Author's note: 14 Days of (Hetalia) Love Tumblr request (norwayscurl): « Is Fin/Rus okay for the 14 days event? » Kind of secretly this ship for at least a little bit of the 19th century and at least from Russia's point of view, the big old dork, so here's one-sided Russia/Finland fluff for you.
Being nervous
He'd be loathe to admit it but around Timo, Ivan got nervous.
With Francis he was perfectly at ease, whether dressed in the court's finest or naked behind closed doors in grand chambers. With Francis there was nothing to hide, nothing to fear: everything was open to them.
With Irina and Nataliya Ivan always feels at ease, because they are his sisters and when you're family you love each other no matter what. They've been with him from the beginning, even if the road has been difficult and sometimes they couldn't always be physically there with him. The Russian does his best, for his sisters, even if he knows that sometimes he misses the mark even as they smile lovingly at him, forgiving him.
But there weren't many other nations Ivan interacted with, beyond those three, and suddenly Timo is here, with him, all the time: the Duchy of Finland, though Ivan isn't sure that name is grand enough sounding for someone like Timo, someone with his wide smile and loud laugh and sweet nature and perfect everything.
It all made the Russian feel very nervous and he was afraid he was starting to suspect why.
Today they're out on a walk, the Finnish man slightly ahead of him and commenting on their surrounding garden. All Ivan can think about is how much he wants to reach out and take Timo's hand and never let it go, lacing their fingers together, maybe even pressing their lips together–
He blinks and finds his companion staring at him.
"Huh?" Ivan felt horribly embarrassed.
"You weren't listening were you?" Timo teases lightly, laughing. "That's quite alright, I'm used to it; no one ever wants to listen to my babble."
"I do," the Russian spits out too quickly and the man beside him laughs again.
"Thank you for that. I was saying how…."
Ivan would also be loathe to admit it but around Timo, he quite liked being nervous.