*Slowly drags self into the room* Sup? Hey, does anyone know the safe word for life? I am straight up not having a good time but life continues to beat me up! :D Jokes aside, the last chapter was a fluff filled affair, so now we need to have a slow, steady supply of stress as our final problem finally takes her place into the center stage of this story. Let's hear it for Belarus everyone! Also, why do I feel like I've forgotten something? Eh, must be imagining it. *Dark shadow looms over me.* Yep, nothing to see here, ha ha….fuck.
"Natalia, do you have the bags packed yet?" Ukraine yelled as she slammed her suit case closed on her bed. "We can't be late for our flight tonight!"
"I am almost done." Belarus' voice huffed from the kitchen. "Why are you rushing? We still have hours till we need to leave."
"Because we need to check in early!" Ukraine replied firmly, taking a moment to rest as she panted slightly from the effort of shutting her suitcase. She really needed to get a new one someday, this one was too small and it took too much effort to squish it shut.
As though she had read sister's mind, Belarus stuck her head into the room with a slight frown. "Are you still struggling with that thing?" Belarus asked, giving her sister an exasperated look. "Katya, how many times have I told you to throw that thing away?"
"I will get another one when I can afford it." Ukraine said with a shrug.
"They are not that expensive." Belarus chidded.
"They are expensive enough."
"Just buy one and write it off as a business expense" Belarus suggested. "We travel enough to justify it."
Ukraine blinked at her sister in slight surprise. "I, um, never thought to do that." She admitted , looking slightly embarrassed as her sister continued to give her an even more unimpressed stare.
"It is a good thing you are pretty." Belarus said with a sigh, shaking her head. "You do not have many brains."
"Hey!" Ukraine huffed, puffing out her cheeks in defiance. Belarus tried to keep on a serious expression, but as her older sister continued to glare at her she couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto her face. Her older sister had always been fun to tease.
"Do not think you can be so cheeky." Ukraine huffed playfully, throwing a pair of socks at Belarus, who caught them easily. "I'm still your older sister."
"Of course." Belarus said, and before Ukraine could do anything Belarus had thrown the socks back into her sister's face.
Grumbling slightly, Ukraine peeled the socks off her face as Belarus continued to smile at her. "You seem to be in a good mood." Ukraine commented. "Did something happen for you to be in such high spirits?"
"Of course, I am going to see Big Brother soon. It has been so long since I have seen him, so I am looking forward to spending time with him again." Belarus said. As she spoke, Ukraine's shoulders stiffened slightly, before she forced them to relax again.
"Ah, I see. I suppose it has been some time." Ukraine said lightly.
"I bet he will be very happy to see us. It has been some time since we all spent time together as a family." Belarus continued, walking over and sitting down on the bed with a thoughtful look.
"I suppose that's true." Ukraine admitted, a small bittersweet smile on her face. "This will be good for us."
"Yes, it will." Belarus agreed.
They sat in silence for a few quiet seconds as Ukraine started to fold up some laundry, but she paused as she studied her sister's expression, which seemed slightly troubled. Other people couldn't usually tell what her younger sister was thinking about, as her face rarely changed from her neutral expression. However, since Ukraine had raised her she knew that Belarus formed a small crease between her eyebrows when she was troubled about something.
"Is something bothering you?" Ukraine asked.
Belarus frowned for a moment, before she admitted, "A little. Do you think Big Brother is still upset at me for yelling at him?"
Ukraine gave her sister a fond eye roll. She should have realized. "I doubt it. You know he doesn't worry about your outbursts. He knows you were just worried about him."
Instead of cheering up at her words, Belarus's expression darkened slightly. Glancing at her older sister, she asked, "Are America and Big brother really…friends?" She said the last word like it had pained her to say it.
"As far as I could see." Ukraine said with a shrug. "When I last spoke to Ivan, he was even talking about what he should get America for the party."
"Oh." Belarus said, a small flicker of hurt flashing behind her eyes for a second, but it disappeared before her sister caught it. "I wouldn't have thought he would have got America anything."
"Well, they just made up and he is America's plus one to the party. It would be rather strange if he didn't." Ukraine pointed out.
Belarus's face turned stony at her words. "Plus one?"
"You know, since he is staying at America's home?"
"Of course." Belarus mumbled, forcing herself to relax.
Ukraine eyed her sister with a slight frown. She was aware that Belarus was still upset about Ivan and Alfred's budding friendship, but she honestly didn't expect her to be this upset. It had been weeks since the rumors had first dropped, and with the other nations being careful not to spread anymore romantic rumors her way, she thought she would have calmed down slightly.
Sighing silently to herself, she realized she should probably address the elephant in the room. She would rather have this talk here and not during the party where her younger sister might turn her anger on the other nations. Ukraine put away some of her spare clothes before speaking again.
"Natalia, I need to ask you something." Ukraine said as she turned back around, and Belarus quickly fixed her expression as her older sister gave her a surprisingly firm look.
"About what?"
"Are you still upset about Ivan and America being friends?"
Belarus didn't reply, but she didn't need to as her angry expression told Ukraine everything she needed to know.
"Natalia-" Ukraine started to say with a tired sigh, but her sister cut her off.
"I am not upset that he has a friend." Belarus clarified. "I am upset that it is America."
"Oh." Ukraine hadn't expected her sister to say that. "I thought you didn't like anyone but us being close to him."
"I do not wish for him to be alone. However, I do not want him to make friends with people who might stab him in the back." Belarus huffed.
Ukraine gave her sister a slightly annoyed look. "I can not understand why you are so harsh towards America. Why are they so against them being friends? Isn't it a good thing to be close again?
"The question is, why are you okay with it?" Belarus asked, glaring at her sister.
"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"
"That American bastard-" Belarus hissed, "almost killed Big Brother before. Do you think that I would just forget about that?!"
"That was decades ago." Ukraine said, crossing her arms impatiently.
"Decades mean nothing!" Belarus spat. "Decades mean nothing to us! It wasn't the first time either! For years, no, half a century they tried to kill each other and now you expect me to believe that they can get along again?! It is too good to be true."
"It seems like that, but they've honestly been getting better." Ukraine said, her expression softening slightly at her sister's words. "Natalia, they've been at peace with each other for decades now. It's not impossible for them to have finally healed and to decide to move on. As you said, decades mean nothing. That doesn't only apply to hurting each other, but healing as well. Not to mention, they are friends as Alfred and Ivan, not America and Russia. Politics aren't in play here."
"No. Even if they did want to be friends-" Belarus said the last word with a sneer, "-as nations or humans, it would only hurt Big Brother again. We all know that one day that American is going to turn on him again and stick a knife into his back with a smile! It is not a matter of if, but of when! You can not separate our personal lives and nationhood!"
"Natalia!" Ukraine said sharply, giving her sister a stern look. "That is enough! We both know that isn't true! Alfred is not like that!"
"He is, and you're too blind to see it!" Belarus yelled, suddenly standing up and glaring up at her sister. "America is the reason Big Brother hurts all the time! He's the one who kept hurting him until he ran away from us! He's the reason he broke apart! He's the one that tore our family apart!" As she spoke, her eyes started to become wet, but she refused to allow the tears to fall. "How could you ever want someone like him to ever get close to Ivan again!? It's like you don't even care about him! About us!"
Ukraine's eyes turned cold, and her hands balled up into fists around the shirt she was holding. "Don't you ever-" she said in a low angry tone, "-dare suggest that I do not care about this family. I have sacrificed everything for this family, and you know that."
Belarus didn't say anything, but she looked away from her sister with a slightly guilty expression on her face. Neither of them dared to speak for a few heart beats, not trusting themselves to speak.
"I am sorry." Belarus eventually muttered. "I did not mean…"
"Forget it." Ukraine closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her eyes. "I know you didn't." Ukraine put the shirt down on the table next to her, and sitting down on the bed next to her sister she asked "Natalia, do you think I have not thought about not trusting America?" Ukraine asked.
A flicker of surprise crossed Belarus's face. "You have?" Belarus asked, her voice betraying her feelings.
"Of course I have." Ukraine said, opening her eyes and looking up at her sister with a tired expression. "Why do you think I went out to see Ivan when the rumors of them dating came out? I wanted to make sure that Ivan was really happy and to make sure America wasn't using him. If I had found out any type of foul play, don't you think I would have stepped in?"
Belarus didn't answer, instead biting on her lip in frustration as she looked away from Ukraine with a huff, crossing her arms.
"It is time you moved on. It is no longer the cold war." Ukraine continued.
Unable to stop herself, Belarus let out a cold laugh at that. "It will always be the cold war to me." She spat.
"Natalia-"
"No, you don't get to lecture me about this! We were alone, Katya! We were alone, and we are STILL alone and it is all America's fault!"
"It wasn't only his fault and you know it. America did not force Ivan to leave."
"He would not have left if America did not send that god damned note!"
"You are placing all the blame on one party!" Ukraine finally yelled back. "Ivan was the one who left. He left us alone! It was his choice, not America's! His!"
Unable to hear more Belarus turned away from her sister, unwilling to let her sister see her face. "You always pick America's side." She said bitterly. "I hate it."
Ukraine ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she looked at her sister's back. This wasn't how she expected their conversation to go. They had been so happy that morning as well. "Look-" Ukraine finally said, forcing herself to relax, "-if you do not believe me, why don't you just ask Ivan about what has been going on? We will be seeing him tomorrow, so instead of us pointlessly fighting when we should be enjoying a rare trip together, observe him. You will see how much happier he has become."
Belarus turned and shot her sister a cold look.
"He is happier." Ukraine said, her expression softening again as she thought back to her last phone call with her brother. "Isn't that a good thing? He has tried for so long to make a true friend, and now that he has found one we should be happy for him. Do not take his happiness away from him, Natalia. Isn't that what we've both always wanted? For him to be happy?"
Belarus turned away from her sister again, but not before Ukraine saw the slightly conflicted expression on her face. Sensing an opening, Ukraine kept pushing.
"Please, just wait a little bit longer before you do anything. At least wait until you see with your own eye's just how much better Ivan is. If you are still not convinced by the time the Christmas party ends, we'll deal with it then, but please at least let us enjoy the time that we have together. At least give Alfred a chance to prove himself before you cast him down."
Belarus glanced over at her sister's pleading face, and she forced herself to look away again. "I will not promise anything." She said firmly, pressing her lips into a thin frustrated line.
"Natalia, please." Ukraine pleaded again. "This is supposed to be a happy occasion. When was the last time all three of our bosses allowed us to be together like this? When do you think the next opportunity will come? If you do anything at this year's party, America will never invite all three of us together again! I know that you are upset but please try and control your behavior when we are over there."
When Belarus didn't respond, Ukraine frowned. "Look, I understand how you are feeling-"
"Do you?"
"I do." Ukraine replied simply. "I am not asking for you to accept their friendship right away, nor am I asking you to be happy about it. All that I am asking out of you for this trip is to at least humor Ivan and let him enjoy the party. Remember, this may be a party, but if you do anything rash America's boss may shut down their project and they won't be allowed to see each other for a while. You don't want to cause an international incident and get in trouble, do you?"
"He would separate them?" Belarus asked, finally looking up at her sister with a frown.
"Of course! Remember the whole situation with the world meeting? When the rumors broke out they almost stopped the whole project due to all the fuss it caused. The only reason it was allowed to continue is because America and Ivan's relationship wasn't damaged. Ivan told me about it when I went out to visit him." Ukraine explained.
"Really?"
"Yes. Look, he only has a few more days left there. Let us relax, enjoy the party, and go home. It will be fun. You might even enjoy it! It'll be the three of us, just like before." Ukraine said with a soft smile.
Belarus finally relaxed slightly, letting out a small huff. "I will…try to be civil." She finally agreed, and Ukraine's face filled with relief. "I do not wish to fill out incident forms on Christmas."
"Oh, thank you." Ukraine sighed, pulling her sister into a sideways hug. Belarus didn't return it, but she didn't push sister off either. As Ukraine hugged her sister, she missed the victorious fire in her younger sister's eyes.
So, it would only take one incident for America to be banned from seeing her brother again? How convenient. Belarus hid her smirk as Ukraine finally let her go.
"So, no stabbing?" Ukraine asked, giving her sister a hopeful smile.
Belarus finally gave her sister a small smile. "Do you really think I can sneak a knife, or even a sewing needle into one of America's parties?"
"Yes." Ukraine said bluntly.
"There will be no stabbing." Belarus said in amusement. "I doubt I could do much damage with a butter knife."
"So you were thinking of stabbing him!?"
"I never said that." Belarus said, but the dark amusement in her eyes made her sister give her a disapproving look.
"Honestly, between you stabbing people and Ivan beating people, I am the only normal person in this family." Ukraine grumbled, turning around and continuing to pack.
"It is stress relieving."
Ukraine rolled her eyes, causing Belarus to actually smile again. "Where did I go wrong with you two?" Ukraine grumbled. "I was never like this."
"I remember you flashing people." Belarus pointed out.
"I only did that a couple of times!"
"You are a bad influence." Belarus teased.
"Oh, hush." Ukraine huffed, playfully waving her sister away. "Speaking of which, are you done packing? We have to leave soon."
"Not yet. I am still trying to find some jewelry to wear to the party. Most of mine does not match my dress." Belarus admitted. "I actually came in to ask you if I could borrow something of yours."
"Ah, I forgot to mention." Ukraine said suddenly, slapping her forehead and turning around she hurried over to her vanity and picked up an envelope. "Ivan asked me to deliver a gift to you."
Belarus eyes lit up as Ukraine handed her a blue envelope with her name on it. "Big brother sent me a message?" She asked, eagerly taking the envelope from her sister.
"I meant to give this to you yesterday, but between packing and fixing my dress I forgot about it. It arrived a few days ago." Ukraine explained apologetically.
Belarus hurriedly tore it open, and as she pulled out the letter a small black box fell out onto her hand. Ignoring it for a moment, she opened the letter.
Natalia,
I was shopping and saw something that might match your dress for the Christmas party. I look forward to seeing you wear them. I hope you are doing well.
See you soon,
Ivan.
Belarus beamed as she read the letter. Her brother had been thinking of her! He was looking forward to seeing her! It was a shame that the letter had been so short, but her brother never had been one for long messages. She eagerly opened the small black box, and to her delight, a beautiful pair of pearl earrings greeted her.
"Oh, they're so pretty!" Ukraine said happily. "They're perfect for your dress! Did you see the ones he sent me?"
"No, what did he send you?"
Ukraine pulled out a yellow envelope and pulled out a small silver box. She showed her sister the small tear shaped sapphire earrings. "Doesn't it match my dress perfectly?" She asked, beaming at her sister.
"Brother always has had a good eye for accessories." Belarus hummed in agreement. "What is he going to be wearing to the party? I don't think he mentioned it yet."
"Ah! I did not tell you that yet?" Ukraine asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "He's going to be wearing Blue!"
"Just blue?" Belarus asked with a confused frown. "He is not going to wear another color like us?"
"Nope." Ukraine said with a cheerful shrug. "To be fair, he never wears darker colors, and seeing as he doesn't wear blue very often it'll make him stick out more. Plus, that way we'll all match."
"Ah, I see. I suppose that makes sense." Belarus said with a slow nod of her head, and she slipped the small black box into her dress pocket. "I look forward to seeing him try it on."
"Anyways, stop dilly dallying and go pack already." Ukraine said, turning her sister around and pushing her out of the room. "Hurry up, we're going to be late at this rate."
Belarus found herself being pushed out into the hallway, and with a huff her sister closed her bedroom door on her, leaving Belarus alone again.
Belarus stood there for a moment, contemplating her next move. She had heard from her contact that her package had safely made it to its destination, and they were ready for when she arrived. Everything was ready, she just had to steel herself for the finale. Although, for some reason, she found herself hesitating. Pulling out the small black box again she looked down at the earrings with a slightly morose expression, gently running her thumb over the earrings.
She still didn't like the idea of America getting so close to her brother but if what Ukraine had said was true, her brother might be happier than he had been in years. Something she hadn't seen in ages. But at the same time, she couldn't let herself believe that it was going to last. America and Ivan were a lot of things, but stable was not one of them. Sooner or later, America was going to do something to break his trust again, and her brother would suffer for it.
Narrowing her eyes slightly at the box in her hands, she snapped it shut and after she carefully tucked it back into her pocket, she made her way back to her room again with a determined look on her face. No, she couldn't let her brother get his heart broken again. Better to stop their friendship here then to let her brother get his hopes up only to have it torn away again. She was doing this for him. He would understand one day, even if he would be upset with her now.
She would protect him. She would show him America's true colors, and then he would be safe again. She would make it so neither one of them would be able to see each other for a long time. Maybe if her plan worked really well, they would never see each other again, she thought with a cold smile.
She just had to wait two more days…
_Alfred/Ivan_
As soon as they had warmed up slightly, Alfred and Ivan had decided to spend a couple more hours outside. After all, with how long it had taken getting to the cabin, it would be a shame not to take advantage of the chance to stargaze together more. So, to make sure they wouldn't freeze again Alfred had gone into the bedroom and pulled out a few blankets while Ivan worked on making them the hot chocolate Alfred had brought along.
Alfred finished first, so he had attempted to help Ivan only to be shooed out of the kitchen, Ivan stating that he could handle making hot chocolate just fine, thank you very much. Alfred, amused by this, walked into the kitchen to bother Ivan a few more times for shits and giggles, stealing cups and attempting to steal the chocolate powder. Finally, having had enough of Alfred's teasing, Ivan picked him up and gently threw him out of the kitchen. He made sure to lock the kitchen door this time.
Pleased by his shenanigans, Alfred had started to collect the blankets he had left on the couch to bring outside to wait for Ivan, when something on a nearby shelf caught his eye. He hadn't noticed it before, but on the shelf sat an old turntable record player. Scanning the small shelf he saw that whoever had rented the cabin out had left a large collection of records for guests to use. Curious, he put the blankets down and walked over and scanned the selection of music. While he rarely used them anymore due to the internet, he had a huge collection of records in his home in Tennessee. Not as many as his movie collection, but a decent amount.
He pulled a couple of them off the shelf, flipping through them. Interestingly, most of the artists were from the fifties and sixties. Alfred smiled sadly, a bittersweet feeling filled his heart as he read some of the names on the records. He remembered most of these people from when they were alive. It felt like he had just spoken with some of the more popular ones yesterday. Not wanting to dwell on past losses, he forced himself to push those feelings down. They'd only bring him down. Instead, he chose a record at random, and after putting the others away he started to fiddle with the turntable.
As he did so, he didn't notice Ivan finally coming out of the kitchen, a mug in each hand. Ivan noticed him though, and careful to not startle Alfred, he walked over and looking over Alfred's shoulder he asked, "What are you up too?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing much. Just playing with some records." Alfred said.
Glancing at the record cover on the nearby coffee table, Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Frank Sinatra?"
"I like the classics." Alfred said with a shrug.
"I see. Your hot chocolate." Ivan added, pressing the warm mug into Alfred's hands. Alfred paused when he saw that there were large marshmallows in his mug.
"I didn't bring marshmallows." Alfred said in confusion, and Ivan beamed at him.
"You did not. I brought them. I remembered you like them, so brought them with us. That turned out to be a good idea, Da?" Ivan asked, looking very pleased with himself. "Are you surprised?"
Alfred's heart did a strange flip flop, and he couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot as Ivan smiled down at him like a proud puppy. This guy was going to kill him with how cute he was acting. "I'm very surprised." Alfred confirmed, and Ivan's smile grew even brighter. Unable to look at Ivan anymore lest his heart explode, Alfred quickly made himself busy with his drink.
"So, you have a song request?" Alfred asked, holding up the record.
"Not really. I am fine with any of his songs." Ivan said with a casual shrug.
"Cool. We should be able to hear the music while we sit outside." Alfred said. "Why don't you grab the blankets, I'll be out in a minute."
It didn't take them long to get everything together, and soon they were both sitting outside again, their legs hanging off the side of the porch, their blankets wrapped around them. Holding hot drinks in their hands and soft music playing behind them, they sat in comfortable silence, watching the heavens above them.
Ivan in particular felt at peace. With everything that had happened these last few weeks, he found himself basking in this quiet moment. No other nations, no drama. No pressure or expectations to be something he wasn't, and no need to fear that his boss would call him. Just the stars, his Подсолнух, and himself. If it had been a warm summer night and not the middle of winter, Ivan would have called it heaven. Ivan closed his eyes and allowed himself to fully relax.
Ivan leaned into Alfreds side so his head was resting on top of Alfred's. Alfred, for his part, didn't push Ivan off, instead leaning back into him.
"Are you happy?" Alfred teased lightly, glancing up at Ivan's face, which had a soft smile on it.
Ivan hummed in agreement, too comfortable to properly answer the younger nation.
Alfred shook his head in amusement. "You know, if anyone saw you like this their heads would probably explode, right?"
"That would not surprise me. Then again, it would not be the first time." Ivan agreed, his smile growing at the thought. "Do you think they would also faint like Italy did at the theater?"
"Uh huh."
As Ivan's smile continued to grow, Alfred rolled his eyes playfully. "Seriously, you have too much fun teasing the other nations."
"You do not take advantage of it enough." Ivan countered. "You are so powerful, yet you do not go out of your way to scare the others or see any of the fun reactions you can get out of them."
"Do I even want to know what those fun reactions are?"
Ivan thought for a moment, before he cheerfully replied, "Nyet!"
Alfred sighed, and he playfully swatted Ivan off his head. "No, bad Ivan. I thought we were going to work on improving your PR department."
"I do not remember ever agreeing to that." Ivan replied with a soft laugh, opening his eyes and fondly looking down at Alfred.
"You will eventually. I have my ways to get people to agree with me."
"It is your annoying use of the word 'please', isn't it?" Ivan asked bluntly.
Alfred pouted at him. "Not cool dude. You can't just blurt out my secret techniques like that. People might learn that I'm sometimes annoying on purpose."
"Sometimes?"
"You'd be surprised." Alfred said simply, and Ivan paused for a moment, before he gave Alfred a suspicious look, which Alfred pretended not to notice.
"How often-"
"That is a top secret. Sorry, I can't answer that." Alfred said, struggling to hide a grin.
"Are you being serious right now?"
"Couldn't tell you."
"Alfred, have you been annoying on purpose for your own amusement?"
"Again, that's top secret info. I've already said too much." Alfred said, but he couldn't quite hide the spark of mischief in his eyes.
"You have to nerve-" Ivan asked, playfully grabbing Alfred and shaking him lightly as Alfred burst into laughter, "-to lecture me about my behavior when you have been doing the same thing?!"
"It's not the same! You cause bodily harm to people, I just try to rile them up a bit." Alfred defended, sticking his tongue out at Ivan.
"All this time, the absurd amount of burgers, the loud obnoxious soda drinking, and you not knowing how to read a world map were all just to rile us up?" Ivan asked in astonishment.
"No. That was actually just me." Alfred huffed. "Rude! And I got better at reading maps! Give me a break, I had just stopped being in isolation when I misread that map." Alfred added with a pout. "I didn't need to look at maps outside of North America all that much before that."
Ivan gave Alfred a flabbergasted look. "When were you doing it on purpose?"
"Well, now I'm not going to tell you." Alfred said, still pouting.
"Wait, when did you get better at reading maps?" Ivan asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes at the shorter nation. "I thought a few meetings ago you kept calling Austria Australia."
Alfred smirked slightly. "Well, Austria was kinda annoying that day…"
"Does anyone else know that you are like this?" Ivan asked in amazement, and Alfred just grinned at him.
"Maybe, maybe not. I don't think most of them have picked up on it yet. You won't go telling anyone, will you?" Alfred asked with a wink.
"And they think I am the scary one." Ivan muttered in disbelief, letting Alfred go as he continued to look at Alfred in wonder. It wasn't very often Alfred showed people his scheming side, so every time he saw it it caught him off guard. Still, he couldn't say he disliked that side of him…quite the opposite.
"Promise not to tell?" Alfred asked again, and Ivan nodded. "Good. I'd have to kill you otherwise." Alfred said, playfully poking Ivan's arm. "No one can know my dark secrets."
Ivan threw his head back and let out a loud booming laugh. "How unhero-like! If anyone heard you say that they would think you were the villain."
"Oh please, like anyone would believe you."
"Belarus might." Ivan pointed out. "She never bought your Hero act."
Alfred grimaced slightly at the thought. "Yeah…maybe don't tell her I said that? I don't feel like having a knife plunged into my eye socket."
"She is not that bad." Ivan protested, but when Alfred gave him an unimpressed eyebrow raise, he wilted slightly. "She would not aim for the eyes?" He offered weakly.
"Uh huh. Right. Like that's any better." Alfred said flatly.
"She is…not usually that bad." Ivan said, a slightly sad look on his face as he tapped nervously on the side of his mug. "She can rather fun to spend time with when she is in a good mood or-"
"When she's not acting scary?"
"Da. She has not been this bad in years. It is only because of the rumors that she is acting like this."
"She won't be better at the party, will she?" Alfred muttered.
Ivan didn't answer right away, grimacing at Alfred's words. "I am not sure. If any of the romantic rumors have reached her it might be difficult, but if she comes to the party and sees that nothing is going on between us she may calm down." Ivan turned to Alfred with a nervous smile. "That will be easy enough, da?"
At Ivan's words, Alfred had to stop himself from wincing as a sudden painful jab hit his heart. Oh. Right, yeah. Easy for him to say. It wasn't like he wanted to spend time with, dance with, and fucking confess his feelings to Ivan at that party. Easy his ass. He might as well just serve himself up to her with the damned carving knife at this rate. He couldn't even hide his feelings well yet. She was going to sniff out his feelings and kill him before he even got a chance to say hello.
Alfred felt a sharp stab of annoyance at that last thought. He hadn't thought about it, but if Belarus was going to be at his party, how the hell was he supposed to confess to Ivan? She'd probably be hanging off him the whole night. He'd never even get a chance to give him his gift, let alone get him to meet him privately to talk. Frowning slightly, Alfred briefly considered uninviting Belarus out of pettiness. It was his party after all, why shouldn't he get a chance to spend time with Ivan?
Ivan, mistaking Alfred's grimace for him being worried, tried to reassure him. "She would never do anything to you in front of the rest of the world. Even if she wanted to, her boss would never allow it. That, and I would never let her close enough to you for her to reach you."
"Yeah, but that's not very fun, is it?" Alfred asked, and Ivan paused at Alfred's slightly bitter tone. "What are we supposed to do together if you're too busy keeping an eye on her? We won't be able to talk or be around each other. Hell, we won't even get to dance together at this rate."
"Dance?" Ivan asked, his heart leaping slightly at the word.
"Yeah. You know, half the fun of parties?" Alfred said, too busy pouting to notice Ivan's slightly pink cheeks in the dark.
"What kind of dancing?" Ivan asked a little too quickly.
"All kinds. Square dancing, the charleston, waltzes, slow dancing-"
"You can waltz?" Ivan asked, perking up slightly.
"Yeah. One of the presidents signed me up for classes so I could impress diplomats during fancy parties. Something about how the ladies like arm candy and all that junk." Alfred explained, but he still looked upset as he spoke. "Not that it matters. It's not like we'll get to do anything fun together. Not with Belarus there."
Ivan paused again at Alfred's tone. "Does…it bother you that much?" Ivan asked hesitantly. "It is not like we will not have other chances to spend time together."
"Yeah, but…" Alfred hesitated, not sure what to say without sharing how he felt about Ivan. Taking a deep breath, he decided to be slightly honest. "I mean, it's the first party that we'll be attending together outside of official get-togethers for work. I wanted this one to be special."
Ivan's cheeks flushed red at Alfred's words. Oh. That is why he was upset. He had almost forgotten how much parties meant to Alfred. "I did not mean that I'd spend the whole time with my sisters. I am sure we could try to have a few dances. I will not be the only one keeping an eye on my sister. Ukraine will be there too. I might be able to get away for a while." Ivan said, only to grow anxious when Alfred's frown remained.
"I guess." Alfred said, not sounding convinced.
"You can always-" Ivan started to say, about to suggest that Alfred could find more people to dance with. But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly had a vision of him standing on the sidelines of a ballroom, Belarus clinging onto him as he watched Alfred dance with Japan. He clamped his mouth shut as his stomach twisted at the thought. Suddenly the thought of Alfred dancing with other people didn't sound as good as he thought.
"I can always…?" Alfred asked, looking over at Ivan expectantly.
"You can always-" Ivan stammered slightly, stalling as he tried to think of something else to say. As he glanced around for a lifeline, he remembered the soft music playing behind them. An idea suddenly sparked in his head. "You can always dance with me now if you want. We do not have to wait till the party." Ivan finally suggested.
"Huh?" Alfred asked, staring at Ivan like he had two heads.
"Dance with me now." Ivan suggested again, more confidently.
"Now?" Alfred asked, flabbergasted. "Like, right now?"
"No better time than the present. I need the practice. No one has danced with me in decades." Ivan said. Shrugging off his blanket and putting mug down on the nearby step, he stood up. Acting a lot more confident than he felt, he reached down to Alfred with a small smile. "May I have the honor of having your first dance?"
Alfred stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, before his face scrunched up in an interesting way. Before Ivan could decipher his expression, Alfred covered his face with his blanket. For a moment Ivan felt a spike of fear that he had done something wrong as he watched Alfred's shoulders shake for a moment. That was, until he heard barely contained laughter from underneath the fabric.
"There is no need to laugh. I am being serious." Ivan pouted slightly, and Alfred, unable to stop himself anymore burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"I'm sorry. I'm not-not trying to-" Alfred said between snorts of laughter, wiping tears out of his eyes. "I just wasn't expecting you to- you were so serious-" Alfred fell into another fit of giggles.
Ivan waited patiently for Alfred to collect himself from his laughter, and after a solid minute Alfred finally was able to hold himself together long enough for him to accept Ivan's still outstretched hand. "Aw, why the hell not?" Alfred said, a huge grin on his face, throwing his blanket off as Ivan pulled him up.
"Just for that, we are going to practice slow dancing." Ivan said playfully, and after lifting the hand he was already holding, he used his other hand to pull Alfred closer to him by the small of his back. Alfred just laughed again as he rested his free hand on Ivan's shoulder.
"So you want to lead?"
"I am taller." Ivan pointed out with a smirk.
"Touché."
They had chosen a good moment to begin their dance, as the record player started to play a slower song. They took a few moments to feel the rhythm,but it didn't take them long to start to naturally get into the dance.
"Hey, you're a lot better at this than you let on." Alfred teased as they slowly waltzed across the porch.
"Hmm, I suppose old skills do not disappear as quickly as I thought." Ivan joked lightly. "Though I suppose it would be a different story if we tried to salsa."
"I'm sorry, but I can't imagine you dancing the salsa." Alfred joked. "You might scare people if you tried. It's kinda a fierce dance."
"And you can?" Ivan teased.
"Of course, it was all the rage in the 60's in New York. I could probably give Mexico and Spain a run for their money." Alfred admitted with a cheeky grin. "I could teach you if you want, but if Italy ever saw you he might faint again." Alfred teased back.
"Hmm, I suppose we cannot have that."
"You'd totally enjoy that, wouldn't you?"
"Perhaps." Ivan admitted, not bothering to hide his amusement at the idea. "Then again, I think people would have the same reaction if you knew ballet."
To Ivan's surprise Alfred let out an awkward cough and his face turned a light shade of pink. As Alfred tried to avoid eye contact with Ivan, Ivan lit up, his eyes sparkling at Alfreds reaction to his words.
"You know ballet?" Ivan asked eagerly, and to his delight Alfred's blush got darker.
"A little." Alfred admitted reluctantly. "England and France made me learn when I was a colony. Something about how you couldn't have a proper education without basic knowledge of it." Alfred mumbled the last words, his face now bright pink.
"It is nothing to be ashamed about." Ivan said encouragingly. "It is a hard dance to master, and takes quite a lot of skill to perfect."
"I guess." Alfred said with an unsure smile.
"Maybe you can show me sometime." Ivan teased lightly. "I bet you would look good in tights."
"I think I'd rather not, thanks." Alfred said, but Ivan didn't miss the sudden spike in his pulse as his face started to turn a light red now. That was an interesting reaction. Wondering if he could get Alfred to repeat it, he decided to press his luck slightly. But not too much, he had learned his lesson.
"No, I think you should. It would help you with your balance and coordination. You know-" he said, slightly speeding up the dance as the tempo of the music increased, "-I think I once told you that dancing helps the form of people who ice skate."
"I remember that." Alfred said, not seeming to notice the change in tempo.
"Then you should let me teach you. Of course," Ivan added, smiling brightly down at Alfred, "-it would also help you with your intimacy problem as well, da?"
At his words, Alfred's pulse seemed to go crazy, and to Ivan's delight Alfred's face seemed to glow bright red as Alfred stared up at him with a slightly shocked expression. It was rather cute!
Sputtering slightly, Alfred asked, "Intimacy problem?!"
"You are still not very comfortable with people holding you, da? You are getting better with it, but your hugs still need some work. Ballet would help you get some practice with being slightly more comfortable with me. That," Ivan leaned his face closer to Alfreds with a sly smile, "and you always seem to blush at the drop of a hat. We should fix that, no?"
Alfred opened his mouth to argue, but paused. He thought about it for a few seconds, before he closed his mouth and raised an amused eyebrow at Ivan. "Are you teasing me right now?"
"A little." Ivan admitted. "But not completely. It was a genuine offer."
Alfred huffed slightly. "I'll think about it, but I'm not wearing tights."
"We will see."
"I'm serious, no tights."
"Of course."
"Uh-huh. As for the blushing issue, I don't think there's much you could do to help with that. I've been like that since I was a colony."
Ivan hummed for a moment at Alfred's words, and as he swung Alfred around as the song continued to speed up, he asked, "So, do you think if you were to date someone, that reaction would get better?"
Alfred didn't answer for a few beats. Ivan thought he had gone too far again, but to his surprise Alfred actually answered.
"Depends on the person I guess. Maybe, maybe not. Hell, it might just get worse." Alfred joked, looking up at Ivan with a surprisingly nervous smile. "I've never dated anyone, so who knows?"
"I would love to know. Although, I could not imagine your face getting any redder than when we were at that restaurant." Ivan said with a small, soft laugh.
"Or the theater?" Alfred asked with his own laugh.
"Even now."
"Oh, be quiet. You made me blush on purpose, so it doesn't count."
"If you say so."
They both laughed as the music finally started to swell, signaling that the song was going to end soon. Taking his chance, Ivan pulled Alfred close and ignoring his racing heart, he looked down at Alfred with a hopeful smile.
"May I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Alfred asked, and Ivan's heart skipped slightly at Alfreds eyes as they looked into his. He could see the stars in them again. Ivan took a deep breath, forcing his nerves to calm down.
"Perhaps, if it is okay with you, you would dance with me first at the party?" Ivan asked. Alfred's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the question. Panicking slightly, Ivan rushed his words slightly before Alfred could answer. "It is just that I know that we may not get much time to dance, and this way we would have a guaranteed way to spend time together, and-"
"Ivan." Alfred said, interpreting Ivan, who clicked his mouth shut as he looked down at Alfred, who was looking up at him with a barely contained giddy smile. "I would love to dance with you. You want my second and third one too?" Alfred joked, and Ivan forced himself to let out the breath he was holding.
"Perhaps. That depends if you step on my toes or not." Ivan joked back.
"Just for that, I'm going to stomp on your shoes on purpose." Alfred said with a huge smile.
"I look forward to it." Ivan said, beaming back at him.
Alas, the happy moment only lasted a few more seconds as the music finally came to an end, and Ivan reluctantly let Alfred go. Alfred hesitated for a moment, but at the loss of contact he realized how cold he was again, and he quickly went back to his blanket.
As soon as they both got wrapped back up, Alfred spoke up again. "Speaking of dancing, will your sister even allow it?" Alfred asked, leaning back against the door with a slightly worried frown. "She might get upset if she sees us dancing."
Ivan sighed. "She might be upset, but honestly there is nothing she can do to stop us when the rest of the world is watching. If you are still worried, I will ask my sister to keep an eye on her. I don't suppose you could uninvite her?" He asked hopefully.
"That's a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, the whole world is going to be there, so only uninviting her would make it seem like I'm targeting her and her boss will get mad at me. She technically hasn't done anything yet. Second, are you going to tell Ukraine that her dream of a family get together would be ruined?" He asked, giving Ivan a questioning look.
At Ivan's grimace, Alfred looked up at him sympathetically. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to break that news either. Not to mention, I can't avoid her forever. Even if she didn't go to the party, I'd still see her in the next meeting. It would be better for me to meet her where weapons aren't allowed."
Ivan stood there for a moment, turning ideas over in his head. When he couldn't think of anything, he let out a frustrated sigh. "I am sorry that she is causing us so much trouble."
"It's not like you asked her to be crazy." Alfred pointed out. "Plus, even if she does hurt me, I'll recover. Maybe I should let her beat me up a bit if it makes her feel better."
To Alfred's surprise, Ivan shook his head firmly, staring down at the younger nation with a surprisingly determined expression. "No, I meant it when I said that I would not let her harm you. Whether that means protecting you physically, or-" Ivan reached over and lightly squeezed Alfred's hand, "-making sure the evening you planned for weeks involves us getting to dance together. I will find a way to make sure that she will not ruin things for us."
Alfred's expression softened slightly as he studied Ivan's face. Huh, he didn't know Ivan could make an expression like that. "Ivan, it's fine. You know what, it's really not a big-"
"It is!" Ivan said firmly, cutting off Alfred. "Do not dare say it is not a big deal. Not after all the time you spent setting this up. Not after you spent hours trying to get me a vodka fountain. You already said you wanted this party to be special." Ivan looked down at him with a surprisingly honest expression. "And I want this party to be special as well." He confessed.
"You do?" Alfred asked, slightly thrown off by Ivan's words.
"Of course. This is the last week we will spend together. We have no idea when we will be able to spend time together again. It might be next month. It might not be until next year. Before I leave, I want to make sure we make a few more good memories. Without you getting hurt."
Alfred looked down at Ivan's hand. It was still warm, even after being out in the cold for so long. Sighing, Alfred looked back up at Ivan with a bittersweet smile. "Okay, okay. We'll figure something out. We still have a day to figure it out. Just stop looking at me like I kicked your cat. Still, if I do get stabbed just know that I will sue your sister."
"Unlikely. I will not let you out of my sight." Ivan said.
"You don't need to spend the whole time monitoring me. As long as I'm around people she probably won't attack me. However-" Alfred said, holding up a hand to stop Ivan from protesting again, "-I want two things from you at the party. If we can do these two things, it'll be a perfect party."
"Just two?" Ivan asked, perking up slightly.
"Yeah, and they're important. I want to be able to dance with you a few times, but we've got that covered so ignore that for now. I also want to…" Alfred hesitated for a moment, glancing at Ivan uneasily.
"Yes?" Ivan pressed.
"Well, the second thing may not be possible, but around 9pm or so could you meet me somewhere private for a few minutes?" Alfred asked quickly, suddenly letting go of Ivan's hand and nervously putting his hands in his pockets. "It wouldn't be for too long, so your sister wouldn't notice you disappearing."
Ivan felt a small twinge of sadness at the sudden lack of contact between them, however he was more concerned about Alfred's sudden nervous demeanor.
"I will try, but may I ask why you need to meet me in private? Is there something you need to tell me? If it is something important, you can tell me now. We are alone." Ivan pointed out, and Alfred's heart rate spiked.
"What? No!" Alfred said a little too quickly, waving away Ivan's words with a slightly forced laugh. "Look, it's about your gift. I don't want to give it to you in front of everyone. I just want you to see it."
Ivan stood there, slightly confused as Alfred nervously watched him. His gift?
"Is it inappropriate?" Ivan asked suspiciously, and Alfred's face went pink.
"Of course not! Who do you think I am? It's just kind of personal in nature and I don't want to share your reaction. I-I mean, anyone to see your reaction!" Alfred corrected quickly, desperately looking anywhere but at Ivan as he died on the inside.
"Share my reaction?" Ivan asked, looking slightly amused as Alfred became more flustered.
"It's just that I don't know how you'll react, and I don't want you to be upset if you don't like it in front of everyone, and your sister, and…" As he spoke, Alfred desperately wished a meteor would fall on him so he would shut up.
"The present you were so excited about you were giggling all day about it?" Ivan asked. "I thought you only did that when you knew people would love their gift."
Alfred paused his rambling, then cursed in his head as he glanced at Ivan's pleased expression. When did he figure that out? Damn it, he was going to kick whoever told Ivan that in the knees after all of this was over. They were messing up his plans!
"Yes…that gift." Alfred admitted. "But, just because I thought you might like it doesn't mean I can't be nervous about it! It's the first gift I've given you in, like, fifty years! Look, will you meet up with me or not?" Alfred asked. "It's important!"
"Of course I will. I was only teasing." Ivan said with a small laugh, reaching over and ruffling Alfred's hair fondly. "I am actually happy you asked me that. I also do not want the others to see your gift. So it works out well for both of us, da?"
"You didn't?" Alfred asked, slightly taken aback. He'd only been using his present as an excuse to get Ivan alone with him. He hadn't expected Ivan to agree so easily.
"Nyet. My gift is also personal, and if my younger sister saw it she would be very upset. I will set up a plan with my older sister so that she can buy me some time to meet up with you. Do you know where we will meet?"
"No, but I'll scout out an empty room and let you know before the party starts. If I can't get to you before the party starts, I'll send you a note through the wait staff." Alfred said, perking up as he spoke.
"Good. Now that is out of the way, perhaps we should go back inside? It is starting to get late, and I need to pick up my sisters from the airport tomorrow." Ivan asked reluctantly.
"Oh my god, I forgot they were coming early! You don't think Belarus is going to kill me in my sleep do you?" Alfred asked, a look of horror flashing across his face.
"I do not think so. They will be staying at the main hotel, so they will not see you before the party." Ivan reassured him. "Ukraine wants me to come over and try on the suit she got me to make sure it fits well. Nothing more."
"Oh, okay. Cool. Yeah, let's get to bed then. We have a long ride tomorrow." Alfred agreed, and reluctantly they headed back into the cabin. It was back to the real world tomorrow.
A/N: I am so tired. I did remember what I forgot though! It was the earrings! Anyways, this chapter kicked my ass and back and god I hate romance. It's so hard to write, especially when you only have the two characters by themselves and you have to make them hit on each other and be interesting and try not to make their romance chessy, while setting up the end of the story, but you need to close all the plot points and ARGHHHHHH. Anyways, we're so close. So, SO CLOSE to the end. We only have one more set up chapter, and we'll finally be at the christmas party. In July. Right on time. LETS GO!