It was mid-September, but that didn't stop the young man from shivering brutally. It seemed that his country had completely skipped over summer and went straight for winter. He was already frustrated and irritated, having to go to this stupid conference only made everything worse. He trudged further through the now pouring rain, slipping occasionally, but keeping his balance; years of ice skating and hockey gives you that kind of edge, he thought to himself.

The wind became much fiercer as it pulled his gold locks from his face, pinking his cheeks and nose, and stinging his blue/violet eyes with its intensity. Muttering to himself, Matthew stopped in front of a huge building in the heart of his Capitol, and with a sigh, he pulled the large doors open.

"It's about time you got here, bro. We were getting worried that you might not make it." A young man, closely resembling Matthew, and near his age, stood across the long table staring at him with brilliantly blue eyes.

His voice was quiet, his throat starting to hurt from the sudden change in climate, but he croaked out an apology. "S-Sorry, the wind and rain, they were absolute hell." He took his seat beside his former fathering country, France, and an eager Italian, and waited as other countries started to arrive. His mind was already elsewhere when his brother, America, began to speak, and continued to wander long after he was finished. It wasn't until a soft whisper from his right snapped him back to reality.

"Matthieu, pay attention. It's the least you can do, since you're the host this time." Francis's soft whispers into Matthew's ears gave him chills, but it kept him focused for the most part. Francis danced his fingers on Matthew's leg, and despite his urge to slap the living daylights out of him, Matthew remained still.

As if he knew, his former mothering country, England, stood and smacked Francis hard across the face. "You Frog, get your bloody hands off of me!" Francis removed his hand from Matthew's leg and stood, trying to coax Arthur to calm down. With a relieved sigh, Matthew sank down into his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at the clock and smiled; only another minute or so.

"Alright, since no one has anything else to add, and since I'm starving, you can all go home!" Alfred dismissed the meeting, and Matthew helped him clean everything up, his mind trailing the entire time. A sudden hit to the head snapped him out of his daze.

"Mattie, are you listening to me? Maaatttiiieeee!" He blinked and turned his head slightly, realizing that Alfred had been trying to talk to him, for how long, he had no idea. Alfred sighed and puffed his cheeks. "The least you could do is pay attention to me Mattie."

"Ah, sorry about that, my mind is wandering again." Matthew flashed Alfred an apologetic smile and straightened up. "So, what was it you were saying?" Alfred rolled his eyes and looked Matthew right in the eyes.

"Will you go out to dinner with me tonight? I need to talk to you about some stuff." Matthew raised an eyebrow as he stared into the eyes of his twin brother. Alfred's sky blue eyes sparkled back at him, complete seriousness etched into them. Matthew shrugged and nodded, still a little more than confused, but he was willing to humor his brother.

A huge smile spread across Alfred's face and he hugged his twin in a tight embrace. Smiling to himself, he pulled away and handed Matthew a folded up note with an address on it. "Meet me here at 8, okay? I'll see you later!" And with that, Alfred ran out, still smiling, and Matthew was left there in confusion, for little did he know, his brother had just set in motion a wicked plan.

.:.

He had no idea why Alfred had asked him here; after all, didn't they hate each other? Ivan shrugged and tapped his fingers on the table he was now seated at, checking his watch every few minutes. 15 minutes late, just like an American, Ivan thought to himself as he looked around for the golden wheat hair, cornflower blue eyes, and huge smile he knew only too well, but what he found shocked him so badly, he actually spit his vodka all over the table.

Well, at the very least, Ivan could say he did find the Golden-Wheat Haired boy; it was just the wrong one. Ivan furrowed his brow in utter confusion as the younger brother, Canada, was pointed towards Ivan's table. Canada raised an eyebrow, matching Ivan's confusion, and inched awkwardly over to Ivan's table.

"Uh…Um, H-Hi Russia….um, the waitress said I was to be seated here, but, u-uh. I-I'm supposed to be meeting m-my brother." He stood there awkwardly, tugging at the collar of his shirt, and waiting for something to happen. Ivan stood quickly, nervously, and cleared his throat, trying to speak.

"A-As it would seem, um…well you see, uh…" He continued to trip over his words, still in quite a bit of shock. He wasn't sure the reason for it, but Ivan was sure he knew exactly what had happened, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to kill Alfred, or thank him. He recalled mentioning to Alfred a few years back of his crush on the young boy, to Alfred's utter dismay, and this had to be Alfred's way of paying Ivan back.

The young boy's blue/violet eyes sparkled with a sense of wonder and curiosity, as they have for as long as Ivan could remember. His skin was forever pale, Ivan had noted once, but it did justice to his eyes. His hair, though it was nearly the same shade as that of Alfred's, was approximately one shade darker, and stopped roughly above his shoulders, it was also much wavier, much like that of his father. When they had first been introduced, Ivan could see a pain in the tiny boy's eyes, but it would be years before Ivan found out what that was.

The two stood there for what seemed like an eternity, Ivan's mind fluttering back to their first meeting, but was quickly brought back to reality by the sound of the Canadian's quiet, smooth voice.

"W-Well, u-um…I-I think we were b-both supposed to m-meet m-my brother, but h-he tricked us…" Ivan had also thought that was the case, but Canada had beat him to vocalizing it. Ivan squirmed uncomfortably, not because being with Canada made him uncomfortable, but because he wasn't used to being alone with him. Though, if you put it technically, they were in a room full of people, but none of that mattered to Ivan. He stared at the short figure before him, and took in a nervous breath.

"Well, since Amerika planned this, would you care t-to have d-dinner with m-me?" To Ivan's complete astonishment, Canada smiled and nodded, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly. Ivan pulled the seat out for Canada and took his own seat across from him.

.:.

He didn't understand how, but somehow, Matthew ended up sitting across from an almost complete stranger, sharing a dinner with him. He didn't understand why Alfred had set him and Russia up together, but he can't say that he wasn't somewhat happy. While it's true that two of them had had very little contact in his life, Matthew had always been drawn to Russia, though he couldn't explain why.

"So, Kanada, um…Y-You're country is beautiful…um…" Russia sat there, awkward and uncomfortable, and Matthew wondered if he should just leave, but something kept him sitting there. Matthew smiled in response and thanked Russia for his compliments. They sat there in an awkward silence for a few moments until the tension was broken by their waitress, who had asked with a sweet politeness if they were ready to order.

"A salad with thousand island dressing for me, please." Matthew handed his menu to the waitress and smiled. She smiled in return and turned to Russia.

"A-A salad for me as well please." The waitress nodded and took Russia's menu, scurrying away to take the orders of the other restaurant-goers, and the two were left in another awkward silence. It only made sense that both of them had nothing to say, after all, they both were people of little words, and despite how much he liked Russia and enjoyed his company, Matthew found it completely impossible to utter a word to him.

"S-So, Russia, um…H-How long a-are you here f-for? I-I mean, um, I-I was wondering i-if, maybe y-you'd like explore m-my capitol…." Matthew blushed brightly, thinking of how stupid he must seem to Russia. Russia blinked a few times and squirmed awkwardly. Matthew sighed knowing the answer would be 'no', Russia was just too kind to say it so directly.

"I-I would love to, but I don't want t-to impose. You've already given me such hospitality, but truly, if it's alright with you, I would be ecstatic to join you." Russia gave a sincere smile, and Matthew tried to hide his joy. The two finally loosened up a bit, and they spent the next two hours sharing stories, and talking about nothing at all. It was only when a waitress came over to inform them that the restaurant was about to close did they finally leave.

For a long while, the two wandered around the sleepy town, their proximity rather close to one another, but mainly to beat the cold. Matthew's hair was tugged out of his face, but the bitter cold nipped at his cheeks and nose, making it difficult to concentrate. Russia glanced over at him, and with great difficulty, inched closer to Matthew.

.:.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Ivan's arm was touching Canada's shoulder, but what shocked him even more than his own actions, was Canada's. As if instinctively, Canada placed his hand in Ivan's, and scooted closer, their steps in unison. Ivan blushed, a small smile creeping onto his face as he squeezed the tiny hand that fit so well into his big one.

The Canadian's skin was smooth and, despite the temperature outside, very warm. His small, slender fingers stole their way into the spaces between Ivan's awkward, meaty ones, and Ivan could have sworn he heard a happy sigh escape his young friend's lips.

The two walked like that for a long time, hand in hand, cheeks and noses flushed pink from the cold, and despite how much he was enjoying it, their night together soon drew to a close as they found their way to Ivan's hotel. He cursed the hotel for being so close to the restaurant, his mind overlooking the fact that they had been walking for a good hour. Ivan hesitated and they stood there in an awkward silence, one he thought they had broken back when they were eating.

"Well, I guess this is you. You know, I had a very good time tonight Russia….I really am looking forward to tomorrow." Canada gave him a sweet smile, and the two stood there, hand in hand. Ivan wanted desperately to ask Canada up to his room, but it was not his place to ask such a thing, besides, he doubted highly that the young man before him would EVER feel that way towards Ivan, after all, no one ever had.

"W-Would you like to come u-upstairs?" The words slipped from his lips so fast, Ivan didn't even realize he'd said them until Canada tensed up and started to fidget. Ivan's eyes widened in horror, desperately trying to say something, to explain that he didn't mean it in the way that Canada had taken it, but his to utter surprise-which seemed to be happening quite a bit this night-Canada smiled and nodded. Ivan's jaw hit the floor.

.:.

Matthew bit his inner lip, not entirely sure that this was all too good of an idea, but still he continued up the hallway behind Russia. He'd been more than surprised at himself when he agreed to go upstairs, but he figured it was better than having to walk home in the freezing cold. He wasn't sure of Russia's intensions, but he thought little of it, he was just thankful to be out of the cold.

"Well, this is my room." Russia muttered as he opened the door and held it open for Matthew, who smiled and hurried into the room. It was dark and cold, but Matthew quickly found his way to a light switch, and once flicked on, Matthew saw just how extravagant the room was, easily it was a suite.

"You like it, da? It was a bit expensive, but worth it. It's the most comfortable room I've ever slept in." Russia smiled and closed the door behind him. Matthew nodded and stared in awe at everything. This room was more extravagant than his own house, but he didn't care for such expensive things anyway.

Russia motioned for Matthew to take a seat, and with slight hesitation, he sat down on the edge of the bed. He didn't know why, but suddenly, his palms started to sweat, and his stomach dropped in the way it does when you're on a ride that drops you before you even realize you were at the top. He was nervous, but he wasn't sure why, after all, Russia had only invited him as a friend….right?

.:.

Ivan watched the young boy from the corner of his eyes as he moved to sit on the bed. Canada's face was flushed a brilliant bright red, and it looked as though he was scared, like he'd just seen a ghost. Ivan was sure that if it weren't for his sudden blushing, the boy before him would be pale as a ghost. As Canada sat on the bed, Ivan watched with intensity, wondering why he chose the bed, and not a chair.

Canada's blond, wavy hair danced around at his neck, his one hair curl, in front of his eyes. Ivan wondered what it would be like to play with such a hair curl; would it be the same as if someone were to touch his neck. Ivan wondered and wondered, but kept his thoughts to himself. Ivan noticed that the Canadian's glasses seemed to be chipped in the corner, and he constantly had to adjust them.

"Russia, might I ask you something? Why is it that you asked me up here? I-I mean, w-we're practically strangers…." Canada fidgeted on the bed as he asked, and Ivan stared at him. Ivan sighed and walked over, taking a seat next to Canada on the bed, making him tense up.

"Look Canada, I'm not going to lie to you….I really like you, but I didn't invite you up here for anything…um….Okay, the reason I invited you up here was because, truly I enjoy your company, and even more so, it's freezing out there." Ivan's intentions were true. The last thing he wanted was for Canada to get sick or something worse. It still didn't stop Canada from sitting there fidgeting awkwardly.

"I-I really appreciate your concern Russia. It's hard to find sincere people these days…." Canada turned to him, his cheeks still blushed slightly, and his blue/violet eyes sparkling as though they had stars in them. His hair brushed into his face, and with a trembling hand, Ivan brushed it behind the young Canadian's ear. Canada smiled softly and nuzzled at Ivan's hand, causing Ivan to blush slightly.

And so they sat there, Ivan caressing Canada's soft, smoothed skinned cheek, and Canada tangling their fingers together, still smiling. Ivan couldn't help but do the same, after all, here he was, sitting with the boy he'd been in love with since they met, even though Canada was a mere child at the time, and he himself was only a teenager.

"Canada, I'm ver-..." Canada cut him off midsentence.

"No, not Canada, I trust you, so please don't take advantage of me okay? My name is Matthew, Mattie for short." Matthew smiled up at Ivan, who was in utter shock that he was trusted so much. While it's true he knows most of the nation's names, he could never figure out that of Canada, and he was always too shy to ask.

"M-Mat…." *Ivan's face twisted trying to pronounce the Canadian's name, and Matthew smiled all the while. Finally, Ivan was able to figure out a Russian version that closely resembled his name. "Mattvey…" Matthew blushed and scooted closer, their legs now touching, and Matthew's free hand resting on Ivan's knee. Ivan gulped, not sure how this would play out, but he leaned down anyway, his forehead brushing against Matthew's, who, to Ivan's surprise, didn't pull away, he merely smiled.

Ivan removed Matthew's glasses, which he still didn't protest, and brushed his lips on Matthew's forehead. He moved his lips down and kissed his nose, and then hovered just above Matthew's lips, but still, he did not pull away, he merely asked, "What may I call you?"

"Ivan….or, preferably, Vanya…" Ivan brushed his lips against Matthew's, who merely scooted closer, practically sitting in Ivan's lap.

"Vanya…" Matthew's quiet, velvet-like voice sent chills down Ivan's spine. His heart beat wildly in his chest, and with one quick decision, he pushed Matthew lightly to his back and crawled on top of him, pausing for a moment to see if the small figure before him would protest; when he didn't, Ivan smashed their lips together.

Matthew ran his fingers through Ivan's hair, and with just as much force as Ivan kissed him with, Matthew kissed back. He couldn't explain why, but he trusted Ivan so much; more than he trusted almost anyone. Ivan's experienced lips moved rhythmically against Matthew's, and with his free hand- the one that wasn't tangled with Matthew's fingers-he pushed the small Canadian's shirt up. He felt the blonde's heartbeat speed up slightly, and Ivan hesitated, pulling his mouth away.

"Mattvey, are you sure you're alright with this…? I don't want to force myself on you." Ivan's heart was racing, terrified of Matthew's answer. Matthew blinked a few times and smiled apologetically, leaning up to kiss him gently.

"I'm very sure Vanya…I'm just nervous…But I really like you, and I'm afraid that something bad might happen…" Matthew's eyes looked a bit sad, as though he might cry, and he looked away. Ivan blinked a few times, speechless. Matthew was afraid, not of Ivan, but of ruining whatever it is they might have. Ivan's mouth parted, as though to say something, but no noise came out, he just stared at Matthew. The young Canadian turned back to him and smiled sadly, sitting up.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have come up here. I'm sorry for wasting your time…" Matthew slid from the bed and fixed his shirt. Ivan realized what was happening, and he stammered.

"N-No! Mattvey, I-I...I-I mean, I'm…" Ivan shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Matthew halted and turned to him, an eyebrow raised in confusion. Ivan took a deep breath, and let it out slightly. "I-I want you to stay…Please…" He looked up at the young boy, who smiled, relieved. He walked back to the bed, and crawled onto it.

"Thank you…" That was all he uttered before his lips were on Ivan's again, and before long, they were rocking against each other with grace and Ivan was whispering 'I love you' into Matthew's ear.

.:.

Ivan awakened the next morning, disoriented and exhausted. What had happened last night was burned into his mind, and made him smile brightly. It took him a few minutes to realize that the body that had been beside him all night was gone, and in his place, a note. Ivan's heart sank, and with a trembling hand, he reached over and flipped the note open.

'Dear Vanya, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there when you awakened, but I got called away early this morning. I had a wonderful time last night, and I wanted to thank you. If you still want to, meet me in the park at 11, and we'll spend the day together. Have a good day dearest. –Matthew Williams.'

Ivan's heart swelled and he smiled. He hurried out of bed, showered, and got dressed, smiling once more at the note before leaving and heading to the park where Matthew was waiting with a smile.

'P.S. I love you too.'