Alfred nodded in response to Ivan's question. He knew a little too well what the deafening siren meant. The wire must have tripped something bigger than they ever could have imagined. His ankle pained him slightly as he put pressure on it. He grabbed the jacketed arm of his companion and moved forwards slightly.

"Dude! We might wanna run!" Alfred called. Ivan nodded and quickly trekked forwards through the snow. The white wonderland was only disrupted by bare trees and thick evergreens. Alfred looked behind him. He tried to block out the blaring siren that rung through his head even through the silence with no avail. His blonde brows were furrowed in worry, an expression that has become increasingly more common on his once carefree face.

Ivan had a considerable lead on the blonde. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he had a good idea. He glanced over his shoulder, slowing his pace as he did so. Alfred had snapped his head back to the front of his body. He seemed to be limping slightly; it got better as he went further. Ivan turned back to face the snow in front of him. He was led only by his pure intention of surviving whatever followed the siren.

Alfred gasped as the ground shook beneath him. He felt a firm grasp on his shoulder, forcing him downward. He got a numbing face-full of cold snow. His hands went to cover his ears, his body in the standard 'fetal position' that he was accustomed to. His mind seemed to take him to a far off place as everything changed around him. Ivan was close by, so close Alfred could feel the immense heat coming from the other man's body.

Without thinking twice, Alfred snuggled his way into Ivan's side. Both of the countries were shaking. Alfred didn't know if he could save the both of them from this. He knew that he had been less than a good person while Ivan was being the sweetest on of the pair. Alfred took in a shaky breath of crisp, winter air and let out a loud ugly sob. He continued, letting his frustrations and pent up emotions redeem their freedom.

In the distance, a boom vibrated the forest, followed by a silence even more deafening than the initial bomb. Alfred had closed his eyes as tight as he possibly could. Who was even stupid enough to have a trip wire like that in the middle of some stupid forest?

Ivan sat up once the world around him stopped shaking. The bomb wasn't as big as he initially thought, but if there was one, there was bound to be more. I gently shook Alfred's shoulder, getting a look of deep sadness in the other man's blue eyes. Ivan felt a pain in his heart. A pain of sympathy which he did not feel often. He sighed deeply and brought the other man to his chest in a tight embrace.

Alfred's heart felt like it was going to run out of body, it was beating so fast. He cuddled into Ivan's comforting body and stayed there, listening to the larger man's heart beat. It fluttered, much like his own.

"Ivan… What we gonna do now?" Alfred asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Ivan shrugged, and then slowly brought the both of them up so they were standing.

"Away from here," Ivan suggested as he brushed snow from his clothing. Alfred nodded, his blonde hair bouncing as he did so. Ivan smiled slightly and took the other man's hand. Alfred sighed and interlaced his gloved fingers with Ivan's. He might as well just admit it now; he really liked Ivan. Maybe a little more than he wanted to admit.

Alfred gave Ivan a slide glance as they walked forward. The other man seemed to be focused on the ground in front of him. His scarf now covered a large portion of his face. Alfred shrugged it off. He thought it was normal.

Ivan felt as if his face was going to burn off. He was actually holding hands with someone he had admired despite the tensions. He had pulled his scarf to hide his reddening face and overly happy smile. He felt that this was perfect, despite the bomb and constant threat of another trip wire. He swept his gaze across the snow blanketed forest floor in front of them.

They seemed to walk in the same direction for hours. Alfred tugged on Ivan's sleeve, pointing to shy darkening sky when the purple gaze met his. Ivan's lips shaped one simple syllable; 'oh'. Alfred went off for some firewood as Ivan cleared snow from under a thick-trunked tree. It was a simple camp, really. A warm fire was lit with plenty of wood to keep it fed and a large patch of forest floor, littered with soft pine needles.

They laid beside each other, huddled close. The warm glow of the fire fought off the darkness around them. If they were lucky, terrible creatures might not attack them and they could get some sleep. Alfred could barely keep his eyes open. His head rested on Ivan's shoulder as he snored softly. The night was filled only the crackling of the fire and soft sounds of snow falling onto snow.

Ivan reluctantly stayed awake and fed the fire as Alfred slept. He could almost feel bags forming under his eyes from the stress of the past few days and lack of sleep. He sat facing the fire, staring into its depths. It was a boring night, perfect for reading or drinking alone with a radio on. He was without all of those things. He glanced over at the sleeping form of Alfred and smiled tenderly. He couldn't wake his ass up and get his turn to sleep.

He shook the other man's shoulder violently, causing the once sleeping form to lash out, his blue eyes wide.

"Duuude… that's not cool," whined a half-asleep Alfred. He rubbed his eyes, then his hair. He blinked a few times, taking in the relative time and his surroundings. According to his ever so careful calculations, it was night or something. Too bad he sucked at math.

Alfred glared at Ivan, his blue eyes gleaming. If he had heat vision, he would totally be burning holes in Ivan's face right now. The blonde narrowed his eyes, hoping he did have the power to burn holes straight through the dumbass that woke him up from his sleep. Ivan gave him a stupid look which only succeeded in bothering Alfred more.

"It is your turn to keep watch. I watched over you, now it's my turn to sleep." Ivan spoke frankly. He pointed towards the spot where he kept watch over their pathetic camp. The fire had gone down considerably, the light even dimmer than the first tastes of darkness.

They stared at each other for stretched moments. Purple orbs met blue, colliding lights of the aurora borealis*. Alfred wrapped his bomber jacket closer around him and broke the gaze. Ivan blinked innocently. He laid on his back.

"Good, You keep watch from there. " Ivan smiled and closed his eyes. Alfred opened his mouth in protest, but the other man had already drifted asleep. Alfred crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance. He glanced at Ivan's sleeping form from the corner of his eye. Ivan looked somewhat peaceful and less stressed. Alfred wished that Ivan could keep that look of child-like carefree forever, but their situation wasn't exactly that comforting. They out in the middle of the woods for Christ's sake. There were bombs going off and his leg was on pins and needles**.

Alfred threw some wood onto the fire. The pile was dwindleing. Alfred had stopped caring a while ago. Normally, he would think about getting more, but he was tired right now. He watched Ivan sleep. The lucky bastard probably would have the longest opportunity to sleep since they had no idea what time it actually was. It could be eleven at night for all he knew. Alfred huffed again. His gaze softened as he realized that maybe Ivan deserved a good rest.

Alfred leant close to Ivan. He looked at them sleeping man before planting a soft kiss in his hair. A soft kiss that Ivan would never know about. Alfred surely didn't want to admit his feelings for the other man. They were enimies, right? You can't fall in love with some against you, except that Ivan had wandered onto his side. Alfred furrowed his brow. What exactly was going on?

"Ivan… I… I so don't wanna tell you that I kind of really like-like you." Alfred's voice was barely above a whisper as the man spoke to the fire. Behind him, Ivan had opened one, wide eye. He opened the other and smiled.

"The feeling is mutual, Alfred." Ivan had worked his way up so his back was propped against the tree trunk. Alfred stared at him, shocked. His face was beet red.

"You weren't supposed to hear that! I thought you were asleep!" Alfred cast his gaze to the ground. He was flustered and dying to escape. Ivan sat there and laughed at him.

"You are so cute! " Ivan smiled as he patted the pine needles beside him, "Come sit with me." Reluctantly, Alfred sat beside Ivan. His gaze was still adverting the Russian. Ivan slipped an arm around the other man, hugging him close. Alfred gave into Ivan's warmth and snuggled into Ivan.

Starred Notes:

* Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights only more sciency.

** Pins and Needles - The feeling that comes along with your limbs falling asleep.

A/N:

Omg. I really suck, guys. I should have had this out a loooooong time ago. This fic is over a year old! I can't even believe it. Thanks to all my reviews and readers and I love you guys. I'm just a lazy person with a lot of school work. Wish me luck for All District/State Auditions! I'm Auditioning on B-flat Bass Clarinet and I've been working hard on that. I hope I get in! I hope all of you guys get where you want to go!