnant and expecting a sibling. This sibling has been alive the same time he has been, just somewhere else. What if they were totally different and didn't get along? He didn't want to mess things up with his only sibling.
His mother seemed to sense the uneasy but also eager atmosphere around him, so she suggested they go just as Matilda finished her seconds. They piled into her car, everyone mostly quiet. When they arrived at the hospital, his mother lead them to his brother's room.
With each step, he could feel his stomach flipping around more and more. The door marked as Nicholas Castorson's came into view. His mother quickened her pace, going ahead of him. They had planned beforehand that she would go speak to Nicholas before everyone went there. While the door remained close, Zachary tried to calm his breathing and stop sweating so much.
A tap on his shoulder brought him back, away from his worries. Matilda patted his shoulder awkwardly, trying to offer some sort of comfort. He appreciated it and gave her a weak smile. She smiled back, inwardly proud she figured something out. The door swung open to only a couple of centimeters, and his mother peeked through.
"Ready when you are," she said.
Zachary nodded, because he didn't think he could get any words out. With one last long inhale and exhale, he opened the door all the way.
His lungs seemed to fail him right then and there.
The subject of his attention seemed to be as affected as him. The sandy blonde hair with the constant slight cowlick, the blue eyes, the nose, the mouth, the entire face. It was the exact same as his. He had never been so sure of something. This guy was unquestionably his brother.
He was at an absolute loss for anything to say. His brother was the same, literally and emotionally. The significance of how they haven't met since they were born even though they had been together even before that-it hit him hard. Tears leaked from Zachary.
Nicholas' gaze was a bit glassy too, and when he blinked, tears ran down his face. Zachary couldn't help it and rushed to him for a hug. Nicholas returned it, grasping at Zachary's back tightly to make sure it was all real. They would have stayed like that for while but then Nicholas gasped and coughed.
Zachary shrank back and inspected his brother with alarm. He had so easily forgotten about Nicholas' weakness in the heat of the moment. The tangle of the tubes to connected Nicholas to contraptions was really noticeable now. "What's wrong?" He whipped around to his mom and Matilda. "We need to get help!"
His mother had already rushed beside Nicholas. She pressed a button on his bed, calling for a nurse. Her hand was on Nicholas' back, stroking and encouraging to breathe. Zachary felt completely helpless, and he felt crushed at his brother's pain as if he's known him all his life like he should have.
A nurse hurried in, did something with the contraptions then instructed Nicholas to do things. Then a doctor swept in, helping Nicholas until he was breathing normally again. Nicholas looked exhausted.
His eyelids drooped as he regarded Zachary with a smile. "What's up, bro?" He laughed at his own joke and then went unconscious.
"Is he?-" Zachary started, anxious and not a bit amused by his brother's word choice.
"He is merely asleep." The doctor replied, turning around. Her nurse left the room, needed elsewhere. She rose an eyebrow at Zachary. "You must be Zachary, the other twin."
Zachary turned to his mom. "She knows?"
"Yes, but it's confidential, and for your brother's sake," Jane said, "and I've known Doctor Darlene Lee for a long time. You can trust her."
Dr. Lee motioned to the door with her head. "Let's move this conversation outside so we don't disturb Nicholas' rest."
Zachary was reluctant to leave his brother. He had not even talked to him properly. It felt too soon to be away from his other half again, but he followed the adults with Matilda. The corridor outside of Nicholas' room had some chairs and they all settled down on them.
The doctor spoke first. "I have been taking care of your brother Nicholas since two years ago, and I am trying my best to help him. Now, I understand you may be frustrated because he was kept from you, for, um, personal reasons." Zachary sneaked a glance at his mother, but she had turned her face away. Dr. Darlene Lee continued on. "But now that you are aware, it would help him greatly. I believe that with your DNA-"
"Dr. Lee, you're needed in room 3F." A nurse said, coming out of nowhere.
She immediately got to her feet. "I will talk to you later, then. Bye!" The doctor followed the nurse, disappearing around a corner.
Zachary stared at the door in front of him. Was he selfish to want to speak with his brother even though he needed to rest? There was so much to cover, so much to know about Nicholas. It would take almost as long as they have been apart to get to know each other. However, Zachary had felt a small connection between them, and that was at least something.
His mother joined him on his left. "Home?" She murmured.
The blonde nodded. They went home in silence, again. Matilda went off somewhere, muttering about looking for Alfred again. When Zachary got home, he called Canada. But when Canada didn't answer his phone, he called England.
"Salut," a completely different voice answered, "this is France."
"Uh, hi, I'd like to speak to England?"
"Zachary! I've heard a lot about you. My apologies for the mistake a couple days ago-" Somebody yelled in the background on the other end. "Ah, England is available now. He tells me now to 'give me the bloody phone you-'"
Zachary heard a shuffle, and the Englishman spoke smoothly after a couple of seconds. "Hello, Zachary. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's good, yeah. Saw my brother today. I just wanted to tell you about this weird dream I had, but it was probably nothing."
"No, no. Tell me, please. It could be important."
He thought of how he could explain it. "Last night's dream wasn't just weird because it was random, it was kind of...real. It felt like I was awake. I was aware of what I was doing, but I've never flown a plane before. And when I saw myself,"
I don't think it was me.
Suddenly, Matilda came through the front door. She rushed to where Zachary was in the living room, looking flustered, a rare sight. Zachary felt a jolt of worry.
"I found this," she said breathlessly. In her palms were a pair of glasses. Zachary was puzzled, so she explained. "These are Alfred's glasses."
"What's happening?" England said on the other side.
"Matilda, um, I07S04, found America's glasses."
The nation swore under his breath. "He wouldn't just leave them. It's Texas. I'm coming over to make sure."
"Me too!" France was heard faintly.
The call ended. "...okay." Zachary said a bit too late.
Thanks for reading! Does anyone have a tumblr btw? I'm not following enough hetalia related blogs.
Review maybe? :)