The halls stretched long and empty, cleared of humans who worked in the area to make room for the Nations to have their meeting without mortal involvement. Blazing violet eyes scanned for his precious little Poland, positive he saw his overly pampered blond head disappear behind one of the walls.

"Like, I know you're following me, Ruskie!", said that achingly familiar voice from behind him. He turned slowly, wearing a wide smile. "Oh, looks like you found me~" sang the Russian with a friendly tone which was far from so. Feliks stared oppositingly into the larger man's eyes. "You, like, totally are going to do what I say unless you want your family with me, got it?"

"And what would provoke such things out of you, little Pol'sha?"

"You totally know! You leave my Liet alone! He won't, like, get that stupid look off his face!"

"And what look is that?" The Russian's smile persisted despite his hand clenching and wishing he had a blunt object to accompany it.

"You know what look! You probably scared her so much she can't make any other face, is that it? Are you cutting her up until she makes that face!?"

Ivan visibly tensed, his smile shading over as his teeth began to gleam through his grin. "And you assume such things. Do you need me to test you, Poland?" There was a flash of movement and before Feliks had registered his neck was being gripping by a large hand. "I'm sure you can make a really nice face if I tried it on you, yes~?"

"Russia, put him down!" snapped a gasping voice from down the hall. Both pairs of eyes glanced over to a breathless Lithuanian, hair ruffled from speeding through the halls to find them. Ivan released Feliks, who stumbled onto the floor like luggage. He hissed Polish curses at the Russian who pretended he did not hear.

"Toris, you-", and suddenly the memory of the threatening note mixed with the expression on Toris's normally kind face shut the Russian up.

"Don't you dare touch him!" She rushed over, hiding her panic behind rage. Feliks sat up and glared up at Ivan, who only stared at the Lithuanian. He then pushed himself from the ground and dodged away from the towering man. "Serves you right, Ruskie!", he spat. But Feliks's eyes widened with disbelief when he stood protectively over to Toris and Toris reacted by stepping away from him.

"Liet!" yowled the Polish man. Forest greens only connected with olive greens before turning downward shamefully. "You're trying to antagonize him, Feliks."

"Antagonize him! I'm trying to keep him from you!"

"I went to him on my own, Feliks." retorted Toris, trying to keep her breath even. She was being pushed to the edge now, almost tempted to call Feliks out on how he would always try to decide things for the Lithuanian. How everyone would always undermine her...

Ivan's looming presence was forgotten for only a split second, as he stared between the two, smiling expression bordering confusion and an unnamed hurt.

"He's totally brainwashed you, Pshh-" Feliks shot around to the Russian and stuck out his tongue. "You're, like, so going to pay for this! I promised Toris I wouldn't let you hurt him again!"

There was a synchronization of breathes hitching as eyes met. "Oh don't worry. I'll hurt Toris nice for you, if you like." The Russian teased darkly; mockingly. A twinge of disgust twirled in Toris's gut as she roughly grabbed Ivan's wrist and yanked him towards the hall.

Ivan did not expect the forcefulness from his sweet little Toris and hesitated before following. The way Feliks's jaw dropped almost made up for how angry he was at the blasted Pol.

Ivan was pushed into an empty room and Toris immediately swung away from him, face red from what Ivan assumed was frustration. "You better not try to hurt him!"

Ivan blinked. "He had done something bad, Toris. I could not help it. He did something very bad."

"I-I don't- Just don't hurt him, emotionally or physically! P-please?"

A childish smile began to peek on the Russian's pale face, sensing Toris's usual timid nature returning once the anger was subsiding. "Why are you so unhappy, Toriya?"

She grew that cute expression she got whenever she was nervous about something. "I cannot believe you talked back to Poland like that...are you actually angry at him?" he continued when she did not respond.

She stared at the ground. "He's done things I'm not happy about. I think you know, too...don't you?"

"...He doesn't want me around my Toriya." He put simply.

"I...", she spoke up, then decided not to reveal she peeked through Ivan's documents. "He thinks you're trying to hurt me." She shifted her weight as if anticipated being slapped, but Ivan only frowned.

"But I have been good, yes? Toriya was not hurt. I do not want her to be."

It was silence as both of them waited, or hoped the other would respond. Neither of them did so both of them spoke at the same time, then silenced when they realized the other was speaking. "..." Finally Ivan spoke up in a light tone. "Toris...why did you kiss me?" Her face went a deeper shade of red and Ivan smiled at that.

"Does Toris want to be extra friendly to me so that she may trick me?"

"W-wait, what? Why is that the first thing you think?"

The other played with his scarf, his unsure smile etched in his face. "...I could not be sure of Toris's intentions..."

The brunette gave a shudder, recalling what had happened the last time they encountered each other. "Russia...y-you said you were showing me...your 'love'?"

The Russian blushed a bright pink. "I did not mean to scare Toris. I had only hoped she would accept. France gave me the idea, you see. It was silly idea, I know."

Toris observed the other, brows furrowing with a new thought blowing in her mind. One that she was almost afraid to think of. Of course the crazed man had questionable desires for friendship and having everybody gathered in his home but this...Was Ivan in love with her?

"Ivan..."

The Russian's eyes blinked wide open at the sound of his first name being spoken by that sweet voice. He looked up, the same surprised expression met his.

"Th-the meeting must be continuing. We should get going, Mr. Russia!" She announced shakily and turned for the door, but not before a large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, his other hand gripping at the back of her head and forcing it in his direction. "Say it again?" his feathered voice whispered.

"Wh-what? Your-", she moved uncomfortably in the other's hold. "I-I meant 'Russia'. Please, they're going to start without us, sir..." She fought for an excuse to cover her slip. A soft longing, hopeful look glazed over his violet eyes.

"I want to know why, Toriya."

"Why what, Sir?", she gasped quietly, no longer able to keep even an uneasy smile.

His eyes darted from hers for a second, then focused again on something in her, trying to read her. Before any verbal response could make its way out, the hand gripping the back of her head firmed and her lips were suddenly enclosed in another pair; the breath stolen right from her mouth.

"Mn-!", she shuddered and writhed a bit before the feeling of his ice lips against hers suddenly became the most necessary feeling in the world. She closed her eyes and lost herself in it as his grip on her hair became more gentle and he stroked through the chocolate brown locks. When they parted, the two only stared into each others eyes, and at that moment it was as if they shared the same thoughts. I just might be crazy enough to...

"The meeting..."

"Don't go...", the Russian breathed out, begging. The Lithuanian merely smiled uneasily, but hesitantly placed another kiss against those lips again. Ivan gave a smile and kissed back. Hearts fluttered in chests and the two of them stayed together like that, the rest of the world nonexistent. Toris's arms found their way snugly around the other's waist. Ivan cupped her face in one hand and pressed his nose against hers. Green eyes closed and they both smiled. "Toriya is mine." stated the voice that carried ecstasy.

"Ne."

"But you let me kiss you..."

She pulled back a few inches, raising her hands between them in a 'hold on; slow down' motion."My country is independent."

"Can't you be mine? Not Lithuania...you?" Her chin was grabbed and forced back up to his expectant gaze.

"How about...the two of us just be 'us' for a while...and then we'll see." She supposed maybe giving herself over rather than her country might not be so bad. Well, she already must have been crazy for kissing this child of a man from the start. But Ivan had taken even words as vague as that as a great pleasure in his ears as his smile glowed.

"I love you...". In whispered Russian.

Her insides gave another jump as she could only stare at him. Almost immediately the hands resting on her hips pulled her against him again. Her head pressed into his chest. Just as that, the two of them stayed. It was amazing how much less cruel the world seemed when you were lost in a precious other's arms like this.

He made a happily needy sound and buried his face into her shoulder. She could easily feel his speeded heartbeat now with the world around them so still and distant.

Of course he had a heart.

I have a cheesy writing style. This whole story is/will be/has been cheesy :3 I guess I like cheese in certain cases, though.

And now that I'm basically done with the story besides picky edits I keep doing, this should be updated faster~ *flail*