Merry Christmas everyone, and for my friends who don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays! ^-^ With the temperatures staying below freezing for most of us right now, I thought a moment to think about love and celebrating the ones we care about would be appropriate. This year has been a wild ride for me. I got covid, finally got out of retail, made new friends, lost some old ones, and honestly got further than I ever thought I would in a single year. Not only in life, but with this story as well.
I just want to say, as we sit around next to our heaters, our fireplaces, and next to the people we love, thank you. Thank you to the long time readers who stuck with me, even when I disappeared or felt like dropping this story. Thank you for sticking around to finally see the romance in this story bloom. Thank you to my new readers as well, for finding this story, and giving it a chance. Every comment, every view, every kudo and favorite makes me feel like I'm doing something right, and even if there's only one person reading this story, I'll keep writing it. Because as long as one person reads it, it means I've made one person smile, and that's all I've ever wanted as an author. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. This story is dedicated to all of you.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and here's to the New Year! Cheers!
To say that Ivan was having an internal crisis was the understatement of the century. If Ivan had to describe it, it felt as though his heart was simultaneously on fire and being frozen in a block of ice. At the same time, it felt like his heart wanted to sing and scream and to be perfectly honest, he had been in war zones less stressful than this damned situation. Not only was he now in love with his only friend, said friend had already turned down his other suiter, (oh, he would address how he felt about THAT later), and had stated on multiple occasions that he not only was hesitant to love others romantically, but seemed to be firmly against romance in general. Oh, and there was the small matter that he had to drive back home with Alfred while not letting him know about how he felt about him, while he couldn't control his emotions. And then live with him for another two weeks. That was just his damned luck, wasn't it?
Ivan, who had been sitting there on the floor for the better part of five minutes, trying and failing to steady his nerves, had to stop himself from bursting out into hysterical laughter again. He was seriously screwed. He hadn't even thought about how this would work out as nations, let alone as regular people. What the hell was he going to do? How the hell was this going to work? This was a disaster just waiting to happen, but at the same time, he didn't care. He still wanted to hold Alfred and never let go, damn the rest of the world, but he was still a nation, and…and…
Ivan forced himself to take a deep breath. This wasn't going to work. He couldn't allow himself to break down over something like this. Taking a few more deep breaths, he slowly forced himself to calm down. He sat there for a few more minutes, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down to the point that he was able to focus on the task ahead of him. The first thing he had to do was to get off the damned floor. Glancing down at the floor, he grimaced slightly. He'd have to burn this suit later, he decided. Then again, this wasn't the dirtiest place he'd had a mental breakdown, so maybe a good bleach would be good enough. Using these thoughts as a distraction from his current crisis, Ivan slowly pulled himself off the floor, wincing slightly as he felt his now stiff legs object to the sudden movement. Ignoring them, Ivan walked over to a nearby sink, where he cringed at his reflection.
He looked just as good as he felt. His hair was a mess from running his hands through it, his face was bright red, and his clothes were crumpled from sitting on the ground. His expression was the worst, because he looked like a man who was about to walk out to his execution. He would know, he'd seen that expression many times before. Sighing, Ivan turned on the sink and started to scrub his hands. He could fix his hair and clothes, but he had no idea how he was going to stop his face from turning red every time he looked at Alfred. Depressingly, he might have to use some of his old Cold War acting again. Then again, Alfred might see right through that, as he was all too familiar with his old tactics. Or even worse, misinterpret his behavior as him drawing away from him, thus causing their new friendship to crumble.
At times like this, he would usually go with an honest approach, but he highly doubted that would go over well this time. Alfred had just confronted one failed confession, and one so soon after that would most likely kill their communication for the next decade. Usually Ivan would find such a situation funny, but he found the idea a lot less hilarious when his heart seemed to be ripping itself apart over it. So what was he going to do about these damned feelings? He would be damned if he sat on them for decades like Japan did, but he couldn't just walk into the box seats upstairs and sweep Alfred off his feet. He had no doubt Alfred would pull a Lion King on him and throw him off the balcony.
Turning off the faucet, he leaned against the sink staring down at the drain, feeling miserable. Of course, he could always wait until he and Alfred had a more solid friendship, but by then it might be too late. He would be in the same situation Japan had been in, where it would look like he was only hanging out with Alfred to get together with him. So when should he confess to Alfred? He refused to do it before the Christmas party. If he dropped that on Alfred, it would not only ruin their relationship, but the Christmas party Alfred had been working so hard on. Not only that, but it would make their drama the center of attention, and they would both have to deal with the fall out of that situation.
So, it seemed like he would have to tell him the day before he left for home. They could enjoy the rest of their stay without being awkward, and if things went wrong, (they would), they would have enough time to be away from each other so that they're relationship could recover. Maybe they would even find it funny after a while. Ivan stood there, running the plan a few times through his head. While deep down he felt as though he was running from his feelings, it also wasn't the worst plan. And with a lack of a better alternative, it would have to do for now.
Slowly, he nodded to himself. Taking another deep breath, he looked back up at the mirror and tried to fix his appearance. If he went back upstairs like this Alfred would be asking him all sorts of questions. He was so focused on his task that he almost didn't hear the door open behind him. It was only when he heard a muffled squeak of terror that he glanced up, and to his bewilderment he saw Italy standing behind him in the mirror, his face as white as a sheet. They froze as they made eye contact, and Ivan honestly didn't know whether he was more surprised or annoyed. Seriously, what was up with the other nations popping up out of the woodwork like this?
When Italy didn't move, Ivan sighed internally and putting on what he hoped was a friendly expression he tried to turn around and to say hello, only to realize that his hand had still been holding on to one of the handles of the sink, which snapped as he turned around. Italy, now facing a sweetly smiling Russia who was now holding a broken faucet handle, which looked a lot like his pipe, started to shake in fear.
"Privet, Italy." Ivan said, waving at Italy with his free hand. "I do not think this sink will be able to work. You might have to use the other one."
To Ivan's surprise, Italy started to scream in terror, calling for Germany, and in the next second he had fled the room with that famous Italian speed of his.
Ivan, more bewildered than ever, simply stood there in confusion and bemusement. That had been…interesting. Then, he realized something. If Italy was here, that must mean that the show had reached its intermission. Which meant that he had been here for some time already. Which meant Alfred was most likely looking for him. Damn it. He quickly turned back around and started frantically fixing his suit. He had to hurry back.
_Alfred_
Alfred was worried. When Ivan had told him that he was going to the bathroom earlier, he hadn't thought much about it, but as the minutes ticked by, he found himself getting more and more antsy for the other nations return. Glancing down at his watch, he frowned as he saw it had been about fifteen minutes since Ivan had left. While he could understand Ivan leaving for the bathroom, being gone for this long was ridiculous. Unless the bathroom was out of order, which it hadn't been when he entered, or the line was a mile long he should have been back by now. Even worse, they were nearing the intermission of the play, which meant he'd have to sit up here alone without anyone to talk to.
Alfred glanced at Ivan's seat with a frown. This wasn't like Ivan at all. Usually the other nation was glued to his side, and as much as Alfred had tried to ignore it, he had actually gotten used to the taller nation being around him. It had been so nice to have someone around who he could constantly bounce his ideas and jokes off, that sitting up there in the box, watching the show alone was…lonely. His frown growing slightly, he tried to ignore the slightly sad feeling in his chest. Whatever, Ivan was a grown ass man. If he couldn't find his way back from the bathroom himself that wasn't his problem.
That was until the lights turned back on and the intermission started. Ivan still hadn't come back, and glancing at his watch again, Alfred found himself getting anxious. This was getting weird. There was no way in hell Ivan could get lost in a place like this, so where the hell had he gotten to? With a slightly annoyed huff, Alfred got up from his seat and after a brief stretch, he walked out of the box and down the stairs, joining the crowds leaving the theater. He decided that he'd grab a drink before he checked up on Ivan. Hell, Ivan might have gone to the bar to pick up one before he came back.
But when he reached the bar, he didn't find Ivan there. Slightly disappointed, he made his way over to the bar, where he quickly placed a few drink orders for the both of them. As soon as the bartender turned around, Alfred pulled out his cell phone to text Ivan to see where the hell he had gone, when his phone was yanked out of his hand with a cackle. Jumping slightly, Alfred looked up in annoyance to see who had stolen his phone, when to his surprise he saw Prussia of all people grinning at him.
"Prussia? What the hell are you doing here?" Alfred asked, only for the other nation to smirk at him.
"Isn't it obvious? I am here to watch the show like everyone else. Although, I have to admit, it isn't as interesting as I thought it would be." Prussia said, throwing Alfred's phone back to the younger nation. "So, where's your date? Has he run off on you?"
Alfred glared at Prussia as he caught his phone. "He's not my date, and none of your business."
"Oh please, like I haven't heard that before." Prussia huffed, leaning onto the bar next to Alfred with an exaggerated eye roll. "West said the same damn thing for years before he and Italy started to officially date. Honestly, watching him deny it was pretty pathetic." Prussia said, giving Alfred a knowing look.
"Fuck you." Alfred grumbled, much to the older nation's amusement.
"Hey, I'm just saying. I'm not judging." Prussia said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Alfred felt one of his eye's twitch. "This coming from the guy who announced to the whole damned world a few weeks ago that I was insane? Sure, right. What are you planning, Gilbert?"
"Uh oh, we're using full names now? I'm hurt!"
"Right, sure you are."
Prussia raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged. "Well, I can't say you're wrong about me having personal motives, but I'm not planning anything per say. Not unless you want to do me a huge favor."
"Like what?" Alfred asked, taking his drink from the bartender and giving Prussia a suspicious side eye.
"Oh please, it's nothing serious. You don't have to look at me like that." Prussia huffed. "Kids these days, no respect. Don't forget that I'm the one who trained your skinny little ass to be the most powerful nation in the world."
"Sure thing Grandpa. Anyways, what's your favor?" Alfred asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Well, I know that love takes awhile to develop and all, but if you could hurry up and admit that you like Russia before the 20th I'd win a lot of money from the betting pool, so can you two just fuck already?"
Alfred, who had been in the middle of swallowing his wine, started to cough violently as he choked on his drink. Ignoring the younger nation's now bright red, shocked face Prussia continued.
"I wouldn't mind if it took longer, but Hungry has already put down a huge bet that you you will break in three weeks, and I really want to win-"
"Gilbert, what in the actual fuck?" Alfred choked out, gapping at Prussia in disbelief.
"Oh, come on, don't be such a prude." Prussia huffed, slapping Alfred on the back as the other nation was still coughing. "Seriously, when are you going to get rid of your puritan roots? How are you going to get with anyone if you turn into a stuttering mess when anyone talks about sex?"
"That is none of your business!" Alfred snapped, his face now dark red as he glared at Prussia, which just caused Prussia to coo.
"Aw, look at you! You're just like Germany with Italy! You know, you two are just about the same age, so I shouldn't be so surprised that you two have similar reactions. Well, at least he's a lot more open about his-" Prussia didn't get to finish, as he suddenly was punched in the back of the head by Germany, whose face was just as deep red as Alfred's.
"Just what in the hell are you talking about now!?" Germany hissed. "What the hell are you doing?! Apologize at once!"
"Aw, come on West!" Prussia whined, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd call you a prude as well, but I've seen the kind of porn you-" Prussia didn't get to finish his sentence, as Germany quickly punched the back of his head even harder, cutting him off.
As Prussia hissed in pain, holding his head where a goose egg was forming, Germany turned to face Alfred, looking suddenly looking much more embarrassed and annoyed. "I am so sorry for his behavior. I specifically told him not to bother you, but he snuck off before I could stop him. I'll make sure he sends an official apology later."
"Um, sure." Alfred said. "Thanks."
"I saw you with Russia earlier. Is he with you?" Germany asked with an awkward cough, ignoring his brother behind him.
"Actually, I'm looking for him. He wandered off a while ago, and I haven't seen him since." Alfred said with a frown, glancing around them. "You haven't seen him around here, have you?"
"No I haven't." Germany said with a frown of his own. "In fact, I was just about to ask you if you have seen Italy. He said that he was just going to pop over to the bathroom, but he hasn't come back ye-"
"Germany!" Speaking of Italy, the shorter nation ran over Germany with tears in his eyes. "Save me!"
"Save you?" Germany asked in confusion, looking down at the other nation with a concerned frown. "Save you from what?"
"Me, most likely." A slightly amused voice said from behind them, making the other three nations freeze, but Alfred just gave Ivan an amused look as the taller nation sat down at the bar next to him.
"And where have you been?" Alfred asked, half relieved, half annoyed.
Ivan, his face a solid poker face, just shrugged. "There was a problem with the sink."
Italy whimpered at Ivans words. Germany eyed the scene in front of him, before with a tired sigh, he grabbed the back of his brother's collar. "Well, I won't keep you two anymore. Enjoy the show."
"See you." Alfred said, not sorry to see Germany dragging Prussia and Italy away. But before they got too far, Prussia yelled out, "Hey squirt, remember what i said! Just fuck already!"
Alfred's face went red again, and Ivan's face turned dark as Germany kicked his brother's shin, making the other German out a yelp of pain. Italy let out another sob as Germany dragged them back into the theater.
Ivan leaned over to Alfred. "You know, it is not too late to kick his ass."
Alfred just shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Forget it. That's just Prussia for you. Germany will take care of him. Anyways, where the hell have you been?" Alfred asked suddenly, giving Ivan a curious look. "I was starting to get worried about you."
Ivan's face seemed to look ashamed for a moment, before he controlled his facial features again. But not before Alfred saw the slip. "I, um, had a problem in the bathroom. I might have broken the sink." Ivan said with an awkward cough, suddenly looking at his glass with too much interest.
"Don't tell me you broke it in front of Italy? Is that why he was crying?"
"He surprised me." Ivan said with a shrug, still not looking at Alfred. "I did not mean to frighten him."
Alfred just shook his head in exasperated amusement. "Ivan, we need to work on your image someday. If just you breaking things makes other people cry, how the hell are you going to make more friends?"
"Hmm, I am not sure. You never seemed to mind." Ivan pointed out, glancing over at Alfred.
"Well, I don't mind as long as you don't break my stuff." Alfred admitted with a sly smile. "As long as I'm not the one footing bill you can break whatever you want. I mean, there's a few places where I've left an imprint of my fist. Like that Ice Cream place. So I really can't throw stones here." Alfred looked a little embarrassed as he spoke. "I mean, I usually don't mean to break stuff, but It just kinda…happens. It's hard to control my strength when I'm emotional. I'm sure you get it."
Ivan's face went pink, and with a nervous cough he nodded, quickly looking away from Alfred again. "Ah, yes."
"Well, we can work on your failure of a P.R. department later." Alfred said, glancing down at his watch. "The intermission is going to end in a few minutes."
"Ah, before we go, why was Prussia demanding you fuck?" Ivan asked, picking up his drink as he stood up.
Alfred's face went pink, and he cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Apparently he and Hungary have a bet on when we'll be…getting intimate. He was telling me to get on with it so he can win his bet. Apparently he bet a lot of money on it. Something about having to get together by the 20th or something."
"He will lose-." Ivan said, his face growing dark again.
"I mean, of course he will-"
"-his vital regions if I ever see him again." Ivan finished, causing Alfred to pause mid speech. Alfred sent Ivan a confused look, before he decided not to ask about Ivan's weird mood swing. It had been awhile since he had seen Ivan this annoyed, and while he had been annoyed by Prussia comments, it wasn't to the point of kicking his ass.
"Uh, sure. Anyways, let's get going." Alfred said, patting Ivan on the back before heading back over to the lobby.
_Later_
As far as the rest of the play went, Ivan found himself ignoring it in favor of glaring down at the crowd beneath him, trying to find Prussia. It not only helped his temper, but it also worked as a wonderful distraction from his other feelings. He wouldn't have usually minded Prussia's lewd jokes, but seeing how his day had gone so far, his heart wasn't in the mood for such jokes.
Alfred, oblivious to Ivan's blood lust, continued to happily chat with him as the show went on, but about a half an hour before the show ended, Alfred had leaned into Ivan's side with a yawn. That didn't surprise Ivan, as it was starting to get close to midnight. He just shifted slightly so Alfred would be more comfortable, and they watched the last part of the show in comfortable silence. At one point, Ivan felt Alfred lean into him a little more heavily, but Ivan didn't mind. He honestly liked the contact, and with a bitter feeling, he realized that he should enjoy it while it lasted. When he left later that month, he wouldn't be able to feel it again for some time.
Eventually, the cast took their last bow, and when the lights finally came back up, Ivan tried to get up, but he realized that Alfred was still leaning on him. Looking over, he felt his expression soften as he realized that Alfred had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The younger nation was completely out of it, snuggling into Ivans coat with a happy expression. Ivan watched him for a few minutes, and he was sure that if someone were to look their way at this moment that they would know that he had fallen for Alfred. He could feel a warm feeling in his heart as he watched the other nation softly breathe into him, and for a fleeting moment, he considered just throwing caution to the wind and just telling Alfred right here and now how he felt about him.
If he had any doubts before, they were quickly banished as he slowly reached out and brushed Alfred's hair out of his face. This was what Ivan had always wanted. Someone like this. An equal, a friend. Someone who could trust him enough to stay. Something he knew he couldn't have. It was just like the universe to make him have something like this within his hands, but never allow him to keep it. Sighing, Ivan shook his head as he tried to ignore the sadness in his heart, and he quickly put out the small growing hope building up in his chest. There was no need to allow himself to feel worse later by building up expectations now. Deciding that he couldn't stay there long, he gently reached over and shook Alfred's shoulder.
"Alfred, the show has finished. It is time to wake up."
Alfred hummed in annoyance, trying to ignore Ivan.
"Alfred, we can not stay here."
"Why not?" Alfred grumbled, slowly opening his eyes and sleeply pouting up at Ivan. "I'm-" Alfred cut himself off with a large yawn, "-comfy here."
"I am sure you are. Perhaps I should give you my coat to sleep on more often." Ivan teased.
"It is soft." Alfred muttered, rubbing his eyes. Ivan, not sure if the other nation was fully awake or not, decided to push his luck slightly.
"If you won't get up, I'll have to carry you out." Ivan teased.
"You wouldn't dare." Alfred said, still looking half awake, but narrowing his eyes up at Ivan.
"Like a princess."
"Ivan." Alfred said, his voice warning Ivan off.
Ivan simply smiled down at Alfred, and he handed Alfred his coat. "It is cold out, and as comfortable as my coat is, I think it would be wise for you to bundle up."
Alfred gave Ivan a bemused look, but took the coat anyways. It took them a minute to get all of their layers on, but as Ivan finished putting on his gloves, he saw Alfred looking around the box with an upset expression.
"Hey Ivan, did you see my scarf?" Alfred asked as he lifted up one of the seats to look under it.
"I have not. Did you leave it downstairs?"
"I didn't bring it back down." Alfred said with a sigh, straightening back up. "I think I might have left it in the taxi. Well, what can you do?" Alfred said with a shrug.
"But, you do not do well with the cold?" Ivan asked in confusion. "Won't you be cold?"
"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Pull another scarf out of thin air?" Alfred joked as he zipped his coat up as far as it could go. "I can do a lot, but I still can't make things appear out of nowhere."
Ivan frowned at Alfred's outfit. While Alfred's coat was thick, the neck of the coat was short, not even going up halfway up to Alfred's face. With the temperatures outside, with the wind chill and them having to wait for a taxi with the crowds leaving the theater, Alfred was going to freeze. As Alfred started to put on his gloves, Ivan glanced down at his own scarf. Making a sudden decision, he untied his own scarf and tapping Alfred on his shoulder, he offered it to Alfred.
"You may use mine if you wish. I can stand the cold better than you can." Ivan said. Alfred stared at the scarf in shock for a moment, before he looked up at Ivan in disbelief.
"But, isn't this, like, your favorite scarf? Like, this is like your most treasured thing isn't it? I can't take this." Alfred said, trying to push it back to Ivan.
Ivan just gave Alfred a fond look, and before Alfred could continue protesting Ivan took the scarf and wrapped it around Alfred's neck gently. "I trust you to keep it safe until we get home." Ivan said as he finished tying it. "This is better than you freezing, da?"
Alfred seemed to be lost for words, his eyes going wide at Ivans words. Hesitantly, he brought up his hands to touch the scarf, and to Ivan's wonder, he watched as Alfred's face turned a soft pink. Unlike the other times Alfred had blushed, this one started at Alfreds nose, before traveling down his cheeks and up to the very tips of his ears. It wasn't a full blush, but a more gentle one.
"I…um…" Alfred's face seemed to glow as he seemed to bury his face into the scarf. "I'm not sure what to say. Are you sure this is okay?"
"Of course." Ivan said, beaming down at Alfred.
"Thanks." Alfred said, hesitating briefly before grinning back up at Ivan.
Ivan would have given anything to reach out and take Alfred's hand into his at that moment, but he held himself back, insead opting to follow Alfred down the stairs and back into the lobby. He couldn't help but watch every movement Alfred made. His every smile, every laugh, every move he made. He wanted to reach out and hold him so badly, but at the same time he didn't want to make the wrong move. So he held back.
As they approached the exit, Alfred looked back at Ivan with a small frown. "Hey Ivan, are you okay? You've been kinda off today."
Ivan felt his heart rate spike at the question. Shit, he thought he had hid his feelings well! Had Alfred noticed something? "I am fine." Ivan replied, reaching out and ruffling Alfred's hair, causing Alfred to chuckle slightly.
"Okay, good. I don't know why, but it almost seemed like you've been avoiding me today. I was starting to think you were getting sick of me."
"Never." Ivan said more quickly than he intended.
Alfred just beamed at him. Then to Ivan's delight, Alfred leaned back onto him, so that most of his body weight was leaning on Ivan. "Then where are my hugs? I haven't gotten one today."
"Perhaps we should not hug in a place where the other nations can see us?" Ivan said, nodding his head towards the theater doors. Alfred looked over, and to his annoyance he saw Italy, Germany, and Prussia lingering by the entrance, seemingly deep in conversation about something.
"Ivan, do you remember what you said about other nations earlier?"
"Yes?"
"Then, if they bother us, we'll just tell them to fuck off. Easy!" Alfred said with a smirk. "Plus, and I hate to say this, the rumors are already out there dude. While a hug might fuel the flames a bit, it's not going to break the world either. So, where are my hugs?" Alfred asked, looking up at Ivan with a shit eating grin.
Ivan stood there for a moment, considering what Alfred said. Then with a smirk of his own, he leaned over so he almost eye to eye with Alfred. "But do you know what would fuel the rumors princess?"
Alfred gave him a confused look, before his eyes went wide. "You wouldn't fucking dare!"
Ivan just let out a booming laugh, and deciding that he deserved to let his heart have whatever it wanted for tonight, he scooped up Alfred princess style, making Alfred shout in protest.
"Ivan, I said that you could hug me, not carry me!" Alfred said, his face turning that soft pink from before. Trying not to fall, Alfred was forced to grab Ivan around the neck. "Put me down!"
"Never." Ivan hummed happily. "I think this is better than a hug."
"Ivan!"
Ivan leaned in close to Alfred face, and holding back a laugh, he nodded towards the other nations, he whispered, "Look at their faces."
Glancing over at the others, Alfred couldn't help but agree that Ivan had a point. Germany's jaw was practically on the floor, and the glass he had been holding was on the floor, smashed into a thousand pieces. Italy had become as still as a statue, save for his mouth, which was silently opening and closing in shock. Prussia's face was just like his brothers, except he also seemed to be staring at Ivan with a look of horror. Okay, he had to admit, it was kinda of funny.
What Alfred hadn't seen, as he had been looking the opposite direction, was the smug look on Ivan's face as he stared the other nations down. With a smirk, Ivan mouthed, "Fuck off" at the other nations. As soon as he did so, Italy's eye rolled backwards into his head and he fell to the floor in a dead faint. This finally caused Germany to move, as he caught the shorter nation before his head hit the floor, and Prussia, in his shock, could only lift a hand to point at them accusingly.
With another loud laugh, Ivan quickly turned and walked towards the exit again, carrying a now baffled, and slightly amused Alfred away.
"Are you proud of yourself now?" Alfred huffed, reaching over and lightly, but firmly pinching Ivans cheeks. "Look what you did! You broke Italy! He didn't deserve that."
"Mhmm."
"Not to mention all the rumors you just stirred up."
"Of course."
"You know this is going to reach everyone else now, right? What are going to do if Arthur comes crashing through the door tonight to try and kill you again? Huh? Are you going to pay for the damages?"
"I will happily pay for them." Ivan said, his smile never leaving his face as he carried Alfred out into the street.
Alfred sighed, letting go of Ivan cheeks and pouting up at him, folding his arms with a huff. "I take it that you're proud of yourself?"
Ivan's smile just got wider.
"Figured. I also take it that you aren't going to let me go anytime soon?"
"Of course not."
Alfred let out an exaggerated sigh, and with an air defeat, he rested his head on Ivan's shoulder. "Fine, I'll let it go, but only if you do the dishes for the next week. And I'm stealing your body heat as well. It's cold."
Ivan just beamed in response.
_Meanwhile_
"No, of course I didn't get damn pictures of the event!" Prussia yelled into his phone, pacing between the chairs around him. He was currently on the phone with Hungary, and he had just spent the last few minutes catching her up on the events that just happened. Germany and Italy were sitting behind him. Germany was trying to help Italy calm down, as ever since he had woken up he'd been a mess. "My brother was a killjoy and took my phone from me during the second act!"
"Oh well, that's too bad." Hungary said with a huff. "I would have killed to see it."
"More importantly, I won the bet!" Prussia said with a smirk. "It's so obvious! He was literally carrying America like a new bride! How much more proof do you want?"
"Hold your horses! Who said that you won anything?!" Hungary asked angrily. "That wasn't even the bet we made! We bet on when they would admit they were in a relationship. Unless the words, "We're in love", comes out of their mouths, it doesn't count!"
"Oh please, with proof like this they don't even need to say anything! You should have seen them, girl! They were leaning on each other, laughing with each other, hell I haven't even mentioned that America was wearing his damned scarf!"
"He was?!" Hungary asked, her voice full of shock! "And you didn't even get pictures of it!? What kind of a failure of an informant are you!? What else did you miss?"
"Get this! Ivan laughed! Not his creepy ass laugh, but like a real laugh! A full on belly laugh! I literally couldn't make this shit up if I tried!"
"Why is it that whenever something like this happens I'm not around to see it?" Hungary whined. "Why do you get all the luck?"
"Because I'm awesome! So, with all that, they HAVE to be in a relationship! There's no other explanation!"
Hungary let out an unconvinced hum. "I admit, your story has a lot of good evidence for you, but you know the rules. You'll have to come to the hotel with at least one witness to win the bet. Even then, it probably won't work, because they need to actually say they're in love. Still, you're going to have to come in. The Latin American countries are going to be throwing a damn party with the amount of money they just won. I know Panama is going to rub it in all our faces. They literally just placed a huge bet yesterday about Russia picking up America like a princess, and everyone was calling bullshit on them."
"How much did they put down?"
"A thousand."
"Well, I'm glad I didn't get into that betting pool." Prussia said, letting out an impressed whistle.
"Anyways, I'll call in the other tomorrow, so meet us at the usual spot. And don't leave out a single detail! You know we love it when the gossip is hot and juicy!" Hungary almost purred.
"I'll be there!" Prussia cackled, hanging up the phone with a wicked grin.
_Later_
By the time they had gotten into the taxi and back to Alfred's apartment building, it was close to one in the morning, and Alfred had started dozing on Ivan again, much to Ivan's delight. This night, which had started out as a panicked mess, had ended quite well for him. And while he knew deep down that he was on limited time with Alfred, he had finally decided, after feeling how happy he had been when he followed his heart for once, that he would make the most of his time with Alfred. He would make this time together the best he could, so when their time together inevitably ended, he could carry around the happy memories when he was alone again.
Soon, much sooner than Ivan wanted, they made it to Alfred's apartment. When Ivan went to shake Alfred awake, he paused for a moment, before he decided against it. Alfred seemed quite content, and after waking him once already, it seemed a little cruel to do it again. That, and he wanted to hold Alfred for just a little longer. It was a little selfish of him, but he had already decided that he was going to do what made him happy tonight. So, as soon as he paid the man driving the cab, he scooped Alfred out of the cab and carried him into the apartment building. Alfred didn't even stir awake as he carried him into the lobby.
Ivan was a little relieved when he saw that nobody was at the desk. The last thing he needed was the landlord to ask him a million questions. After a brief elevator ride, and after unlocking the apartment door he finally made his way over to the couch, where he gently laid Alfred down. For a moment he hesitated, not wanting to let Alfred go, but he forced himself to let the other nation go. As soon as he was sure Alfred wouldn't wake up in an uncomfortable position, he turned the lights off in the room and walked back to his room. That would be the end of his wants tonight. He'd already pushed it tonight. Begrudgingly, he had to admit to himself that he needed to get his feelings in check before he did something stupid. Like blurt out his feelings. With that final thought, Ivan walked into his bedroom, quietly shutting it behind him.
A/N: :3 I got better at writing romance. I did a training montage y'all. I read all the romantic articles. I listened to all the sappy love songs. I sat down and seriously thought about what kind of fan service I would add for that extra spice. All in all, I think I did good. Yeah, that's right, I know what you guys want. :3 I read the comments.
With that, Merry Christmas! Enjoy your Christmas present!