Lithuania stretched as he woke up, faintly hearing the pilot announce over the intercom that they had landed in Poland. He rubbed wearily at his eyes as he stood up, moving his hand to the back of his neck to try and massage out the tense kinks that had taken up residence there while he slept. He paused for a moment to watch the human family that had flown over with them quickly gather their belongings and exit the plane, never once looking back. I understand why they're doing this...but, as a country, having your own people flee your borders for another is a terrible feeling, he thought to himself, rearranging his jacket.
He shimmied out of the tight space between his seat and the one in front of it, turning to where America was dozing in his seat. "Alfred...Alfred, wake up," Toris said in a slightly raised voice, placing his hand on the other's shoulder and giving him a light shake.
America jolted awake, reaching into his leather jacket for a gun that wasn't there on pure instinct, blinking up owlishly at the brunet. After a moment of remembering where he was, the younger nation relaxed and ran a hand through his slightly mussed hair. "Ugh...what time is it?" he muttered, arching his back until an unpleasant crack was heard.
Lithuania pushed the sleeve of his heavy winter coat up so that he could check his watch, letting out a tired sigh. "It's almost five in the morning," he answered.
"Perfect...I won't get any real sleep for another twenty-four hours," Alfred groaned, unbuckling his safety belt. "Well, I guess we should get a move on...," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, shifting in his seat so that he could get Ivan. "Hey, time to wake up, buddy," he hummed in a light voice, gently shaking the boy.
The young boy let out a low whine, pushing at America's arm and refusing to look at him.
"You mad at me, Rus?" Alfred asked, unbuckling the Russian and picking him up despite the boy's protesting.
Ivan was quiet for a while before mumbling out a short, "No".
"Well then, what's the problem, big guy?" Alfred prodded, using that specific nickname out of pure habit, as he followed Lithuania off of the plane and into the infinitesimally warmer airport.
Ivan didn't reply, instead clinging desperately to America's clothing with one hand as he used the other to scrub vigorously at his face, so that it looked like he hadn't been crying the entire flight.
Lithuania glanced back at the other two, taking note of the boy's flushed face and glistening eyes. Clearing his throat to get America's attention, he whispered, "Alfred, I don't think he liked the plane ride."
America made a noise of realization, his expression morphing into one of guilt. "Aw, jeez, buddy...Why didn't you say somethin' to me?" Alfred asked, trying to get the Russian to look at him.
"I didn't wanna bother you...You were sleeping," Ivan sniffed, fidgeting with his scarf and keeping his eyes firmly trained on one of the buttons on America's uniform so that he wouldn't have to look the blonde in the eye.
"It doesn't matter if I'm asleep; if something's freaking you out, you just wake me up and I'll help you deal with it, alright?" Alfred said in a reassuring tone, ruffling the boy's velvety soft hair. "Hey, how 'bout this: since you had such a crummy time on the plane, I'm gonna buy you one of those big chocolate chip cookies that I saw being sold somewhere here in the airport. How's that sound, huh?" he hummed happily, bouncing Ivan excitedly in his arms until the boy started laughing.
Lithuania hid his smile as he watched the two interact, almost feeling like he was intruding in some way. America may act like a big kid a lot of the time, but he certainly knows when he needs to be responsible, he thought to himself, pulling out his phone when the electronic device started to vibrate in his pocket, indicating that he was receiving a call. "Yes?" he spoke into the slightly out-dated phone, trying to hear a response over the ruckus of the terminal.
"Where are you, Toris? You said that your flight was getting in soon, and I've, like, been looking all over the place for you guys!" came Feliks' disgruntled voice, a hint of a whine in it.
"W-What? You mean you came yourself?" Toris stammered out, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. Of course he would come instead of sending someone else...Why in the world did I think he was going to act like a normal, rational person in the first place?
"Duh, of course! I just repainted my car, and you haven't had a chance to see it yet! So, when I got your call, I figured that it would be the perfect time to show it off," Feliks replied loudly, a smirk evident in his tone.
"Alright, Feliks...Ah, meet us at the little bakery vendor that sells those big cookies you like so much, you know the one that I'm talking about, right? The one near terminal C? Yes, that one...Yes, Feliks, I'll buy you a cookie...," Toris sighed, ending the call with his old friend. He looked back over to America, seeing that the younger country was now running around the terminal making horse noises with Ivan riding on his shoulders. Those two always did act like kids with each other, at least now one of them looks the part, he chuckled to himself, going over to tell them that they needed to meet up with Poland.
"You guys, like, took forever to get here," Feliks muttered as the trio finally came into speaking range of the Polish man.
"I'm sorry, Feliks, but we got a little turned around because America thought he knew where to go...Turned out he didn't," Toris apologized, giving the sulking American a small smile.
"I'm good with directions, I'm telling you!" Alfred huffed, scuffing his shoe against the floor.
"Whatever, you're here now. So, Toris, you gonna get me my cookie?" Feliks asked in a sing-song voice, practically draping himself against the Lithuanian.
"A-Alright, what do you want?" Toris inquired, slightly embarrassed by Poland's behavior in public.
"Oooh, get me that one with the white chocolate and almonds in it," Feliks hummed, licking his lips in anticipation.
"Hold up, man, I'll get the grub. I promised Rus a cookie, and dagnabbit, I'm gonna get him a cookie! 'Sides, you're both helpin' me out quite a bit, so I don't mind footin' the bill on this one; it's the least I can do, y'know?" Alfred said, setting Ivan down in a chair next to Lithuania as he made to get in line.
Poland stared at the little boy for a while, his mouth slowly dropping open. "O...M...G...," he whispered, sitting down across from Ivan.
Lithuania waited for the rest of Poland's reaction, unable to tell exactly how the blonde was going to deal with this. It was no secret that Poland and Russia didn't always get along, but there were some good times shared between the two.
"No way...Vladimir-Suzdal*?" the blonde questioned in a hushed tone, almost to himself.
Ivan glanced up at the name, his head tilted to the side in confusion. His eyes shifted from Poland to Lithuania, unsure of how to respond, or if he even should. "U-Um..."
Poland switched his gaze to look at Lithuania, his expression still one of confused shock. "What were you and America doing in Russia again?" he asked, his green eyes flickering down to Ivan periodically.
"It's...not really something that should be discussed here, out in the open. But, I can tell you that he doesn't remember anything, so don't...do anything you might regret later, Po," Toris replied in a low tone, leaning close to the other country so that Ivan wouldn't overhear.
Poland gave an almost absent nod, turning back to face the young boy across the table from him. "I can't believe this...He's totally cute, like a puppy!" Feliks suddenly burst out, reaching over the table to squish Ivan's cheeks like little old ladies always did to young children.
Ivan winced at the pressure on his cheeks, attempting to pull away from Poland's manicured hands.
"Gosh, he should be illegal, he's just so darned adorable!" Feliks gushed, finally releasing the boy's cheeks. "Come over here and give your totally fabulous uncle Po some love!" he exclaimed, gesturing for Ivan to come over and sit on his lap.
Ivan immediately turned to look at Lithuania, looking for a way out of it. He grabbed onto the brunet's sleeve and gave a desperate tug, a pleading look on his face. "Do I have to?" he whispered into Lithuania's ear, once the older nation leaned down to his level.
Lithuania gave the boy a sympathetic expression, a knowing smile on his face. "It's best if you just humor him now...It will only be worse if you put it off, trust me. Don't worry, your...ahem...uncle Po is a really nice guy," Toris replied, nearly shaking his head at Poland's behavior. It was just like Poland to act like this, but it was better than if he had reacted differently; Poland could hold a grudge for a very long time, if he really put his mind to it.
Ivan reluctantly scooted off of his chair and trudged over to the expectant Poland, letting out a surprised yelp when the blonde nation suddenly pulled him up onto his lap. He grimaced when the cheek-pinching was started up again, the unknown syllables of Polish being cooed into his ears. He tried not to fidget too much, but he just didn't feel as comfortable with "Uncle Po" as he did when Alfred or Toris was holding him.
"I would have been so great as a big brother, don't you think, Toris?" Feliks sighed dreamily, cuddling the fidgety little boy. "Why couldn't Russia stay like this longer, sort of like Latvia has? It's too bad that Mongolia got him when he was at this stage," he muttered, a frown forming on his lips when his eyes noticed the ring of scars that went around Ivan's neck, the scarf he wore having shifted when the boy started to move around.
"Feliks...," Toris said in a warning tone, glancing around to make sure no one had overheard.
"Alrighty, fellas, here's the grub!" Alfred burst in happily, clunking an armload of treats onto the table as he balanced a cardboard container with four cups in it with his other hand. "Got us some coffee, seeing as how it's not a decent time for anyone to be awake without a good ol' cup o' joe," he added as he divvied out the cups of hot liquid, bringing another chair over so that he could sit down at the cramped table.
"You didn't get Ivan coffee, did you?" Toris asked, taking the lid off of the child's cup to check it. Caffeine could send an adult Russia bouncing off the walls when he'd had too much, Lithuania didn't want to see what effect it would have on a younger Russia.
"Dude, what d'you take me for?" Alfred huffed in mock hurt and outrage, scavenging through the pile of baked goodies to find something he wanted. "I asked what sort of drinks they had for kids, and it was between a bottle of apple juice or milk, so I got him milk," he replied, unwrapping a blueberry muffin and breaking off a piece, popping it into his mouth.
"Ah, good," Toris sighed, letting Ivan have his drink.
"So, what exactly is the plan here?" Feliks asked in between bites of his cookie. Poland knew Russia well enough to know that, when food was put in front of him, he was pretty much oblivious to anything else at the time, so he figured it was safe enough to talk about what was going on in front of Ivan while the boy was preoccupied.
America paused in his eating, letting out a breath through his nose. "I don't really know right now...We'll need to inform the other countries about everything that's happened, but I think we should be selective in who we choose to tell about Ivan," he answered slowly, really thinking about his reply.
"I agree...He made a lot of enemies that would have no trouble with taking advantage of him in his current state," Toris concurred, taking a cautious sip of his coffee. He blinked rapidly when he burned his tongue on the piping hot liquid, his eyes watering a bit.
"So, who do we trust the most?" Feliks asked, sounding thoughtful.
"We'd have to tell his sisters, wouldn't we? They're probably in a really dark place right now, and this might help them deal with Soviet Russia returning...," Toris piped up, breaking a cookie in half and nibbling on it.
Feliks snorted, settling green eyes on his friend. "There's a problem with that: Belarus."
"She's gotten better, Feliks, even you have noticed that," the Lithuanian said, trying to keep his temper from flaring up in defense of the youngest Kievan Rus sibling. It wasn't really her fault; the female nations tended to be attracted to power very early on in their development, but he will admit that Belarus had a great deal of trouble out-growing the phase. While he still had a bit of a crush on the Belarussian woman, he wasn't being as upfront about it as he once was.
"Listen, to be honest, I really only trust the old Allies and Axis Powers with this...They all saw what Soviet Russia was like in person and during war times, they won't join his ranks until their entire countries are populated by Soviets and their capitals burned to the ground. But, they also know what Russia's like when he's got a clear head and there aren't any serious wars going on. I'm willing to bet that they'll have our backs on this," Alfred spoke up again, his blue eyes showing his certainty.
"I'd take that bet with you; I don't think any of those countries are going to go down without a fight, and they'll probably be sympathetic to us on this certain...situation," Toris murmured, shaking his head when he saw Ivan sharing his food with the squirrel he had brought along from the park. Wait, what?! he choked, doing a double-take. "Gah, that thing was in my jacket!" he blurted out, his clothes suddenly feeling very dirty and full of rodent-ness.
"Huh?" came the confused utterances of both Poland and America, Ivan still too engrossed with his food to really care what was going on around him.
"The squirrel...He still has it," the brunet whispered, glancing around nervously to see if anyone else had spotted the large rodent.
"What, that little guy? I don't see a problem with Rus keepin' it," Alfred said, shrugging nonchalantly.
"But it's a wild animal...in an airport! And it's not all that little, actually," Toris pointed out, keeping his voice hushed.
"Dude, my bro has a polar bear as a pet. A polar bear," the sandy blonde American said in an exaggerated tone, looking at Lithuania over his cup of coffee.
Lithuania gaped at America in bewilderment, not understanding how the other thought this was normal.
"Well...," Feliks hummed, stretching his arms out above his head, "Can we get out of here? There's going to be an emergency meeting at ten, and I'd like to get a few hours of sleep before then."
America sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "Yeah, I guess we should. Man, I still can't believe this is happening...," he murmured, gathering up their trash and tossing it into a garbage can. "It's just...surreal, y'know? It really, really sucks," Alfred added, his voice shaky.
Lithuania pressed his lips into a thin line, placing a hand on the sandy blonde's shoulder. "I know, Alfred...But we'll win this, we'll get him back," he reassured in a soft and meaningful tone.
America cleared his throat and gave a suspicious sniff, quickly rubbing at his eyes again. "Yeah...Yeah, I know. I can't let it get too far this time. We almost came to blows during the Cold War, I don't want to go down that path again with him," he replied, recovering from his momentary lapse in composure.
"Alright, since I don't have a kiddy-seat or anything, you're gonna have to sit in the back with Ivan and keep an eye on him," Feliks said, picking up a drowsy-looking Russia. Ivan made a half-hearted attempt at fussing, but was really too tired to do anything more than kick his bare feet out once or twice. Poland couldn't help but make an 'Oh, my God, that was so cute!' face at that, trying to take a picture with his phone while still balancing the boy in his arms.
"Sure thing, I don't mind. Gives me a little time to contact my Boss and get updated on what our plans are," Alfred agreed, following the two European countries out to the airport parking structure.
"выжидание, американский*!" someone yelled from behind them, just as they had reached Poland's car.
All three adult nations turned around, expecting a fight, but America and Lithuania relaxed - even though they were a bit surprised - when they saw the pilot that had flown them out of Moscow running up to them.
"Wait! Wait, American!" the man repeated in English, huffing as he came to a stop in front of the small group.
"Dude, what are you doing out here?" Alfred asked incredulously, not bothering to speak in Russian as he hoped his tone of voice would be enough of a translation for the Russian man to understand his confusion.
Poland gave the other two countries a confused, but still alert, look as they waited for the human to regain his composure, trying to figure out what was happening at the moment.
"You...You leave before I could...speak with you again...," the man finally puffed out, straightening from his bent over position as he recovered from running after the three nations. "I thank you again for what you do for my family. I can never thank you enough, so...is there something I do for you? Anything to repay for you saving my family," he said in a very serious tone, his message not lost in his lack of English.
"No way, man, I should be the one thanking you! You got us out of there, despite us being foreigners and strangers to you. You don't have to do anything for me," Alfred replied, looking to Lithuania for a correct translation, since he was still learning to speak Russian well enough to hold a conversation like this.
The man listened intently to Lithuania as he repeated America's words in flawless Russian, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath his snow-dusted hat. "Nyet. I do for you...whatever you ask, американский," he grunted out, remaining stubborn on this.
America stifled a frustrated sigh, crossing his arms as he thought for a moment. His face lit up as he got an idea, fumbling around in his pockets for a pen and something to write on. Finally coming up with a pencil that he had absent-mindedly stuffed into his jacket during the meeting, when he'd gotten bored, and the receipt from the airport vendor, he scribbled something down on the back of the receipt before handing it off to the Russian pilot, a warm smile on his face. "Here, you call that number and tell them that you're a friend of mine; don't forget to use my name, Alfred F. Jones, exactly. They'll help you settle down in America, or wherever you want to go, and get you set up with a house and a job - whatever you need. You wanna do something for me? Take care of your family, make 'em feel happy and give them as good a life as you can," he said in a genuine tone. "You do that, and I'll consider us even," he added, winking jokingly.
The man was completely silent as Lithuania translated again, looking down at the information on the paper he held in his gloved hands. He stared up at America in absolute awe when the information sank in, frozen where he stood as the three quickly got into Poland's car and drove off, leaving him standing in the snowy airport parking lot with an incredibly valuable scrap of paper clutched tightly in his hand. "мы как угодно никогда быть живым одинаковый, американский...не спустя всякий вами вызывать сделанный для нам*...," he murmured to himself, slowly walking back to the airport in deep thought.
Vladimir-Suzdal: One of the largest principalities of Kieven Rus, which had Moscow in its borders. In my personal headcanon, Kieven Rus was a female nation that had children representing each of the principalities of her country. Since Vladimir-Suzdal had Moscow and was one of the largest principalities of Kieven Rus, I see Ivan representing that area. Poland and Lithuania were both around during that time, so they probably would have come across each other at some point, which is why Poland knows Ivan's previous personification name.
выжидание, американский: "Wait, American" in Russian
мы как угодно никогда быть живым одинаковый, американский...не спустя всякий вами вызывать сделанный для нам: "We will never be equal, American, not after all you have done for us" in Russian. There was a lot of guessing on my part for this whole sentence, since I really don't know Russian at all, so I apologize if it's completely wrong.