Chapter Text
Warmth, so much warmth.
Laying in my bed I was wrapped in soft plush blankets. After flying back home from Oregon to Fresno we still had to do another long drive to my valley residence. I just collapsed into bed. Shifting around, I yawned, stretching my wings with a groan before relaxing again.
Chirping softly, I let my thoughts drift off into nothingness.
“Hey paloma~ wake up~”
“Little bird~ its time to rise~”
Stirring in place, I felt the presence of 2 people looming over me. Burying myself further into the blankets in futile hope to avoid the inevitable. The figures giggled softly at my annoyed churrs. Suddenly I felt hands pull my covers away.
“RISE AND SHINE FLEDGLING”
“HUHHWUAHHH-” *THUD*
I screeched, falling off my bed in a mess of blankets and feathery limbs. Rambunctious laughter greeted my ears as I got up and glared at the culprits with annoyance.
“MOLLY! CARLOS! WHAT WAS THAT FOR??!!”
“Sorry mon p'tit oiseau we couldn't resist”
On my left stood Ottawa or referred to as Molly Bouchard. Her long blonde hair spilled past her shoulders in a loose ponytail as she laughed. Looking behind her I see a long flat beaver tail occasionally thumping the floor as she gasped for air from how hard she was laughing.
Over to my right stood Carlos Coatl, Mexico city. who was snickering at my state. His tail rattled with amusement and his brown eyes gleamed with mischief.
Grumbling, I got up and began cleaning up the pile of blankets and pillows that fell with me. Carlos and Molly joined in and helped. Once we were done I led the 2 to the living room, waving at the attendants and servants as I passed the long halls. Opening the large doors we were greeted to a grand room. Soft couches and bean bags filling the space and a table set in the middle. A large window with embroidered curtains at the back provided warm morning sunlight in the space. I sat on a bean bag while Molly and Carlos sat across from me on a blue couch.
“Im so happy to see you guys again” I started, feeling comfort and familiarity seeing them after so long. The others shared the same sentiment, faces softening into something fond.
Molly smiled softly, eyes alight with joy.
“Us too, its been awhile since we were able to hangout in person”
Carlos nodded “Si it has been, I remember the last hangout we had it ended with wild coyotes chasing us!” he laughed, leaning back on the couch from the force.
All of us busted out laughing, the memory of us in Mexico running away from a pack of wild coyotes because Carlos was bored fresh on our minds. Once our laughter died down there was a sudden seriousness in the air as the reason for our reunion came to light.
I spoke up first.
“You guys got the floor plans right?”
Both Capitols nodded.
“Yes, I will stay be the front area of the room by the doors, you and Molly will stay at the back of the room by the large windows incase we need to escape via window”
Molly looked at Carlos in surprise.
“Wait, why am I being stationed at the window? Shouldn’t you and Mariana be there instead?” she asked, astonished.
This time I responded “its because we can play the part of ‘the older sister training their younger sibling the ropes’ easier for our disguises”
“And because she wants to be with you”
“...yeah that too” I glared at Carlos who wore a smug grin. Molly snickered at the scene.
“Alright so then who’s going to be the closest to the table? Someone has to be in order to actually SEE the scroll and be sneaky enough to do so without you know the others noticing”
“Actually molly, you’ll be the one”
"..."
“...wait…WHAT-?” she yelled, looking confused.
“Its because you’ll be close to where your nation will sit, we know how many nations overlook that area and him and instead focus on his energetic counterpart”
"while yes unfortunately many do overlook Canada you got to remember that Matt is VERY observant”
I nodded along to what molly said “its not ideal but its better then having me looking at it, Al may not look like it but just like his brother he’s also REALLY aware of the people around him”
Wings twitching I shuddered as I continued, voice a little softer
“You guys know how difficult it can be for us U.S capitals to work with him undetected, Alfred's really good at masking his intentions behind a bright smile”
Molly and Carlos winced in sympathy. Its common knowledge among us capitols how disarming America can be with his general personality. There have been many close calls in our group of him getting uncomfortably close to discovering that the capitol working with him is not who they seem and uncovering their disguise. It's not uncommon to get an alert from a U.S capitol announcing ‘going dark’ for months because their disguise was compromised or under suspicion.
Molly sighed “Yeah.. well let’s hope this is all just a false alarm and can relax after tomorrow”
We talked semantics and ironed out details for action. When the room was bathed in warm oranges and yellows did we decide to cut out talk short and go out for milkshakes at one of my workers restaurants.
Before leaving however, we concealed our animal features.
A fun fact about Capitals is that they have an innate ability to conceal their features from everyone with a snap of our fingers. While not visible the features are still there which we have to be mindful of. I can’t count how many times we knocked or smacked someone/something over with our wings or tails. (though sometimes it’s intentional).
“Are you guys ready to go?”
Carlos nodded “Yeah, let's go!”.
—-------------------------------------------------
“Can I have a large strawberry banana milkshake with one of your large Choco chip cookies?”
“Alright, and what would you have?”
“I’ll take a box of timbi- Err doughnut holes and an iced latte”
“And what would you have sir?
“One medium Hot chocolate and the blueberry muffin”
“Got it! coming right up”
“Thank you Bri!” I chirped as she disappeared into the back. Our group was seated by the window in our usual cozy cafe. Sat across from both capitols I observed the cafe. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with fairy lights strung about and calm music playing on the sound speakers. Since its fall, the area has been decorated with fall leaves and pumpkins, boosting its cozy feeling even more.
Molly sighed wearily “man why is planning always such a bore” if her tail wasn’t concealed I would see it dragging on the floor.
Carlos chuckled, “Would you rather we go in blind?”
“Well, no but it's still such a choreeeee” she whined, dragging out the ‘E’. Me and Carlos laughed at her dramatics.
Honestly, all of us were a little tired after spending most of the day planning and mapping out our mission for Tomorrow and then relaying that to my workers on the site to rig the site for ‘incidents’. like a short-circuit causing a black out or a controlled fire to Create enough chaos to make drastic moves. It was rather draining.
Bri shortly came out with our orders, placing the drinks and food down before going back to man the counter.
Molly and Carlos blinked at my large milkshake before sighing.
“Lupe we have to do something about your strawberry addiction” she said both amused and exasperated. I huffed, feeling a little defensive.
“It's not that bad, Plus my caretakers are already on top of that”
Carlos Groaned, having done this song and dance before. “Alex and Jay are sweethearts really, but we both know that they are not immune to your puppy eyes Pequeña”
“Memememem” feeling extra petty I stuck my tongue out at both, earning me a round of laughs from both Capitols.
We entered a comfortable silence. Soon after, only the sounds of us eating filled the empty cafe. After finishing the last cookie I was alerted to my phone going off.
Swallowing, I took the last sip of my shake to chase it down while reading through the notification.
Jay: Watch out, Uncle Sam and his brother are heading to your location
I choked, coughing and hacking violently. There was a hand on my back, smacking firmly until the food I choked on dislodged from my throat. Looking up I see Molly's concerned expression.
“Are you oka-” “Uncle Sam and his brother are coming!”
Both capitols paused, shocked first then that morphed to panic. Behind me I heard Bri dropping a glass, realizing what's going on. But before anyone can say anything that's when we heard it. Distant voices.
“Come on Mattie! Let's try this cafe! I hear that they have quite the selection”
“knowing you, you'll end up ordering half the menu eh?”
“HEY!”
Scrambling, I straightened myself in the seat and tried in vain to look like I wasn't just choking, Molly darted to her seat and did the same. Carlos busied himself by typing furiously at his phone, likely texting the others an alert. A glance behind me I see Bri scrambling to sweep up the shards. She gave up and instead moved onto wiping the counter trying to look natural.
Not a moment too soon we all hear the chime of the doorbell, indicating someone coming in.
“Hi, welcome to Rosa's sweets! What can I get you?” Bless Bri, she's so good at acting casual, totally calm in front of the LITERAL NATIONS in her Cafe.
It's surreal and terrifying at the same time. It's one thing to see them from a distance, like in pictures or reading about them from files. It's another to see them up close. From a quick glance I can see more details that one can't see from pictures and stories alone.
Alfred’s hair shone almost gold when the light from the setting sun hit it just right. His signature cowlick bobbing along to his movements as he prattled on and on about menu options. Blue eyes like the sea glinted in the evening light. The bomber jacket he always seemed to wore had notable scuff marks and I noticed stitches from repair work hidden among the seams. Clearly well loved from how worn it seems.
His brother, Matthew was the same. His lavender eyes shone bright when seeing something of interest in the menu. His little ahoge bobbed with his movements. The jacket he wore was a light cream color, hidden repair and scuff marks dotted around like his brother's Jacket.
Quickly turning back, I tried my best to act natural. Heart beating and skin feeling sweaty. I can feel my wings twitching under my shirt, pressing against my back. Molly and Carlos don't look too good either. Both looked tense even with their ‘relaxed’ state.
Clearing my throat I brought their attention to me.
“Is uncle Sam and his brother coming to visit?”
Are they watching us?
Carlos huffed playfully, demeanor loose and easy going. But to the trained eye there was a sense of tension in his posture.
“yes actually, although they won't be here until tomorrow”
Yes, but only in passing.
I hummed, playing with my straw in an attempt to distract myself from the situation at hand. My attention shifted to listen to what the nations are talking about.
“-ake out right?”
“uh Sure but remember to keep them hidden from
Kujero”
“Isn't it Kumajiro?”
“Is it?”
“Nevermind-”
Tuning out the conversation I busied myself to chatting about ‘School’ and my ‘studies’ with both capitals. They followed along and played the older sibling part, asking about my day and new hobbies I have. Occasionally they teased and cracked jokes at my expense, trying to look as natural and calm as we could when we were very not calm.
Bri brought out the orders in record time, giving them Their dessert and drinks. She bid them a good day and to come back soon as they began to leave.
Now I can't describe what drove me to look up, but I felt the sudden urge to look ahead and that's how I found myself staring directly at my nation. Blue eyes met brown for a brief moment. I quickly flicked my gaze, acting like strangers do when you make sudden eye contact.
Even when I wasn't looking I still felt his staring burning into my head, but soon that pressure left as the door clinked with a soft ‘ding’. Their voices faded away as they walked away from the shop.
There was a tense silence that lingered after they were gone. This lasted for a few seconds before Molly broke it
“We're so fucked”