It was all supposed to be a little joke.
Nothing harmful.
Alfred had walked home one day, a little more than agitated from the stupidity of others (call him a hypocrite, but at least he had some intelligence). Wanting to have a little fun to improve his mood and make his partner laugh, Alfred began to formulate a plan. He would pretend to sneak up on Ivan, and give him a light hug. Something very simple, but it wasn't supposed to be much.
Alfred smiled at the thought of him and Ivan laughing together, hearing one of Ivan's genuine laughs, and quickened his pace.
As he reached his rather large house, Alfred quietly shut the door behind him. He saw Tony approaching him, as if he wanted to say something, but Alfred brought his finger to his lips, and Tony stilled.
Alfred tiptoed upstairs, jolting still when one of the stairs creaked. However, as there was no reaction from the nation upstairs, Alfred gave a sigh of relief, and carried on with his mission. He crept up the rest of the stairs, and as he reached the top of the staircase, darted his head both directions to check for any signs of life. The coast was clear, and Alfred proceeded further. He padded down the hallway, into the shared bedroom. He pulled the door open ever so slowly, peeking into the room. Ivan was making his way to the bathroom, which was connected to the bedroom. Seeing the opportunity, Alfred leaped forward, and wrapped his arms around Ivan's torso, whispering a "boo!".
Alfred expected a laugh, or maybe a smile.
He didn't expect Ivan to wrench himself away from his arms, and attempt to attack him. As Alfred dodged a hit, his mind was racing. Why was Ivan reacting like this? His mind was processing information too slowly, and Alfred cursed himself as he slowly began to understand why his lover was reacting so.
He remembered Belarus dragging him to a secluded room, standing guard at the door. He would have started yelling at the shorter nation, if she hadn't started talking first.
"You're dating big brother," she stated plainly.
Alfred gulped; someone had found out? Especially Belarus-
"There's some things you need to know,"Belarus stated, Alfred nodding dumbly in response. "Big brother... Russia... he sometimes bad days, and may react violently to sudden movements. I'm letting you know, since your mcburger-ass face might accidentally make that kind of mistake. Don't make me regret my decision to leave you two together, and don't ever hurt Russia."
Alfred squeaked out a quiet yes, and Belarus smoothed down the front of her dress. She exited the room, and once out, looked back; "Do me a favor, and make Russia happy."
The blond nation blinked away the memories as a Russia put his hands up defensively. A tremor was running through the snowy man, and Alfred could hear the breathing that kept getting faster and faster. Swallowing the lump that was growing in his throat, Alfred held his hands out, palms open.
Neither of them moved, Ivan's defensive stance, and Alfred in an intentionally relaxed pose. The tension rose as the two of them stayed in the same position, until Ivan sank to the floor, breath shuddering. Alfred could hear the successive sharp intakes of breath, as if Ivan couldn't get enough air. Alfred slowly sat down on his knees, trying not to make any sudden movements.
"It's okay, Vanya. Just breathe in and out, in and out." Alfred said, trying to be as soothing as possible. "No one is here to hurt you, it's just you and me... just the two of us...
"Everything will be alright."
