(My first fanfic! I would love it if you could please R&R to give me a few pointers. Constructive criticism welcome! -Thanks, Shad)
In Search Of Sunflowers- Chapter One
Toris hurried down the halls of the regal house in which he had grown accustomed to living in, passing by his cleaning Estonian and Latvian friends on the way. He was carrying a fresh bottle of vodka with him - he had been recently sent to the market to purchase more of the precious liquid - and was on his way to tend to Ivan. He swallowed in anxiety. It wasn't that he absolutely dreaded the Russian man... He was just a bit...intimidated by him. He rapped on the male's door lightly.
"Mr. Ivan?" Toris asked, voice steady and smooth despite the fact that he was cowering on the inside. "I've returned from the market with your, er, beverage."
"Good. You vill come in, da?" The deceptively - well at least to most - cheerful voice called through the door. Ivan hadn't been waiting long, but to be honest he hadn't been paying much attention. There was a large stack of paper work that had yet to be signed covering most of his desk, and a much, much smaller pile off to the side. He had thought a bit of his favorite drink would help speed things along.
Toris opened the door slowly, green eyes shimmering softly in the gentle lighting from the elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He closed the door behind him, ghosting towards the snowy-haired male, handing him the bottle. He noticed how little paperwork the Russian had gotten done - typically, he'd have been at least half-way done by now. Perhaps he simply wasn't feeling up to it, today? Come to think of it, neither of his sisters had called recently, or come bothering him about nonsense; perhaps he was feeling lonely. Expressing a bit of bravery, the Lithuanian spoke up softly.
"Mr. Ivan, are you alright? Normally you're much more chipper than this. And much more efficient..." An uncertain pause. "Would you like me to keep you a bit of company?"
The Russian gently took the bottle from him, taking more care than usual not to send the Lithuanian running. Ivan removed the lid and brought the large bottle to his lips, downing a quarter of the glorious liquid in less than four seconds before setting it down on the polished wooden surface of the desk.
"Hmm. That would be nice. You may sit, if you would like." He said, picking up his pen again and scribbling down the required information on a particularly thick stapled portion with a sigh. After a few more words, he sighed again, louder. "It seems like this is all I do now. Sign and sign and sign away..."
The Lithuanian's eyes softened into a look of sympathy as he took a seat, watching the larger male continue to scribble away at his paperwork. A small frown tugged at the corners of the his lips as he watched.
"It must be hard... Running such a large country." Toris had paperwork of his own to do - being a country and all, but he always seemed to be able to get it done in a few hours, maximum. Ivan on the other hand... "Perhaps what you need is a short break, Mr. Ivan?"
"A break?" The large Russian didn't look up from his papers, shifting the finished packet to the signed pile. He scanned the headline of the newest sheet. The Department of Defense was requesting his approval on a few new applications to the Capitol, along while remaining in the dwindling budget. "Tempting. But there would only be more to do upon return, da?"
Toris was silent for a few heartbeats, before saying slowly, "Well, yes... But there's no point in working yourself to the point of shattering. Taking a short recess... It shouldn't hurt anything."
The pen hesitated, the tip resting against a blank line. "...And just where would you be suggesting this...recess... take place?"
"Ah ..." He wasn't expecting such a question, and it caught him a bit off guard. He replied almost warily. "Well, anywhere.. You could go out, or perhaps stay in and do something to your liking... It doesn't matter what you do, or where you do it, as long as you don't feel overwhelmed."
"Hmm..." Ivan was silent for a moment, turning the idea over and over in his mind. It was appealing... The silence was abruptly shattered by the pen falling to the table with a clatter, abandoned. The large Russian stood, a rare and actually happy smile spreading across his face like sunshine in a dark world. "I vill be going on an adventure, Lithuania. And you vill be coming with me."
"An...adventure?" Toris echoed, a bit bewildered. He gazed up at the other male, the desire to decline burning the tip of his tongue. He was about to do just that, when he suddenly sighed, standing up, also.
"All right, Mr. Ivan." Lithuania murmured, a weary smirk tugging up one corner of his lips. "If it's an adventure you want to go on, then let's."
"We vill be going on an adventure to find..." Russia said as he flung open the door and trotted happily into the corridor, not looking back at Toris. He knew the Lithuanian would be slinking after him like a shadow. The resident Estonian and Latvian were startled from their quiet conversation at the end of the hall and scattered like a pair of spooked pigeons. The Russian paid them no attention and continued on his merry way. "...Sunflowers."
"Sunflowers ..." Lithuania echoed, his steps quiet. He flashed an apologetic glance at his friends as he followed the other male down the hallway. He blinked affectionately at the other; Russia always had loved sunflowers. They were such bright and sunny flowers, always bringing happiness to people... Perhaps that's why he liked them the most. Toris, too, found he had taken a liking to them over time. He followed the other out into the cool air, though the inviting sun shined brightly like a fire in the crystal clear sky. "That sounds like a beautiful idea, Mr. Russia."
"I am glad you are thinking so." The usual cheery flare had latched back onto his voice. Ivan's boots crunched through the snow had that been steadily falling since late last week as he made his way towards the hardly-used vehicle parked haphazardly near the ice-crusted driveway. Not that it was a problem. The small black car was Russian-made, after all. It was designed for ice and snow. Ivan reached out and dusted the snow from the window before pulling open the driver's door and slipping inside. Gloved fingers turned the waiting keys in the ignition, and after a few tries the engine coughed to life.
Hesitantly, the chestnut-haired male reached out for the door on the passengers' side, opening it with a bit of trouble. It had been iced shut. After he had managed to pry it open, he crawled inside himself. Lithuania swallowed some, quick to clip his seat belt on. Though he too was used to cold, icy conditions, he wasn't sure, exactly, how good of a driver the other was. It worried him a bit, to say the least. Nevertheless, he feigned an expression of pure excitement and bravery, unwilling to allow his nerves to spoil the other man's jubilant mood.
Ivan badly hummed along to a song from back when he was still a micro-nation, one that he had forgotten the words to but still remembered the melody. He shifted the car into gear before the engine shuddered and the vehicle began to move forward. Sure, it had been a while since he had driven, but he hadn't forgotten how. Well... He hadn't forgotten the basics, anyway. The two remaining Baltics stared worriedly from the window, peeking out from behind the curtain and trying not to be seen. It wasn't long, however, before the small vehicle was stumbling down the road that led away from the Capitol and into the vast snowy land.