The Thirty Day Roommates

by nicetwin123

America and Russia have a tense relationship, so in an attempt to improve it America's boss makes America host Russia in one of his houses for a month. Neither one of them is thrilled with this, but try and not fight the best they can. Even though they clash on just about everything they can't help but both agree that they can't wait for the thirty days to end.

37. The Christmas Party: Part 1

A/N: Okay, look. I'm gonna be honest with all of you. This chapter is going to HAVE to be split in two. The original chapter was getting close to 50,000 words, I'm STILL writing the last scenes for the second part, and I didn't want to disappear for this long. Unfortunately there will be no kiss in this chapter. HOWEVER, there will be an ungodly amount of fluff to make up for it.

Please don't kill me, I swear the actual Christmas party is coming. I'm just finishing the kissing scene right now so hold on for a little bit longer.

Okay? Okay. That said, enjoy your unholy amount of fluff.

The next morning, Alfred was sitting at his desk in his room with a big smile on his face. He had woken up much earlier than usual, with the first stray beams of light coming through the window and weakly lighting up the room behind him.

He was surrounded by different rolls of gift wrap, paper, bows, and ribbons. He was almost hidden from view as he worked. He had a look of total concentration on his face as he measured out a ribbon, his tongue poking out from behind his teeth slightly. Hero was sitting on the bed behind him, curiously watching his owner work as his tail swished back and forwards occasionally.

Eventually, Alfred reached over to the scissors sitting next to him and with a final snip of the ribbon he sat back and admired his handy work. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride as he studied the present in front of him. Not to toot his own horn or anything but he knew he was a master at gift wrapping. Good enough to give Finland a run for his money. Even so, he had really knocked it out of the park with this one.

As he picked up the present, Hero meowed curiously at him.

"You want a look?" Alfred asked, spinning around to face Hero with a large grin. Alfred proudly held out the small box to Hero, who sniffed the box curiously. "I did amazing, didn't I?"

The box was as large as a small book but only a few centimeters thick. It was wrapped up in a silver, blue, and white glitter striped wrapping paper with a thick blue ribbon around it. On the top left side of the box was a large bow in the shape of a sunflower, which had been painstakingly crafted and weaved so that it stood out against the paper it sat on. For a rush job, it had come out rather well.

"What do you think?" Alfred asked Hero with a chuckle as Hero studied the ribbons.

Hero meowed softly, rubbing his face against the present with a loud purr.

"I know right?! He's going to love it!" Alfred said, beaming as he rubbed Hero's chin. "I knew you had good taste."

Hero meowed again, his eyes closing in happiness as Alfred pet him. As he did so, Alfred glanced over to the suit bag hanging on his door. He stared at it for a moment, running down the checklist of things he had to do before the party that night. There were a couple of last minute things to deal with, like making sure that the catering company arrived on time and getting there early to greet all the guests. That, and make sure he found a place for Ivan and him to meet up later that night.

He looked away from the suit after another moment, letting out a sigh as he tried to keep his anxiety under control. He had this. He had everything under control. He had the perfect gift ready. He had the best damned suit makers in the world help him pick out his outfit. His party was going to go smoothly. He had several contingency plans for Belarus. He would be fine. He had even thought about what he was going to say when he confessed...

At that last thought he paused. Ah. He hadn't actually thought about that. He had been so wrapped up with worrying about if Ivan was going to reject him and setting up the party that he hadn't thought about what he was going to say to Ivan.

He sat there for a moment, tapping on the present thoughtfully as he stared at it with a frown. It couldn't be that hard, could it? All he had to do was say he liked him. That wasn't so hard, right? It was just three words. Plus, even if he couldn't say anything he could just kiss-

Alfred's face suddenly flushed as an image of him kissing Ivan popped into his head. Embarrassed, he frantically waved the idea away from him, startling Hero slightly as he spun back towards the desk and covered his face. He tried to stop his blushing, but it was hopeless. The image seemed burned into his memory now and Alfred's heart seemed to jump with joy at the idea.

"Stop it." Alfred said, glaring at his reflection in the mirror on his desk.

Of course, his reflection did no such thing and Alfred just ended up feeling silly as he stared at himself. Looking away from it with a huff, he couldn't help the small smile on his face. Well, it wasn't like he hated the idea. Still, he wasn't sure he'd be able to confess anything if he kept blushing like this. Maybe Prussia was right. He needed to deal with his puritan roots one of these days. Maybe kissing Ivan would help-

Alfred suddenly banged his head on his desk, causing the wrapping paper and ribbons to fly off and scatter everywhere as his face burned again. God! What was with all these damn intrusive thoughts about kissing invading his brain!? He wasn't going to be able to leave his damned room at this rate let alone confess his feelings!

Letting out a distressed whine, he let himself sit there for a moment as he tried to get his feelings under control. He was centuries old! He was the world's superpower. He could lift up trucks and cars over his head! Why was this so hard?!

Hero meowed softly from beside him. He must have jumped off the bed at some point as he was now rubbing himself up against Alfred's legs in a soothing gesture. Meowing again, Hero stared up at his owner as he gently nipped at his legs.

Sighing, Alfred took the present off his lap and onto his now messy desk. Picking up Hero, he held him in his arms like a baby as Hero purred loudly, seemingly content. Alfred shook his head in amusement.

"Am I just overthinking things again?" He asked Hero.

Hero simply purred louder in response.

"Thought so." Alfred said with a small smile, rubbing Hero's belly for a moment, letting his heart rate go back to normal before sighing again. Yeah. He was just overthinking it. He had to stop doing that.

"Screw it." Alfred huffed, holding up Hero so they were eye to eye. "I'll just make it up on the spot. I'll be spontaneous. That's romantic, right?" Alfred mused, and Hero meowed happily.

"Yeah. Let's do that." Alfred said. Putting Hero down, he grabbed the present and pushed himself away from the desk. Rolling over to his bed he took a nearby tote bag off of it and carefully placed the present in one of the pockets.

After making sure he had everything packed, he threw the bag over his shoulder and grabbing his suit he finally walked into the main part of the apartment. He crept down the hallway until he carefully peaked around the corner to check if Ivan was awake yet. To his relief and his amusement, he saw that Ivan was still totally zonked out.

Ivan's face was halfway buried into his pillow and one of his arms was hanging off the couch. Even better, Milashka was draped over the top of his head, looking like a giant fuzzy hat. He supposed that Ivan wouldn't be getting up any time soon, seeing as he hadn't woken up early like usual and was probably recovering from yesterday.

Alfred had to fight down the giggle that was threatening to bubble up from his chest, but he managed to repress it long enough to snap a quick picture of the scene. Still fighting back a laugh so he didn't wake Ivan up, he quickly saved it to the photo album labeled 'Blackmail' as he walked to the door. It wasn't like he was going to actually share it with anyone but Ivan didn't need to know that.

As he made his way to the door, he paused briefly by the kitchen entrance. He debated on if he should get something quick to eat before he left but before he could do anything the alarm on his watch started to go off. Silently cursing, he hurriedly turned it off before it woke up Ivan. Sighing, he ignored his protesting stomach and quickly opened the front door. He'd just have to pick something up along the way.

Unfortunately, he ended up having to skip breakfast all together that morning as he ended up getting stuck in traffic on the way to the U.N. building, forcing him to skip the drive through to get there in time.

He had barely made it to the building on time, and just as he was about to look for something to eat the damned head of security had cornered him. Barking orders at him like a drill sergeant, he dragged the poor starving nation around the building. Alfred ended up following the man around with glazed eyes as he was lectured on the different protocols to follow in at least ten different emergency situations.

When he had finally escaped a few hours later he had found a break room and had only just poured himself a cup of badly needed coffee when the head of the secret service found him.

He was all but dragged out of the room again as they needed him to brief them on the nations that may be bringing weapons into the building. Alfred had loudly protested that the dang metal detectors would be fine, only to get lectured in no less than three languages that it was his dang party and if there was any bloodshed he would be slapped with a mountain of paperwork on Christmas, his feelings be damned. Boss's orders.

After dealing with that, he hadn't taken three steps towards a vending machine when the head coordinator of the party had swooped down out of nowhere and hurried him over to the main ballroom, declaring that he was desperately needed to help coordinate the gifts, as half of the gifts were too large, too heavy, or too bulky to fit properly. That, and he still needed to put out the gifts he had brought with him and she had just discovered that some idiot had misplaced some presents and they needed help to track them down.

Rinse and repeat. It seemed like as soon as he had put one fire out another one would spring up and he had to run over to deal with it. In fact, it wasn't until several hours later that everything seemed to be in place and he finally had a moment to breathe.

Collapsing into a chair in the lobby as he tiredly chewed on a granola bar, he glanced down at his watch. He let out a sigh of relief as he realized that he had at least two hours before he had to meet up with the catering teams. Closing his eyes, he let his head drop back onto the headrest as he tried to block out the world around him.

To his dismay, he had only been sitting there for a minute when he heard someone clearing their throat to get his attention. Groaning, he rubbed his face in frustration as he shook his head at the person next to him.

"Look, I've already done as much as I can. If you need anything go talk to Veronica. She's the dang coordinator, not me! Go awa-"

"Guten Tag, America." A gruff voice replied with a hint of amusement. "I hope I am not intruding?"

Alfred's eyes snapped open, and sitting up he was thrown off by the fact that Germany of all people was looking down at him with a small smile.

"Germany? Dude, what are you doing here?" Alfred asked, blinking up at him in confusion. "The party isn't until seven."

"Ja, I know. I am not here for the party, but for last minute nation business." Germany explained, gesturing over to the front desk.

"Italy forgot to file some paperwork and his boss has threatened to prevent him from attending the party if it's not done."

Alfred looked in the direction that he was pointing, and he saw Italy pouting at the front desk. He was sorting through a large stack of folders. Alfred winced in sympathy.

"Bummer. I'm glad I got most of my paperwork done for the year already."

"You seem to still be keeping busy." Germany observed with a sympathetic smile. "Hopefully there is not much left to do before tonight?"

Alfred winced again and Germany nodded in understanding. "I see."

Alfred just shrugged, gesturing for Germany to sit down in the chair next to him, which he did. "It's nothing I can't handle. I'm almost done with everything. I'm just waiting for the catering people to show up and get started before I get ready myself."

"I see." Germany said again, a bemused look on his face. "You know, if you put half the effort into our meetings as you did your parties they might run smoothly for once."

"Oh please, don't bring up work when we're on vacation." Alfred huffed playfully, giving the younger nation a knowing side eye. "Plus, we both know that even if I didn't do anything to disrupt the meetings someone else would. Remember that England and France sit next to each other most of the time."

"I try not to." Germany said with a slightly pained look.

"You stress too much dude." Alfred said, patting Germany's shoulder with a grin. "You know, it's not too late to join the rest of us in the madhouse."

"Someone needs to be the voice of reason." Germany pointed out.

"Yeah? And how's that working for you?"

"Not…very well."

"I could have told you as much." Alfred said with a light chuckle as Germany sighed in defeat. "Like I said, it's a lot more fun to just go off the deep end sometimes. But you're, what, one hundred and fifty years old? You'll lose your marbles in fifty years or so anyways. Better sooner than later."

"You speak as if you are much older than me."

"Well…yeah? Dude, I've been around since the first colonies in North America. I'm like, at least two hundred and fifty years older than you." Alfred said with a shrug. To his surprise, Germany's mouth fell open and he gaped at him in open shock.

"You are that old?!" He blurted out, only for him to turn slightly pink at his outburst. "Ah…I mean…"

"You didn't know?" Alfred asked, equally surprised by Germany's reaction. "I thought everyone knew that? England talks about raising me enough."

"I was under the impression that you were only ninety or a hundred years older than me." Germany admitted. "You were not an established nation until 1776, and I thought that you were formed when the thirteen colonies were merged."

"Oh, like how you were formed?"

"Ja. You knew about that?"

"Knew about it? Prussia wouldn't stop sending me letters about it. He kept talking about how he was a big brother and how cute you were. I knew a lot about you way before I met you." Alfred admitted, and Germany groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Of course he did." Germany grumbled.

"He never mentioned training me?"

"He has mentioned it in passing, but he never mentioned your age."

"Figures." Alfred said with a chuckle. "Anyways, to answer your question there never were personifications of the thirteen. Just me. Actually, it was pretty much the same for most of the new world. Mexico told me he was just padding around for a few years before Spain found him. Same story for Mattie."

"Who?"

"Canada. My bro."

"Oh, of course."

At the even more embarrassed look on Germany's face, Alfred decided to throw him a life line. Glancing back at Italy he asked, "So, I guess you and Italy are going to the party together again this year?"

"Oh, Ja!" Germany said, and Alfred didn't miss the way Germany's expression suddenly brightened at Italy's name. "It has been the only thing he has talked about for the last week. Japan will be joining our group as well this year."

"Getting the old group back together?" Alfred joked.

"Something along those lines. Speaking of Japan-" Germany said, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable, "-I heard from him that you two had quite the falling out there. Have you two made up? I knew he was quite upset the whole time you weren't talking."

"Yeah? Kinda? It's a work in progress." America admitted. "We'll recover eventually."

"I am glad to hear that." Germany said, and to America's surprise Germany gave him a small smile. "I have to admit that I'm relieved that he finally confessed, even if you didn't feel the same. You were taking too long to catch on and Italy was getting frustrated at you for it."

"Wait, really? Italy was?!"

"Ja. He even said that if Japan didn't say anything in the next five years he was going to tell you instead." Germany said, looking amused at the idea. "Apparently it is frustrating to see your friend pine for someone for over forty years when you are a romance country."

"Was it really that obvious?"

"Painfully so."

Alfred frowned at that. "Well, how was I supposed to know? He didn't say anything."

Germany stared at Alfred in disbelief. "Are you really so dense?"

"Yes. I am." Alfred admitted reluctantly. "I'm actually really terrible at picking up on things like that. I'm not used to it."

"Aw, don't feel bad! Germany took so long to admit his feelings that I ended up asking him out." Italy said cheerfully, plopping down onto Germany's lap with a large smile, causing Germany's face to go pink.

Glancing up at Germany, Italy cheerfully said, "I just finished my paperwork!"

"I noticed." Germany huffed, but he didn't actually look bothered as Italy beamed up at him.

"You asked him out?" Alfred asked.

"Si!" Italy said happily, turning his attention to Alfred. "It was very romantic! I made him a homemade dinner-"

"Pasta?" Alfred guessed.

"Nope! I made him those sausages he's weirdly fond of! Anyways, I asked him halfway through dinner if he wanted to kiss and he blushed so much!" Italy said with a giggle. "It was very funny! He had no idea I knew he liked me at the time."

"I was rather surprised." Germany agreed with a slight look of embarrassment.

"How did you know he liked you?"

"Ja, how did you know?" Germany asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at the shorter nation. "I thought I did a good job of hiding my feelings."

Italy smiled knowingly at Germany. "You blush a lot when you're flustered. Just like America when he looks at Russia."

America, clearly not expecting Italy to say that, gaped open mouthed at the shorter nation as Germany turned his face away as he struggled not to laugh at his partners words.

"Feli-" Germany started to say, only to be cut off by Alfred as he let out a cry of protest.

"I do not!"

Italy tilted his head in confusion. "Ve? But you do?"

"How would you even know that?!"

"I saw it at the theater. You know, when Russia picked you up?"

Alfred's face flushed at the memory, and Italy excitedly pointed at him.

"Si! Just like that!"

"Shut up! That doesn't prove anything!" Alfred shouted.

At this point Germany was trying to hide his snickering by covering it up with a fake cough, but he wasn't doing a very good job.

"But Prussia said that you have been blushing for a while now? He saw you at the ice rink with Russia. Apparently you were on a date?"

"What?! He saw that!?"

"Si! He also saw you at the theater. I also overheard your twin and France discussing how your face goes red a lot around him." Italy said with a small giggle. "I wonder if Russia has picked up on it?"

Alfred let out a squawk of protest, covering his face as it burned from embarrassment. Oh hell, he was screwed. If Italy of all people could pick up on his feelings he'd never be able to fool Belarus for a second. He was going to die.

"Aw!" Italy cooed. "Look at him! He looks just like you did before we dated! That brings back memories."

"Feli, enough." Germany said, covering Italy's mouth with his hand. "Stop teasing him."

"I'm not! Besides, everyone knows about it." Italy said with a small pout, pushing Germany's hand off.

Alfred sunk further down into his chair at those words, trying in vain to disappear into thin air.

"Please tell me that's a lie." He begged. "Everyone?"

"I am sorry." Germany said, looking slightly ashamed. "My brother is a bit of a gossip."

"It's fine. You can make up for it by killing me so I don't have to go to the party tonight." Alfred said miserably, cringing at the idea of the other nations teasing him. "Now would be a great time, thanks."

"Aw, it's not so bad." Italy said, patting Alfred's shoulder sympathetically. "You should never be ashamed to show others that you're in love with someone. You are just like Germany! It took him awhile to learn how to stop blushing so much as well."

Italy reached over and playfully pointed at Germany's pink face. "See? He still does occasionally! There's nothing wrong with it. It just means that you have overwhelming love for someone."

"It does?" Germany asked.

"Si!" Italy said, beaming up at Germany again.

"Stop being lovey dovey with each other in front of me." Alfred grumbled as Germany smiled fondly down at Italy. "It's not helping."

"Sorry." Italy said, but he didn't look very apologetic. "But you are going on a date with Russia as well tonight, aren't you? Why are you acting so shy? I thought you would be happy about it?"

"It's not a date." Alfred mumbled, slinking even further down into his chair.

Italy frowned at Alfred's words. He thought them over for a second before a look of realization crossed his face.

"You have not asked him out yet!" He gasped, his eyes going wide. "Oh my! I'm sorry! I had thought-"

"Can we stop talking about my non-existent love life, thanks?!" Alfred blurted out, desperate to change the topic before his face exploded from the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

Unfortunately for him, Italy didn't seem to take the hint.

"But Russia was looking at you so warmly when you were watching the play! He was also so happy when he carried you away. Of course, he had threatened us to go away, but that's not unusual for him. But still, I thought for sure you two had admitted your feelings already!"

"Russia was?" Germany asked with a puzzled look.

"What?" Alfred asked, his head snapping up at Italy's words. "When did he look at me like that?"

"Si! I saw it when the play finished. He was looking at you with such a soft expression. I was so shocked! I had never seen him look so happy." Italy said with a thoughtful look. "I remembered it because I really wanted to paint the moment. It was such a shame that I didn't have a pen on me at the time because it's better to capture those moments while they happen. The sketches still turned out well though, so it worked out in the end."

Alfred suddenly sat up, staring at Italy in shock. His mouth opened and closed a few times, not daring to believe the shorter nation's words. Ivan had done that?!

"You drew that? Can you show me?" Alfred asked frantically, causing the other two nations to stare at him in surprise.

"Oh, I don't have my sketchbook on me. I might have them on my phone. Hold on, I'll check." Italy hummed, pulling said device out.

They all sat there for a solid minute in agonizing silence as Italy cheerfully scrolled through his phone, seemingly unaware of the crisis he had created around him. Germany would occasionally glance between Italy and Alfred with a curious look as Alfred impatiently bounced his leg up and down in anticipation.

"Ah-ha! Here they are! See? He looked so happy." Italy said, turning the phone so that it finally faced Alfred, who froze as he stared at the images.

There were three sketches. All of them had been drawn with what looked to be charcoal in a realistic art style. The first one depicted Ivan and Alfred standing at a bar casually chatting over drinks. That must have been before the show started he realized. They still had their coats on.

The second picture showed him being picked up by Ivan, with him loudly protesting and Ivan grinning down at him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Rather impressively Italy had even remembered that Alfred had been wearing Ivan's scarf at the time.

However, he didn't care about those pictures. Instead he found his attention being taken up solely by the third and largest picture. It was a close up of him and Ivan sitting together in the box seat of the theater. He had fallen asleep on Ivan's shoulder with a small smile, a content expression on his face. And Ivan…

Ivan was looking down at him with a sincerely loving expression, reaching over to brush Alfred's hair out of his face. Ivan's eyes were looking down at him with a gentleness and warmness he had never seen before, as if all the love in the world resided within them. He wore a soft smile, the corners of his mouth just barely pulling up enough to betray what he was feeling. Ivan's hand seemed to brush his hair so tenderly, as though he was trying not to wake him up. The whole scene radiated a deep affection that even he couldn't miss.

"Is this real?" Alfred asked quietly, his voice full of awe as he stared at the picture, his gaze never leaving Ivan's face. "You didn't make this up?"

"Of course not." Italy said cheerfully, although he studied Alfred's face carefully as he spoke. "I only draw the truth."

The truth. The words bounced around in Alfred's head for a few seconds as he continued to stare at the picture. This was the truth. An unbiased, unfiltered truth. This really happened. This had been real! It was real! It wasn't a misunderstanding, or a picture gone wrong, or even a baseless rumor! It was the truth and it was right in front of him! It had been right there! This whole time!

Alfred's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered what happened after he had woken up that day. The scarf. Ivan's weird behavior. Him being carried. His eyes snapped back to the other picture where Ivan had been holding him. Yes, Ivan had a mischievous look in his eyes there, but they also had the same softness as the third photo. All the sketches did.

As he continued to stare down at the photo in disbelief, he suddenly realized he had seen that look in Ivan's eyes before, even if he hadn't recognized it at the time. When Ivan had made him dinner. When he had gone to see him at the hotel. When they had been dancing at the cabin. Just last night, when he had said he was fond of…him…

As everything finally clicked into place in his head, Alfred felt something stir in his chest. At first, it was a small warmth in the middle of his heart, but the longer he sat there the more the warmth spread across his body. First through his chest, then his torso, then to the very tips of his fingers and into his very soul. The warmth soon enveloped his whole body, until Alfred felt his heart finally soar, breaking free from the burdens that had been trying to keep it down.

Italy tilted his head curiously as he watched Alfred's facial expressions change. Germany tried to say something but Italy stopped him by holding up a finger, still keeping his eyes on the younger nation.

"Wait." Italy whispered.

They didn't have to wait long as Alfred suddenly stood up, stumbling back away from them as he continued to stare at the photo. Covering his mouth, he quickly turned away from the other nations so that his face was hidden from them.

"America? Are you alright?" Germany asked, slightly alarmed as he saw Alfred's whole body shaking.

Alfred quickly nodded, but they heard him desperately trying to muffle what sounded alarmingly like a sob.

Germany worriedly glanced down at Italy, but to his confusion he saw that Italy was beaming at Alfred.

"What should we do?" Germany whispered urgently, but Italy just shook his head. Still beaming he motioned for him to wait again.

Suddenly, unable to contain himself anymore, Alfred threw his head back and laughed. His laughter exploded into the room like a firecracker, bouncing off the walls and filling the once silent lobby with an infectious joy that the other nations had rarely heard before. It wasn't his usual obnoxious laugh, but a rich and full rolling sound that seemed to ring as clear as a bell.

They were almost blinded by the huge smile on his face which stretched from ear to ear, showing off all of Alfred's pure white teeth. His eyes, even though they were crinkled from how wide his smile was, shone like stars. His body seemed to bounce with every laugh and he was holding onto himself in a vain attempt to control himself.

But he didn't stop. Instead, he unapologetically stood there laughing as the weeks of terror, doubt, and denial finally melted off of him. With every laugh he felt his body growing lighter and lighter. His whole being seemed to shine with an unbridled joy and it seemed as if the room itself had gotten brighter as a result.

Germany and Italy watched in awe as Alfred continued to laugh, shaking his head occasionally in disbelief. Whenever he seemed to be calming down, he would burst out into another fit of laughter again.

"I think he has finally gone insane." Germany whispered frantically, slightly alarmed by Alfred's strange behavior.

"I don't think so." Italy said with a small smile, patting Germany's knee reassuringly. "He'll be okay."

As he spoke, Alfred leaned against their chair, occasionally letting out a hiccup as he tried to calm himself down. He was still wearing that huge smile, his eyes sparkling even as he wiped tears from them. His face was bright pink from laughing so hard, and if someone didn't know better they might have thought that he was drunk from how he was behaving.

"Are you okay?" Germany asked him, still slightly concerned for his mental well being.

Alfred nodded again, though he only seemed to be half listening. "I-I need to…I gotta go-" Alfred finally managed to say between giggles, pushing himself off the chair and stumbling slightly as he walked away, so excited that he had seemingly forgotten how to control his body.

"Go? Go where?" Germany asked, absolutely baffled by the whole interaction.

"To get ready! I gotta get ready!" Alfred cried, waving his hands wildly as he walked away, not even attempting to stop himself from walking directly into a set of double doors with a loud thump. Blinking in surprise at the sudden obstacle, he paused for a second before grinning wildly again. "I gotta get ready for my date! Ha! A date! IT'S A DATE!"

Breaking out into another fit of laughter, Alfred fumbled with the doors for a moment, until he finally opened them and raced out of the room, leaving the other two nations to stare after him.

"That was…odd." Germany said after a couple of seconds.

"Aww. I hope it goes well for him." Italy said, sighing happily as he rested his head on Germany's shoulder. "He seemed so happy."

"More like delirious." Germany hummed.

"Deliriously happy." Italy agreed, a thoughtful look on his face. "He had so many interesting expressions on his face. I'll have to draw them later. It's a shame I don't have anything to draw with again."

"I'm sure it will turn out well regardless." Germany said, glancing down at his partner with a slightly accusing eyebrow raise. "So…did you perchance mention those pictures on purpose, or..?"

"Of course not. I thought he already knew how Russia felt about him. However… seeing as he didn't and it would be a shame to let another friend of ours pine for someone again for the next few decades-"

"So you did."

"No, that would be considered cheating. Remember, I am in the betting pool. It was just a happy coincidence." Italy said with an innocent smile.

"How about that? You can be sneaky sometimes." Germany said with a teasing smirk. "Now, why can't you do that during training?"

"Oh no, look at the time." Italy said in feigned surprise as he glanced at his watch, obviously avoiding Germany's gaze. "It's getting late. We'd better get ready ourselves!"

"Feli…" Germany said with a fond huff as Italy suddenly jumped up, hurrying towards the exit.

"I can't hear you! I'll see you in the hotel room!" Italy called back over his shoulder as he ran.

Germany shook his head in amusement. Well, he supposed he could let Italy go on this one. It was Christmas eve. Glancing down at his own watch, he decided that he should probably get moving himself. He had a feeling that tonight would be an interesting one, and he didn't like to be late.

_IVAN_

Ivan was having a hard time. He was currently digging through all of the cabinets, cupboards, and closets in the house in a desperate attempt to find wrapping paper. Milashka and Hero were both watching him with interest from the couch as the tall nation scrambled around, cursing in agitated Russian as he ran a stressed hand through his hair. How the hell was there no wrapping paper or boxes in Alfred's apartment! Alfred was obsessed with Christmas! Surely he must have a single roll of it somewhere.

Ivan's morning had started so much more peaceful than this. He had slept in till noon, only waking up when Milashka had started pawing at his face. For what reason? He had no idea but Milashka had promptly stolen his spot when he had finally gotten up. He had then made himself breakfast, checked to make sure that the boutonnière box hadn't been discovered, and then had taken a quick shower.

He had gotten dressed in some comfy clothes to wear until that night and then spent the next few hours relaxing as he waited for Alfred to get home. It wasn't until an hour and half before Alfred was due to pick him up that he had suddenly remembered that he hadn't wrapped Alfred's present.

At first he had panicked slightly when he realized that he didn't know where Alfred had placed his travel bag from their trip. However, a brief scan of the living room showed that Alfred had left it on the bar. He had been relieved to see that the yarn was still at the top of the bag, meaning that Alfred hadn't seen his present underneath. Digging into the bag, he had carefully pulled out the project he had so painstakingly been working on for the last week.

It was a carefully knitted scarf, as white as the snow that Alfred had admired the whole time he had been here. It was smaller than his own scarf, but just as soft and comfortable and nowhere near as worn. Carefully woven down the whole length of the scarf were images of sunflowers and forget-me-nots, their petals and stalks intertwining. He had also added stars and constellations into the pattern itself, only noticeable if one were to look for them.

Ivan couldn't help but feel a strange sense of giddiness every time he held it. It had turned out perfect. Not only did it have meaningful symbolism between them but it was also practical so Alfred could use it often. He knew that Alfred had lost his old one, so he could even use it as soon as he received it. Also, as a bonus they would match.

If everything went right, if Alfred accepted it with his confession and wore it forever he was sure he would not only be the happiest person in the world but the entire universe.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find any god damned wrapping paper and Alfred would be picking him up in an hour and he still needed to get ready. He didn't have time to go to the store and get some. As he rummaged around the closet in his room he couldn't help but feel like crying as he once again failed to find wrapping paper. Of course, just when he had a chance for happiness the universe had to make something go wrong. It always did.

The thoughts of a perfect confession crumbled in his mind as he sat down hard on top of his bed with a frustrated frown. He knew how much Alfred loved Christmas. He couldn't give Alfred an unwrapped present. What kind of message would that send him? That he didn't care enough about him to put effort into his gift? He could already see the look of disappointment on his face. He'd never say yes at this rate.

As he sat there wallowing in his thoughts, he heard Hero meowing loudly outside his owner's room. He was probably hungry. Ivan ignored him, too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice Hero pushing Alfred's door open and slinking in. It wasn't until he heard a crashing noise and a howl from across the hall that he jumped up, rushing into Alfred's room to figure out why Alfred's cat sounded like he was being murdered.

He wasn't prepared for the obscene amount of ribbons strewn across the room. Apparently, a curious Hero had been playing with one of the ribbons on the desk and in doing so had pulled off half the contents onto the floor. Wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons, name tags, and tissue paper. All of it was scattered across the floor and right in the center of the mess lay Hero, meowing sadly as he tried to untangle himself from the ribbons.

Hardly daring to believe his luck, Ivan stared at the decorations at his feet as Hero sulkingly walked over to him. As Hero meowed sadly up at him he couldn't help but grin as he leaned over and scooped Hero up.

"I see now why your owner named you Hero." Ivan said with an excited sparkle in his eyes as he untangled the sulking cat from his colorful bindings. "You have seemed to save the day."

Hero simply licked his cheek in thanks and as soon as he was free he leapt away and ran out of the room.

Ivan didn't waste any time as he gathered up the needed materials and quickly placed the scarf into a box and tapped it shut. He settled for a peppermint striped gift wrap and large red glittering bow. It was a very simple looking gift, but it would do nonetheless.

Glancing down at the mess around him, he made a mental note to pretend he hadn't seen it, as he technically wasn't supposed to be in Alfred's room. Chuckling slightly at the picture of Alfreds baffled face at the mess he would walk into later, he quickly left the room and started to get ready for the party.

While it didn't take long for him to get ready, Ivan took his time to make sure all aspects of his outfit were perfect. He wanted the confession to go perfectly, and as such he needed to look perfect. He was so busy making sure that his outfit was wrinkle free that when he glanced up into the mirror and caught sight of his reflection he paused.

His outfit fit him like a glove, his hair was neatly combed back, and as usual he had his scarf wrapped around his neck. He did in fact look good. However, none of those things caught his attention. Instead, it was the joyful smile on his face that had caught him off guard. He hadn't even realized he had been smiling.

He stared at it in awe for a few seconds. When was the last time he had seen himself smile like that? How many years? How many centuries? He reached towards the mirror in fascination, only to jump slightly as his phone buzzed loudly in his jacket pocket. Slightly flustered, he fumbled with the phone for a second before he saw that Alfred had texted him. Apparently he was only five minutes away.

Cursing slightly for losing track of time, Ivan quickly gave himself a final look over. Giving himself a nod of approval, he hurried to the kitchen and finally pulled out the boutonnière. After carefully pining it just above his heart, he quickly grabbed his jacket and the present. He allowed himself only a moment to steady his nerves as he got another text from Alfred cheerfully telling him he was a minute away.

This was it. There was no turning back now. Taking a deep breath, he reached over to the door handle and turned it. He was ready.

_Ivan/Alfred_

When Ivan made it down to the lobby, he wasn't sure what he was expecting but it wasn't a hung over Greg sitting at the desk. He was wearing a pained look on his face as though merely existing was causing him pain and he was nursing a bottle of gatorade in his hands. He was attempting to read a newspaper but didn't seem to be getting very far.

"Did you have a rough night?" Ivan asked, leaning on the desk with a knowing smile.

"It's never the night that hurts." Greg grumbled, squinting grumpily over at Ivan. "It's usually a rough morning after, but I'm old and hangovers don't go away after a few hours anymore. So it's a rough day. Not like you'd understand, Vodka boy."

Ivan raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "You know I am hundreds of years older than you, da?"

"Unless you got wrinkles, you're a vodka boy." Greg said with a scowl. "Go away, you're hurting me with your presence."

"You are much nicer when you are drunk."

"Go to hell." Greg shot back as he flipped Ivan the bird.

Ivan laughed at the man's sheer gaul. It wasn't often regular humans weren't scared of him, let alone had the nerve to give him lip. It was rather refreshing. As he laughed, Greg finally got a good look at him and his outfit.

"Oh, look at you! What are you all dressed up for? Got a date?" Greg asked with a snicker.

"You might say that." Ivan said, glancing over at the doors on the other side of the room. "I am going to the Christmas party with Alfred."

"Oh! Are you now?" Greg asked, and to Ivan's confusion the other man looked genuinely surprised at the news. "Huh. Who would have thought? Alfred always goes stag to his party."

"Stag…?"

"He never brings a date." Greg explained. "So, how'd you pull that off? Got some blackmail on him or something?"

"It was my charming personality."

Greg let out a bark of laughter at that, only to regret it slightly as he winced. "Ha! Now that's the best joke I've ever heard!"

"It is true."

"Stop, if I laugh anymore my headache is going to get worse "

"I do not mind." Ivan said pleasantly, and Greg shot him an unimpressed look.

"So, where is that date of yours anyways? He ditch you or something? It'd serve you right for bullying the elderly." Greg huffed.

Ivan opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Nah, I was just caught up in traffic." Alfred replied cheerfully from behind him. "You know how it is."

Ivan froze for a moment as his heart nearly flew out from his rib cage. He hadn't even heard Alfred approaching them. He barely had a second to recover when he felt a playful tap on his shoulder.

"Hey big guy. You ready to go?" Alfred asked him.

Ivan turned around to greet the younger nation, but as soon as his eyes fell upon the shorter man he felt the playful response he had prepared die on his lips. Instead, he found his breath all but snatched away as he finally saw his partner for the first time that day nervously smiling up at him.

He was gorgeous. There was no other way to say it. He stood in front of him with a confident stance, as though he were showing off. And what a show it was.

It seemed as though Alfred hadn't been exaggerating about his brothers going all out for his attire. The suit he was wearing seemed to fit him as though it were like second skin, accentuating all of his best features. Underneath the suit he wore a striped tie and a yellow dress shirt that seemed to cleanly contrast from the blue, complementing his hair. His hair, while neat, still had a natural look to it with his cowlick proudly sticking out as usual. In his hands he held his jacket.

However, it was Alfred's face that he found himself focusing on the most. His eyes were shining behind his glasses as though all the happiness in the world were dancing in them and his smile could have put the sun itself to shame with how brightly it shone. He almost seemed to glow from the amount of joy that seemed to radiate off of him. His face was slightly flushed from smiling so hard.

It was as if Ivan were staring at the very embodiment of summer itself.

Time itself seemed to slow down as Alfred tilted his head curiously, looking up at him as if he were the most interesting person in the world. Ivan stared wordlessly back down at him, unable to say anything as his face slowly turned pink.

"Surprised?" Alfred asked, his smile somehow growing wider as he studied Ivan's expression.

As he spoke, Alfred couldn't help but do his own once over on Ivan. While he had known Ivan was going to be wearing blue, he was thrown off slightly by the purple accent. Ivan usually wore more neutral colors. Not that Alfred was complaining, as Ivan looked very nice in his suit and his hair had even been slicked back for the occasion, much to his delight.

He was quite honestly liking that slicked back look more and more every time he saw it. It let him see Ivan's eyes better now they weren't hidden behind his bangs. The purple dress shirt made his eyes pop, and Alfred had almost thought that was why he was wearing it until his gaze finally landed on the boutonnière Ivan was wearing.

He paused as he finally realized what flowers Ivan was wearing. Glancing back up at Ivan, he noticed that the taller nation was still silently staring at Alfred in awe. Putting all the pieces together, Alfred couldn't stop the excited giggle that escaped him as he reached over and tapped the flowers gently.

"Well, I guess we both had flowers in mind when we picked out our outfits. Good choice. They look good on you." Alfred said, beaming as he spoke. "I'm glad you kept your promise and got me flowers this time. I guess the ring comes later, yeah?" He playfully gestured to the present in Ivan's hands.

"Da." Ivan joked back, mostly out of instinct. It was only when Alfred eyebrows shot up that he realized what he had implied.

"Nyet! I did not mean-" Ivan sputtered out as he desperately tried to correct himself. To his relief, Alfred just laughed loudly in response.

"I'm just teasing." Alfred reassured him, patting him on the back. "Unless…? " He asked, letting his sentence drift off with a grin.

"It is not a ring." Ivan said flatly.

Alfred let out a fake hum of disappointment. "Ah well, there go my plans of getting married. I guess I'll always be single. Woe is me and all that."

Ivan rolled his eyes fondly as Alfred laughed again. "I thought you were against romance?"

"Well, I can't say I'm as against it as I was. Who knows, maybe with the right person I could grow to like it?" Alfred said, looking up at Ivan with a strangely expectant look.

Ivan stared down at Alfred in confusion. It was clear that Alfred was expecting him to answer in a certain way, but he had no idea what to say. As the silence dragged on, Alfred's smile dropped a little. Ivan started to panic a little as Alfred glanced away, clearly disappointed with the lack of response. What was he supposed to say?

Suddenly, Greg let out a huff. Leaning over towards Ivan he whispered only loud enough for Ivan to hear him.

"Oh lord, this is killing me. Get your jaw off the floor, Vodka boy. You're gonna blow it. Compliment him, you idiot."

Briefly snapping out of his stupor, Ivan only glanced at Greg long enough to shoot him an exasperated but thankful look as he cleared his throat.

"Oh. I see. I'm glad you changed your mind." Ivan said awkwardly, causing Greg to facepalm behind him.

Still, it seemed to work as Alfred perked up slightly. Alfred glanced back over at him with a hopeful look, and Ivan shuffled his feet nervously as he plucked up the courage to keep going.

"You, um, look very nice." Ivan said, nervously grinning down at Alfred as he fumbled with the present in hands, not sure what to do with them. "You look good in yellow."

"You think?" Alfred asked, noticeably perking up at Ivan's complement. "I could say the same for you! I never thought about you wearing purple, but it really brings out your eyes. You should wear it more."

"Thank you." Ivan said, suddenly feeling shy at the praise. He hid his face in his scarf slightly as his cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. "I suppose we should hurry, da? We do not want to be late." He suggested, anxious to break up the awkward air between them.

"Well, someone's eager." Greg joked loudly, ruffling his newspaper noisily. "Well, don't mind me. Just remember to keep it PG until you leave, okay?" He said with a wink at them.

Ivan's expression turned dark as any gratefulness he had for the older man evaporated. But before he could turn around and strangle the doorman Alfred reached over and linked his arm around Ivan's, causing Ivan to freeze as Alfred winked back at Greg with a knowing smile.

"Come on Greg, don't scare my date away. Carol will get mad at you if you do." Alfred said, wagging a playful finger at the doorman.

"Hmm. I suppose." Greg hummed, looking a little too amused by the scene in front of him. "Well, don't let me hold you up Al. Have fun at the party you two." He said with a snicker.

Ivan, whose face seemed to be permanently pink at this point, didn't even fight Alfred as he was pulled towards the exit. He had only just seen Greg sending him a small salute and a smirk when he was suddenly struck by what Alfred had just said.

For the next few seconds he was barely aware of the fact he was moving at all due to trying to process Alfred's words. His date? Alfred had called him his date. Their arms were linked. They were going to a party together. Was this a date?!

He only snapped back to reality after they had left the building and had made it to Alfred's car, which was waiting for them on the street.

As Alfred opened the passenger door for him,

he gawked at the other nation as Alfred smiled up at him.

"Come on, we can't be late." Alfred said, gesturing for Ivan to hurry up.

"I'm your date?!" Ivan finally blurted out, unable to stop the thought from bursting out from his mouth.

Alfred blinked at him owlishly, as if he had only just realized what he had said. Before Ivan could even begin to regret his outburst, Alfred suddenly grinned again and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Oops, forgot about that. Sorry, I just got over excited." Alfred said apologetically.

"Oh." Ivan said, noticeably disappointed at Alfred's words. Feeling embarrassed, he looked down at the sidewalk. "I see-"

"I can't believe I almost forgot to ask you. Not cool of me." Alfred continued, bulldozing through Ivan's words. "Sorry dude."

"What?" Ivan asked, completely gobsmacked as Alfred giggled again and grabbed his hand.

"Wanna be my date tonight? It's cool if you don't want to, but it really is like a date and saying plus one all night is lame. Plus, we can stir up the gossip mills and freak out the other nations. How about it?" Alfred asked, and while he was still smiling Ivan saw his smile turn slightly nervous as he waited for Ivan's response.

"I…I…" Ivan sputtered, his face burning again as he hid his face in his scarf, overwhelmed by the whiplash of emotions he was feeling. He still felt Alfred's gaze even through his scarf as he quickly nodded.

"I suppose so…" Ivan finally managed to mumble out. Well, it wasn't like Alfred was declaring his love or anything. He could handle this.

Alfred's smile could not have been any brighter as he reached over and pulled Ivan into a bear hug, his cheers echoing off the buildings as Ivan stood there flustered, holding onto Alfred's present for dear life.

"Hell yes! Dude, we're going to have so much fun! You have no idea! " Alfred shouted, buzzing with energy as he smiled up at Ivan. "There's gonna be so much food, and music, and drinks, and we're gonna dance and meet up to give each other presents-"

"My sister is definitely going to kill you." Ivan sighed, playfully resting his head on top of Alfred's, giving in and deciding to just go with the whirlwind that was Alfred. F Jones.

"Who the fuck cares?! I'm untouchable!" Alfred declared with an uncharacteristic cackle. "Screw her! She won't even have a real knife on her!"

"Please stop tempting fate." Ivan groaned as Alfred finally let him go and cackled again.

"Screw fate! I don't believe in fate!"

"You are going to die."

"We all die someday. Sometimes multiple times a day. I'll be fine." Alfred said cheerfully.

"Only you would joke about death so easily." Ivan huffed. Reaching up, he fumbled with his scarf for a moment before he pulled something off of it and gestured for Alfred to get closer. "Come here."

"Why?" Alfed asked, but still curiously leaning forwards anyways.

"If you are going to act recklessly, you will need a good luck charm." Ivan said with a playful smile as he leaned over and pinned something to the front of Alfred's suit, right above his heart.

As Ivan stepped back, Alfred looked down. He was slightly surprised to see the sunflower pin that he had bought Ivan weeks ago pinned to him. He stood there for a moment, processing what that meant before he felt his cheeks warming up slightly.

"Wait, you've been wearing this the whole time?" Alfred asked and Ivan nodded.

"I think it will suit you better tonight though, мой подсолнух." Ivan said playfully, a knowing smile on his face as he gestured between them. "Now we match."

Alfred stood there, honestly speechless. Before he could do or say anything to respond Ivan spun him around and pushed him towards the car. "We need to hurry, da?" He asked, opening the driver side door and gently pushing Alfred in. "We can not keep your brother waiting. I do not think he would forgive me if we were late."

"Oh. I guess?" Alfred managed to say before Ivan cheerfully closed the door.

Alfred let out an amused huff as Ivan walked back around the car. Dang it. And here he thought he was being the romantic one. Well, there would be plenty of more chances for him to make a move that night. As he started the car, he found himself smiling at the challenge.

Well, he'd worry about that when they got to the party.

_THE CHRISTMAS PARTY_

It didn't take them very long to get to the U.N. building. Between the snowfall and the fact that it was Christmas eve not many people were out on the road, giving them a clear shot to their destination. They ended up parking the car at exactly six on the dot outside the building much to Alfred's delight.

As far as Ivan could tell, they were the first one's there. When he looked towards the entrance of the building he could see security guards and catering people rushing around the entrance with a short dark haired woman barking orders at everyone around her.

"Looks like Veronica has things under control." Alfred said in amusement, following Ivan's gaze.

"Indeed." Ivan said in agreement. He watched as the woman seemed to spot something out of view and with a fierce scowl she stalked further into the building, shouting loudly at someone. "Who is she?"

"Head party coordinator. She's the one who's been setting all this up while we've been hanging out." Alfred said with a guilty smile. "Normally I'd be helping her but-" he grinned up at Ivan, "I'm kinda busy with keeping my date company."

"Did you ask me to be your date to avoid your responsibilities?" Ivan asked him with an unimpressed eyebrow raise.

"What? No." Alfred said, poking Ivan's chest playfully. "I would never ask someone to be my date for such a shallow reason. I will, however, use it as a valid excuse to get out of work."

"I see." Ivan said in amusement.

"Well, let's get moving. Not much time before the party starts and I have to get ready to greet guests." Alfred said, opening the car door.

"Of course."

"Plus, I need to show you where we're meeting up to exchange the…presents…" As he spoke, his voice trailed off as his face fell.

"Is something wrong?" Ivan asked.

"Dude, I forgot to set up the meeting place!" Alfred groaned, running a frustrated hand down his face. "Shit. I knew I forgot something."

"Is that a big deal?" Ivan asked. "We can just find an empty room, da?"

"It's not that simple. Due to security reasons any rooms not used for the party are going to be locked." Alfred explained, looking frustrated with himself. "I was going to tell the security head to keep a meeting room open for us but I got distracted by something."

"By what?"

Alfred had a flashback of running into a pair of double doors. "Stuff." He said, deliberately dodging the question. "Anyways, I'll see if I can convince him to open one."

"How are you going to let me know when to meet with you?" Ivan asked as they got out of the car. Slamming the doors behind them, they made their way up the steps of the building.

"I'll get security to send a message over to you with the time and location."

"It will be suspicious if we both disappear at the same time." Ivan pointed out. "We should stagger the meeting times slightly so my sister does not see us leaving at the same time."

"Oh, good call." Alfred said, briefly stopping on the top of the landing with a thoughtful hum. "We wouldn't want to have her following us. How long should we space it out?"

"No more than ten minutes."

"Isn't that a little short?" Alfred asked as Ivan caught up with him.

"Nyet. It may be too long. The less time we are apart the better."

"Aw, because you'll miss me that quickly?" Alfred teased, playfully leaning into Ivan's side and grinning up at Ivan with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"It is so you do not get caught alone with my sister." Ivan huffed, playfully shooing Alfred away in order to hide the blush creeping up his face. "That is all."

Alfred hummed in amusement at Ivan's actions, clearly not buying Ivan's excuse. Still, deciding not to push his luck he pulled away slightly and shrugged at Ivan's words.

"Ten minutes should be fine. I mean, what can she really do in ten minutes?"

Ivan reached over and slapped a hand over Alfred's mouth. "Nyet! You should not tempt fate like that!"

"Oh come on! Nothing is going to happen!" Alfred protested, pushing Ivan's hand away.

"You are inviting disaster." Ivan grumbled, reaching over and flicking the other nation between the eyes, causing Alfred to yelp. "Stop it."

"Dude! Nothing is-"

"Nyet." Ivan said, cutting Alfred off with another flick.

"Stop flicking my face, you lunatic!" Alfred shouted, swatting the taller nations' hands away.

"No more tempting fate. You no longer have ten minutes. It is now five." Ivan said firmly.

"Bruh, stop overreacting! I'll be fine!"

"Four." Ivan said, attempting to flick the shorter nation again.

"Oh my god, stop!" Alfred said, grabbing Ivan's hand. He triumphantly stood there for a moment before Ivan used his other hand to flick him again.

"Three." Ivan said with a smirk.

Alfred stared up at him in stunned silence for a moment. Then, clearly giving up, he pouted up at Ivan as he let go of his hand.

"Cheater." He huffed.

"I do what I must." Ivan said, looking very pleased with himself.

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred said, waving Ivan away as he entered the building. "I'm still not a believer in fate."

Shaking his head in amusement, Ivan quickly followed Alfred inside.

They spent a few minutes getting checked in by security. Alfred breezed through due to being the host and was eventually whisked away by the event planner to double check that everything was ready.

Ivan had to spend a few extra minutes at security, but as soon as he was checked in and his present was whisked away to be put with the others, he found himself with nothing to do as he waited for Alfred to come back.

He killed some time by watching the waiters and caterers rushing in and out the nearby halls and doors, but eventually he grew bored with that and started to wander down some nearby halls looking for his date.

Eventually, he came across a huge pair of double doors on the fifth floor. Hearing quite a bit of noise from the other side of them, he stuck his head into the room. Just as he suspected, behind the doors was a huge ball room.

It was clear from each and every detail in the room that Alfred had painstakingly taken the time to make sure that the party was as welcoming as possible for his guests. Which Ivan found a little bittersweet as he thought back to the reason that Alfred had started these parties in the first place. Still, he had to admit when it came to setting up a party, Alfred was second to none.

Tall Christmas trees lined the walls of the room, and when Ivan looked closer he saw that unlike the cheap but cheerful ornaments on their tree at home, Alfred had decorated these with real glass ornaments. Said ornaments seemed to glow under the light from the three massive chandeliers that hung from the ceilings, casting shimmering shards of light on everything around them as a result.

On the left side of the room stood the largest tree of all, which seemed to dwarf the room with its almost ridiculous size. It stood proudly in front of the wall of windows behind it, adorned with twinkling lights that seemed to cast a warm glow upon the entire room. The tree itself was decorated with a range of ornaments, from the largest glass boubals to the most fragile and delicate glass figures. Tinsel and ribbons of silver and gold rested between the lush green branches.

With the backdrop of the city lights and the snow slowly falling on the river behind the building, it was truly one of the most breathtaking views in the room. Aiding the picture were the presents, which were carefully stacked under it in such a way that the ribbons and bows weren't crushed or hidden. Each present seemed to be wrapped more lavishly than the one before it, and it was clear that each one had been carefully hand wrapped for its recipient. With just a glance it was easy to tell who each present was for.

It was truly a magical sight, but the splendor of the decorations seemed like nothing when compared to the amount of food that was set out.

Dozens of tables of food, ranging from every drink imaginable, sweets, fruits, and small meals to a whole selection of fine meats, cheeses and even strictly vegetarian and vegan options lined the tables. Each option was clearly labeled and categorized so as to not cause confusion. It was clear that there had been much care taken into catering to the many different nations' dietary restrictions.

Around the room, teams of waiters and caterers were hurriedly laying out dishes on the numerous tables and filling up large amounts of glasses with what he presumed was alcohol. In one corner of the ballroom were a group of musicians tuning their instruments and flipping through their music sheets, while in another there looked to be a group huddle of security guards reviewing their rounds for the night.

Ivan couldn't help but marvel at the scene before him. Of course, he had heard the other nations talking about Alfred's parties before but seeing it himself finally put into perspective just how much of a snub it had been to not be invited before. Slightly amused by that realization, he made a mental note to tease Alfred about it later. He knew the younger nation would be embarrassed by it.

Speaking of Alfred, he was standing in the middle of the room with the head planner, quietly reviewing a checklist with her. The poor event planner seemed to be slightly frazzled by the chaos, but Alfred seemed to be taking everything in stride, seemingly trying to calm the poor woman down.

Ivan stood there for another minute admiring the room, not wanting to interrupt the other nation. However, it wasn't long before Alfred noticed him. As soon as he did, Alfred quickly leaned over to the planner and after excusing himself he hurried over to Ivan with a relieved look on his face.

"Oh thank god. I thought I'd never get away." Alfred said, grabbing Ivan and quickly pulling him back into the hallway. As soon as he shut the doors behind them, he slumped against Ivan with a sigh of relief.

"I swear, if I had to go over that damn list one more time I was going to scream."

"I can see that." Ivan said with an amused hum, pulling the other towards him so that he was holding Alfred like a teddy bear. "I suppose it is her fault that you never returned?"

"Four times! She made me go over that list four times!" Alfred griped, though he didn't look too upset as he rested his head against Ivan's chest with a dramatic huff. "I'm never throwing another party again, you hear me? It's such a pain in the ass. Next year I'm just going to Hawaii and relaxing at the beach. Screw the others."

"Ah yes, Hawaii. That is where you wanted to go last month, da?"

"I'll still get that vacation." Alfred declared. "I'll just blackmail my boss with all the juicy state secrets he thinks I don't know about and then he'll have to give me time off!"

"You have done that before?" Ivan asked, greatly amused by the idea.

"Many times. I even threatened to become a communist one time during the cold war." Alfred admitted with a wide grin. "You should have seen my boss's face. He looked like he was about to have a stroke."

Ivan threw his head back in laughter. "I do not believe you! You would never do that!"

"It's true!" Alfred said, grinning up at Ivan. "It worked so well that my boss banned me from D.C for half a year because it freaked him out so much."

"Only you would turn communism into a way to get away from work." Ivan said, beaming down at Alfred. "Do the others know of your brush with villainy?"

"No, and don't go telling them. The last thing I need is for the other nations to know about my dark past." Alfred said, playfully sticking his tongue out at Ivan. "I'm the Hero after all."

They both giggled at that, both of them so wrapped up in their own little world that they almost didn't hear the low rumble of something approaching the building outside. It was only when they heard a faint honking noise outside that Alfred stopped, turning excitedly towards the nearby windows.

"Oh! The show is about to start!"

"Show?" Ivan asked, slightly curious as Alfred unwrapped himself from Ivan's arms.

In response, Alfred pulled him over to a nearby window and excitedly pointed down towards the street below them.

"The fashion show. Here, come watch! It's one of the best parts of the party."

Looking at where Alfred was pointing, Ivan didn't see what Alfred was referring to at first. But as the rumbling and honking became louder and louder, Ivan saw a pair of headlights appearing in the distance from behind the snowfall, growing brighter and brighter as they approached the building.

Soon, the one pair of headlights turned into dozens, and soon Ivan saw a parade of limos, sport cars, and luxury vehicles slowly approaching the front gate of the building.

"The guests are coming! Everyone in position!" The head coordinator shouted, and Ivan heard the people in the ballroom behind him scrambling into their designated places.

"Fashion show?" Ivan asked as Alfred bounced excitedly next to him, his eyes practically glowing in the dark next to him.

"Oh, that's right! You've never attended one of my parties before!" Alfred said, looking over at Ivan with an infectious smile. "Remember before when I told you that the other nations like to show off during my parties?"

"Vaguely." Ivan admitted.

"Well, the fashion show is when the other nations reveal their outfits for the first time. It's kind of a weird tradition they formed after a while. Apparently a lot of them like to pick out their outfits in secret and then show them off in front of everybody for that maximum wow factor."

"I see. Is this what you meant when you said your parties have become too stuffy and fancy?"

"Exactly. Still, it's kinda fun." Alfred admitted as the first few vehicles finally pulled up in front of the building. "Watch. You won't want to miss this."

And indeed, Alfred hadn't been exaggerating when he called it a fashion show. As the nations of the world exited their vehicles one after another, Ivan was struck by the sheer extravagance of their attire.

They wore a large selection of cloth, ranging from the finest silks, wools, furs, and linen. Even more impressive were the huge selection of colors that they wore, ranging from the brightest reds to the darkest shades of black and everything in between.

Each nation wore an outfit uniquely suited to them, with some wearing modern suits and dresses and other nations wearing the traditional attires from their home countries. Some wore extravagant outfits, while others wore more humble attire.

There were traditional robes, head dresses and head coverings. Some had little to no patterns on their outfits and others wore bright colorful prints. Fine embroidery stood out on the outfits they decorated, painstakingly crafted to shine among the very best fabrics that surrounded them.

Some nations wore bright feathers and beads in their hair, while others had weaved complex braids into theirs. Others had their hair pulled up into extravagant buns or let their hair hang down loose, while some nations covered their hair completely. Some had even dyed their hair bright colors, causing them to stick out among the crowd.

The more extravagant nations went as far to drape themselves in expensive jewelry. Countless jewels, precious metals like silver and gold, and fine beadwork were shown off as they walked towards the entrance. Their accessories shimmered in the light pouring out from the open doors, causing countless colors to shine off them and light up their owners faces.

Ivan found himself watching the parade of people with great interest. While he was no stranger to extravagance, it was another thing to see so many flavors of it in one place. Short of the very few nations who never attended the party for personal and political reasons, it seemed as if the whole world had actually shown up for this event.

He glanced over to see Alfred's reaction. Interestingly, Alfred seemed just as awestruck as more and more vehicles arrived, quickly filling the whole street. He had assumed Alfred would have been used to such things by now, but it didn't look like that was true.

"Is it usually this well attended?" Ivan asked.

"Not at all." Alfred said, still watching the crowd in amazement. "I've never seen so many people arriving this early is insane."

"All of this because of one small rumor." Ivan said with a chuckle. "Who would have thought things would have spiraled so out of control from a little bit of strawberry sauce and wine?"

"You're right. Next time I'll just get chocolate. Apparently it's better for not causing international scandals."

They both laughed at that, content in the fact that for the moment, they were allowed to share this small inside joke between the two of them. Taking advantage of their final remaining minutes of calm, they both savored the moment for a few more seconds as they continued to watch the crowd below them.

"Well, shall we get going?" Alfred finally asked as he calmed down slightly, glancing at his watch. "We can't leave them waiting forever."

"Da." Ivan said. Then, to Alfred's surprise Ivan offered his arm to Alfred.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked.

"I am your date, da? It would not do for me to let you greet them alone." He explained, smiling warmly down at Alfred.

"But what about Belarus? Won't she get upset if she sees us like that?" Alfred asked hesitantly.

Ivan hummed in agreement. "More than likely. However, I can tell her I am playing the role of a polite guest. I think we can get away with it. That, and you promised me a chance to scare your guests. You would not deprive me of that pleasure, would you?"

Alfred felt his face warm slightly at his words, but he didn't stop the smile that grew on his face as he accepted the gesture, linking his arm in Ivan's.

"Who? Me? Never." He said, his heart soaring as the two of them grinned nervously at each other.

"Then let us go." Ivan said, his eyes shining with a joy that so rarely allowed itself to surface.

And so they did, grinning like complete idiots the whole way down to the lobby.

_LINEBREAK_

"Damn it, frog! We're late! Didn't I tell you to make sure you were ready on time today?!"

"We are not late! We are on time!"

"On time? On time?! We were supposed to meet with Alfred half an hour ago! On what planet are we considered on time?!"

"Oh my poor Angleterre. Do you know nothing? Are you trying to kill this romance before it's taken flight? If we had arrived when you wanted our little one would have no time to spend with his love!"

"What the hell are you yammering on about?!"

"I am saying you are a terrible wingman, you caterpillar-browed buffoon!"

"You little-!"

"Guys, can you stop? I'm getting a headache." Canada sighed, cutting the two older nations off before they could continue squabbling.

They were sitting in the back of a limo, with Canada sitting on one side and England and France on the other. They were sitting in the carpool lane waiting to reach the entrance of the U.N. building. Canada had been suffering through the other two nations bickering for the last half hour and his patience was rapidly running out.

"We wouldn't be bickering if somebody-" England said, scowling at France, "-wouldn't have spent a half an hour picking out his damned tie!"

"One can not rush perfection!"

"Oh, if that's the case why do you still look like someone pulled you through a hedge backwards, you twat!"

"Arthur, stop." Canada said with a long suffering sigh as France gasped in offense. "We're almost next in line. We need to focus. We're supposed to make sure that we're looking out for Al, remember?"

The other two nations grumbled in mild protest, but they did stop. They sat in silence for a moment before England let out a worried sigh of his own.

"He's going to be a mess, isn't he?"

"That goes without saying." Canada said, smiling slightly at the thought. "I'm kinda surprised he hasn't blown up my phone yet. I thought he'd be panicking by now."

France let out a hum of agreement. "Belarus has not arrived yet. That is probably why things are still so calm."

"How do you know that?" England asked with a frown.

France held up his phone. "Spain told me. He is a few cars up from us and can see who is entering the building."

"Well, at least we have that going for us." England hummed. "The last thing we need is for him to be stabbed in the back before we get there."

"Oh please, she's not going to stab him on the front steps." Canada said. "I doubt that she'd be that brazen."

"That is what we are worried about, mon ami." France said with a grimace. "She will never strike from the front."

"Plus, knowing your twin he'd probably wander off and let himself get ambushed by her because he wasn't paying attention." England said with a matching grimace.

"Oh come on. Al isn't that dumb."

At the matching unconvinced looks from the older nation's in front of him, he added, "Well, usually not that dumb."

"Uh-huh. In any case, we cannot let him out of our sight tonight. Not only for his safety, but because if something goes wrong and his heart is broken we need to be able to get him out of there." England said, glancing out the window again.

Canada glanced out as well. They were quickly approaching the entrance now. Canada could see a crowd of people in the lobby of the building loudly chatting among themselves. Curiously, the crowd seemed even more riled up than usual, their attention captured by something inside that they couldn't see from the street.

"Huh. I wonder what's going on." Canada said, a small feeling of worry curling in his stomach.

"I am not sure." France said with his own frown. "No one has texted me about anything extreme happening. You don't think this has to do with Alfred, do you?"

They sat there for a moment, watching the crowd in silence as they all came to the same conclusion.

"God damn it." England sighed as they finally parked in front of the building. Opening the door, he quickly jumped out of the car. "What has that git done now?"

They all scrambled out of the limo and after grabbing their presents, they hurried up the steps of the building.

France was the first one to make it up the steps, but when he finally saw what the other nations were gawking at he stopped dead in his tracks. He stood there open-mouthed for a second as the other two caught up behind him, but before they could see what he was looking at he stopped them, holding out an arm while trying desperately not to laugh.

"What on earth are you doing? Why are you stopping us?" England demanded as France grinned at them.

"I think you will find that all is well with our dear little Alfred." France said, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Come up quietly. He might never forgive us if we try to run to his rescue now."

Curious, Canada walked up the steps and looked at where France was pointing. As soon as he saw what everyone was looking at he froze in shock as well.

Across the room, greeting the guests with the largest smile in the world was his twin, arm in arm with Russia. Arm and Arm. With Russia. In front of everyone. Like it was the most natural thing in the world to lean on someone who had been his enemy not four weeks ago. No wonder the other nations were so worked up. He would be too if he didn't already know what was going on.

However, he was more shocked by the fact that his brother wasn't blushing, or freaking out, or even slightly nervous. No, he was holding onto Ivan and laughing as though he had just won the lottery. He could have sworn his brother was actually glowing from happiness.

Not only that, but Russia seemed as pleased as his brother, actually smiling at the other guests around him in a non creepy way. Interestingly, that seemed to scare the other nations more than his usual threatening aura, as the other nations near him looked incredibly uncomfortable when he smiled at them.

Canada could feel his mouth hanging open, but he didn't bother to close it as he gawked at his twin. What the hell had happened in the last few hours for his blushing twin brother to become this confident?!

"You don't think he confessed already, do you?" England whispered, looking both relieved and slightly annoyed at the same time.

"No way. Al would have told me if he had." Canada whispered back, finally forcing his mouth to work again.

"Ah, l'amour." France sighed happily as he watched them. "I suppose we were worried for nothing, oui?"

"No you idiot! This is terrible!" England whispered frantically, looking over his shoulder with a worried look. "What if that wretched sister of Russia's saw this?! I wouldn't put it past her to attack them as soon as she laid eyes on them!"

France slimplily shook his head in amusement. "Do not ruin the moment, Angleterre. She will not be able to attack while we are here. That, and I have pulled a few favors to keep her in check, remember? Let them have their happiness."

"Let who have their happiness?" A curious voice said behind them.

Jumping slightly, Canada looked around and saw Sweden and Finland climbing up the stairs behind them. Sweden was helping Finland carry a rather large amount of presents inside.

"Oh. Uh…" Canada said awkwardly as the two joined them. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. Oh my!" Finland said, covering his mouth and giggling as he saw what they were looking at.

Even Sweden, whose face usually remained stoic in the most extreme situations, let his eyebrows shoot up when he saw Alfred reaching over and playfully pinching Ivan's cheeks. This caused the nations around them to break out into loud mutterings again and Canada swore he heard Latvia crying in fear somewhere in the crowd.

"It looks like he might have picked up some of my materisms after all." Finland joked, sighing fondly as he watched Alfred. "Perhaps I should have pinched his cheeks less."

"You mean his extreme love of Christmas was not enough to prove he's related to you?" Sweden asked, clearly confused as he watched Ivan playfully swat Alfred's hands away.

"Everyone loves Christmas. Plus, he takes after you more. That's why he's tall." Finland said, patting Sweden fondly on his arm.

The other nations shot Finland a look of clear disbelief as Finland, cheerfully oblivious, smiled warmly at them.

"Now I see where he gets his airheaded personality." England muttered under his breath.

"Oui. I see it now." France whispered back in agreement.

Sweden cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed. "Let's drop these off." He muttered, grabbing Finland and dragging him off towards the check in. As Finland waved goodbye to them, Canada heard someone else approaching them from behind.

"What's up losers! Why is everyone hanging out in the doorway?" A voice asked loudly with a cackle behind them.

"Brother, please don't cause a scene." Germany sighed as Prussia bounced into the lobby. Behind Germany was Italy and Japan, who were busy grabbing the presents out of their car.

"West, you need to get that stick out of your ass! This is a party! We're allowed to let loose!" Prussia declared as he grinned at the others in front of him. "But seriously, why are you guys here?" He asked, trying to look over the crowd.

Canada just pointed at his brother.

As soon as Prussia saw what Canada was pointing at he froze as well, before letting out a string of curses.

"Gottverdammt! That devil woman is going to win! Why the hell does she get all the luck?!" He asked, clearly upset as he glared at Hungary, who was on the other side of the room wearing a huge triumphant grin on her face.

As soon as she noticed Prussia, she gave him a wicked grin, gesturing for him to pay up.

Prussia just scowled back at her, and turning to Canada he asked, "Hey! What's-your-name! Do you know if either of them have actually confessed yet?!"

"What's-your-name?!" Canada asked incredulously.

"Answer the question! I have money riding on this!"

"I have a name you know!"

"Does it look like I care?! Uh! I don't have time for this!" Prussia said, throwing his hands up and running into the crowd.

"What's-your-name?" Canada repeated, grumbling to himself under his breath, clearly offended. "What's-your-name?!"

As Germany finally walked into the lobby, he shot an apologetic glance towards Canada.

"Sorry Canada. I will speak to him later." He said with a long suffering sigh.

Canada just let out a huff of annoyance as Italy and Japan finally caught up to Germany.

"Remind me why you put up with him again?"

"Like you don't have an annoying sibling?" Germany shot back.

"Touché."

"I am sure he did not mean it. He just gets upset about losing." Italy explained cheerfully as they joined their small group. "Speaking of which, why does he think Hungary is going to win her bet?"

France pointed at Alfred and Ivan, who were happily chatting with Finland and Sweden now. To Canada's surprise, Italy didn't look surprised. If anything he just looked amused.

"Ah! I see." Italy said, shooting a knowing glance at Germany, who weirdly also didn't look surprised. "I'm glad to see them getting along well."

In fact, the only one in their group who wasn't unaffected was Japan, who was watching Alfred with a melancholy look on his face as Alfred seemingly laughed at something Ivan had said to Sweden.

"I see they have become quite close." Japan said, and it was clear how miserable he must have felt just by his tone of voice. There was no anger or bitterness in it, but it was hard to miss the resignation.

Noticing his distress, England firmly patted the asian man on the shoulder with a sympathetic nod of understanding.

"Keep a stiff upper lip. There's a good chap." He said. "You can always try again in a few years when I've chased that Russian bastard away or when Alfred comes to his senses."

"Angleterre!" France snapped, clearly not impressed with England's comment.

England held his hands up in surrender, a smirk on his face. "I know. I know." He said with a chuckle as Canada rolled his eyes. "It was just a joke!"

"And here I thought we had agreed on something for once." China said playfully as he entered the lobby. "What a shame. I had thought we could have finally arranged a marriage for my little brother."

"Yes. Quite a shame." England agreed, only half joking as Japan shot China an exasperated side eye.

"Don't look at me like that." China huffed when he noticed Japan's expression. "None of this would have happened to you if you had just listened to me. But no!" He nagged, firmly using his hand to chop the top of Japan's head. "You just had to rebel! I swear, young people these days! No respect! Back in my day-!"

As Japan tried to swat China away as they started to bicker, Canada used the distraction to his advantage. Leaning over towards Italy and Germany, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at them.

"How come you two don't seem surprised about this whole situation with my brother's behavior?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Italy said cheerfully, though he did open one of his eyes and look up at Canada with a knowing smile. "I was very surprised."

"Sure you were." Canada hummed.

"I was sure surprised." Germany grumbled sarcastically, earning him a quick swat from Italy, which didn't go unmissed by Canada.

"You know we can't interfere while we're in the betting pool." Italy continued happily as though he hadn't done anything as Germany threw Italy a scandalized look.

"So…you didn't let slip some information that might make my brother act like a giddy idiot?"

"Nope!" Italy said cheerfully.

"I see." Canada said, finally piecing together what must have happened. "Well, that's good to hear."

Italy hummed in agreement as he closed his eye again. Noticing Switzerland eyeing them across the room, Italy added, "Well, we better get going! My brother is waiting to meet up with us."

"He is?" Germany asked, earning another swat from Italy.

"Si! He is." Italy said, grabbing Germany and dragging said nation towards the stairs. "We'll see you upstairs! Ciao!"

As soon as they were a few steps away, Canada watched Germany lean over to Italy and they quickly started arguing about something. Canada didn't have to guess what about as Germany kept making swatting motions at the protesting Italy.

Japan also took the opportunity to break away from China and chase after his friends. As they left, China let out a loud huff.

"Honestly, my wisdom is wasted on him." He griped. "What ever happened to common sense?"

"I have no idea." England said with a sigh, still eyeing Alfred with a conflicted frown.

Following England's gaze, China gave England a knowing nod. "I see you have a similar issue."

"It just had to be Russia." He grumbled and China shook his head in amusement.

"It is what it is, I suppose." He said with a shrug. "We can't stop them from getting hurt in the end. We can only try and guide them towards the best outcome. Even if that means waiting on the sidelines to catch them when they do eventually stumble."

England reluctantly hummed in agreement, although his expression softened slightly. "I suppose I can't argue with that."

"However, if you do get them to break up in the future-," China said with a playful smirk, "-perhaps we could work out an agreement?"

"You'll be the first to know." England agreed with his own smirk.

Shaking his head, Canada rolled his eyes as the older two nations continued to talk. He turned to make a comment to France, only to realize he must have wandered off somewhere when he wasn't looking.

Finding himself suddenly alone, Canada decided it was about time to meet up with his twin. After signing in with security, he pushed himself through the crowd, eventually making it over to the pair.

"Al!" He called out as he approached him.

"Mattie!" Alfred said excitedly, letting go of Ivan and pulling him into an excited hug. "You're late! I've been looking all over for you! Where have you been hiding?"

"France took awhile to get ready." Canada explained, slightly amused as his twin fussed over him.

Glancing over Ivan, he noticed the taller nation giving him a slightly wary look. He couldn't help but feel a little smug at that fact. Good. It seemed their little talk had worked as planned.

Alfred pulled away from the hug, pouting at his brother. "Not cool, bro. I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard tonight. I can't believe you were slacking like that."

"It's fine. You're clearly not full of holes." Canada joked.

"Lovely. Thanks for that image." Alfred said with a slight grimace. "Like I needed more reminders of my upcoming doom."

"You have not seen my sister's yet, have you?" Ivan asked. While he looked calm, Canada didn't miss the quick glance Ivan gave the entrance as he spoke. "My older sister said they are almost here."

"No. I only just got here, so I haven't had a chance to look for them." Canada said with a shrug.

"Mattie, I say this with all the love in the world. You're a terrible bodyguard and if I die I'm blaming you." Alfred said bluntly.

"'Love you too, Al." Canada said with an amused huff, playfully patting his brother on the shoulder. "I'm sure it will be fine."

Ivan shot him a worried look at his words.

"I would not-" He started to say, but before he could finish his sentence there was a sudden shift in the mood around them.

Tension filled the air as some of the nations suddenly exploded into a frenzy of nervous whispers near the entrance. As the whispering slowly grew louder, some of the nations backed away from the doorway, nervously glancing between it and the main couple.

Alfred and Ivan shared a quick glance as the crowd seemingly shrunk away from them, clearly trying to get away from something before it happened. They didn't have to wait long to figure out what as they heard a pair of heels clicking up the stairs.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Alfred muttered humorlessly as Belarus finally came into view with Ukraine right behind her.

Both women were dressed to the nines, but that was where the similarities ended between the two of them. While Ukraine's outfit was form fitting and her jewelry was carefully draped around her, Belarus's outfit was loose and easy to move in, and she wore minimal accessories. Ukraine's hair was clipped back, while Belarus's hair hung down freely. Ukraine wore heels while Belarus wore flats.

Alfred frowned slightly as he realized that Belarus had probably dressed up in an outfit that would give her an advantage in moving easily. While it could have been a personal preference of hers, he had a sneaking suspicion she had done that purposely. If that were true, that didn't bode well for him.

Surprisingly, Ukraine had a neutral expression on her face, and she clearly ignored the others as she kept an eye on her younger sister as they entered the lobby.

The same could not be said of Belarus's expression. While her older sister wore a look of calm, Belarus looked as though she were about to step out onto a battlefield. Her posture was tense and her eyes burned with a slow fury, as though she were daring anyone to stop her from progressing into the building.

No one did.

Belarus slowly scanned the room and finally, after long last, her gaze landed on Alfred. Ivan's shoulders tensed as her expression darkened when she noticed them together. Even so, as she glared at Alfred he also saw something almost like triumph slowly dancing in her eyes, though her expression never changed. He also noticed her hands reflectivity move over to where her pockets would be on her usual dress as she glared at him.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the realization. Growing nervous, he glanced down at Alfred. Strangely, he didn't look all that bothered by his sister trying to burn holes into him.

In fact, he didn't even flinch as he and Belarus made eye contact from across the room. They stared each other down for a moment, and the room seemed to hold its breath as they nervously waited to see what would happen next.

Surprisingly, it was Belarus who looked away first as she turned towards her sister and they started to speak to each other in hushed tones as they made their way towards the security checkpoint.

The crowd around them seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, and soon the room was buzzing with excited whispers again as Alfred allowed himself to relax slightly.

He paused when he felt Ivan lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. Looking up at the taller nation, he saw Ivan giving him a clearly concerned frown, but Alfred just smiled reassuringly up at him.

"It's fine. She can't do anything." Alfred muttered, low enough so only Ivan could hear him.

Ivan didn't look convinced. Not that Alfred blamed him. While he was playing cool, Alfred was admittedly a little unsure about confronting Belarus. While he wasn't really worried about being attacked, he was pretty sure she'd try to cause some sort of scene. The only thing that made him nervous was that he didn't know when or where she would try to set her traps.

"Do you want me to stay with you guys?" Canada asked, watching Belarus warily as he spoke.

"Nah. Three's a crowd." Alfred joked, making a shooing motion at his brother as he attempted to lighten the mood. "Give us some space would ya?"

"Al, I'm being-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. So am I." Alfred said.

Lowering his voice slightly so the other nations around them couldn't hear him, he added, "Don't go too far, but give us some room. If things go south you're our backup. I don't want her to see you as a threat."

Canada hesitated for another second, clearly not liking the idea.

"It's fine dude. I can see France nearby. Go do your ninja stuff." Alfred said, gently pushing his brother away towards the staircase.

"Ninja stuff?" Canada asked in amusement.

"Just go already." Alfred said as Belarus and her sister started to walk over towards them. "We'll see you in a minute."

Canada shot his brother a final concerned look, but reluctantly backed into the crowd and disappeared out of view.

"I find that power of his concerning." Ivan grumbled under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Ivan said, dismissing the topic as he nervously watched his sisters approaching.

Noticing Ivan's tense expression, Alfred leaned over towards him with a small comforting smile.

"It'll be okay. Seriously. After all, I have a back up plan that's a hundred percent foolproof."

"You do?" Ivan asked, looking slightly confused at Alfred's words. "You did not mention this before."

"Oh yeah, it's amazing." Alfred said, biting down on his lip slightly as he tried not to laugh. "It's never failed me."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"And what is the plan?"

"We go to Maine!"

Ivan stared down at Alfred blankly for a moment as Alfred tried desperately not to laugh.

Then, to Alfred's delight, Ivan had to turn away from him as he struggled to stop himself from bursting out into laughter as well.

"This is not the time for jokes." Ivan choked out, clearly struggling to keep himself composed.

"So you want to hide in corn instead? I don't mind, but I have to warn you it's super uncomfortable." Alfred asked, and Ivan jabbed him in the side as he desperately tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Stop! They are almost here!"

"But you're not nervous now." Alfred said with a grin.

Ivan shook his head in fond exasperation as his sister's finally arrived, his older sister throwing out her arms and smiling at them with a warm smile.

"America! Vanya! Look at you two! So handsome!" Ukraine said excitedly. Grabbing Alfred, she kissed him on both cheeks and after giving him a quick wink she did the same for Ivan.

"America." Belarus said very curtly, still scowling at him.

"Ukraine! Belarus. Glad you could make it." Alfred said pleasantly, though he made sure he was standing just out of Belarus's reach. "Both of you look lovely!"

Belarus's scowl deepened at the comment, but Ukraine beamed at the compliment.

"Don't we?" Ukraine said with a pleased smile, spinning so that they could see her whole dress. "We've been getting ready for hours now, so it's good to know it's been worth it."

"You are still not allowed to dance with anyone who asks you out." Ivan huffed.

"Oh, be quiet. I'll dance with anyone I like." She said, sticking her tounge out at Ivan, who smiled in response.

"That said, it looks like you have quite the crowd here." Ukraine said, eyeing the crowd around them, who were desperately pretending that they weren't listening to their every word. "I can't remember the last time one of your parties was this busy."

"I know right? There were a lot of last minute guests this year. I guess I have to thank France for that." Alfred joked.

"You should have him work with you on the next party if he can get so many people to attend." Ukraine said with a laugh. "I guess you have a few first time guests this year then?"

"I do. Including this one." Alfred said, gesturing to Ivan. "I bet it'll make the party more interesting this year."

"Indeed! Speaking of which!" Ukraine said, her eyes sparkling at Ivan. "Isn't this so exciting Vanya? This is the first time all three of us have been together like this in years!"

Grabbing Ivan's hands, she beamed up at him. "We're going to have so much fun! You must dance with us! You can not attend a party and not dance."

"Yes, you must." Belarus said, throwing Alfred a strangely smug look. "It's been so long since we have been together as a family. It would be a shame for us not to spend the evening together."

Alfred was confused as Belarus continued to smirk at him. What was she trying to pull?

"After all, it is not like you can spend the evening by yourself. You do not have a group to spend time with, so you should stay with us." She continued, clearly dismissing Alfred's presence as she gestured for Ivan to follow them further into the building.

Ah, so that was what she was up to. She was trying to separate them. As she spoke, Alfred kept his pleasant smile on his face even as he felt a flash of irritation at her words.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but he's not alone." He said, becoming uncharacteristically polite as his smile turned sharp. "He happens to be my plus one."

"That does not mean much. After all, you have guests to attend to, yes?" She said, her own smile turning cold. "You would not keep him down here while we have fun without him?"

"Banish the thought." Alfred said. "However, seeing as he's my date-" Alfred's smile turned into a smirk as Belarus's smile fell off her face, "-and he's already promised to spend the evening with me, it would be rather rude of him to leave me in the cold alone, yeah?"

The crowd of people around them started whispering excitedly, and Alfred was sure he heard someone whisper, "No fucking way!", from somewhere in the crowd.

Ivan nodded at Alfreds words, secretly feeling pleased at Alfreds declaration. However, he also shot Alfred a worried glance, but Alfred didn't see it as he and Belarus continued their stare off.

"Oh! You two are each other's dates?" Ukraine asked, looking over at her brother with an excited glint in her eyes. "I was not aware!"

"Neither was I." Belarus growled, forcing her eyes away from Alfred and glaring at her brother with a very unhappy scowl, causing him to shrink back slightly. "When did this happen?"

"A while ago." Alfred said, and to Ivan's horror Alfred stepped in front of him, blocking her view of her brother as he gestured towards the staircase. "Now, I would feel terrible if I kept you ladies out here for too long. Why don't you two go warm up and we'll join you once we're done out here?"

Belarus looked at Alfred as though she had just been slapped, but Alfred continued to smile politely at her.

As the crowd's murmuring became louder around them, her face turned pink from fury. However, she kept her composure as she forced herself to remain calm.

"I do not think that you should make that choice for him." She said through clenched teeth. "Perhaps you should let him decide what to do?"

"A great point!" Alfred said, clapping his hands together with a smirk. Turning to Ivan, he beamed up at him. "So, what do you wanna do Ivan?"

Belarus's expression darkened at Alfreds use of her brother's name, and she started to become even more agitated when Ivan hesitated from being put on the spot.

"Well?" She snapped at Ivan.

To her horror, Ivan shook his head at her, taking a step closer to Alfred, who absolutely glowed at the gesture.

"I have promised him the first dance. I cannot break that promise." He said apologetically, cringing slightly under her glare. Still, he held his ground as she gripped her purse tightly in her hands. "It would not be polite to leave now."

"I won't keep him all night." Alfred promised with a beaming smile, thrilled that Ivan had backed him up. "I promise you'll still get to have fun with him later."

"Wonderful! That way it works out for everyone." Ukraine said, glancing down at her sister with a nervous smile. "How does that sound, Natalia?"

"Fine." She spat. "I suppose in that case we will go first."

"We'll see you upstairs." Ukraine said, quickly grabbing her sister's arm and dragging her away.

"See you later." Alfred said, not even bothering to hide the smug smile on his face as they walked up the staircase, clearly pleased by the fact he had won this particular argument.

As she left, Belarus shot him one final glare, and if looks could kill Alfred was sure he'd be a nuclear explosion right about now.

As soon as the pair disappeared up the stairs Alfred felt Ivan's unimpressed gaze on the back of his head. Alfred tried to ignore it for a minute as the crowd, taking Alfred's words as a cue to also go upstairs, started to disperse now that the fun was over. It wasn't until all of the guests had left that Alfred let out a sigh, realizing he wasn't getting away with this one.

"Don't look at me like that." Alfred said, glancing back at Ivan, who still looked slightly upset.

"You are playing a dangerous game." Ivan said, clearly not impressed. "I thought we agreed not to antagonize her?"

"I'll admit, I might have been a little petty." Alfred admitted with a shrug.

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot. But she started it!"

"You deliberately put yourself in danger when you put yourself between me and her." Ivan said in a low, upset voice. "You all but left yourself completely open to an attack. Please do not do that again.

"But-"

"You promised me you would not put yourself in physical danger." Ivan reminded him, and Alfred felt slightly guilty when he saw the genuinely scared look on Ivan's face.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry." Alfred said with a sigh, and Ivan relaxed slightly at the remorseful look on Alfred's face. "I promise I won't do it on purpose again."

"Thank you. That said, I will admit it was not entirely your fault." Ivan conceded, glancing up the stairs with a conflicted grimace. "I did not expect her to be so forward with her hostility this early into the event."

"Well…she's not going to get any better." Alfred pointed out. "If holding on to each other's arms is enough to make her like that, imagine how she's going to behave when we actually dance."

Ivan hummed, reluctantly agreeing to Alfred's words.

"Well, what can you do?" Alfred said with a shrug. "We'll just have to avoid her for the rest of the night and hope our siblings do their part."

"You make it sound so simple." Ivan said, and he smiled slightly as Alfred grinned up at him.

"Sometimes it is. At the very least she won't try anything for the next few minutes. Not after getting humiliated like that."

"She will try again at least once." Ivan warned.

"Ivan, she's probably going to try and stab me for months after today. She doesn't like me, and I definitely didn't help by giving her lip just now. At the very least she'll try to humiliate me at least twice after this just so she feels better."

"If you knew that, why did you give her lip in the first place?" Ivan asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Alfred.

"In my defense, she was trying to take you away and I don't like to share." Alfred said with a huff.

Ivan paused at that. Suddenly, it clicked for him why Alfred had acted so strange.

"You were…jealous?" He asked slowly, hardly daring to believe it.

Alfred paused for a moment, clearly surprised by the question. He mulled the question over a moment, before he gave Ivan a sly smile.

"Maybe. I am a greedy capitalist after all. Once I see something I like-" He joked, playfully poking Ivan's chest, "-I'm not inclined to stop until I get it."

Ivan's face was practically scarlet by the time Alfred had finished talking.

"O-oh!" Ivan sputtered, his heart shaking slightly as Alfred continued to smile up at him. "I see…"

"Anyways, we can't stay down here forever." Alfred said, grabbing Ivan's hand and pulling him up the stairs with a strangely smug smirk.

"I suppose not. I do owe you a dance." Ivan said, desperately trying to get his heart to slow down.

"One?" Alfred asked, and Ivan saw a strange glint in the other nation's eyes as he turned around and grinned down at him. "If I remember right, you promised me the second and third dance as well."

"I did?"

Still smiling, Alfred leaned over to Ivan so they were practically nose to nose. As Ivan's eyes grew wide at the sudden closeness, Alfred whispered playfully, "Didn't I just say I don't like to share?"

Ivan was sure his heart had actually stopped beating in that second. He could only stare in complete unfiltered shock as Alfred eyes stared into his with a strange fire he had never seen before. It was almost like…like…

Ivan's brain seemed to break as his heart seemed to explode with a flurry of emotions. Joy, fear, denial, and hope spun in his heart like a tornado and he helplessly opened and closed his mouth as he failed to get his voice to work. It couldn't be true. It was too good to be true. He could never be this lucky. He wasn't allowed to be this happy.

Alfred, oblivious to Ivan's internal struggle and seemingly pleased with Ivan's reaction, gave him a quick wink.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Alfred asked with a giggle. Reaching over, he grabbed Ivans hand again. "Come on, Mattie is going to yell at us if we stay down here for much longer."

Too stunned to do anything, Ivan allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs as Alfred continued to chat about something he couldn't hear due to the pounding of his heart in his ears.

Ducking his head into his scarf, he hid the smile that was slowly growing on his face. While he wasn't sure if Alfred had been completely serious in his response, he knew that Alfred hadn't been completely joking. Which meant that there was a chance…

It took all of Ivan's self control not to sweep the other nation off his feet right then and there. While he wanted more than anything to confess right then and there, he was pretty sure Alfred would die from embarrassment if the rest of the world saw him being carried off. He was shy after all. Giggling at the thought, he decided to wait just a little bit longer as they finally entered the ballroom together.

He had waited this long. What was another hour?

A/N: Aw yas. We finally got that sweet, SWEET FLUFF. That's right, Alfred knows that Ivan loves him. Ivan is starting to realize what's about to happen. Belarus is finally within reach of her prey. The protection squad has mobilized. The gifts are ready to be given. The final bets are now set in stone! THE FINAL STAGE IS ALL PREPARED! THE SHOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HAS ALREADY STARTED!

Tune in next time to see the long awaited climax of the story!

P.S. Also, can we all just appreciate Italy for a moment. Dude is sick and tired of all this pining B.S. and he's actually doing something about it. Italy is the real M.V.P of this chapter. Italy deserves all the cookies.