Needless to say, Alfred's boss wasn't pleased with him.
"America, what did you do now?" His boss asked in exasperation. "I've only been the office for half an hour and I've already had hundreds of calls from different nations saying that you've lost your mind! Not to mention something about England attempting to stab Russia, and him actually punching France! Then I hear something about you not wanting to talk to Japan anymore! And what's this about you dating Russia?! I said to get along with the man, not woo him!"
"No one is wooing anyone, sir." Alfred said with a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He hadn't been home for two minutes before his boss had called him demanding answers. He was currently in his room, and Ivan and Mattie were in the living room picking out a movie to watch. "Well, unless you count Japan trying to flirt with me for the last couple of decades."
His boss didn't answer right away, but he thought he heard something like a sigh. "America…what is going on?" His boss asked, sounding as tired as Alfred felt. So Alfred explained what had been going on for the last week, but he was careful to leave out the part where they had talked to the head of the Russian mafia. It wasn't important, and he really didn't want to get chewed out anymore than he had to. Also, he left out the part about Ivan hugging him. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like it was better to keep that to himself for now. After he was done, his boss was quiet for a moment.
"Alright, we can work with this." He finally said. "I'll make a few phone calls, and try and do some damage control. But really, if I had known this was going to happen I wouldn't have made Russia room with you."
"Well, things were going alright before this happened." Alfred said with a shrug, and then realized that his boss couldn't see him.
"At least that's good. All these rumors haven't damaged your relationship with him any further, have they?" His boss asked worriedly.
"No sir." Alfred said quickly.
"Good. Okay, now what are we going to do about Japan and France?" His boss asked, suddenly getting serious.
"Sir?" Alfred asked in confusion, a frown growing on his face.
"Well, they spied on you and Russia, and started an international panic. We can't over look the fact that they spied on you two, and their actions led to fighting. Not only that, but they put your assignment at risk, and could have made you and Russia start fighting again. Punishments are in order, don't you think?"
Alfred didn't know what to say to that. Sure, he was incredibly pissed at France and Japan, but he didn't want to see them get in trouble back home. While they both deserved it, he knew that getting governments involved would complicate everything. "Sir, could I make a request?" He finally asked.
"I don't see why not." His boss said cautiously.
"I want to talk to both France and Japan before any action is taken." Alfred said. He swore he could hear his boss's eyebrow rise.
"What on earth for? Don't tell me you're going out to seek revenge."
"No, nothing like that." Alfred assured him. "I… just want to talk to them. As Alfred. Not America."
"Ah, I see." His boss's voice softening a little. "I suppose I can allow that."
"Plus, it's not like they were spying on me for national secrets or anything." Alfred said with a snort. "Most of the mess's they caused were for personal reasons, not political ones. I don't think the other governments should be involved if they don't have to be."
His boss sighed again. "I suppose you have a point. If that's what you want, I'll do my best to keep the peace. But if they cause you any more grief, I'm stepping in whether you like it or not."
"I appreciate it." Alfred said, his body slumping in relief.
"I have to go now. Call me if anything happens." And with that, his boss hung up. Alfred stared at his phone for a moment, then he closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, running a tired hand through his hair. While the call had gone well, he was still exhausted by the emotional toil of the day. He glanced at the bed, tempted to skip the movie and go straight to bed, but decided that a distraction would do him some good.
He made his way back towards the living room, and saw Ivan and Mattie arguing over the box of DVD's by the T.V.
"Look, I'm not saying the movie is bad." Canada said in exasperation. "I'm saying it's weird."
"It is not that weird." Ivan argued.
"She falls in love with a fish!"
"He is not a fish, he is an amphibian man!" Ivan tried to explain, but Canada didn't look convinced.
"So, he's a fish with extra steps." Ivan glared at Canada, but he just smirked back at him.
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Alfred asked in amusement, making his way to the couch and sitting in the middle seat.
"Russia wants me to watch a movie about a fish and a woman falling in love." Canada said with a huff.
"Oh, the shape of water?" Alfred asked. "Yeah, that movie was okay, but it was kind of weird."
"Thank you!" Canada said.
Ivan just scowled at them. "Both of you cannot appreciate art."
"Excuse me, you're looking at the movie king." Alfred said with a huff. "I know what good movies look like, thank you very much. But I also have eyes, and that movie was weird. And I don't want to watch anything sappy. I want to watch things blow up."
"Ah, so you want to watch a super hero movie." Canada said, giving his brother a knowing look.
"I want to watch something and not think too hard, yes." Alfred agreed.
"Which super hero are we watching then?" Canada asked, holding up a stack of movies. "And I swear to god, if you say Captain America I'm going to slap you."
"But he's cool!" Alfred said with a pout.
"Al, I love you, but I'm not watching Captain America anymore. Pick someone else or we're watching a fish make out with a human."
"Okay, okay, fine." Alfred grumbled, taking the stack of movies from his brother and looking through them. "What about Batman?"
"I don't like batman." Ivan said.
Alfred let out an offended gasp, and he clutched his chest. He pointed a finger at Ivan and shouted, "Blasphemy! How dare you! Get out of my house!"
"He is too sulky." Ivan said with a shrug.
"Too sulky? Brooding and being serious is his whole fucking character!"Alfred said in exasperation looking at his brother in disbelief.
"I prefer Adam West batman." Canada said with a chuckle.
"I'm surrounded by traitors." Alfred grumbled, throwing a DVD case at Ivan, who didn't even bother blocking it. "Well, what superhero's do you like?" He asked Ivan.
"I like Black Widow and the Winter soldier."
"You only like them because they're Russian or speak Russian." Alfred said in an accusing tone.
"You only like Captain America because he's American and sort of looks like you." Ivan pointed out.
"Okay, yeah, you have a point." Alfred admitted, a smile growing on his face. Canada sighed, seeing where this was going.
"Al…" Canada warned, narrowing his eyes at his brother, who's smile kept growing.
"So, I know a movie that has Black Widow and Captain America-"
"Oh my god." Canada groaned as America held up the movie in his hands. "No."
"Aw come on Mattie." Alfred said, giving his brother puppy eyes. "I've had a really shitty day, and I want to cheer myself up. Come on, I know you like the movie. Pleeeasseee?" Alfred asked, drawing out the please.
"I vote yes." Ivan said, bringing up his hand.
"Fine." Canada sighed, and Alfred let out a whoop and bounced over to the DVD player. "But after this, we're watching X-men."
"You only like Wolverine because he's Canadian!"
"Like you two can talk!"
After they had gotten everything set up and the popcorn was made, Alfred found himself enjoying himself. He hadn't thought that he would be in any sort of good mood after the meeting, but he found himself slowly relaxing and joking with the other two as the movie played. At some point, he had leaned against Ivan's side without thinking about it, and they were sharing a popcorn bowl because Alfred was too lazy to refill his own, much to his brother's amusement. Soon, Hero and Milashka were draped over their laps, purring happily away like small car engines.
At some point into the third movie, Canada had dozed off, and Alfred wasn't far behind. Ivan's body was really warm, and with Hero warming lap he was very comfy. As he was about to drop off, Ivan spoke up.
"Alfred?"
"Hmm?"
"I would like to thank you for standing up for me."
Alfred smiled a little. "No problem."
Ivan didn't say anything for a moment. Alfred had almost fallen asleep again when he spoke up again. "You didn't have too." Ivan said quietly. "I would not have minded if you had called me a commie so the others would not think you to be crazy."
"Don't be stupid. You're my friend now." Alfred said warmly, surprising Ivan. "And I don't call my friends commies."
Ivan didn't reply, but adjusted himself so Alfred was more comfortable. As he drifted off, Alfred guessed that was his way of saying thanks.
*THENEXTDAY*
Alfred woke up slowly, not exactly sure where he was for a second. Opening his eyes, he squinted at the TV., which was still had the movie menu playing. Ah, so he had fallen asleep on the couch. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around. On his left, Mattie was snoring away still, Hero sleeping under his chin. Milashka was curled up on his legs. Alfred let out an amused chuckle at how silly his brother looked. Glancing over to his right, he saw he was still leaning against Ivan, whose head was resting on top of his. Alfred couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene. If someone had told him a few weeks ago he and Ivan would be hanging out like this, he would have called that person insane.
It was nice to have another friend. He didn't have many of them. Then his mood soured as his mind jumped to Japan. His, (former?), best friend. Sighing, he closed his eyes again. He really didn't want to think about him right now. But at the same time, he knew he had to address the problem sooner rather than later. He sat there for a minute, debating if he should get up or go back to sleep, but the caffeine headache eventually got him to poke Ivan's shoulder.
"Hey, get off of me. I need coffee." Alfred said.
Ivan groaned, and opened one eye and gave Alfred an unimpressed look. "No." Then he closed his eye again.
"Come on dude." Alfred whined, swatting at the taller nations arm. "I need to get up. I'm getting a headache."
"That is what you get for depending on caffeine." Ivan said, refusing to budge.
"Mattie, get up and help me." Alfred said, smacking his brother's leg. Canada jerked awake, and in surprise Hero jumped, head butting Canada's chin.
"Wha-?" Canada said in confusion, looking down at Hero, who started to meow loudly. He started pawing Canada's face.
"Oh good. You're up." Alfred said with a smirk. "Would you mind either helping me get Ivan off me or bringing me a cup of coffee?"
"You're an ass, you know that Al?" Canada grumbled, running his hand down his face.
"I'm serious. I need coffee." Alfred said.
"Russia, get off my brother." Canada said in a flat voice.
"But I am comfy." Ivan grumbled. Then with a smirk, he pushed Alfred onto the floor. Alfred let out a squawk as he hit the floor. "There, you are now free to get your coffee." He said with a chuckle. Canada laughed as Alfred glared at both of them.
"You're both evil. Absolutely evil." He muttered as he got up and stretched. He stumbled into the kitchen and started up the coffee machine. Hero ran in after him, and after he bit Alfred's feet a few times, Alfred fed him and Milashka, who had wandered in after Hero. After a few minutes, Canada and Ivan wandered into the kitchen, yawning and stretching.
"I want pancakes." Alfred said. "And this time, I don't want them to be full of deceit."
"Fine." Canada grumbled, going through his fridge and pulling out a juice carton.
Alfred beamed at his brother, who just rolled his eyes and ruffled his brother's hair. "I swear Al, you could take down army's with that smile."
"I'm adorable." Alfred agreed, sticking his tongue out at him playfully.
"Uh-huh." Canada said, pulling out pans. "So, what are you two going to do today?"
"I am not sure." Ivan admitted, taking a seat at the table. His hair was sticking up in places. "But it may not be wise for us to go out so soon. The others are still looking for us after all."
Alfred frowned in irritation and shook his head. "Nope. I'm not hiding in my house for the next month. If they want to find us, let them. We'll just keep dodging them until we lose them or they lose interest."
"Al, if you do go out, you might run into…"
"I know." Alfred said, not looking up from his coffee. "But I'm not sitting around and waiting either."
Canada sighed, but he let the subject drop.
"So, any ideas about where you want to go today?" Alfred asked Ivan.
Ivan glanced out the window, and saw that it was snowing. He hummed, thinking for a moment, and then he looked back at Alfred. "I want to go back to central park."
Alfred perked up at the suggestion. "Hey, that's a good idea! I can practice my ice skating."
"Oh yeah, Russia told me you learned to skate." Canada said, pausing his cooking for a second.
Alfred's smile lit up the room. Ivan liked it. He didn't see much of his smiles before, as before they hadn't liked each other. "Mattie, it was so fun! I fell down a few times, but Ivan was a really good teacher and he-" As he spoke, Canada finished the breakfast and they sat down to eat. After an hour, they all got showered and dressed, and then Canada said that he had to leave.
"Don't go." Alfred whined, but Canada just chuckled at his brother's disappointment. "Al, I'll be back in a few days, ok? I'm just worried about France. No one's seen him since yesterday and I have to make sure England hasn't killed him yet."
"You should leave him to be buried in the snow." Ivan growled from the kitchen table, where he was reading the newspaper.
Canada just shook his head in amusement, and after giving his brother one last hug, he left. Alfred pouted at the door from the couch.
"You look like a dog whose master has left for work." Ivan joked.
"We never spend enough time together." Alfred complained.
Ivan just shook his head in amusement.
"So, what's going on in the world?" Alfred asked curiously, looking at Ivan's newspaper in interest.
"Nothing of any importance." Ivan said with a shrug. "Petty theft and muggings seem to be a problem lately."
"Yeah, I heard about that the other day." Alfred said with a small frown. "Well, it is the city." He said with a shrug. "It goes up and down."
Ivan hummed in agreement, looking up at the clock. "Shall we get going? We do not want to be outside while it is dark outside."
"Why? Scared that you'll be robbed?" Alfred asked with a grin.
Ivan snorted. "They would not have the courage to approach me."
"Too true." Alfred said with a laugh.
They got ready to go out, Ivan in his usual coat, scarf, and coat. Alfred had his heaviest coat on, as well as earmuffs, scarf, gloves, and hat. Ivan just shook his head.
"What?" Alfred asked as they walked down to the lobby.
"How are you so affected by the cold?" Ivan asked curiously. "You have many states that are up north, as well as some that are farther north that parts of Canada. Not to mention Alaska."
Alfred shrugged. "I've never been able to stand the cold for too long. I guess Canada hogged that ability when we were born."
"Were you born at the same time?" Ivan asked.
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea." Alfred said with a small frown. "I actually didn't meet him until I was living with England. For all I know, we could have been born at the same time, or one of us is older by a few years. My theory is because he takes up the whole northern part of North America, he got the cold resistance, while I turn into a Popsicle every winter."
Ivan snorted with laughter as they walked into the lobby. Out of habit, Ivan looked over to the front desk, and saw Greg looking tired and drinking a giant cup of coffee.
"Hey Greg!" Alfred said happily, waving at the tired man. Greg jumped slightly, then relaxed when he saw who was talking to him.
"Alfred." He said, trying and failing to cover a long yawn.
"Rough night?" Alfred asked sympathetically.
"Had a project I couldn't put off." Greg grumbled. "I've been up all night overseeing it. Where are you two heading?"
"Just heading out to the park." Alfred said with a shrug. Greg seemed to relax at the news, which made Ivan frown.
"Well, don't stay out for too long." Greg said happily. "I heard a bad snow storm is going to hit tonight."
"Will do." Alfred said with a final wave, and they stepped out into the snow fall. It had lightened up since that morning, and the snowflakes were falling lazily around them. Alfred looked up to admire them, and Ivan felt himself doing the same. He didn't often admire the snow. Those days had long since passed. But even he had to admit that by themselves, snowflakes were rather pretty.
They made small talk as they walked to the park. Alfred would point out a few stores that he liked, and suggested that they go into some of them after they left the park. Ivan asked Alfred about the history of the city, and Alfred excitably told him about everything they passed. There weren't as many people out today, so they took their time getting to the park.
When they reached the park, Ivan saw that the ground was covered in about a foot of snow off the paths. Alfred noticed this as well, and with a large grin, he ran off the path and into the snow.
"We're going to build a snowman." Alfred said happily.
"Really?" Ivan asked in amusement, not following Alfred into the snow.
"Come on." Alfred huffed, gesturing to all of the untouched snow around him. "Are you telling me that you see all this perfectly good snow, and you don't think about building a snowman?"
"No." Ivan said. Alfred puffed out his cheeks in irritation, and then he marched over and grabbed Ivan's arm and dragged him into the snow with him. "Come on, Mr. Boring. I'm going to teach you to have some fun." Ivan just laughed in response.
It didn't take them very long to make it, seeing as there was plenty of snow. They built it so it was tall as Ivan, and Alfred was able to find some sticks under the snow near some trees, but Ivan realized they had a problem. "We have nothing to make a face with." Ivan said with a frown.
"Don't worry about that." Alfred said, pulling out a few bottle caps from his pocket.
"Why do you have those?" Ivan asked.
"For snow man emergencies." Alfred said, giving Ivan a serious look.
"Snow man Emergencies." Ivan said, giving the shorter nation a look that was a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"You never know when you'll have to build one." Alfred said with a nod, turning around and putting them on the snowman.
"If you are so prepared, why not carry coal?" Ivan asked with a snort of laughter.
"Who the hell has coal just lying around?" Alfred shot back. "This is the twenty first century Grandpa."
"Are you calling me old?" Ivan asked, and Alfred looked back at him and gave him a shit eating grin. "Why, I would never. At most, I'd call you middle aged."
Ivan glared at Alfred, who burst out laughing. When he turned around to work on the face again, Ivan looked down at the snow covered ground.. Then with a smirk, he grabbed a handful of snow, and made a snowball. Walking casually up to Alfred, he stuffed the snowball down the back of Alfred's coat. Alfred shrieked as the cold ice fell down his back, and he turned around and glared at Ivan.
"That was cold man." He said with a pout.
"As cold as my shriveled heart." Ivan quipped back with a smile.
For his trouble, he got a snowball thrown in his face. This started an hour long snow ball fight. They had built their forts in less than five minutes, and were ducking, weaving, and laughing with large smiles on their faces. At one point, Alfred and Ivan started to throw larger and larger snowballs, until they were as big as their heads. Unfortunately, the snowman became a casualty in their battle when Ivan accidently knocked his head off. Alfred swore to avenge him and threw a snowball so large it destroyed Ivan's fort. Their battle had almost turned into an all out war, but they stopped when Alfred tripped and fell into a snow bank, and his whole body was swallowed up in the snow. Due to how heavy his jacket was, he couldn't get up, so Ivan was declared the winner by default.
"Have a good trip?" Ivan asked as he helped Alfred up. His cheeks were red from the cold, his glasses were tilted and a little fogged up, and he was shivering slightly and he had snow all over him, especially in his hair and eyelashes. But he was all smiles.
"Yep." He said cheerfully, and then with a smirk, he grabbed Ivan and dragged him back onto the ground with him, making Ivan face plant into the snow bank as well. "I hope you enjoyed yours."
Ivan chuckled as he lifted his head up off the ground and saw Alfred grinning over him. "I take this is revenge for this morning."
"Yep." Alfred said. Then with a happy sigh, down next to Ivan and looked up at the sky again. Ivan didn't know why Alfred would want to sit in the snow, but he got up so he was sitting next to him. The snow was starting to fall faster now.
"Why do you keep looking up at the sky?" Ivan asked curiously.
"Because I like watching the snow fall." Alfred said with a shrug.
"Would you not get bored after awhile?"
"Bored?" Alfred asked, sounding like Ivan's question was the silliest thing he ever heard. "Never."
"But why?" Ivan asked with a frown.
"Because it's pretty." Alfred said with a soft smile.
Ivan looked up again, and saw the flakes dancing in the wind around them. A few landed on his eyelashes, and he blinked them away. "But you do not like cold things."
"I don't being cold." Alfred corrected him. "But I do like cold things. I love snow. I love ice cream. I like ice. I like ice skating. And I actually do like winter, because if you think about it, it's really the warmest season."
Ivan gave Alfred a confused look. "The warmest season?"
Alfred chuckled. "You know, because the warmest things come out in winter."
Ivan tilted his head in confusion.
"Heated blankets. Warm drinks. Hot chocolate." Alfred explained, his smile growing larger with each word. "Warm meals that fill you up. A warm cat that sleeps in your lap. Holidays that celebrate giving to others, new beginnings, and love. Fire places that when set alight warm a whole room. Tree's that you decorate so they look alive. Not to mention that some of the warmest clothing is worn this time of year. So yeah, it's the warmest season."
Ivan threw his head back and laughed. "That is a very interesting way to look at it." He admitted.
"Maybe that's why you're so warm." Alfred said with a grin.
"Me?" Ivan asked in surprise.
"Dude, you're practically a toaster a times." Alfred said.
"I was not aware I was a warm person." Ivan said with a snort of laughter.
"Dude, last night you were almost as warm as Hero was on my lap."
"Most people call me cold." Ivan said with a slight frown.
"Have they ever gotten a hug from you before?"
"No…"
"Well, screw them." Alfred said with a wink. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. We have to keep your scary reputation up after all."
"I appreciate that." Ivan said with a huff, getting up out of the snow. Looking down, he saw Alfred was shivering pretty badly. He helped the shorter nation up.
"We should go and get something warm to drink." Ivan suggested.
"Dude, that's an awesome idea." Alfred said, wrapping his arms around himself as he shivered again. "There's a coffee shop near here. It shouldn't be too busy."
They made their way to a small café near the park, and as soon as they walked in Alfred sighed in relief as the warm air washed over him. Ivan brushed the snow off his shoulders and they ordered their drinks. Alfred had ordered a large hot chocolate and Ivan ordered some tea. They had just sat down in when the door opened again. They didn't pay any attention to it, until they heard someone clearing their throat above them. Looking up, Alfred almost choked on his drink when he saw Sweden looming over him with his usual glare.
"Dude, you got to quit sneaking up on people!" Alfred coughed, trying to clear his throat. He heard a laugh, and saw Finland walk out from behind Sweden, shaking his head.
"I told you to say something." Finland said to Sweden.
"Sorry."Sweden mumbled, looking embarrassed.
"Alfred, how are you doing?" Finland asked happily, reaching over and pinching Alfred's cheek playfully. "I see you're all pink from the cold."
"My cheeks are pink because you won't stop pinching them." Alfred whined.
"But they're so squishy, I can't help myself." Finland said with a chuckle. "We aren't intrupting, are we?"
"Not at all." Ivan said, eyeing the couple warily. He didn't like the look Sweden was giving him.
"Why don't you sit down with us?" Alfred asked, gesturing to the chairs next to them.
"Thank you." Finland said happily, and they sat down. Sweden was sitting next to Alfred, and Finland sat next to Russia.
"So, how are you two doing?" Finland asked casually, giving Alfred a soft look. "You both had a hard time at the meeting yesterday after all."
"As well as I could be." Alfred said with an uncomfortable shrug.
"Fine." Ivan said, and he saw Sweden's eyes glance at him in disapproval. He had no idea what his problem was, so he chose to ignore him.
"Alfred." Finland said with a sigh, putting down the drink he was holding. He looked at Alfred with a comforting look. "I'm really happy for you."
"What?" Alfred asked, thrown off.
"While I was shocked at first, I know that you didn't want to announce you were dating Russia just yet, and that France put you two into a tight spot. But you don't have to hide it anymore."
Alfred stared at Finland with his mouth open, and Ivan was sure his face must have looked similar because Finland started to laugh.
"Of course, I was surprised to see you and Japan had broken up-" Alfred made a choking noise, and Finland took his hand and patted it sympathetically. Ivan suddenly had a sneaking suspicion about why Sweden was glaring at him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up." Finland said quickly. "It must have hurt you so much when you found out Japan was following you."
"Yeah."Alfred agreed, not sure what else to say. When the hell did that rumor start!?
"Of course, I'm happy for you as well Russia." Finland said, coolly looking over at Ivan, and Ivan had a sudden urge to sink under the table. "Ah, well-" Ivan started to say, but Finland quickly cut him off. "I hope," he said, still giving Ivan that same cool look, "that you aren't giving Alfred any trouble?"
"I am not." Ivan said honestly.
Finland hummed to himself, his gaze searching for something, before he nodded once and looked back at Alfred with that sympathetic look again.
"Finland, I think-" Alfred said, trying to explain to Finland that he wasn't dating anyone, but Finland cut him off before he could say anything else.
"I'm actually glad I ran into you. England's hasn't been acting right since the meeting." He said with a sigh, letting Alfred's hand go and leaning back into his chair. "He's refusing to talk to anyone, and has locked himself in his hotel."
"He wouldn't let Canada in." Sweden said.
"That's because Canada yelled at him. He's just sulking." Alfred said with a sigh. "But really, what did he expect, running into the meeting like that while he was sick? Did he think that he was going to be my white knight or something?"
"I'm worried about him." Finland said. "I doubt he's taking care of himself, and I don't want him to hurt himself. Would you mind talking to him?"
Alfred scowled. "I'll think about it, but I don't want to talk to him right now. If he admits that he was wrong, I'll go over and talk to him, but not before that."
"I guess that's the best we can ask for." Finland said with a sigh.
"Japan is also acting strange." Sweden added, and Ivan swore he saw a flash of anger in Sweden's eyes directed at him. "No one knows where he went."
"What?" Ivan asked sharply, looking over at Sweden. Sweden just looked at him coldly. "We thought Russia might know where he went."
"And why," Ivan asked, starting to get pissed off at Sweden's accusation, "would I want to know where Japan is?"
"Maybe you decided to deal with him yourself." Sweden said.
"Berwald!" Finland said sharply. Sweden flinched, but he didn't say anything. "That's enough."
"Ivan couldn't have done anything to Japan." Alfred said quickly, seeing that Ivan was getting angry. "He's been with me since yesterday. And anyways, I've never dated Japan!"
Finland and Sweden stared at Alfred. "You've never dated him?" Finland asked, looking shocked.
"I didn't even know he liked me like that until yesterday." Alfred admitted, his shoulders slumping. "Ivan explained to me why Japan was following me yesterday. It was…shocking to say the least."
Finland sighed, and patted America on the arm sadly. "I have to say, that was the worst time to find out about something like that. But you were so close! I thought for sure something was happening between you two."
"He should have said something." Sweden muttered under his breath. Finland and Alfred didn't hear him, but Ivan did, and he threw Sweden an annoyed look.
"No, he was just my best friend." Alfred sighed. "Now I don't know what we are."
Finland sighed, and turned to look at Ivan. "How are your sisters's taking the news?"
"Ukraine is taking it well, but Belarus was not happy." Ivan said with a pained look. "Ukraine is, how should we say, on guard duty until I can get back home to deal with her."
"Is that why they weren't at the meeting?" Finland asked with a wince.
"I didn't think letting my younger sister near Alfred was a great idea." Ivan admitted.
"How long has Japan been missing?" Alfred asked worriedly.
"He was last seen leaving his hotel with his things yesterday. I think China was yelling at him as he was leaving, but he won't tell anyone what they were arguing about."
"So, he's running away." Ivan snorted.
"It looks that way." Finland said with a nod.
"What, you mean he's gone home?!" Alfred asked in disbelief. "He's just given up and left the fucking country?!"
"Alfred." Sweden said sadly, but Alfred stood up suddenly, anger dancing behind his eyes. His hands were balled up into fists, and he was shaking with rage.
"No. He doesn't get to run away." Alfred spat. He stormed towards the door, and Ivan stood up to follow him, but Alfred put up a hand to stop him. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm just going to try and call him." Alfred explained. "I'm just stepping outside."
Ivan nodded, and Alfred left the store, slamming the door behind him. Ivan sighed, and he slowly sat back down, running a hand down his face tiredly. Finland sighed, and stood up as well. "I think it's best if we left."
"I think that would be for the best." Ivan agreed.
"I'm sorry if we ruined your day." Sweden muttered as he stood up.
"It's not you who has ruined anything." Ivan said with a scowl. "When I get my hands on France, he will wish he was never born."
"And Japan?" Sweden asked curiously.
"That is not for me to decide." Ivan said, his eyes wandering to the door.
Finland shook his head. "Take care of him. We'll be watching out for him. You do anything to hurt him, and we'll be one of the first ones to protect him."
"We'll be keeping an eye on you." Sweden warned, and with that, they left the store. Ivan sat in shock for a second, before he let out a groan, and slammed his head down on the table. With everything that had gone on, they had forgotten to tell them they weren't dating. Damn it. He needed something stronger than tea to deal with this.
*OUTSIDETHESTORE*
Alfred stormed into the alleyway next to the store, and pulled out his phone. He angrily dialed Japan's number and tapped his foot impatiently, glaring at the stone wall in front of him. He couldn't believe it! Japan wasn't someone who ran away! He wasn't a fucking coward! He wouldn't run away. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Because that would be the same as giving up on their friendship.
The more the phone rang, the angrier and nervous Alfred became. Finally, the voice went to voice mail.
"We're sorry, the person you are trying to call can't come to the phone right now." The happy robot voice said. So he tried again.
"We're sorry, the person you are trying to call-"
And again.
"We're sorry, the person-"
"We're sorry-"
"We're sorry-"
We're sorry-"
And again. And again. And again. Until finally, he got a different answer.
"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later."
Alfred stared down at the phone is disbelief. Did that bastard really just turn off his fucking phone?! Then he got a small ping on his phone. Japan's message came up. He opened it quickly, and felt his heart stop.
"Please stop trying to contact me. I'm sorry. Goodbye."
Alfred stared at the message for a moment. He felt his mind go blank. His stomach twisted painfully, and it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He let his phone drop into the snow, and he suddenly realized how cold he was. He had left his coat in the café. That was kind of stupid. He suddenly laughed at the thought, his eyes getting foggy for some reason. Maybe the cold was fogging them up. He stumbled back against the wall, and took them off and started to try and clean them. But the longer he tried to wipe them, the blurrier they became much to his frustration. Finally, a sob escaped him and he slid down the wall, putting his head onto his knees. And then he cried. He cried because he was angry. He cried because he was frustrated. He cried because he just lost his best friend.
He sat there for a few minutes, just quietly crying, until he heard footsteps approaching him. He didn't bother to look up. He knew who it was. He heard a quiet sigh, and felt his jacket being draped gently his shoulders. He heard him sitting next to him, and then he was gently pulled into a hug, and he started sobbing again.
"He was a bigger fool than I realized." Ivan said with a sigh.
"I don't understand." Alfred sobbed, clinging onto Ivan's jacket. "Why couldn't he just tell me!?"
"He was an idiot in love." Ivan said, looking down at Alfred with pity. "And now he's just an idiot."
"I hate love. I hate it so much."Alfred spat, burying his face in Ivan's coat.
"Don't say that." Ivan said quietly, running a hand through Alfred's hair, brushing the snow off as he did so. "If you go down that road, you might never come back. I have been down that road, and I will tell you that it hurts far more than anything else in the world. Loneliness is colder than any blizzard or wind. It will tear you apart from the inside, and leave with you nothing. And you still have people who truly love you. What about your brother? What about England, in his strange way? What about Finland and Sweden, who just threatened me with the promise of violence if I tried to hurt you?"
Alfred didn't say anything for a moment, and then he let out a weak chuckle. "No way, they threatened you?"
"If looks could kill, Sweden would have reduced me to ashes." Ivan confirmed with his own chuckle. "I believe this is the third shovel talk I have received, seeing as England threatened me with a sword, and your brother threatened to behead me."
"Can't wait for mine." Alfred joked, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Maybe from my older sister, but I think you can skip Belarus." Ivan teased. Alfred laughed and relaxed a bit, but Ivan could feel him violently shivering so he decided it was time for them to get up. He gently helped Alfred up, and after Alfred put his coat and hat on properly again, Ivan pushed him towards the street, and hailed a cab. "I'm sorry I keep crying on you." Alfred said with an embarrassed cough as the cab pulled up.
"Think nothing of it." Ivan said with a smirk. "What is the use of having friends if you cannot cry on them sometimes?" Alfred's only reply was to laugh.
The ride back to the apartment building was quiet, only the sound of Alfred sniffing once and awhile breaking the silence. Ivan was looking out the window, trying to suppress his anger. But he was more than angry, he was feeling murderous. How dare Japan treat Alfred like that?! Ivan would have killed to have friends at one point in his life, and now that Alfred was actually his friend he would never abandon him like that. Did he truly not care for Alfred as a friend, even after all this time? What the hell was the point of loving Alfred if he didn't even value the friendship they had first?
When they pulled up to the apartments, Alfred went straight towards the doors, but Ivan didn't follow him. Confused, Alfred looked back at Ivan, who waved him ahead. "I have to make a phone call." Ivan explained.
"Don't be too long." Alfred said with a shrug, and he walked inside. Ivan sighed, and pulled out his phone. He had a call to make.
*CHINA'SHOTELROOM*
"THAT GODDAMNED IDIOT!" China shouted, hanging up his phone and pulling at his hair. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"
*SOMEWHEREINNEWYORK*
"So," Lebedev said with a frown, cigarette held lazily in his hands, looking at the nervous lackey in front of him. "Boris said that that woman came to visit?"
"Yes boss." The lackey said.
"What did she want? She got a hit for us?"
The lackey hesitated for a moment. "In a way, boss. She wants us to follow her brother and his friend."
That got Lebedev's attention. "Friend?"
"She said his name was Alfred Johns." The lackey said, pulling out a photo and putting it on his desk. Lebedev picked up the photo and he started laughing. "Well, looks like this going to be an interesting case." He said with a dangerous smile.
"Boss?"
"You remember that kid I had the guys look up on the other day? You know, the home designer? The one that came up clean?"
"Yeah, what about him?" The lackey asked with a frown.
Lebedev turned the photo around. It was of Alfred and Ivan arguing in what looked like an empty meeting room. "That's the same kid. And he had the balls and the nerve to lie directly to my face. Do what the lady wants and keep an eye on them. I want to see where this goes."
"Yes boss." The lackey said, and he left the office. Lebedev took a drag from his cig, and stared down at the photo. "I wonder what they'll find." He wondered out loud, a dangerous gleam in his eye. "Whatever it is, I hope it's fun."
A/N: Wooo, it's done! And I made more plot points. Damn it. Japan, Japan, Japan… I swear I didn't mean for him to become a punching bag in this story. Honestly, I keep kicking him when he's down and I'm starting to feel bad for him. I need to throw a bone to the poor dude. Belarus is up to something. And at this point, the story is going to take up to one hundred chapters before I'm done with it. I'm having fun though! :D (I'm also very tired. It's 2am.) France will return soon. I'm going to give him hell before he redeems himself. But redeem himself he will. England will come back soon as well.