Hey everyone, I am back with my new update. Thank you for all of the pleasant feedback since the last time we met. I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters. We are halfway done with the imperialist era, and the good stuff starts happening 2-3 updates from now. :)

I hope I don't get trolled this time. The insults don't do anything to me other than make me laugh. So, kudos.

A narrow creek ran across the canyon, like a single strand of hair. Beside it stood a tree, the only tree that could be found after a whole day of riding. Though it had withered years ago, it served well enough as a backrest.

This was where Ivan and Yao had decided to spend the night.

Though there was a bustling village on the other side of the stream, Ivan knew he wasn't particularly good with meeting people. Besides, it had been a while since he and Yao got to be together, and he wasn't about to share most prized possession with anyone.

For the past hour or so, Ivan had been staring fondly at Yao, who was leaning his head against the tree, taking a nap.

Ivan sighed, and brushed a strand of hair away from Yao's face. He was always so flawless, as if he had descended from the skies with wings on his back.

A huff of northern wind blew across the lands, bristling the short bed of grass, as Yao shivered from the cold. Ivan quickly threw his jacket over his shoulders, and while he was leaning over, he decided to steal a kiss. Just a small one, so Yao wouldn't be mad, and the voices in Ivan's head would stop bothering him.

Yao opened his eyes immediately after Ivan pulled away. "Don't do that again," he whispered.

"Ah! Yao! You were awake this whole time?" Ivan shrieked. He quickly turned away and threw his scarf over his red-hot face.

Yao ignored him, and explained calmly, "Well, you learn to sleep lightly when you are on foreign lands, Ivan. Someone could come from behind and slash your neck."

"Not if I pound them into dust first, da?"

Yao raised an eyebrow Ivan's comment. When had he become so... openly violent?

"Um, right..." He said, petting Ivan's furry head approvingly. Ivan immediately cozied into his touch, happy to be getting some attention. If he had a tail, he'd be wagging it right now.

The stars were out tonight, beaming coldly upon the world. In the distance, mountains of unfathomable heights stabbed their peaks into the sky, their coats of ice and snow glittering under the moonlight. It was a sight to behold, and though their trip had been lengthy and tiresome, Yao believed it was worth it, for this exact reason.

Later, Ivan had become thirsty. So he dug out his water bottle, but not before shoving it under Yao's chin.

"Drink?" He asked, swishing the liquid inside.

Yao took the bottle and drank, thinking it was water. He winced and shuddered at the sour, and begrudgingly swallowed before handing it back to Ivan. Yao would never drink fermented horse milk on his own free will. It smelled like unwashed feet, which was just a little off-putting.

"It's good?"

While twirling his tongue to fight off the horrid aftertaste, Yao only managed to give a slow nod.

Content with the response, Ivan ventured to dump the last of the drink down his throat and tossed the bottle aside, as a thunderous burp echoed through the valley. Birds flew away, in fright.

Yao patted his tummy, and gently scolded, "Ivan, you know you shouldn't drink so much at once!"

Ivan stopped and placed his hand over Yao's, looking up at him incredulously.

He was so pretty...

Ivan shook his head, mentally fighting the urge to do something crazy in response to the funny feeling in his pants. He hated how when he was around Yao, he always got what felt like bladder infections. It was so embarrassing!

"Does Yao care about me?" He merped instead, as a late response.

Yao rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ivan, I care about you." He said for the zenith time.

There were times when Yao wondered whether Ivan was ever going to grow up. In recent years, he had heard of the tales the ambassadors told of the numerous wars his country had won. Russia had been wanting to expand to the two seas, and Yao was glad to hear about Ivan's success on the battlefield.

The little boy, Yao would have never thought he had militant blood in him! How handsome he must have looked, all suited in armour with a sword strapped by his side... He probably could woo any girl he wanted. Maybe then, Ivan would finally stop serenading him with gifts and cheesy love letters.

Yao frowned at the thought, and stubbornly shook his head. No, he liked getting letters from Ivan very much, and if he were to ever get a girl, he better not forget about Yao!

However, when it came to his own land, well, Yao couldn't say that he was particularly... pleased. He liked Ivan, but not enough to want to hand over his territory.

At least all was good now. Their bosses had signed the treaty, and all possibilities of war between them had been annulled for the time being. Yao supposed it was for the best. He didn't want to think about the prospect of having to fight Ivan. Of course, Yao would protect his own country at all costs, despite having developed a fondness for the boy, but—

"Yao?"

"Yes?"

"Um, have you ever, you know," Ivan chuckled nervously, "...been to war before?"

"Of course I have," Yao said, surprised that he would ask such a thing. Ivan knew of his age, and surely he wouldn't have thought that Yao spent his whole life locked up in a palace!

Ivan bit his lip. "Was it... scary?"

Yao cocked his head back in disbelief.

"Wait, so you mean you've never...?"

"No!" Ivan cried, shaking his head vigorously, burying his face in his hands, "My crazy boss wants me to, but I don't want!" He sobbed dramatically, and occasionally peeked at Yao through his fingers to see if he looked convinced.

"Well, um, I was scared of it at first too, but you get used to it after a while..." Yao said, patting his sulking shoulders.

Yao was so sure that Ivan had become quite the warrior by now. But then again, Ivan was too sweet to hurt a fly.

"It is just that... When I see people die, I start getting tummy aches, because I hate seeing blood..."

Yao nodded in understanding. He really believed that Ivan still had a heart, while he didn't. Yao had been alive for too long, and had seen too many of his people's deaths that it didn't bother him anymore.

"I swear, I would never ever want to do anything to make you mad." Ivan continued, "But, my boss insisted on it, and no matter what I say, he was still determined!" He buried his face into Yao's chest, "You must think I am a terrible person, for having caused you so much trouble..."

Yao sat there, confused about what to do next. He wasn't particularly comfortable with comforting children, let alone a grown man.

"There there," Yao comforted awkwardly, and kissed his head, "It's alright, Ivan. I don't blame you."

Ivan grinned evilly. Jackpot!

"You promise?" he murmured as sweetly as he could, nudging closer against Yao's thin frame.

"I promise." Yao sighed.

It was Russia who had caused him trouble, not Ivan. But, Yao couldn't see what was so good about himself that made the boy so devoted, as flattered as he was by it.

Ivan wrote to him even more now, and found any excuse, any stupid excuse to visit him. Yao welcomed him too, and enjoyed his presence. He loved sitting together with Ivan under the stars. There were no commitments, no tragedy. Just mutual understanding and silence.

But, it was a shame that Ivan probably wouldn't let them stay like this forever.

Relationships would always end, once they became too intimate too quickly. Both parties wanted something from the other that didn't even exist in the first place, and they would soon grow selfish and bitter.

If Ivan knew ofthe kind of person Yao really was, he probably wouldn't like him at all. There was a barrier that stood between them, and he wanted to respect that, no matter how thin and fragile that barrier really was.

So, Yao was glad that their bosses had signed the treaty.

Notes: The Treaty of Kyakhta was signed by the Russian Empire and the Qing Dynasty in 1729, which defined the border that is now Mongolia. This allowed the Qing to claim Mongolia and Xinjiang without interference. Yay, China had more land, Russia had an easier trade route, and everyone was happy.

Yeah, I'm not too pleased with this chapter. I had written this a few months ago, and thought I had something golden. Then when I re-read it, I was like... Say wuuuuuuut? All this mofo'ing fluff?

So yeah, here's the end of my update. I hope you guys are happy! Please review!