When Ivan finally made it back up to the apartment, he found Alfred sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. Surprisingly, Milashka was lying on his lap, and Alfred was softly rubbing his ears. Alfred didn't even bother acknowledging Ivan, too lost in thought to notice him. Ivan studied the younger nation for a moment. While he wasn't crying anymore, his eyes were still a little puffy, and he looked like he was about to break down again at any second. Sighing, Ivan made his way into the kitchen and turned on the kettle and pulled out a pair of mugs, a bottle of Vodka, and a bag of mini marshmallows. Desperate times called for desperate measures. A few minutes later, he walked out of the kitchen with two mugs of hot chocolate and when he reached Alfred, he gently bumped Alfred's head with one of the mugs to get his attention.
Alfred blinked and looking over, he gave Ivan a look of thanks as he took one of the mugs. He didn't drink it right away, but held the mug, letting the heat warm up his hands. Ivan carefully sat down next to him, and took a small sip of his own drink. "What are you thinking about?" Ivan asked.
Alfred shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really. Just stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Stuff." Alfred confirmed.
"What kind of stuff?"
Alfred didn't reply for a moment, taking a sip of his drink. Ivan didn't press him, letting Alfred choose his words. Alfred's face scrunched up in confusion and he glanced down at his drink, and then at Ivan. "Did you spike my drink?" Alfred asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I did." Ivan confirmed, nodding towards the kitchen. "Forgive me, but I thought it appropriate. I could make you a regular drink if you prefer."
"No way." Alfred said, pulling his mug towards his body possessively. "After this shit storm of a week I deserve this." Then he frowned. "Wait, where the hell did you get that alcohol from?! I don't have any."
"I brought it with me. Do you think that I would willingly live without Vodka for a month?" Ivan scoffed.
"Ah, of course. I should have known." Alfred said with a small chuckle. "But peppermint flavored?"
"What can I say? I was in a festive mood when I bought it." Ivan said with a shrug. "So, stuff?"
Alfred sighed, and took another sip of his drink. "Yeah. Like how my life has turned upside down. Like, I literally have no idea how so much shit has happened in just a week, but here we are."
"Here we are." Ivan agreed.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Alfred continuing to gently pet Milashka, who was quietly purring. Ivan drank his drink slowly, not sure if he should try and comfort Alfred or let him work through his hurt himself. While he wanted to say something, he didn't know what else to say to him. After all, he had never had a best friend, so he couldn't relate to the losing one.
"Did you know," Alfred asked suddenly, bringing Ivan out of his own thoughts, "that I don't have many close friends?"
"What?" Ivan asked in confusion. "But I thought you get along with most of the world?"
Alfred shook his head with a sad smile. "I have good relations with a lot of nations as America." He corrected. "But when it comes to Alfred, I don't have more than a handful of people who would actually call me their friend."
"Isn't being friendly with other nations the same as having friends?" Ivan asked with a frown, and Alfred shook his head.
"Nah, that's not how that works. For example, look at how I get along with Germany compared to Ki-, I mean Japan or Italy." Alfred said, a slightly pained look crossing his face as he corrected himself. "While Germany and I can work together well, we don't hang out outside of meetings or work. Germany wouldn't drop everything and rush over if I called him like he would for Italy. My brother would do that, but Germany wouldn't."
"So who are your friends?" Ivan asked, something in him growing concerned.
"There's my brother, France, Lithuania, England if he's in a good mood, Japan until a little while ago, and now you." Alfred admitted sadly. "And three of those people are my own family."
"You consider France family?" Ivan asked in surprise.
"Of course." Alfred said, his mouth twitching upwards. "He did have colonies too you know. I mean, he has stronger ties with Mattie of course, but he's kind of like my perverted Uncle who visits me every once in awhile because I'm still his nephew and he'll be damned if I don't know how to cook."
"Does that make Finland and Sweden family as well?"
"They're kind of like distant relatives if I'm being honest." Alfred said with a shrug. "It's kind of like those relatives who go on and on about how they knew you when you were a baby, but you don't see them more than once or twice a year. I still like them of course, but it's not the same as my relationship with England."
"But you look so much like Finland." Ivan said, and Alfred shook his head in exasperation.
"Why does everyone say that?!" He asked. "I don't see it!"
Ivan gave him an unimpressed look. "You both are blonde, you both smile too much, you both have an obsession about Christmas. Not to mention that you are tall like Sweden and when you actually get serious you can be as intimidating as him. You are practically the love child of Finland and Sweden!"
"Ewww, don't say that!" Alfred said, looking disgusted. "I don't need those mental images!"
"You need to take a DNA test." Ivan grumbled. "You had so many nations colonize you, no one knows for sure who you are related to."
"No thanks." Alfred said with a grimace. "If Spain finds out he's related to me he's going to start yelling at me about my poor Spanish again. He already does that with Mexico and a lot of the Latin American countries. Wait, we aren't related, are we?" Alfred asked, squinting at Ivan, who laughed.
"I highly doubt it. I was not a founding nation for you. And you were already grown when I sold you Alaska, so I doubt we have any relation of any kind."
"Oh thank god." Alfred muttered. "It would be so weird if we were actually related in any way. I mean, because we were trying to kill each other for so long."
"Indeed, it would." Ivan agreed. After a moment, he looked over at Alfred with a frown. "I honestly thought you would have more friends."
Alfred frowned into his half empty cup. "Yeah, everyone thinks that. But like I said, they're usually only my allies, which they think is good enough for friendship."
"You do not agree?"
"No. A friend is someone who takes time to know you, and doesn't call you stupid, fat, obnoxious, loud, or an asshole."
Ivan grimaced, glancing away from Alfred looking embarrassed. "Ah, I see."
"Dude, you don't count." Alfred said with a small smile, throwing Ivan a sympathetic look. "We're working on that, aren't we? That's more than I can say for some of the other nations."
"We are." Ivan agreed, looking a little relived. Then he frowned. "Wait a moment…"
"What?"
"You said that you only have a handful of people who you consider good friends." Ivan said slowly, his frown growing deeper as he thought.
"Uh, yeah. Thought I made that pretty clear." Alfred said, unsure about where Ivan was taking the conversation.
"Then why do you throw a Christmas party every year?"
Alfred was thrown by the question for a moment. "I-" Alfred started to say, but then he stopped, looking lost. He frowned, hesitating, considering the question for a moment. "Why wouldn't I throw a party?" He finally asked.
Ivan tilted his head curiously at him. "Why would you spend time with people you do not consider friends each year? Why spend your time and money for people who insult you or just use you for your money and power? Why give gifts to people who do not even consider giving you one? Would it not be better for you to not throw the party and spend that time with the people you like?"
Alfred looked away from Ivan as he spoke, suddenly looking tired and drained. For a moment, Ivan saw the years on Alfred's face. "I guess I could, but I never really thought to do that." Alfred admitted, putting his cup on the table next to him. "When I started to throw my Christmas parties, it was because I was tired of spending Christmas alone every year. It was a way for me to actually have some company, and to pretend that I had people who wanted to spend time with me for even a minute."
Ivan stared at Alfred in shock. "You spent Christmas alone?" He asked, his mouth falling open.
"Yeah, I did. For a long time." Alfred said sadly, closing his eyes and resting his head on the back of the couch.
"But, you spent time with Canada, didn't you?" Ivan asked, not able to comprehend Alfred being alone.
"No, I didn't. He and I had a few rough patches, and he spent his Christmas's with England and France for awhile." Alfred said with a grimace. "I was mad at him for not leaving England, and he was angry at me for trying to butt into his life. Then he gained his independence from England peacefully, and because I was jealous of his relationship with England and he was tired of all the shit I was putting him through by being mistaken for me, so we didn't talk for awhile."
"England and you-"
"We didn't even start talking to each other until World War One."
"No one else spent time with you?" Ivan asked, his face falling.
"Who would?" Alfred asked with a shrug, opening his eyes and glancing at Ivan. "They had their own families or friends to spend time with. That's why I started throwing the party each year. It was a way to get people to come over without disrupting their plans too much. I kept going all out each year so people would come back, and somehow people started to look forwards to them each year. But don't get me wrong, I do actually like throwing it, and I really love giving out gifts. It makes me happy when I can make others happy."
Ivan gave Alfred a sad look. He gently put his mug onto the coffee table, and then he suddenly reached over and pulled Alfred sideways into a bone crushing hug. Alfred let out a squeak of surprise as the air was forced out of his lungs, and Milashka was thrown to the floor with an angry meow.
"I am so sorry." Ivan said sadly. "You must have been very lonely. I know what that is like during the holidays."
"Dude, I gotta be honest with you. I did not expect you to be so into hugs." Alfred joked weakly, patting Ivan on the back awkwardly. "It's kind of weird. And it's really no big deal."
"It is." Ivan disagreed, glaring down at Alfred. "And I am not letting you go until you agree with me."
"Aw, come on dude!" Alfred complained, struggling to escape Ivan's grip, but he found that it was like trying to get out of iron bands. "It's not that bad! And Mattie, France, England and I usually do something for Christmas every year now."
"No, not good enough." Ivan huffed. "No one deserves to feel alone in a room full of people for that long."
"It wasn't that bad." Alfred said weakly. Ivan continued to glare at him, and Alfred felt his resolve crumbling a bit. "Okay, it sucked, but it wasn't a big deal." He huffed, trying to push Ivan off of him, but only was able to turn around so that Ivan was now holding him like a teddy bear, much to his annoyance. "Now get off of me! You're strangling me!"
"Hmm, I do not think so." Ivan said with a smirk. "I like hugs, and I do not get them very often. I do not want to let go."
"What the hell man! Are you really kidnapping me for hugs?!" Alfred asked, giving Ivan an unimpressed glare.
"I am not kidnapping you." Ivan said coolly. "Kidnapping would mean that I was taking you to another location. I am holding you hostage."
"That's not much of a difference." Alfred grumbled but he stopped fighting, letting himself get pulled back into another hug. "Fine. But I'm not admitting I'm wrong."
"Then I am not letting go." Ivan said.
"Well, then we're going to be here for awhile, aren't we." Alfred said stubbornly, crossing his arms.
"I suppose so." Ivan agreed. They sat there for about five minutes with Alfred pouting in Ivan's arms before Ivan finally sighed, and he dragged Alfred onto his lap.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Alfred asked, his face turning red as he was pulled sideways onto Ivan's lap and against Ivan's chest.
"The way I was holding you was uncomfortable." Ivan said with a shrug, putting his head on top of Alfred's again. "This way I am not holding you up."
"Oh, fair enough." Alfred said, relaxing slightly. "But give me a little warning next time. I'm not used to people being able to pull me around like that."
"Sorry." Ivan said with a smile, not looking sorry at all.
"You are enjoying this too much." Alfred grumbled.
"It is like I said." Ivan said with a shrug. "I like hugs. No one ever give me any, so the few I do get are nice."
Alfred glanced up at Ivan with a small frown, then with a sigh he grabbed the T.V. remote off the table and handed it to Ivan. "If we're going to be here for awhile we might as well finish that movie we fell asleep watching last night."
Ivan accepted the remote wordlessly, and turned on the TV. They sat there for awhile, sipping their drinks, but they didn't say anything. It wasn't until just before the end credits were about to roll when Alfred spoke up again.
"Do you think he'll still be my friend when all of this all blows over?" Alfred asked quietly. Ivan didn't need to be told who Alfred was talking about.
"That all depends on whether or not he gets over himself." Ivan said with a slight shrug. "To be honest, I think that he will not be talking to you until he figures out how he feels about you." Alfred face fell, and Ivan couldn't help but feel bad for him. "I am not saying that you will never be friends again, only that it might be awhile." He said, trying to cheer Alfred up. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect and Alfred looked like he was about to start crying again. Ivan cursed himself for his poor social skills.
"I am…not very good at comforting others." Ivan admitted with a grimace.
"No, it's fine." Alfred said, looking down at his lap with a sigh. "I appreciate you being honest."
Ivan sighed, and he finally let Alfred go and Alfred sent him a thankful look. As Alfred got up, Ivan's phone started to ring in the kitchen. Ivan felt a spike of fear as he recognized it as Ukraine's ring tone, and he quickly got up and hurried to the kitchen to answer it. He quickly picked it up, and before Ukraine could get a word in he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, of course not." Ukraine said in slight surprise at her brother's worried tone. "I was just checking in on you. Oh, and I also wanted to let you know that Natalia decided to go home for the time being. She left my house the other day."
"Why on earth would you let her leave?" Ivan asked, suddenly feeling a wave of dread coming over him. "She could be traveling here as we speak!"
Ukraine huffed. "Have faith in your older sister. I took her passport from her before she left. I would love to see how she would get past U.S customs without it."
Ivan released the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. "You are an angel." He said, collapsing into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "I would have not thought to do that. So why are you calling if nothing bad has happened?"
"I am planning on coming to New York to see you and America." Ukraine said brightly.
Ivan paused. That hadn't been what he had been expecting at all. "Why?" Ivan asked with a frown.
"Well, I wanted to spend some time with you, seeing as I missed the meeting." Ukraine explained happily. "And I wanted to meet your new boyfriend! I'm so excited for you Vanya!" She cooed. "I was so shocked when I heard the news, but I am so happy for you!"
Ivan felt his heart drop. "I…I see." He said awkwardly. "Ah, well… about that-"
"And shame on you!" Ukraine said in a scolding tone. "How could you keep this from me?! You know I would not have told Natalia! You could have trusted me!"
"It is not like that!" Ivan said desperately. "It is because-"
"Well, I suppose I could forgive you if you let me take you two out to dinner." Ukraine said cheerfully. "You can tell me everything then! Oh, I am just so happy for you! I was so worried that you would never find someone, but then all of this happened! And to think that you and America made up! Imagine my surprise! But I always thought you two would have made a cute couple before you had that falling out."
"You did?" Ivan asked in surprise, and Ukraine giggled. "Of course! You were always so happy when he talked to you! You always used to be so happy that someone wasn't afraid of you! You know, now that I think of it, it was only a matter of time before you two got together. After all, who else would it be? Oh, I can't wait to come over! I am sure you two are so happy." Ivan heard her sniffle, and his heart sank lower.
"Are you crying?" Ivan asked worriedly, but Ukraine just let out a watery laugh.
"Oh, I am just being silly." She said. "I am just so happy that you are happy that I got a little overwhelmed."
Ivan felt like screaming. When he found France he was going to stuff all of his cheese up his nose and his baguettes up his ass. Before he could say anything, Alfred walked into the kitchen. "Is that Ukraine?" He asked curiously, interrupting Ivan. "Tell her I said hi."
"Oh, is that America?!" Ukraine asked excitably. "Tell him I cannot wait to see him! Oh, I have to go! My boss is calling me! I will talk to you later! I am so proud of you two! See you soon!"
"Wait!" Ivan said desperately. "We are not-" but she had already hung up. Ivan looked down at his phone hopelessly. Then with a groan, he slumped down in his chair.
"Is something wrong?" Alfred asked, hovering awkwardly in the doorway, feeling like he had just interrupted something important.
"Well, no and yes." Ivan said, standing up and walking over to the Vodka bottle and pouring a generous amount of it into his mug.
"Give me the good news first." Alfred said with a grimace.
"Good news," Ivan said, taking a swig of his drink, "is that Belarus cannot leave Europe."
"That's great!" Alfred said with a relieved look. "At least I don't have to worry about her creeping up on us and taking us out now."
"Take you out." Ivan corrected.
"Oh, yeah. She's only pissed at me." Alfred said with a pained look. "And the bad news?"
Ivan sighed, and then took another long drink. "Ukraine still thinks we are dating, and she is flying to New York in order to see us and take us out to dinner."
"And that's bad why?" Alfred asked with a frown.
"Because she thinks we made up, and she said she was proud of me for finding love and she is super excited that I am happy now, and she thinks we are a cute couple. And now I have to break the news to her that we are not dating and make her disappointed and sad."
"Oh, that's bad." Alfred said with a wince. "That sucks dude. At least my family would be happy to find out we aren't dating."
Ivan didn't respond, but took another swig of his drink. "Do you want some?" He offered Alfred, who paused for a moment.
"What the hell, why not?" Alfred said, and Ivan passed him the bottle. After pouring himself a decent amount, he held his cup out to Ivan. "To killing France."
"To killing France." Ivan said darkly, tapping his mug against Alfred's.
*SOMEWHEREINNEWYORK*
France shuttered as he felt a cold chill go down his back and he let out a sneeze. As he rubbed his nose, he wondered if England had given him the flu as well. He was currently in his new hotel room, and was unpacking all of his clothes. He had thought it best to hide out form the other nations, (namely America, Russia, and England), until their bloodlust had settled down a bit. He winced as he touched his nose, which while bruised, had thankfully hadn't been broken. He was glad for that, seeing as setting bones with their quick healing rates was a pain, and he really didn't want to rebreak his nose to get it set again.
In all honestly, he had not meant for things to get out of control like this. He hadn't meant to send the pictures to everyone, only England to rile him up a bit, but he had accidently pressed send to all on his email, and before he knew it everyone had seen them. He hadn't been worried about it at first, expecting the other nations to act like he had faked the photos or was just over exaggerated the whole thing. He had expected the rest of the nations to get a little riled up, yes, maybe set up a new betting pool and gossip, but he hadn't expected anyone to actually take his little pictures seriously. After all, it was just a little fun. For goodness sakes, they hadn't even been holding hands! He had thought that things would sort themselves out.
Unfortunatly, the shock of seeing America and Russia getting along had set everyone off, and before he knew it the rest of the nations had started panicking. He had tried to do damage control with England, trying and failing to stop him from causing a scene so that the other nations would calm down a bit. After all, if England didn't go momma bear on Russia the others would realize that nothing was going on. Unfortunately, he had forgotten what England was like when he was on the war path, and he hadn't been able to stop him from entering the building and for his efforts he had almost gotten his face broken.
He had heard from Prussia, who had texted him after the meeting, that Japan had admitted to the pictures being real, and that had set off the world even more because Japan never lies. Then the whole thing with America defending Russia happened, (Which had surprised him), and the rest of the world was convinced that they were dating, and suddenly he and Japan were the bad guys in the story for outing their secret.
Sighing tiredly, he frowned guiltily down at the shirt he was holding. He felt bad about messing up Japan's and America's friendship. It was one of the few friendships America had, and he felt like an ass for getting Japan involved in the first place. Not only that, he had messed up Japan's chances for getting together with America, which he knew Japan was devastated about. He felt awful about everything, and he honestly had no idea how to fix this mess without being killed from fifteen different directions.
Sighing again, he placed the shirt down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. He wondered not for the first time in his life how he was going to get out of the hole he had dug himself into. While he still thought that something was happening between Russia and America, (He could just feel it!), he knew he had messed up and that it was better if he stayed hidden for a few more days before he went to them to apologize. Maybe he could cook up an apology dish for America and beg for mercy from Russia. Although if they beat him up he couldn't help but feel like he deserved it.
Looking out the window at the blizzard that had rolled in, he hoped that Japan was doing okay. After all, other than America and Russia, he had gotten the worst part of the deal after everything was said and done. Wherever he was, he hoped he was taking care of himself.
*ENGLAND'SHOTELROOM*
England felt terrible. Not only physically, although that certainly didn't help, but also emotionally. He didn't know what to do. He was sitting by the window of his hotel room, watching the snowflakes build up on the window seal. He had a cup of tea in his hands, but he was too tired to even drink it.
He was worried. Alfred had never been in a relationship before, and he was worried he was running into something that would hurt him in the future. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time. He grimaced at the thought, and shook his head. If Canada was right, and Alfred and Russia weren't dating, then he'd let things go and he'd wash his hands of the whole thing. But he had a sneaking suspicion that Alfred's and Russia's relationship was different somehow. After all, he had seen how Alfred had looked over at Russia when he had stormed out of that meeting room. He wasn't angry at Russia, he had been angry for him.
He frowned at the falling snow, thinking about what Canada had told him at the meeting. He couldn't help but feel a little bitter at his attitude, but he had to admit that what Canada had said had been partly true. He did feel protective over his former colony. But not for the reasons he had said, or at not least completely. He knew Alfred could take care of himself. He had proved that the moment he had won the Revolutionary war. He knew that Russia couldn't hurt Alfred without Alfred throwing a swing back and hurting him back. But that didn't matter to him. Alfred lived with his heads in the clouds, and because of that he sometimes missed what was on the ground below him and ended up stumbling. And he was going to fall hard if he kept going down the path he was going, and all he wanted was to be able to catch him before he got hurt.
Although neither of them admitted it to each other, Alfred was still his little brother. England loved Alfred like he was his own child, and although he wasn't very good at expressing that, he knew Alfred knew how he felt. Sure, politically they sometimes butted heads, but that didn't mean anything. So when he had seen those pictures, he had felt a protective fury he hadn't felt for centuries. He didn't trust Russia as far as he could throw him, and he didn't want Alfred being used because he had finally opened his heart to the wrong person. And if it came to it, he would gladly put himself between America and Russia if it meant he could spare his brother's heart from being broken into a million pieces because it turned out Russia never actually loved him. He didn't deserve that, no matter how annoying or silly he was.
He didn't regret sticking his sword in Russia's face. Not one bit. He would have done it whether he had approved of the relationship or not. He hadn't expected to scare Russia, but he had sent his message to him, at that was the only thing he cared about. But there was something bugging him about the whole situation. Alfred had started calling Russia Ivan. When he had heard that, he had been shocked to his core. Alfred never called anyone by their real name unless he truly cared about that person. And he never allowed anyone to call him by his real name unless he really trusted that person. Hell, it had taken until the end of the first World War for Alfred to start calling him by his first name again, so why had he been calling Russia by his real name so quickly?!
What if it was because he truly loved Russia? He stared out at the snow, worry gnawing at his insides. If that was the case, there wasn't anything he could do. He could drag Alfred away from the bastard, but nothing in the world was going to change his feelings for the man. No matter how he felt, Alfred would ignore his advice and it might cause another rift between them, and that was the last thing he wanted.
He heard a clinking sound, and looking down, he saw his hands were shaking so badly that his tea cup had started to shake. Sighing, he put the cup down on the window sill and closed his eyes tiredly. He wasn't entirely sure what to do, and that scared the crap out of him. Sometimes being an older brother sucked.
*SOMEWHEREINBELARUS*
Belarus watched the snow falling outside from the window in her bedroom with a calm expression. She had been reading a book, and had only noticed the snow because she had seen the shadows falling over the pages of her book. She didn't like the snow very much. It was always too cold for her liking, but she did like how it made the world look. Calm, peaceful, pristine. Her favorite thing about winter had always been the icicles that formed on the branches on the trees, making the forest around her house sparkle in the sunlight. She had told her brother that once, and he had started decorating the trees in the house with them to make her feel more at home. A small smile appeared on her face at the memory.
Her brother had always been thoughtful like that. Not many people could see that, not even her sister at times, but she knew. He was gentle like that. He had always loved her enough to do things like that for her. She loved him for that. Unlike that awful American. A scowl appeared on her face at the thought. That damn America. He had always caused her brother trouble. At first, he had pretended to be her brothers friend, leading her brother into a false sense of security, then like everyone else he had turned his back on him. Then he had the audacity to fight with him! To claim he was better than her older brother, and to challenge him at every chance he could get. At one point he had even pointed those awful nuclear weapons at him!
He was the reason her brother was always so unhappy. He was the reason he had ended up alone. He was the reason she couldn't live in her brother's home anymore. And now he was trying to pretend to love HIM?! HE WAS PLANNING TO TAKE HIM AWAY FROM HER AGAIN?! HOW DARE HE?! There was a sudden tearing noise, and looking down at her hands she realized she had ripped her book in half in her anger. Sighing, she threw the book into the nearby garbage bin. It didn't matter; it had been a boring book anyways.
She looked out the window again, her calm expression back on her face. It didn't matter, she was dealing with it. Although her sister had cruelly taken her only way to travel to her brother, she had made the proper arrangements to keep an eye on him. She relaxed slightly, a small smile on her face. She had gotten a call earlier that day, from the head of the organization she had contacted. She had been overjoyed when he had told her he had already seen him and that damn American, and that they had entered his domain in the city freely. He had assured her that he had his men looking for them, and not to worry her pretty little head about it. He had promised to call her again when they found them.
She smiled at the snow falling. If her brother was the snow gentle snow, she would be the cruel ice that cut down his enemies. She would protect him, no matter what it took. Because she loved him.
Act one is done! Wooo! :D Oh my god, how the hell did so much happen in only seven days?! Why the hell did I invite more plot points into my story!? Why am I like this? So, the first part of the story is done. The first week is done, everything is in motion and finally where I want it. While everything may seem like hell right now, I promise that the next act is going to go back to being light hearted for awhile. I know I focused a lot on Alfred for the first week, so it's going to be Ivan's turn next! So, a few mysteries are left. Where is Japan? What is Belarus planning to do to Alfred and Ivan? How is France going to redeem himself? How is Russia going to deal with Ukraine, and will he start opening up more to Alfred? What does Alfred keep saying he can't stand love? Why did he react negatively to the mention of tea and England? When the hell will the romance in this fucking story show up?! WILL I EVER STOP ADDING PLOT POINTS INTO MY STORY?! Find out all of this, (Maybe), and more in the second act! Reviews more than welcome!