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[Fanfiction] Project Pandora's Box (9/30)
Sorry it's a little late, but I had company over yesterday. :) I just REALLY hope I got Ivan right. Please be patient with me as I figure out how to write his damn character. ._.;
Title: Project Pandora's Box (9/30) [tentative cap]
Series: Hetalia
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Warnings: Language, violence, AU, boy love, POV shifts
Pairings: US x UK (primary), France x Canada, Germany x Italy (implied, for the most part), JapanxChina (also implied)
Summary: Ivan comes to visit and scares the hell out of everybody. Yet, there’s a reason he has come. Ivan has a case he’s willing to share with Alfred and his team. It might lead them to the answer of what the Ice Siren was trying to tell them.
Russia: ^.^
Me: …
Russia: ^.^ You-
Me: I’M SORRY!
Russia: ^.^ I was going to say that you have something on your shirt.
Me: O-Oh…th-thanks…
Chapter 1: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/93422.html
Chapter 2: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/95507.html
Chapter 3: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/98146.html
Chapter 4: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/99866.html
Chapter 5: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/102179.html
Chapter 6: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/103131.html
Chapter 7: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/105069.html
Chapter 8: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/112044.html
~*~*~*
Episode 9: Immortality Sucks (Part 1)
~*~*~*
They were all in Alfred’s office, waiting for the Russian agent to enter the room. Needless to say, Alfred was very nervous about all of this. He had a good reason! Ivan was…well, very protective and possessive. He also knew exactly which buttons to press on Alfred. There were other…personal reasons the young American was dreading the visit.
The American was so busy freaking out (not outwardly, of course), he hadn’t noticed that there was someone else in the room. Well, until the man started speaking.
“Alfred! It is good to see you in good health,” a fairly heavy Russian accent easily cut through Alfred’s thoughts. He chuckled nervously as he took in the sight before him.
Ivan hadn’t changed a bit. His short, silver-ish hair still went dazzlingly well with his amethyst purple eyes. Despite the summer heat, Ivan was wearing long jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, his trademark scarf, and his black boots. The smile on the Russian’s face was innocent, although Alfred knew better than to believe the false innocence. Still, the two agents shook hands in a friendly enough manner.
“Nice to see you, too, Ivan. What brings you here?” Alfred asked politely, smiling despite his anxiety.
“For one thing, I wanted to meet your new agents. If only to warn them that if they hurt you in any way, shape, or form, I will make life very painful for them,” the slightly taller Russian replied innocently, his eyes glittering. All four of the agents gave nervous chuckles and the three newbies stepped away from the American and Russian. “But, that is not the sole reason. Do you remember that one unsolved case a few years ago? The one about hikers disappearing on that mountain trail Vermont?”
Alfred frowned, crossed his arms, and thought back. It took a while for him to remember what the basics for that case were.
“Uh…wasn’t that the case where 13 hikers went missing and that botanist got killed?” the American asked, trying to make sure. Ivan nodded, the innocent smile still upturning his lips. “That was…unsolved, from what I can remember. We weren’t able to find anything conclusive.”
“Da, it was unsolved. I found something a few weeks ago as I was visiting Vermont. I all ready gave our Italian friend the case file. He’s reviewing it right now, so let us get through with the introductions,” Ivan stated, waiting politely for Alfred’s response. The American cleared his throat, fighting down his blush. He had totally forgotten about the introductions.
“This is Arthur Kirkland, my telepath,” he pointed to the blond Briton, “that’s Francis Bonnefoy, the empath,” this time he pointed to the Frenchman who seemed to be looking for a way out, “and this is my younger twin brother, Matthew, who can see ghosts and generally anything invisible.” The young Canadian gave a nervous, yet friendly, wave to Ivan. “Team, this is Ivan Braginsky, who can see and hear a few seconds into the future when he needs or wants to, and he is-“
“Alfred’s ex,” the Russian finished with a smile. Alfred blushed and refused to meet his team’s eyes, which confirmed Ivan’s statement. There was silence between them. Francis coughed.
“Just one question. Where did the phrase, “Ivan is going to marry your brother” come from?” Francis asked. Ivan chuckled fondly at the memory while Alfred hung his head in embarrassment. He knew this question was going to come up eventually.
“Now, that is a tale that never gets old,” Ivan mused, “Alfred, he was heavy sleeper even back then. Constantly, we were always late for our briefings. One day, I got fed up and said that I would marry his brother if he didn’t wake up. This was when we were still dating, mind you, and he had mentioned having a brother at one point.”
“The jet’s ready to go~!” Veneziano called as he entered the room, completely ruining further discussion.
***
The ride had been really, really, REALLY awkward for them (except for Ivan, of course). For one thing, Alfred could just tell that his agents were trying very hard not to get on Ivan’s bad side. The other thing was that…they really didn’t know what to say about the young American’s ex-boyfriend. At least, that was the feeling Alfred had.
I really hope they don’t ask any questions… Alfred thought as they exited the airport somewhere in Vermont. He couldn’t remember exactly what city or town they were in. Still, although the temperature felt warm, it was raining. For some odd reason, Alfred was expecting that (must have been because he had looked on the Weather Channel’s website).
The agents had to run through the rain to get to the rented car, which happened to be another Priuss. Alfred smiled wryly, remembering the last time he had a Priuss (although, now that he thought about it, whenever he got into a Priuss, it managed to get destroyed somehow). He personally liked driving the small hybrid, but maybe he should consider requesting a different car as the rental.
Ivan was driving this time around and Alfred was trying to fall asleep (if only to avoid talking about matters that shouldn’t have been said). The attempt was foiled when he had this nagging feeling that they should stop. Like, right now.
“Hey, Ivan. Stop the car. Feeling,” the American told the Russian sleepily. Alfred felt the car slow to a complete stop at the side of the road. He grunted and unbuckled himself, then stepped outside the car. The blond ignored the curious looks his companions were giving him. Instead, he crossed the street to the other side of where they had parked.
On this side, the area was dense forestry. Alfred vaguely recalled that the man that had been killed was found in the woods. Apparently, he had been mauled by animals and had written a message in his blood. If memory served, the message had said, “The secret to immortality can be found…if you dig deep enough.” What the hell did THAT mean?
Focus, Alfred! He shook his head and stepped over the metal railing. Abruptly, Alfred had the urge to kneel down and instinctively did so. He narrowed his eyes and shielded his glasses from the falling rain. There was something on the ground, but he just couldn’t see it. Alfred jumped a little when he felt a hand on both of his shoulders. Ivan was on his left while Arthur was on his right. When did they get there, anyway? Did Alfred seriously not hear them approaching?
“You sense something. What is it?” Arthur asked. The rain must have been getting to Alfred, since he shivered. He wasn’t shivering because of Ivan and Arthur’s eyes boring into the side of his head, nope.
“There’s something here, but I can’t see it,” Alfred replied as he pointed to his glasses. They were silent as the other two men raked the ground with their eyes. The young American really needed to wipe off his glasses, but his clothes were too wet. He’d probably have to use Matty’s shirt to clean them.
He felt Arthur’s hand tighten slightly on his shoulder. The blond Briton was leaning forward and had grabbed something. Arthur leaned back and was holding up a muddy, antique locket. In the center, a small amethyst glittered with a light of its own.
“I think…that’s it,” Alfred murmured as he narrowed his eyes. The two men nodded and stood up. The young American was about to stand when something out of his peripheral vision caught his eye. He snatched what he saw and frowned. It was a dirty, silver key.
***
The hotel they arrived at was a quaint, homely place. They were only able to get two rooms. Francis had immediately claimed one room and dragged Matthew off to be his roommate. Alfred felt a twitch coming on. If that Frenchman did something to his brother, bad things would happen. Alfred could probably get Ivan to help him, too.
Speaking of, that meant that he was going to be rooming with not only his ex-boyfriend, but Arthur as well. This was going to be a long night.
Alfred tried to keep a calm front as he led his roommates up to their room. He had to admit that the room was nice, although there was one bed and one couch-bed. If this were an anime, Alfred felt that a sweat drop would have been totally appropriate for his situation.
Now what was he going to do? He couldn’t sleep with Ivan, since they were ex-boyfriends and things would get way too awkward. Sleeping with Arthur would be like…what? Weird? Uncomfortable?
A dream come true? A traitorous voice in Alfred’s mind snickered. He kicked that part of himself and raked his fingers through his hair. It was a nervous habit of his.
“I’ll take the couch,” Arthur volunteered, a little tightness in his voice. Alfred chalked that down to imagination. There was no way the blond Briton was jealous or anything like that of what Ivan and Alfred used to have.
“Alfred, why don’t you take the bed? I’ll be fine on the floor,” Ivan told the young American. He wanted to protest, but the Russian was hearing none of it. With a sigh of defeat, Alfred put his suitcase at the foot of the bed, grabbed toiletries and his pajamas, and went into the bathroom for a quick shower.
After the shower, Alfred was busy drying and brushing his hair while Ivan took his shower. The silence between the remaining two agents was, well, awkward. Alfred couldn’t help but wonder if it was something he did or didn’t do. And then he had to wonder why he was even thinking like that. It wasn’t as if Alfred and Arthur were a couple!
You could be. The young American forced that train of thought to a stop.
“How long were you and Ivan a couple?” Arthur abruptly asked. Alfred gave him a blank look before his brain kicked into gear.
“Oh! Uh…about…um…four years? I know that when he was transferred over to the Russian branch that we stopped seeing each other. Falling out ‘cause of distance,” the blond American explained with a light blush. He hadn’t told anybody about his relationships, except for his mentor. Speaking of, Alfred needed to have a talk with him.
They were silent until Ivan got out of the shower. Arthur then took his turn and the silence just got more awkward for Alfred. Sometimes, the young American wished that he hadn’t into a relationship and other times he wished that he hadn’t broken up with Ivan like that. This was a time for the former.
“Your brother is very much like you. At least in regards to appearance,” Ivan mused, bringing Alfred away from his thoughts, “He is also like you in that he is very cute.”
Alfred sputtered.
“Ivan! Don’t talk about my brother like that!” the American responded, causing the Russian to chuckle in amusement. He had forgotten that Ivan found his over-protective nature toward his brother amusing.
When Arthur was finished with his shower, the three decided that it would be best to get to bed early. They had a long day ahead of them, after all.
***
BONUS SHORT
That night, Ivan was the only one awake. The other two were sound asleep about an hour after the lights had gone out. Ivan sighed. He knew what was wrong. Although neither would admit it, but the Russian could tell that they had missed each other. The abrupt separation had been unexpected and left many threads hanging.
Still…
He couldn’t resist. Ivan knew how much of a heavy sleeper Alfred was and hoped that Arthur was the same way. He stood up from his “bed” and walked over to the couch, where the blond Briton was sleeping. Ivan had an innocent smile on his face as he carefully hefted Arthur into his arms. He then gingerly set the Briton on the bed next to Alfred and covered both of them up. Ivan grinned and slipped into bed on the other side of his ex.
And now, we are comfortable. Ivan thought with amusement. He briefly wondered how the two would react in the morning, but he drifted off into sleep too soon to contemplate the thought.
X-posted to hetalia
Title: Project Pandora's Box (9/30) [tentative cap]
Series: Hetalia
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Warnings: Language, violence, AU, boy love, POV shifts
Pairings: US x UK (primary), France x Canada, Germany x Italy (implied, for the most part), JapanxChina (also implied)
Summary: Ivan comes to visit and scares the hell out of everybody. Yet, there’s a reason he has come. Ivan has a case he’s willing to share with Alfred and his team. It might lead them to the answer of what the Ice Siren was trying to tell them.
Russia: ^.^
Me: …
Russia: ^.^ You-
Me: I’M SORRY!
Russia: ^.^ I was going to say that you have something on your shirt.
Me: O-Oh…th-thanks…
Chapter 1: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/93422.html
Chapter 2: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/95507.html
Chapter 3: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/98146.html
Chapter 4: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/99866.html
Chapter 5: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/102179.html
Chapter 6: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/103131.html
Chapter 7: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/105069.html
Chapter 8: http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/112044.html
~*~*~*
Episode 9: Immortality Sucks (Part 1)
~*~*~*
They were all in Alfred’s office, waiting for the Russian agent to enter the room. Needless to say, Alfred was very nervous about all of this. He had a good reason! Ivan was…well, very protective and possessive. He also knew exactly which buttons to press on Alfred. There were other…personal reasons the young American was dreading the visit.
The American was so busy freaking out (not outwardly, of course), he hadn’t noticed that there was someone else in the room. Well, until the man started speaking.
“Alfred! It is good to see you in good health,” a fairly heavy Russian accent easily cut through Alfred’s thoughts. He chuckled nervously as he took in the sight before him.
Ivan hadn’t changed a bit. His short, silver-ish hair still went dazzlingly well with his amethyst purple eyes. Despite the summer heat, Ivan was wearing long jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, his trademark scarf, and his black boots. The smile on the Russian’s face was innocent, although Alfred knew better than to believe the false innocence. Still, the two agents shook hands in a friendly enough manner.
“Nice to see you, too, Ivan. What brings you here?” Alfred asked politely, smiling despite his anxiety.
“For one thing, I wanted to meet your new agents. If only to warn them that if they hurt you in any way, shape, or form, I will make life very painful for them,” the slightly taller Russian replied innocently, his eyes glittering. All four of the agents gave nervous chuckles and the three newbies stepped away from the American and Russian. “But, that is not the sole reason. Do you remember that one unsolved case a few years ago? The one about hikers disappearing on that mountain trail Vermont?”
Alfred frowned, crossed his arms, and thought back. It took a while for him to remember what the basics for that case were.
“Uh…wasn’t that the case where 13 hikers went missing and that botanist got killed?” the American asked, trying to make sure. Ivan nodded, the innocent smile still upturning his lips. “That was…unsolved, from what I can remember. We weren’t able to find anything conclusive.”
“Da, it was unsolved. I found something a few weeks ago as I was visiting Vermont. I all ready gave our Italian friend the case file. He’s reviewing it right now, so let us get through with the introductions,” Ivan stated, waiting politely for Alfred’s response. The American cleared his throat, fighting down his blush. He had totally forgotten about the introductions.
“This is Arthur Kirkland, my telepath,” he pointed to the blond Briton, “that’s Francis Bonnefoy, the empath,” this time he pointed to the Frenchman who seemed to be looking for a way out, “and this is my younger twin brother, Matthew, who can see ghosts and generally anything invisible.” The young Canadian gave a nervous, yet friendly, wave to Ivan. “Team, this is Ivan Braginsky, who can see and hear a few seconds into the future when he needs or wants to, and he is-“
“Alfred’s ex,” the Russian finished with a smile. Alfred blushed and refused to meet his team’s eyes, which confirmed Ivan’s statement. There was silence between them. Francis coughed.
“Just one question. Where did the phrase, “Ivan is going to marry your brother” come from?” Francis asked. Ivan chuckled fondly at the memory while Alfred hung his head in embarrassment. He knew this question was going to come up eventually.
“Now, that is a tale that never gets old,” Ivan mused, “Alfred, he was heavy sleeper even back then. Constantly, we were always late for our briefings. One day, I got fed up and said that I would marry his brother if he didn’t wake up. This was when we were still dating, mind you, and he had mentioned having a brother at one point.”
“The jet’s ready to go~!” Veneziano called as he entered the room, completely ruining further discussion.
***
The ride had been really, really, REALLY awkward for them (except for Ivan, of course). For one thing, Alfred could just tell that his agents were trying very hard not to get on Ivan’s bad side. The other thing was that…they really didn’t know what to say about the young American’s ex-boyfriend. At least, that was the feeling Alfred had.
I really hope they don’t ask any questions… Alfred thought as they exited the airport somewhere in Vermont. He couldn’t remember exactly what city or town they were in. Still, although the temperature felt warm, it was raining. For some odd reason, Alfred was expecting that (must have been because he had looked on the Weather Channel’s website).
The agents had to run through the rain to get to the rented car, which happened to be another Priuss. Alfred smiled wryly, remembering the last time he had a Priuss (although, now that he thought about it, whenever he got into a Priuss, it managed to get destroyed somehow). He personally liked driving the small hybrid, but maybe he should consider requesting a different car as the rental.
Ivan was driving this time around and Alfred was trying to fall asleep (if only to avoid talking about matters that shouldn’t have been said). The attempt was foiled when he had this nagging feeling that they should stop. Like, right now.
“Hey, Ivan. Stop the car. Feeling,” the American told the Russian sleepily. Alfred felt the car slow to a complete stop at the side of the road. He grunted and unbuckled himself, then stepped outside the car. The blond ignored the curious looks his companions were giving him. Instead, he crossed the street to the other side of where they had parked.
On this side, the area was dense forestry. Alfred vaguely recalled that the man that had been killed was found in the woods. Apparently, he had been mauled by animals and had written a message in his blood. If memory served, the message had said, “The secret to immortality can be found…if you dig deep enough.” What the hell did THAT mean?
Focus, Alfred! He shook his head and stepped over the metal railing. Abruptly, Alfred had the urge to kneel down and instinctively did so. He narrowed his eyes and shielded his glasses from the falling rain. There was something on the ground, but he just couldn’t see it. Alfred jumped a little when he felt a hand on both of his shoulders. Ivan was on his left while Arthur was on his right. When did they get there, anyway? Did Alfred seriously not hear them approaching?
“You sense something. What is it?” Arthur asked. The rain must have been getting to Alfred, since he shivered. He wasn’t shivering because of Ivan and Arthur’s eyes boring into the side of his head, nope.
“There’s something here, but I can’t see it,” Alfred replied as he pointed to his glasses. They were silent as the other two men raked the ground with their eyes. The young American really needed to wipe off his glasses, but his clothes were too wet. He’d probably have to use Matty’s shirt to clean them.
He felt Arthur’s hand tighten slightly on his shoulder. The blond Briton was leaning forward and had grabbed something. Arthur leaned back and was holding up a muddy, antique locket. In the center, a small amethyst glittered with a light of its own.
“I think…that’s it,” Alfred murmured as he narrowed his eyes. The two men nodded and stood up. The young American was about to stand when something out of his peripheral vision caught his eye. He snatched what he saw and frowned. It was a dirty, silver key.
***
The hotel they arrived at was a quaint, homely place. They were only able to get two rooms. Francis had immediately claimed one room and dragged Matthew off to be his roommate. Alfred felt a twitch coming on. If that Frenchman did something to his brother, bad things would happen. Alfred could probably get Ivan to help him, too.
Speaking of, that meant that he was going to be rooming with not only his ex-boyfriend, but Arthur as well. This was going to be a long night.
Alfred tried to keep a calm front as he led his roommates up to their room. He had to admit that the room was nice, although there was one bed and one couch-bed. If this were an anime, Alfred felt that a sweat drop would have been totally appropriate for his situation.
Now what was he going to do? He couldn’t sleep with Ivan, since they were ex-boyfriends and things would get way too awkward. Sleeping with Arthur would be like…what? Weird? Uncomfortable?
A dream come true? A traitorous voice in Alfred’s mind snickered. He kicked that part of himself and raked his fingers through his hair. It was a nervous habit of his.
“I’ll take the couch,” Arthur volunteered, a little tightness in his voice. Alfred chalked that down to imagination. There was no way the blond Briton was jealous or anything like that of what Ivan and Alfred used to have.
“Alfred, why don’t you take the bed? I’ll be fine on the floor,” Ivan told the young American. He wanted to protest, but the Russian was hearing none of it. With a sigh of defeat, Alfred put his suitcase at the foot of the bed, grabbed toiletries and his pajamas, and went into the bathroom for a quick shower.
After the shower, Alfred was busy drying and brushing his hair while Ivan took his shower. The silence between the remaining two agents was, well, awkward. Alfred couldn’t help but wonder if it was something he did or didn’t do. And then he had to wonder why he was even thinking like that. It wasn’t as if Alfred and Arthur were a couple!
You could be. The young American forced that train of thought to a stop.
“How long were you and Ivan a couple?” Arthur abruptly asked. Alfred gave him a blank look before his brain kicked into gear.
“Oh! Uh…about…um…four years? I know that when he was transferred over to the Russian branch that we stopped seeing each other. Falling out ‘cause of distance,” the blond American explained with a light blush. He hadn’t told anybody about his relationships, except for his mentor. Speaking of, Alfred needed to have a talk with him.
They were silent until Ivan got out of the shower. Arthur then took his turn and the silence just got more awkward for Alfred. Sometimes, the young American wished that he hadn’t into a relationship and other times he wished that he hadn’t broken up with Ivan like that. This was a time for the former.
“Your brother is very much like you. At least in regards to appearance,” Ivan mused, bringing Alfred away from his thoughts, “He is also like you in that he is very cute.”
Alfred sputtered.
“Ivan! Don’t talk about my brother like that!” the American responded, causing the Russian to chuckle in amusement. He had forgotten that Ivan found his over-protective nature toward his brother amusing.
When Arthur was finished with his shower, the three decided that it would be best to get to bed early. They had a long day ahead of them, after all.
***
BONUS SHORT
That night, Ivan was the only one awake. The other two were sound asleep about an hour after the lights had gone out. Ivan sighed. He knew what was wrong. Although neither would admit it, but the Russian could tell that they had missed each other. The abrupt separation had been unexpected and left many threads hanging.
Still…
He couldn’t resist. Ivan knew how much of a heavy sleeper Alfred was and hoped that Arthur was the same way. He stood up from his “bed” and walked over to the couch, where the blond Briton was sleeping. Ivan had an innocent smile on his face as he carefully hefted Arthur into his arms. He then gingerly set the Briton on the bed next to Alfred and covered both of them up. Ivan grinned and slipped into bed on the other side of his ex.
And now, we are comfortable. Ivan thought with amusement. He briefly wondered how the two would react in the morning, but he drifted off into sleep too soon to contemplate the thought.
X-posted to hetalia