AN: I haven't updated this in awhile, but I might start. This will probably one of the most fast paced fics I've ever written and sorry for the lack of much humor towards the end.

2. Cold War in the Classroom

At first it seemed like things would be alright. Ivan had stood beside him as he'd sewn up his scarf and had thanked him with a pat on the knee before going to read in the corner. Matthew, who was also occupying the corner reading books about polar bears, didn't seem to mind his companion. Something Arthur had been glad of. At least one of his students didn't mind the poor boy.

Alfreda had started playing quietly in the corner with Kiku, who kept drawing on paper while his blonde friend talked. Eventually the two began working on a 'manga', whatever that was, where Alfreda was the heroine who saved the captured prince, her brother Matthew, from the terrible dragon she dubbed Maria. Watching him Arthur had been impressed to find Kiku's drawings quite mature and beyond stick figures. When he'd asked the boy about it, he'd blushed and said his big brother helped him. Arthur left them alone, pleased they were playing quietly.

The other children had followed in suit. Even the boisterous Gilberte, who'd begun playing Empress of the Universe with her brother and little Feliciano. The class had ended with the arrangements being made for Elizabeta and Roderich's wedding tomorrow. Gilberte and Alfreda were unanimously voted leaders and began planning. Then Arthur led them outside and with Tino's help gotten each of them on the correct bus.

Arthur should have known it wouldn't last.

When he'd arrived the next day the early arrivals were preparing the 'celebration' and Alfreda was moving a cake, she'd apparently gotten her Papa to make it, around trying to find the place it looked best in. After a few arguments with Gilberte the two girls settled for placing it on Arthur's desk so everyone could see it. Gilberte and Ludwig had decorated the room and brought grape juice to make toasts with. When asked how they knew about toasts, Ludwig explained, his face hidden in Gilberte's back, that they'd seen it when they went to their cousin's wedding. So finally they were ready and Arthur watched, with great amusement, as Ivan, elected because he was tallest, led Elizabeta down the aisle of chairs in her bright white dress. Ivan looked like he'd wanted to hide, but made it through.

Gilberte had made been elected priest and gave her toast in the middle of the vows. And finally the children exchanged animal cookies and they were apparently wed.

It was all Arthur could do not to laugh until he cried or start squealing and hugging them at the pure innocent cuteness.

The problems had started at nap time. Alfreda had been trying to sneak an extra cookie from Matthew's lunch box and Ivan had been reading a book. Therefore both children got there too late to claim their usual sleeping positions. Unfortunately that meant they would have to use the two mats in the back, right next to each other. It had seemed fine the first few minutes, perfect silence as the children slept on. But then Alfreda was suddenly screaming and sobbing about spiders being in her mat. When Arthur got there it was a plastic spider. Ivan's shoulders had been shaking with what appeared to be laughter as the boy pretended to keep sleeping. Arthur decided to talk to the boy privately later.

Finally after convincing Alfreda that the spiders were not out to get her or on her sleeping mat they'd finished nap time and gone on to lunch. Alfreda had found worms in her PB&J. True they were gummy worms, something Arthur only found out after Matthew ate one, but the girl seemed to hate all insects. Once again Arthur suspected Ivan. Then at the end of the day, while Alfreda was working on her manga with Kiku, Ivan had went up a step. He'd put a live worm down her shirt.

Arthur had punished Ivan then and there, but the damage was done and Alfreda was out for revenge.

It was the third day of the Day Care Cold War and Ivan and Alfreda were pointedly ignoring each other. In Ivan's case that meant the boy was speaking to no one, except Arthur himself. Behind Arthur's back he knew they were being nasty to each other, but he could do nothing about it until he saw something.

…

"Al you shouldn't be mean." Matthew Williams told his sister for the hundredth time that day. Alfreda glared at her brother, but the boy didn't react other than tearing up a little more. Alfreda pouted. She hated when Mattie cried. Mattie was her little brother so she was supposed to make sure he was always happy. Plus Papa always managed to blame her when Mattie cried.

"I'm not being mean." She told her brother stubbornly. Matthew didn't look convinced.

"I'm not! He started it when he put spiders on my mat!" Alfreda told her brother instantly turning to glare in the innocently reading Russian boy's direction. Matthew sighed and wiped away his tears. Usually when he started crying it worked, but not this time Alfreda was too focused on Ivan.

"They were plastic." Matthew sniffed and stood up. Alfreda looked up at her brother startled.

"Where are you going?" she demanded eyes wide. Matthew frowned at his twin.

"I'm going to ask Ludwig and Feliciano to play since you're too busy." Matthew told him, pout still prominent. Alfreda squealed looking horrified.

"No, Mattie don't go to the German side!" Matthew looked at his sister confused and walked on. Alfreda watched her brother go eyes tearing up. Kiku had left her after she said it wouldn't be fair for him to help her get back at Ivan and now even Mattie. Alfreda sniffled and turned to glare at Ivan. It was all his fault she decided. She would make him pay. Alfreda didn't seem to realize that the owner of the pair of purple eyes watching her was thinking the same thing.

…

Arthur wasn't sure what possessed Alfreda to escalate her and Ivan's conflict, but soon Ivan's things started to get knocked out of his hands and he began to become very clumsy. Ivan retaliated by making Alfreda's things disappear and making Alfreda's eye maintain an almost permanent blackness. Arthur knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure what. Finally it came to him as he remembered something his mother would do to him and Liam (North Ireland) when they were at their worst.

…

"Ivan, Alfreda wait there." Arthur called as the children ran outside for their playtime. The two enemies paused looking up at their blonde teacher confused. Tino also paused, when he saw the children stop, but spotting who they were he ducked out hiding a smile of amusement, brown eyes dancing. The Finnish man at least thought Arthur's proposal would be entertaining. The children squirmed uncomfortable when the door shut behind Tino leaving them alone together.

"You two have not been getting along recently and you've both been horrible to the other." Arthur commented slowly. Alfreda opened her mouth looking ready to loudly and venhemently protest her innoncence, but arthur stopped her with a look. She settled starring at him surly. Ivan looked cold and wary, something Arthur did not like to see on such a young child's face and that he decided to try and fix after he, hopefully, settled thre disagreement between these two. Without giving them the chance to react Arthur stepped foreword, grabbing alfreda's left hand and Ivan's right, and placed on them some padded hand cuffs, closing them with a click.

Both children starred frozen at their wrists now chained to the other, faces pictures of horror and disbelief. Arthur stilled his expression to one of seriousness trying not to wonder if he and Liam had looked like that when his mother and pulled this creative trick.

"Until you two can get along, you'll be together constantly. You'll wear this during every break, sit beside each other, take naps together, and eat together." Arthur told the children doing his best to ignore the look of betrayal in Ivan's eyes and the tears welling up in Alfreda's.

"Iggy! I'll be a good girl, just don't make me be with the communist! Nobody we'll play with me if his with me being all freaky and communist-y and stuff!" the little girl wailed causing both Arthur and Ivan to flinch as her voice climbed higher with each word.

"Shut up pig." Ivan growled, throwing Arthur a mutinous look. "I refuse to spend time with this brat!"

Arthur scowled. "Calling each other mean names like communist and pig is part of the reason we've come to this." Then Arthur couldn't take it anymore and softened. "Perhaps if you can behave during break you can sleep wherever you want at naptime."

They of course didn't. alfreda had wanted to go to the swings and Ivan had wanted the slide. Their shrieking argument quickly escalated to fists and poor little Matthew had gotten a black eye trying to pry his sister off. This had lead to even more violence when Alfreda had shoved Ivan's face in the mud for "hurting Mattie, you fat, communist bastard!" After washing Alfreda's mouth out with soap, treating the injured parties and dealing with a tense naptime, snacktime and inside playtime Arthur was relieved to throw them on the bus and wondering if his plan was so brilliant after all. Tino had patted him sympathetically on the arm and took him to Berwald's Café for something to eat.

…

Alfreda couldn't believe it had been two weeks since she'd become attached to Ivan. She'd gone home with more bruises than she could count and Papa hadn't been very sympathetic either claiming if she didn't pick on the poor boy and start the fights she wouldn't get hurt. Alfreda didn't pick on Ivan though. He was creepy and she was tryingt o warn people of his creepiness. Besides he started it with the spider thing. Alfreda shivered, whimpering slightly, horrified at the thought of those creepy eight legged monsters. Ivan threw her an annoyed look from behind one of the big books. Alfreda glared and he returned it before going back to the book. Alfreda snorted. It wasn't like he could actually read the book. It was humongous and didn't have pictures or anything.

Alfreda looked longingly at where Matthew was playing with his stuffed polar bear Kumajiro with Ludwig. Ludwig was a little weird, because he didn't really talk to anybody but Feliciano and his sister, but he was nice to be with when Gilberte wasn't around. She couldn't play with them though. She and Ivan had agreed after the thrid day that one day they'd do what Ivan wanted and the next day they'd do what Alfreda wanted. Yesterday Alfreda and Ivan had won King of the Mountain against the other kids and some of the older kids who'd jumped the fence to play with their younger siblings at the Day-Care. Alfreda had to admit Ivan was useful for pushing people off the jungle gym. He'd even made that mean third grader who usually claimed it cry. Arthur had gotten on to him, but Alfreda had given him a cookie later, because that same third grader had been the one who'd picke don Matthew their first day here. Ivan had looked surprised, but taken the cookie and when Arthur saw it they'd been allowed to have inside playtime seperately and the take naps in their preferred spots.

Now though Alfreda wasn't happy with Ivan. He was boring always pretending to read big books and never talking. Alfreda wanted to get up and run around and scream her head off. Like her Papa said she was energetic. Sitting and doing nothing was torture. Alfreda dug her toe in the dirt wallowing in her misery and furious at even for being a weirdo who didn't play like a normal kid and therefore prevented her from playing. Alfreda was so preoccupied with her depression that she only just realized that break had ended when she heard a shout that signaled that the older kids were coming to take their break on the otherside of the fence. Her side was empty accept for her and Ivan. She looked over at him wondering why he hadn't told her and saw his face was in the book.

"We have to go in." Alfreda told him standing and nudging him with her fought.

"Не сейчас. Идите отсюда." (Not now. Go away.) Ivan muttered confusing the girl until she realized he was talking in another language like her Papa did.

"Talk English!" she snapped and kicked him again, this time with a little force. Ivan grabbed her leg before it hit, making her fall on her butt.

"Bête!" (Beast!) Alfreda snarled using her Papa's favorite insult from his native toungue. Ivan paused and blinked at her confused. Alfreda felt immediate satisfaction at knowing something that Ivan didn't for once. He was such a know-it-all. "Ha! Voir qui est plus intelligente maintenant!" (Ha! See who is smarter now!)

Ivan scowled at her and growled. "What are you saying, fool?"

"Je ne dis pas!" (I'm not telling!) Alfreda continued enjoying herself and forgetting why she'd kicked Ivan in the first place. Ivan simply jerked his arm causing her to fall down again.

"Hey!" Alfreda protested, pulling so the boy fell with her. He landed hard beside her and looked furious when his book landed pages open. "Ha!"

"Useless brat!" Ivan snarled as he dusted off the book looking as if Alfreda had hurt a person and not an inanimate object. Alfreda rolled her eyes at his reaction. Ivan was so stupid. Well stupid, but not stupid. Because he was clearly smart, but he was still a weirdo stupid creepy communist. Alfreda nodded along with her thoughts making Ivan look at her like she was stupid. Before either of them could do something else though a voice piped up from the fence.

"Look who it is the Russian freak and the fag's daughter." An older voice sneered and Alfreda wnet cold even as she tried to jump up furious at the bad word she knew was intended for her father only to be pulled down by Ivan's still sprawled form.

"Shut up!" she screamed trying to pul Ivan up. Finally he got the message and stood with her face even scarier than when she'd ripped his scarf. There were three boys, too old to be from the elementary school. Alfreda guessed they were from the middle school across the street and were skipping when they spotted her. She would never admit it, but she was alittle scared. She'd gotten into a fight because of the mean things people said about her Papa, but that hadn't happened since they'd moved to their new place and they'd never been that older than her. Or that big.

"Make me brat!" the blonde one who'd called her father the bad word and insulted Ivan sneered. Alfreda called him a word her Papa would spank her if he heard her saying and Arthur would make her taste soap if he heard. The blonde's features twisted and he made a grab for her only to be blocked by Ivan who he easily knocked down, sending Alfreda with him. She let out a yelp as the brunette next to the blonde stepped on her digging his heel into her stomach. Alfreda felt real terror course through her when she saw the third and biggest boy, with dark black her kick Ivan in the head and laugh.

"You not going to say anything freak?" the third boy mocked and Alfreda rolled out from under the brunette's foot when he lessened the pressure to watch his friend. Alfreda leaped over Ivan and dug her teeth into the third boy's ankle. He jumped back, tripping over his feet and falling down with a shriek.

"Ivan isn't a freak!" Alfreda snarled, though she knew he definitely was. She just didn't like these mean boys saying it. The brunette pushed her down as the blonde examined the third boy's wound with a look of disgust.

"The little bitch drew blood. You should wash it quick, Dad says people like her dad like touching kids so she probably has aids." The blonde said looking repulsed. The third boy cussed and struck out with his leg hitting Alfreda hard, making her suddenly light headed and wozzy. Alfreda didn't know what aids was or what they meant by touching, but she knew it was abd and wished she could hurt these boys for what they were saying and doing to her and Ivan.

"Bitch," the third boy snarled getting to his feet and raising his leg to begin beating her. Alfreda couldn't moved and closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to watch steeling herself for the pain. It didn't come. Instead she was suddenly covered by something suffocating and soft that shook suddenly. Alfreda opened her eyes to find Ivan on top of her. Sheilding her. The boys cursed and all three of them began kicking the boy. Ivan didn't move refusing to let them touch her. Alfreda felt tears burning their way down her cheeks. She was the heroine! She should be protecting Ivan. But she couldn't move and there was a bad pain her lower stomach and her head felt like it was floating away. Alfreda prayed it would stop and someone would save them. She prayed like the nuns had told her to. Please god help. Save me. Save Ivan. Make the bad people go away.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" the most terrifying and wonderful voice Alfreda had every heard said. And suddenly Ivan stopped shaking with blows and lifted himself off Alfreda to revealing a scary and furious Arthur holding two boys by the neck looking murderous, while and equal angry Tino held the other one. Next to Tino was his friend Berwald who Alfreda remembered sometimes visited the Finish man. He quickly took the blonde and brunette from Arthur, making both boys look suddenly small and not so scary anymore.

Alfreeda's world tilted and the next second Arthur was beside her whispering reassuring things to her as she realized they were in the Day-Care. She heard Matthew crying somewhere nearby and an incomprehensible panicked stream of gibberish she recognized barely as a high pitched Ivan. Alfreda tried to tell Matthew she'd be fine, but before she could she found herself in Arthur's arms as he ran into an unfamiliar bright white place shouting "Doctor! We need a bloody DOCTOR!" then she was looking into the kind brown eyes of a man who looked a little like Kiku, only with long blakc hair in a ponytail and a little girly looking.

"It's alright now, aru. I'm Dr. Wang, you can sleep now Alfreda. Everything is alright, aru." He told her. Alfreda happily obeyed, after all doctors helped people and that made them sort of heroes. Alfreda knew she could trust a hero.