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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its successor, the Russian Federation, and the United States aimed to improve the relationship of both parties by building the International Space Station. The project started in 1998 and could only host humans for the first time in 2000. After that, the ISS was always required to have at least two people on it to maintain the machines. The two chosen people were Alfred F. Jones and Ivan Braginsky.
It was only for 5 months and they would receive special training from the top-tier technicians and experienced astronauts. Their presidents convinced them this would be a good opportunity to show the world that Russia and America were no longer enemies and were working towards the goal of conquering space. Now, both Alfred and Ivan were displeased with their superiors' decision, but for their country's sake, they would bite their tongues and proceed with the training. It was only for 5 months, they thought, what could possibly go wrong?
***
Standing in front of the Soyuz, Ivan blew out a puff of cigarette smoke while waiting for a certain American. At the moment, the Soyuz spacecraft of Russia was the only primary transportation to take humans to space and back. Although he lost the space race, a hint of pride emerged in him knowing that at least his spacecraft was superior to America's. A black vehicle slowly came in Ivan's direction; he sighed and dropped the half-smoked cigarette on the ground before crushing it with his heel. The vehicle stopped and came out a blonde American. He flashed his white teeth and extended a hand toward the Russian man.
"Russia! It's been a while! When was the last time we met? 1989?"
"America. You're late, as usual." Ivan smiled back and shook the other's hand. His grip tightened.
Alfred smiled wider, the slight twitch of his right eye did not go unnoticed by Ivan. He gripped back. Harder. Ivan's mouth corner twitched once. Despite their cheerful demeanor, the tension was thick enough to chill everyone around. After what felt like hours, the two countries finally let go of the other's hand with visible red marks. The captain of the ship coughed into his hand, getting the attention of the two:
"Shall we get ready?"
Getting inside the ship, the captain and the two representatives all put on their spacesuits. Then, they sat in the Descent Module and checked with the ground to make sure everything was good to launch. Alfred couldn't contain his excitement—it was his first time in space, and he'd been fascinated by the stars since he was a kid. On the other hand, Ivan shifted nervously in his seat. Just like his American companion, Ivan was also in love with the deep space. But rather than finding it fascinating, his obsession was driven by curiosity and fear of the unknown; he had to be prepared if there were to be any threats lurking in the ocean of emptiness. Mistaking Ivan's nervousness for excitement, Alfred couldn't help but share his joy.
"You're ready? I can't wait to see all the stars and meteors! Is this your first time traveling to space, too?"
"Yes," Ivan answered curtly. He saw a glimpse of disappointment from the younger country but chose to ignore it.
"You don't sound so excited for someone who built and launched hundreds of rockets to conquer space."
"And you're acting like a 5-year-old child that is hyper-fixated on an impossible dream."
Alfred was about to throw hands when the captain interrupted them. "Behave yourselves!" He warned. They stayed silent for the rest of the launch preparation. As the countdown began, Ivan got even more stressed, his short breaths blurred the front glass of his helmet. Suddenly, a hand was on top of his and squeezing tight, making Ivan glance over to see a gleefully shaking American. He was giggling to himself and perhaps unintentionally grabbed Ivan's hand out of exhilaration. Such a small, accidental gesture was somehow able to calm the Russian's anxious mind, even if it was just a little bit. Nonetheless, Ivan was secretly thankful for it.
As the countdown reached zero, the entire ship rumbled and slowly lifted off the ground. Ivan closed his eyes shut. After reaching a certain height, the rocket detached from the capsule and returned to Earth. The capsule continued with its programmed path and eventually arrived at the ISS. Only when the Soyuz had landed and become completely still did Ivan dare to open his eyes and move. The captain opened the hatch to enter the station, and the three crews were welcomed by the astronauts of the previous mission that Ivan and Alfred would temporarily replace. They quickly loaded the supplies and gave the two representatives a brief tour around the ISS as well as instructions on how to maintain and operate the machines here. When everything was in place, the previous crew bid their goodbyes as the captain flew them back to Earth, leaving the American and Russian representatives alone.
"... I'm taking a nap." Ivan removed his spacesuit and headed to a sleeping quarter.
"What?! Come on old man, we just arrived at the station and the first thing you want to do is sleep? There are so many things to explore!" Alfred yelled after the older country while taking off his spacesuit, too. It was hard and hot to move with the suit on.
"I had a long day and I want to rest. Do whatever you want but don't disturb me." Ivan shut the door of his sleeping quarter in the younger man's face. Knocking and yelling came obnoxiously from the other side, but Ivan could endure it. He laid out a sleeping bag and plugged his ears before crawling inside the comfy bag. Alfred banged on the door one last time before letting out a frustrated huff. He could easily tear the door down with his inhumane strength, but then he would be charged with damaging government property and he would have to fight the Russian man. He preferred not to start a fight on the first day of their cooperation. Whatever, he had other better things to do and the stupid older man could stay in there forever for all he cared. With that thought, Alfred went off on his own adventure.
***
The first month was not so bad. The first few days after their arrival on the ISS, they experienced awful motion sickness and could not help but vomit any food they swallowed. It took a while for Alfred to get used to the absence of gravity and the routine on the station, but he was not the only one who struggled; Ivan, too, was having difficulties adapting to this new environment. Surprisingly, they did not fight at all, or to be more accurate, they did not have fights because they barely talked to each other. They ate and slept separately, each person tended to different tasks and only spoke to each other if the situation required them to. Alfred tried to be friendly and started some small talk with the older country, but he either got ignored or got short answers, which ended the conversation quickly. After getting rejected so many times, it was only natural that people moved on with their lives, and that was exactly what Alfred did: He gave up on trying to befriend the Russian man. He gave up on caring for Ivan, and that led to their current stalemate. Ivan did not seem to care much either. He was actually quite pleased that the younger man had finally stopped bothering him with his yapping. He liked peace and quietness, and he certainly did not need any more distractions that prevented him from doing his tasks.
When the two were not doing their tasks, they had their own ways of passing time. Alfred would spend 3 to 4 hours on workouts. He remembered his NASA trainer mentioned that astronauts would lose up to 20% muscle mass if they didn't exercise daily. This would cause difficulty in movement and endurance and Alfred could not let that happen; he needed flexibility to perform his tasks perfectly. Besides, he had a lot of spare energy and could not sit still for more than 5 minutes. Ivan was not as active as the younger man (he still exercised as part of the mandatory routine for cosmonauts), but when he finished his tasks, he would retreat into his sleeping quarters and read books. The representatives' different lifestyles and personalities were huge factors that strained their relationship, though they could not help but notice something else was also contributing to this; something that they were both afraid to address.
The second and third months passed by in the blink of an eye for people on Earth, but to the two temporary residents of the ISS, the time was torturously slow. Underlying problems started to catch up to them. For someone who lived off of socializing, Alfred became incredibly lonely from isolation. Sure, he had a Russian shipmate in this hell hole with him, but the older man was so few with words and usually avoided him that it only made his isolation worse. Alfred missed spending time with his brother and other representatives, heck, he wouldn't mind listening to his president's boring ranting so long as he could escape from this soundless atmosphere on the station. He couldn't even enjoy his free time. No amount of endorphins from workouts could make the American representative happy anymore. He tried. It frustrated him so much that he started punching walls and breaking the exercise machines just to feel enough rage and hopefully distract him from the loneliness feeling. At one point, Ivan had to strap him down to stop him from destroying things. He also got banned from the gym unless Ivan came along; Alfred didn't protest since the older man's presence was distracting enough, so he didn't break any more tools. He was that lonely.
On the surface, Ivan appeared to be handling everything just fine, but then again, it was only on the surface. He found himself frequently lying awake at night. He tried multiple methods like drinking tea before bedtime or tiring himself out through workouts, but his eye bags only grew bigger and darker. He had no choice but to take sleeping pills, and it was effective until there was nothing left. Ivan took all of the available sleeping pills on the station just when he was beginning to get used to well-slept nights. Out of frustration, he began smashing things against the wall, ripping the books apart, and hitting his head against the metal door hard enough that blood started to spill and float around him. Ivan was hoping he would knock himself out in the process, but the pain kept him awake, and the dent on the door along with his messy quarters were only proof of his rampage. This had become a serious problem when he couldn't function the next day; he would space out during a task and almost burn down a Node Module, a connecting section of the ISS. It was alarming even to Alfred, who already had his own problem to deal with.
One day, unable to bear the silent air anymore, Alfred went to seek the Russian representative out. He found the older man strapped to the wall while looking aimlessly outside the window. Alfred approached and strapped himself to the wall too, Ivan glanced at him for a brief moment before directing his gaze toward the window again.
"What are you looking at?" Alfred broke the silence. He could see Earth and millions of pretty light dots shining outside the window. It was beautiful.
"... Nothing in particular," Ivan answered without breaking eye contact with the window.
"Well, the Earth looks pretty drowning in the golden sunset like that. And the stars are beautiful, too. I could hardly find a good place on Earth to observe all the stars like this."
"Mhmm."
"I saw a meteor shower the other day, too. They looked like someone on Earth turned the brightest flashlight on and off for a minute or so, or, or... You know how the mosquitoes got burned by an electric swatter and there's this quick and bright light from the electricity? Yeah, the meteor shower looked like that, like a bunch of mosquitoes got electrocuted and created a bunch of bright light."
Alfred went on and on with his talking. He didn't even know what he was talking about at this point, it was probably some nonsense, but he couldn't care less since he was thrilled right now. He thought he was going to be mute from all of this quiet atmosphere. It felt good to have a conversation, even if his companion barely responded.
"... I bet Canada is preparing for the Olympic games in Sydney, wait, no, I think everyone is... I hope the US team wins, though."
"..."
Alfred finally glanced over to the Russian man after not hearing any response from him in a while, only to find the man had fallen asleep. Did his talking bore Ivan that much? He felt offended, but couldn't really blame the older country knowing he had sleep deprivation. Maybe it was a good thing for Ivan to fall asleep. Alfred convinced himself that he had done a favor for Ivan and allowed himself to grab the other's hand to make sure he was not hallucinating. The warmth sensation generated from holding hands felt real, and Alfred smiled contentedly as he enjoyed the breathtaking spatial view.
***
A few days after the two representatives "watched" the beauty of space together, they came up with a compromise: Ivan seemed to sleep better with Alfred's yapping while Alfred admittedly felt less lonely with Ivan's presence, so they decided to spend the nights together. They still carried out their duties and spent their time separately, but as soon as the lights turned off, Alfred would come into Ivan's quarters and lay out his sleeping bag before laying side by side with the older man. Then they would talk, with Alfred being the one who kept the conversation going while Ivan would sometimes offer a few hums to let the younger man know that he was listening. The Russian representative always succumbed first despite having insomnia, which gave the American representative plenty of time to observe the other up close, taking in every small detail. He watched the way Ivan's chest rose and fell, took note of his long eyelashes and prominent nose, and listened to his calm breathing... Once the loneliness feeling had subsided, Alfred closed his eyes.
This compromise had become their new routine and frankly, helped them get closer. As time went on, Ivan started to respond to Alfred more. It was only a few words at first, but then they became sentences, and then full-on discussions and debates. Ivan had never expected to befriend the younger country again, but here he was, telling Alfred about his sisters and his favorite cuisines. And here he thought after centuries of experiencing coldness and isolation, he would get used to them by now. Maybe he still craved for companionship after all.
In Alfred's case, he was getting greedier and bolder. Just watching the older country alone was not enough to chase away his loneliness; he wanted to touch and feel the warmth of another person in his hand. He was touch starved, that was the only reason he could think of. He didn't dare to let his mind wander to other possibilities. Therefore, after Ivan was asleep for a while, Alfred gathered his courage and poked the older's cheek. He immediately withdrew his hand, fearing to wake the other up, but he didn't stir. So Alfred poked him again, and again, and again, and before he was aware of his action, his palm had already pressed against Ivan's cheek. He really liked the softness and the warmth of the older man's cheek, but it was getting a bit too much. Alfred felt like his hand was burning, and somehow the imaginary fire had spread to his face and his entire body. But honestly, he didn't hate it.
The American representative continued his nonconsensual touch every night after the Russian representative had fallen asleep, and it only got progressively worse. The touches were simple at the beginning: just a little poke here and there. Then, Alfred got more daring and held the other's hand instead—a completely normal, innocent, and platonic handholding. But he didn't stop there. He would trace his hand along Ivan's arm back to his shoulder, slide his hand under the sleeping bag, and brush it against the sleeping man's clothed collarbone and his hard chest. Alfred knew this was harassment and a crime, but how could he stop when it felt incredibly nice to be close to someone again? He would be fine as long as he didn't get caught, right? His charade went on until the middle of the fifth month, when he was, in fact, caught.
Recently, Ivan experienced some weird dreams. He was in a golden sunflower field where a tiny hamster would approach him. The rodent reminded him of the little hamster from his childhood, so he smiled lightly and let it sit in his palms. The hamster then ran under Ivan's sleeve and moved around his body, which made him laugh a bit from the tickling yet uncomfortable sensation. However, the rodent started to enter some sensitive parts of his body, and Ivan gasped in surprise as he desperately tried to get it out. When he was able to grab the hamster, he felt a long and slithering body instead of a small fuzzy ball. He threw the animal on the ground, a few feet away from him. A snake. It was a snake. Ivan woke up in cold sweats.
Before the Russian country could exhale in relief, suddenly he felt it: something was moving under his t-shirt. He tried to steady his breathing and looked down. America?... America!! Ivan couldn't believe his eyes; Alfred was strapped on top of him, and his hands were under his t-shirt, touching his bare skin. They roamed around his stomach before caressing up to his chest. Apparently, Alfred had not noticed that Ivan was awake, so he kept pushing his luck, giving the older man's chest a light squeeze. The younger man went further and pressed his index fingertips against the nipples. Ivan gritted his teeth. What should he do?! Alfred's hands felt like fire and the whole situation made him very uncomfortable. Strangle? Punch? It would count as self-defense if he killed the younger country, right?
Ivan snapped out of his thoughts when Alfred slipped his hands under his pants. NonononoNoNO!!! In a split second, the Russian representative threw a right hook toward the other's face. However, because of the microgravity environment, the force had reduced greatly but still left enough impact to knock the glasses (and possibly break them) away.
"OW! What the fuck?!" Alfred yelled out at the sudden attack, but when he saw the older man's face, his anger was quickly replaced with fear.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!" Ivan screamed with teary eyes; the intensity of the situation stressed him out.
"H-Hang on! I can explain! Um... I-I was touch starved! And... And, shit, Russia, I-I just wanted to... to..." Alfred freaked out from being caught red-handed. He didn't know why he would let his stupid self get carried away like that. He hadn't even thought of a reasonable explanation.
"... Just get the fuck off of me."
"...I... I'm really sorry. I-I didn't mean to do that. Just give me one minute and I'll explain-"
"America, please! Don't let me punch your remaining good eye," Ivan said, glaring at the other threateningly. His fist was locked in position and ready to swing at any moment.
Alfred touched his left eye (ow), it was definitely going to become purple in the morning. Broken pieces of glass from his shattered glasses floated around him. How great, he didn't bring a spare. That would normally make him annoyed, but he couldn't care less about his appearance right now when he was guilty of a crime, and he had become a criminal instead of a hero like he had always tried to be. Alfred silently unstrapped himself and floated toward the door.
"I'm really sorry, Russia. I really, really am." He closed the door.
That night, the two representatives lay awake in their own sleeping quarters.
***
A week went by after the incident, the two countries avoided each other like a plague. Their own problems came back and got worse—once you had gotten a taste of a luxurious lifestyle, you would always crave it when you went back to your old lifestyle. Similarly, Ivan and Alfred were so dependent on each other that now they didn't know how to endure the days and nights without the other. The Russian representative hated how quiet the nights were; he couldn't sleep without Alfred's talking. With the lack of rest, Ivan stayed in one place most of the time because he didn't have enough energy, and his vision was starting to get blurry. The last thing he wanted to do was get to a place with a foggy mind and eyes and injure himself or damage the station. The American representative also didn't have it easy. He missed someone's presence so much that his brain started to play tricks on him and he would see shadows gazed by out of the corner of his eyes every now and then. Sometimes they would appear right in front of Alfred and taunt him. He tried to reach them, catch them, but the shadows always disappeared before he could touch them. It drove him crazy! The experience had such a huge impact on Alfred that he would check the rooms more than twice and be overly paranoid about the environment.
They endured their problems until two days before the end of their employment in space when something unexpected happened. Ivan was drinking coffee in his quarters for the sixth time in the day to keep himself lucid when he heard screams and cursed words coming from Alfred's quarters. The event that night kept playing in his mind like a broken record, but the screaming sounded serious enough that he felt bad and went to check on the American man.
Ivan knocked on Alfred's door several times but did not receive any response. Therefore, he opened the door gently and let himself in. The American country was hugging his knees, hyperventilating. The Russian representative sighed before putting his hand on the other's back, noticing how the younger flinched a little.
"... You're ok?... Can you hear me?" Ivan asked in concern.
Alfred breathed harder in response. His eyes shut tight.
"You'll pass out if you don't calm down. Listen to my instructions and breathe with me, ok? Take a deep breath in." Ivan inhaled deeply.
"Now breathe out." He exhaled.
"Breath in... Breath out... Breath in... Breath out..." Ivan instructed as he demonstrated. Eventually, Alfred followed his breathing and slowed down his own wheezing, trying to sync up.
"That's it. You're doing great, keep going." Ivan encouraged.
A few minutes later, Alfred's breathing seemed to calm enough. Ivan figured he was fine now, so he was about to go back to his quarters when Alfred called back:
"Don't leave!... Please?"
Considering what just happened, the older country felt pitiful enough for the younger one and decided to humor him. He stayed next to the other silently. Curiosity got the better of him.
"What happened?" Ivan asked half absent-mindedly.
"..."
"... Shadows... They're here... And they tried to kill me! T-They stalk me all-all the time... And-And..." Alfred stuttered as he looked around his surroundings.
"... America, there's no one here besides us-"
"I KNOW THAT! It-It's just... I can feel them! Hear them, too! Maybe they're ghosts of the aliens that died somewhere near here... Or, or the devils who come for my soul!" Alfred started to get frantic. Ivan had to do something fast to calm the American man down again. He held the other's hands.
"America, look at me," Ivan said softly, his voice steady but firm.
Alfred hesitated, trembling before his fearful eyes lifted to meet Ivan's. The Russian's gaze was calm and unyielding—a lifeline in the chaos.
"Can you feel my hands?" Ivan asked, his grip firm yet grounding.
Alfred gave a shaky nod, his breath hitching.
"Good. Focus on that—just me," Ivan continued, his tone was reassuring. "Hear my voice, feel my touch. There are no shadows here, only us. They can't hurt you, and I won't let them."
For a moment, the room seemed quieter, the storm inside Alfred easing as the older man's words wrapped around him like a shield. Once he could think clearly again, he wasn't sure why Ivan was here to help him when he had wronged him.
"... Why are you helping me? Touching me? Shouldn't you feel disgusted of me for what I did?" Alfred asked timidly after some hesitation.
"Do not mistake my compassion for forgiveness. You violated my trust, America, and I do not trust people easily." Ivan paused, and carefully chose his words not to upset the American nation considering his unstable state. "... But you need help right now, so I provide."
The older man's answer only made Alfred more guilty. He didn't want to think about that night, to admit that he was a bad guy, but it was about time he reflected on himself.
"Russia, I'm really, really sorry for what I did. I don't know what came into me, I swear! I only intended to feel your body heat, and I know it's still wrong to touch you without consent like that, but I can't help it. So... I'm very sorry, I'll make it up to you once we're back on Earth, or, if you want me to do anything, just tell me and I'll do it." Alfred apologized with all of his sincerity. He really didn't mean to hurt the other.
Ivan wore an unreadable expression but Alfred could see that the older man was deep in his thoughts. At least he was considering his apology. Finally, Ivan directed his gaze to the younger's eyes, a hurtful expression replaced his usual stoicism.
"It was scary, you know? To witness someone you consider a friend to assault you. It brought me back to the old Cold War days and I couldn't help but think all the talk and friendly interactions recently were just you trying to manipulate me. And when I actually let my guard down, you strike. If that was your intention all along, then congratulations, you succeeded in making a fool out of me." Ivan smiled painfully with a hint of regret.
Alfred gapped at the other's sudden confession. Ivan, who had always kept to himself, was opening up to him and laying his emotions bare. It must have taken a lot of trust for the older man to let him see his vulnerable side. Oh God, he screwed up. Ivan had put so much trust in him and just started to think of him as a friend when he had to go and mess everything up. He was so, so screwed.
"God, I am so sorry! I didn't know you had put so much trust in me. I didn't know... didn't know you had thought so highly of me..." Alfred covered his face as guilt and shame ate him away. Seeing that the younger man was beating himself up for his wrongdoing, Ivan softened as he thought about what he wanted from this broken relationship. Because despite everything, Ivan was not ready to let go of a friend he had made.
"For as many fights and horrible things we've done to each other, I... still want us to be friends again. Our governments will always be changing, but we nations will remain the same. Our thoughts and feelings, what makes us special and identify us as an individual will remain. Human lifespan is too short for us to form meaningful connections, and they're unlikely to understand our suffering. In the end, if we nations don't support each other, then who else would?" The Russian country said thoughtfully.
Alfred looked up in surprise. "You... still want to be friends with me? Even when I have broken your trust?"
"It will take some time before I start to trust you again, but my desire to be closer to you stays true. I don't have friends, America. The other nations are too scared or wary of me to even approach me. Besides my sisters, you are the only one who isn't afraid to talk to me without passing out in the first 10 seconds. Not only that, but you keep showing up in my life. Competing with me in everything—ideology, weapons, space. Even when my country collapsed, you didn't have to keep helping or working with us on projects like the ISS. But you did anyway. Why?" Ivan squinted his eyes toward Alfred and suddenly became curious about the younger representative's willingness to help him throughout history.
That was a lot to take in. Alfred's mind raced through their past interactions—always competing, always crossing paths. The American representative was never one to reflect on complicated matters. He liked to have fun and made other people have fun. So when faced with such a sincere conversation with the Russian country, he had an urge to hide, to change the subject. But Ivan was staring at him with an immense intensity that he was forced to think about his relationship with Ivan. Why would he want to help Ivan, anyway? His boss? Pity for Ivan's fallout? No, it was something deeper than that. He was obsessed with the Russian man, he wanted his attention and he wanted to be his hero. He wanted Ivan all for himself.
At that thought, Alfred widened his eyes. Oh no. Oh. No. There was no way he fell for the Russian representative, was he? Looking back at their history, he used to get along well with Ivan before their governments turned them into enemies. Even then, despite all the stress and threats of the destruction of the world, he still found the competitions with Ivan entertaining and wished for his company. Alfred had thought these feelings were just admiration or rivalry friendship for the older man, but it appeared that he was still too young to understand the true feeling of love.
"Well?" Ivan asked impatiently after he saw Alfred was zoned out for too long. Snapping out of his thoughts, the younger man offered a sheepish smile.
"... Truthfully, I'm not sure why I keep getting involved with you. But I do know that I like being around you and I want to know you better. That's probably why I keep coming back to you."
Upon hearing Alfred's answer, Ivan couldn't help but ask. "America, do you like me?"
Alfred didn't answer. Instead, he held his gaze on the ground and slowly nodded, a light blush crept up on his cheeks.
"... And what about Russia? Do you like me?" Alfred asked in return.
"... Like I said, I want to be friends with you. I wouldn't even be bothered to offer this if I didn't like you."
"Oh... So it's a platonic thing."
"Not really. I said that because friendship is the basic relationship to have with anyone before you advance to something more. Given our situation, I think it's best to have a steady foundation before I try to add more layers."
"Wait... So you're saying... you're not against the idea that we can become romantically involved in the future?" Alfred asked incredulously.
Ivan looked at a bewildered American and decided to be honest with his feelings. "America, I enjoy your attention. You make me feel special when a superpower country like you fear my influence and compete with me. You and I know what it feels like at the top. You know what I've been through, and I know your struggles. Admittedly, spending time with you on this station gives me a chance to understand you better and I've come to appreciate your company as well. However, if you want a relationship with me at all, we need to rebuild trust in the most basic foundation—friendship. But... I won't deny that I like you, America. More than most."
Hearing such honesty from the other made the younger country blush. The fact that Ivan liked him at all put a helpless smile on his face. How weird, why would he get excited for Ivan's affection? Maybe he did like him romantically.
"Then, does that mean... you'll forgive me?" Alfred asked hopefully.
"Do you think liking you will make me forget what you did? Not yet, America, you need to earn it." Ivan said, a rare hint of amusement softening his usual sternness.
"Oh... Right... Sorry, that was a dumb question." There was a hint of disappointment in Alfred's tone, but he completely understood Ivan's reason.
"You may, however, sleep with me tonight. But DO NOT touch me without my permission or I'll give you the consequences." Ivan warned with a serious expression.
"What-What kind of consequence?" Alfred asked hesitantly, unsure if Ivan was joking or serious.
"If you want to know, I can show you right now." Ivan released Alfred's hand and tugged at the other's shirt. He had meant for it to be a threat, but to his horror, Alfred's wide eyes and flushed cheeks betrayed a very different interpretation. Before he could clarify, the American nation slowly nodded, his cheeks were as red as a tomato.
"... Yes, please."
A moment of awkwardness passed. Ivan immediately let go of Alfred and coughed into his hand. "That was not what I meant." He said with a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh... OH! Shit! I'm so sorry... I thought you were... Fuckkkkk!" Realizing he had misunderstood Ivan's words, Alfred quickly covered his face from intense embarrassment. His whole face became incredibly red and he just wanted to disappear into the thin air.
To save the younger man some face, Ivan attempted to comfort him. "I should have been clearer with my words, I apologize. But it is true that you can sleep with me tonight if it will help ease your mind from hallucinations. As for... other matters... It's not something I would dismiss outright. But I think we would both benefit from taking our time."
Alfred took a quick glance through his fingers at the Russian representative and was relieved that he didn't judge him for suggesting intimacy when they just reconciled. He nodded, " Y-Yeah, let's start with baby steps... Sorry about that." He couldn't look at the other right away.
"Of course." Ivan smiled with understanding.
***
A spaceship slowly approached the ISS to bring the two representatives back to Earth. They had made it to the final day, much to their delight. As the ship landed, they greeted the astronauts who would take over their place and helped them move supplies onto the station. When everything was settled, they flew back to the mother planet with cheers and applause waiting for them on the ground. A crowd of journalists quickly surrounded them as soon as they stepped out of the ship and bombarded them with questions about their time in space and the future of relations between their countries. Thankfully, security guards pushed back the crowd and took the two nations to their respective resting places. As they were whisked away, their eyes met one last time across the crowd. Hope flickered between them, unspoken but understood.
A few months later, a tall man walked briskly along a busy street, a backpack slung over one shoulder. He wore a long coat with a white scarf that swayed slightly in the breeze, out of place in the warm weather but distinctly him. His steps slowed as he reached a quiet neighborhood, stopping in front of a small but welcoming house. Ringing the bell, he waited patiently. The door opened to reveal a younger man, his expression turning from surprise to delight in an instant.
"Alfred." The older man greeted.
"Ivan." The younger man greeted back with a big grin on his face.
For a moment, they simply looked and mirrored each other's smiles. Then, the older man stepped inside, and the door closed softly behind them, leaving the world outside.