If there was one guy everyone at Hetalia High avoided, it was the Russian boy Ivan. He was big and threatening, plus he was creepy. Aside from that, he was rather insecure, so people didn't like talking to him because they were walking through a minefield; you know the danger is there, you just don't know where. Often kids ended up getting blown to bits.
This was the guy Alfred had a crush on. Al, the slightly obnoxious American seventeen year old who just loved life. This guy happened to be quite popular (maybe not for the best reasons), and there were so many other girls – other guys – that he could like and he chose Ivan.
Sometimes, he understood why people called him an idiot.
But I guess idiots stick together, right? Ivan was barely getting a passing grade. Alfred, on the other hand, was doing okay with around B+ average. He just didn't use his common sense.
Anyways, it was lunch time and Ivan was sitting at a table in the corner all alone. He always sat at that table; occasionally, his little sister Natalia would sit with him, but when that happened people were even more afraid because she was practically a guard dog who threatened any and everyone who got too close. Ivan tried to tell her to stop yet she didn't seem to get it.
That day, however, it was him alone. It seemed like he was moping. He was pushing around the fries on his plate with his fork, eating one every once in a while. By that point, however, they would've been cold. Alfred really wanted to go over there, give him a hug and tell him to cheer up. He hated seeing people sad. He hated seeing people he cared about sad.
"Alfred, why are you staring at that kid?" Arthur inquired. "Um, no reason…" Francis scoffed. "Si je ne savais pas mieux, je dirais que vous l'aimiez." Arthur nearly spit out his soft drink. "F-Francis! Don't be ridiculous." Alfred pouted, hoping he'd translated that sentence properly. "No, dude, it's not that. He just looks so sad…" Wang frowned. "Even so, he is no force to be messed with. I'd stay away from him if I were you." Yes, Al thought, but you don't take any risks at all and I'm not you. One day, he would get the courage to talk to him. Someday soon.
It was a lot sooner than he expected since that very afternoon, he saw Ivan looming around the back of the school, a cigarette in hand as he puffed out smoke. It took a few minutes to decide whether to turn and run or to talk to him. After some thought, he decided that if he kept running, he'd never have this guy to himself.
It was kind of funny how drastically his appearance could change. At lunch, he had been cute. Now he was handsome, but also terribly intimidating. What a bad time to get courage.
"Uh…um, h-hey…" Oh my goodness what the hell was that high pitched noise? The beige haired man looked up. "Do you normally do this?" Ivan raised one eyebrow. "S-smoke, I mean…" He shrugged. "Only when I'm stressed. So, da." He replied flatly. That was pitiful. "Want one?" "Hm? I mean, no. No, thank you. I don't smoke." He hated smoking. He'd talked his British friend out of it. Frankly, he was rather annoyed that Ivan was destroying his lungs like that. Although, that wasn't the best of times to bring up such a thing. "I realised kids don't really seem to like you." Al scanned his face, seeing what expression there was so he'd know if he hit a soft spot. He didn't detect anything.
"Da, apparently they don't." He dropped the cigarette butt on the concrete and ground it with his heel. "That is unfortunate, man. You seem like a nice guy." Something flashed across his face. It wasn't quite anger. Was it…sadness?
"I'm glad you think so. But it doesn't help that my sister is a stalker of sorts." "That's okay. You are you. She is her. Sister or not, you are still two different people." "Sometimes it hurts, you know what I mean? They call me stupid and fat and tell me my head is empty. I smile through the pain most of the time though. It's easier." "I…I understand, maybe a little too well." He knew exactly what that felt like, even if that period of his life was basically over. "I gotta ask though…Why are you telling a stranger all of this?" Ivan shrugged. "Because you are the only one that'll listen." His statement lacked emotion. "Those people that tell you all this stuff are assholes." "You think so?" "Oh yeah. Total douchebags. Look man; don't let them get to you. Keep your head up." Alfred encouraged. "It's just…I feel like no one will care if I disappear…" "No! I would care." "About a guy like me? A stranger?" "Yes. No one else is caring, so I need to be the hero. I'll care. I do care."
"But I probably won't even graduate from high school…I'm barely getting a passing grade…" "I'll help you. You need a friend right now." "What about-" Ivan was cut off. "Stop." Alfred turned to him. "Just stop. You are fucking perfect, okay? Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you need someone, I'll be there."
Tears started forming in Ivan's eyes. "Thank you for being willing to do that for me…you don't have to though, um, I'm sorry, but I never got your name." Alfred wiped his tears away. "Hey, don't cry now. It's cool. I want to do this and I'm going to. No one deserves to feel worthless. And I'm Alfred."
As time went on, Ivan's grades got up to a B-, he quit smoking and he started smiling more. He started going out with Alfred towards the end of High School. They supported each other. Al was his hero. Even if he couldn't save the rest of the world, he'd always be his hero.
A/N: And it all turned out fluffy in the end. I'm a sucker for happy endings. I got this idea a few days ago and it fit RusAme perfectly I think. It's nice to take a break from USUK and my other America ships sometimes (trust me, I have a lot.)
Si je ne savais pas mieux, je dirais que vous l'aimiez. – Tell me if google translate messed this up, but this should say "If I didn't know better, I'd say you loved him."