Title: America x Reader x Russia – For Never After
Author: threepinkdoors
Chapter: Two – Difference
Rating: PG for slight language
Summary: You finally arrive in Moscow but you find your host is not entirely what you expected.

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Boarding onto the plane, there were a huge number of Men in Black surrounding you as you left America. Arriving in Russia, though, it was something totally different. There was only one man waiting for you when you arrived at the airport. Just one man, no body guards, no military personnel. You looked around and saw normal people, not at all fit to protect you in case you were ever threatened by some unseen force. It felt odd; when you had traveled to other places of the world, you were always accompanied by some secret agent or a hoard of army guys, who took you to your designated place, which was usually the host country's home. This time, however, there was a single man, a very tall man, waiting for you. He was a rather large nose that would have looked ridiculous on a smaller person, but his size only made it look appealing. His hair was void of any color and it resembled parched grass. His skin was milky and soft, but his eyes were what captivated you most. They were an impossible shade of lilac, not as deep royal a purple as Roderich's, but more of a playful almost pastel purple, and the intensity with which he stared at you made you nervous, in a good way.

It was stunning how you were immediately captivated by this tall creature.

"Privet'," he smiled happily. "You are __________, are you not? I remember you, da."

You smiled and nodded in response. "Nice to see you again, Russia." You were still looking around for any sign of specially trained people.

Russia chuckled. "Call me, Ivan, dorogaya." As if reading your mind, he said, "Do not bother looking. I am the only person here whom you can trust your safety to. As a country, I am hard to kill, unlike humans whose life is so fragile, da."

A sudden realization hit you. What he said made sense. Kiku was the only person who had, not one, but two A-bombs dropped on himself, and he still survived, though he was badly injured for a few decades. It made the countries look like they were impossible to destroy with sheer force. Politics were definitely involved in a lot of it.

You agreed not to question the situation anymore and followed Russia out of the airport and into a sleek black car. You watched the city fly by behind you, more beautiful than what you saw in the pictures. You nearly shoved your nose in the window like a child when you saw the Kremlin and the breath-taking St. Basil's cathedral. Russia made a mental note to take you to the church during your stay.

You saw the city turn into suburbs, and the suburbs turn into rural lands, and eventually a forest. You had initially thought you were not going far from the city, but the city outskirts were already half an hour away. Before you could ask, though, Russia turned into a desolate road, one made of dirt and not asphalt. It was a little bumpy, but it wasn't unbearable. The road curved to reveal a clearing in the dark woods. A beautiful baroque-styled home sat in the middle of said clearing. It was bright and cheerful. You could see a few horses grazing near the forest edge, carefully guarded by the largest and fluffiest dogs you had ever seen.

Russia caught you looking at the animals. "Would you like to meet them, da?" You gave him your approval and he led you to his pets. The dogs immediately came rushing at you, ready for the kill, but as soon as Russia gave an order, they stopped and laid down, panting sweetly and wagging their tails. "This is Aleksandr, and this is Borislava," he said, patting the respective pooch. "They are Borzois, and they watch the house while I am away. Give them some time, they will get used to you."

Aside from being scared you were going to become dog food, you actually found the dogs quite charming. "May I?" Russia nodded, and you placed a gloved and on their heads. They accepted you without hesitation. Russia looked on curiously, and nodded in approval. If his dogs liked you, who was he to judge?

He then led you to his horses, which were speckled here and there, each picking at the small layer of snow that had accumulated overnight, and eating the delicate grass that emerged from the white depths. He introduced you to a few, but he saved two of them for last. "These are my pride and joy," he clicked his tongue and two brilliantly white horses came his way, curious to meet you. "__________, I would like you to meet Aleksey and Anastasia." He looked at his horses. "Say hi, children!" The horses bowed their large heads and lifted back their right leg, balancing their large bodies on three legs, before returning to their standing position.

You giggled and curtsied to the horses. "That was impressive, Ru—Ivan."

"Da, they must be! They are show horses, after all." Russia answered cheerfully. You pondered about their names. Anastasia, you knew, from a movie you had fallen in love with during your childhood. Could it be he named the horses after the Romanov family's youngest children?

Finally, Russia let the horses go off, and he turned to you. "It is cold. Let's go inside and warm up, da?"

You had hardly realized how cold you were, so you agreed and the two of you made your way into the warm home.

Well, rather, it was a mansion. The inside was just as impressive and as beautifully decorated as the outside. Russia led you to a sitting room and you sat and watched as he hung your coat on a coat hanger before attending the task of removing his own coat. Underneath the fluffy clothing, he was wearing a black suit with matching dress pants. His shirt was a soft blue, accented with a darker, royal blue. He looked amazing in what he was wearing, but what really caught your attention was his body. Russia was famed for being 'big boned', but you and everyone else just assumed he was a little pudgy. Looking at him now, though, that was not the case. If he was a little 'bigger' than others, it was because of his well-toned body.

You watched intently as Russia pulled off his suit's overcoat and unbuttoned his cufflinks, rolling his sleeves halfway up his arms. He moved fluidly over to a large stack of logs, which he placed gently in the fireplace. He lit a match and began tending to it lovingly, as if the fire was his child. His strong arms filled his dress shirt nicely, highlighting his muscles instead of hiding them. He was also slimmer than you had first imagined. When he had finished, he turned to you, and you looked away to hide the flush that threatened to creep up your cheeks. "There, that should warm us up a little," he smiled. He sat down on the couch next to you, close, but not too close, so as not to make you uncomfortable. "How is America? I haven't spoken to him in a while."

You hesitated. You were no secret agent, but it was a no-brainer that you were not going to release government secrets to Russia. Even the slightest insight on Alfred's life could bring your perfect world to an end. "He's been fine," you answered with a slight smile.

Russia suddenly stood. "I almost forgot; I need to show you to your room." He reached out for you and led you up the stairs. He opened the door to a room in the east wing of the mansion. "I hope you find it comfortable," he said with a small smile.

It was a large and spacious room, colored a pastel green with a white trim. A large window on the other end of the room looked out to the back of the house, and the still grazing horses. There was a huge bed against the wall, clothed in soft white comforters, and a large fireplace opposite of that. It was definitely more than what you were expecting. You walked in and looked around, amazed at the various decorations around the room, from paintings to Faberge eggs.

Seeing your delight, Russia placed your luggage next to the door. "Breakfast is at seven in the morning, no later." He began giving his instructions with finesse in his voice. "I am usually busy with work, so I am not here most of the time, but I promise to be home by six for dinner. Help yourself to anything in between that time. Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia should be around soon, so you can ask them to take you anywhere for lunch, too. I hate to leave you, but I have a lot of work I need to finish before tomorrow. Where would you like to spend your first day, __________?"

It took you a second to realize he was inviting you anywhere in Russia. You gave it a quick thought. There had been a specific palace you had been dying to go to since you saw a certain movie about a Russian princess . "The Winter Palace, if that's not too much trouble!"

You thought you saw a little red taint Russia's cheeks, but as soon as you imagined it, it was gone, "Then we shall go to St. Petersburg tomorrow. I will be back at six, no later. You can explore the house, if you'd like, while I am gone, da." He turned to leave, but then quickly turned back. "Just do not go into my room, da?"

You stared at the door as he closed it behind him. How the hell were you supposed to know which room was his? You shrugged and threw yourself backwards into the bed, sinking slowly through the fluffed comforters to lie onto the soft mattress. You giggled and fell back a few more times, enjoying the feeling of softly floating down onto the bed.

Suddenly the door opened. "C-come in," you said, startled.

A young man with soft brown hair and bright green eyes walked into the room. "Hello," he smiled warmly. "You are __________, right? Mr. Russia asked me to introduce myself to you."

You remembered this man. He visited often when you were a little girl, but you never formally met him. Alfred liked to talk loads about him too, about the time he was working for him. "You are… Lithuania, right?"

His eyes lit up. "Ah, so you know me already!"

You nodded. "Al—America—talks about you sometimes."

Lithuania laughed. "America is a good kid. He's got a lot to learn though… Anyway, come with me. I'll introduce you to the rest of the Baltics!"

In a short time, you were well acquainted with Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. It was a little odd seeing them in Russia's house, and you wondered if perhaps they were still a little attached, or perhaps Russia was paying them to work for him. Whatever the cause, it didn't matter. You had three new friends with whom to spend the days with while Russia was away.