a heart of ice
chapter 4
i do not own hetalia, i hope you enjoy this next chapter! ~ aru

i sigh in relief, then realize it had been a rather long drive and Michelle probably wanted out of the car. it was already getting to be dark outside. i climb out and hold the door for her. "watch your step, da? a bit icy today" i warn, procautiously holding out my other hand to her. seychelles accepts it gladly, taking my hand with a grateful smile. she steps gracefully out of the car and onto the ground. then the cold hits and she begins to shiver, and suddenly i realize that her wardrobe choice isnt exactly compatible with my home. i hurriedly unbutton my coat and wrap it tightly around her, hugging her a bit in the process.

"thanks, ivan" michelle smiles at me, and i blush again from her cuteness. it was so satisfactory to see her in my clothing. i dont know what it was about it, perhaps it was the sight of her in something that i own, as if to say "this girl is mine". i dont have much time to ponder that before i decide that i should take her inside before she freezes. "this way. watch out, da?" i instruct, manuvering her carefully through my driveway and up to my house. latvia is at the door, and he lets us in quickly, shivering. "get us some vodka!" i shout, leading her to the living room. we sit down on the couch.

"are you hungry? i think we have some borscht on the stove." "i guess a little..." she admitted. her stomach grumbled loudly and her face flushed with embarrassment. i smiled, "no big deal. i'll go get you some-" i offered, cut off when lithuania came in with two bowls of borscht on a tray and a bottle of vodka. i take my bowl and begin to eat. seychelles watched me in silence. "are you alright?" i ask. "i've never had borscht before" she admits. i lick a drop of the food off of my lip, then pick up her spoon and fill it with it. "what are you doing?" she asks. "close your eyes and open" i say, she obliges. i place the spoon in her mouth and she eats it nervously, but soon her face lights up.

"this is delicious, ivan!" she gasps. "estonia made it" i say, motioning to the boy with the glasses who was leaning against the wall. she picks up the bowl gently with her delicate hand and begins to eat on her own. "so... what is it like to-" i begin, but i hear a loud ringing. seychelles pulls a blue flip phone out of her pocket. the caller ID reads "Francis". she flips it open and puts the phone to her ear. "bonjour?" she greets. she holds up one finger to signal me to wait And takes the call in the other room. "big brother, are you okay?" "w-what? but im staying over at ivan's!" are little snippets i hear from her conversation.

seychelles returns, a frightened look on her face. she is pale, her eyes are wide, and her frail body is shaking. "michelle, are you alright?" i ask. "he's drunk again... he told me to come back because they're bored" she says, losing it on the last word. the tears begin to stream down her cheeks and i pull her into my arms, metaphorically lending her my shoulder although physically she was too short to reach there. she sobbed and she sobbed, but i held her close. i dried her tears with my scarf. "are you tired?" i ask her, she nods. "you can have my bed, i can sleep out here" i say, but she gives me the most heart wrenching look.

"what is it?" i ask her, confused. "i'm afraid... can i sleep with you...?" she asks me. "of course. i'll go find you something to wear, da? i think ukraine must have something." i say before i slip away onto the stairs. i make my way up to ukraine's room quickly and knock softly on the door. ukraine opens it, "what is it Russia-Chan?" she asks. "can i borrow something for michelle to wear to bed?" i ask quickly. she nods and goes over to her dresser. a few minutes of shuffling through and shw pulls out a silky lavendar colored nightgown. "spasibo" i thank her, running downstairs to meet seychelles.