"Okay, hold up." Alfred huffed angrily, walking into the room and slamming the door behind him. "First, I'm pretty sure I locked that door before I left, but seeing as you're sitting in my apartment, on my couch, with MY cat, I can guess that you broke in." He said, gesturing to the scene in front of him and sending Hero a disapproving glare. "Rude. Second, what the hell makes you think you can just barge in here and just demand we talk?! The phone exists for a reason you know! You could have just called like a normal person! You didn't have to pull this James Bond villain act to get my attention. And third, you better have a damn good reason to be doing this, or I'm going to kick you out! Don't think I've forgotten about the shit you pulled at the meeting! You have one minute to explain yourself, or I'm calling Mattie to pick you up."
England sighed, and with a last rub of Hero's ears he carefully put the cat on the floor. Then he sat up a little straighter and cleared his throat. "First, I did not break into your apartment. Well, I didn't break the lock I mean. You did leave the door open. I invited myself in because it's drafty in the hallways here, and I didn't think you would mind. I am still a little sick you see. I see that I was wrong about that. I'm sorry."
Alfred's eyebrow shot up at the apology, but he didn't interrupt as England continued.
"As for the other two points you made, I know I don't have any right demand your attention, but I wanted to talk to you about my behavior towards you at the meeting. That's why I didn't call you see. I felt that what I wanted to say to you would not come off as genuine unless we met face to face. I know…that I am not the best at talking with you sometimes…" England said awkwardly glancing away from Alfred at the floor. "but I do want to talk to you about something important, if you would let me."
Alfred didn't respond, instead weighing his options. "Does this have to do with the argument you had with Mattie?" he finally asked, crossing his arms.
"A bit, yes." England said with a firm nod. "I've been doing some thinking you see, about some of the things he said."
Alfred let out a tired sigh, and he gestured to the kitchen with a grimace. "Fine. Um, but before that do you want something to drink? I think I still have the kettle out, if you want, you know… a cup of tea." he said, wincing slightly at the flinch England gave. "I mean, I only have Asian blends, so if you don't want it-"
"No!" England said a little too quickly. "No, that would be fine. Ah, anything would do, thank you." There was an uncomfortable silence, and Alfred just nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, okay. I'll just get on that then. Okay." He all but fled into the kitchen, and England felt like punching himself in the face for being so awkward about all this. They tried to avoid looking at each other as Alfred pulled down a pair of mugs from the cupboards and waited for the tea to boil. For the next five minutes, the only thing that broke the silence in the room was the sound of the clock ticking away above them. Finally, Alfred walked back into the room with a small tray of cookies, a sugar bowl and creamer, and the mugs and set them on the table between them.
"I don't know what you take in your tea anymore." Alfred admitted as he pushed the tray towards England. "I wasn't sure if your preferences have changed since…you know."
"No, they haven't." England said, taking a few sugar cubes and dropping into the cup. There was another awkward silence as they sat there, unsure on who should speak first. England broke first, clearing his throat again.
"Well, I suppose I should just get on with it then." England said suddenly, putting his cup down. He clasped his hands together, and leaned forwards in his chair. He was still avoiding Alfred's gaze, but he continued on. "First, I would like to talk about my behavior. As you're aware, Matthew and I had a slight disagreement about my actions after you left."
"Yeah, he mentioned that." Alfred said as he poured some of the milk into his coffee.
"He pointed out that I might have been, oh how should I put it, overbearing." England explained. "And well, I've been thinking about it. Although I'm not proud to admit it, I think he was right. I didn't even listen to what you were trying to say to me at the meeting, did I?"
"Not only at that meeting." Alfred said, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice.
"No, not only at that meeting." England agreed, his face falling slightly. "I…haven't been very fair to you these last few centuries, have I?" He asked, looking down at his feet.
"No, you haven't." Alfred confirmed. "Although I have to say, I haven't exactly been the greatest towards you either. Although I thought we had been doing better for awhile now."
"Yes, I had thought that myself. It's just like me to mess it up, isn't it?" England asked with a humorless laugh. Shaking his head, he continued. "I came here because I wanted to apologize, and to let you tell me what's going on. And this time I promise not to get angry and ignore what you have to say. I just want to make sure that you're…well…" England said, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
"That I'm…?" Alfred prompted with a frown.
England struggled to find the words, and then he shook his head. "It depends. First I need to know something. I know I didn't listen before, but whatever answer you give me now I'll take without question. Are you dating Russia?"
"We aren't dating." Alfred said firmly, putting his mug down. "We have never dated, and we currently don't have any plans to date each other any time soon. France and Japan made that rumor up."
"Japan?" England asked in surprise. "Not Kiku?"
"No." Alfred said, suddenly making himself busy with his cup. "Look, what are you here for? What did you want to say?"
"I wanted to make sure you were okay." England admitted. "When I saw those pictures, I got upset because I knew you've never had any experience with romance, and I got worried about you. I know I overreacted before, and I am sorry about that. I don't trust Russia, and I was worried that he might have been using you for something."
"I can take care of myself you know." Alfred said with an irritated glance at the older nation. "I don't need your help."
"I know that!" England snapped. "Damn it, I know that! But that doesn't mean I can't feel worried about you! You're still my little brother you know, and damn it I don't want to see you getting hurt!"
Alfred gapped at England's confession. Of all the things he had expected him say, that hadn't been it. There was a ringing silence as they stared at each other, then England let out a long tired sigh. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he leaned back into the cushions. "I know you might see it as annoying, but I still do see you as a child, because for a long time that was what you were to me. You were, and still are if we're being honest, like a child compared to the rest of the world."
"I'm not a-"
"Alfred, please! You might be centuries older than most of the normal people in this world, but compared too many other nations you are a child. I'm not saying this to be cruel or to put you down, I am saying this because compared to other places in the world you are still inexperienced. Some of the Asian countries are literal thousands of years older than you! Many of the European nations are several centuries older than you, including myself." England said, looking at Alfred sadly. "You don't have as much life experience compared to the rest of us. I know you grew up quickly, so much more quickly than others. I don't know if that was good for you in the long run, but I know that I never got around to teaching you some things before you left. That's why I worry about you. I know that you can take care of yourself on a political level, but be honest with me, I did a shit job about teaching you about relationships, didn't I?"
Alfred glanced at England uncertainly, but then he looked away. "Yeah, you were kind of shit at that." Alfred admitted.
"I should have been there for you more." England admitted guiltily. "I know you picked up on my bad habits, and I did nothing about that. I know…" England sighed again, "I know I messed up on you. But I don't want to mess up this time. I don't want you getting hurt because I never taught you anything about being in a relationship. I do care about you, even if I'm shit at showing it. Just, if you do ever feel like you are ready to date someone, will you at least talk to Matthew, or me, or hell even the Frog before you do?"
Alfred didn't trust himself to speak, choosing to nod instead. England closed his eyes in relief, then he smirked a little. "I am honestly relived to hear that you aren't in one, especially with Russia." He admitted as he opened his eyes again. "I don't think I could stand to have him as part of the family. Just imagine how awkward Thanksgiving would be."
"He isn't that bad once you get to talking with him you know." Alfred admitted with a small smile of his own. "He's actually quite cuddly."
"Cuddly how?" England asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, you know. He's a good hugger." Alfred said with a small glint in his eyes. "He's very warm. Has very strong arms."
"Alfred!"
"What, I can't help it if the big guy likes to hug! God, you have no idea! He's been practically been using me like a teddy bear for the last few days! Not only that, he hogs the cats!"
"The cats?" England asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah! Hero keeps cuddling him more than me." Alfred said with a pout. "I swear it's because he's like a damn oven! Have you ever touched him? He could melt the snow around him! I have no idea how he doesn't! Anyways, I've come up with an idea to steal Hero and Milashka back."
"Milashka?" England asked in confusion. There was a small meow from under the couch, and Milashka's head popped out from under the couch. He wiggled out, and after shaking his head, he looked up at England curiously.
"Say hello to Milashka! He's Ivan's cat!" Alfred said with a chuckle as Milashka jumped up into his lap with a deep purr.
"I didn't know he had one." England admitted as Alfred scratched Milashka's chin, causing the cat the purr louder.
"Oh, he's just a sweetheart! Anyways, back to the hogging. So, I know that the cat's like warm things, right? Well I have a heated blanket somewhere in the closet. I'm going to pull it out tonight and try and steal them back!" Alfred said with a grin.
"I see." England said in amusement. "I take it that you and Russia are getting along better then?"
"Oh no, I still despise Russia. Ivan on the other hand is pretty chill." Alfred said with a smirk. "As long as we aren't talking politics we get along great. Sort of how you and France get along sometimes when you aren't working."
"Ah, I see." England said with a chuckle. "So that's how you're playing it."
"Yeah. Russia and America are never going to get along." Alfred admitted with a shrug. "But I only have to deal with that side of him at meetings now."
"So, what have you been up two this last week? Have you gone anywhere yet?" England asked as Hero jumped up on his lap and started meowing loudly for attention.
"A few places." Alfred said. "The first day he we didn't go anywhere, but the second day…"
*Ivan'sP.O.V*
"…and that is all that we have done in the last few days." Ivan said as they pulled up to the hotel. "Our plans have been taken up by the rumors, so we have only recently started to get back to touring the city."
"It sounds like you two are doing well." Ukraine said happily as they pulled into a parking space. "Well, this is where I get off." She said, suddenly looking a little sad.
"Is something wrong?" Ivan asked worriedly, but she quickly shook her head. "No! I am fine. I am just sad that we could not spend more time together is all." She admitted. "It is so rare for us to spend time together these days. My boss is such a pain sometimes."
"I am sorry. I do not mean to cause you trouble." Ivan said guiltily, but she shook her head.
"It is not your fault. You know that." She said firmly. "But that isn't important right now. We have all of tomorrow to tour the city, and I do not want to be sad while we are together. It is a shame Natalia could not be here though, she would have loved to be with the both of us."
Ivan hummed in agreement. Natalia was usually pleasant to hang around with, but he had a feeling that would not be the case for a few weeks after this was all over. "Shall I help you with your luggage?" Ivan asked, but she shook her head. "No, I can take care of that. But before I go, I need to ask you something."
"What is it?" Ivan asked.
"Why did you call me Katya?"
Ivan gave her a confused look. "Why would I not call you by your name? You are my sister."
"Vanya, sweetheart, you haven't called me that in decades. What changed?" Ukraine asked gently. "I'm not mad, I'm very happy you are calling me by my name again. I just want to know why."
"I do not know. I just wanted to call you that." Ivan said with a shrug, and Ukraine studied his face with a small frown. Then she smiled. "I think he's a good influence on you."
"Who?" Ivan asked in bewilderment. "Alfred?"
"Oh yes. He brings out the best in you." She said with a knowing look.
"Usually he brings out the worst." Ivan said, but she shook her head with a grin. "What? What are you trying to say?" Ivan asked in confusion, but she just giggled. Reaching over she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek. "I will see you tomorrow Vanya! I cannot wait to see what Alfred has in store for us!" She said with a wink, and grabbing her bags she got out of the car.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Ivan asked, but she just laughed and slammed the door shut. After she had gone into the hotel, Ivan shook his head in exasperation. He would never understand his sisters. Looking down at the clock, he was surprised to see that he had been driving around for at least an hour and a half with her. It hadn't felt like it. Well, he had taken the car for long enough. Alfred was probably wondering where he had gotten off to. He hoped the younger nation didn't think he stole it, although it could be a funny prank to pull on him in the future. Chuckling at the thought, Ivan turned the car around and headed back to the apartments.
*China'sP.O.V*
China wasn't having a good week. Not only had he been dealing with back pain for the last few days, (Damn meeting chairs had no cushioning at all!), he had been running all over New York City trying to find Japan in order to give that stupid brat a slap across the face for not listening to his advice. Great, the best thing Japan had going for him, and the idiot had to go and mess it up. He just didn't get young people these days! They never seemed to use their damn common sense. When he found Japan, he was going to give him the worst lecture of his life for being an idiot.
He was currently at a local Chinese restaurant, (Real Chinese, not one of those places that America claimed were Chinese), glaring down at his food. While it tasted rather good, he was too upset to eat anything right now. He had just stopped by Japan's old hotel to try and see if he told any of the other nations staying there knew where he had gone, but no one had any ideas. Everyone agreed that he had been the last one to see him before he disappeared. Sighing, he picked up his tea and took a sip, glaring at the people walking outside the window. He had no idea how he was going to find Japan in a city like this. After all, there were literally hundreds of hotels, and millions of people here. It was going to take a damn miracle to find him at this rate.
Sighing again, China angrily ate his food. Whatever, he'd find him. He could be wait. After all, it only took one mistake to stand out.
*FranceandJapan'sP.O.V.*
France sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He and Japan were sitting on the couch in their hotel room. He was reading the newspaper, and Japan had been watching some sort of game show on the T.V. When Japan had showed up the previous day, France had apologized profusely for ruining everything, but Japan had simply said that his actions were his own, and that France had nothing to apologize for. At least, he didn't have to apologize to him. They had spent most of the day just sitting around the room feeling sorry for themselves, and had ordered a pizza to cheer themselves up. France wanted to go out again, but he was worried that someone would spot him and Russia and America would swoop down and kill him.
"I am truly sorry for ruining any romance you could have had with America. I am sure if things had not gone so badly, you would have made a nice couple." France said guiltily again, but Japan just shook his head.
"It was not you he was mad at." Japan said mournfully. "I should have just have been honest with him."
"Ah, heartbreak is indeed a troublesome thing. I am familiar with it. I am sorry you have to feel it my friend." France said sadly. "I hope you two can repair your relationship soon. But you know, I think you are lucky."
"How?" Japan asked miserably.
"If it had been anyone else, you would have lost a friend. But Alfred is not like most of the others. He forgives so easily, and too quickly. He has such a big heart when he is not guarding it. The fact that he allowed you in at all speaks to your character you know. No, you should be happy. Love is fleeting my friend, and it rarely ends happily." France said sadly. Japan glanced over, and saw France staring at the wall with a far off look, like he seeing something Japan couldn't. "Love is beautiful, yes, but it is equally tragic. It's far too fragile. A slight crack can damage the whole heart."
France looked over at Japan with a sad smile. "Friendship is a little more resilient, and can be just as important and as beautiful as a romance. Truly, a good friend can hold a very special place in someone's heart. After all, you can find many people to fall in love with, but how many truly good friends will you have? How many people will forgive you like he will? I do not know many who would. I think he holds you in very high regard, and that is why he is scared of you."
"Scared of me?" Japan asked in confusion. France nodded.
"Oh yes. It is not my story to share, but like many of us, he has a story of loss. He's not scared of romance or friendship per say, he is scared of the fact that he can lose those he holds dear to him. What he was upset about was not that you loved him, but that he could lose you because you love him. After all, look at his history. England left him alone for years, but claimed to love him. His own twin brother, the person he arguably cares for the most, scorched his heart along with the man he considered his older brother, and then left him alone for years. His own people fought each other in one of the worst wars in his history, all because they claimed they loved him. Every normal person he cares for will die before his eyes. Others only use him for his riches, resources, and power, and claim they are his friends. Then say cruel things and laugh about him behind his back. It is not very surprising that he avoids romance when you think about that way."
Japan didn't say anything for a moment, and then he looked down at the floor in shame. "He never said anything to me about that."
"It is not something that is said." France said sadly. "As I said, we all have our own stories. It is just that some people get over it and others do not. Alfred is one of the few who has not gotten over his story yet, probably because he is still young. Then again, this is only my guess. He has never spoken about it, not even to Canada as far as I know. It is only when you start looking through his history that you get the full picture."
"Do you think he will ever fall in love?" Japan asked, and France smirked.
"Maybe. It just depends on how he falls in love. The way you did things was not the right way for him. You cannot just thrust romance on him and expect him to feel the same. No, all that will do is scare him away. I think if he were to ever fall in love, he would have to be the one to develop feelings first, and realize what he is feeling for that person is love. He would probably not take it well at first, but love can be very stubborn, so he would eventually find a way to deal with those feelings in time."
"I see." Japan muttered.
"Do not fret, there is still someone for you out there." France said, and Japan sighed.
"I suppose so. But not the person I wanted." Japan said mournfully.
"Like I said my friend, love is tragic." France said with a small smile.
*Ivan'sP.O.V*
When Ivan made it back to the apartment, he saw Greg dozing at the lobby desk. Smirking a bit, Ivan walked over and rang the small bell next to the man. Greg snorted awake, looking around in a panic.
"I'm up!" He said tiredly, but when he saw it was only Ivan he gave him an unamused glare. "Damn it man, I thought you were my wife! Don't scare me like that!"
"Sleeping on the job?" Ivan asked, giving him an innocent smile. Greg let out an annoyed huff.
"Don't be a smart ass. It doesn't suit you. You would be tired too if you had to deal with all the shit that happens around here."
"Oh?" Ivan asked.
"It's that damned Mrs. Graves!" Greg complained. "She's convinced that there's more men hanging out around the building, and she won't stop badgering me about it! I swear that woman see's shadows around every corner these days. I don't know what she's worried about anyways; she doesn't have anything worth stealing anyways! All she has is fake fur coats and moth balls!"
"I see." Ivan said with a small laugh. "Well, I shall let you get back to your nap then."
"Ah, get out of here." Greg grumbled. "Young people these days."
"Oh, and I shall be joining Alfred at the soup kitchen this week." Ivan said, suddenly remembering the promise that he had made the younger nation.
"Will you now? Well, it's about time you did something around here other than sponging off Alfred." Greg said with a smirk. "See you then."
"Da, see you then." Ivan said with his own smirk.
When Ivan finally got up to the apartment, he was surprised to see Alfred chatting away with England on the couch. At least they were, until England noticed him watching them from the doorway. Alfred, noticing the England was looking past him, turned around and smiled at Ivan. "Oh, hey Ivan! I didn't think you would be back so soon."
"You expected me to be out longer?" Ivan asked with a frown.
"Well, yeah. I thought you and Ukraine would spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out. That's why I gave you the car."
"Ah, I see. No she wished to rest at the hotel for the rest of the evening." Ivan explained.
"Oh, cool." Alfred said.
"I think I should leave now." England said, looking down at his watch with a sigh. "I didn't think I would stay here so long, and I have to write up a few reports for my boss. It was good seeing you Alfred. Just keep what I said in mind, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Alfred said, waving off England's concern. "You'll be one of the first ones to know."
"Small comforts." England sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, I'll see you later Alfred. Good seeing you Russia." England said coolly, and with a final nod to the pair he left. As soon as Alfred was sure he was gone, he let out a sigh of relief and flopped over on the couch.
"Did you have a hard time talking to him?" Ivan asked in amusement as he sat down next to Alfred, who looked exhausted. He snagged one of the cookies off the table as Alfred let out a snort.
"Yeah, at first. But that's not the problem! The problem is acting all neat and proper around him!"
"Why not just act like you usually do?"
"Oh please, if I ever want to have a civil conversation with that guy I have to use the manners he beat into me, or else he complains the whole time. It's just easier this way."
"A shame I was not able to see it. Imagine, you being polite." Ivan said, and Alfred wacked him on the arm.
"Screw you! I'm not polite to you because it you don't deserve it!" Alfred said, sticking his tongue out at Ivan.
"You hurt my feelings."
"Sure I did. Anyways, how was your drive with your sister? Have fun?" Alfred asked, snagging a cookie for himself.
"It was pleasant. She is looking forwards to you giving her a tour tomorrow."
"That's awesome!" Alfred said with a grin. "I was thinking about showing her some of the older parts of town. The weather tomorrow should be nice, so we can even take our time instead of running around. Which is good, because I still haven't gotten a new umbrella yet. I'm still pissed off that someone stole mine from the museum. Oh, we should go shopping tomorrow. I still need to pick up those Christmas presents, and you still haven't told me what you want." Alfred said, glaring up at Ivan.
"Your glare loses its power if you are loafing around." Ivan said, poking Alfred's cheek.
"No it doesn't! I'm super scary!"
"If you keep telling yourself that it might come true." Ivan said with a laugh."
A/N: Bam. Surprise fast upload. No one expects me giving a second upload in less than a week! :D This is a present for reaching 100 followers! Ah yes, this is why I can't have you here France. You give away all of my secrets. So the reason Alfred is against romance is finally revealed! (Please let this work for you guys and not be underwhelming. This is what I was going for since the beginning after all.) *Sweats even faster* Damn it France, THIS IS WHY I CAN'T USE YOU, YOU CHATTER BOX!
So much is happening in this upload. What am I doing anymore? Why are my characters thinking for themselves now? (Д) I swear, I had a totally different story planned out in the beginning! There was no freaking mafia, France and Japan weren't the bad guys, NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BAD GUY! AHHHHHHHHHH! JAPAN WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO LOVE ALFRED, HE WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BUG IVAN AND BE A GOOD BEST FRIEND! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET PLOT POINTS TAKE OVER YOUR STORIES!
No but really, I'm having a lot of fun! :D I knew the beginning of the story, and the ending of the story, but god damn this middle part is even throwing me for a loop sometimes! Anyways, I'll try to upload again soon! (Yeah, this isn't normal for me to upload this fast. It's still usually two or three weeks apart usually.)
This author note is a mess. Then again, it's 3am.