*Drags my body into the room, violently coughing up blood.* Hey, how are you guys doing? Oh, the blood? Don't mind that. Just having a really shit week, and life just got done beating me up in that back alley over there. You know, the usual adult experience. T^T Anywho, enough about my life, lets get on with the story! We don't have much time left before the climax of the story, so it's time to get our fluff on before it all goes horribly wrong! Prepare yourself, I'm going to making this chapter extra sweet due to needing something goddamned cheerful in my life for fucking once. And for, ya know, plot i guess.
Before Alfred and Ivan left France's hotel room, France pulled Alfred aside, gently pushing an envelope into his hands along with the pie. When Alfred gave him a confused look, France just gave him a wink, holding up a finger to his lips.
"This was supposed to be your Christmas present, but I think it would be better to give it to you now. You can consider it a part of my apology. Don't open it here, open it when you are alone. It will come in handy for wooing Ivan. Make sure to look at it by tomorrow. I changed the dates." France whispered, patting Alfred on the shoulder.
"This better not be something weird." Alfred said, giving France a slightly suspicious look as he tucked the envelope into his jacket pocket.
"Have some faith in your big brother!" France said with a slightly offended huff, spinning Alfred around and pushing Alfred towards the front door where Ivan was waiting for them, browsing on his phone. "Remember, do not run from what you love, embrace it." France added in a low voice. Before Alfred could reply, France added, speaking loud enough that Ivan could hear them. "Well, it was so lovely to see you both! I guess I shall see you both at the upcoming Christmas party?"
"Da. Alfred and I will be attending together this year." Ivan said, looking up from his phone with a slightly bored look.
"Is that so?" France asked, grinning down at Alfred, who just shrugged at France's questioning look. "Oh my, I look forward to it. Shall we meet up before the party, Alfred?"
"Might as well. Mattie and Iggy want me to meet up at their hotel before the party starts so they can dress me up."
At Alfred's words, France let out an offended gasp. "And they didn't bother to invite me!? How could they! I am hurt, hurt I say! I am the world's leader of fashion, and they didn't even bother to ask for my input!"
"It's not a big deal." Alfred protested, which just caused France to look even more scandalized.
"Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL?! Mon due! One of the most important nights of your life, and you plan to show up in rags? Where did we go wrong with you?!" France all but sobbed, shaking Alfred, who let out a shout of protest at the older nation's actions. "This is all England's fault! He should have let me raise you, but no! Now you not only have no taste in food, but no taste in fashion! If it weren't for the fact that you do not have England's horrible eyebrows I wouldn't think we were related!"
"Let me go! Stop shaking me!" Alfred shouted, trying to push France off of him.
"Non! I need to fix this!"
"Get off me!"
"Never!"
Ivan couldn't help but chuckle as Alfred and France started bickering loudly. Ivan couldn't help but be amused by Alfred's interactions with his family. He watched Alfred pushing France's face away, and as France tried pulling at Alfred's clothes in irritation, he couldn't help but watch them in wonder.
From what he had seen from Alfred's family in the last few weeks, they all seemed so close. Even when they bickered and fought, it never seemed to come from a place of true malice. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as he thought of his own family, which constantly seemed to be torn apart every few decades or so. With him constantly forbidden from seeing his older sister most of the time, and never knowing when his younger sister would snap, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Still, he had been doing better with his older sister, and strangely enough, it had been because of Alfred. Now that he thought about it, Alfred had a strange way of bringing the people around him together. Alfred didn't even seem to realize it, strangely enough. Whether it was his immediate family, his friends, total strangers, or even his enemies to some degree. He just seemed to have a magnetic personality that drew people towards him.
Maybe that was why he admired the younger nation so much, he mused. He just shone so brightly, how could anyone look away. For someone like himself, who struggled to interact with others, Alfred was like a breath of fresh air. Maybe, if he stuck around Alfred more, he could learn to be like that too? He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought. He would like that.
As the other two nations squabled, Ivan finally reached over, and grabbing Alfred under the arms, he gently dragged Alfred away from France. "That is enough, da?" He asked cheerfully, giving France a pointed look, which caused the other nation to stop mid rant. "I think it is time for us to leave, yes?" He added, beaming down at Alfred, who was still pouting slightly.
"Ah, I didn't mean to hold things up." France said, looking over at the clock in surprise. "I need to get going if I'm going to pick out an outfit for Alfred."
"Please don't." Alfred said, only to be ignored by France.
"We will see you later then. Thank you for having us over." Ivan said cheerfully, letting Alfred go.
"No need for that. Alfred, meet us at the main hotel about two hours before your party starts. We'll have everything ready."
"Fine." Alfred sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get away from his brothers on this one.
Finally, they were able to leave. As soon as the door shut behind them Alfred let out a huff, turning to Ivan, still pouting.
"Hey, you don't care if I wear a suit or not, do you?"
"Of course not." Ivan said, giving Alfred a warm smile. "Then again, I do not mind seeing you in one either. You look very good in them."
Alfred stared at Ivan in surprise. "Really?"
Ivan chuckled slightly. "You do not dress up often, so when you do you tend to stand out." Leaning over so that only Alfred could hear him he added, "You looked stunning in the suit you wore to lunch the other day. I couldn't look away. I wouldn't mind seeing you dressed up again. It was nice."
Alfred stared at Ivan in disbelief, and with a mischievous smile Ivan added, "Although, It seems that every time you get dressed up I tend to carry you off, so maybe it's better that you don't." Ivan teased lightly, poking Alfred's side playfully. "Unless you want me to too?" Chuckling at his words, Ivan turned around and walked down the hallway, completely missing the look of awe on Alfred's face.
Alfred had to turn away as his cheeks started to burn, but unlike the other times he had blushed he found himself having trouble hiding a huge grin forming on his face. So Ivan had liked the suit he had worn. How about that? Maybe his brother's advice wasn't all bad. Well, if Ivan liked suits, maybe it wouldn't hurt to dress up one more time, Alfred mused. He quickly followed Ivan down the hallway, his heart strangely feeling lighter than before. But only one more time. He still hated suits.
_Later_
Alfred found that he was a lot more relaxed the next day now that his heart didn't feel like it was going to explode anymore. In fact, he had been relaxing with Ivan on the couch, both of them munching on the apple pie as they watched a documentary about the soviet space program. Ivan would occasionally pause it and explain some of the finer details of the projects that the documentary didn't cover.
Alfred was all but sitting Ivan's lap again, resting his head on Ivans shoulder as he asked him questions from time to time, much to the older nation's joy. Ivan didn't know why Alfred had been so distant for the last few days, but he wasn't going to complain about Alfred returning to normal. Even better, his Подсолнух seemed to be even happier than usual, even going so far as to demand a hug from Ivan when he woke up! After he had his coffee, of course. Needless to say, Ivan was on cloud nine.
Better still, nothing bad had happened to interrupt them. No phone calls, no nosy neighbors, not even other nations. For once, it seemed that the universe was giving them a moment to finally be happy, and for that Ivan could not be more thankful. Closing his eyes, he happily rested his head on top of Alfred's. He heard Alfred chuckle slightly, but the younger nation didn't stop him, which made him smile.
"You seem to be in a good mood." Alfred commented, playfully poking one of Ivan's cheeks.
"I am, da." Ivan said cheerfully.
"Care to share why?" Alfred teased lightly, poking Ivan's cheek a couple more times.
"It is a good day." Ivan hummed lightly. "Nothing bad has happened."
"Noooo! Don't say that!" Alfred whined. "You're going to jinx us!"
"Hmm, you are right. I must fix that." Opening an eye, he grinned at Alfred. "Maybe I should make something bad happen to you to make the jinx go away?"
"Nah. It's too late. We're already doomed. Oh well, might as well do nothing about it and relax." Alfred said, grinning back at Ivan with the same goofy grin.
"Ah, I see. An excellent plan." Ivan said, closing his eyes again with a laugh.
"Look, I'm just saying, if something bad does happen I at least want to be comfy." Alfred explained with a shrug.
Ivan just hummed in agreement, and they continued to sit there for the next half an hour, just enjoying each other's company. It was only after the program ended that Alfred finally poked Ivan again. "Hey, I'm going to get another slice of pie. You want some?"
"No, but I would not mind a drink."
"Want me to make some tea?"
"I would love that."
Alfred hummed in response, and he rolled off the couch, making sure not to disturb Milashka and Hero, who had been curled up on the floor next to him. Yawning slightly, Alfred walked into the kitchen, and had just started the kettle when he noticed his jacket on the table. Remembering the envelope that France had given him yesterday, he glanced over at Ivan to make sure the other nation wasn't watching him. As soon as he was sure it was safe, Alfred pulled out the envelope and tearing it open he pulled out three pieces of paper. One big paper and two smaller ones.
Taking a closer look at the smaller pieces of paper, he realized they were tickets to something. Intrigued, he leaned against the counter as he opened the larger paper. Scanning the paper, he froze as he realized what the tickets were for. He reread the paper a few times to make sure he was reading it right, and as soon as he was sure he wasn't being tricked he felt his face break out into a huge smile.
Holy shit! If this worked, he would forgive France for all the shit he put him through! It was perfect! He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about this before! Hell, he couldn't believe that there was something like this in New York! It was a bit of a drive to get out to it, but he didn't care about that! Quickly pulling up the weather app on his phone, he barely suppressed a squeal of delight. Alfred quickly put the tickets and the paper back into the envelope, and back into the jacket pocket.
He was going to make this so amazing for him and Ivan! This was going to blow Ivan away, and Alfred couldn't help but let out an excited giggle at the thought. Taking a moment to control his expression, he forced himself to calm down long enough to make the tea, but as he walked back into the living room with their drinks he couldn't completely hide his excitement as he handed Ivan his mug.
"Why are you buzzing with energy?" Ivan asked in amusement as he took his mug from Alfred. "Did you have too much coffee?"
"No, not this time. So, I have a small surprise for you." Alfred explained, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Ivan couldn't help but admire those blue eyes. They always seemed to shine with some sort of emotion. They fascinated Ivan.
"Oh? What is it?" Ivan asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at Alfred.
"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" Alfred explained, his smile growing even wider as he spoke. "That said, how do you feel about driving into the main part of the state for, say, a few hours?"
Ivan stared at Alfred in disbelief. "You mean, like outside the city?"
"Yep!"
"Hours away from here?"
"Yep!"
"Are we even allowed to do that?" Ivan asked in disbelief. "How far are we going?"
"Oh, not that far. Just like six hours or so." Alfred said with a shrug, almost causing Ivan to choke on his drink. "As for if we're allowed, who cares! Our bosses only said to get along, and to host you in my house. They never said we had to stay in the house the whole time."
"Six hours?!" Ivan asked in disbelief.
"Well, more like five and a half if we speed, but it'll totally be worth it! Please? You won't regret it!" Alfred said, practically begging. "If we leave in the next hour we can get there just in time!"
"Can you tell me where we are going at least?"
"No, that would ruin the surprise! Come on, trust me! Look, it'll be good for us to go somewhere else for a day. No other nations, no drama, no bosses, no anything! It'll just be us for once! Weren't you the one who was getting irritated with all the interruptions everytime we went somewhere?"
Ivan stared at Alfred's pleading face, and he couldn't help but feel his resolve falter under the younger nation's gaze. It was true that he had been irritated at everything ruining their alone time, and to be fair a change of scenery wouldn't be a bad idea. That, and he knew Alfred wouldn't ask him about this if it wasn't important to him. Plus he could have Alfred all to himself for a day…
The more Ivan thought about it, the more he felt himself giving into the request. Alfred noticed it too, as he gave Ivan a hopeful smile. As soon as Ivan saw it he felt himself give up.
"Should I bring an overnight bag?" Ivan finally asked with a slightly amused sigh, and Alfred beamed at him.
"Of course!" Unable to control his excitement, Alfred jumped over to Ivan and pulled him into a bear hug, startling Ivan slightly. He knew Alfred was strong, but he hadn't realized how much so as he felt Alfred's arms around him, practically trapping him. Huh, was this what it was like for Alfred when he hugged him? "Seriously, you wont regret it! Thank you! Thank you!"
Ivan felt his cheeks warm up slightly as Alfred beamed up at him. "Of course, I trust you." Ivan said, giving Alfred a small, but warm smile. Alfred laughed, and giving Ivan one last squeeze he let him go, and he quickly ran towards his room.
"Hurry up! We've got to hurry if we want to get there before nightfall." Alfred yelled back at Ivan, who was staring out into space, feeling as though a tornado had just torn through the room. A cute tornado, but a tornado nonetheless.
"Oh, I'd better tell Mattie where we're going. He might think we've eloped or something if he finds out we're not here." Alfred said with a laugh from his room, and Ivan could hear banging as he heard Alfred packing.
"Well we can not have that, can we?" Ivan replied, finally getting up from the couch. Not that he would mind, he thought to himself with a small smile. He had no idea what Alfred was planning, but he found himself not really worried about it. In fact, he was a little excited. He had never taken a surprise trip with someone before, and if everything went right, maybe he could get Alfred to like him more. It seemed to be a win-win for Ivan.
Now, if he could only remember where he placed his extra bag…
_Meanwhile_
"So, we've all called this emergency meeting today to lay some ground rules about the betting system for the party." Switzerland said with a serious look, scanning the room.
About half of the world was in the old meeting room they had used during the world meeting. While most of the world was attending America's upcoming party, the nations present were only the ones who had decided to stay in New York until the party, and some of the early arrivals. Glancing around the room, Switzerland couldn't help but be slightly impressed by the turn out. While the betting pool had always been slightly busy, it wasn't often that they had such a hot topic present itself to them, and this reflected in the excitement buzzing in the air. Nations were whispering to each other, their eyes shining with excitement.
While Switzerland was neutral to the current events around him, he knew that many of the other nations' only entertainment was gossiping about each other. Having long lives could get boring, and with how rare it was for true couples to form between them due to political and personal reasons, the other nations had latched onto the rumors like a starving man clung to a plate of food. Even more so due to the unlikely pairing of America and Russia. It was the most exciting thing to happen in years, and would most likely be the most exciting rumors for the next century.
Not to mention that they still had the annual betting pool for America's party, which included who would wear what, what they would arrive in, what exciting things might happen, and who would hook up with who, and Switzerland knew he would be balancing his little black books for at least a month after the party. Not that he minded, he always got a cut of the winnings, so he was more than happy to mediate for the others.
So, to make things easier for everyone, when a hot topic and an important event overlapped each other, it wasn't uncommon to set up a high stake betting pool. It not only made betting easier, but also allowed Switzerland to help keep the bets in order.
Clearing his throat, he tapped his chalk against the blackboard behind him, causing the others to quiet down.
"Thank you. Like each time we hold a high stake betting pool, we will go over the rules so there is no confusion."
"Like we haven't heard it a hundred times before." Prussia grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently. "Come on, let us start betting already!"
"No, there are people here who have never attended before. To make this fair, everyone needs to be on the same page." Switzerland said firmly.
Prussia let out a huff at Switzerland's words, and Hungary let out a snicker, flaunting her money at Prussia.
"Aw, are you upset because you lost your bet?" She asked, causing Prussia to scowl at her.
"Don't forget that you still have a chance to lose, Miss Frying pan!" Prussia said with a huff, flipping Hungary off, which only made Hungary laugh.
"Quiet down. As I was saying, these are the main rules you must follow when betting in a high stake betting pool." Switzerland turned around, and he started to write down the rules as he spoke. The other nations new to the betting pool leaned in closer, watching him with undivided attention.
"First, you may only make one bet. If you want to take a bet you've already made from the main betting pool and make it your high stake bet, you are allowed to do so, but remember that unlike the main betting pool, you are not allowed to cancel a bet, so choose your bet wisely. Also, no overlapping bets are allowed to be made. The only way to share a bet is if you are planning to share the rewards with everyone else who made that bet. In that case, let me know beforehand so I can work that out with your party.
Second, you must bet at least five hundred U.S. dollars. This is a high stake betting pool. Unless you are willing to play big, you will not win big. There is no limit on how much you can bet in the high stake betting pool, but I recommend you do not overdo it, if only for the sake of your own wallets.
Third, you are not allowed to interfere with America's and Russia's relationship. So forcing them to kiss, hold hands, or marry each other-" Switzerland shot an accusing glance at France, who squawked in protest as the other notions around him laughed, -is not allowed. Blackmail and threats are also banned. If the bets are tampered with in any way the whole pool will be shut down, and all your money will be taken by me for wasting my time."
"That doesn't seem very fair!" Austria protested, but Switzerland just gave Austria an annoyed look.
"It also stops anyone who lost from messing up the pool on purpose in order to get their money back. So, yes it is fair."
Austria let out an annoyed huff, but didn't interrupt again as Switzerland continued.
"Fourth, these bets are only for the party. All bets need to be made before the party begins at 7pm on the 24th. All bets made after the party starts will not count, and will be thrown out. All bets in the main betting pool still count, and follow the usual ruling. Make sure to give me the money you are betting before the party, or your bet will be thrown out.
Finally, if you have any inside knowledge of the events taking place, try not rig the system too much. The main reason to do this is to have fun, so if you do know the outcome of someone else's bet beforehand, don't share it. For example, if you know America and Russia are dating, as unlikely as that is, keep it to yourself until after the party. From this moment on no one who participates in any betting pool is allowed to interfere with any high stake bet.
If anyone knows anyone who wishes to participate, but is not present, let me know and I will email them this list of rules and they can email me their bets. Are there any questions?"
When the other nations shook their heads, Switzerland walked over to a desk he had set up, and sitting down he took a pen out of his pocket and clicked it once. He opened up his black books on the table. "Who wants to start first?"
"Me!" Hungary said, leaping out her seat with her hand waving in the air. "I want to upgrade my bet about America and Russia announcing they're dating by the third week. Raise It from a hundred dollars to one thousand!"
An excited mutter rippled through the crowd, and as Switzerland updated his book, Prussia rolled his eyes.
"Fat chance of that happening. Don't you know that America can't even talk about being intimate without him sweating like a sinner at church?" Prussia said, and a couple of the other nations started to laugh. "I swear, America missed his calling to be a medieval monk."
"It could happen!" Hungary defended. "I mean, realistically, how long does a person need to fall in love? I've known quite a few couples who got together after knowing each other for just a few days."
"Oh, come on." Cuba huffed. "How often does that really happen?"
"More than you would think. Isn't it romantic?" France said with a wink, and Cuba gagged.
"Oh, I want to make a bet." Italy said, raising his hand eagerly. "Me next!"
"Italy? Well, that's a surprise. You don't usually make large bets." Spain said, looking over curiously at the younger Italian brother.
"I just have a good feeling about this." Italy said, giving Spain a big smile.
"What's the bet?" Switzerland asked.
"I think America and Russia are going to be wearing matching outfits! I want to bet five hundred on it."
"What? Feliciano, you dumbass! Everyone knows that Ukraine and her siblings are going to be dressing up together! Do you really think Belarus would ever dress the same as that hamburger idiot? You're just throwing our money away you dumbass!" Romano said, chastising his brother. "Switzerland, I bet a thousand that America and Russia won't dress anything alike so I can get our damned money back!"
"Ve?! Romano, why are you being so mean?" Italy asked, looking upset. "You know that they're going to the party together! It's common for partners to dress alike during parties!"
"Because you're wasting our money!" Romano yelled, and the Italian brothers started to bicker frantically with each other in Italian, waving their arms in irritation.
Ignoring them, Finland raised his hand next. "I'm next!"
Sweden looked over at Finland in mild surprise. "You are betting?"
"Why not? It's just for fun. I want to put down five hundred that by the end of the Christmas party, America will announce if he and Russia are actually dating or not."
"You think so?" Sweden asked, giving his partner a thoughtful look.
"It seems like something America would do. He's a bit theatrical after all. What better time to announce something like that than when the whole world is together?" Finland said with a shrug.
"Makes sense." Sweden agreed, but to everyone's surprise, Sweden raised his hand as well. "However, it won't be America. It will be Russia who makes that announcement. I am betting five hundred."
"Why Russia?" Denmark asked, giving Sweden a flabbergasted look.
To everyone's surprise, Sweden just gave them one of his rare smiles. "Alfred would be too shy to do something like that."
"America? SHY? Oh pleaseeeee!" Mexico said, gagging slightly at the idea. "If America was ever shy, I'd eat my god damned sombrero! That man doesn't know the word shame!"
"He isn't very open about his romantic side, so maybe he has a point." Brazil said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"I would like to bet next please." Liechtenstein said, raising her hand.
"Oh my!" Belgium said, scooting closer to Liechtenstein. "This should be fun! We don't get many bets from you!"
"I would like to put two thousand dollars down on America and Russia kissing at least once during the party." She said, blushing slightly as she spoke.
"Liechtenstein?!" Switzerland asked in shock, his mouth falling open as the room went wild around her.
"Wooo! Now it's getting interesting!" Prussia said, pumping his arm into the air with a cackle as Belgium let out a squeal of excitement.
"Aw, that was going to be my bet!" Panama whined, looking disappointed.
"Like you need more money!" Brazil snapped. "Sit down, money bags!"
"Don't hate the player, hate the game!" Panama said, sticking out her tongue at Brazil.
"What the hell does that even mean?!"
"I'm next." China said calmly, causing the room to calm down slightly as he stood up. "I bet a thousand dollars that neither one of those dumbasses will confess anything at the party. If they did have feelings for each other they'd be too stupid to realize it."
A few nations laughed and clapped at that, and China sat back down, looking pleased with himself.
"Ah! That reminds me. I need to update my bet." Canada said, raising his hand and the nations around him jumped as he seemed to appear out of thin air next to them.
"Jesus Christ, can you stop doing that!?" Poland asked, clutching his heart and giving Canada an annoyed look. "Make some noise sometimes, would you?"
"Sorry." Canada said, not looking very sorry at all. "Switzerland, I want to update my bet."
"Are we going to finally learn what your bet was?" Turkey asked excitedly, and everyone in the room looked at Canada in anticipation.
"Hmm, should I?" Canada hummed, and everyone nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, you're the closest one to America, so if anyone's bet would be the most interesting, it would be yours. After all, didn't you already bet a thousand on it in the main pool?" Australia asked.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. After all, I made it way before most of this drama just started." Canada said with a shrug. "My bet was that Russia would be the one to fall for Alfred first, but it would be Alfred who confessed. I want to change that slightly. I bet ten thousand on Alfred confessing first."
For a moment the room was dead silent. Then, before anyone could react, France stood up and said, "Ten thousand that it will be Russia who confesses first."
The room erupted into wild shouts as the two nations stared each other down.
"Oh, hello France." Canada said pleasantly, but his eyes narrowed slightly at the older nation. "I see that you're finally out of hiding. Tell me, did Al finally give you a good smack over the head for all the bullshit you put him through?" There were a couple of gasps at Canada cussing.
"Indeed. We've sorted out things on our end. That said, I think you are completely wrong, Mathieu. Tell me, do you really think Alfred is ready to confess to anyone? If Alfred was ready, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment. You know how he is." France said, giving Canada a knowing look.
Canada picked up on what France was implying immediately. Ah, so he knew about Al's crush as well. "I don't think you're giving Al enough credit." Canada huffed as the other nations watched them, following the conversion like a tennis match. "Sure, if they did like each other, it might seem like Russia would be the first to speak up, but we all know Alfred would want to be in control of the situation."
"But he would never feel in control enough to attempt it!" France countered. "He'd keep second guessing himself!"
"Not about liking someone! As soon as Al knows for sure how he feels, he won't let anything stop him from getting what he wants!"
France scoffed. "Do you even know your twin at all? If he tried to confess he'd probably pass out from the stress!"
"Well, why are you so confident about Russia confessing first?" Canada asked.
"Because, Russia doesn't freak out like Alfred when he's stressed. I bet that even as we speak, Russia is the one with the plan to confess to Alfred, while Alfred is still trying to figure out what to do!"
Canada rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you expect Alfred to come up with a plan for a confession? Please, we all know he'd just blurt out his feelings whenever the mood was right. He doesn't make plans, he just wings it most of the time."
"That might be, but he's in no way ready to confess yet, while Russia is!"
"You're wrong!"
"I am never wrong about the matters of the heart!"
"You're wrong nine times out of ten!"
"Now you're just pulling numbers out of nowhere! Shame on you!"
"Okay, that's enough." Germany said, standing up and holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "This isn't supposed to be an argument. You've both made your bets, so let the others speak now."
France and Canada let out identical huffs of annoyance, but they did sit back down, glaring at each other.
"Wow, they're a lot more similar than I thought." Poland hummed to Lithuania.
"Well, France did raise Canada." Lithuania hummed back, watching as a few more nations gave out their bets. "It's not a surprise that Canada is good at picking up on people's emotions. After all, he does get along well with most people."
"Who do you think is right?"
"Hard to say. Canada knows his brother better than anyone, but France is usually correct about people's relationships. Honestly, it could go either way."
"I can't wait for the party!" Poland said with an excited smile as Mexico bet six hundred dollars on America punching Russia on the dance floor. "It's going to be the show of the century, and there won't even be any blood shed for once!"
"Uhh, did you forget about Belarus?" Lithuania asked, and Poland froze.
"Oh my god, I totally forgot about her!" Poland gasped, turning to face Lithuania in shock. "Do you know what this means!?"
"Someone is going to get injured?"
"Yes, but it means I have a guaranteed bet! I'm going to be rich!" Poland said excitedly, standing up and raising his hand. "A thousand on Belarus attempting to stab America!"
"Poland, no!"
"Poland yes!"
"No one is going to stab my brother!" Canada protested, but the room ignored him.
"Hell yeah! It's not a real party unless someone gets stabbed!" Prussia cheered, and the rest of the room cheered as well.
"All of you are idiots!" Germany yelled, and the room descended into chaos.
Switzerland sighed as he watched the rest of the room. Well, he should have expected this. Ah well, at least he'd make some easy money off these idiots.
_Alfred/Ivan_
As soon as Ivan and Alfred had finished packing their bags, and had made sure Hero and Milashka would have enough food until the next day, they had set off to wherever Alfred had planned to take them. Obviously, Alfred was the one driving as he was the only one who knew where to go. So as Alfred drove through New York city at slightly alarming speeds, Ivan took a chance to pull out his knitting and catch up on some projects he had fallen behind on. He occasionally glanced over to make sure Alfred was paying attention to the road, but as soon as he was sure Alfred wasn't taking his eyes off the road he relaxed slightly.
They didn't talk much for the first part of the trip, as Alfred was too busy making sure they were taking the right roads out the city and occasionally swearing under his breath at the other drivers around them. At one point Alfred muttered angrily about how people's driving had only gotten worse over the last hundred years, and Ivan couldn't help but roll his eyes fondly at Alfred. Like he was one to talk. He was the one going ten over the speed limit.
Eventually, they made it out of the city and onto a major highway, and as Alfred relaxed slightly as the traffic became less dense, Ivan finally broke the silence.
"So, what do you think the others are going to be betting on this year at your party?"
"Us."
"I mean other than us. We already know we're the main topic this year." Ivan said with an amused shake of his head.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Alfred admitted. "Probably on who is going to bring the fruit cake this year."
"You mean they don't plan that?"
"Nah. It's so weird! I don't think it's one person doing it, but no one has ever been able to catch who's doing it, and with no one fessing up it's kinda just a tradition at this point."
"Are you sure it is not your brother doing it?"
"Who? Mattie?"
"Yes."
"Nah, I've already asked him." Alfred said, waving away the idea. "He would have told me by now if it was him. Plus, I don't think he even likes fruit cake."
"No one likes fruit cake." Ivan pointed out.
"I mean, you're right, but that just makes it weirder! Who the hell makes a fruit cake if they don't even like it?"
Ivan frowned for a moment. "Why is fruit cake even a thing if no one likes it?"
They both sat in silence for a few miles as they contemplated the question.
"No way, do you think someone actually likes that crap?!" Alfred asked, looking honestly baffled.
"Well, it is not me. I know Italy makes a good fruit cake, but he hasn't made it in decades."
Alfred scoffed at the idea. "No, this is a store brand fruit cake. Like, the really foul stuff. That thing is probably branded as a war crime by the Geneva convention at this point. Hell, there's a conspiracy theory that the fruitcake is the same loaf but reused every year, and it's been around since the fifties."
"Really?" Ivan asked, slightly horrified by the idea.
"You know, I should actually open the damned thing this year. At least I can make sure it won't be reused. Maybe I'll throw it in the punch bowl or something."
"Why would you do that to a perfectly good punch?"
"What, you want me to throw it in the vodka fountain instead? Because let me tell you, that thing wasn't cheap."
Ivan paused his knitting as he tried to absorb what Alfred had just said. Slowly, he turned his head and stared at Alfred in disbelief. "Vodka fountain?" He asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Yeah, I got a vodka fountain."
"A whole fountain?"
"Well, it's not a big one, but it does take up a quarter of the drink table."
"You barely drink vodka!"
"I know."
"So why did you get so much?"
"Because you said you'd only come if there was a vodka fountain,"Alfred said with a shrug.
Ivan looked at Alfred in confusion, until he suddenly had a flashback to the book store they visited. Ivan felt his cheeks warm up slightly as he realized that he had completely forgotten about that promise. He honestly hadn't thought Alfred had been serious about that.
"You did not have to do that." Ivan said with a slightly embarrassed cough, looking quickly back down at his knitting. "It's too much for just me."
"But I wanted to." Alfred said firmly. "I want to make sure your first party with me is perfect. I mean, I wouldn't even go without you at this point anyways. It wouldn't be any fun without you there."
"What?" Ivan asked, his eyes growing wide at Alfred's words.
"Like, what would I do without you? You're my date." Alfred said, not releasing what he said as he looked over his shoulder, concentrating on merging into the lane next to them. "I don't want to go alone."
Ivan's knitting needles dropped out of his hands as he stared at Alfred in shock, his face turning bright pink as Alfreds words bounced around in his head. Date? He thought of the party as a date?! A date with him?! Ivan quickly turned away as he covered his face, his heart threatening to fall out of his chest. No, it was probably just a slip of the tongue, but the word continued to bounce around in his head nonetheless.
Before he could stop himself, Ivan blurted out, "Your date?"
Ivan cursed himself as Alfred's eyes went wide, and Ivan felt like kicking himself. Shit, he had just ruined everything ! Of course he had to open his big mouth when they were trapped in a car together! He had to fix this somehow before Alfred was scared off by his stupidity!
Just as Ivan opened his mouth to say something to try and do anything to fix the situation, Alfred started laughing. Ivan stared at Alfred in confusion as Alfred gestured his hand between them.
"I mean, it's kinda like a date." Alfred explained, still chuckling. "I mean, we're getting dressed up, going to a fancy party and spending the night together. I mean, it's a date in everything but name."
"Ah…I had not thought about that." Ivan lied, trying desperately to get his heart rate back down to normal levels again. "Well, it does not matter what it is called, as long as we have fun, da?"
"Yeah." Alfred hummed, and they fell back into silence. As Ivan leaned down to pick up his knitting needles again, he missed the look of relief on Alfred's face. Letting out a slow breath, Alfred had to force himself to keep a straight face as he tried not to crush the steering wheel beneath his hands. Oh god, he had messed up. He had seriously fucked up. Thank god he had been quick enough to save his ass this time.
Neither one of them said anything else for the next ten miles, as they both unknowingly tried to compose themselves.
"So, what colors did your sister decide on for the party?" Alfred finally asked.
"Ah, she has decided that we will all be wearing the color blue with a different accent color on each of us. She will be wearing blue and silver, Belarus will be wearing blue and white, and she still has not chosen a color for me yet." Ivan said, thankful for the topic change.
"Oh, that's a great idea! But I thought she was going to wear blue and yellow?"
"I thought so as well." Ivan said with a shrug. "I am rather surprised, she has always been fond of the combination."
"Maybe she wanted to do something different." Alfred said with a shrug.
"What about your brothers? Have they picked out their outfits yet?'
"Uh, not yet. I think Mattie said something about wearing something darker-" Alfred started to explain, but Ivan was only half listening as his brain continued to bounce the idea of asking Alfred to date him around in his head.
Thankfully for both of them, their conversations didn't get close to the topic of dating again as they both danced around the subject. Eventually, as they grew closer to their destination the sun started to set, causing the sky ahead of them to burst out into an orange and pink glow as the sun dipped below the horizon. By this point, they had gotten off the main highway and in the growing dusk, Alfred had to turn on his high beams as they started to go down strange back roads. The darker it got, the more nervous Alfred seemed to become as he kept checking the clock on the dashboard with a growing frown.
Finally, Alfred turned the car onto a dirt path that was surrounded by trees, and for some reason he looked relieved as he finally pulled up to an empty parking lot, with a single booth and a small dirt path leading into a wooded area.
As Alfred finally parked the car, Ivan raised an eyebrow at the scene outside his window. If he and Alfred weren't getting along so well, he would have thought Alfred had brought him out here to kill him and bury his body where no one could find it.
"Have I made you mad?" Ivan joked, pointing at the woods next to them. "If so, you could have just told me instead of plotting my demise."
"Hush you." Alfred said, grabbing his bag and pulling out an envelope. "Stay here for a moment, I'm going to check us in. It's a good thing we left when we did, they shut in half an hour."
"Are you going to tell me what on earth we are doing here now?" Ivan asked, but Alfred just beamed at him and shook his head.
"Give me like thirty more minutes and I will. I promise, it's worth it." Alfred said. "Stay here." With that, Alfred jumped out of the car and slamming the door he jogged over to the booth. It was only then that Ivan realized how cold it was outside, and that Alfred wasn't bundled up at all, and neither was he.
Thankfully he had thought to bring his heavy coat. Ivan grabbed his bag and started to bundle up, and had only got done when Alfred got back to the car, shivering from the cold but beaming at him.
"All done! Grab your stuff. We have a fifteen minute walk."
"Do you have a coat?" Ivan asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I just didn't want to wear it in the car. Give me a sec, let me grab it."
It took them an extra few minutes to make sure they were completely bundled up, but eventually they were finally ready. Grabbing their bags, they made their way up the path, using their phones as flashlights as the light started to rapidly fade around them.
Honestly, it felt good to stretch their legs after such a long trip, so they didn't rush as they carefully made their path to…somewhere. Honestly, Ivan had no idea where Alfred was taking them.
As if Alfred had read his mind, he stopped just before a bend in the path near the end of the tree line. "So, I guess I should explain what we're doing here." Alfred said, turning around facing Ivan with a slightly nervous smile.
"Yes, that would be nice." Ivan said, raising a curious eyebrow at the shorter nation. "What are we doing here?"
"So, to be perfectly honest I wasn't expecting to come out so far today. But, before we left France's place yesterday he gave me an early Christmas gift, and well, for some reason the tickets he gave me ended tomorrow. Now, usually I wouldn't care about going out to the middle of nowhere, but this place is a little special."
"How so?"
"First, turn off your flashlight." Alfred said, turning off his phone light.
"But we won't-"
"Seriously, trust me. Turn it off." Alfred insisted.
Ivan reluctantly did, and the world around them went pitch black. "Now we can't see. Are you sure you are not trying to murder me?" Ivan joked again, causing Alfred to laugh.
"I'm not. Okay, so do you know what my least favorite thing about New York city is?"
"The traffic?"
"Nope."
"The cost of living?"
"Close."
"How much taxis cost?"
"All good points, but no. It's actually the amount of light pollution the city gives off." Alfred confessed, and Ivan blinked in surprise.
"Light pollution?" Ivan asked, slightly baffled. "You brought me here to talk about light pollution?"
"Not to talk about, to get away from it. To be honest," Alfred said, and as Ivan's eyes adjusted to the dark, he barely made out the slightly sad look on Alfred's face, "the east coast isn't a great place to try and get away from it, but there are a few pockets here and there where it's not so bad. This just happens to be one of those places."
As Alfred spoke, Ivan finally realized what Alfred was getting at. Before he could look up, Alfred reached over and grabbed his hand. "Not yet. There's a clearing up ahead. It'll look better there, trust me. Follow me."
Ivan felt Alfred leading him down the path, but he didn't let go of Alfred's hand as they walked. Neither did Alfred let go of Ivan's, and they fell into a kind of rhythm as they walked. Ivan's heart was pounding, and if it weren't for his thick gloves he would have felt that Alfred's was beating just as hard. They walked like that for a few minutes, neither one of them saying anything until finally, they walked out of the woods.
Ivan stopped as the tree trunks around them disappeared, and the bank of a huge lake appeared, completely opening up their surroundings. The lake, which was completely surrounded by the dark woods around them, was completely frozen over. Due to there not being any trees to stop the snow reaching the ground, a thin layer of snow covered everything, causing the lake to seem to sparkle in the moonlight. The only thing not covered in snow was the path, which was leading them to a nearby pier above the lake and a small cottage a little further away.
But that wasn't what Ivan was looking at. No, what caught his attention were the thousands upon thousands of stars above him, sparkling down at him. Ivan's eyes went wide at the sight, and for a moment he felt his mind go completely blank. Stars. How long had it been since he had seen them? Not since he had come to this country. Not before when he had been living in Moscow. Not during the countless business trips around the world, or the many meetings he had to attend, and not since years ago when he had been sitting on his porch alone at his house in Siberia.
He hadn't even realized how much he'd missed them. He suddenly felt a slow build up of emotions in his chest as he tried to blink tears out of his eyes. He hadn't looked up in so long. He had almost forgotten why he should.
Alfred watched Ivan closely as the older nation stared up above them in awe. When Ivan didn't say anything for a few minutes, Alfred squeezed Ivan's hand lightly and asked, "Ivan?"
Ivan looked down at Alfred, and as he looked into Alfreds eyes, he saw the stars reflecting in them, sparkling back at him almost as if they had always been there. Like they had always belonged there. Alfred tilted his head slightly at Ivan's expression. "You okay?"
"You have stars in your eyes after all, мой подсолнух." Ivan said, squeezing Alfred's hand back. "Did you know that?"
"Well, not until now." Alfred said, smiling up at Ivan. "So, do you like your surprise?"
"I do. Very much so." Ivan said, his expression softening with pure fondness for the smaller nation. "I see now why you did not want to spoil it."
Alfred beamed up at him, and it took all of Ivan's self control not to steal a kiss from Alfred right then and there. Indeed, it was a very tempting thought, but it wasn't time for that quite yet. He wanted to hold on to this moment for just a little longer. Selfishly keep Alfred by his side for just a little longer. Hold on to him for just a little while more before he had to leave. Before he had to be alone again. Without him.
So instead, he led Alfred down the nearby pier, and as soon as they reached the end of it they sat down, still holding hands and looking up at the constellations above them.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard, and the only thing that moved was their breath, which fogged up everytime they breathed out. It was Alfred who moved first, scooting closer into Ivan's side.
"Dude, I'm freezing."
Ivan laughed in response, wrapping Alfred up in his arms and pulling the shorter nation onto his lap. "You are always cold, подсолнух." Ivan teased, pulling his scarf off and wrapping it around Alfred. "Perhaps you should have chosen somewhere warmer to view the stars?"
"Well, we are up north in winter. There's not a lot of warm places available right now." Alfred pointed out as he grinned up at Ivan. "But to be fair, you're here, so I think I'll be fine."
"Sometimes I think you only keep me around to steal my body heat." Ivan said with a playful hum.
"Maybe." Alfred said, reaching up and pinching Ivans cheek with a wink. "But to be fair, you have more than enough to share."
"Nonsense. I no longer give anything away for free." Ivan said.
"Is that so?" Alfred asked, his eyes sparking with amusement.
"Of course. In fact, one day you will have to return all the heat you have stolen. The next time I visit you, you must take me somewhere warm." Ivan declared.
"Is that right?"
"Mhmm."
"I can do that. You know, I think I have just the place up in the Dakotas." Alfred hummed.
"The Da-kotas?" Ivan asked, and Alfred giggled slightly as Ivan had a little trouble pronouncing the state's names. "That is one of your northern states, da?"
"There's two of them. North and South." Alfred explained. "Specifically, I'm talking about a farm I have up in North Dakota. I think you'd really like it."
"What kind of farm is it?"
Alfred rested his head against Ivan's chest and with a grin, he said, "Well, it just so happens to be one of the biggest sunflower farms in the country. Plus, it gets pretty warm up there in summer time, but not hot enough where you," Alfred tapped Ivan's chest softly, "would melt into the pavement."
Ivan felt a smile growing on his face as Alfred spoke. "I am liking Da-kota already."
"You should come over for my birthday." Alfred said, perking up slightly at the thought. "It'll be awesome! There's always these ginormous fireworks, food, and the best part is that it's the perfect excuse to visit me!"
"I see. Well, I suppose that would be fair, seeing as I will be spending my birthday with you this year." Ivan said, and Alfred froze, his eyes going wide.
Alfred stared up at Ivan, a look of disbelief on his face. "Wait, what?"
"I did not tell you?" Ivan asked, a bit surprised at Alfred's strong reaction. "My birthday is on the thirtieth."
"No, you did not! Ivan, how could you not tell me your birthday is coming up?!" Alfred asked, looking flabbergasted at Ivan's casual confession. "What were we going to do to celebrate it if you didn't tell me!"
"I do not celebrate my birthday."
"What?!" Alfred asked, giving Ivan such an offended expression one might have thought Ivan had just insulted his mother. "But it's your birthday! A whole day about you! How could you not celebrate it?!"
Ivan had to stop himself from laughing as Alfred gaped at him, unable to comprehend what he was being told. He had almost forgotten that while Alfred was super thoughtful, he still had an ego the size of the moon.
"Like I said, I do not think much about getting older. I have had more birthdays than I'll ever need. It isn't more than another day for me. You will be like that too after you reach your three hundred birthday." Ivan teased. "One day you'll stop celebrating them too."
"No I won't!"
"You will! One day, you'll be like me and China and sleep through the whole day!"
"As if, grandpa!"
"First you will start wanting to leave your parties earlier and earlier-" Ivan continued cheerfully.
"No!"
"Then you will stop throwing big parties, and just have small private ones-"
"Bruh, as if!"
"And then, one day you will realize that it's too much work and just take the day off, just so you can sleep all day!" Ivan said, pulling Alfred into a hug. "And then you'll be an old fart like us!"
"Noooo!" Alfred whined playfully, and Ivan saw he was fighting to hide a smile. "I'll be young forever."
"I'm sure you will." Ivan chuckled.
"But for real, we need to do something for your birthday." Alfred said, pulling out of the hug and giving Ivan a surprisingly firm look. "I mean, you're leaving the day after, so we can't do something too big, but still! We can at least have a cake or go to dinner!"
"Hmm, perhaps dinner. We could go out for drinks." Ivan said with a small smile.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me, how do you feel about getting some wine?" Ivan asked with a playful grin.
"That's it, get off me." Alfred said, playfully pushing Ivan off of him. "I can't stand you."
"Maybe that screaming eagle wine?." Ivan asked, wrapping his arms around Alfred's waist and pulling him back with a large smile. "We can get two bottles. I have connections."
"Oh, and then we'll cause an international incident again I suppose?"
"That's right!"
"I'm sure our bosses will love that." Alfred said sarcastically, and they both fell into a fit of giggles at the thought.
When they eventually calmed down, Alfred leaned back into Ivan's side, and they both looked up again at the sky above them. It was a good thing they did, because not thirty seconds went by before they saw a shooting star flash across the sky.
"Dude, make a wish!" Alfred said excitedly, and Ivan couldn't help but shake his head fondly at the younger nation.
"So silly. You know that that is probably just some space junk reentering the atmosphere."
"Get your facts and logic out of here and just make a dang wish." Alfred said with a huff, grabbing Ivan's face and squishing his cheeks in defiance.
"Of course."
"And don't tell me what it is, or else it won't come true!"
"You believe that?"
"It's a well known fact!"
Ivan laughed as Alfred continued to berate him. Still, he glanced up at the sky again and as he looked out into a universe he knew would never truly give him what he wanted, he couldn't help but wish from the bottom of his heart that when he did finally tell Alfred how he felt about him, that they could still be friends afterwards.
If he could at least have that much, he would be happy.
They both sat out there for another hour, pointing out the different constellations, planets, and stars together. At one point, they even had a competition to see who could name the most stars, but quickly gave up when it became clear they would be there all night if they did that.
Eventually, they both started to get a little too cold, with Alfred shivering and Ivan starting to get a little uncomfortable, so they both decided to call it a night.
Ivan was the first one to head to the cabin, as Alfred claimed he wanted to stay out for an extra few minutes. Ivan had just shrugged at Alfred's reasoning, and as soon as Alfred was sure Ivan was in the cabin, he let out a tired sigh and fell onto his back, staring up into the cosmos with a determined expression.
He was going to confess to Ivan at the Christmas party. He hadn't been sure when he was going to confess before, but after everything that had happened that day, he knew he had to do it soon, because if he didn't he was going to let it slip eventually. Hell, he had almost blown his secret on the way here, there was no way he was going to last till Ivan left. Taking a deep breath, Alfred closed his eyes and tried to steady his nerves. He could do this, right?
He had everything working in his favor. Ivan and him were closer than they had ever been, he would be dressed up, they would be going together, and he was pretty sure Ivan wouldn't hate him afterwards. It wouldn't be like with Kiku, right? Ivan wouldn't abandon their friendship when the truth came out, would he? Right?
"Please." Alfred whispered up at the stars above him. "Please, please let it work. I don't think my heart can take it if he says no. Please."
When the stars, of course, didn't reply Alfred let out a tired sigh. What was he doing? This was stupid. Shaking his head, he finally got up and brushed the snow off his coat. Sighing again, he made his way up to the cabin. He'd just have to figure it out himself.
A/N: The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of texas. Eh? Eh? Get it? Because Alfred's glasses are Texas? :D Did I base this whole plot point on that single sentence? Why yes, yes I did. My terrible jokes aside, we are in the end game. Next chapter, we get a glimpse into what Belarus is up to.
Also, of course they were going to go stargazing together! They're both space nerds, and this is a romantic story! How could I NOT include stargazing! They're both so stupid, just kiss already damn it! How dare you have understandable character arcs and personal reasons to not just jump into romance! KISS DAMN YOU!
Also, France my man, you have finally been redeemed my dude. Best. Wingman. Ever.