Chapter 3
"Mr. Braginski you have a package sir," Toris said as he entered Ivan's office with a box in his hands.
"Ah good, bring it here Toris," Ivan replied and Toris walked up.
"Here you are sir, it is rather light, might I ask what is in it," Toris said as he placed the box on Ivan's desk.
"Spasibo, it is a gift, can you fetch Alfred and Matthew for me," Ivan replied.
"Yes of course sir," Toris stated and left.
After a while Toris returned with Alfred and Matthew behind him and Ivan smiled. "This better be important big guy, Ludwig will be pissed if we're late," Alfred said as he crossed his arms.
"Do not worry about Ludwig, the entire clan has the night off," Ivan replied.
"What, why?" Alfred asked, stunned.
"Fredka are you aware of what today is?" Ivan asked in response.
"Yeah it's October thirtieth," Alfred answered.
"Exactly, every year on October thirtieth I hold a masquerade ball for the members of the clan and all those who are invited, including the people staying at the hotel," Ivan said with a smile.
"Really, that's pretty cool dude," Alfred replied.
"Sapasibo, it is formal and you must wear a mask at all times, but from what I have heard from previous years it is quite enjoyable," Ivan said.
"Problem big guy, going with out our glasses is a really bad idea believe me," Alfred replied.
"I figured as much and that is why I ordered these," Ivan said as he opened the box that sat on his desk. "Come here please," Ivan replied and the two brothers walked up. "These are for you, a welcome gift if you may," Ivan said as he pulled two masks out of the box and handed them to the brothers. Alfred looked at the mask in his hand and smiled. "Ivan these are wonderful, but are you sure we can have them they must have been very expensive," Matthew replied as he gazed at the glistening mask in his hands.
"They were not that much, now please take them," Ivan said with a smile.
"Merci Ivan," Matthew replied.
"Yeah thanks big guy," Alfred said with a smile.
"You are quite welcome, now off with you the ball is in thirty minutes and you need to get ready, I shall see you there, da?" Ivan replied.
"You bet dude, see ya there," Alfred stated and left with Matthew and Toris.
Alfred looked at the mask in his hands and smiled. "Ivan really out did himself this time, damn I guess I owe the guy," Alfred said.
"Oui," Matthew replied. 'And you said he was a jerk,' Matthew's gentle voice spoke in Alfred's mind.
'Shut up Matt,' Alfred responded in his head, 'He's still an ass.'
'Yet you like him anyway,' Matthew said with a grin.
'Unfortunately yes, he's been pretty cool this pass month, we don't argue as much these days, I guess we've kind of developed a rocky friendship,' Alfred replied.
'But you want to be more than friends don't you?' Matthew asked.
'As much as I hate to admit it, yeah I do,' Alfred answered.
'About time I'd say, took you long enough,' Matthew said.
'It didn't take that long,' Alfred replied.
'Three months to realize what he was to you and one to accept it,' Matthew said.
'That's not that long Matt,' Alfred replied.
'Sure it isn't,' Matthew stated and fell silent.
"Like Toris there you are, I've been looking for you, we need to get ready for the ball," a voice said and Feliks walked up.
"I was just on my way to do that Feliks," Toris replied.
"Like ok," Feliks said and then spotted the twins, "Oh like hey guys didn't see you there."
"Hey dude," Alfred replied cheerfully with a grin.
"Um hey Feliks, can we ask you a favor?" Matthew asked.
"Sure what is it?" Feliks answered.
"We're going to the ball, but we don't have anything to wear and we need clothes to match these," Matthew said and held up the mask that Ivan had given him.
"Like I have the perfect thing to go with those, come on," Feliks replied, grabbed the brothers by the wrists, an walked off, Toris close behind.
Ivan stood in the ballroom watching the countless people enjoying the ball and smiled. Oh how he had missed the glorious masks and elegant evening wear that glistened in the light of the ballroom as his guests danced. As he watched the dancers his mind drifted off to another time and another place. In his mind danced images of a large elegant ballroom with lavish decorations and an endless number of people eating and dancing as they enjoyed a lovely evening. Standing beside him a young man dressed in the uniform of a well endowed king and dancing among the guests several girls between twelve and twenty dressed in the elegant garb of the royal family. Ivan sighed as the images continued to play through his memory and frowned. "Reminiscing again little brother?" a gentle voice asked and Katyusha walked up.
"Da, I was remembering the Romanovs," Ivan answered.
"I see, such a wonderful family, it is a shame that they met their end the way they did," Katyusha said with a sad smile.
"Da, Nicholas II was a great man, he shall be dearly missed," Ivan replied and Gilbert walked up.
"Guten abend Ivan, have you seen Matthew?" Gilbert asked.
"Evening Gilbert, I'm afraid not," Ivan answered.
"Verdammit, alright," Gilbert said and sighed.
"I'm sure he will be here soon Gilbert, you just have to wait for him," Ivan replied and then they heard a loud gasp and they both looked up. The two of them froze and stared at the door to the ballroom. There at the door stood Alfred and Matthew, their sandy blond hair glistening in the light. "W…what the hell?" Gilbert gasped, stunned, as Alfred and Matthew walked over to them.
"Hey what's up?" Alfred greeted with a grin.
"Fredka, is…is that really you?" Ivan asked, shocked.
"Of course it is big guy, who else could it be?" Alfred answered.
"Oh wow, you both look stunning," Katyusha said with a smile.
"Merci Katyusha, Feliks helped us," Matthew replied.
"I am thoroughly impressed, Feliks really out did himself," Katyusha said.
"J…ja," Gilbert replied and they were right. Alfred wore a royal blue dress shirt, black pants, black cowboy boots, a black cloak with royal blue lining, and a black cowboy hat. He also wore a royal blue mask with black glitter around the holes for the eyes and in between the eye holes where it formed a triangle on the top and bottom of the mask that tapered into swirls near the ends of the mask. Matthew on the other hand wore a sky blue dress shirt, silver pants, silver boots, and a sky blue cloak with silver lining. His mask was sky blue with silver glitter that formed a design very similar to the design on his brother's mask. "Stunning indeed," Ivan said and smiled.
"Thanks big guy," Alfred replied with a smile.
"Well, I best be going I want to have some fun, care to join me Mattie?" Gilbert said.
"Oui, I would like that very much," Matthew replied with a smile.
"Wonderful, then let's go," Gilbert said and left with Matthew.
"I should be going as well little brother, I'm going to find Eduard, have fun," Katyusha replied and walked off, leaving Ivan and Alfred alone.
"I was right to pick that particular mask for you it really brings out your eyes and Feliks did a wonderful job finding clothes to match it, I am very pleased," Ivan said with a smile once the others had left.
"Thanks pal, the hat and the boots were my idea," Alfred replied with a grin.
"And it looks great, well done," Ivan said.
"Thanks, you don't look half bad yourself big guy," Alfred replied and he was right. Ivan wore a purple dress shirt, black pants, black boots, and a black cloak with purple lining, along with his ever present scarf. He also wore a purple mask with black swirls forming a design that looked similar to the markings of a phoenix. "Sapasibo Fredka," Ivan said.
"No prob dude," Alfred replied with a smile, "Now let's have some fun." At that Alfred grabbed Ivan's wrist and the two of them walked off, Alfred laughing cheerfully, and Ivan smiled.
Later that evening Alfred stood by the desert table with his brother and Feliciano, nursing a glass of red wine as he watched Ivan. "Ve, why are you watching Ivan Alfred?" Feliciano asked.
"Because Ivan means a lot to him," Matthew answered.
"Ve, why?" Feliciano asked.
"Just keep watching, you'll probably figure it out," Matthew answered.
"Ve, okay," Feliciano stated and a second later they both heard glass shattering. Then they turned to Alfred and saw that he was glaring at a woman that was obviously flirting with Ivan while holding a shattered wine glass. Alfred dropped the remaining glass fragments on the floor and walked over to Ivan. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I need to talk to Ivan, excuse us miss," Alfred stated with a forced smile, grabbed Ivan's wrist, and walked off.
Eventually the two of them came to a balcony and Ivan wrenched his wrist free of Alfred's grasp. "What is the meaning of this?" Ivan demanded.
"I hate when people flirt with you, it pisses me off," Alfred replied angrily, "I want to be the one who makes you smile, I want to be the one who makes you laugh, I want to be the one who brings joy to your eyes, I want to be your everything just as you've become mine. I can't stand fighting, I can't stand having such a rocky friendship with you, I can't stand the aching in my chest whenever I see you with someone else, it hurts and I can't take it anymore." At that Alfred punched the wall and then fell to his knees as hot tears filled his eyes. "F…Fredka," Ivan said and knelt down in front of Alfred.
"Why do you make me feel this way, why do you hurt me so much, why do you make me love you, you Russian bastard?" Alfred asked as he looked up and glared at Ivan. "For the past month I've asked myself those same questions, so tell me Braginski, tell me why you make me love you even when you hurt me," Alfred replied.
"F…Fredka, w…what did you say?" Ivan asked, stunned.
"You heard me you sadistic bastard, I love you, are you happy now," Alfred answered, irritation plain in his voice.
"Fredka muya lyubov', moi podsolnechnik, you do not know how long I have waited to hear those words from you," Ivan said as he wrapped his arms around Alfred and hugged him, surprising Alfred.
"Four months," Alfred replied.
"Nyet, I have waited far longer than that moi dorogoi, I have been waiting for you for centuries, searched for you for decades, and now that I finally have you I do not wish to lose you," Ivan said and hugged Alfred tighter.
"You're insane bug guy," Alfred replied and returned Ivan's hug.
"And you, my dear Amerikan, are an idiot," Ivan said.
"Yeah I know, I honestly don't even know how I put up with you, maybe I'm a masochist," Alfred replied and laughed humorlessly.
"And I am a sadist as you already stated," Ivan said.
"Good point, the perfect match huh?" Alfred replied with a small smile.
"Da," Ivan said with a smile as he released Alfred and stood up. Then he held out his hand and Alfred took it. Ivan helped him up and then let go of Alfred's hand, but as he moved his hand away he saw blood on it. Ivan then looked at Alfred's hand and realized that blood covered the palm of Alfred's hand. "Fredka what happened?" Ivan asked as he held Alfred's bloody hand gently in his own.
"When I saw that woman flirting with you I got mad and shattered a wine glass, I honestly didn't even notice, I was too angry," Alfred answered with a sheepish grin.
"Honestly Fredka you need to control your temper a little more," Ivan said as he pulled a piece of glass out of the large gash in Alfred's hand, causing Alfred to wince.
"You're one to talk big guy, you aren't exactly the best at controlling you temper either, 'sides I've had worse believe me," Alfred replied and winced again as Ivan freed another piece of glass from his hand.
"That is very true, and why does that not surprise me?" Ivan said and pulled one last glass fragment out of Alfred's hand.
"I don't know if I should be insulted or amused by that comment," Alfred replied and laughed.
"Both," Ivan said with a smirk, "Now hold still."
"Eh, why?" Alfred asked, confused.
"You will see moi dorogoi," Ivan replied and bent forward as he brought Alfred's hand to his lips.
"Ivan what are y-?" Alfred started to ask, but it was cut off by a gasp as Alfred felt Ivan's teeth sink into his skin. A second later Alfred felt a familiar pleasure-filled shock and closed his eyes to ward off the dizziness that swamped him. After a few minutes Ivan licked the wound, sealing it closed, and straightened. Then Alfred opened his eyes, swayed slightly, and fell forward. Ivan caught him and held him close. "I think you took a little too much big guy," Alfred said as he closed his eyes again.
"Da, but I have my reasons," Ivan replied and loosened his scarf, "Now drink moya lyubov'." A second later Alfred sank his teeth into Ivan's neck and Ivan held him even closer. After a couple of minutes Alfred licked the wound he had made, sealing it, and looked at Ivan. "I feel another presence in my mind besides Matt, that you?" Alfred said.
"Da," Ivan replied with a smile.
"Why?" Alfred asked.
"You know the answer to that one Fredka," Ivan answered.
"You strengthened the bond between us didn't you big guy? I always wondered why I felt something else in my mind when I was around you," Alfred said.
"Da and it is only natural, after all we are soul mates," Ivan replied.
"You know I never did understand that part of a vampire's life, always confused me, now I do, I honestly feel a lot more balanced now," Alfred said.
"Da, that is what it means to be bonded," Ivan replied.
"You know what I want to know ," Alfred said.
"What?" Ivan asked.
"If you are my soul mate then who's Matt's, is it Gil?" Alfred replied.
"Da I believe it is, but I do not think they realize it yet," Ivan said.
"Yeah same here, oh well we'll see how it goes," Alfred replied.
"Da," Ivan stated with a smile. Alfred returned the smile and then straightened. "We should get back to the ball, somebody might be looking for us," Alfred said and began to walk off, but Ivan caught his wrist.
"Fredka," Ivan replied.
"Yeah big guy?" Alfred asked as he turned to look at Ivan. Then Ivan pulled him into his arms and pressed his lips against Alfred's. Alfred froze for a split second and then relaxed as he wrapped his arms around Ivan's neck. The world fell away and the two of them shared their first kiss, unaware of the vicious blue eyes that watched them from the far end of the ballroom.
After a few minutes they separated and Ivan smiled. "That is what I wanted moi podsolnechnik," Ivan said with a smirk.
"Hmmm, then how about another one Vanya?" Alfred purred, catching Ivan off guard with the use of the Russian derivative of his name, a nickname he only allowed those close to him to use.
"W…what did you just call me?" Ivan asked, stunned.
"Vanya, I like it better then Ivan, besides you call me Fredka all the time so I think it's only fair that I can use the derivative of your name too," Alfred answered.
"You are the strangest man I have ever met Alfred F. Jones," Ivan said and laughed.
"Same to you big guy," Alfred replied with a grin, "And you never answered my question."
"Hmm would you like another kiss moi dorogoi?" Ivan asked and smirked.
"If you don't mind," Alfred answered with a grin. At that Ivan pressed his lips to Alfred's again and they shared another kiss. After a few minutes they separated again and Alfred smiled as Ivan held him closer. "Moi Americanski," Ivan said and hugged Alfred even tighter.
"Possessive aren't we?" Alfred said with a smirk.
"When it comes to you da," Ivan replied with a smile and Alfred laughed.
"Come on big guy we seriously need to get back to the ball before our fellow clan members start going ballistic," Alfred said as he freed himself from Ivan's tight hold on him.
"Da," Ivan replied as he took Alfred's hand in his and the two of them returned to the masquerade ball.
A/N: So here's the third chapter for Feniks Ohtyel' finally the main pairing has come so now what will happen you'll have to wait and see ;) oh and before I forget here are the translations:
Sapasibo- thank you (Russian)
Merci- thank you (French)
Oui- yes (French)
Da- yes (Russian)
Guten abend- good evening (German)
Verdammit- damn (German)
Muya lyubov'- my love (Russian)
Moi podsolnechnik- my sunflower (Russian)
Moi dorogoi- my dear (Russian)
Russia: how wonderful Fredka and I are finally together that makes me very happy
America: well not me seriously why did you have to pair me with the commie come on
Nikokitty: Oh quit whining you're happy to be with him don't deny it
America: I will deny it any chance I get thanks
Nikokitty: You are no fun America
Russia: Da I agree
America: what the hell, what is this a conspiracy, are you two seriously that hell bent on making my life a living hell
Nikokitty and Russia: Da
America: Damn it, my own citizen hates me
Nikokitty: Hey I don't hate you I just like torturing you
America: Why me
Canada: It's ok Al I'm sure everything will be fine
Prussia: Of course it will the awesome me is here
Canada: Not helping Prussia
Nikokitty: Right so while America is bathing in depression who wants to help with the disclaimer
Prussia: The Awesome me will gladly do it, Nikokitty does not own the awesome me or any of the other characters in this fic all rights go to Hidekaz Himaruya
Nikokitty: Right so until next time da svidaniya