Natalya was frozen in place, eyes wide as America placed his lips on hers. He... he liked her... like this? Her mind went numb as telltale signs rushed through her thoughts: the way he constantly tried to make her laugh, the way he called her 'Nat' when so few did (knowing they faced her wrath if they dared), the way he smiled at her when most simply nodded in passing... Her friends had teased her about the idea before, but she had never thought it might be true. After all, how could anyone feel that way about her? She'd had an obsession for her brother for centuries... She admittedly wasn't the friendliest of people... She didn't like anyone getting close to her. She just... didn't. So why...?

Feeling she wasn't kissing back, America awkwardly pulled away, averting his gaze to the floor. "S-Sorry..." he stammered. "I just... You don't..." He trailed off, looking to her for some sort of reaction. She still looked dazed, and didn't say anything, still trying to process what had just happened. He gave a weak smile. "I just wanted to know. But, uh... Now I know, so I won't do it again. ...Sorry," he apologized again, sounding like a kid who'd been caught doing something without permission. When she still didn't say anything, he gestured down the hall with his thumb. "I'm... uh... I'm gonna go. You can pretend it never happened if you want... I don't want things to be weird between us, you know? That'd be weird..."

"...America." Her voice, a low mumble, reached his ears and he glanced down at her. She was staring at the floor, looking confused.

She didn't know how she should feel, but she was definitely intrigued by what she was feeling. For years, she'd only associated that feeling with Russia... So why was she feeling it now, with America? He was a loud-mouthed idiot. He was way too friendly. Too quick to smile. Too different from her. The complete opposite, in fact. But... Undeniably, that feeling was there. And it made her curious. Why was she feeling that way now? About him?

"...America," she repeated, still looking at the floor.

"Y-Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her.

Her cheeks were slowly turning a faint pink. Would her request... would it be too odd? She kept her eyes on the floor as she mumbled, "Do it again."

His brows lifted at the request, but who was he to deny it when he'd started this situation in the first place? He grinned, then fearing it might be off-putting quickly straightened his lips to a straight line. "...Okay." He waited for her to tilt her head up, but she seemed to be frozen, eyes still glued to the floor. He couldn't help but crack a small smile as he bent down to meet her instead.

Her heart was pounding. Why was it beating so fast? Just because of him? As he brought his face down to hers she finally lifted her gaze to his. His eyes... They were actually really nice. Bright... Brimming with energy. A brilliant blue that reminded her of the sky. She had never noticed before... He closed his eyes and she realized she was supposed to close hers, too. They fluttered shut just as his lips reached hers. The sensation of something pressing against her lips felt foreign, yet... it felt right.

He pulled away and once again looked to her for a reaction. She was blushing now, and he watched as she slowly lifted a hand to feel her lips. Nervous, he asked, "Did... Did I do that right?"

She continued to gaze down at the floor, then slowly nodded. "...Yes," she answered, lifting her eyes to his. He grinned, and a small smirk came to her lips. "...Another," she demanded. He obliged, and hesitantly pressed harder against her mouth. To his surprise, she pressed back, lightly at first, then more firmly as she realized she was enjoying the feeling of his lips on hers. She prodded his mouth with her tongue, and he opened it for her. She snaked her tongue through and it brushed against his, making her shiver at the odd sensation. She'd fantasized about engaging with Russia in this manner for so long... But with America... It wasn't a dream. It was happening. It was real. And it felt right.

As they kissed, she took a step forward and he stepped back, until he was against the wall. Suddenly she felt this overwhelming desire to be closer to him, and she took another step forward, pressing her lips against his even harder. She felt his hands on her waist and she parted her lips from his, pulling away slightly. She opened her eyes and found him looking nervously at her.

"I... Was that wrong?" he asked, lifting his hands from her waist.

"No..." She stared at him, dark purple-blue eyes gazing into his light blue eyes. They were nervous... Afraid to screw up. Both of them. She was just better at hiding it. But... maybe she didn't have to hide. Maybe it was time to let her true emotions free... Let him know what she was feeling... It felt so familiar yet so foreign... It was confusing, yet exciting... Terrifying, yet welcoming... She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, placing her hands on the wall on either side of him, trapping him. "...I'm... not used to this..." she mumbled, opening her eyes to stare at him again. "...Let me think..."

He swallowed and laughed nervously. This was all new to him, too. "What's there to think about?" He grinned and she blinked. "Look, you like me, right? I mean, I would hope so, considering what just happened..."

"What's your point?" she asked bluntly.

"My point is, I like you, too. I have for a while, actually... I know I pushed you away years ago... B-But it was a mistake! I just didn't...! I just didn't know... how much I would miss you. And what you became to me. I didn't know how to deal with what I was feeling after! But uh..." His face was reddening from the confession, and she blinked again. ...His sudden bashfulness was rather charming, she supposed... "...Sorry, I'm rambling. But if we like each other, then what is there to think about? Live... Live in the moment, ya know?" he tried, grinning weakly.

She stared at him, then gave a small smirk. "You never make any sense," she told him.

He stared back, his confidence returning from the smirk she was giving him. "To be fair, though, you always confused me, too. You know. The whole obsession with your brother thing. And all..." His voice trailed as she narrowed her eyes at him. Shit. He'd screwed it up, hadn't he? Him and his big fat mouth... "Ack! Uh, what I mean is-"

"No, you're right." Her eyes bore into his. "..." She didn't know what to say. "...Forget it, okay?" Her eyes dropped to his lips and she leaned forward for another kiss. He met her and they kissed again. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, and she stiffened for a brief moment before giving in. She could feel it... She could feel herself melting... So many years of ice... built up around her... melting... She pressed her body against his and brought her hands to his face. Yes... This feeling... It felt good... She wanted more...

She pulled away again, and his hot breath on her face made her shiver. So warm... "Nat..." he began, panting slightly.

"Shush." She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door. "Let's go inside," she said. "Open it."

"S-Sure..." He brought out his keys and unlocked the door. "If you're worried about people seeing us-"

"I don't care about that." He opened the door and she pulled him inside. The door swung shut behind them. "Where's Japan?" she asked, looking around the dorm room.

"Uh, with Germany and Italy. They went to see a movie or something-"

"How soon is he going to be back?"

"Not for a couple of hours?"

"Good." She turned and kissed him again, and wrapped her arms around his back, digging her nails into his shirt. He kissed back, and she led him over to the bed that was clearly his, from the way the sheets were unmade and hanging off the side.

"Um, Nat..." he managed to say as their lips briefly parted. "What are... you...?"

She didn't answer as she turned, making him follow her lead. She pulled away and opened her eyes slightly. Smirking, she brought her hands to his chest and pushed, catching him off guard. He fell back onto the bed, looking shocked as she took a step closer, towering over him.

"N-Nat...?"

She ignored his questioning look as she crawled onto the bed, bringing her knees to rest on either side of him, trapping him once again. Her hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned down, placing her hands beside his face. She looked down at him and smirked before lowering her head to kiss him. When she pulled away, he still looked confused. Wait- no... Nervous...

"Nat, I-"

"Shh." She tilted her head and kissed his neck, and a wobbly grin crossed his lips.

"That... tickles..." He started laughing, and she narrowed her eyes at him, displeased that he thought her attempt was funny.

"Be quiet," she commanded, trying again. When he laughed a second time she scowled and tried further down, at his collarbone. Quite a different result: he breathed in sharply as she lightly pressed her lips to his skin.

"N-Nat-"

She bit down gently (or what she thought was gently, at least) and he jerked. She brought her left hand to the side of his throat and held it steady as she nibbled the skin, kissing it between nips.

"N-Nat..." His voice was laced with apprehension, and she tried sucking. He really was being difficult... That did it. She heard a small moan escape him and she sucked a little harder. "Naat... Wh-What're...?" He moaned again, and she felt his pulse quickening under the fingers pressed against his throat. Hm.

She lifted her head and looked down at him. His cheeks were growing red as he looked up at her. "...You really are naïve," she said. "But I guess that's okay. It might be more fun this way."

"What way?" he asked, before closing his eyes shut as she trailed a nail over the now sensitive skin she'd just marked. She brought her lips to his ear.

"Any way I want. You're mine," she whispered. She ran her left hand over his shirt as her right crept up to his hair, combing through it. He kept his eyes closed as she pulled his shirt up a bit, sneaking her hand underneath to run over his bare skin.

"Oh... O-Okay...?"

She kissed him again, pressing her tongue against his mouth. He let her enter and she smirked as she pulled out after just a few seconds. Only teasing... "America-"

"Alfred."

She looked down at him, taken aback. "...What?"

"Since we kissed and all, feel free to call me by my name." He grinned. "I've been calling you 'Nat' for a while now, so..." He trailed off, letting the suggestion hang in the air while she contemplated it. Alfred...

"...Alright. ...Alfred," she murmured. "...What do you like?"

"Hamburgers and freedom!" he automatically responded. She glowered at him before reaching further up his chest and grabbing a nipple. He gasped when she pinched it. "W-Wrong answer?" he asked.

"What do you think? Honestly..." She pulled her hand out from under his shirt and sat up, resting on his lower abdomen. "...Do you have a clue what I'm talking about?"

"Kinda... Sorta... Maybe..." he drawled, looking up at her. "..." He stared at her as though waiting for an explanation, and she rolled her eyes.

"...I'll give you a clue." She leaned forward so she was no longer sitting on him and reached under her until her hand found the front of his pants. He jerked when she stroked her fingers over the material just slightly beginning to bulge. "You like that?" she asked, looking down at him through half-closed eyes.

He opened his mouth to answer, but shut it when she pressed a little harder. "And that?" she continued, gliding her fingers along its length. His cheeks were reddening again, and he closed his eyes. She smirked and pressed again, pushing her palm down. "How about that?"

His instinctive thrust back was all she needed. Satisfied, she brought her hand back out from under her and sat back down, examining his flushed face. He swallowed and opened his eyes to look up at her. "What do you like?" she repeated.

He squirmed beneath her. "I... S-Surprise me?" he stammered, grinning weakly.

She brought her head back down to his collarbone and kissed his skin again. "Alright." She sat back up and grabbed hold of the end of his shirt, pushing it up past his stomach. "Take your shirt off," she commanded.

He hurried to do so, and she stared down at his bare chest, loathing the heat rushing to her cheeks. She didn't get embarrassed... Not that easily, anyway... "Hey, Nat?" he asked, his voice muffled as he fought with his shirt around his face.

"What?"

"Don't get mad at me for asking this-"

"What?" she repeated, not needing his question to be drawn out, whatever it was. "Just ask it."

"Uh... You seem pretty... I don't know... cool. About this," he said, pulling his shirt the rest of the way up over his head. Natalya took it from him and stretched her arm out over the edge of the bed, letting the shirt fall.

"What about it?" She lowered her lips to his collarbone again, and nipped at the skin.

America's eyes screwed shut, and he took a sharp intake of breath before asking his next question. "...How? How are you so calm?" He gave a nervous laugh. "'Cuz... I don't know about you, but I'm actually kinda freaking out... Nervous, you know?"

"Have you ever done this before?" she asked bluntly between kisses.

"Well..." Ha, he had to be teasing her. She'd have to tease back...

"Ever thought about it?"

"Well, yeah... But... H-Hold on..." He opened his eyes to look at her. Of course, he could only see the top of her head as she continued at his neck. "You've... thought about this...?"

What kind of teasing was this? He sounded like he didn't have a clue... Playing dumb? She supposed that was his specialty... "Not with you," she bluntly answered. "But yes."

"With Russia?"

"..." Her reluctance to answer made him stiffen and he moved to prop himself up on his elbows, making her readjust herself to stay upright. He stared at her, and she felt her cheeks redden as she avoided his gaze.

"You've thought about... doing it... with Russia?"

"..." She kept her eyes focused on his hand beside hers. Why did he have to go bringing it up?

"H-How much?" His eyes continued to gaze curiously at her.

"...Does it matter?"

"Uh, yeah! I don't want to be doing it and have you thinking about him!"

"I won't."

"How do you know?"

She bit her lip and sat up. She looked at him, and he saw what she'd been hiding so well for the past few minutes: She was just as nervous as him. "I... I don't," she muttered, cheeks burning.

He stared at her. He had never seen her so red before. "...Look," he sighed, tone softening. "I just don't want to be a replacement. I want you to like me, okay? But as me, not a stand-in."

"...You're not a stand-in." She looked evenly at him. "...You're too loud and act like an idiot."

He let her words sink in, and a small grin came to his lips. "So... you like me, right? As me?"

"...Yes." She smirked. "You're... different. You're annoying and loud."

"Hey!"

"But you're also confusing... I've never been able to figure you out." She blinked. "There's something about you that just makes you seem innocent. Genuine. Unique. ...You're you. So yes... You are most definitely not a stand-in. You're too different. ...One of a kind."

Reassured by her words, Alfred laid back down on the bed again. "Good. Just wanted to make sure." He glanced up at her and grinned. "But you know, you're pretty hard to figure out, too. Just saying."

She lifted her eyes to his. "...How so?"

"Well, you've got this whole 'ice queen' thing about you. Like, you act like everyone else annoys you."

"They do."

"But living like that's gotta make you kinda lonely, doesn't it?" He held her gaze. "Being alone's no fun."

"I'm not alone. I have my brother and sister. ...And a few friends."

"That's not what I'm getting at, Nat." She narrowed her eyes at him and he suddenly laughed. Why was he laughing? He was always so random... "Heh, y-you look like a cat with your eyes like that!"

She pinched his right nipple and he yelped. "Shut up," she said, but a small smirk played at the corner of her lips. She enjoyed the face he made as she rolled the pink flesh between her nails. "Enough."

Readjusting herself on him, she pressed their abdomens together. The tension felt good. She kept her eyes on Alfred's face as she increased the pressure. He had his eyes closed, mouth slightly open. "Have you done this before?" she asked. He couldn't be that innocent, but something about his demeanor was nagging her to ask.

"Uh..."

She stopped. "You... haven't had sex before? With anyone?" His silence confirmed it. She was stunned. "How? We've lived how fucking long...?"

His cheeks reddening, Alfred turned his head. "Well... uh... I just haven't. ...Call me old-fashioned, but I always thought I'd wait til I found the right person..."

"That is old-fashioned." Natalya couldn't believe it. So he really was new to this. There was nothing wrong with that. It was just... shocking. Coming from him... "So... that means..."

"You're the one."

She looked at him. He was glancing up at her, still turned away. But there was a smile sneaking onto his lips. "I... am?" she asked.

He nodded and took a deep breath before facing her again. His cheeks were still red, but his confidence was clearly returning. "Yeah. You're the one! One hundred percent!" He laughed. "Look at it this way, you'll have lots to teach me! I bet you've been with tons of guys! Or maybe girls, I don't kn- Ack!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" In an instant Natalya was practically choking him, digging her nails into the skin around the base of his neck. "You think I'm some slut, or-"

"N-NONONONO!" he gasped, alarmed at her reaction. He pulled her hand from his throat. "Nothing like that! I just meant, like, you're totally chill about all this. Like you have lots of experience! That's all!"

Natalya stared down at him, the fire in her eyes slowly burning out. She grit her teeth before answering, "I... do. Have some experience. They were just humans though. ...One night stands. They were meaningless to me..." She felt heat rising in her cheeks and angrily stood, turning her back on him. "They were practice... I-I mean...!" She knew her barrier, the one she'd so carefully built up over the years, was cracking. Talking about such personal stuff to someone she'd considered a nuisance just minutes ago... What was she thinking?! She started walking to the door. "You know what, I think this might be a mistake. I better go."

"What? W-Wait!"

"If you breathe a word of any of this to anyone, I'll-!" She gasped as she was whirled around, a strong hand on her arm. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Let me go, America!"

"Nuh-uh, you promised to call me Alfred," he said, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "And this isn't a mistake, Nat."

"How do you know?!" she blurted, her temper flaring. "How do you know it isn't?!"

"Call it a hunch I'm willing to bet on." He kissed her without warning, and held her tight, arms wrapped around her.

She wanted to fight him. She wanted to fight this warm feeling, rip it from her chest and throw it back in his face. She wanted to, so bad, and yet... She was melting again, the ice around her slowly thawing in his big arms. Being hugged like this... Like he didn't ever want to let her go... It felt nice.

Slowly he guided her back to the bed, but released her before sitting down. She remained standing, looking at him with a quizzical expression. He gave her a lopsided smile.

"If you think it's a mistake to be going so fast, then we can slow it down. Take the time to build up to it, you know? But if you think it's a mistake because it's you and me, together..." He shrugged. "I can't ever tell what goes through your head. It's like there's a wall up between you and everyone else. You probably got your reasons, but to me, that's a lonely life."

Natalya became confused as a sad look crossed his face.

"I can't imagine being alone. But at the same time, sometimes that's exactly how I feel. It's a horrible feeling, isn't it? Like... You know you're not really alone, when you've got family and friends who care about you. But... They don't always know the real you, you know? There's stuff you hide and don't let them see... 'Cuz they've got an image of you in their heads and you're afraid of what'll happen if you break it. It sucks." He lifted his eyes to hers. "...This might sound crazy, but every time I look at you, I see the same loneliness. And I can't help but want to reach you somehow. ...Make you smile, or laugh, or even just yell at me. Just so you don't feel alone."

"So... that's why you're so annoying..." The tears pooling at the corners of her eyes came free. Startled, she raised a hand to quickly brush them away. "I always wondered... Why the hell you were always annoying the shit out of me," she said, trying desperately to wipe her eyes dry. Fuck, the tears wouldn't stop! How utterly pathetic she must look... "And that's your stupid reason?! B-Because you-"

"I like you. And I don't want you to be lonely. Ever," he replied, his gaze softening as he watched her furiously wiping her eyes. "H-Hey, be careful! You might hurt yourself! Go easy!"

"S-See what you made me do?! N-Now I'm crying, and I c-can't stop, and I never cry, and it's all your fault!" she sputtered, wave after wave of tears spilling onto her cheeks despite her efforts.

Before she could accidentally punch herself in the eyes, Alfred took her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. She flinched, but tried her best to glare at him. "What?! H-Happy now?! Now you get to see me crying like a fucking baby!" she hissed, her embarrassment soaring even higher.

But to her surprise, Alfred laughed. "It's okay to cry, Nat, nothing to be ashamed of," he said, sliding his hands down to hers. "It's okay."

Natalya couldn't fight it any longer. 'It's okay'... She had never wanted anyone to say those words to her the way he just did. Anyone than her brother, that is. But him telling her that... She felt free. Free of the ice wall around her. Invisible to the world, it melted at her feet. She had felt frozen for so long... Stuck between wanting her brother to love her, and trying to find purpose in a life where she knew he didn't love her back like that. But now... She wanted someone to hold her, tell her it was okay. Everything was okay. She didn't want to be alone anymore... She wanted this fucking annoying idiot, smiling his fucking annoying smile at her... She wanted him. She wanted him to be hers. She wanted America, Alfred F. Jones... She wanted to be with him. ...That moron.

She pulled him roughly to his feet and wrapped her arms around him, clutching at his back. She buried her face in his bare chest. He was warm...

He wrapped his arms around her, and grinned.

"Nat?"

"..."

"...I really like you."

Natalya's eyes fluttered, and she managed a tiny smirk. "...I like you too."

OMAKE

Japan sighed as he came to the dorm he shared with America. Another disappointing American movie... Honestly, why were they all about sex appeal and fast cars now? Surely there were other ways to tell a good story. He missed the fantasy movies that had been all the rage just years ago. Those movies had been fun.

He inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. "America, I'm back..." His voice caught as he saw his roommate sleeping with his arms around a girl...

"Ano... Eeto..." America... Was with a girl... In his bed... With his arms around her... Thankfully they were wearing their clothes, but the mere idea of the whole scene baffled him, making him blush as he continued to stare, frozen in place.

He was so taken aback by the scene itself that it took him a moment to realize who the girl was. The bow on her head was all the identification he needed. ...BELARUS?!

Almost as if she had heard his thoughts, Natalya's eyes opened and she glared at him. "Go away," she hissed threateningly.

"Sorry! Sorry!" With a jolt Japan hurriedly backed out of the room and closed the door. He stared at the handle for a few seconds, then covered his face in his hands in sheer embarrassment. "...How awkward. ...What does this mean?" he mumbled as he walked away. "Those two...? Together...? How...?"

Remembering how Belarus had glared at him and hissed for him to go away, a shiver tingled down his spine.

"...Scary."