Where Winter Meets Summer (Rusame Countryhumans)

The Underground Blues Pt. 2

"Just who the hell am I?" he finally sighed with frustration as he cradled his head between his arms and closed his eyes. Part of him just felt like shutting down again.

"I dunno. Who do you want to be?" Russia felt America's weight press against his shoulders as the other flopped over his back like a dead-weight bag. His gentle breaths appeared in faint puffs of fog, caressing the other's chin like a playful touch. "C'mon, this is no time to be sulking. You were the one who woke me up. Didn't you say we should get going?"

Russia scoffed after a moment and shrugged the other off with ease, "Yes, yes, you're right. Let's go." The American hummed with satisfaction and shut the sliding glass door behind them before flicking his sunglasses down over his eyes. He hooked his arm around Russia's as they descended down the stairs to meet up with the rest of the team, only to be shoved away playfully.

"Tsk, look at those idiots," the others laughed as they watched their bumbling pair shove each other to and fro, nearly falling down the stairs at one point. They ended up lightly scolding the two for being so slow but a mischievous glint could be seen in all of their expressions as they held back their grins.

The mood was electric with excitement as all the countries finished gathering and quickly made their way toward the outskirts of town, where the entrances to the maze were.

 Contestants chatted with each other the whole way, parading joyfully as crowds welcomed them through the well-paved roads, screaming words of encouragement and luck to everyone. The only one who wasn't immersed in the atmosphere was America.

He seemed to be deep in thought, or he was just spacing out, with no thoughts at all. You could never tell with this one, but it was the first option in this particular instance.

"Hey, I've been thinking," he whispered as he pulled back from the main group to get what little privacy they could. Russia snorted, "Oh congrats. That's new," which earned him a chuckle and a punch to the arm.

"No, I was just wondering," Ame mumbled as he fidgeted with his hands, a nervous habit if you will. "Aren't you scared? Now that you know about my actual Awakening."

Russia's dusty-grey eyes softened as he tilted his head in slight surprise. It hadn't yet occurred to him, just how sinister the implied situation was.

"I mean... aren't you afraid I may try to kill you and take your Awakening?" he laughed and wiggled his fingers over his head like a villainous little shit to make light of something dreadfully heavy but even then, Russia's perplexed expression remained.

"Well, you're not planning to do that, are you?" he demanded as he glowered down at the other as if saying, 'I dare you to try.'