Frosted Sunflowers

by PHYSCHOCHIC3

Yao must marry the rich Russian Ivan Braginsky to save all of China. Yaoi, bad sex scene, and OOC in AU

2. Part 2

Frosted Sunflowers-by PS

Part Two

After the plane landed Yao and Ivan got into another car and began the drive to Ivan's house.

The whole way Ivan talked, about the usual weather, the various animals, and the best places to see and eat.

They came to a stop in only fifteen minutes, startling Yao out of his quiet listening state.

Ivan got out first, showing Yao that they were in a garage of some sort, as gray stone walls were the only thing that he could see; he followed the tall man out of the car and looked around.

They were in a garage, a very large garage where many other cars sat. Yao gasped as he saw them, various collectors items and cars that must not have come out yet even.

Yao stared at them, "are you a collector aru?"

Ivan shrugged from where he was gathering up his bags from the trunk, "not really, my father was, so I just continued what he started."

Yao hurried over to get his one bag before it was taken up, "I see, its very impressive."

Ivan smiled over at him, "thank you. Now, if you would please follow me I will show you to your room."

Yao sighed happily, and here he had thought he would have to share with Ivan!

The taller man led them through the winding hallways, Yao all the while gazing at the art and pictures that hung there.

As they passed some large oak doors one picture in particular made Yao stop. Ivan looked back at him, "what is wrong?"

Yao stared up at the picture, "is this your family?"

Ivan walked back over to him and glanced at the picture, "my mother and father, da. That is me that she is holding."

Yao tilted his head to the side, admiring the picture. Nikolas, Ivan's father, had dark brown eyes that were almost black, a moustache, and the same color hair that Ivan had. Katharina, Ivan's mother, had dark brown hair and kind violet eyes, the same color that her son inherited. Little Ivan looked the exact same, though smaller and a bit chubbier.

Yao took a breath, "your mother is beautiful, you have her eyes; and your father looks like he was a strong man."

Ivan made a small sound in his throat, catching Yao's attention, "thank you Yao, now, let's move on."

He briskly walked away, making Yao feel bad about saying anything; he quickly followed him…

"Here is where you will be staying." Ivan had led him to a large room covered in red colors and silver. Yao looked around him, taking in the large connected bathroom, cherry wood desk, and the king-sized bed adorned in red silk sheets and blankets.

Yao smiled back at Ivan, "it looks very comfortable. Might I ask, where you will be staying?" It seemed rude, but Yao didn't want some surprise attack in the middle of the night.

Ivan smiled down at him, making Yao's heart stop, "I am staying here, this is my room after all."

Yao's eyes grew wide, "oh…perhaps I should go to some other room then, a servant, maybe, can help me move my things to-"

"No Yao, I wanted you in here for a reason." The Russian man was suddenly very close, closing in on Yao, "you're my husband, and didn't I say yesterday that we would do more than kiss by the end of tonight."

Yao was backing up now, but the back of his knees collided with the edge of the bed, making him fall backwards and gasp.

Ivan was on him in less than a second.

"Oh Yao, I've dreamed of this. I've woken up screaming, making my servants come running in worry, but they weren't bad dreams, they were good, so good."

Yao struggled to get away as the Russian held onto him, his wrists encased in one of Ivan's big hands above his head, "get away from me! Stop it!"

Ivan shook his head, staring down at him with hair in his eyes, "no. Tonight I'm going to make you mine, so that no one else can have you ever."

He pressed his lips against the Asian man's brutally, making him yelp; the kiss lasted forever, Ivan nibbling at his lips, trying to coax a reaction from the smaller man.

Finally, he pulled back, "why can't you just accept it Yao. You are my husband, this is my right."

The Russian went back to kissing him, laying on top of him heavily and running his thumb against Yao's wrist's. Yao twisted his head to the side, "please don't force me Ivan…"

The Braginsky man looked at him, sitting up slightly, "Yao…I can't help it, I have to."

Then, he went back to pressing kisses against his skin, licking and nipping at Yao's neck and chest.

Ivan sat up after a minute, "do this Yao, or else, China is doomed."

Yao gasped, eyes wide at the blackmailing address, "you wouldn't…"

Ivan glared down at him, "no marriage is whole without consummation Yao, do this with me now, or else China will starve, and they can have you to blame."

Yao lay there for a moment, not believing that the man he had gotten slightly used to and made a connection with, however small it was, was not blackmailing him.

He turned back to his new husband, "alright, I'll do it."

Ivan smiled down at him, "good. Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you, we'll take it slow."

True to his word Ivan leaned down again and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead…

It wasn't long until Yao found himself unrobed and completely bare to the Russian man before him.

Ivan stroked a hand down his chest lightly, watching his squirm, "you are so beautiful Yao, and all mine."

Yao turned his head to the side, a blush on his face; Ivan leaned up and kissed him, "let me undress quickly my pretty Yao-Yao, then we can finally begin." The Russian got off of him…

Minutes later Yao found himself gasping as Ivan fingered him, long fingers reaching and sliding inside of him without a care.

He yelped as they were suddenly and swiftly removed, making him feel empty.

"Patience my little one, the best has yet to come." Suddenly, something huge was pressing against Yao's entrance, making him tense and struggle.

Ivan held onto him, "Yao, please, you must relax, I cannot enter you if you do not relax!"

After a minute of struggle Yao flopped to the bed, suddenly boneless and exhausted, "just do it already."

And then, the world was on fire.

Pain was everywhere as Ivan entered him smoothly, making him cry out in pain and clutch at the sheets under him. Ivan was whispering in his ear, sweet nothings that made him want to cry and fight.

When he opened his eyes a few minutes later, when the pain had dissipated, Ivan was smiling down at him softly, "may I move?"

Yao nodded shallowly, to weak from pain to do more; Ivan then moved inside of him, the pain starting anew making him hiss, but there was pleasure as well, something that made him quiver and gasp.

Ivan began a relentless pace, holding onto Yao's sides, his fingers clutching blindly at ribs and hips as Yao took deep, quick breaths.

"Ivan…" Yao said, not knowing what to do, scrambling for some sort of release from this fierce pain of pleasure, it seemed like hours later when he finally came, splattering his and Ivan's stomach's with his come, and making Ivan groan at him, "oh Yao."

His husband came a seconds later, coating his insides with his release, making warmth cover him from the inside and out.

They lay panting as the Russian collapsed on him.

Yao swallowed, "aiya…"

Ivan nodded, rolling off of him and to the left, "da…get some sleep Yao, you must be exhausted."

Yao nodded slightly and moved over to his side of the bed slowly, letting Ivan wrap a handful of blankets around him.

He heard Ivan whispering to him, but not registering his words simply fell into a fitful sleep…

Yao woke in the morning to the sound of birds singing, something he was vastly used to; but his environment had changed, instead of light gold greeting him as he opened his eyes a deep red filled the room, reminding him of blood and unpleasant things.

He sat up slowly, hissing in pain at the motion; he got up and limped to the bathroom, taking care of his business and then looking at himself in the mirror.

A collection of bruises littered his torso where Ivan had grabbed him, and red marks were dotted along his collar bone from nibbling kisses; his mouth was bruised, and his eyes were gleaming.

He sighed to himself as he went and got into the shower, trying to wash away the evidence, scrubbing himself clean. Cleaning his entrance was the hardest part, as it was difficult to reach and was exceedingly painful; dried blood and come came away with the soap as he washed.

He exited the shower after finishing his washing and shampooing his hair, grabbing a towel and taking his time drying off, putting lotion on his skin, then going to get an outfit out of his bag.

He dressed quickly then left the confining room, intent on finding the kitchen and getting something to eat. He found a ballroom, two libraries, a sitting room, and various parlors on his way, but no other people or kitchen. He sighed to himself, but stopped when he heard voices.

He crept closer to a room and opened the door slightly, peeking in. There was a man there, singing to himself, and a dog dancing at his heels as he cooked.

Yao straightened and entered the room slowly, giving the man time to notice him.

The chef turned around quickly, violet eyes wide; he was short, about the same height as Yao, with platinum blonde hair and rosy cheeks.

He smiled suddenly, "hello, you must be Master Yao, I'm Tino, the cook and one of the servants here."

Yao felt awkward, "hello, pleased to meet you, but please, just call me Yao."

The man looked shy as he went to stir a batter of some sort but smiled through his blush, "alright then Yao. I was just coming to find you for breakfast, but it seems you found me instead!"

Yao smiled at the man and looked around, "breakfast sounds nice. Can I help in any way?"Tino shook his head, still smiling and stirring, "No thank you. You can just sit down and relax, and talk to me if you'd like."

Yao found a barstool to sit on and pulled it up, "how long have you worked here Tino?"

The younger boy thought for a moment, "hmm…probably about six years. It's pretty simple since Master Braginsky is usually out at work, and doesn't normally eat at home." He hastened to correct himself, his eyes fearful, "not that it's to easy of course! And we'd all love for Master Braginsky to be around the house more often!"

Yao shook his head, laughing lightly, "Tino, I'm not going to tell anybody how you really feel or something, and I definitely won't punish you for being opinionated. If you can talk to me openly, then I think I can talk to you openly, deal?"

Tino visibly relaxed, "deal. It's just that I usually have to cook for us, the servants, and sometimes Master Braginsky's siblings when they come to visit."

Yao nodded, "how often do they usually come over?"

Tino shrugged, placing his mixture into some muffin pans, "once or twice a month or so. It's not very often, they're very busy themselves after all."

Yao was happy to finally get some knowledge about the mysterious siblings, "what do they do for a living?"

Tino put the dirty dishes in the sink, "they all own companies, inherited them."

Yao was about to ask something else when the door to the kitchen opened, revealing a hulking figure that Yao was afraid was Ivan. But the figure came into the light as was revealed to be just a tall man with shaggy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and glasses.

Tino smiled at him, "hey Berwald, care for some breakfast?"

The man simply shook his head and placed a basket of eggs on the counter near the shorter cook, "'m gonna go 'n see to the horses."

Tino smiled once more and him and nodded, going to shift through the eggs; the 'Berwald' man left without a glance at Yao, making him curious, "who was that?"

Tino glanced up at him, then at the door, "you mean Berwald?"

Yao nodded, and Tino answered, "he takes care of the animals around here, sometimes helps me in the kitchen, and is a specialist on weapons…he's a substitute bodyguard too."

Yao stared, "and here I thought everyone had only two specialties."

Tino laughed, "most people do, but not Berwald, he's been with Master Braginsky for years, they sort of grew up together I think."

Yao watched the chef, the way his eyes were shining, "oh my goddess! You like him!"

Tino's eyes became panicked, "shh! Now what? No way, he's just a coworker."

Yao rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "yeah right, that's the way my brother always looked at his now fiancée before they even dated."

Tino tilted his head to the side, now making freshly squeezed orange juice, "you have a brother?"

Yao let it slid, "yes, his name is Kiku, he's younger than me."

Tino nodded, "that's nice. And congratulations to his engagement, who's the lucky person?"

Yao put his elbows on the table, slightly crossing his arms across the cool top, "his name's Heracles, he's from Greece, he's really very nice and compassionate."

Tino smiled over at him, "well I'm happy for them, I hope they have a happy marriage."

Yao nodded, "me too…maybe you Berwald will as well!"

Tino flushed, "please don't say anything, I don't even think he likes me at all, friend or otherwise."

Yao tilted his head to the side, "how about this, you help me adjust to my new life, and I'll help you get Berwald."

Tino bit his lip, "well…I was hoping we could be friends anyway, and I would help you. But, when you put it like that, alright, I'll help you out even more!"

Yao laughed, "great! Oh, and Tino."

The cook looked over at him, questioning; Yao smiled at him, "I thought we already were friends."

They both laughed at that…

After devouring a delicious breakfast of muffins with eggs and orange juice Yao helped clean up, despite the paler man's protesting, and went about to exploring.

He figured out that there were thirty rooms, many which seemed unused, and Ivan obviously liked it dark as the whole place was full of curtains that were closed and making Yao feel depressed.

Tino was serving him lunch in one of the libraries later when Yao scowled, "can I open some of these blinds, its so dark in here!"

Tino paused, then shrugged, "you and Master Braginsky are in control of the house, if you'd like to open the curtains you can."

Yao quickly leapt from his seat and threw the confining pieces of fabric open to let glorious sunlight into the house. Though there was sunlight there was not much of a view, snow covered the yard, but Yao could see Berwald working from where he stood, chopping wood.

He simply stared at the blank whiteness on the ground, Tino coming to join him after a moment. The blonde looked disheartened as he leaned against the wall slightly, "not much color here sadly, one thing you have to get used to."

Yao glanced over at his companion and smirked, "I'm sure you're liking the view though."

Tino flushed and turned away from the window, "um…here's some lunch, eat all you'd like, and if you need me simply call, I'll be cleaning in the room just across the hall."

Yao smiled at him, "thank you Tino, though are you sure the room next door doesn't need cleaning?"

Tino looked confused, "no, why?"

Yao grinned, "that way, you can have a nice view of Berwald while you work."

Tino blushed again, but grinned at his new employer and friend as he left to finish his work…

It was only Yao, Tino, and Berwald for dinner that night.

A thick soup had been made, with Yao's help, and was sitting in the middle of the table, steaming, as Tino served them all. He was chattering merrily, "it's not often that we eat with Master Braginsky, in fact, I can't even remember when we last dined with him, do you remember Berwald?"

The taller blonde merely grunted, shaking his head and pouring them all drinks.

Tino shrugged at Yao and passed out the bowls, "who knows. Anyway, maybe we can all eat together more often now that you're here Yao."

The Asian man smiled at him, "of course Tino. What time do you think Ivan will be getting home?" He shuddered to think of this place has home though.

Tino shrugged again, taking a spoonful of soup, "late, most likely, he always stays late at work, sometimes coming home earlier when his siblings are here."

Yao nodded, "I see. Hey, Tino, after dinner could you help me find a comfortable enough room that I could move into?"

Tino looked up at him, pausing from eating, "but…aren't you and Master Braginsky going to sleep in the same room, since…well, you know?"

Yao put down his spoon, vaguely aware that Berwald was suddenly interested in their conversation, "um…I just need another place to escape to. Is there another room with a connected bathroom and a good view?"

Tino thought about it for a minute, "yes…its in the far east corner of the house though, that's close to the servant's quarters, which is close to the kitchen, will this be a problem?"

Yao looked at him seriously, "will people be likely to go to that side of the house?"

Tino looked away, "n-no. Only Berwald and I, Master Braginsky never goes to that side, and his siblings think it undignified, so they don't either.'

Yao smiled at him, "perfect then! And on the plus side I can be by you two, and the kitchens; this house is so confusing!"

Berwald looked over at him, giving him a half-smile, "'ll get 'sed to it.'

Yao smiled back at him, "I'm sure I will."

They finished their dinner in compatible silence…

"You don't have a lot of things with you," Tino commented as he walked Yao to the east side of the house.

Yao shrugged, lugging his suitcase along with him, "more of my things are being shipped, for now this is it I suppose."

Tino nodded, "right, well if laundry needs to be done tell me, and I'll take care of it. And, if you need to, you can borrow some of my clothes as well."

Yao grinned over at him, "thank you Tino. This is quite a large house."

The blonde nodded, "it took me ages to get used to it. I even got lost on my first day, but Berwald helped me out and even made me a map."

Yao looked over at him, surprised, "could you make me a copy of that map? I think I may need it for a while."

Tino laughed quietly, in a friendly way, "of course, you'll have it by morning. Look, we're here."

The small cook opened the brass handled door to reveal a cozy looking room. It had a large bed dressed in a light tan duvet; a slender desk in the corner along with a comfortable chair next to it; a small bookcase sat in another corner, two plump chairs by it; and, finally, a dresser in the other corner.

Yao set his bag down on the bed, "this looks to comfortable, thank you very much."

Tino gave him a little boy, "of course. If you don't need anymore help I think I'll go make sure the kitchen's clean then retire for the night."

Yao nodded at him, "good-night Tino, sleep well. I shall see you in the morning."

The blonde left then, leaving Yao to unpack in his new room…

Yao was awakened during the middle of the night to an arm being wrapped around him; he started and whirled around, revealing a tired looking Ivan.

"Aiya! Ivan, what are you doing in here?"

Ivan looked at him dejectedly, "what are you doing in here Yao? I thought you would be in my room, asleep. I had to search for an hour to find you!"

Yao felt a little guilty, "I'm sorry aru, but I just wasn't comfortable."

Ivan sighed and took off his jacket, making Yao stare, "what are you doing?"

Ivan glanced over at him, "getting ready for bed. Since you're not staying in my room, I'm sleeping in here, with you, at least for tonight." He burrowed under the covers, his shaggy head barely visible, "now please Yao, I am very tired, lets go to sleep."

Yao glared at him for a minute, then, slowly, he got back under the covers comfortably and settled down, letting Ivan's body heat warm him.

"Good-night Ivan," he whispered into the darkness, hearing a mumble in return…

The next day when Yao woke up he was a little more aware of his surrounding and of how the day would be, after all, he had made some new friends, and the house was a little more familiar than it was previously.

He dressed in a comfortable outfit and found his way to the kitchen which was surprisingly empty.

Hoping to surprise his newfound friend Yao set out to cooking breakfast, so enthralled in his work that he didn't realize when Berwald came into the room.

"Sm'lls good," he hulking man said after a minute, scaring the poor Asian man.

Yao clutched a hand to his chest, "oh, you scared me, good morning Berwald, how are you?"

The tall man shrugged, "'m good, you seen T'no?"

Yao smirked to himself as he continued his work, "no. I thought I was the only one up, he's probably still asleep. Can I help in any way?"

The blonde paused for a moment, then, "mhm. S'mebody called 'arlier, an Alfred I th'nk."

Yao whirled around, "was he American?"

Berwald nodded, making Yao grin wildly, "that's one of my best friends! What did he say?"

Berwald leaned against the table, arms crossed, "he s'id he's gonna come 'ver today. 'Fter lunch."

Yao smiled even wider, "this is great! I haven't seen him since the wedding! He said he was going to visit, but I didn't know when precisely, I don't think he did either."

Berwald simply listened, face stoic, nodding his head as Yao talked. The Asian man placed the fruit salad that he was making in the large fridge, "thank you Berwald for telling me."

The man nodded and left the room…

"I'm so happy to see you Al!" Yao embraced his friend happily.

They were in Yao's favorite library and were drinking some tea, or in Alfred's case some Coke; the American had arrived minutes after lunch, obviously just coming from a McDonald's and from a meeting. Crumbs littered his suit and he held a fast food drink cup in his hand.

"Good to see you too Yao, how's it been going so far?"

Yao sat down, Alfred on his right, facing him, "it's been fine. A little boring, but I've made some new friends with the people that work here, Tino and Berwald. Ivan's not here usually."

Alfred snorted, "small favors. Arthur sends his 'heys.' He wanted to come along, but he had to go to some surprise meeting today."

Yao shook off the sadness at that, "its alright, I know he's busy. Send my regards back to him. So, what are you doing in Russia today?"

Alfred picked up his cup and took a sip, "well, I had this meeting, and plus, I wanted to see you. This place is huge by the way, how can you stand it?"

Yao shrugged, looking around, "it's still taking some time to get used to, I even had to have a map made!"

The two chattered for a long time, so long that Alfred stayed for dinner, helping to cook after he had meet both Berwald and Tino.

The small chef seemed a bit overwhelmed at all the help he was receiving, but was thankful nonetheless, enjoying conversation with the two friends, laughing at the stories they shared and the jokes they told.

At the dinner table Alfred told of his work to the admiring cook, earning a jealous look from Berwald that only Yao seemed to notice.

Afterwards Tino set about to cleaning up, refusing any help, but allowing the two friends to take some cake into one of the sitting rooms to talk further in private.

Alfred licked some frosting off of his finger, "so, are those two together or what? That tall dude scared me with those looks he was giving me, I almost peed in my pants when Tino smiled at me, afraid that Berwald was gonna jump me!"

Yao laughed, "no, a lot of tension there though, Tino is obviously in love with the guy, but neither will admit their feelings."

Alfred suddenly set aside his cake, "speaking of feelings, I have something to tell you…"

Yao set aside his plate as well, "what is it? What's wrong?" He was concerned by the serious look on his friend's face.

Alfred took a deep breath, "I know it's kind of soon, but I'm going to ask Arthur to marry me."

Silence stood between them for a moment, then Yao shouted, thrilled; he jumped on Alfred, giving him a hug, "I'm so happy!"

The two stayed in their hug until a loud and angry cough interrupted them. They broke apart to look at the interloper, who turned out to be Ivan.

He glared at the two, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed tightly, a dark look in his eye, "am I interrupting something?"

Alfred shook his head and got up, "no. I was actually about to leave, its late and I have to catch a plane. It's was nice to see you again Yao, I'll drop bye soon."

Yao smiled and nodded, waving him bye; the look in Alfred's eyes obviously telling him not to walk him out.

There was silence between the married couple as the fire crackled softly in the background.

Finally, Yao spoke, "well, I should probably clean this up, wouldn't want the left over cake to go stale. Would you like something to eat? Are you hungry at all?"

He went to walk past Ivan to get the cake dish, but was suddenly slammed against the wall, drawing a cry from him.

Ivan glared down at him, "what did he want?"

Yao stared back into his frightening eyes, "he was just visiting, he was in a meeting near here, so he dropped by to-"

"Why was he touching you Yao?" The Russian man interrupted, his voice deep and angry.

Yao blinked, mouth wide open, "why was he touching me…?" He suddenly got angry, "we were only hugging Ivan, that's what some friends do sometimes when they haven't seen each other recently!"

The taller man pushed him even further into the wall, "not to you. Only I can touch you. Why did you let him touch you?"

Yao glared into his husband's eyes, pride making him refuse to answer.

He suddenly found himself being picked up and deposited onto the couch, thrown roughly so he bounced up and down, "what-?"

He was cut off as Ivan was suddenly on him, kissing him brutally, a hand thrust down his pants, touching his limp member, trying to arouse him.

Ivan leaned away, letting him catch his breath, "I'll make you remember who you belong to Yao. Not some damn American, not anyone else but me!"

Yao was hard now, his body betraying him as he was stroked roughly; a hard tug on his cock made him cry out in pain and arousal, "Ivan, stop!"

The Russian shook his head, kissing him again, this time slightly gentler, but still not sweetly. The pulls on his member made him rock his hips on instinct, disgusted with himself and the Russian as the lighter haired man kissed his neck gently; then, suddenly, biting down on the slender column, drawing blood.

Yao cried out, coming at the same time as the bite was given.

He lay there panting as Ivan let him go, licking Yao's blood off of his lips, "now everyone will know that you belong to me Yao-Yao, including you."

The taller man rolled off of him and took off his jacket, making Yao fear that he would take him again; instead, the Russian merely threw the large piece of clothing at him, "here, cover up and go to your room to clean up. Good-night Yao."

He left the Asian man there, panting and shaking, all the while tears running down his face and onto the tan jacket that was clutched in his hands…

Yao woke up late the next day, laying in bed thinking until he heard a knock on his door; when he bid enter Tino came in, the little white dog that Yao had seen days before on his heels.

Tino sat at the end of the bed, watching the Asian man, "Yao…are you alright?"

Yao bit his lip and tugged the blankets up higher on him, "oh Tino…I'm just tired…I'll be fine."

The blonde haired man looked uneasy, "alright…if you say so…I have some brunch cooking now if you'd like some."

The dark-haired man shrugged, eyes staring out the window. Tino got up, bidding the dog to follow him, when he reached the door though he stopped, "Berwald and I are both worried about you Yao, Master Braginsky already left for work and told us to tell you that he wouldn't be home until at least two in the morning."

Yao nodded, crawling out of bed when his friend left the room…

He joined the two other men for a late brunch, not really participating in the conversation that Tino insisted on trying to have. In the end Tino stopped talking, he and Berwald sharing a worried look.

Yao joined the young cook in the kitchen afterwards though to help him bake a cake and sit with him, bringing his mood up a bit.

It wasn't until the phone rang when Tino's voice was finally heard in the kitchen, "Braginsky residence, this is Tino speaking, how may I help you?'

There was chatter on the other end and Tino listened intently, then, he answered, "why yes, he's right here, let me get him for you." He held out the phone for Yao, "its not Master Braginsky," he said, not an idiot.

Yao took the phone, "hello?"

"Yao, love, wonderful to hear your voice!" The British accented voice on the other end made him smile, "Arthur! How are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you? Alfred told me it's dreadfully boring over there."

Yao gave a quiet laugh, "it is, and I'm fine. Just a little bored, but I've made some new friends thankfully, or I might have gone mad already." He looked over at Tino who was eavesdropping on him sneakily, he smiled at the small blonde, earning himself a shy grin.

"Well I'm glad to hear that at least, I was calling to tell you that I'm going to be in town the day after tomorrow, I was wondering if I could come and visit?"

Yao smiled widely, even though the British man couldn't see him, "of course! I'd be delighted, any foods you might want in particular while you're here?"

He could almost feel the Brit's shudder, "anything but that wretched McDonalds! Some Earl Grey would be nice if you could get some."

Yao nodded to himself, "alright. I'll see you then."

"Alright love, talk to you later." Then, Arthur hung up.

Yao did the same on his end and turned to look at Tino who was glancing at him curiously, "alright, out with it Tino."

The blonde shrugged, setting the finished cake aside to cool, "nothing, want to go for a walk outside?"

The Asian man nodded enthusiastically and the two went out, Yao borrowing one of Tino's coats…

It was lovely outside, though everything was covered in snow; the back yard was enclosed by a huge pace of stone wall, the area covered by stables and a chicken house. A greenhouse sat in one corner of the acre long back yard.

"So, what's wrong with you?" Yao said, glancing over at the blonde who was staring the ground.

Tino bit his lip, "well…I'm worried about you actually. Master Braginsky doesn't seem to like it when you have company over, especially other men. I'm just worried that you'll get hurt."

Yao stopped walking, making Tino instinctually stop too, "Tino…has he ever hit you?"

Tino looked up at him, surprised, "who told you-I mean…once. Only once. He was upset, something his sister did, and I tried to comfort him, he just got angry is all, and hit me. He apologized immediately afterward, but I didn't feel the same way about him as I once did."

Yao was furious, but curious as well, "what do you mean?"

Tino looked off into the distance, over the walls, "Master Braginsky saved me from poverty Yao, gave me a job and somewhere to live, I owe him so much. I used to admire him for that, maybe even loved him for it, but after he hit me I lost my loving respect for him, and instead all of it was replaced with fearful respect, I couldn't turn my back to him anymore and expect him not to stab it."

To hear the small boy saying such sorrowful things made Yao's heart break, "did you have anyone to talk to about it?"

Tino shrugged, "Berwald helped me some, said that he would protect me from anything that Master Braginsky tried…and I know that he will."

Yao clenched his hands in his pockets, "I'm glad that you have somebody to talk to…Berwald really loves you."

Tino turned his head fully to him then, his face surprised and his mouth open, "what? What are you talking about Yao?"

The pony tailed man smiled softly at him, "he protects you, that's one of the signs, and you should have seen the looks he was giving Alfred the other night. He saw him as a threat, competition."

Tino shook his head, "n-no way, and besides, he doesn't look at you like that, or Master Braginsky, I would have noticed."

Yao smirked at him, "because you stare at him all the time? The reason he doesn't look at me or Ivan like that is because he knows that I'm just your friend, and that Ivan doesn't see you like that."

Tino bit his lip, "its cold, I think we should go inside now."

Yao grinned, "if you say so."

He followed the small man wading through the snow back to the house…

The next day Yao helped Tino clean the house, making sure that he had almost memorized the map so he could show Arthur around, and helped make a large dinner.

Quietly, on his own, he had made a plan to make Tino and Berwald dine alone together over a dinner of baked chicken and a nice broccoli soup.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat with us?" Tino asked as they set the table for just two.

Yao shook his head, inwardly smirking, "no, no, I was just going to relax in my room, do you mind if I take something in there to eat though?"

Tino shrugged, "its your house."

Yao countered, "you've lived here longer. And it's our house!"

Tino smiled gently up at him, eyes closed, "I've never had my own house before, I think its nice. Thanks Yao. You can carry some of whatever you want from the kitchen, remember to help yourself to the cake!"

Yao waved him off and went into the kitchen to gather himself some dinner…

He stayed in his room, reading, until he got bored; he scuffled through his bag for his photo case then remembered that he had left it in Ivan's room. Sneakily, he got his map and found his way to his old room, carefully opening the door and beginning to search.

He found it by the desk, opened, a recent picture of he and Kiku out, making him angry. Ivan had gone through his things, suddenly, he stopped, there, open on the desk, was a book, a picture of him neatly drawn inside of it in pen. He gently put the picture of he and his brother in it's case, then picked up the book, staring at the picture. It was a skillful drawing, his own face staring back up at him, he turned the pages backwards, looking for more drawings, but only found scrawled handwriting, making him realize it was a journal. Ivan's personal diary.

He bit his lip and looked around, the temptation getting the better of him, he flipped to the last written page.

"I did something terrible tonight, I bit and made Yao come against his will. I know that he cried afterward, I have to confess that I crept into his room and watched him sleep for a while, tossing and turning and mumbling in his sleep. He misses his brother a lot. He's lonely here, but at least he has made friends with the servants. I don't want to be cruel to him, but he brings out a side of me that I don't like, the primal one, the one that has made me kill before. But I don't want to kill Yao, only make him mine, mine and mine alone…"

Yao stared at the page, surprised and embarrassed, "aiya…" he whispered to himself, setting the book down and grabbing his photo case, clutching it gently against his chest and leaving the confining room…

"I can't believe you live here, it's really beautiful, but it feels lonely almost…" Arthur had arrived minutes earlier, and Yao was finding it nice to relax in his friend's easy presence, even as they toured the dark hallways of the Braginsky mansion.

"You must have the run of the place, I haven't seen anybody else at all!" Arthur said, looking up at the pictures on the walls.

Yao shrugged, smiling, "there are only two servants, Tino and Berwald, you'll meet Tino, and you might see Berwald occasionally, or if you stay for dinner."

Arthur smiled over at him, "as long as it's a real meal and not fast food I'm definitely staying."

They both laughed as Yao took them to one of the sitting rooms, "so, how are you and the Braginsky getting on?"

Yao shifted in his seat, "alright, he's usually at work, and doesn't get home until really late."

Arthur nodded and leaned back in his chair, "is he nice to you?"

Yao bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to lie to Arthur, "he's…got mood swings, I mean, he has his off moments, just like everyone else."

Arthur looked at him sharply, "well if he does anything do tell me, I'll see that it's taken care of."

Yao gave a constricted laugh, "don't be dramatic Arthur, you're starting to sound like Alfred here!"

Arthur pouted playfully, "damn, knew I shouldn't have been hanging around him so much."

Yao laughed, "how are you two anyway?"

Arthur flushed a bit, "fine, he's still annoying as ever, but now that we're together I can shut him up with kisses." Yao laughed, causing Arthur to smile, "but honestly, we're fine…I mean…we haven't done anything yet; after all these years you'd think I'd be ready, but I'm just not…"

Yao nodded, completely understanding, "don't do anything you're not comfortable with then Arthur."

The blonde nodded, "oh, here I am chattering on while I should be asking you about your life!"

Yao winced, "please…just tell me what's going on in the outside world Arthur, just…please."

The blonde stared at him for a minute, then nodded, "alright, well then…"

Yao settled more into his chair, anxious for reasons unknown…

By the end of the visit the two had consumed a whole box of tea, half of a cake, and two meals were shared.

"This has been lovely Yao, but I'm sorry to say that I have to go," the British gentleman looked said to say it, hovering anxiously by the door.

Yao hung his head momentarily, "I understand aru, go on if you have to. I wouldn't want you to get stuck here because of a storm or snow."

On a whim Arthur reached out and hugged him shortly, "I'll see you soon Yao, Alfred and I are planning to get together to see you soon. Maybe we can all go out sightseeing, even though that git's been here before."

Yao smiled warmly at him, "that would be nice."

Arthur opened the door, letting a draft of cold air in, "see you later old chap! Be safe!"

Yao waved at him as he disappeared into the snow, "have a safe trip aru!"

After staring out into the white space of emptiness for a minute Yao shut the door, sighing to himself as he did…

"Do you miss your brother terribly?" Tino asked Yao as they sat chopping up potatoes.

Yao glanced up at him, "yes…Kiku and I have not always been close, but this past month or so we have been very compatible to one another…I miss him…and my father."

Tino looked shocked, "you've never mentioned your father before."

Yao made a small noise, "hmm…well, we do not always understand each other, but I would still like to see him, he was very nice to me this past week while I was still there. I think he felt a little guilty."

Tino tilted his head to the side, still cutting away at the raw vegetable, "I see…well, not really. I've never had a father to feel guilty for me, and I've never sent somebody away to be married to a stranger, so I don't know how that feels on either end, could you hand me that pot please?"

Yao did as he asked, watching the blonde set slices of potato into the pot half way filled with water, "you don't have a father?"

Tino stared into the water, "well, there had to be someone obviously, but I never knew him…it was only my mother, and she died when I was young. I was left on the streets then, we were very poor after all."

Yao bit the inside of his cheek, feeling awkward, "oh…that must have been hard."

His friend looked up at him and smiled crookedly, "sort of. I learned the best places to get cheap work and food, and figured out how to steal pretty quickly. I was thirteen when I came to work for Master Braginsky."

Yao was surprised, "how old were you?"

Tino put the pot onto the stove to simmer, "thirteen at the time. I already knew how to cook thankfully, since I took up the odd jobs here and there many of them were in kitchens of some sort, allowing for me to steal the odd morsel of food."

Yao stared at him still, "Tino, how old are you?"

Tino thought for a moment, "nineteen, how old are you?"

Yao flushed, feeling foolish, "just turned twenty-one, if you've been here that long how long has Berwald been here?"

Tino cleaned off the knives and the cutting board, "well, he and Master Braginsky grew up I told you, and Berwald's parents knew Senior Master and Mistress Braginsky, they worked for them you see; I think Berwald came to live here when he was five, he only remembers training and living here for the most part, or so he told me."

Yao thought about it, leaning against the kitchen counter, "hmm…so Berwald was here when Ivan's parents were killed?"

Tino frowned, his face darkening, "no, not personally. No one but Senior Master and Mistress Braginsky were here, they had let the servants off work early because they wanted to celebrate some new business plan alone; Berwald's family lived nearby though. He told me that he remembered how Master Braginsky was after their murder, how cold and silent he became. Berwald's parents continued to serve the Braginsky household though, and he went on with his arsenal training."

Yao nodded, "I see…I'm surprised Berwald told you all of that, he doesn't seem the type to 'friendly sharing conferences'."

Tino flushed then, "well…I guess he trusts me or something."

Yao grinned at him, "I'm sure he does, any idea when Ivan will be home tonight?"

Tino shook his head, "no, but I think one of his siblings will be visiting soon, she usually does when Master Braginsky gets a new deal offer…I wonder if he told her about you…?"

Yao frowned, "what do you mean?"

Tino shook his off, "nothing. Nothing to worry about, let's go and find something else to do while this cooks, it's hot in here."

Yao followed his young friend, a strange feeling settling in his gut…

"Berwald, which of Ivan's siblings usually comes around this time of year? It's a girl."

Yao was worrying the tall Swiss with his questions as he worked in the stables, milking a handful of cows and feeding them, "'nly one, Natalia Ariovskaya."

Yao leaned closer, "oh, what's she like?"

Berwald shuddered, "'vil, be c'ful of her Yao. She 's m'an as a sn'ke."

Yao bit his lip and went inside from the cold, he found Tino cleaning one of the libraries, "is it true that Natalia Ariovskaya is mean?"

Tino nearly dropped his feather duster, "what? Who told you that?"

Yao motioned with his head, "Berwald. And I trust him. So, is she?"

Tino appeared to be contemplating what to say, finally, "look, Yao, Mistress Ariovskaya, she's a difficult person to understand. Even though Master Braginsky is her half-brother she still seems to want him as her own, meaning to ally their companies and make him marry her."

Yao grimaced, "that's awful!"

Tino nodded, "I know. I'm worried that Master Braginsky didn't tell her about you, it will make her angry when she finds out that he got married to someone else other than her."

"She wouldn't try anything, would she?" Yao asked, frightened.

Tino took a deep breath, "I'm not sure…she goes into fits of rages a whole lot more than Master Braginsky; and hers are much more violent as well."

Yao sunk into a chair, "when is she coming Tino?"

The Finnish cook answered quietly, "today, Master Braginsky is getting off work early tonight so he can be here when she arrives."

Yao inhaled shallowly, becoming increasingly terrified of his situation…

Ivan came home early that night as promised, his face exhausted looking, trudging his way through to find Yao, "Yao-Yao, come with me please, I want to talk to you."

The Asian man nodded and followed him to the Russian man's large room, where he closed the door behind him and took off his jacket, throwing it in a chair. Yao noticed that the diary was off of the table.

"Yao, I want you to know some things, my sister, Natalia is very beautiful, but she can be very mean and scary. She'll be very upset when she finds out that I have married you, so, I want you to sleep in here with me tonight. I don't want her hunting you down and trying to hurt you."

The smaller man recoiled, "w-what? But surely-"

"No. I never know what she'll do next. Please, just stay in here where it's safe until she's gone." Something in the Braginsky man's face made him pause, then nod.

Ivan smiled at him, "good, please go get your things and bring them here, I'm going to change really quickly."

The Asian man scurried away, grabbing his access clothing and stuffing it back in his suitcase, and making sure that he had the book he was currently reading and his picture case. By the time he got back Ivan was in a new set of clothing, a sweater and pair of khakis that made him seem both professional and comfortable.

He tugged at his scarf nervously, "what? What's wrong?"

Yao shook his head, clearing his thoughts, "nothing…I guess I'll go see if dinner is prepared."

He quickly left the chamber without a word…

She was beautiful, Yao had to give Natalia Ariovskaya that. But her beauty was a cruel one; her light mauve eyes stared coldly in front of her as her hair, a shade lighter than Ivan's was held back by a perfect ribbon, her pointed face looked serene and calm, like the lake Avalon before it helped to destroy King Arthur and Camelot.

"Brother," she said in her accented voice as she came into the hall out of the cold, "so wonderful to see you, I hear you have been busy with business, how is it?"

Ivan, who stood closely by Yao, shivered, "fine little sister. How are things in Belarus?"

She smiled, a shattering image, "all is well, the others ask about you."

Ivan nodded, his eyes hooded, "I must call them soon then. Natalia, I would like for you to meet someone. This is Braginsky Wang Yao, my husband."

Her face dropped completely, a frozen lake being shattered by spring's warmth, "what?"

Yao winced at her shrieking tone, "a pleasure and honor to meet you. Ivan has told me much about you." Though none of them are good, he silently added.

She glared over at him, "shut your mouth swine!" Ivan stepped in front of the small Asian man, "do not ever speak to him in that way, or else, I will cut you up into little pieces, spend them to your siblings, and keep your head to mount on my wall."

His tone was dead serious and Yao shook behind him, even Ariovskaya froze, fear in her eyes, "yes Brother, never again." She stood quietly, her hands clasped together, looking like a docile doll, waiting.

Ivan smirked evilly, his purple eyes dark, "good. Now, lets to have some dinner. You must be starving after traveling so far." He started down the hallway, dragging Yao with him.

The Asian man looked back just in time to see Natalia's smile fall into a grimace…

Dinner was awkward to say the least.

After Tino served them he disappeared, leaving the three to dine on chicken and an assortment of pastas mixed together; if Yao were having this dinner with Berwald and the little chef there would be conversation going on, but instead the clinking of utensils and the sound of people chewing filled the large corridor.

Ivan sat at the head of the table, Yao on his left, and Natalia on his right; they all pretty much kept their eyes on their plates the whole time.

When Tino came to gather the plates Yao faked a yawn, "oh, excuse me, I've just had a long day. I think it would be good if I retired."

Ivan nodded at him, recognition sparking in his eyes, "of course Yao. Sleep well da? I will come in later, after Natalia and I catch up."

Yao nodded, already getting up from his chair; he glanced at the pale girl and jerked at what he saw, utmost hate was coming off of the girl, all directed at him.

He quickly scurried out of the room, rushing down the hallway and shutting himself up in Ivan's room…

It was hours later when the Braginsky heir finally showed up in the room, his shoulders slumped.

Yao looked up at him from his place by the window where he was perched in an overly large chair reading, "how did it go?"

Ivan sighed heavily and flopped himself down on the middle of the bed, arms and legs spread wide, his scarf crumpled under him. "She was not happy at all. The minute you left she started to yell, I was afraid that Berwald would come in with a gun and try to shoot her."

Yao marked the place in his book and got up to stand by the Russian man, his hand wrapped around one of the wooden bedposts, "did it come to blows?"

Ivan opened his eyes to look up at him, "she tried to slap me, but I stopped her before she could do anything. I told her that it was none of her business who I married, as long as I was happy. She accused you of witchery and blackmail. I quickly corrected her, telling her never to talk about you like that again."

Yao grinned despite himself, crossing his arms and leaning against the bed post he was previously anchored to, "little Ivan all grown up, standing up to his siblings."

The wealthy Russian smiled at him, "little Ivan has been doing that all of his life. Besides, I'm quite capable of taking care of what is mine."

Yao looked at him, the grin a smirk now, eyes narrowed dangerously, "oh, so now I'm your property or something?"

Ivan rose on his elbows, "no. You are mine in equal rights. I love you to much to ever own you, besides, you'd fight me every step of the way."

Yao leaned closer, "I'm still going to fight you every step of the way."

Ivan's smiled widened, "I know. And that's what I want. I love you Yao."

Yao opened his mouth and said something he never thought he'd say, "I like you too." And he found himself agreeing with his own words…