'in which you ally with a plant'
Your arms stung from the cold. You hadn't been outside for long, but your lack of movement and bare arms allowed the cold to sink deep into your bones. A foggy breath floats above your eyes. Beyond your fog lays the grey cover of clouds. A sigh falls from your lips.
Sitting up you shudder at the feeling of your wet shirt clinging to your back. You rub your frigid arms, flinching as you rub across your bruise. You poke at it apprehensively. To absolutely no surprise, it still hurts.
The most prominent sections of the bruise were the small dark purple circles that rested on the outside of the main bruise. The bruise was equal in pain, but the places where America's fingers had dug into your forearm were a stark difference to the colouration of the rest of the bruise. Gently, you trace around the bruise.
A sigh falls from you as you lean back into the snow. Your entire backside was saturated with melted snow, and your hair and clothes clung uncomfortably to your cold skin. Goosebumps flood onto your bare arms as a shiver shoots through your bones.
You should just go inside before you catch a cold. You've always been miserable when sick, even with just a minor cold. Even with that fact, you struggle to find the will to go back. When's the next time you're going to get an opportunity like this? Likely never, if you had to take a wild guess.
You turn your head toward the door, before draping your arm over your eyes. You focus on your breathing and the darkness that you sank yourself into. Your joints ache from a combination of the cold and your unnatural sleeping position from last night. A sigh falls from you.
You remain there for a long time, unmoving in the cold snow. You couldn't feel the stinging of your arms after a while. You couldn't feel much of anything really. You could hardly tell if you were breathing, or if your heart was still beating in your chest. Everything felt...
"[Name]?" You shoot up. The blood rushed from your head, causing you to hunch over as your pain returns to you.
A droning ring sounds in your ears as whoever had approached you kept talking. You stare at him blankly for a moment, watching his mouth flap. No words came out.
As the ringing slowly dissipates you stumble to your feet. The elevation change caused your head to spin and the ringing to return to full throttle. You trip over your feet, almost crashing into the ground.
"Are you okay?"
"'M fine..." You push back to your feet, using the brunette's shoulder as support, "Just stood up too fast." Wait... brown...?
You shove away from him, stumbling over your feet. The ground beneath you spun as you glare weakly. The figure before you held an almost sad expression. That caught you off guard.
"Can I help you?" You hold your head as your vision continues to spin. Your head began to pound furiously as Tennessee flounders over his words.
"America was looking for you."
"Of course, he was," You mutter, anger seeping into your tone, "What does he want?"
"He... Didn't say." Tennessee crosses his arms, staring at you with a confused look, "But... Uh... What are you doing out here?"
"Does it matter?"
"I... Guess not" You huff as he shakes his head, dismissing his previous question, "Let's just go then." He trails off, mumbling something as he walks off.
You hesitate following him for a moment. Quietly you glance down the paved walkway. Freedom is so, so close. And yet, so far away.
You take after him as the heavy front door swings shut. You yank it open, following him into the warm building. At the change in temperature, your arms feel as though they've burst into flames. You grip tightly onto your upper arm, hoping for the pain to go away quickly.
Slowly, ever so slowly, it does, and you allow your tense muscles to relax. A sigh escapes you, as you let your arms drop down to your side. You glance around the foyer, finding Tennessee standing next to it, in the direction you came from earlier that day.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." You speak through clenched teeth, walking ahead of the brunette. He quickly takes the lead again, guiding you silently through the halls.
This wasn't a good silence, however. It was the awkward kind. The kind that pressed in on you from every angle. Nagging you, taunting you, at your inability to say what you want to. A coward you were, and a coward it called you.
Your rub your frigid arms. They may not be burning from the flames of hell anymore, but they were still cold from their prolonged exposure to the snow. Maybe you had gotten frostbite? That was likely, you were out there for a long while after all.
It was quite foolish for you to stay out that long really. You should have known better. You shouldn't have gone out there at all. But you did, and now you're moments away from death.
You sigh quietly. You weren't moments away from death. That was simply dramatic. If America had gone through all his troubles to find you, surely you going outside wouldn't spell death for you now. It would put everything to waste. Where's the logic in that?
Yet, there was still a worry burning in your stomach. What if you were wrong? What if you ended up with your head on a skewer? What then.
Abruptly, you come to a stop. Rubbing your head, you take a few steps backwards. Embarrassment floods through your body as you glare at the wall in front of you.
"Dammit." You mumble, moving your gaze to the floor.
"[Name], are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine! I said I'm fine, so I'm fine!" You snap, smacking the outreached hand that was heading for your shoulder, "Do I have to say it again?!"
"No... That's..." Tears well in the corners of your eyes, "You're fine?"
"I'm fine." Tennessee sighs, "I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine." You sink down against a wall. When you hit the floor, your head locks itself between your knees.
You remain there for a very long time. Muttering to yourself the assurance you know is nothing but a pretty lie. Your hands rake tightly into your hair, you aren't sure if tears begin to fall, but your eyes are shut too tightly for you to care.
Your muscles hurt, your joints hurt. You've started to sound like a broken record. Repeating the same grievances over, and over, and over. The pain you were experiencing was indescribable, to the point you weren't even sure it was the pain that had you debilitated on the floor. Was it fear? Longing? Something else? You didn't know. You didn't care. You hurt.
Hands find a resting place over your shoulders. You look up from your bundle of sorrow, staring Tennessee in the face. It was tense with concern. His brow was furrowed, and his gaze bounces across your gaze. Was he trying to tell if you were still home or something?
"What?" Your voice came out hoarse. You bit against your lip, embarrassed at the sound.
"Will you please tell me what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?!" You spit out at him, anger taking place of your embarrassment, "I was fucking kidnapped! That's what's wrong! I'm being held here against my will, at the mercy of people who could easily kill me if they wanted to!"
His face morphed into what would be considered horror. You almost laughed. Almost. Was he an idiot? Did he really expect you not to be angry about all of this? The fucking audacity. You didn't want to be here, as much as the rest of them. You want to be home. Probably studying for some test so you didn't fail again. If not there, you at least want to be with Vivian and Justin.
"I'm sorry..."
"Yeah right." You mumble averting your gaze to the floor, "This is only business for you. Why the hell would you care?"
He was taken aback at your words again. Now that was embarrassing.
"'Oh, I'm just here on a business trip!' Yeah, yeah, you've finished your business." You take a look directly into his eyes, "Now leave me alone"
You rise to your feet, pushing his hands off you. The state stumbles backwards, falling onto his bottom. You glare at him for a moment longer, before stalking down the hall.
Your feet stomp harshly against the floor and your hands were tightly wound in fists. You should have taken the chance to run. It was stupid that you didn't, but that's why you were here, so why not continue making stupid decisions?
You round a corner, ignoring the panting approaching you from behind. You keep your head facing forward even as he begins to speak to you. You aren't sure how many times he calls your name. They began drowning out after about the fifth attempt, and it had been long since then.
"[Name]! [Name], will you just-!" Tennessee grabs your shoulder, before slamming you against the wall, "Will you just listen?!"
A warbled breath comes from you. The collision had knocked the wind out of you. Likely the state's intention, from the harshness of his gaze.
"Fine. Fine," You cough as he lets go of the sleeve of your shirt. Glares were exchanged between the two of you for a few stiff moments of silence.
"Listen, I'm sorry. Okay?" Tennessee falls into silence as you still wheeze through your breaths, "You don't have to believe me, but you have to acknowledge that I am just as stuck here as you are. Do you think I want to be here, playing security detail? There are so many other things to be doing right now, other than babysitting you. There is a war going on overseas for Christ's sake!
"America is the one who wanted you here alright? I, and every other state who knows about you, could not care less if you just drop off the face of the planet. You're hardly special."
"When the hell did I say that I was special? You're the one who said it! I'm stuck here!" You stare at him, exasperation flooding your senses, "If you wanted me to drop off the face of the planet, why didn't you just leave me outside? I'm sure I would have frozen to death eventually, or even gotten the smart idea of just leaving! If you wanted me to drop off the face of the planet, then why the hell did you tell America that I was in Knoxville?!"
"I didn't"
"What?!"
"I didn't tell him! He already knew!" Tennessee was breathing heavily, "We didn't want to spend months of our lives just waiting around for an opportunity to find you! But America would have had our heads if we didn't! We wanted to just leave you be, or get it over with quickly."
"I take it that was Texas' idea?"
"Yeah." He laughs dryly, "I'm the one who gave you as much time as I did, and look where that got us. At each other's necks and fearing America's wrath."
It becomes silent again. You watch him quietly. Tennessee had much of the same idea. There were no sounds coming from the hallway you were in. It was like you were in a vacuum chamber, silencing your rage and your voices, shutting you off from the outside.
"I'm sorry." You mumble out, breaking the eons of silence.
"What for?"
"Being a selfish prick. I didn't know what you did, and I acted like an ass." You cross your arms, refusing to make eye contact with him anymore, "So, I'm sorry."
"Not like you didn't have a reason."
"Still..."
"I guess..." Tennessee sighs audibly, "America's probably pissed that we're taking so long."
"Probably."
After a few moments of awkward silence, Tennessee begins walking again. You follow shortly after him. Both of your steps were slow. Almost agonizingly so, and yet the both of you refuse to walk any faster.
You didn't want to think of what could be waiting for you up in that office. You only knew parts of what he was like, from your experience in Knoxville. While that was more than threatening enough for you, whatever he was actually capable of seems to scare Tennesee as well.
Eventually, your slow steps lead you to the stairs leading to the second floor. Tennessee places his hand on the handle before facing you again. He stares at you for a few moments.
"How'd you get that scrape on your face... And the bruise on your arm?"
"Care to guess?" You roll your eyes at the question.
"Yeah, I know." He shakes his head, "I meant specifically."
"He tripped me for the scrape and I didn't catch myself properly, and for the bruise," You trail off for a moment. It feels like ages since this happened, and yet it's only been a handful of days, "He dragged me halfway across the city"
Tennessee nods. Unfortunately, you don't have more to offer to his stalling attempt, and he pulls the door open.
The walk-up was quiet. The stairway was just as you left it. Moldy, dark, damp. You yawn quietly as the heavy air pushes down on you.
It was foreboding, to say the least. It was obvious what was coming, and what hung in the air with sick anticipation. The moment you make it to America's office, if not the moment you step out of the stairwell, you would be subjected to his wrath. And this time, you didn't have anywhere to run.
Outside of the stairwell was empty. This fact both relieved and elevated your sense of anxiety. On one hand, you had a few more moments to prepare, on the other hand, the anticipation was making you feel sick with dread.
Regardless of this fact, you pushed onward. You quietly follow after Tennessee, as he weaves through the long corridors. He was still stalling, obviously, but nothing can prevent the inevitable.
At the door, you glance over to the plant. You wonder if it had been watered yet? Probably not. From the two interactions you've had with the states' today, America sounded... Not so thrilled at your disappearance. Maybe some poor employee finally took pity on it.
Tennessee pushes the door open, drawing your attention toward it. You breathe in deeply, taking a few large steps inside the room. America sat at his desk. It had paperwork strewn across it, but the pen that he incessantly clicks was nowhere to be found.
"Where did you go?"
"To the bathroom."
"The bathroom?" America shoots an accusatory glare toward you, sending shivers down your spine, "For three hours?"
"I got lost."
"Quit lying." His voice was seething, as he stood up from his chair. He took a few strides to round the front of it and approach you, "You were trying to leave, weren't you?"
"I wasn't. Surprisingly enough."
"I said quiet lying!"
"I'm not lying you dense-!" Your insult falls short as America crosses the remaining distance toward you.
"Then what were you doing outside?!"
"I was lying in the snow!" You snap back at him, waving an accusatory finger at him, "Are you blind behind those stupid glasses of yours? If you knew I was outside you should have been able to tell that much! And if it's such an issue for you, why'd you send Tennessee after me, instead of coming to get me yourself? Or is it so far beneath you that you'd put any effort in?"
America glares down at you silently. You return the favour, staring upwards at his tall figure. Once he realizes you won't back down, his expression shifts into a snarl.
"You are the reason we're in this mess."
"What mess!? You won't tell me anything!"
"Like I told you, you ditzy little girl, you are an anomaly." He crosses his arms behind him, "You are not supposed to be here."
"Yeah, anyone could tell you that! Where I'm supposed to be is in Knoxville, where my friends are."
"That isn't what I mean, and you know it." Did he figure it out?! Man, you are screwed if yes, "I may not know what that reason is, but your arrival to Roling managed to set off military radar. Military. Radar. Whatever that means, it means you are a threat.
"I should have had you killed the moment someone found you. It won't change anything for me if it happens now, so I advise you to watch your step around here from now on."
His threat makes your stomach drop. He wants to kill you, does he? Of course, he does. He's a single-track-minded fool who wouldn't know a threat if it hit him in the face.
"Tennessee. Leave now."
Leave...
Leave...
Leaves...
You dash out to the hallway as Tennessee begins to turn around. America shouts behind you in rage. Quickly you grab at the potted plant, lifting it into your arms.
Thankfully, it's actually light enough for you to put your plan into action. The wooden door slams against the wall, almost shaking the entire building as you adjust your grip on the plastic pot. America stares at you with rage in his expression as he approaches you.
You breathe inwards and outwards. You heave the plant over your head and send it pummeling into the face of The United States of America.