A/N: I'm sorry the wait for this has been so long, but I'm a terrible procrastinator, plus school's started up again DX Hopefully this longer chapter at least partially makes up for the wait, and I hope to get the next one out faster but again I'm making no promises with school and me not really knowing how this story's going to go, plus starting highschool this year means I've got even more homework DX Learning is wonderful, homework is not.

"So Matthew, what class do you have next?" Ivan asked as he and his new friend left the art room.

"Oh me? I have History..." Matt replied, "you?"

"I have History too, who is your teacher?"

"Jonhston."

"Me too!" Ivan smiled and followed Matthew to their History class. As they kept walking, Matt remembered something he'd been meaning to tell Ivan earlier.

"You know, Yao told me about what happened at lunch, and that was really nice of you." Ivan was worried, had Yao lied about not repeating what happened in the bathroom?

"He told you?" Ivan asked, and Matthew nodded.

"When he came back we asked what happened, and he told us you apologized...it was really nice of you, people mistake Yao for a girl all the time but they're not usually nice about it." Ivan was relieved, he smiled a bit.

"So you are friends with Yao?" Ivan asked, hoping this could be an opportunity to get closer to the lovely boy.

"Mhm, and uh, Alfred Arthur and Francis all hang out with us too; dunno if you've met them..."

"I think Arthur is in my math class..." Ivan tried to picture Matt's friend in his mind.

"On the shorter side, blond, has a bit of a British accent..." Matthew listed.

"Big bushy eyebrows?" The Russian asked.

"Like caterpillars!" Matthew laughed and Ivan joined him.

"So what about the other two? Alfred and..." he tried to remember the other name.

"Francis? They're not in our grade. Al's a freshie, he's my step brother; then Francis is a junior."

"And Yao?" Ivan asked, trying not to show how interested he was in the Asian boy.

"He's a junior too." At hearing this Ivan was a little disappointed, it would have been better if they were in the same grade. Hopefully the fact that he hung out with underclassmen boded well for him. As much as Ivan wanted to date Yao, he would really like to just be friends with him too.

After class Matthew introduced Ivan to his friends.

"...and this is Francis, and you already met Yao." Yao gave Ivan a knowing look when Matt said that, but Ivan didn't know what the look was supposed to mean.

"So dude, are you like a communist?" Asked Alfred, the youngest and loudest of the group, earning him a smack upside the head from Arthur.

"That's offensive, you git!" He scolded, but Ivan just chuckled.

"Nyet, Russia is not a communist country anymore."

"Whatever dude, sorry…so you wanna hang with us today? You've probably got like no friends, right?" Alfred laughed; his laugh was loud and over the top.

"Aiya Alfred don't be so insensitive, aru!" This time it was Yao playing Al's mother. He turned to Ivan, his voice warm again. "But you are welcome to hang out with us, Yiwan."

"I would like that, thank you." Ivan smiled, and his heart fluttered, "you say my name very cutely…" Ivan remarked. The others gave him a strange look, except Yao, who just thanked him. "I guess cute was not how I meant to say that…my English is not very good…" he explained, although cute was actually the word he meant to use.

The four of them ended up walking to a little diner; it wasn't a place Ivan thought kids would normally hang out after school, but Alfred had insisted that they had the best burgers around. Besides that, though, Ivan quickly realized that they weren't exactly a normal group of kids, either. As it turned out, Alfred was the only one in their group who had been born in the United States, but they had all been living in the small city since at least their seventh grade year. Although the Russian couldn't remember where everyone was from, or when they had moved from their home countries, he knew that Yao Wang had moved with his mother and stepfather the summer before he started sixth grade, and he was still fluent in Chinese. Even though he knew he wouldn't understand a word of it, Ivan now longed to hear Yao speak in his native tongue; he loved Yao's accent, even when he spoke English, but he also knew very well how much better words felt in your mouth when they were in your first language.

"Well shit guys, I've got a buttload of homework, I'm gonna go." Alfred's booming voice cut through Ivan's daydreams, but the Russian realized that perhaps it was a good thing, since he'd been staring off into space for a good five minutes now.

"Yes, Alfred, I think we've all got homework to do. But you're right, it is getting late." Arthur stood and joined Alfred, "Ivan where do you live?"

"Huh? Oh, um, up the hill from here I think, Redwood street…" Ivan realized that he wasn't entirely sure how to get back home, and hoped one of the others lived near him.

"Ah, well Alfred, Matthew and I live down the hill from here, so we'll see you tomorrow." Arthur nodded and the three headed out the door.

"Aiya! Shit! I am supposed to meet Kiku at the library in five minutes, aru! Bye!" Yao threw his bag over his shoulder and ran out the door, leaving just Ivan and Francis.

"So you live Redwood street, right?" Francis asked, picking up his satchel and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Da, Redwood..."

"Great! I live on Spruce, we can walk together." Ivan nodded and smiled with relief, glad that he wouldn't have to go wandering trying to find his street. The two started walking up the hill, silent until they crossed Ivy street and Francis finally spoke.

"So why did you move here?" He asked, looking up at the younger boy.

"My family lost a lot of money about two months ago, and we just could not make it. So we moved here where my parents can work for my uncle and he can help us get by." Ivan explained as if it was nothing.

"Oh? You talk about this so casually, it seems like it would be a big deal, moving halfway across the world…" Francis pointed out, realizing that something was a little off about that.

"Well in almost every way it is better living here. People talk about that, you know, moving to America for opportunities, and I am glad to have a fresh start here."

"But you must have left your friends behind, and it must be hard starting school here a month late." Did Ivan not miss his friends?

"Well, school is hard, but about friends…I did not really have any. I made a bad reputation for myself starting in elementary school, and I regretted that by the time I was in eighth grade, but it was too late to get rid of it." Ivan sighed, but a smile broke out on his face when he thought about it more, "And just look, I already made friends." Unsure of how to respond, Francis just smiled, and the two walked in silence until they had just crossed Maple street.

"You know, normally Yao would walk with us if he did not have to go to the library," the elder pointed up ahead, "he lives on Nutmeg." Surprised, Ivan smiled.

"He would? That is great!" Ivan was a little nervous that he'd sounded too excited about that. Francis chuckled, then got quiet for a few seconds, thinking.

"You know Ivan, if you ever need romantic advice, I am the person to come to." When Francis said this, Ivan looked over at him, confused.

"That was sort of random, what made you-" Francis interrupted before Ivan had even gotten the chance to ask.

"Because I have seen how you are looking at Yao," he chuckled again, "I recognize l'amour when I see it." At first the Russian was about to get defensive, but he realized that Francis seemed to really want to help him.

"I…da, I guess I…have got a crush on Yao," Ivan admitted, "he knows it too; that is what I told him at lunch, that I actually thought he was cute…not as a girl…" Ivan explained the story more, although he left out the kiss, not sure if Yao would want anyone to know about that.

"And I take it you are interested in more than his looks now, yes?" at this Ivan nodded.

"He seems to be very sweet…" he admitted, although he didn't think that word really summed up Yao's personality, or what Ivan liked about it.

"Then go for it! Next chance you get ask him on a date. No relationship will ever happen if you do not show that you want it to." Francis patted Ivan on the back, "If he already knows, then you really have nothing to lose."

"Nothing to lose…" Ivan paused to think about that for a second, "that makes sense." He smiled once again, "Thank you Francis, you are a good friend." The taller boy waved to his new friend and turned down his street, his heart beating fast as he began to anticipate tomorrow.

A/N: Did that suck? I have a feeling it did, but then I pretty much think anything I write sucks, so your reviews will me my only way of knowing! I appreciate all of your feedback ;u;