First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed/faved/alerted this. Seriously, guys - you blew me away with so much positive feedback! I only hope I'll be able to keep it up, but I guess I'll know that very soon, yes? ;)

I'm the middle of a FML phase now -.- Really, the time that has yet to pass until the exams will finally be over will be hell, because my parents will be gone for an entire week as of tomorrow. Life can be really cruel sometimes: I wanna laugh, dance and sing at the top of my voice while only my brother could be offended, but instead I gotta study. It doesn't exactly help that I've reawakened my obsession with Evgeni Plushenko by accident... *sigh* (Of course, now that I know about Hetalia and am fangirling like crazy over Russia - trust me, it hasn't always been like this - his awesomeness has doubled at the very least!)

Oh yeah, there's something I forgot and really want to mention: in the first chapter, I said that Ivan preferred chess over solving puzzles. Why chess? Because of the wonderful fic "The Companion" by Ahmerst! If you haven't read it yet and simply love Russia/America as a pairing, check it out! It's pure love and win!

But enough of my rambling - here's the next chapter (which is quite a bit longer than the last one, but I didn't have the heart to make a cut before the end of it)! Hope you'll enjoy it!

Not only did a gust of icy wind greet him when he opened the door, but a shivering brunet as well, despite the fact that he was wearing a thick winter coat. Ivan's eyes widened in his inability to hide his surprise.

"H-Hello, I-Ivan."

"…"

"I-Ivan?"

"…Toris," the tall Russian finally replied, his voice a mere murmur.

As if happy that he had been recognized, Toris smiled and shifted, trying to find an angle at which the wind wouldn't be whipping against his face. Seeing that, Ivan seemed to snap out of his momentary daze.

"I… I'm sorry! Come in, come in!" he urged his visitor, ushering Toris into his house. The Lithuanian barely had time to shrug off his coat and hang it up before Ivan began to take him to the living room.

"Do you… um… want something to drink?" his former superior asked, glancing over his shoulder. Toris could tell by the look in his eyes alone that he was anxious not to scare him away or anything. He had felt uneasy upon coming here, but now he was starting to think that perhaps it hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"Anything but vodka," he answered, remembering how Ivan had repeatedly praised vodka for being ideal against the cold. But he wasn't all that fond of it himself; it burned wickedly in his throat.

Ivan nodded. "Just make yourself at home, and I –" Realizing what he had just said, he froze. Toris stiffened visibly, but tried to keep smiling all the same. This behavior was anything but unfamiliar to Ivan: he had witnessed it all too often upon approaching the eldest of the three Baltics who had once been a part of him. Who had all been happy to finally get away from him when the Soviet Union had dissolved.

"Toris, I…" Ivan struggled to find the right thing to say, but the Lithuanian soon relieved him of that:

"It's okay, Ivan. I'll go wait for you in the living room… no problem."

"Really, da?"

"Yes. I came all this way… and to be honest, I'm not all that keen on going out into the cold again so soon," Toris tried to joke, smiling sheepishly.

"But –" Ivan began, wanting to believe him but not being entirely successful. Toris had tried to avoid him so often… so, so often…

"I'll be there, I promise," Toris reassured him and moved towards the door to the living room. "See?"

'I see, but how strong is your desire to do otherwise, Toris? You may be here now, but you resented me and might still do so. The way you look at me…' Though still looking plenty unsure about this, Ivan nodded all the same and finally headed on to the kitchen, trying not to dwell for too long on that previous train of thought.

Meanwhile, Toris kept his promise as he entered the living room, taking the liberty of having a good look at the house. Only two years had passed since he had finally been able to regain his freedom – that really didn't seem very long, given how long Lithuania had been a part of the Soviet Union – but he could tell that the house had lost much of its former tidiness, and he guessed that if Ivan didn't tend to it, the tapestry would start to crumble in another couple of years. It didn't matter that he only been to this particular room since setting foot in the domicile again; plenty of memories returned to Toris as he just stood there: memories of poor Latvia's growth getting massively slowed down under the pressure of Ivan's hand, memories of them darting around the house like frightened jackrabbits when Ivan had played with them (preferably hide-and-seek), and the times when the three of them had thought of countless plans of escape which wouldn't have worked out anyway. Toris sighed.

The room looked almost exactly like he remembered it… except for that little card table that stood next to the fireplace. He peeked over his shoulder to make sure that Ivan wasn't returning just yet, then Toris curiously approached the table. It was littered with puzzle pieces. Little progress had been made so far, and when he saw the motif, he could understand why it might take quite a while to finish the puzzle.

"I thought he didn't like puzzles…" he whispered to himself whilst staring at a single complete sunflower.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, however, when he gasped and spun around, fully expecting to see Ivan in the doorway; after all, they did say that if one spoke of the devil, he would appear. But no one was there to stare at him accusingly… he appeared to be in much luck this time. Shivering, Toris talked himself into moving away from the puzzle and going to the couch instead.

Ivan's house could get really cold in the winter, but now it was pleasantly warm in the living room. Toris smiled gratefully at the low-burning fire in the fireplace; this was exactly what he had needed after trudging through the deep snow and straining against the fierce wind. Although, come to think of it, it was burning rather low, so surely it wouldn't hurt to stoke up those flames a bit, would it? It didn't take long for the brunet to convince himself to grab the poker and stoke up the embers after throwing a small piece of log or two into the fireplace. Reminiscence swept over him as he crouched in front of the fire, prodding the embers more gently now and watching the flames burn brighter again as they feasted on the new wood. Doing this… was like an old habit that still hadn't died despite him not having done this in two years. As he basked in the warmth, he liked to think back on rare but peaceful evenings, the ones he had enjoyed, for Ivan certainly did have another side to him. Pity he hadn't shown it very often, though…

"Toris?" a voice asked quietly.

All the same, it nearly made him jump out of his skin while he actually did drop the poker. Looking like a child that had been caught with its hand in the cookie jar, he peered up at Ivan's tall form. The dancing flames made shadows flit across the Russian's face, but Toris only mistook him to look menacing for a second because of his previous experiences with the older man: one very deep breath later, he realized that the expression was merely one of genuine surprise instead.

"You know that you no longer have to do that anymore…" Ivan mumbled, though not looking Toris in the eye as he spoke.

"Um, well… you know what they say: old habits die hard," Toris replied, and his nervousness could still be heard in his chuckle although it was slowly ebbing away.

The ghost of a smile flitted across Ivan's face, then they went to settle down on the couch. A steaming mug was offered to Toris, who gladly took a sip. As the mug left his lips, he acquired a thoughtful expression as he savored the taste. Ivan watched him with the anxiety of someone who wanted nothing more than to be a good host.

"…Is there vodka in this?" Toris finally asked, eying the liquid (which was hot chocolate… well, more like hot milk).

"Just a dash," Ivan confessed. Now he looked like the child who had been caught red-handed. "I-I know you said you don't want any, but it really works well, and I figured that since it was just a little bit…" He trailed off and hinted a shrug.

Toris blinked, but really, how could he be mad? He was pretty sure that Ivan truly had only meant well. "I was just wondering, that's all. Thanks anyway." The look of utmost relief on Ivan's face made it impossible for him to resist a smile too. While he may have originally only come to satisfy that small part of his conscience that had been killing him recently, he discovered that he was more and more glad that he had decided to pay this visit.

For several moments, neither one of them said anything, but then Ivan suddenly remarked:

"You look well, Toris."

This time, the brunet couldn't return the smile, for he could see beyond that characteristic smile, and he could hear the faint trace of melancholy in that childlike voice. He gripped the mug tightly and prayed that he wouldn't come to regret his next words, but some things just had to be said and couldn't be lied about.

"I wish I could say the same about you," he replied, keeping his voice low as if fearing that someone might overhear them.

The smile ran away from Ivan's face, but before Toris could cringe for fear of getting (possibly physically) reprimanded, he looked back at the fire. "You know I have seen worse days."

"That may be true, but… you've also seen better ones."

"It has only been two years."

"I meant aside from political issues, Ivan."

The silence that followed that comment was deafening, and Toris wished he hadn't made that retort to begin with. To make matters worse, Ivan was stone-faced, so he couldn't rely on any facial expressions to determine exactly how much damage had been done.

'Oh God, why did I have to say that‽ If I get out of this unscathed…!' Panic arose within Toris as he could hardly take the silence anymore. He doubted that there was anything "right" that he could say now, and if he tried to excuse himself, Ivan would surely lash out at him in some way. Just when he was about to reach his breaking point, an absent mutter finally broke the silence:

"It has been rather lonely here, I guess…"

Toris fidgeted, lacking the confidence to say anything. Even now, after Ivan had made it quite clear that his intentions were wholly good-natured and after two years of complete freedom from the man, he was still every bit as submissive as he had been before, shaking in his boots when he thought about what he might be in for now. Toris felt resentful towards himself for this, knowing that he really should have moved on.

"Toris…" The sound of his name swiftly brought him back to the present, where a brooding, somewhat sad look had become apparent on Ivan's face. His hands were folded awkwardly in his lap, and he was slouching. It made quite the difference from his usual appearance.

"I don't know why you came back, for I know that you resent me, but… I'm glad that you're here now. I really am."

Toris frowned and resisted the urge to nervously chew his lower lip. "Resent is such a strong word. And besides, I don't feel that way towards you."

"But you don't like me, da?" When Toris failed to assure him otherwise, instead simply opening and closing his mouth several times without speaking, Ivan looked away again. "You needn't bother with words. Even without them, I know the truth."

"No, you don't." Before he could stop himself, the words had left his mouth. And he couldn't stop even though the part of him that feared the Russian begged him to do exactly that. "It's not that I don't like you, it's just that being with you makes me very… you know, antsy. Fear is not the same as hate or dislike – ask Raivis or Eduard, I'm sure they would say the same thing…"

A brief flicker of violet eyes in his direction was all Toris needed to know what Ivan thought about that plan. To top it off, the man's dejection was becoming more poorly disguised by the second, and despite how much he had suffered while being one with Russia, Toris was unable to simply shrug the other's misery off. Perhaps Feliks was right about him having too much sympathy for his own good, yet Toris had long since accepted it as one of his quirks.

For a moment, they both kept to themselves, one of them thinking about everything and nothing at all while the other was carefully weighing his options so he could make his next course of action a smart one. Finally, the brunet held out the mug, his hands trembling slightly because of his ever-present twinge of nervousness.

"I think you need this more than I do," he mumbled.

Not answering, Ivan merely cocked his head a bit, staring fixedly into Toris' green eyes as if searching for an additional explanation to this offer. However, Toris soon averted his gaze and held out the cup even more insistently. Only when the cup was taken from his hands did he look up again, and even then it was just hesitantly. Ivan took a small sip before putting the cup aside and refocusing his attention to the younger nation.

"This is why I've missed you the most, Toris," he said quietly.

"What? Just because I…?" Toris trailed off, eyes widening. Perhaps the light of the flames was playing a trick on his eyes, but Ivan's eyes looked suspiciously… wet. He wouldn't… would he? He hadn't… it seemed to have been ages ago since the last time…

"You were always so good to me."

His voice was breaking.

"I miss you…"

He had to act fast. Maybe there was still a chance to stop this from happening. Toris called upon his best reassuring look and replied: "But I'm here now, right?"

Instead of answering right away, Ivan proceeded to invade the Lithuanian's personal space without bothering to ask for permission first and enveloped him in an embrace. Toris jumped, startled by this suddenly very close proximity, and gasped as his air pipe nearly got crushed when the embrace quickly turned into a bear hug. Ivan buried his face in the fabric of his uniform, the forcefulness of his movements akin to those of a drowning man latching onto a lifeline.

"Ivan… I can't… breathe…!" Toris panted, squirming to catch his breath again.

Perhaps the older nation uttered his name in response, but he couldn't be too sure since the voice was hushed and his own panting pretty much drowned it out. He was about to attempt repeating his plea when he felt how Ivan's body began to shake, and strangled noises began to escape the man's throat… sounds that sounded suspiciously like… sobbing. The moment that realization dawned upon him, Toris nearly lost all his concern to break free of the bone-crushing hug as a wave of sympathy washed over him. It wasn't every day that Russia sobbed into one's uniform, and preciously few had ever witnessed it, but it was safe to say that it was a heart-breaking sight, a sight that Toris had only seen one other time in what seemed like another lifetime. His top priority right now could no longer be to break free, but to calm his former superior down instead. With that thought in mind, Toris gingerly returned the embrace and carefully, hesitantly began to rub Ivan's back in what he dearly hoped was a soothing manner.

"No, Ivan, don't cry… please calm down…" he whispered barely loud enough that he would be heard amidst the sobbing. To his dismay, it didn't seem to work as the firm grip on him wasn't released and Ivan merely seemed to become more intent on being as close to him as possible.

'Think, Toris, think! What else is there to do…? Perhaps… a song? That might work! Oh, but which one‽' In his desperation, Toris settled for the very first song that entered his mind, and as he began to sing softly, he did his very best to ignore his inner self, which blanched at the fact that he was singing a Russian folk song which sounded very much like a lullaby. It wasn't as if he wanted Ivan to fall asleep in his arms, after all, for if he left him then, he might as well commit suicide on the spot…

Contrary to the younger man's fears, Ivan did, in fact, gradually relax. As he relinquished his tight grip somewhat, Toris' voice quickly sounded less breathless as he could once more breathe in as much oxygen as he needed. At one point, the singing nearly died as Toris struggled to remember the last verse, but he improvised and merely hummed the melody once before recalling the words. A small smile played on Ivan's lips as he listened, forcing himself to stop crying so he could hear the voice even better. The melody was so old, and it had been quite a while since he had last heard it, but it still had that calming effect that he enjoyed. And since it was Toris who was singing, it was all the more pleasant to listen to.

Eventually, Toris' voice died down, and for a moment, only the sound of crackling flames could be heard before Ivan murmured:

"I had almost forgotten how nice it is to hear you sing, Toris. And that song…"

"It just came to my mind, and I… to avoid… p-panicking…"

Ivan chuckled at the slight stammer in those words. "I didn't know you were familiar with it."

There was a slight pause. "…I've been a part of you for a long time."

To Toris' relief, Ivan seemed satisfied with that answer, and a moment later, he finally let go of the Lithuanian, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand in no apparent hurry, for it was undeniable that he had cried. Toris watched him thoughtfully, and as the Russian even used the ends of his scarf to finish the job, he said:

"You need to think happy thoughts, Ivan. I know the Union was of great importance to you, but only because it has ceased to exist doesn't mean that you need to be alone all the time. Think of it as a new chance, a new beginning."

"Do you really think I could make friends with the others?" Ivan asked. The way he sat there reminded Toris of a kid that had been excluded on the playground despite only wishing to be in the others' company.

"Um… sure. Just look ahead and be yourself." He paused, then added timidly: "And perhaps if you could, um… well, you know… it's just a tip… do something about that creepiness, that might help as well – y-you know, those little comments, that, well, make people feel… uncomfortable… and possibly scared…" he finished, his voice barely more than a squeak and his face flushed with nervousness.

Humming thoughtfully, Ivan cocked his head and regarded Toris closely. "It's that bad?" It was amazing how he could pull the stunt of being nothing but innocence in one second, then downright creepy in the next. One just never knew when that switch would occur, and that was one reason why so very many nations were reluctant to grant Ivan the friendship he sought.

"Sometimes," Toris admitted carefully.

"Ah. …Well then, I guess I could give it a try."

Encouraged by the smile that graced Ivan's features, Toris cracked one as well. "That's the spirit."

As they silently seemed to agree that that subject was over and done with now, the atmosphere itself seemed to relax, and both of them shifted as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"Ivan?"

"Da?"

"You know how earlier on, you said you didn't know why I came back? Well, I figured that since it's Christmas, perhaps you might want some company. However, I do feel rather guilty for not having brought you anything… not even a bottle of vodka…" Toris scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Particularly because of that last part, Ivan raised an eyebrow, but then he laughed. "You don't need to feel bad; you came, after all, and that in itself pleases me very much. Besides, my last present is keeping me plenty busy."

Noticing how the Russian's violet eyes flickered towards the card table as he spoke, Toris stood up and went to inspect the puzzle again. "I thought you weren't fond of puzzles."

"You're right, I usually am not, but this one… has such a pretty motif." Suddenly, Ivan appeared at his side, and once more Toris marveled at the tall man's ability to move completely silently if he wanted to. "Alfred sent it to me for my birthday."

"He did?" Toris wondered if he was only imaging that pink hue around Ivan's nose as the owner of said nose gently ran his fingers over the completed sunflower before hunting through the other pieces despite the anything but optimal light. "Ivan, don't do that. It's bad for your eyesight." 'Great, here I go again…!'

To his surprise, Ivan instantly let it be. "I can't help it; I just thought I could find another sunflower…" Then his eyes lit up as if he had remembered something, and he asked: "Alfred said that 'instructions would follow'. Do you know what he could have meant by that? I really don't want to think he believes that I don't know how to solve a puzzle…"

Toris nudged him in the direction of the couch again to distract him from all the little pieces that were silently begging to be put together. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no. Why do you think I would know?"

"You worked at his house once…"

"That was quite a while ago. I'm guessing that those instructions go beyond how to solve a puzzle. After all, he knows you're not stupid, Ivan. Everyone does."

Another hum escaped those thin, pale lips, then Ivan's mood brightened again as he offered Toris something else in exchange for the now really lukewarm hot-chocolate-with-a-dash-of-vodka. The brunet accepted the offer and ended up extending his stay for another two or three quite pleasant hours. And although it was evening by the time he left, he insisted on doing so because Feliks would be waiting for him at home.

"Thank you very much for stopping by, Toris. It was nice to finally get a visitor again," Ivan said as the younger man armed himself against the bitter cold outside.

"I'm glad that my company was to your liking. Now remember to think happy thoughts, okay?"

Beaming, Ivan nodded and hugged him shortly, yet vehemently. Since he was still rather unfamiliar with this kind of treatment from the other, Toris returned the gesture in a more awkward fashion.

"Come again soon, da?" Ivan asked, his eyes alight with anticipation.

"Um… sure, I'll see if something can be arranged…"

"Maybe little Raivis and Eduard can come too?"

"We'll see. I can't decide for them, after all."

"I suppose so…" The door opened, exposing them both to the frostiness of the outdoors. Ivan didn't want to surrender Toris to that harshness, but he knew it would be wrong to not let him go, so he began to play with the ends of his scarf a bit to distract his hands. "Come home safe, Toris."

"I will. See you at the next GA, if not sooner!"

"Bye, Toris!" Ivan waved after him, and Toris waved back briefly before turning around and hurrying back to the front gates where he had left his car. It seemed to be so very far away, Ivan mused as he watched the silhouette getting smaller as it fought its way through the biting wind, and if he had known that he would have a visitor – especially a welcome one like Toris – he would have shoveled the walk. But if he played his cards right, perhaps such an opportunity would arise sooner than later, he thought as he finally closed the door again.

Am I a sucker for fluff? Why yes, I am, and characters like Toris are (as far as I'm concerned) perfect to provide fluff for people who are in need of it, like Ivan in this chapter. Remember what I said about OOC-ness? Yeah, I'm sure some of that has been going on here, but like I said, I'm a failure at maintaining IC-ness at all times. If you wish to criticize me about that, please do that in a nice manner, 'kay?

The bit about the Baltics playing frightening games of hide-and-seek were influenced by two fics: "You Are Hiding" by Amethyst Wolf Dragon and "In Soviet Russia, Seekers Hide from You!" by Remote-Controlled Button. Just a little marginal note.

In case some of you might be wondering about the song Toris was singing: I imagined he would be singing "Bajuschki Baju", a Russian folk song (unless my Internet research has been faulty). We used to sing it in primary school, and I still remember and love it. And miraculously, I did manage to find the melody (didn't want any lyrics because there are quite a few different versions, none of which being what I was taught), so now I can sing it myself. If you're interested in a link, I'd be happy to provide you with that.

GA = General Assembly (of the United Nations). Looked it up on Wikipedia. Silly me, I should have known that Russia and Lithuania were both members of the UN... XD You see, I had initially been thinking about a G8 conference instead, but it turned out that Russia was added to the group in 1997, and we're talking the beginning of 1994 here.

Well, I hope this was at least a moderately satisfying read for you guys, and I shall reply to all reviews/messages until next Sunday, then I'll be MIA until the exams are over on July 1st. And then guess who will finally show up in the third chapter! :3

Take care, everybody!