Russia x Reader - Childish Cruelty: Fairy tales

6.

Friends, he said. As unbelievable as it might have seem, Alfred and Ivan do have something in common, you remarked. And gaped as that reminded you of...

...Ivan!

You nearly forgot about him. At that moment when he walked from the principal's office, he was so terribly unstable that you could practically feel his depressive aura. Worried sick, you tugged onto Al's hoodie:

"Hey, I gotta go," you flashed a nervous smile before he could say anything, "so go home, alright?"

"Is it ok, dude?" Al raised an eyebrow - a look that didn't suit him. "I mean, it's gettin' dark. You sure it's fine for you to go alone?"

"Al, one Arthur is enough," you laughed at his 'no way's, "Quit trying to be all gentlemanly, it doesn't fit you."

"I just thought that if I went home I would lose my chance to be the hero when something happe- OW!" He yelled, receiving an elbow from you. "That hurts!"

That being said, he patted you on the back and turned away with a very Alfred-ish smile. You sprinted away, only one destination forming in your mind.

***

"Ivan! Ivan, are you here?!"

You looked around the deserted park as you ran past the beaming sunflowers. You hadn't looked everywhere, but it wasn't a big park. Sweats were running down your temple; Ivan was no where to be found. He usually came to this park whenever he got upset and practically stayed until you persuaded him to go home. You expected this time to be the same.

"Ivan," you called again, gasping for air, "Ivan, answer if you're here..."

Your throat was lumped, your voice cracked, and you felt lost. And what were you thinking anyway? Ivan probably just went home. It was best for you do the same. Taking heavy sunken steps, you were about to head home...

"_______?"

You literally jumped when you heard your name being called, but relieved at the same time as you knew who called you. Ivan was standing right behind you - you found out as you turned around - giving no clues as to where he had been the whole time you were searching. His gentle, albeit a bit sad and somehow scared eyes met yours and stayed that way. Gush of winds disturbed the silent darkening sky, while even the sunflowers shivered, their bright yellow quavering like a dying fire.

"I was really worried, Ivan," you broke the unbearably tensed silence, "you stayed here so late. All alone. You..."

You were going to say "You could have gone home", but it got stuck in your throat when you remembered that for him, home or here, it wouldn't make any difference. So instead of talking more you stepped forward and took his hand. His finger was as cold as ice.

"Большое спасибо, _______."

Puzzled as to why he thanked, you tried to catch his downcast gaze.

"No one ever looked for me before."

"Iv-"

"I will miss you when I get sent home."

Chest tightened as if being clutched, you decided not to say anything.

But instead step forward and embraced Ivan in a tight hug.

To your surprise, he did not respond but just stayed still. He buried his nose in your hood, his silvery hair tickling your ear. His shoulder was shaking, but you did not heat any sob, nor did you feel his tear. Clumsily you brought your hand to gently pat him on the back, feeling a lump in your throat from seeing the poor Russian boy in such a mental condition.

"You...", you started, and it was hard since your throat felt utterly dry, "you won't get sent home."

You did not expect him to pull away so abruptly. You could have landed on your back from loss of balance if Ivan wasn't gripping your shoulders tightly. In his moist violet eyes, you saw nervousness mixed with hope. He was looking straight into your eyes, making some blood rush to your face - something he didn't seem to be aware of, and you were glad he didn't. His voice, meek and somewhat shaky, was slightly muffled by the thick scarf that covered up over his mouth.

"Really...?"

"Yes," you smiled, "I promise you won't. I talked to the principal. Ah, Alfred helped me, of course. He too wants to help you!"

You couldn't help but notice a small cringe at the mention of the dusty blond. Ivan must have held a bad impression of the young American.

"Thank him for me then, _______," he finally said, which made you a bit surprised, but your lips curled into a contented smile nonetheless. The both of them did not start well but hey, if they could work it out, their friendship might last long.

As Ivan's grip loosened, you grabbed his hand and pulled him with you. "And it's kind of late now, so I assume you would be staying at my house?"

He did not respond, but quickly caught up with you as you broke into a run. Though, you could swear you heard a chuckle lost amidst the rustle of the leaves.

***

"_______."

You looked up from your homework - oh yes, it did make you envy that Ivan never seemed to be doing homework, for some reason. It was quite unexpected, as usually you would be the one who would start the conversation.

"Yes?"

"I was scared that you would hate me."

A small laugh escaped your lips.

"Now why on Earth would I hate you?"

"For hurting your friend... Because friends are precious."

O-Oh, that. Kind of awkward to talk about it.

"Listen, Ivan," you turned your chair around to face him - he was reading a book in Russian that looked as old as time, "I've known Al for so long, I know he could be a fool sometimes. Well, more than just sometimes," you chuckled, "but he is still a great friend. Everyone have faults and do stupid stuffs once in a while. So, uhm... my point is... well, you must have been really angry, and it's only partly your fault, thus... it would be unfair to blame you for all of it. Friends are precious, that's why I can't hate you so easily."

"Really?", his surprise at your bits of thoughts was adorable. Then again, he was Ivan. "Cпасибо!"

"It was nothing." You smiled and turned back to the unwanted jumble of words.

The silence did not last long. After a while he piped up.

"_______, you know? Back when I was small, I actually had some friends!"

The way he said it was heartbreaking - it sounded as if 'having friends' was a long lost, momentary privilege. His merry tone only added into the bitterness emitting from the truth under his words.

You stepped from your chair and quietly sat yourself next to him.

"I still remember the first time I went outside of my house on my own. It was right after Katyusha's passed away. I got tired of crying alone, so I climbed through the window, then over the fence. It was scary, because I did not know when my father would come home.

I went into the village. As I walked I met a boy around my age. He had brown hair and pretty green eyes," he smiled, to his memories rather than to you, "and a fluffy, warm dog who kept barking at me!" - it was adorable how he talked about the animal like a human - "He was quiet, but nice to me. Just like _______ here.

I think he was scared at first. Still, he brought me to where other kids was playing. You know what, _______, I was taller than most of them! I don't know why. Do you think that made me look scary?"

You shook your head. "No," it was not a lie. It might be a little intimidating for a first encounter, but... kids are friendly, right? They were only seven years old, too innocent to be tainted with prejudices.

He chuckle. "I saw moms pointing at me and whispering too each other. I was scared, too. So I sat down, and read out loud the poem that Katyusha taught me, because it calmed me down. When I finished the poem, the kids were sitting around me. They were listening.

"A little girl, may be younger than me, with a cute blue bow on her blond hair, asked me to read more. I suddenly forget the other poems I learnt by heart, so I told them a fairy tale. I think they liked that story.

"That afternoon when I went home, father hit me. A lot. Because I did not stay home like he told me to, I was not a good child. But, from there on, I would climb out of the window once every two or three days. Without him finding out.

"The kids in the village and I became friends. I taught them the many songs Katyusha taught me, and told them the fairy tales. The blond girl, she always asked for more stories. For once, I was happy, even though I thought I would never be again after Katyusha left to heaven."

"So you did have a happy childhood, after all," your sigh of relief was barely noticeable, as you still focused on the horrifying detail concerning his father. But at that, he gave a sad smile, and slowly shook his head.

"It wasn't for long. They started to fear and hate me, after that happened..."