A few hours into the snow day the nations were well and deep into playing through their activities and enjoying the day, even the stone-cold Germany appearing to have a good time.
Those still inside and feeling particularly left out decided to come out and take part in the fun, for as long as they could before they got too cold anyway.
Everyone had gone through a few snowball fights already, both in teams and as free-for-alls, the latter proving to be incredibly hectic, with the next fight likely starting soon. Though now instead of spinning for who's on what team, a lot of people began creating small cliques they worked well with and seeking out those they disliked and otherwise wouldn't have a good excuse to fight.
Like Natalya predicted the nations were gradually getting too much into the fight, those previously sledding or building snowmen slowly being dragged into the fight as well. At the rate they were going by the end of the day every country would be part of the fight and remaining on the same team each game, like some strange pseudo war.
For the moment though the nations had paused in order to either relax or go eat, such as Alfred who after several games had needed to sit down, his fatigue getting the better of him. Or so he thinks. The cramp in his side had faded away a long time ago, and he wasn't breathing heavy or sweating anymore. But the rattling, that knocking in his lungs was still there, and maybe even worse than before.
It wasn't painful or anything, nothing more than a minor nuisance all things considered. But the wrongness of it, knowing it wasn't normal was what worried Alfred. Surely he hadn't gotten sick. Yes he had been outside since the morning but he didn't feel sick, or that he was coming down with something.
He didn't feel feverish. Pneumonia or bronchitis could make your chest rattle, but that wouldn't happen this fast. A cold could maybe do it if it was an especially mucusy one. Though he wasn't showing any other signs of having a cold, not to mention it only started after running around a lot.
Alfred nervously rubbed his chest while he rested on the ground, finding a shallow patch of snow near a row of shrubbery. The whole area around him was two long rows of tall tree hedges that stretched on to the end of the property, providing a scenic path that some of the nations had picked to walk down and explore in their free time.
Watching some of them walk down and come in and out of the walkway, Alfred noticed Natalya at the back starting her own exploration of the place. With his chest problems momentarily forgotten about he hopped to his feet and skipped over, slipping between two trees to appear by Natalya's side.
"Well hello stranger, you come here often?" He asked with a smirk, his hands behind his back as he bent forward to be more in her line of sight. After her initial surprise she briefly scanned over the path for anyone that could be looking at the two of them, a smirk then forming on her own face while she raised her chin and quickened her pace a tiny bit. "For one week each month."
Alfred feigned a frown and matched her pace. "That's a shame, I was hoping we'd have some more time to get to know each other." Natalya smiled a little more and looked at their feet coyly. "Now that would be a horrible idea."
With the smirk wiped off his face he stopped in his tracks and stared with genuine confusion and concern. "Huh? But why?" Natalya strut forward a little further before turning slightly and looking over her shoulder at him, her grin wide. "Because you're nothing but trouble."
As she turned and proceeded to walk away he caught up once more and stared down at her questioningly. "What's wrong with a little trouble? Trouble can be fun, it keeps things interesting." She hummed and pressed her lips into a line to think, then tilted her head toward him. "Until you're caught that is, and all that "fun" blows up in your face."
"Wouldn't be called trouble without some risk, that's what makes things fun," he shot back with a half-smirk, looking down at her from the corner of his eye. She returned the look, then focused back on the people ahead of them. At some point in the conversation the two had slowly gotten closer to each other, now shoulder to shoulder.
With a short huff of a laugh she turned and faced him fully, crossing her arms skeptically. "Alright, I'll entertain you for a moment Mr. Trouble~. If I were to agree, what would this "fun" of yours be, that would be worth risking so much?"
Stopping and turning to her he smiled mischievously then walked forward, grabbing her by the forearm and leaning in while pulling her up so their faces were nearly touching. "The kind that could be had in the building over there, which I've noticed has been conveniently nation-free for most of today."
Freeing her arm she played with his coat collar and stared at his chest lecherously. "That is very tempting indeed." She furrowed her brow to think, looking over at the building. Returning her attention to him she grinned and yanked him close by the collar. "Well stranger, I suppose if we'll be working together we should get more... acquainted. Given someone like you could slink away without drawing suspicion."
"Shouldn't be too hard with everyone focused on their game," he assured, smiling wide as the two leaned in for a deep kiss. His hands snaked their way through her long, soft hair, holding her by the back of her head. It always feels like fireworks when they kiss, it really ticks him off that they've barely had any time together recently.
Moving away after a few moments she faced him seriously, her flirtatiousness having faded with the kiss. "We can't. I wouldn't be caught dead with you."
"Ok ouch," he huffed while letting go of her and putting his hands on his hips. She scoffed and stepped back, not wanting to be caught so close and lovey-dovey with him. "Don't be so sensitive you know what I mean."
He chewed the inside of his cheek and crossed his arms. "You're too blunt, I mean we were totally having a moment there and you just shut it down." She scowled and crossed her own arms, turning to her side and looking down the path the nations could appear on at any moment. "Too blunt you say. You're one to talk."
She then turned back to him, her sharp eyes getting slightly softer. "I know what you're trying to do Alfred but it's too risky. As much as I hate to admit it we're too inexperienced to try something like that. Though even with experience, with you being the superpower and all, not to mention just loud and attention-seeking in general, you'd never be able to sneak away successfully."
Alfred turned away and pouted, knowing that she was correct. "Even so, what do you mean when you say you know what I'm trying to do? Until a few seconds ago you seemed plenty eager to sneak off with me."
Her scowl returned and she sneered at Alfred, her cheeks red. "I know what I said! I just..."
He stared at her as she went silent and looked at the ground, sighing to himself quietly. "Nat we've only met up three times in nearly a month, we have to do something about this."
"I know..! I know. It's fucking ridiculous. Finally together just for you to be in bumfuck nowhere halfway across the world," she ranted, her hands flying up incredulously. Alfred raised a brow and chuckled a little. "Middle of nowhere? I'm not even that far outside my capital."
"Whatever! That town you're in has maybe a thousand people max, and in any case it's the giant ocean between us that's the issue. What are we supposed to do Alfred?" Her worry had partially leaked into her voice, even if her face didn't show it.
Alfred, not picking up on her tone, tapped her on the shoulder and gave a giant grin. "I'm sure we'll figure something out dudette. We're both pretty smart. Obviously I'm the smarter one but it shouldn't be too hard for us." She didn't like his optimism, mostly because she realized he hadn't picked up on her concern.
She also roughly punched him in the arm for that last comment. "Figure out what? How? Now that I'm back in my country we can't just go back and forth, it's not like when I ran away."
"How is it different? When you're in your country alone you can just take a plane. With your brother back at his own place he'll be none the wiser," Alfred reasoned with a wink and a thumbs up. That did little to reassure her.
"If you hadn't noticed, my boss hates you. I'm not allowed in your country, not unless it's a meeting or I'm with big brother," she explained, only for him to interject. "But what about last time when you came over for Christmas?"
"That was an exception, I always leave for big brother's house for Christmas so my boss didn't question it when I didn't come back for a few days." He opened his mouth to respond but she continued. "And before you ask I can't lie and say I'm going to Russia then come here, big brother is notified whenever I plan on or enter his country."
"Could I ask why?" Alfred asked in amused confusion. Natalya stared at her feet with a dark expression, balling her fists at her sides. "To give him enough time to run and hide."
"Oh," Alfred said awkwardly, smiling a little to himself at the thought of Russia running in terror. "Um... what if I went to your country? Would that work? My government is much more lenient on where I go."
Natalya shook her head, making Alfred frown in disappointment. "It wouldn't matter. If you enter Russia or any country that he allies with, unannounced, then we're all immediately alerted."
Alfred rubbed his chin in thought. "Damn, we're in a tough spot huh?" Natalya nodded in agreement, also trying to think of some alternative, eventually remembering about Alfred and Tony building a teleporter. "What about that thing you and your alien were making? The teleporter thing."
"It could work, though so far it's only worked on teleporting small objects. Tony warned that it could mess up living things pretty bad. While we are immortal I wouldn't feel too jazzed about having my atoms ripped apart across time and space," he replied with a shiver.
"Shit," Natalya grumbled. This is the curse for finding love it seems, she can't even find the time to enjoy it. Alfred finally noticed how upset she was getting and put his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, we're kinda in a rough spot at the moment. But lucky for you you have an awesome hero for a boyfriend, so I'll figure something out for us. Hero's promise!"
With his other hand he gave her a salute and a smile, making her snicker a bit. "You know, I understand that you're trying to make me feel better but any time you do that I feel like there's a great chance you'll doom us all."
Alfred wilted a little but was grateful overall to have made her feel at least a little better. He was about to speak when both of them froze at the noise of crunching snow behind them. "Goddammit," Natalya grumbled once more as she aggressively pulled Alfred to her for a kiss on the cheek, then pushed him away as she started to leave. "I was never here."
By the time the mystery nation had broken through the trees and revealed themselves to be a frolicking Italy, Natalya was already halfway down the path. Alfred watched her go like a hurt puppy, absentmindedly rubbing at his rattling chest.
He didn't notice as Ukraine peered at him from behind a bush, watching him as he turned and walked toward the building.
After a few minutes of wandering through the empty building she found him in a hallway, hunched forward and leaning one arm against the wall while they talked on the phone.
"What do you mean he's not available? Where is he?" Alfred asked, a young woman's voice coming in through the line a few seconds later. "We are sorry for the inconvenience Mr. America, but the president is currently at a rally. They should be finished sometime around 1:00 pm, so you should be able to get in contact shortly."
"Right. I forgot there was a rally today," Alfred sighed, rubbing his sweaty forehead. He should've known, he knew he didn't feel sick.
"If I may ask, are you feeling alright sir?" The woman asked politely, feeling the stress coming from her nation. He nodded and forced a grin, while knowing she couldn't see it. "Yeah, yeah yeah I feel fine. I guess it's just... well it's too complicated to explain but I've just got this bad feeling, like something bad is gonna happen. Have you seen or heard anything weird or suspicious lately?"
"No... I can't say I have sir. Are you sure you're alright? Would you like me to notify the Department of Defense about this?" She asked, growing more on edge the longer she stayed on the call. Alfred nodded.
"That's probably a good idea. It's probably nothing crazy though so don't worry too much, maybe an earthquake or blizzard somewhere. Just let my boss know. You know, when he's done and all. Again it's no big deal, don't stress yourself out too much I've dealt with this plenty of times."
"Only if you're sure. I'm going to let you go now but feel free to call back at anytime if anything changes," she offered with the calmest voice she could manage, hoping it would help him keep calm.
"I'm sure, thanks for helping," he thanked, quickly hanging up afterwords. Frowning to himself he scrolled through his contacts trying to find the president's personal phone.
Why did this have to happen? He hates this feeling, it's always the same thing. Hair raising on the back of his neck, shivers, goosebumps, that awful feeling of foreboding, not knowing where or when something will happen but knowing that it. will. happen.
"America? Are you alright?" A quiet voice asked to his left, his head raising and turning to the side to see Ukraine slowly walking toward him, her face full of worry.
He smiled at her and slid his phone into his pocket. "Yeah I was just trying to talk to my boss. What's up?" She observed him a little more, as he smiled wider and raised himself up to full height, though notably he kept trying to itch at the left side of his chest. Also he appeared to be much more sweaty than she had last seen him, though rather than his face be flushed it was a little pale.
Her motherly instincts were telling her to take care of him because he had obviously caught something, and based on how long he had been outside it's not a surprise he was getting sick. Unfortunately she knew he would never let her help.
"I had been seeing you with my sestra," she decided to say instead. "Oh..." Alfred said while rubbing his head, starting to blush. Despite his pale face she could clearly see that. "You're not still mad at me about the whole... sex thing, right?" He muttered, ironically more uncomfortable with this talk than the feeling he's been having.
She tried her best to glare at him, but she can't help but see him as an embarrassed teen meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time, not to mention he appeared to have a cold on top of that.
"I am a little bit, but I had been noticing the way she looks and talks to you," he said while starting to smile. "There is not the way I could truly be upset when you make her have so much of the joy."
He blushed even more and stared at the ground. "That must be pretty bizarre to see." She smiled more and clapped her hands together. "It is quite strange coming from her, but is very welcome sight. Her smile is very warming of the heart."
Alfred laughed loudly in agreement, thinking back on her fondly. "Yup. It sure is. I was actually able to sneak a few photos of her smiling if you want to see them. And not like, creepy smiles either."
Ukraine pursed her lips as she debated abandoning the topic she wanted to get to in order to see those photos. Crossing her arms to hold in her curiosity and excitement she instead pointed at the pocket he put his phone in. "I will be needing to see those later. For now I am wanting to discuss your relationship with my sestra."
Alfred blinked at her a few times, putting his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders. For some reason the way she is talking to him makes him feel like he's in trouble. "Ok. Like, what my intentions are with her or something?"
"Not so. I am knowing you enough to know you have the good intentions. It is simply... the speed... at which you two have arrived here that is concern," she explained nervously, fidgeting by tapping her index fingers together. "From being on barely the speaking terms to intercourse in such short time is very big shock. It worries me that she is rushing through too fast and may find herself in heartbreak if you two are realizing it is not meant to be."
Alfred's eyes widened as Ukraine laid out her concerns to him, he himself not once considering what would happen if one or both of them had a change of feelings. Though given all they've been through together their feelings for each other seemed pretty rock solid.
"Yeah, Nat and I are both pretty impatient, but I wouldn't be too worried about misplaced feelings or anything like that. We just like to ride fast, you know?"
Ukraine nodded shortly. "Da, I am aware of her impatience, especially when it is coming to relationships. I am also aware she is hating me interfering." Gazing into his eyes she gave him the most determined look she could. "All I am asking is you make her happy. Her joy with you is special, and she is in great need of the joy, she deserves it. Her happiness is benefiting to us all, more than you could know."
Alfred couldn't help but smile warmly. He really likes knowing he makes someone happy. "I can do that, making her happy makes me happy. And who knows, at the rate we're going we might be married within the month."
With a smile he looked up at her, only to be faced with wide eyes full of horror. Alfred flinched and quickly tried to save face. "Kidding! Kidding. I'm totally not ready for that yet. Plus I've already avoided her advances in the past, I can do it again. Until we're more familiar with this whole relationship thing at least."
Ukraine let out a sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest. "That is good. I was about to be asking that you try and see if you can be slowing her down, only until you two are knowing what you are doing and that my brother will not be finding out."
Alfred let out a half laugh and cocked his head. "You'd actually be willing to keep all this hidden from Russia? That's cold girl." Ukraine shrugged with a grin. "I do not like the secrets, but if it means my little sestra will be happy then I will. Besides, I had not been telling him of her staying with you either."
"Thanks that means a lot. I really don't feel like having my teeth bashed out with a pipe," he joked with a heartfelt smile, only to abruptly start marching away. "Anyway I think the next snowball fight is starting real soon, so we gotta go or else we're gonna be late!"
Ukraine watched him go for a moment before calling out to him. "Are you sure you are feeling well?" Alfred froze and looked back at her with a confused but pleasant smile. "I'm feeling great! Though I really gotta go now, the hero can't be late to help out his team."
Before she could ask anything else he had skipped away down the hall, her trying to catch back up with him. She hoped he was being truthful.
The next snowball fight had started just as Alfred said, everyone quickly rejoining their set teams and getting into the battle immediately, deciding it was more efficient to rebuild their forts during the breaks in between battle.
It was going normal at first, but just as fast as Alfred arrived he was gone again, and it did not take long for people to start noticing, not when he was one of the heavy hitters for his team. With everyone engrossed in the battle they couldn't exactly pause and go look for him, not that they knew for certain he was even missing. It was likely he as somewhere on the battlefield and they just hadn't noticed him.
Natalya noticed though, him essentially being a giant glowing beacon she could immediately spot in a crowd. And so when she watched him nearly sprinting away toward the building she didn't wait long to sneak away and follow after him.
Alfred ran through the halls of the building, trying to find a place far and hidden from any nations. That was until a searing pain in his chest made him seize up and nearly tumble forward. Gripping his chest tightly in his hand he forced himself to stay straight and walk further, passing by the hallway he was in previously.
Sweat dripped off his face and his legs felt weak, it was like he was sapped of all his energy. He should've realized earlier, he should've known. It wasn't his lungs it never was. The tightness he felt when he breathed was true but it was only a coincidence from being tired. It was his heart, the rattling, his heartbeat was unstable.
After another flash of pain he fell to his knees, nearly ripping through his winter gloves and clawing away the flesh on his chest from grabbing it so hard. Through gritted teeth he put a hand on the wall and forced himself back on his feet. Using the wall as support he continued going. If he could just make it to a room he could hide and find a place to sit while he gets his bearings.
Though as his chest started burning worse he finally let go and yanked his phone out of his pocket, tearing his glove off while finding his boss's contact again and calling it. Holding his breath he stared at his phone in his shaky hand, each ring that went unacknowledged making him increasingly angry and desperate.
After what felt like an eternity the rings stopped, relief washing over him only to be instantly ripped away as the call went to voicemail.
So he hung up and tried again. One time. Two times. Five times. Ten times! Each and every time it went unanswered, until he finally snapped and put the phone to his mouth as he began shouting. "Pick up the god damn phone! I know you're there, the rally already ended so pick up! What the fuck is happening over there!?!"
His fingers dug into the wall until spiderweb like cracks formed. He forced himself through the pain to speak into the phone. "Just... whatever you did, undo it! I don't know what went wrong, but you can make them stop, you can-" he stopped as he nearly screamed, a new pain ripping through him.
In his head he could see it. Thousands of people yelling, stampeding, fighting each other, right on the steps of his Capitol. "Just make them stop!!!" He pleaded, trying his best to stay up.
I'm frustration he ended the call and threw his phone to the floor, his hand going to his chest again. Though he froze as he felt something warm and wet cling to his shirt underneath his coat. Right as he was about to unzip his coat and check on what he feared to be true, a voice suddenly called out to him.
"Alfred?" Natalya said, Alfred slowly turning his head and looking at her, her looking back into his tired eyes as she slowly approached. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked, seeing him hunched over with a pained expression, as well as his fingers digging into the damaged wall.
"I'm fine," he replied quickly, trying a smile. "Go continue the game, I'll be out in a sec." She frowned and marched over to him, now standing in front of him. "That may fool everyone else but not me, what's going on with you?"
He tried to come up with some lie to convince her he's alright, but with how seriously she's glaring at him she probably wouldn't believe him even if he were telling the truth. Though when he attempted to respond at all he found that he couldn't, his mind filling up with more flashes of the events unfolding. He could see police with riots shields slowly being pushed back in a few areas, he knew it was only a matter of time before there was a breach.
"Alfred..? Alfred!" She repeated, trying to get his attention. He gazed back at her in a daze, his mouth moving like he was speaking but no words were coming out. The only words she could make out were "my heart."
In confusion she lowered her eyes, noticing his hand grabbing at his chest. Looking between his face and chest a few times she began piecing things together. Not what was happening or why but she could see something with his heart was bothering him.
Stepping forward she grabbed his hand, which was stiff and tense, and slowly pried it from his chest. She briefly glanced at his eyes, but he still seemed out of it, which was very concerning to her. With his hand in one of hers she waved the other in front of his face, his eyes registering after a few moments and readjusting to her face.
"My capitol!" He finally said clearly, hissing in pain as his heart acted up once more. "There's a riot!" Natalya stared at him for a moment then nodded as she understood what the problem was. "You're seriously this stressed out over a little protest? Come on Alfred don't be so sensitive, if the one I had recently is anything to go by."
Alfred screwed his eyes shut in pain and shook his head. "Not... not capital. Capitol, my Capitol building!"
"Well that's—," she started, quieting down and thinking over it. His Capitol building. A building where his federal government all meets. His heart. A cold sweat ran through her body, looking at him now with trepidation and urgency. Letting go of his hand she shoved both her hands to his chest, feeling all around for his heart. And then she felt it. A heavy beating in his chest, fast and erratic.
She stood in silence as she felt around some more, hoping what she felt was a mistake, but it happened again. It would beat normally only to randomly slow down and sputter like a failing engine.
"Alfred I think you're having a heart attack!" She stated gravely, patting at his chest and peering into his eyes. Alfred shook his head in denial. "N-No... no. I'm ok." He wouldn't look her in the eye, staring out a window at the end of the hallway.
Looking around the area she tried to decide what to she should do, spotting the room Alfred was trying to walk to originally. Wrapping her hands around his arm she attempted to guide him over to the door, but he wouldn't budge, his other hand still locked into the wall.
Grabbing the sides of his face she forced his head down toward her direction. "Hey, hey look at me. We aren't doing this shit! Snap out of it!" He stared past her vacantly, more scenes of the riot dancing in his vision.
Desperate to get him out of here she grabbed his other hand and tore it out of the wall, some drywall coming with it. Now free she tugged him along, but his legs stayed rigid and resisted against her, his heels dragging against the floor.
She glared back at him while they slowly made their way to the door, pausing when noticing something drip onto his boot. Looking closer she saw it was something red, and after a few seconds a second drop landed next to the first.
With newfound fear she lurched forward and unzipped his coat, pulling the two halves apart. Her mouth fell open upon seeing a dark red spot staining his shirt. Losing any sort of delicacy as she now rushed him toward the room as fast as she could.
Once at the door she kicked it open and ran inside, spotting a couch and throwing Alfred down onto it. Closing the door behind them she made her way over to the couch, doing what she could to help him.
After a while the game outside had finished, the nations taking another break. But now that the game had ended it was much more apparent that Alfred was in fact missing.
"Where is America? He's the one that suggested all of this in the first place," England said as he sat on a mound of snow, watching his team's fort slowly be rebuilt.
"It is possible 'e 'ad gone to zhe restroom," France suggested, scratching his chin. England shook his head as he leaned forward and started making a mini snowman. "For the whole fight? Plus we just had lunch, so he probably went the same time as the rest of us."
"He probably just went in for some snacks and hot chocolate, he doesn't stay full for long," China said as he walked up, joining them on the snow mound.
"I think he was coming down with sickness," Ukraine argued, Canada walking up from behind and nodding. "I noticed that too. I think he got a cold from being outside too long."
Everyone turned toward the quiet nation in surprise, China narrowing his eyes at them. "America?" Canada stared down at the ground dejectedly. "No. Still... still Canada."
"Guys!? You might want to see this!" Philippines shouted out as he ran over with his phone in hand. Both their team and those on the other team made their way toward the nation, wondering what was so urgent. "So I know America didn't want us wasting our times on our phones but I was checking social media anyway and, well, I saw this."
Turning his phone around he showed the other nations a news broadcast with a caption underneath.
Breaking News: Chaos at Capitol Hill! Thousands of Rioters Invade U.S. Capitol Building!
For a few moments everyone was too shocked to speak, simply watching and listening as the news anchor laid out the details known so far, most concerningly that of the safety and location of those inside. It would seem that some of the legislators were potential targets the rioters were looking for.
After the initial shock, the situation between the nations had quickly devolved. Canada had already rushed off to find his missing brother, with France and England leaving as well not long after.
Others turned on their phones they had been ignoring up until now, finding news alerts and messages from their bosses and security inquiring about the situation, such as their positions or if they were in any danger.
Discussions began to rise about where Alfred was and what was happening to him, and more importantly what this means for his country. It was a devastating hit to supposedly the world's greatest democracy, as Alfred likes to boast about.
"I wonder what that fool did to hurt himself now," Cuba said to no one specifically, staying back and watching the nations that went off looking for Alfred.
"Something fun I hope," Russia responded, skipping up next to Cuba with China close behind. "This could prove to be quite serious aru. If it's anything like Rome this may end badly for America," China stated, crossing his arms seriously.
"Rome this Rome that. You've got a real boner for that guy huh?" Cuba grumbled, Russia glared coldly at the side of Cuba's head, the latter trying his best to ignore it.
"It's precedent," China defended.
"It's annoying," Cuba hit back. "In my experience that gringo doesn't get knocked on his ass for very long. It pisses me off."
"Are you not usually beating up America's brother? That guy I am tending to sit upon," Russia wondered. Cuba sputtered and crossed his own arms. "Y-Yeah, so? I mistake him for America sometimes. He can still take a punch pretty well and America is even stronger than him so my point still stands."
The two others stared at him silently, making him embarrassed. So to save himself the humiliation he turned his attention to the building. "You guys want to go see how this plays out?"
"I think I'll pass," China refused. He wasn't too keen on watching someone struggle with an attack within their capital. He's seen enough nations go through that in his many lifetimes. "I will. This is becoming quite interesting," Russia said cheerfully, gliding off toward the building.
China sighed to himself and hung his head. "I guess I have no choice but to follow and prevent him from doing anything rash. Aiyah! I thought this day was supposed to be relaxing."
Back with the two inside, Alfred pushed himself up into a sitting position in the couch, unable to catch his breath as he fought through agony.
His shirt had been cast to the side, revealing that the scar he had received from when the White House had been burned was now reopening.
"Are you finally with me?" Natalya asked as she put pressure on his chest, her sleeves rolled up and her hands stained with his blood. "God this is the worst," he wheezed out, his eyes stuck shut from his face scrunching up in pain.
"At least you're speaking again, how are you feeling?" She stated, fighting to keep him steady. His chest was heaving so rapidly she could barely keep her hands on the wound, which she haphazardly wrapped up using the bow she usually has tied around her waist.
"Besides the whole heart exploding thing... yeah pretty good. Not nearly as bad as it literally catching on fire," he replied with a chuckle, the unfamiliar movement making him cough.
She grunted in annoyance. "That's not funny. Don't move so much you are making this more difficult."
"Sorry," he apologized, propping himself up with one hand and moving the other toward his chest, only for her to swat it away, knowing she'd have to wrestle it away again if he started hurting worse again.
She furrowed her brows and frowned. "The hell are you apologizing for? Idiot." He laughed a bit more and tried to move further up, failing and collapsing back on the couch. It made her flinch, then tempted her to punch him in the chest upon looking up to see him smiling of all things. "Stop smiling, there's nothing to smile about right now."
He ignored her and rotated so he was lying on the couch properly, observing her hands go back to his chest. His smile fell into a pout as he touched the blood soaked fabric around his chest. "Aww you ruined your bow. You didn't have to do that."
"Don't be so sappy it'll wash out," she shot back, trying to dissuade any pity for her. "I'm not the one to feel sorry about right now."
"Calm down," he uttered weakly, Natalya instead biting her lip in anger, her hands pressing down so hard on his chest her fingers were cramping. "Natalya quit worrying I'm fine— "Nyet you are not Alfred! Don't say... don't say you're fine, when we both know you're lying!"
He stayed quiet for a while, looking up at the ceiling in concentration, just trying to keep focused on something, anything other than the pain. His hands squeezed the couch cushions hard enough to rip them, tears forming in the corners of his eyes at how agonizing this all was. It feels like a hot knife being stabbed into his heart and getting twisted around constantly.
"How long has it been?" He finally asked, his words biting and short as it started hurting worse again. His face glistened with sweat, his veins bulging from holding in his screams. He was tired of screaming, his throat was raw.
Natalya shook her head, her forearms now starting to get sore from holding his splitting wound together. "I don't know. A while. Maybe an hour."
"The others are probably looking for me by now," he realized, slipping away from her and attempting to get to his feet again. "They can't see me like this. I need to show them I'm alright."
Grabbing his arm she shoved him back down, fighting to keep him down. "Who gives a shit about them? Quit being such a stubborn ass! You aren't going anywhere with blood gushing out of your damn chest!"
With him weakened she was able to eventually pin him down, though he still struggled a bit. She only let go once he gave up fighting, now out of breath and ragged.
"You're like a wounded animal you know that? I'm trying to help you and for some stupid reason you keep fighting against me," she spat, climbing off the couch and standing above him.
He tiredly smiled in response, aggravating her more. "God, just wait until you're sick or something. I'm gonna rub this all in your face when I'm the one taking care of you."
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ugh why did I even bother helping you? How can you be so cheery and annoying when you're potentially dying?" He shrugged in return, then grimaced as his hands flew to his chest. "No... point in being so glum. The hero -urgh- doesn't go out like this."
He didn't like seeing her so distressed. The pain was horrible, yes, but not nearly as bad as what happened in 1814. If only he could get control over his body and convince her that was the case.
As he tried to speak, however, his eyes bulged and a piercing shriek ripped through his throat, his body writhing uncontrollably and causing him to fall off the couch onto the floor.
Natalya was at his side in an instant, trying to lift him up off the ground. "They entered the Capitol!" He shouted, his eyes wide with horror. He could feel that not everyone was evacuated yet. Who knew what these people would do to them if they were found.
His hand suddenly grew hot, blood flowing through his fingers and the fabric of the bow and dripping onto the floor. "Gghh!! I-I think my scar just opened fully!" He heaved, barely able to form words. "This. . . sucks!"
Natalya was in a panic, not sure what to do. She was already struggling so much before, and now he was bleeding out onto the floor. "We need to stop the bleeding," she said out loud, hoping it would give either of them an idea. For now she moved a hand underneath him, putting her hand on top of his to assist in keeping pressure on his chest.
"Do you know where a first aid kit is?" She asked after a minute or so, remembering how she wanted to find one earlier, but couldn't leave him suffering to go searching the whole building for it. He willed himself to nod, though he couldn't speak, his breath coming out in forced grunts. "Uh... ugh..."
She gave him a very concerned look, hoisting him up when she felt him start to collapse, failing in keeping himself up. "I need you to focus Alfred, where is the first aid kit?" She ordered. He's losing too much blood, she needs to patch it up fast.
"L-Lobby. Outside... bathroom," he managed to say, his eyes to the floor, now fighting to not pass out. Natalya blanched. That's too far, by the time she is able to retrieve it it might already be too late.
Seemingly reading her mind he turned his head slightly and stared at her from the corner of his eye. "I'll be... f-fine. Go!" He then tried a weak smile and a wink. "Still... not as bad... as the first time."
Knowing that staying and arguing would only waste precious time, she tightened the bow around his chest as much as she could and ran out of the room.
As he waited for her to come back he rested his forehead against the ground, his body twitching and spawning. He could see police being overrun and stampeded on, hundreds of people flooding deeper into the building, now attempting to force their way into the Senate Chamber. And that damn confederate flag. That cursed piece of fabric that follows him through every awful event.
"Get... out! GET OUT!!" He screamed in rage and distress, hitting his head against the floor, just wanting this pain to stop. For these traitors to stop and leave him alone.
"It's just me Alfred, I'm back," Natalya's voice spoke firm and clearly, breaking through the clutter in his mind. Feeling himself be flipped over he was now looking up at the ceiling again, Natalya removing the bow from him and wiping down the bloody gash with sterile wipes.
Taking out stitching supplies she looked at him seriously. "There's not much that is going to ease the pain. Are you ready?" He swallowed thickly and nodded rapidly. "Fuck it, can't hurt any worse than this, right?"
"Finally taking this seriously?" She asked flatly, her face stone cold. He gave a cracked grin and held her arm, showing more determination now than in trying to keep conscious. "Not in your dreams." He wanted to laugh at her disgruntled face, but he was tired. He had lost a lot of blood.
So with nothing else to say she began quickly stitching him up. She should thank her military experience for allowing her to know how to do this properly. Alfred had gone quiet, trying not to disturb her too much while she fixed him up. He just wanted this to be over.
Of course fate was never on his side, and the moment he believed things were starting to calm down a literal gunshot went off inside his head. His ears felt like they had been blown out, a loud ringing all he could hear. He didn't know if it had been a cop, or if one of the rioters brought in a weapon.
Next to go was his vision, his eyes bleary and unfocused. He thought he was going blind. In reality his eyes were filling with tears. Pain, anger, sadness all swirling in his damaged heart. How much longer does he have to go through this? How many hours has it been? It's felt like centuries.
Blindly he reached out, taking hold of Natalya's arm. His fingernails stabbed into her from how hard he was grabbing, but she shrugged it off and kept sewing him up. She was halfway done now.
There was no more screaming, only silence, broken up by the occasional sniffle or hoarse groan. All he could do was watch helplessly as his Capitol was invaded. He wouldn't be in this much pain or feel this pathetic if it wasn't his own people doing this. His own people were rebelling against him. It was like... a revolt, an insurrection.
In the back of his mind a faint noise was echoing, growing louder and louder every second. It almost sounded like... laughing. It kept getting louder, until it was bouncing around his whole head, it was so unbearably loud. He recognized that laugh, that voice, it was...
'HAHAHAHAHA! Oh isn't dis wonderful Union~?' Dixie sang, reveling in Alfred's anguish. This was the loudest, clearest Alfred has heard him in over 150 years. The most, ALIVE, he has sounded.
Dread filled Alfred's heart, goosebumps raising all over his body. 'No. No no no! Why are you here!? I thought you were gone! Why are you doing this?'
Dixie laughed maniacally. 'Gone? How stupid are ya? I'm not doin' dis, but I'm sure as hell enjoin' it! I'm discourse Yankee, as long as yer people are divided I'll never leave. And wit how divided dey are right now? Shit, a little further and I might actually have a damn good shot at coming back. Haha, wouldn't dat be fun?'
Outside his own head, his body began freaking out, trying to shove Natalya away. "God fucking dammit Alfred!" She yelled as she climbed on top of him, sitting on his stomach and locking his legs down with her own. There was a wild, terrified look in his eyes, but she couldn't fret over him now when she was so close to finishing up.
'Damn you! I know you did something. That shitty flag of yours is in my Capitol!' Alfred spat. Why did he ever think Dixie could change and be better?
'I know, a beauty ain't it? But nah, I haven't done shit. Dat's all on yer people, and watever dat boss of yers said. If anythin', I've been pretty inactive recently due to doll face out dere. Bein' in agreement wit our mutual love fer her or some sappy shit like dat.'
Dixie could tell Alfred still believed him to be at blame. Whether his influence had a play in this occurring he had no idea. Though it was fun as hell to imagine that was the case. 'Well, if it's alright wit ya I'm gonna sit back, relax, and pray ya keel over so I can finally be free of ya. And while I'd love ta hear ya scream, you should really quit whinin' and cryin'. I think Natty is tryna get yer attention.'
Blinking tears out of his eyes he saw Natalya's cold and stoic face over his, her mouth moving but no noise coming out. As the ringing in his ears started to fade out her soothing voice came through. "That's right, keep looking at me Alfred. Don't you dare pass out on me after all the shit I did. I will drag you out of whatever's doing this to you and kill you myself."
Her hands were on each side of his head, keeping him facing her. "Are you alright? We need to move I can hear the nations coming."
There was significantly less pain in his chest now. She had stitched it up and properly bandaged it, and while the ache was still terrible he could manage with this level. Nodding at her he responded as best he could, his mouth wobbly and throat wet. "I-I'm alright. I'm alright."
He kept repeating those words to her, his voice breaking and sad. He was on the verge of crying, he felt pathetic. What kind of hero is put down this easily? That needs this much help because they can't help themself? What kind of nation lets a group of delusional people, their own people, invade one of the most important buildings within their own country?
She brushed away the stands of hair clinging to his sweaty forehead. "Yes. You're alright now. You're alright."
Hearing the sounds of footsteps moving down the halls Alfred closed his eyes, taking his first deep breath in a very long time in order to steel himself. "I'm... alright."
His sadness and loathing slowly morphed into anger, toward Dixie, those bastard traitors running amok in his Capitol, the great betrayal by his boss, and that anger filled him with a new sense of will and determination.
Removing Natalya's hands from him he moved her off of him and slowly rolled onto his chest with a low grunt, getting his hands and knees under him to raise himself back up. "I feel... great," he stated more resolutely, standing straight and tall, slowly marching toward the door.
Natalya followed after, wrapping her arms around one of his and holding him back. As he turned his head and looked down at her she shook her head in disapproval. "You don't have to go out there. You don't owe them shit! Besides you're still injured and we have no idea how bad this could get, just hide."
He considered it for a moment, but then smiled at her and snaked his arm out of her iron grip. "They'll just be more suspicious if I avoid them. Plus the hero can't be expected to stay down for too long."
Based on the deep frown she was giving him she did not approve of this. Grabbing his shirt and coat off the back of the couch he quickly put them on and arrived at the door, giving her one last look. "And thanks dudette, you've got no idea." Tapping on the part of his chest she bandaged, he smiled gratefully at her and opened the door.
"See you around, Mr. Trouble," she muttered ruefully, crossing her arms as she watched him leave. With a laugh he closed the door behind him.
Entering the hall he walked a few feet and leaned down to grab his phone. The second he stood back up Canada speedily skid around a corner, coming face to face with him. They doubled back in surprise upon finding their brother, but mostly due to Alfred's appearance. "Al, are you ok? You aren't... looking too hot."
Canada's eyes drifted over to the damaged wall, before quickly returning to Alfred. Alfred just smiled at him, trying to walk past. "Yeah. I'm good. What's up?" Canada shook his head and caught Alfred by the shoulder. "Don't be like that, I know you know what's happening in your capital right now."
"I know, I'll be taking the first flight back there. But until then chillax, you worry about me too much you know that?" Alfred spoke positively, wanting to lighten up the mood after feeling like garbage for so long.
Canada narrowed his eyes skeptically, analyzing Alfred's face. "Have you been crying?" Alfred's cheeks became rosy and he turned away, starting to speed walk down the hall. "N-No! Pshh, heroes don't cry dude. . ." He crossed his arms and glared at Canada, who looked back at him blankly, not at all convinced. "Shut up! Don't give me that look."
"I didn't say anything," Canada appeased, putting his hands up as he followed his brother back to the other nations.