More Than a Dream (COUNTRYHUMANS AU)

Sick Day

Written: January 5, 2024
On Monday morning, North woke up with a content grin. The weekend had been the best he'd experienced in ages. The trip to the zoo, the lazy Sunday after that—everything was perfect.

Suddenly, North's grin disappeared. He blinked once.

Then twice.

Then another time.

He felt his face for the eyepatch. It was laying on his nightstand, but he had perfect vision without it. In a shocked rush, North dashed to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror, fingers meddling with the pink flesh of his empty eye socket. He saw everything clearly.

Normally, he had limited vision, always having to turn his head to get the full view, but now, it was like watching cinema. The landscape was wide, and he didn't need to turn around to see something slightly to his left.

It felt like an anomaly. He had his vision restored. Perhaps he hadn't needed the eyepatch all along! The air was charged and buzzing with his elation.

"I can see again!" He shouted, starting to laugh to himself. He eagerly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He went and got changed. He stood by the closet for a full two minutes in bliss, taking in what it felt to not have to constantly turn to find what he was looking for.

"North!" South's muffled voice called out from the kitchen. "What's taking you so long?" North hurriedly made his way to the kitchen, a wide grin still plastered on his face. "I'll be right there!" he called out, his voice laced with a newfound sense of exhilaration.

As he reached the kitchen, South, with a perplexed expression, looked North up and down. "What's got you so pumped up?" South inquired, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

North's grin widened even more, and he leaned in closer to South, excitement bubbling within him. "My eye! It's working perfectly! I can see without the eyepatch!" His words tumbled out in an eager rush, his enthusiasm palpable.

South blinked, taken aback. "Really? That's... unexpected." His puzzled expression lingered, unsure of how to process this sudden change.

North nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it's amazing! I can see everything crystal clear!" His voice carried a mix of joy and disbelief.

South, still processing this information, leaned back against the kitchen counter. "That's... good, right?" he ventured cautiously.

North nodded again, unable to contain his excitement. "Definitely! It's like a miracle or something! Like I didn't need my eyepatch at all!" He glanced around the kitchen, reveling in the sharpness of his vision.

South chuckled, trying to match North's enthusiasm. "Well, that's great news, commie! Maybe the loss of vision was a temporary thing after all. But, uh, are you sure everything's okay?" He shot North a concerned look.

North's enthusiasm dampened slightly as he registered South's cautious tone. "I'm fine! It's great, really!" he reassured, trying to dispel any concern.

South's gaze lingered for a moment longer, a hint of unease flickering in his eyes, before he nodded. "Alright then. Let's have breakfast. Oki's attempting to make pancakes!"

North grinned, happy to join the meal. However, a lingering sense of unease started to nag at him, the elation of his restored vision momentarily overshadowed by an unsettling feeling that something wasn't quite right. He shrugged it off as overthinking, and said,

"Well, time to watch the train wreck!" He was referring to Okinawa's attempt to make pancakes. That morning, North joined South in the kitchen, where Okinawa was busy mixing flour and eggs with all the enthusiasm in the world. The siblings gathered around, eagerly anticipating Okinawa's culinary experiment.