Here's a faster update than the last time. This is more of a filler chapter, but it is important. I also feel like it's kind of short, but I always feel like that. Enjoy!

Why, oh why did he say yes? Hadn't he just spent the last ten years of his life swearing he'd never go to a dance? Well, it was too late, he had said yes, and knowing Alfred, there was no way out of it now.

Ivan shook his head in disappointment at himself.

There was a soft knock at his door, followed by one a little louder. Only one person in his family knocked like that.

"Irunya*?" Ivan's older sister opened the door and came in, large chest bouncing slightly. He inwardly laughed; she really should do something about that. He was cheerful to see her though; she rarely came to visit anymore now that she had moved out of their parents' home.

"Ivan! It's so nice to see you again."

Irunya came and sat down on the blood red sheets of the bed next to Ivan, giving him a quick, but loving hug, which Ivan eagerly returned.

"Da, you haven't visited in a while."

"I'm so sorry! I've just gotten so caught up in taxes and work that I just don't have the time anymore. But I'm here now! So, tell me what you've been up to lately," Irunya folded her hands in her lap, looking up at Ivan expectantly.

Ivan sighed and looked down at his own lap. He was a little bit wary of telling his older sister about the dance. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. He was relatively sure he was on the straight side, and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't be going with Alfred because he liked him or anything like that.

He tugged at the loose fabric of his pants for a second before answering. "I, uh…the school's putting up a Halloween dance and the 31st…and I'm going with Alfred…" Irunya gasped from next to Ivan. Ivan didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't her squealing and hugging him with that death grip of hers.

"Oh, брат*, that's wonderful! You're going to have so much fun, I just know it. What are you going as?" She seemed so excited about this. Ivan was staggered by her attitude towards this. Then again, Irunya wasn't like other people. Maybe she really was okay with all of this.

"Uh...I don't really know yet. I haven't really thought about it..."

"Oh, maybe you two could do that whole matching thing where you both wear something that relates to the other!"

"No." Ivan deadpanned. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing something that made him and Alfred look like a couple. He was only taking Alfred because...

And this brought him back to why he had agreed in the first place. Maybe he just pitied the stupid brat and couldn't help but say yes. Yes, that had to be it. This was a pity date, just like everything else he had done for the American.

"Oh, hmm. Well, you'll figure something out. I should go find Natalia before she stabs someone for coming near the house or something like that..."

Ivan laughed and hugged his older sister again before she left. It really had been a long time since he'd seen her, and he had missed her. Although a few short visits were great every once and a while, sometimes Ivan found himself wishing she'd just leave for good or stay, then he wouldn't have to relive the pain of seeing her leave for years at a time again and again. He felt horrible for thinking like that, though, so he tried to enjoy the time he had with her as much as possible.

Alfred waited impatiently as the phone rang for the fourth time. If the bastard made him leave a message, he'd be sure to leave some choice words directed at him for making him wait.

Sure enough, it switched to voicemail. The second Alfred heard the beep, the words streamed out of his mouth like gunfire. "Gilbert, this is the fifth fucking time I've called you today! Answer for once, and maybe I won't stuff shit in your locker! Anyway, I just called to rub it in your face that I won! So take that! I'll be waiting for my thirty dollars tomorrow!"

After closing his cell phone and setting it on the corner of his desk, Alfred sat on the blue office chair and started a slow spin on it.

"So you got a date after all, eh?" Matthew asked from the bed. He was no longer reading the random magazine he had found on Alfred's floor - if it could even be called that anymore. What was the point of reading when you were just going to be forced into a conversation you didn't care that much about?

"Of course I did! The hero always does." Alfred held a fist above his head as he swiveled away from his brother before turning towards him again.

"Who is it? Hard to believe that there was still one free person willing to go by this time. After all, there's only about a week left until we're let out for winter break."

Alfred spun a little faster and in silence. He didn't want Matthew to laugh, but he had asked. "I'm uh...I was going to go with Ivan." It sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Ivan? Really? But...why? I thought you two hated each other?" Now Matthew was interested. His brother couldn't possibly be so stupid as to go with his enemy.

"We do hate each other. I was desperate. He was available. I don't know why he agreed to it, but he did. I guess I'll have to call him or something to work everything out...I guess it's about time I officially ended it with Arthur, too..." Alfred thought about it for a little while longer.

"...So is it going to be like a real date? Or are you just going to show up together, split up, then maybe leave together?" the purple eyed twin asked,"Because I don't think the second option counts."

The chair stopped spinning. He hadn't really thought about what they would do during the dance. It was a dance, so they were expected to dance, but Alfred wasn't going do that with Ivan. He refused to. Of course, there was also the "after party," where once the event is over, everyone goes to dinner at a student picked restaurant and has dinner with whoever they're with. What would they do then?

He didn't want to do anything that was considered romantic with Ivan, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He hated Ivan, and Ivan hated him. That was it.

That was what Alfred kept telling himself to ignore the memories that came and went. More than enemies-more than friends. He'd seen it happen so many times in the movies, when the intensity of hatred is so great, it turns into love.

But that was only in the movies. This was real life. He still hated Ivan, and Ivan still hated Alfred, and honestly, Alfred hoped it stayed like that.

Matthew smiled softly at his brother, who was obviously deep in thought. He got off the bed and kissed the top of Alfred's head goodnight. It was late, and they had one more day of school left before the weekend. He needed sleep.

"Goodnight, Al." Matthew closed the door behind him.

Alfred finally looked at the digital clock on his nightstand and gasped when he saw it was already 11:40. He needed to get to bed soon so he wouldn't be too dead the next day.

Meet me the left side bench in frnt of the skool when u get there.

Alfred hit send and waited for Arthur's response. Sure enough, one minute later, his phone buzzed loudly, announcing the Brit's text.

Why? Don't tell me you need answers for homework again. I already told you I won't give them to you.

No, not 4 hmwk. I need 2 tk 2 u.

You're texting me right now, aren't you? Whatever you need to say, say it now.

No, I really have 2 tk 2 u F2F.

You're lucky I've been texting long enough to know what that means. Fine, I'll see you at school.

C u...

Alfred shut the phone and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans. His bag was packed and ready to go, so he swung it over one shoulder and headed out the front door, shouting a quick, "Bye Mom!" into the house, not really caring if she heard.

He drove himself to school in a barren silence. He wasn't in the mood to turn on the radio, so the only sound heard was the soft purr of the engine underneath. In just over five minutes, he pulled into the high school's parking lot, almost forgetting about the speed bump right before the turn.

Alfred saw Arthur's eyebrows first, slightly scrunched in impatience. He parked is beloved car under some shade and walked over to the bench to greet him.

"There you are! I've been waiting for ten minutes now," Arthur scolded, but there was still the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that..." Alfred scratched the back of his head. He felt edgy around the other, knowing that they had both been with people without breaking the relationship. Woah, woah, woah. Wait, no. Alfred wasn't cheating on Arthur. He was just taking Ivan to the dance. That's right, it was still only Arthur that had been unfaithful.

"So, what was so important that you had to insist seeing me here to talk about it?" Arthur leaned against the bench, smiling fully now.

Alfred gulped. This was it. He had procrastinated on this long enough, it was time to end this thing. Even though he had considered them as over from the second he got home the night he caught Arthur, it still jabbed at his heart to end it for real.

"Um, listen, Arthur...I'm not really sure how to say this, because it's never happened to me before, so I'm just going to say it," Alfred paused, watching as Arthur's expression twisted into a confused one,"I...I know that you've been cheating on me with Francis." At that, Arthur's eyes grew wide and he took in a quick, short breath.

"...how did you find out?"

"I saw you two kissing in the hall about a week ago. Listen, I know a lot of people recover from being cheated on and shit, but I just don't want to be with someone that I can't trust. So is it okay if we just, like, end this thing?"

The Englishman gazed at him intensely before letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He almost sounded...relieved? What?

"I know I shouldn't feel relieved about this, but I've actually wanted to break up for a while now...I've always had a thing for Francis, even before we started going out, but I had always assumed it was requited. So I guess when he told me he liked me too...I only thought about myself and not how you would feel.

"Once I got over the initial rush of finally being with him, I realized what I had done. I guess that's when I decided to break up with you, but I kept pushing off, afraid I would upset you too much..."

"And you think me finding out about you two by catching you in the act was better than coming out and saying you weren't interested anymore? Iggy, I couldn't stop crying that night!" Alfred's anger began to boil in his veins like water; slow at first, but getting stronger and stronger.

"No! I never meant for you to find out like that! That was the last thing I had in mind. But you seemed so excited about the dance and everything else, I just couldn't being myself to ruin it all for you."

"Well guess what? You did anyway." Arthur looked down at his feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Neither of them could look at the other.

"I'm sorry, Al. I should have been more mature about this and told you the second my interest moved to someone else. That was stupid of me."

"..."

"Al, I'm sorry, okay! I still like you a lot, in fact, I love you! But, I love you in a brotherly way now. Does that make any sense?" Arthur pleaded.

Alfred lingered on that for a while. He did understand in a way. He himself had a brother of his own, so he knew what that felt like. It didn't mean he wasn't mad anymore, though. However, it had been a week, and the intense hatred and betrayal had dissolved to almost nothing. He had his mind on other things now.

"I understand," Alfred sighed.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I mean, we're still over, and I'm still mad, but I can forgive you. If you want to be with Francis, then it's not like I can stop you." Alfred chuckled for a second. Denying Francis of a love interest was as easy as hiding a week old tuna from a blood hound.

"O-okay...so what now?" "Well, now we have to get to class."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know," Alfred didn't really know what to do now either. Did they just leave it at that? Were they still friends?

Oh well. He figured they could cross that bridge when they got to it. Right now he had more to deal with.

*Irunya- one of Himaruya's official human names for Ukraine. I know the official one is Katyusha, but when I heard Irunya, I liked it a lot better. So I'm using it.

*брат- brother, according to Google Translate.

Well, that's it until next time!

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