Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I don't wanna jump-scare y'all, so I'm writing  out my character bios

Main Leads

America

He is very gay and uses he/him pronouns. They/them is fine, but she/her has caused him to cut his hair

Bilingual in practice, but can understand literally anything said in any language.(He can do the same with writing, but may curl up and cry because he's not fluent in reading anything but Spanish and Russian. His boss is literally Soviet, y'all should expect that. He obviously can write and read Latin and English fluently)

His preferred languages are Latin and English, but he prefers Latin the more stressed he becomes

He's a cat-shifter(Shapeshifter bloodline specialized in cat forms)

Russia

He is bisexual and uses he/him pronouns. He doesn't mind they/them pronouns, and won't punch you if you use them with him. He will leave if you use she/her on him.

He's bilingual and prefers Russian. English won't kill him, but he devolves into Russian when stressed.

He's a deer-shifter( latent dual shifter, could do a wolf shift, it's just not his default. His mom is a deer shifter, Soviet is a wolf shifter)

Chapter Text

Russia sighed as he watched the person who tended to the garden below his window. Honestly, Russia knew nothing of him other than how he looked. He wore something akin to a cape, it buttoned up on one side and covered the shoulders of his outfit. It had a symbol on it, he believed it was one of the medicine symbols, so he wasn't sure why he had the patch. He'd never done anything with medicine, as far as he knew.

He had a formal-looking long sleeve on, and some black gloves. His pants went a little past his knees and flared out. His hair looked fluffy, but it hid his ears. He couldn't help but want to see how it felt. He'd never seen his eyes, but he was sure they were purple from what he'd heard from people speaking around the castle.

He'd never seen the other tending to the garden during the day, though he'd seen him walking with a girl a few times. The other did not seem happy in her presence, in fact often seemed annoyed when she reached to try and hold his hand.

He'd heard the other called America, though he wasn't actually sure that was his name. As America was a very feisty doctor of theirs, who was known for his no-nonsense attitude. That didn't quite fit the person he watched gently tend to flowers and gently collect herbs.

That was neither here nor there, as the person was gently tending to the Chamomile flower bed below his window. Then he saw the person that the other seemed to dread coming up behind him. He felt bad that he couldn't really warn him without waking his sister, who was asleep in the other room. So he stayed quiet, very reluctantly.

She snuck up behind him and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with a wide smile on her face.

The other flinched and tried to pull his hand away from her, obviously not liking the contact she was trying to initiate. She frowned and said something that seemed to throw the gardener off, and stun him. Then he pulled his hand away from her again, which further upset her. She then grabbed his hand more forcefully and grabbed his face. Then she kissed him.

He was even more distraught and forced himself away from her, elbowing her in the stomach in the process. It left the girl stunned enough to give the gardener time enough to get away. He left to tend to a different area.

Russia wished the other could've stayed, but he definitely understood the want to get away from this girl. He didn't know where the gardener had gone, but it was probably better if he went to bed instead of dwelling on it. He'd see the gardener the next day, even if he never talked to him.

Maybe he could write him letters? Honestly being royalty sucked a little because of how people were less honest with you. Bonds tended to be less genuine because of it. So talking to the gardener in person was out of the question. But maybe writing him letters would be fine, it'd keep his identity more sealed and it'd allow for more open conversations. He had to figure out what he wanted to be referred to as, because his name wasn't an option. Maybe he could just just go by R, it wouldn't give away his name. But it would definitely be suspicious. He didn't care if the other knew he didn't want to share his name, but he did care to make it easier for him. An actual name would help with that.

Maybe "Nyx" would work, as he did only see the gardener at night. The night always made him think of the gardener, so it'd work. It was a pretty name that meant "night", so he'd do good to use it.

He would explain it in the letter, he owed the gardener that much. He still felt bad for not warning him the night before, but he'd keep it out of the letter, because it may give away his identity.

He'd start writing tonight, honestly it couldn't really wait for the morning. He never woke early enough for him to not be woken by his father. It was probably because of him staying up to see the gardener.

The first time he'd seen the gardener was about a year ago. He was unable to sleep, he was restless. Then he saw the gardener, bathed in the light of the full moon. He was captivating, and the way he checked the flowers beneath his window was gentle. Seeing him put his mind to rest. Only did he see him a second time two months prior, as he had another restless night. He was again bathed in moonlight. Though the moon was not full that night, it was a waxing and would be full the next night. He saw him walk to the flowers and treat them with such gentle aid. He made sure none were too overgrown, and none had broken stems. This time he watched a little longer, then headed to bed. He couldn't help himself and had stayed up later at night to watch the gardener be so gentle with the flowers the next night. Then he kept doing it, it was relaxing and nice to see someone be so gentle. Maybe he should stop, but honestly the gentle disposition was nice. So he'd rather not stop staying up to see him, especially since it didn't cause him to miss much or take him off a proper sleep schedule. There really wasn't much of a reason for him to stop, especially considering the lack of effect it had on his day to day life. If anything, it had a positive effect, his sleep had been more restful the past two months. He was pretty sure his siblings had noticed, though none had asked.

Of course his father had asked, but had accepted him mentioning how pretty and calming the night was. He wasn't sure why he hadn't said the full reason, but it felt a bit embarrassing and too exposing of himself to answer with all of it. So he kept him watching the gardener to himself.

Chapter Text

America smiled a little, sure the sunlight was harsh, but getting through the day made seeing the moonlight worth it. He had a couple hours until his shift was over. He'd be allowed to return to his quarters, and they'd send for him if they needed his help.

Just as he thought he might have an easy end to the day, a very injured guard came in. He sighed and collected what it looked like he may need to treat them.

"Alright, you wanna tell me what happened? I need to log it for the king." America asked, his tone was gentle, but he was slightly annoyed.

"Training accident, Gua got a bit rough with us today. 'Meriiiii he's merciless~" the guard whined, laying on the medical table.

"Thanks Italy" America mumbled, going over to the notebook on his desk. He marked down the time, date, patient, and reason for showing up. "Now, let's have a look at that."

America gently removed Italy's training coat, the sleeve of which was torn. It looked like Italy had superficial cut on his arm upon first glance, but upon closer examination it was obviously deeper.

America sighed and grabbed a cleansing water that Japan had prepared for him. It'd help him remove any bacteria and imperfections from the wounded area. It allowed for faster healing times.

He dipped the cloth in it and lightly dabbed around the area. He then used a cloth with normal water to wipe away the dried blood.

He sighed as he saw what he was left to work with, it definitely needed stitches. He was not excited about that.

He dipped his stitching needle in the cleansing water to make sure it was clean, and then got to work. He stitched up the wound and then grabbed the gauze and bandages he originally thought would be sufficient. He put the needle away and hummed.

"So, what'd you do? I know Guam didn't just go hash on you for no reason, he's not like that." America asked as he began wrapping the gauze.

"Guess I can't get anything past ya, huh Meri?" Italy laughed. "Well.... I kinda riled him up and we were using actual blades today... So ya know!"

"You're hopeless 'taly..." America sighed as he finished wrapping the gauze around the wound.

He then enjoyed the silence as he started wrapping bandages around the gauze. Soon enough it was treated, and he'd have to draft an incident report on severity of injury and the treatment.

"Before I boot you from my office, let me remind you to keep off that arm, no using it. Come back to me tomorrow so I can replace your bandages." America said, slightly frustrated with his friend. "If I found out you used it-"

America was cut off with a laugh from his friend and an "Or you'll beat my ass, I know! I know! I won't use it, I swear!"

"That's what they all say..."America grumbled snarkily as he went back to his desk for the incident report.

America drafted his report. It was a minor injury in the scheme of things, but severe for training. Writing down what he had to use for treatment was easy enough, and all things considered his supply use was minimal. Incident reports sucked, but this was his job.

The rest of his day went without incident, no one else showed up in his office requiring treatment. He smiled, able to finish his reorganization of his herbs and magical treatment items. He'd checked his normal supplies earlier that day, and thankfully he was good for the next month. Unless half the guards got horribly injured, or everyone got sick. And if that happened, he would make sure he got an assistant. If he had to treat that all on his own, he'd quit and become a wandering healer or something. He didn't want to think of going back to wandering, but he'd live if he had to.

Honestly he'd been a little frazzled by the day, but overall it was fine. He was just glad it was sunset, meaning he could spend a while with his friends before he went off to tend to the flowers.

Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Germany, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and China were hanging outside of his room. Well, he preferred calling it his quarters. Once he got there, they all went in and hung out in his room. Bean played with Japan's hair because she refused to stop the gremlin when he was a kit and doing it. Now he was a large cat, and refused to stop playing with her hair when she was around.

They were currently on the topic of whatever stupid shit Italy had said to Guam, and Japan was more than happy to pitch in what she thinks he said. America didn't often like to talk about his patients, but his friends and their family were an exception. If Italy did something stupid, his twin, Japan would want to know. And vice versa. Plus, his friends usually brought up how they ended up in his office before he did.

And as the darkness rolled in, his friends trickled off, all heading to bed. He didn't mind being the only one up, and rather preferred it.

He pet a now sleeping Bean and left his quarters. He closed the door behind him as quietly as he could.

Once he was under the moon, he let out a relieved sigh. He made his way to the first patch of flowers, lightly checking their stems. Then he moved on, checking on the Chamomile flowers next.

He was interrupted when someone grabbed his wrist. He tried to pull it away gently. But before he could properly process what was happening, he was forcefully pulled into a kiss. He tried getting away. This crazy woman came up to him, proclaimed her romantic love for him and demanded marriage. He'd said no many times, but this was the first time she'd tried something like this.

He pushed her away, elbowing her in the stomach as he did. She was stunned and it gave him time to run back to his quarters.

Once there he locked himself in his room and dry heaved. That was disgusting. What the fuck was wrong with Mexico's sister. He'd be asking her about that tomorrow!

But now he couldn't sleep because of the feeling of being violated lingered. It brought him great disgust. He needed a shower or a bath. Either would work, but a bath would be quieter and likely a little more comfortable considering everything. He sighed and leaned against the door before pulling himself up. He then opened the bathroom door, as the sole royal healer, he got a private bathroom. Which was honestly really nice. He ran himself a nice lukewarm bath and got in.

Chapter Text

Russia woke up, his father had pulled the blanket off him and was trying to get him up. The sun was brightly shining through the window, it wasn't late, but definitely a bit later than he usually woke up. 

"I'm up, I'm up! Daaaaad!"he said as he held tight to the pillow his dad was about to take from him. 

"Good morning! Why are you so tired? Usually I don't have to come wake you up on your free day." 

Russia stayed quiet, trying to think of an excuse. He didn't want to say that he'd stayed up to write a letter. He'd forgotten that today was a free day and that he could do what he wanted. He really could've written the letter today and not last night. 

He groaned a little. "Daaaad I'm just stupid. Leave me be" he grumbled. 

His dad hummed and left. Before he did, he spoke. "Just tell me about why later. You missed breakfast." 

Russia groaned and yelled out an "I'll live" in response. 

He got up, closed the door, drew the curtains closed, and then picked out an outfit. He got dressed, he'd picked out a pair of black shorts and a blue sweater. He put his hair into a high ponytail before putting on his ushanka. 

Once he was dressed, he folded the letter he'd written the night before. He put it into an envelope, and wrote "To the night gardener" on the back. And below it he wrote "From Nyx". Once the ink was dry, he put it in his pocket. He left his room and went outside, going to the patch of chamomile flowers under his window. He moved the flowers aside, careful not to damage them, and placed the letter in them. He knew the gardener's had already watered them as the soil was damp. He made sure that he positioned the letter so it'd be visible to the other. He then moved away, walking around the palace for a while. 

He eventually found himself in America's office. America looked up when he heard him walk in, and his expression went unreadable. 

Then he spoke, it was a softer tone than he'd ever heard from him before. "You're not injured are you?" 

"I'm not."  Russia confirmed. 

"Why are you here? I don't mind if you want to stay" America said, humming as he went back to his reorganization of the medicinal herbs. Or, at least that's what Russia thought they were. 

Russia took this as an invitation to just stay around, seeing America like this was conflicting to what he'd heard from others. It was conflicting, but nice to see the other was a bit relaxed. 

He'd been sick once, and America had been called to come treat him. America had been newly hired at the time, but carried himself as if he'd been there forever. America had soothed him and checked his fever, then gone to asking about symptoms. He hadn't been no-nonsense in his earlier days, but he guessed the guards coming in with such odd injuries might do that. 

He'd only been working at the castle for two years, but it felt like he'd been there longer. America was looking at him strangely, and lightly waved. 

Russia realized he'd been staring at him and got embarrassed. His cheeks flushed as he apologized. 

America hummed and went back to what he'd been doing. "Something's on your mind, I presume?" 

"Yeah, something like that." Russia mumbled. 

America nodded and grabbed something, tossing it to him. "That should help. It's a candy I worked on with Japan." He loosely explained. 

"Thank you...?" Russia said, confused. 

"It's a de-stressor. Whatever's on your mind seems to be a source of stress, so that should make you feel better" America said with a hum. 

Russia nodded and popped it in his mouth. It tasted nice, it was quite calming. 

America seemed to pause at something then turned around to face Russia. "Have you eaten today?" He asked. 

"...Why do you ask?" Russia asked in return. 

America sighed and went behind his desk, opening a drawer. 

"Here. I keep little snacks like these back here" America said, handing Russia a bag of sunflower seeds. They seemed to be roasted, and looked appetizing. 

Russia smiled a bit and thanked America before trying one. They were slightly sweet and had a twinge of salt. They were really good. 

"If you're gonna be in my office, then you should get something in your system!" America said with a smile. 

Then someone walked into the office, their arm was bandaged. America seemed to immediately recognize them. 

"Good, you actually came in for a follow-up" America said to the person. 

They laughed and sat down near the table. 

"My sister would kill me if I didn't- plus you'd probably track me down" they said with a fond and joking tone. They had a smile on their face. 

America nodded "Damn right I would 'taly! Now unwrap those so I can get some fresh bandages on it." He sounded stern, but there was more to it. 

Russia hadn't seen the American grab a couple medical supplies, but he had them now and was checking over what he presumed was his work. After a second America bonked " 'taly" on the head.

"I told you not to use that arm you little shit! And what'd ya do? Fecisti usquam!" America sounded frustrated by the other. 
(*You did it anyway!) 

"Ask for forgiveness, not permission?" The person tried. 

"That doesn't apply to medical issues!" America chided as he went back to treating the person. 

Soon the person left America's office, leaving it to just be the two of them again. 

"My shift is ending here soon, and you shouldn't miss another meal." America said softly. "I'm not kicking ya out, just saying that you should go have a meal with your family." 

Russia nodded at that. 

"Feel free to show up here anytime, I don't mind." America said as Russia left. 

Russia decided that he might just take him up on that. The healer actually had a very nice presence, his disposition wasn't dissimilar to the nighttime gardener's. Maybe he was wrong about the gardener not being America. Seeing him do work like this might tell him more about him.

Chapter Text

America got up out of bed, he'd been unable to sleep last night. Honestly, Argentina had spooked him quite badly. He really enjoyed his sleep, even if he didn't need it. He slipped on his normal outfit and stepped out of his room, it was 6:30, he was sure he had enough time to to eat something for breakfast and take the long way to his office. Maybe he could catch Mexico before he hopped off to his job. 

Mexico was a member of the guard, and had said he'd keep an eye on Italy for him. For that, America was thankful. He could probably keep Italy from doing something stupid while his arm was healing. 

He walked into the kitchen and made himself a plate of eggs and bacon someone had made the day before. He was a little surprised there was still some left, everything considered. After he ate, he cleaned up behind himself, leaving the plate he'd eaten off of in the drying rack. 

He went to his room and checked the time, it was now 6:53, still too early to leave. 

Though Mexico should be up and dressed by now. America hummed to himself and made his way to Mexico's room. Before he got there, he ran into him in the hall, literally. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to run into you!" America apologized, helping his friends up. 

"Nah, nah! It's alright mi amigo!" Mexico said with a smile. He dusted himself off with a small laugh. "Somethin seems to be on your mind, care to tell?" 
(*My friend) 

America laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand. "I actually was going to go find you. It's about your sister" 

"¡Dios mío! What'd she do this time? Pray tell, Rosa" Mexico seemed frustrated, it wasn't the first time America had told him about his sister doing things. 
(*My god! *Rose) 

America paused, he didn't want to say everything, but Mexico could tell when he didn't say everything. "She... Pulled me into a kiss that I did not want. She still is convinced that she can 'fix' me." He said. He decided to leave out the demand for a marriage. He was certain that Argentina would tell Mexico about that herself. "I elbowed her in the stomach, sorry." 

"Good, ya finally defended yourself! 'Bout time! Anyway, I have to go. We are supposed to show up to training early today" Mexico said, patting America's head. 

"Don't forget to keep Italy from being dumb!" America yelled after his friend. 

"I won't, I won't Rosa!" 
(*Rose) 

Content, America followed, ready to head to his office the long way. The long way was more scenic, and had him walking by the flowers he liked to care for at night. He passed by the patch of chamomile flowers that were under Prince Russia's window. They looked good, even though he hadn't had time to care for them properly the night before. He was glad for that and continued his walk. Eventually, he found himself in his office. He was early, an hour or so early. It was 7:55, and his day shift started at 9. 

He noticed a large box at his door, and smiled widely. It was the supply refills he'd requested. They'd take a while to unpack, so he was glad to be early. 

At around 9, he heard someone yell "I'll live". He wasn't sure who it was, but knew it was from the direction of the prince's room. He laughed a little to himself, and went back to unpacking the box of supplies. 

It was another two hours before anything of note happened. He heard someone walk in and looked up to see who had come in. It was the prince, he was surprised that the prince was here. He scanned his gaze over him and hummed a bit to himself.

"You're not injured, are you?" He asked, his tone a lot softer than he'd intended. He had meant to use a more professional tone, but his tone was not working with him. 

"I'm not." Russia confirmed, he had a small smile on his face. 

The healer wasn't quite sure what that was about, but he hoped that maybe prince might tell him why he was here. 

"Why are you here?" America asked, getting back to sorting through the supplies he'd removed from the box. "I don't mind if you stay" he reassured as he worked. 

There was a long moment of silence before the healer realized he was not going to get an answer to his question. He looked over to check on him, and the prince was quiet, and staring off. More specifically, the prince was staring at him. 

Maybe he was lost in a memory, but there seemed to be a bit of stress to whatever he was thinking about. 

He waved, making sure that the prince was okay. Russia's cheeks reddened and he apologized.

Relieved, the healer went back to sorting out his supplies. He saw one of the candied cherry chocolates he'd worked on with Japan and smiled.

"Something's on your mind, I presume?" He asked with a hum. 

"Yeah, something like that" Russia mumbled, but America still heard it. 

America nodded and tossed the cherry like candy to Russia, who caught it. 

"That should help." America said with a little smile coming onto his face. "It's a candy I worked on with Japan" 

"Thank you...?"Russia said in a very confused tone. 

America realized he didn't know what it was and almost laughed at his own stupidity. 

"It's a de-stressor." America elaborated. "Whatever's on your mind seems to be a source of stress, so that should make you feel better." He said with a happy hum. 

Russia seemed to like it, which brought a small smile to America's face. 

America heard Russia's stomach growl and paused from his work. 

"Have you eaten today?" He asked, already knowing the answer. 

He made his way over to his desk as Russia answered. 

"...Why do you ask?" 

America dug around in his desk then tossed him a bag of honey roasted sunflower seeds. He didn't bother to see if he tried them, as he heard the bag open and Russia start eating them. 

"If you're gonna be in my office, then you should get something in your system!" America said with a playful smile. 

Someone else came in, and America recognized it as Italy. 

The next thirty minutes blurred together as he scolded Italy and replaced the bandages on Italy's arm. Once Italy was out of his office, he checked the time. It was a few minutes until his shift was over, 6:48. 

"My shift is ending here soon, and you shouldn't miss another meal." America said, looking at Russia. "I'm not kicking ya out, just saying that you should go have a meal with your family." He reassured in a soft tone. 

He wasn't sure why, but he wouldn't mind if Russia showed up in his office for reasons other than treatment. 

"Feel free to show up here anytime, I don't mind." He said after a moment of pause. He realized after a moment that he'd just given an open invitation to come back. 

As Russia left his office, he was sure that he'd seen a smile on his face. But he shook it from his mind. He used the last ten minutes of his shift to work towards getting the supplies put away. 

At the end of his shift, he walked out, leaving a good amount of work for himself to do the next day. He went to hang out with his friends for an hour, until the sun set. They left as the sky darkened, after which he excitedly left to go and garden. He was early, but it wasn't like anyone really cared. He should've changed outfits, but no one would care if he did this or see him, so he didn't see a point in doing so. 

When he got to the Chamomile flowers, he noticed something under them, and carefully took it out. It was addressed to him, from what he could tell. It called him "Night Gardener", which got a smile and chuckle from him. He opened it carefully and read it. 

Dear Night Gardener, 
I'm not sure of your name, as I've yet to get the guts to talk with you in person, but I would like to know you better. I've only ever seen you tending to the garden at night, so that's why I'm calling you such a silly name. But I should probably introduce myself before I ask for a name in return.
I'm Nyx, or that's what I feel most comfortable with being called until I gather the courage to speak with you in person. So, what would you like to be called by? If you don't feel like telling me your name. 
What's your favorite color? What is your favorite flower? Do you have any siblings? What do you prefer in way of pronouns? Do you prefer the night or day? What's your favorite season? What kind of hobbies, assuming gardening isn't one of them, do you have? What's your favorite food? What's your sexuality?  Do you have any pets? If so, what're their names?  
My favorite color is either a golden shade of yellow or a very deep maroon color. My favorite flower is chamomile, which sometimes make good tea. I have three siblings, two sisters and one brother. I prefer he/him pronouns myself, but they/them is something I get when my hair is down. I don't mind, but I do prefer he/him. I prefer the night, though I can't be up during it often. The moon is pretty, and the stars shine so beautifully. The silver light is nice and soft. I prefer the winter a lot of the time, but fall has the best songs. I love drawing, scrapbooking, and writing sometimes. My favorite food is borscht, it's very comforting to me.   I'm Bisexual but I tend to prefer guys. I have a kitten that my dad let me keep, his name is Anatoly. 
I wrote today, as some girl seemed to really annoy you. I didn't see what she did, but whatever she did got you to elbow her in the stomach, and I wanted to ask why you did that. As well as who she is, unless sharing that makes you uncomfortable. 
If you want to write back, leave your response under the Chamomile flowers where you found mine. It's an odd place, I know, but I go and sit over there whenever I can, as Chamomile does smell nice!

Sincerely, Nyx 

The handwriting was neat, and looked well put together. He decided that he may as well respond to this "Nyx". 

He smiled as he gently folded the letter back up, putting it in its envelope. He put it in his messenger bag before tending to the flowers a little more. He ran back to his quarters to start writing a response to Nyx. He was sure if he didn't finish it that night, that he may have time to the next day. 

Chapter Text

Russia smiled, sitting by the window as his cat, Anatoly batted at the hair covering his eyes. He'd asked father if he could take a walk tonight, and he'd said yes. So before he went out, he was giving Anatoly attention. Anatoly was preening at the attention and purring quite loudly. Soon, the cat purred himself into a sleep, so Russia moved away slowly. Soon, he had left his room and was walking to a spot near the Chamomile flowers. He sat on a bench near them, and smiled, watching as the shadows grew longer. 

Soon, he saw someone walk over to the Chamomile flowers. The gardener was earlier than usual. It was not even an hour after sunset! Not that he minded, it meant he'd be able to get more sleep. He watched as they went to check the Chamomile flowers, and they picked up the letter. He heard them chuckle, he assumed as they read how he'd addressed them. 

He heard them slowly open the envelope, and then unfold the letter. They didn't speak, but quietly read for a few moments. He heard them fold it back up and put it in the envelope. He saw them put it in their bag, and then finish checking on the flowers. He hoped this meant they'd respond. 

He smiled at the thought then got up, quietly walking back up to his room. He was careful to quietly open and close the door to his room. 

He fell asleep quickly after getting in bed. 

He woke up early, the sun was slowly rising, and he was up. It was 6:46. Father didn't have to wake him today! 

He chuckled to himself and got out of bed. He got dressed, throwing on his ushanka, a pair of black shorts, and a yellow sweater. He didn't bother with his hair today, leaving it down. He hummed as he walked out of his room, today was another Free day. He had a couple hours until he could pop into America's office, as he didn't feel like hanging out in the library today. 

America said he didn't mind, but he found himself unsure about whether he should believe that or not. He'd know after seeing his reaction in a few hours. 

Eating with his family had been interesting the night before. His father had apparently noticed him slip into America's office, and teased him a little about it. It was early, and breakfast never got anyone to speak. His siblings were still waking up, and his dad was content to just let them wake up. 

Breakfast was quiet as per usual, though father had seemed surprised he was awake so early. He'd gotten a pat on the head before he was allowed to leave. 

He didn't say where he was going, but his dad definitely had seen him head in the direction of the medical wing of the castle. America wasn't the sole healer, but was the only one who was responsible for the royal family and injuries from guards of the royal family. 

The other healers were there to care for everyone else, though it was obvious America invited the other healers to send more severe injuries to him, or that was his best guess. Maybe the other patients he saw were friends? 

Russia shook those thoughts from his head, it wasn't his business, so he shouldn't question it. 

He walked into America's office, careful to be quiet. 

America still heard him and looked up, then smiled. 

Russia smiled a bit in return, happy to see that maybe America had meant it and that the invitation was genuine. 

"So, what are you up to?" Russia asked, he couldn't help it, America was writing pretty quickly. 

"Someone wrote me a letter, I wanted to finish my response to him. I didn't last night, so I'm going to now. I wanted to send it on my way here this morning, but I didn't finish it last night." America responded, dipping his quill back into the inkwell. 

Russia hummed, finding himself curious of who'd written the healer a letter. Though, he decided he'd leave America to finish his writing before he tried to start a conversation. 

After a few minutes, he heard America put the cap on his inkwell, then put the quill down. A minute after that, he heard America fold up the paper and put it in the envelope. 

Then America came back out and went back to what he was doing the day before. What he was doing, Russia wasn't sure. However, it was nice to watch him do it, even if he didn't know what it was. 

America started to hum to himself a bit. 

"You ate breakfast this morning, right?" America asked, looking up from his sorting. 

"Yeah, I did." He said, smiling. "I was actually up early this morning." 

"That's good to hear! I was worried about that yesterday. I hope you are in the habit of getting proper rest, and eating properly." America said as he took a few things over to a drawer. 

America seemed to not mind his presence, and seemed happy to talk to him. 

He smiled at that thought, then watched as America grabbed more things from the table to sort through. 

"Oh, if you don't mind, pass a message on to your father, Soviet. Tell him to drop by, I have a couple status reports to hand over." America said. That thought seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Russia shrugged and smiled. "I will, anything else?" 

"Please tell him to leave me and my gay panic alone. He probably won't listen, but it's worth a shot." America said, lightly shrugging. He held a vial with purple liquid in his right hand, and a package of something else in the other. 

Russia hummed a bit to himself, mentally noting to bring this up to his dad later. 

America seemed to be a bit calmer and more loose than many described him. He had an air of confidence that definitely came from years of experience. This brought a question to Russia's mind. 

"How old are you?" He impulsively asked. 

America jumped a bit, and his hair poofed up, like a cat's fur would when spooked. That was a bit funny and cute. 

"Ah, I didn't mean to be rude-" Russia said, only to be cut off. 

"I'm 24, same as you. Sorry about that reaction, you just surprised me." America said, lightly smoothing his poofed up hair. 

Russia found himself a bit shocked, America acted a lot more like a 30 year old, but he looked 18. But that was mostly due to how short he was, he was ~1.5(~5') meters or somewhere around there. 

Chapter Text

America yawned a bit as he got up, he'd fallen asleep an hour after midnight. It was now 6:30, and the sun was still low in the sky. He had gotten most of the way through his response letter before deciding to rest. He grabbed the letter and carefully placed it, a couple sheets of extra paper, and an envelope in his bag. Then put them in a folder before doing so, to protect them from any folding or damage. He then got into his proper work outfit, singing his messenger bag over his shoulder. He then headed off, grabbing himself a snack he'd snagged from the market the last time he went to town. 

He walked through the early morning air, smiling as he felt the cool morning air. Soon he arrived at his office and walked in. He then put his messenger bag down, going to finish up a small report on Italy's stubbornness in receiving proper treatment. After that, he reviewed the reports from the previous week. When he was content with his knowledge of the treatments he'd administered and their effectiveness, he took out the letter he was writing. 

He continued writing his response with a happy smile. He chuckled to himself while answering the lightly crossed out question, finding himself fond of Nyx's care to not ask a question that may cause discomfort. He then just quietly hummed as he continued writing. 

He heard someone come in, and looked up. He smiled a little when he saw that it was Russia. He was happy that the prince was taking up his offer. It meant he wasn't alone during all hours of work, and Russia was good company. Even if he knew that he'd not be able to compose himself off shift with Russia. He was glad he could hold an air of professionalism near him. 

He'd be able to function, though he'd definitely be flustered in Russia's presence. He wouldn't mind spending time with him outside of his shift. 

"So, what are you up to?" Russia asked. 

Only then did America realize he hadn't said anything, just smiled. He'd kept writing. But when he checked, he was thankful to find hadn't written anything that he'd been thinking about. 

"Someone wrote me a letter, I wanted to finish my response to him." America said, dipping his quill in the inkwell. "I didn't last night, so I'm going to now. I wanted to send it on my way here this morning, but I didn't finish it last night." He bashfully admitted. 

His tone did not display his bashfulness, but he was glad it didn't. It would be far too embarrassing for him. 

America heard Russia hum to himself, and then continued writing, quickly finishing up the rest of the letter. He lightly capped his inkwell with a happy hum. He then watched the ink, waiting a moment for it to dry before he folded the letter up, taking the envelope out of his bag. He gently tucked the letter in the envelope then lightly sealed it. 

He wrote "From Aku, to Nyx" on the back of the envelope, using the last of the ink from his quill before putting it away. 

America walked over to his mostly cleared pile of supplies, and began to go through it again. He then quietly hummed after a moment. 

"You ate breakfast this morning, right?" he asked, looking up from his sorting to check Russia's response. 

"Yea, I did. I was actually up early this morning" Russia responded, smiling. 

America found himself relieved and smiled. "That's good to hear! I was worried about that yesterday." America admitted. "I hope you are in the habit of getting proper rest and eating properly." He added, taking a handful of normal first aid supplies to a drawer. 

America continued working, and then lightly hopped as a thought came back to him. 

"Oh! If you don't mind, pass a message on to your father, Soviet." America started, he'd remembered the reports from this week. "Tell him to drop by, I have a couple status reports to hand over" America finished. He had more than a couple reports to hand over, but that wasn't here nor there. 

Russia seemed shocked for a moment before responding. He then shrugged a bit. 

"I will, anything else?" 

America thought for a second before responding: "Please tell him to leave me and my gay panic alone." 

America paused then spoke again. 

"He probably won't listen, but it's worth a shot." He said with a light shrug. 

He'd picked up a vial of a general area number, and a packet of powdered curse eliminator. Both were magical treatments, and belonged in the cubby with his disinfecting water.

"How old are you?" Russia asked after a long moment of silence. 

That came out of nowhere, and caused America to jump a bit. His hair poofed up, being an extreme tell for his emotions. 

"Ah, I didn't mean to be rude-" Russia started to apologize. 

"I'm 24, same as you" America said, gently smoothing his poofed up hair. "Sorry about that reaction, you just surprised me." He admitted, a light blush finding its way onto his cheeks. 

He shook his head a little, getting the blush to disappear from his face. Soon enough, he felt the small bit of heat leave his face, he then looked back and Russia. 

Thankfully, Russia hadn't noticed him blushing out of embarrassment. Which he was infinitely thankful for. Or if he had noticed, he wasn't questioning it. 

After a long moment of silence, America went back behind his desk and pulled out a couple things. 

"I don't have much here, but if you want lunch, I have this" he said, giving Russia one of the bags he'd grabbed. 

Both bags contained mixed nuts. 

"I also have some beef jerky in my bag. I wouldn't mind sharing it." America said, a small smile finding its way on his face. 

He wouldn't have offered this usually, but it was 12:36. It was a generally accepted lunch time, and he figured the other might be hungry. 

"Thank you. I also wouldn't want to take anything more from you" Russia said, a smile on his face. 

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded!" America said, grabbing the bag of beef jerky from his bag. 

Russia accepted and took one of the pieces of jerky, and ate it. 

America smiled, and started to eat himself. 

After the two were done eating, America spent the rest of his time idly chatting with Russia and sorting through the last remaining things from the box yesterday. 

Soon, it was 4 pm. He had 3 hours before his shift would be over. Though, it certainly wouldn't feel as long because he had company. 

"I probably won't be in my office tomorrow, sorry" America said, remembering he had to go out and collect some herbs and some snacks for his office. "But I do have something for you if you need to contact me!" 

America went back behind his desk and pulled out a blueish purple stone, it was a teleportation stone. He'd gotten it from Japan. He placed it in Russia's hands and smiled softly. 

"That's a teleportation stone, it'll bring me to you. However, if it's not a pressing matter, I'd ask you to call out to Samuel." 

"Who's Samuel?" 

"Samuel is a crow, but I wouldn't call him a pet." America said, then whistled. "He's more akin to a familiar for a witch." 

An obsidian black crow cawed and landed on America's finger. The crow was smaller than an average crow. 

"But I'm no witch, I'm just a healer. So I don't know what to call him" America said with a bright smile. 

"Father, I crave cuddles." The crow grumbled. 

"Samuel, This is Russia. Rus-si-a" America pronounced, carefully teaching the bird how to say the Prince's name. 

"Russia" The crow repeated, then preened at the praise it received. 

America petted the crow's head and smiled at Russia. 

"If you call him, he'll come to see what is up, now that he knows you." America said. "Though, you should probably say something so he knows your voice." 

"Hello Samuel "Russia greeted, reaching a hand to pet the crow. 

The crow cawed at him and hopped onto his hand. 

"Is... Is this normal?" Russia asked. 

"No-"America was cut off by the crow cawing at Russia. 

Samuel started hopping on Russia's hand and messing with his hair. 

"And that isn't either." America mumbled. "Looks like Samuel really likes you!" 

"What is he doing?" Russia asked, trying to coax the crow away from his face. 

"He's treating you like another crow, specifically family." America said before whistling again. "He's friendly with most people, but only does that with me. Congratulations you have a life partner!" America jokes, smiling and chuckling. 

Samuel flew back and landed on America's finger, before looking at America, then Russia. 

"Russia is Papa." The crow cawed. 

America flustered and lightly scolded the crow in Latin. 

Russia nervously laughed and petted the crow's head. 

Chapter Text

Russia found himself lightly flustered by the obsidian black crow cawing. The bird kept calling America "Father" or "dad" and him "Papa". 

Knowing the bird considered him family was fine, he didn't mind. But it was very flustering when the crow was referring to him as a second parent, especially since the other "parent" was someone he found himself fond of. It was flustering to have a crow just go and decide that he's now a second parent. 

America was also very flustered, his face was bright red. He was speaking in a language Russia couldn't understand. It was odd, but the language was pretty. He could tell it wasn't gibberish, as there were things that he repeated. He just couldn't understand, which was fine. He could ask to learn later. 

After a good while, the crow cawed one last time before flying away. 

America got up, face still bright red, and grabbed a bucket. He then poured cold water in it. He then dunked his head in the bucket. After a couple seconds, he pulled his head out and dried his hair and face. He seemed to have calmed down. 

"Sorry, I just really wasn't expecting that. Samuel has never done that before." America said, sounding quite nervous. 

Russia pulled his ushanka down by its earflaps. 

"Ah- no, it's fine " Russia said, trying to calm himself down. "That was just very flustering." 

The door opened from behind Russia, causing America to snap his attention to the door. 

"Uhm, I feel like I'm interrupting something..." Someone mumbled, taking a step away from the door. 

"No, no- Sorry Mexico. Samuel just chose to be particularly peculiar." America mumbled, drying his hair. 

"The bird calls me Papa" Russia mumbled, hiding his face in his hat..

"Oh my God that's funny as hell-" Mexico wheezed, taking a couple steps back into the room. 

America soon hung the towel in it's original place and walked over to the person. 

"Hush!" America whisper yelled at the person, it sounded like he was getting flustered. His professionalism seemed to have left him. 

Russia slowly lifted his ushanka from away from his eyes to see what was happening. He'd managed to calm down himself, and got the blush to leave his cheeks. He didn't recognize the person, nor their voice. But he recognized their uniform, they were a general castle guard. 

"Alright, were you on Italy watch or was someone else? Because if you weren't, why are you here, and who is?" America asked, seeming to have regained his composure. 

"Nah, Brazil is watching him today. And I'm here to drag you to deal with a magic mishap~!" 

"That's not even my area of expertise! Get Japan for that!" America yelped out as his wrist was grabbed. 

"You're not fun- but seriously we think we have a concussion in there. Not enough of us are around to get them all to the medical wing." 

"A concussion?! What in the heck were you doing?" America asked, confused and concerned. 

"Someone decided to test out some magic their sibling was doing-" 

"And everyone is collateral damage, got it." America said, rolling his eyes. He then whistled, calling the crow back. 

Samuel cawed at him and looked up at him. 

"Go get Japan, Magic incident at...?" 

"Training ground B." Mexico said. 

"Training ground B." America finished, sending the crow off. 

"Sorry about this Russia, I have to go help with this!" America apologized. 

"It's fine, I'll see you again soon?" Russia said, realizing it sounded more like a question. It was, as this whole situation was confusing. 

America nodded anxiously and smiled at him. 

"I'll see you later!" He said, waving to Russia before he ran out of the room. Mexico was out seconds after. 

This left Russia in America's office, confused as to what he should do next. After silently contemplating what he should do for a few moments, he settled on heading to the library. He guessed he could spend a few hours there reading. Or he could bug his dad about what America had asked. 

He decided that he'd bug his father about what America had asked him to. So he hummed to himself, happily walking over to his dad's office. It wasn't very far from the medical wing, and was down a floor. It was close, so it didn't take him long to get there. He decided against knocking and just snuck up on his father. 

"Папа!"Russia yelled, hugging his father, coming up from behind him. "Я пришел с посланием из Америки!" 
(*Dad! *I come with a message from America!) 

"Ах! Россия, какого черта?!" His dad started, turning to face Russia. 
(*Ah! Russia what the hell?!) 

"Я пришел с посланием из Америки." Russia repeated, more calmly this time. 
(*I come with a message from America.) 

"Ладно, что это?" His dad asked, relaxing himself a bit. 
(*Okay, what is it?) 

"Он хочет, чтобы вы зашли в его офис позже, говорит, что ему нужно передать несколько отчетов." Russia said happily. "Но, наверное, не сегодня и не завтра, его позвали помочь с магическим происшествием. И завтра его не будет в офисе" he added. 
(*He wants you to go to his office later, says he has a few reports to hand over. *But probably not today or tomorrow, he was called to help with a magical incident. And he's going to be out of his office tomorrow) 

"Хорошо, что-нибудь еще?" His dad asked with a hum. 
(*Alright, anything else?) 

"Ой! Верно, он хотел, чтобы я сказал тебе: «Оставь его и его гей-панику в покое»." Russia said, quickly remembering. 
(*Oh! Right, he wanted me to tell you to 'leave him and his Gay panic alone') 

"Да не бывает" His dad said with a laugh. 
(*Yeah, not happening) 

"Он сказал, что вы, вероятно, не будете слушать!" Russia said, smiling a little. 
(*He said you probably wouldn't listen!) 

After that conversation was over, Russia walked back to the library and picked up a new book. He started reading, finding it hard to focus on the actual plot of the book. He found himself worried for America, who was dealing with who knows what at training ground B. After a while of trying, and failing, to focus on the book he'd picked up. Soon enough it was time for dinner. 

It went as it usually did, though Russia couldn't bring himself to eat much of his food, mainly worried about America. 

His dad definitely noticed, and asked, but after not getting an answer, decided not to press on the matter. 

After dinner, Russia went up to his room and sat in front of his window. He just watched as the shadows grew longer. Eventually, he saw as the gardener walked over to the Chamomile flowers below his window. He checked them over before pulling something out of a messenger bag. Then he put whatever it was under the Chamomile flowers. He watched as they walked off, processing what they'd done. 

A smile spread across his face as he realized that he'd gotten a response. He hopped out of his chair and walked over to his door. He carefully opened the door as quietly as he could. He did his best to keep his footsteps quiet as he ran off to go get the response. 

He looked out to make sure no one was watching as he went over to the Chamomile flowers. He then gently got the letter out of the flowers, checking to make sure that it was for him. On the back, he saw it said "From Aku, to Nyx", which brought a smile to his face. He tucked the letter in his pocket and ran into the castle and up to his room. 

He quietly closed the door to his room as he entered. He sat back at his desk and pulled the letter from his pocket. 

He opened it and carefully unfolded it. He smoothed out the letter and started reading. 

Dear Nyx,
A name that means night? Really? Adorable. 
Well, My name is America. But since you're using a code name, I feel I should give you one to refer to me by if you like! Call me Aku. Aku is a moon god, if you are at all curious! 
Don't think I didn't see what you lightly crossed out, you cheeky, you! I'll be responding to that question. As you did keep your own response to it pretty visible. 
My favorite color is a silvery blue white-ish color, but maroon and golden yellow are beautiful too. Roses are my favorite flower, whether they be yellow, red, white, or any other color. I also have three siblings, two brothers and a sister. Kinda funny we have the same amount of siblings, but the sisters and brothers are flipped! I prefer he/him pronouns as well. I used to have long hair but people kept calling me a little girl, so I got it cut. I, much like you, prefer the night! It's so beautiful. The daylight is harsh, but my job as a healer requires I be ready to assist at any time. I actually can stay up to see the night, as courtesy of a friend of mine, I no longer require sleep. But I still sleep 'cause I like dreams.(Don't worry, it's nothing too crazy, she just made a potion that has a rather permanent effect of removing need for sleep) My favorite season is spring, as it brings with it new and beautiful life. My biggest hobby has to be gardening, though I only do it at night. I love to do art as well, my preferred medium is photography, but watercolor is a close second. I don't have a favorite food, but if it's made with love it's an instant hit with me. I'm very, very gay. If I see you and think you're cute, you might kill me. I have a cat named Bean, he's a lil bastard. I love him though. 
And the girl, her name is Argentina, thinks she can "fix" me. She's homophobic, and wants to marry me. I'm gay as fuck, and have been telling her no. She tried to kiss me last night, and actually did. That's why I elbowed her in the stomach and ran off. 
But, you sound cool, so I'd like to meet you if you ever feel up to it! But uh, please don't try to kill me by being adorable (*ﾉ∀'*). Or hot. My gay ass would die on spot. 
Also, if I give you a picture of Bean, can I see Anatoly? 

Sincerely, America  Aku 

Russia found himself smiling at that, learning more about the person who tended to the flowers at night was nice. And knowing that it was America made him more fond of the small healer. He frowned a bit as he found out a bit more about the girl, he already didn't like her, but now he disliked her even more. He decided that he'd write a letter response later. 

Chapter Text

America quickened his pace, hoping to find less damage than what he knew was common in magical accidents. If it was anything like what happened with magical duels, god help whoever tried using magic improperly. If he got to them first, he wasn't sure what he'd do, but if Japan got to them first, there'd be hell to pay. 

He wasn't sure which of them would have more mercy on the person who caused this mess, but he supposed it would depend on the amount of injuries and severity of said injuries. The more there were, especially if they fell on the more severe side of the spectrum, Japan would be the more merciful one. Japan would also be more ruthless as injuries increased, but she'd still be more merciful than him. 

Once he and Mexico got to Training ground B, they found Japan there, scolding who he assumed was the perpetrator. America sighed as he scanned the scene, quickly finding the person Mexico suspected had a concussion. 

"Hey, Sakura!" He called out to Japan. "I need you to give me a light source, a small one! Not too bright, just checking for signs of a concussion." 

Japan threw one of her sticks that emitted light at the tip, she called them torches, but he called them flashers. Torches were associated with fire for him. 

"Thanks!" He called as he caught the flasher. 

He used it to check if their pupils constricted at the sign of light at a normal speed. To his dismay, they took too long to respond to the light, meaning that the person did have a concussion. 

It'd depend on the severity, but he'd want them monitored and on bed rest for a good amount of time. He'd also probably give them some field poppies for pain relief. Their head was going to be killing them for a while. 

"Mexico, take this one to the medical wing, tell them to monitor them. They have a concussion, so they'll be there for a while." America said, calmly gesturing to the half conscious person. "I'll get them some poppies when they're fully conscious." 

Once Mexico had picked up the person, he moved over to the next person who was injured. He checked them over, luckily they only had a mild headache and not a concussion. He kept moving around, checking anyone who seemed to be injured. He found several people with sprains, three people with broken bones, and one with a few scrapes and bruises. 

He told the people with sprains to not use the areas affected for a few days. He tried to set up a buddy system, to insure that the people wouldn't further injure themselves. 

He treated the broken bones as best he could, making sure none of the three had dislocations. Thankfully, there were none. 

He whistled for Samuel. Once the crow was there, he asked the crow to go get some supplies for casts. Samuel cawed and then flew off. 

A couple minutes later, the crow came back with the supplies he needed. 

America grabbed a small treat from his bag and thanked the crow. 

He sighed and then got to work, putting casts to keep the people with broken bones from further injuring themselves. 

Once he was done, he relaxed a bit. 

"Come to me after about three weeks, I'll be checking the progression of healing. If you're fully healed then, I'll remove the casts." He informed, sighing a bit. "But until those are removed, I want you to rest and get help from your friends. And for the love of God, keep them from getting wet, you'll have to live with a stinky cast. I'm only warning you once." 

He then went about treating the person who got off easy with scrapes and bruises. It was the easiest, and they'd be fine before the end of the week. 

Once he was done, he got up and checked the time. It was 6:50, he had ten minutes left of his shift. 

He grabbed a piece of paper from his bag and jotted down the basics of injuries and how he'd treated them. He was sleepwalking to his office while he did this. He was going to leave the notes on the desk; he'd copy them over when he got back from his trip the next day. 

He put the notes on his desk and started his walk back to his quarters. He found himself hoping he might run into Russia on his way there. He was a bit disappointed when he didn't, and walked into his room. His friends weren't there today, thankfully so because he was a bit tired. 

He went over to the window and opened it, letting the breeze in. He went over to his desk and started writing a small note. He'd have Samuel deliver it in the morning. As for now, he just wanted to tend to the flowers and garden. 

He changed into something a bit more befitting of gardening and then started his usual route. He eventually reached the Chamomile flowers where he'd gotten the first letter, then started to tend to the flowers. After he'd cared for them, he slipped his response under them carefully. He hung back for a moment, looking to see if his mysterious messenger wanted to show his face. 

After they didn't show up, he just continued his route. 

Once he was back in his quarters, he got out of his gardening clothes and went to take a bath. Once he was done, he dried off and got into some pajamas. Then he went to his bed and laid down, pulling the covers over him. It took him a moment to fall into a comfortable rest. 

He woke up at 6:30, and immediately remembered the note on his desk. He whistled for Samuel, and rolled up the note, tying it with a purple ribbon. 

He gave the note to Samuel and told him to take it to Russia at the earliest convenience. He then watched as the bird flew off into the morning air, smiling a little. He then got his clothes for the day together, getting dressed quickly. 

Chapter Text

Russia was woken up, not by his dad, not on his own, but by the cawing of a crow. The crow was saying something, and he wasn't awake enough to understand what it was saying yet. He yawned quietly. 

"I'm up, I'm up" he said, rubbing his face. 

"Papa! Papa! Wake up Papa!" The crow cawed. 

"I'm up, I'm up Samuel." He said, still flustered by the bird calling him 'Papa'. 

"Dad said bring thing to you. So I bring now" the crow cawed, flying over to him. 

Samuel dropped a paper that was rolled up and tied with a purple ribbon. 

Russia smiled a bit and picked up the note, gently removing the ribbon. He then started to read the note. 

Hey Russia! 
Sorry about yesterday, I would've liked to spend more time with you yesterday. But, my help was needed! 
Just know, my invitation still stands, should you want to just want to show up in my office again.
The magical incident was not fun to deal with, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. The person responsible for it is lucky my friend, Japan, got to them before I did. 
But anyway, I just wanted to make sure you know I'm okay. I don't want you to worry about the fallout of the magical incident, as everything is fine. 
Talk to you later! 

-America 

Russia smiled a bit at that and put the note on his bedside table. He pet Samuel gently and got up, stretching a bit. 

"Tell America I said thank you for worrying about me." Russia said to the crow with a smile. "And that I'm taking him up on that offer on my next free day." 

Samuel tipped his head and cawed. 

"Will tell Dad Papa says thank you. Will tell Dad Papa visits again soon." the crow cawed before flying away. 

"Call me Russia-" He called after the crow. 

"Papa is Papa." The crow cawed back, sounding quieter by the moment. 

He knew that, for now, convincing the crow to call him his name was a futile effort. That didn't mean that he wouldn't still try to convince the crow to call him Russia. 

He sat at the desk and started writing. He was happy he knew America as himself and now Nyx. He hoped that asking how America thought of him wasn't too far. He didn't want to reveal who he was yet, he hoped that poking around like this wouldn't affect America's thoughts of him. 

He had a couple guesses on what America was based on the little information he had. So he decided to write them, it couldn't hurt. Maybe he was right about one of them! He decided he'd save his guesses for the end of his letter. 

He actually managed to finish the letter before his dad came in to make sure he was up. Once the ink was dry, he carefully folded it up and put it in an envelope. He happily wrote "From Nyx, to Aku" on the back of the envelope. 

Russia left the letter on his desk as he went to get a proper outfit. He dug through his clothes and pulled out a blue and white sweater, a pair of shorts. He got dressed, then decided to put his hair up then put in his ushanka. 

Then he walked back to his desk, grabbing the envelope and moving it into his pocket. He hummed and cleaned up the workspace before he left his room. When he was leaving, he ran into his dad. 

"Uhm... Доброе утро папа" He said quietly, not sure how he'd explain getting up this early. 
(*Good morning dad) 

Luckily for him, his father didn't ask about it and just shrugged. He just headed down to the dining area, ready to have breakfast with the rest of his siblings. 

He was the second one there, which was surprising. It immediately got less surprising when he saw that he'd been writing for about an hour, and that it was now 7:54. 

Breakfast was quiet as it usually was, most of his siblings were still waking up. 

After that, he made his way to his first task of the day, a language class. It was long, and a bit boring to him. 

He found himself hoping that his teacher might move on from English soon, he wanted to learn whatever language America had spoken before. He was curious, and wanted to understand what he said the next time he spoke in it. He found his mind wandering about it, but tried to reign it in so he could focus on the class. 

Thankfully, he was able to reign the thoughts in before his teacher noticed him having trouble focusing. He refocused and read what was on the board, jotting it down quickly. 

The class seemed to bore on forever, but eventually ended. He knew it was only an hour and a half, but it felt like an eternity. 

After that, he had about thirty minutes where he could do what he wanted. Then he had something else to do. 

He decided to head outside, making his way to the Chamomile flowers that were under his window. Once there, he happily took a seat next to them, and took the envelope from his pocket and checked the flowers before he carefully slipped it under them. He then relaxed, leaning against the castle wall. The smell of Chamomile was relaxing, and made him feel light and happy. 

As he relaxed, he felt himself smiling, his thoughts had drifted to America and how he was. He found himself feeling curious about what America was doing right now. He knew he wasn't in his office, so what was he doing? He let his mind wander for the rest of his break. Once it was over, he found himself pouting a little as he got up and walked off to his next class. It was a dance class, where he was learning how to lead. He was also picking up the footing for someone not leading. It wasn't something he was supposed to be consciously picking up, but he was anyway. As he did, he found himself wondering about who might dance with him eventually. 

Chapter Text

America smiled to himself as he walked around the small market, he'd seen a few things he'd be coming back for later. But for now, he was looking for general snacks to give to patients. He wouldn't let himself be a crow and collect shiny things yet. He could do that when he'd gotten what he required for his office. He needed to find the stalls with small non-perishable foods, which were quite spread out, to his dismay.

He couldn't bring himself to mind too much, it kept him outside and out of his office for longer. Sure, his office was nice, but he liked being outside quite a bit more. It was freeing to him. It was perfect weather really, the sky was slightly cloudy, meaning that the sun wasn't in his eyes at all times. It was a cool temperature day, but not too cold. It was the most comfortable type of weather for him. If it was colder, he wouldn't mind much as he was a shifter for a more winter-faring cat species. He quite liked the current temperature though. It was part of why he'd been so willing to settle and become a healer here.

He reminded himself why he was out here, at the market and continued his search for foods that would help restore energy to his patients. He smiled at a sweet old lady who was selling dried fruit slices.

He walked over to her stall and checked the prices she had written down on the sign.

He happily ordered a good amount of them, exchanging some of the money he had on himself for enough dried fruit slices to keep him from coming out for at least another month.

He actually got more than he usually would have, remembering what Samuel had told him before he left the castle grounds.

He found himself hoping that the prince would like them. He shrugged the thought off with a thought of "if not, more for me and my patients!".

He walked to another stall and got some more sunflower seeds from one of the other vendors. The person was tall and had brown hair. They had a calm disposition, and seemed sweet but standoffish. But he was here for sunflower seeds, not analyze the vendors.

He laughed softly to himself and bought the sunflower seeds before walking off to get more nonperishable snacks for his office.

Luckily, the rest of the snacks he usually grabbed were easy to find, of course he got a couple new things that he found himself excited about, but those were few and far between.

Once he collected the snacks for his office, he started going for medicinal herbs. So he'd start with what he was out of first. He was out of the dried opium poppies! So he'd start there.

He was going to be walking for that for a while.

The market was large, and very spread out. Luckily, he found some of the other herbs he needed during his wandering: Valerian, cloves, Aloe, Witch Hazel, Comfrey, Ginger, and Ground Ivy. Once he got his hands on the dried opium poppies, he could start the look for a few amenities for his office that weren't a requirement, but were nice.

He smiled, finally spotting the tan bulbs of opium poppies. He ran over and quickly went through paying for some. He got the ones that looked like they'd do best for his purposes and threw them into his bag gently after paying. Then he bounced off, going around and picking up some general amenities for his office.

He didn't pick up a lot, just grabbing a few books for the shelf. He knew no one really picked up the books from there, and it was only him, but he didn't really care. They were nice to have around.

He didn't pick up books in medicine, these were for patients, since their genres were varied. He had some horror, some romance, and some that were science fiction. He got most of them from his book nerd of a sister, New Zealand, who was still traveling with their parents. The ones he got like this were few and far between. Though, he hoped they were just as good.

He hummed to himself as he started his walk back to the castle. The walk was long, but not arduous. Rather, the walk was quite relaxing to him. He found himself smiling the whole time, and his thoughts kept drifting back to Nyx, a name he had no face to put to, or the prince who seemed to like dropping into his office as of recent.

As he left the forest, he noticed that the sun was starting to set, he had been out for longer than he thought. He laughed a little to himself and jogged up quickly. On his way back to his office, he noticed the prince asleep next the patch of chamomile flowers, leaning back on the castle wall.

He paused and checked his pocket watch. It was 6:36, he could stay a little late if it meant that he got Prince Russia to rest somewhere that was more comfortable.

"Hey." he said softly as he approached the sleeping prince. He really didn't want to startle him awake.

Russia didn't wake at that. He seemed too peaceful to disturb, so America kneeled down and started to gently pick him up. Russia was heavy, but he'd be able to manage. It kind of surprised him that the prince didn't wake or shift when he did this.

He shrugged it off and lightly carried Russia back into the castle. He hoped he might run into one of Russia's siblings so that he could get the sleeping prince to his room.

Instead of running into one of the prince's siblings, he ran into his boss, and the sleeping one's father, King Soviet.

"Ah, Hello!" America greeted quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping prince. "I was hoping to get him to his room, he fell asleep out there."

The king seemed to consider it, and then started to lead the way to Russia's room.

"I take it your time at the market went well?" Soviet questioned, seeming have decided not to tease America on his attraction to the prince.

America would have bounced in place if he weren't trying to not wake the sleeping prince.

"Yep! Got everything I needed." He said, smiling a little. "I'll probably be staying a little late today so I can get everything out of my bag. I'll be putting it away tomorrow."

Soviet nodded, and stopped Infront of a door, opening it.

America went in and gently laid the prince on his bed. Then he dug in his bag, grabbing a piece of paper and his portable quill. He wrote out a small note, and put it by the lamp on Russia's bedside table.

He then left, bowing slightly to Soviet before he bounced off to his office.

Once he was in his office, he unpacked everything he'd gotten at the market from his bag, leaving it on the coffee table he had in his office. Everything but the few books he'd picked up, he quickly moved those over to the shelf he had.

Then he jogged back to his barracks, smiling sadly when he noticed that the sun was almost at the bottom of the sky.

He got to his room and his friends weren't outside, as he expected, they knew it was a day he was visiting the market. He hummed as he closed the door behind himself, grabbing himself something more befitting of his nightly activities.

He changed out of his healer garb and into the new outfit. He jogged out of his room and towards the flowers.

He slowly moved around, going from patch to patch, finding himself excited to see if Nyx had written a response.

His excitement increased as he slowly got closer to the Chamomile flowers. Once he got to them, he went to carefully tending to them. Once he was done, he excitedly pulled out the envelope he'd noticed.

He bounced a little as he opened it, reading through the letter.

Dear Aku,
I must admit, I was half expecting you to ignore my letter, and just not respond. But I'm really glad you did!
But I've met you in person before! I'd prefer to keep talking through letters though, it's easier for me to communicate through. It's also very freeing to me. You know my actual name, but I think you would consider me as an acquaintance. That is if I'm lucky.
I'd like to see Bean, and I'd like to send you pictures of Anatoly, but I don't have a camera. I'll ask my dad about how to acquire a camera later so I can give you a picture of Anatoly!
Also, I'd join you in not needing sleep if I could. When I eventually get the guts to tell you who I am, could I please get some of whatever your friend made? I want to be able to look up at the night sky without consequences to my sleep schedule. Or is it too much trouble? I'd very much like to not trouble you.
Also, sorry, I hope that question didn't make you uncomfortable. I crossed out because I thought I may have crossed a line.
Also, just so you know, I personally think you look very nice.
You haven't reacted to me oddly either of the times we met, but then again you were in work hours.
Out of pure curiosity, what do you think about Prince Russia?
Also, I personally would have suplexed this Argentina girl. I'm surprised you are handling her, excuse my language here for a moment, bullshit so well. She sounds homophobic and bitchy, and I don't want to meet her.
For curiosity's sake, what are you? From what I have seen, I'd guess Angel, nymph, or Fairy if some sort.
I'd like to eventually meet up with you, but for now I want to keep it to letters.

Sincerely, Nyx

America giggled a little at the guesses and smiled. They were all wrong, but they were cute guesses. He didn't mind if they wanted to keep writing letters, it was cute and was fun for him as well. He hoped that it wasn't who he was making them nervous about meeting in person.

Chapter Text

Russia smiled to himself as his last lesson ended, jogging out of the room quickly. He went to see if America was back in his office yet, and frowned a little to himself when he found that he, in fact, was not. So he decided to go and wait by the Chamomile flowers. He'd already hidden the letter, but hoped that he might be able to catch him before his shift was over. 

So there he found himself by the Chamomile flowers, leaning on the castle wall. The sun was keeping him warm, but not hot. He felt himself relax, his eyes closing as he slowly started to drift to sleep. 

He moved to slightly wake up when he heard someone, who sounded a lot like America, say: "Hey." 

Their voice had sounded soft and gentle. As if they didn't want to startle him. Their tone was kind and it was something he'd like to hear more often. 

He felt a bit too relaxed and didn't want to get up. 

He opened one of his eyes slightly when he felt himself being picked up. He noticed that he was being held against someone's chest. His back was supported by one arm, while another arm was under his knees. He gazed a little higher to see who was holding him. It was America, the small healer didn't notice that he was awake and started to walk. 

He closed his eyes again, hoping that America wouldn't notice that he was asleep. 

He found himself flustered by the fact that America was just holding him like this, he actually liked that America was strong enough to do that. He found himself slowly becoming a bit more than just fond of the small healer. He wasn't sure what he felt for the healer now, but it definitely wasn't just fondness. 
Fondness didn't make one want to do what he wanted to do. 

He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt America come to a stop. 

"Ah, Hello! I was hoping to get him to his room, he fell asleep out there." America spoke softly, staying fairly quiet. 

Russia felt himself relax a little, at that. The healer definitely thought he was asleep. 

There was a pause before he heard someone else. It was his dad, he quickly realized when they started speaking. 

His dad definitely would know he was faking sleep, hopefully he wouldn't say anything though. 

"I take it your time at the market went well?" His dad asked, thankfully not mentioning that Russia was most definitely awake. 

"Yep! Got everything I needed... I'll probably be staying a little late today so I can get everything out of my bag. I'll be putting it away tomorrow." America responded. 

After that he didn't hear anything else for a while. He only heard the footsteps of his dad and America, he assumed that his dad was showing America to his room. 

He felt himself put on a bed, then heard America pause for a moment and rustle through his bag. He then heard the sounds of writing. He then heard a little more rustling, then someone leaving the room. 

After a couple moments passed, he heard his dad come in. He heard a quiet chuckle and opened his eyes, looking over to see his dad. 

"So, want to tell me what that was about?" 

"He picked me up- it would have been embarrassing if I'd done anything " Russia said, trying to keep himself from blushing. 

His dad chuckled, and knowingly smiled. 
"Just be careful, will you?" His dad said before leaving him alone. 

Once he heard his dad leave the room, he grabbed a pillow and buried his face into it, screaming into it. That was extremely embarrassing. He hoped America wasn't nearby enough to hear that, that'd just make the situation even more embarrassing. 

He removed his face from the pillow and looked over, seeing a note. 

Hey Russia! 
Sorry, I couldn't just let you sleep in that position, please be careful! If you do that too much you might hurt your back. 
I tried to wake you up, but you didn't, so I carried you to your room. Your dad helped me find it. I hope you've been getting proper sleep! If not, I have a few herbs that could help. 
I could make them into a tea if you like! Just drop by at some point tomorrow, I want to make sure you are okay. 

Sincerely, America 

He smiled a bit, America was too kind. He was also really thoughtful. America had been really kind to him, and had been okay with him being in his office. He would definitely be showing up there more often! Even though he'd already been planning on doing that, he now had a written invitation to show up more, so he was going to take advantage of that. 

He checked the time before he went over to the window, watching to see when America would show up. 

He noticed that America looked a little bit excited when he got over to the Chamomile flowers. He watched as America cared for the flowers before getting the letter from its place in the flowers. 

He saw how America lit up and excitedly opened it. He watched the long pause as America read it. Then he saw as America folded it up and put it in the envelope. Then he put the envelope in his bag, and continued on, leaving Russia's line of sight. 

His thoughts were filled by America's earlier actions and gentleness as he laid back. He shook his head furiously, trying to convince himself that America was someone he was still just only fond of. Not someone who he'd like to cuddle, kiss, pick up, or do one of many other things. 

Russia found himself smiling a little at those thoughts and went back to his bed, laying down. Soon, he fell asleep, the flustering thoughts refusing to leave him. The smile didn't leave his face as he fell asleep either. 

Chapter Text

America hummed a little as he took the letter out of his bag, placing it on his desk. 

He read it again and smiled, getting a few ideas for his response. He pulled out a sheet of paper and started to write his response. He happily read each part of the letter, responding to it as best he could. He was just happy Nyx was willing to keep writing to him. 

Even if he'd met Nyx in person, he found himself happy to have the chance to learn more about him. Though he couldn't apply any of it, he was happy to know more about someone he'd met and might see as a friend. 

He took a last look over his finished response and smiled to himself. He'd look over it again in the morning, but as for now he was happy with it. He hummed quietly as he grabbed some night clothes before going into his bathroom. 

He undressed after putting his clothes on the sink counter. He ran himself a lukewarm bath and watched carefully as the tub filled up. 

He turned off the water and shifted into his half shift form, which his friend Japan called the "Neko" form, as he did need to wash his fur. He hated how heavy his fur got and how cold he felt when he did this, but using normal cat bathing methods never worked for him because of how dense and fluffy his fur was. 

He sighed, he dreaded doing this, but the sooner it was over with, the sooner he'd feel better. 

So he dunked his head first, starting with the easy part. He washed his hair, and scrubbed some of the mixture into the fur on his ears. He didn't mess with the fur protecting his inner ears, knowing that if he did he'd get one hell of an earache. Then he dunked his head again, carefully washing the mixture from his hair and fur. 

Once he was content with it being gone, he pulled his head out and wrapped his hair and ears in a towel. 

The mixture he used to clean his hair was Aloe vera, dried and powdered soapwort, and some lavender. The lavender was mostly for his own comfort, and how nice it smelled. 

He sighed a little and stepped into the tip, moving until he was fully in the water, making sure everything but his head was submerged. Then he stood getting more of the mixture on his hands. He then started massaging it into the fur of his tail. It took him a while to get it all the way through all of his tail's fur. 

He had a tail that was quite a bit longer than average, which was a feminine feature of his specialization's shift. His tail was 50 percent longer than it should be, it was something that his family thought he'd grow out of, but he never did. It was part of why he didn't like using his shift forms around anyone, it was embarrassing to him. 

He sighed as he finished and sat back down in the tub, starting to rinse his fur. It didn't take as long, and soon it was over. 

After that was over, he washed the rest of himself. And soon enough, the tub was draining, and he was drying his hair and tail vigorously. Once he was content that it was mostly dry, he used one of the abilities his shift had, the ability to self regulate temperature. He pushed it high enough to dry his hair and fur in a fairly short amount of time. He quickly lowered it to his normal before it ebbed away too much from his energy stores. 

He hummed and got himself into the clean night clothes before collecting the dirty clothes from the floor and putting them in his hamper, he'd wash it all after he got off work the next day. 

He then laid down, ready to at least rest his eyes a little. 

He wasn't going to sleep, not after the thought he just had. He'd thought back to the lack of teasing from the king and found himself wondering if maybe the prince was awake... That meant he'd either spooked the prince really badly by picking him up or had stunned him. He didn't like that thought, hopefully the king was just doing him a mercy because of the magic incident. He could only hope that was the case. 

Needless to say, he didn't get any sleep, and just laid there, with his eyes closed. 

He got out of bed at 6:30, and re-read his response letter. He promptly decided to strike through some of it. He didn't have time to re-write it, so he just hoped it wasn't too odd of a thing to leave in, even if it was struck through. 

He got himself dressed in his proper outfit for the day, gently folding the letter and putting it in an envelope. After sealing the envelope, he wrote "From Aku, to Nyx" on the back. He smiled and carried it with him, deciding after some breakfast he'd take the longer route that passed by the Chamomile flowers. 

So that's what he did, dropping the letter off under the Chamomile flowers. He then got up and casually continued his walk to his office. 

Once in his office, he checked the time, wanting to make sure he was showing up early or at least on time. It was just now 8:30, he was 30 minutes early. 

He sighed a little and smiled, first up was finishing up those reports. He may not be on the clock right now, but he did need to give those reports over to his boss, Soviet. 

He picked up the quill and inkwell from his drawer and started to write, hoping that copying information from loose paper into his notebook of reports wouldn't take too long. 

It was a boring task, but a necessary one. 

When he was done, he checked the clock again, finding that an hour had passed. He stared at the reports for a moment before getting up and stretching. He walked over to the herbs, snacks, and other stuff he'd put on the coffee table and started going through it. It was going to take a while for him to organize it, let alone get it put away.  

Chapter Text

Russia yawned a bit and looked at the time, finding it was actually very early right now. He stretched and got up, going to get dressed. 

Today he had a fencing class, so he needed to wear something that'd give him range of movement. So he went for some more loosely fitting clothes. 

So he ended up in a looser long sleeve shirt that was sky blue, and a pair of black pants. He then left his room, and waited around until breakfast started. 

It was quiet as usual, and no one really spoke. 

After that, he decided to take the longer way to his class, passing by the Chamomile flowers. He noticed something under the flowers and got excited, running over. He picked up an envelope and read the names on it. He smiled to himself once he read "From Aku, to Nyx" on the back. He held it close to his chest and started running the rest of the way to his class. 

Once he was in the building, he started walking normally, a smile on his face. He couldn't help it, finding himself excited to get somewhere where he could read it. 

Sadly, class started before he could even open the envelope, so he just did his best to pay attention. Thankfully his first class wasn't fencing, but that didn't make it any easier to focus. It was his literature class, and he wished he could just read the letter from America instead. 

He'd live though, He'd be reading it the moment the class was over. 

The class felt like it stretched on forever, it was one of his favorite classes but it was currently the bane of his existence. 

Eventually, the class finished and Russia happily got up, running out and back to the main castle. He only had three classes today, he'd be able to read the letter and at least start writing his response before his next class. 

Once he got to his room, he sat at the desk and excitedly opened the letter, careful not to damage the letter or envelope. 

Dear Nyx, 
I would not ignore a letter directed at me! Also, you calling me "Night Gardener" was adorable.
Seeing as letters are more comfortable for you, I'm happy to continue writing! Whatever makes you comfortable. 
If you don't feel comfortable with sharing your name, then that's fine with me. Tell me when you are ready! 
As for the potion that takes away the need for sleep, I'll ask! I could probably put some in a vial. I'll leave it with one of the letters. 
I however, would suggest getting yourself a proper sleep schedule so that you have an ingrained sleep schedule. It helps make sure that you wake up at necessary times. But if you have that, you're golden! 
Also, I'm flattered that you think I look nice! I wish I knew what you look like, but I'm sure you look great! 
Also, you'd be right to guess that me in work hours doesn't react how I would outside of them. I'm a "disaster gay" according to my brother. He swears up and down that if someone who is my type were to even flirt with me in jest, that I'd die. He's right, and I hate it. 
As for what I think of Prince Russia, I personally really like him! He hung out in my office the other day. I'd let him do so more often. I like his company, and he has a nice fashion sense.  Also, if you are at all in contact with him, don't tell him I find him attractive. 
Soviet, my boss, already teases me enough for it. He has to tease me for it at least once before he leaves my office, it's like he has a quota for it.  Soviet does not let me call him King, and I still don't know why. 
If I ask, he says "You know why", and I don't. If it's about me saving his life, then I slightly understand. Not fully, but I understand a little more. 
Also, I know Argentina because she's my friend's sister. And my friend, Mexico, agrees with you. He's glad I finally defended myself and he's since told me I should have done more. 
None of your guesses are correct on what I am, but I would like to implore you to keep guessing.
Please don't accidentally kill me when we meet up. I'd very much like to not collapse into a pile of extremely flustered person. 
As for the camera, I have an extra! I could leave it with my next letter. I'll give you a picture of Bean, he's a color point, and a ragdoll Siamese mix. 

Sincerely, Aku 

A little piece of paper fell out of the envelope with the letter. 

He read what it said on it and chuckled. 
It said: This is Bean, he is a bastard. A lovable bastard, but a bastard nonetheless! 

He flipped it over and found a color point cat with short hair and long hair. The cat had blue eyes and was walking down some stairs, staring at a red dot on the wall. He assumed that America had taken the picture, as he'd mentioned liking taking pictures. 

He then went back to re-reading the letter, wanting to properly read what America had struck through with his pen. 

Eventually he just sighed and started writing a response. He'd probably have a bit more later. 

He couldn't finish his response, he had to know what it said, so he just kept trying. 

He eventually deciphered it and flustered, knowing America found him attractive was nice. But oh dear God was it something that made his thoughts race. He found himself wondering if America ever had thoughts similar to the ones he'd had. He hoped that he might have. 

He'd tease America a little about it, but he had no room to talk especially considering his recent thoughts. He quickly wrote down what America had stricken through so he could see what it was without hassle. He didn't do that on the page he was using for his response, he used a different sheet of paper. 

He checked the time, seeing he had another hour before he needed to get to his next class. He decided he'd use that time to finish writing his response letter. 

He happily continued writing. He wrote in another guess, and one he would've guessed it wasn't something that'd have America disregarding any of his own medical advice. 

He finished up his response and got out an envelope, writing on the back: "From Nyx, to Aku".  And waited for the ink on both to dry. 

He then searched around, quickly finding the camera his dad had let him borrow. He found Anatoly, his little void, and snapped a picture of him, sitting on a pink blanket. 

He smiled a little and slipped the picture into the envelope with the letter once it was done. He hoped America liked his cat. 

Chapter Text

America hummed quietly to himself as he shuffled through the herbs he'd gotten from the market. He was sorting them into piles based on what they were, and he'd yet to get to the point where he could start putting them away. This was going to take him a while, and it'd feel like a longer time than it actually was. He wished more people would hang out with him, company was always nice when doing menial tasks like this. 

Needless to say, this was a boring, but necessary, task. It was quite mind numbing and something he'd very much prefer not to be doing. Especially since he was alone while doing it. 

He looked over at the time and sighed a bit, it was currently 10:47, meaning he'd been at this for a little over an hour. He still wasn't close to being done sorting. 

He muttered some curses to himself and continued sorting through the pile of herbs in the middle of the coffee table. 

He almost immediately perked up and looked to see who was coming into his office. 

In the doorway, he saw his boss, the king, Soviet. 

"Oh uhm, Hello!" He said, getting up and heading over to his desk. "You're here to get the reports, yeah? I finished the ones for the medical reports from the magic incident!" 

Soviet nodded a little and walked over. 

America smiled a little and picked up the reports, handing them over. 

"There's more than usual, but that's because of the magic incident." He said, smiling a bit. If you need anything else before you go, tell me now." 

"I don't need anything else." Soviet said, waving. He started to hum a tune. 

America didn't recognize the tune at first and was confused. But he then started to recognize it, and immediately flustered. It was the tune "Here Comes the Bride". 

"Soviet stop- Please - your son won't marry me-" he tried to explain, cutting himself off a few times. 

Soviet ignored him and kept humming the tune as he left the office. 

America sighed and little and got the blush to leave his face. He thought that if there was a god, they were most definitely laughing at him. 

He walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a de-stressor candy from the cabinet and ate it. It tasted a little like lemon and apple. He really liked how it tasted, they were all pleasant flavors. The lemon apple ones were just his favorite of all the flavors. 

He then went over to the coffee table to continue sorting the herbs he'd gotten. 

After a long while he was done sorting them, so he went over to the herb cabinet and opened it. He then started picking up the herb piles one by one, putting them in their marked places. 

He got to the poppies last, and carried them over to his cabinet, putting them away. 

With that, he was done. He smiled a little and went over to his desk, having a seat. 

After a while of silence, he heard someone walk in, he looked up and felt a small smile come onto his face. It was Russia. 

"Hey! I was hoping I'd see you here." America said. "Do you need anything for sleep help?" He asked carefully. 

Russia walked over to him with a small smile. He took a seat in a chair that was on the other side of America's desk, allowing him to see the short healer. 

"No, I don't, but thank you for the offer. I just wanted to drop by." Russia responded, smiling. 

America nodded a little and hummed. 

"I don't need anything for sleep, also thank you for carrying me to my room last night. I hope I didn't burden you too much" Russia spoke again after a second. 

America hummed softly before he spoke. "No problem! It wasn't a burden, you haven't done anything that'd make you a burden." 

Russia seemed to smile at that. 

America hummed quietly and got up. 

"Currently I don't have anything to do, I just finished putting the herbs away." He admitted, going over to his bookshelf. 

"What's your favorite type of bird?" Russia asked. 

America looked up at him and smiled a little. 

"I like all types of birds, but crows and Corvids are my favorites." America said after a moment's pause. "How about you?" 

"My favorite has to be one of the Ravens. They're quite intelligent and interesting." Russia said, smiling a little. 

"I love Ravens! They've actually started to tame wolves." America said happily. "They're corvids, and are really fun." 

America didn't seem to realize that he'd dropped a lot of his professionalism. But it wasn't like it mattered much; he wasn't needed anywhere and no one was there to see this other than Russia. 

Russia stayed there with him for a while before he had to leave. 

America smiled at him and said bye, hoping that Russia would come back later. He really had been enjoying his presence a lot as of recently. He'd only been showing up for a couple days, but he realized that the more he saw Russia, the more fond he became. He couldn't bring himself to mind, only hoping that his fondness stayed just that, fondness. 

He hoped that Russia wouldn't find out that he found him attractive. It might ruin the friendship that was forming between them. He was trying not to make Russia uncomfortable with any indication that he found him attractive. He also tried to keep his thoughts away from anything that'd put him beyond fondness or friendship. 

But he found it hard outside of his office hours. So he was glad Russia only visited him during office hours. He'd be happy to see him outside of them, but he's not sure if he'd be able to keep himself together. 

The more that he thought about it, the more he thought that he'd be able to, as long as Russia didn't flirt, or god forbid, Samuel started calling him "Papa" again. He hoped that maybe he could see Russia after his office hours at some point. 

Maybe not that day or the next, but some time soon. 

Chapter Text

America walked away from Russia's room, finding himself hoping Russia might come visit his office later. He'd get Russia some of the tea he'd mentioned in his note, hoping that it'd be a pleasant surprise for the others. He walked to his office and grabbed a box of mixed tea from his cabinet. 

America started to boil some water for the tea. And while he waited, he  started to write his response to Nyx. He however, didn't get to finish his response before it was time to pour the boiling water. He took out a couple tea bags, pouring a cup for himself, and one for Russia. He gently tucked the letter he’d started into the folder in his bag. He also put the box of tea in there. It was a chamomile-lavender blend. He hoped Russia would like it.

He grabbed the cups of tea and snuck back out of his office, making his way to Russia's room. Once he got there, he used his foot to lightly tap on the door, as a way of knocking.

Russia opened the door, and seemed a bit surprised to see America there.

"You said you were having trouble falling asleep, so I figured this might help" America said, offering Russia one of the cups. "It's a blend of lavender and chamomile, it's supposed to keep your mind from stressing and help you fall asleep."

Russia took the cup from America and smiled at him.

"Thank you, that is very thoughtful." Russia said.

"I didn't add any sweetener, because this is supposed to help relax you, not give more energy." America noted, knowing that that may be upsetting to some people. 

Russia nodded and lightly blew on the tea, getting slightly steamed by the still fairly hot tea.

America smiled a little at Russia and used his now freehand to get the box of tea from his bag.

"If you like it enough, and in case you ever have trouble falling asleep again, I wanted to give this to you." America said, slightly smiling as he offered Russia the box of tea.

"Thank you America." Russia said, taking the box from the other.

"No problem! I'll see you later!" America said, waving goodbye to Russia before he headed back to his barracks.

Once he got back, he put his tea on his desk and put the folder on his desk. He took out his sealed inkwell and put it on the desk, walking away to get himself into something comfortable enough for the next few hours. 

He came back, finding Bean looking guiltily at a knocked over inkwell. Thankfully, the inkwell was intact, and no ink was spilled on his desk.

"Bean, why?" He asked the cat, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

The cat meowed, then hopped off the desk, then walked away.

America sighed and looked back to the paper, rereading what he'd written. He read something he'd written and saw it as vaguely concerning, so prepared his quill and struck through it. Once he was done with rereading over what he'd written, he took out Nyx's letter so he could check back and make sure he responded as best he could to it. 

Once he was content with his response, he waited for the ink to dry. He wrote "From Aku, to Nyx" on the back of the envelope he was going to put under the Chamomile flowers. Once the ink on both the envelope and letter was dry, he folded the letter and tucked it into the envelope. He smiled a little and checked the time.

He got up and brought the envelope to the Chamomile flowers, hiding it beneath them before going back to his barracks. It was far too early to go to work, but far too late to get any sleep.

He ended up finishing his tea while he waited for a proper time to start heading to his job.

While he waited, he decided to pull out his watercolors and play around with them. He wasn't making a piece to display, just something for fun. He ended up creating a galaxy cat. He left it out on his desk, getting up to stretch. He hoped Russia was doing better, and hoped he'd managed to get back to sleep.

He checked the time and decided to get something for breakfast then head to his office, he'd be really early, as per usual. 

He opted to just make himself a sandwich, it was enough to sustain him until lunch. He started his walk to his office as he ate, humming to himself happily. 

He had to admit, the night before did have him worried about the prince. But he hoped that the tea blend did help and that he liked it, as it was a blend he'd personally been using for a while. If not, and the prince had another night like that, he had different blends that he may like. He'd ask when he next saw the prince, which would hopefully be soon.

As he watched the clock on the wall, he found himself zoning out a bit, wondering what had caused the prince to have a sleepless night. Whatever the cause, he hoped the tea helped. After a while of wondering, he decided to make himself some more tea.

He put on some water to boil, going to his cabinet and looking through it. He pulled out a mug, a tea bag, and a little sugar. Today was a lavender-mint day, so that's what blend he went with. It'd throw some energy into his system and would calm his nerves a bit.

Once the water was at a boil, he pulled it off and poured it into his mug. He then put the tea bag and sugar into the mug, leaving the tea to steep for a bit. Once he felt it'd been long enough, he stirred it. He then put his tea on his desk, grabbing some of the stuff he had to make into little treatment pills. 

It was a menial task, but one he could do until he had something to do that was important. He'd finished all the painkillers the day before, so was now making the powder into little pills. That always took the longest.

He reached over and took a sip of the tea, hoping it wouldn't burn his tongue, before going back to making the pills.

Chapter Text

America happily hugged onto Russia, relaxing a little. The situation with Argentina had been very stressful. It was mostly another tirade on how he should marry her, how she could "fix" him, and she'd attempted to kiss him again. The last thing left him the most uncomfortable, it left him wanting to go and take a bath because of how wrong it made him feel. He just wanted to stay there for a moment, to stay there hugging onto Russia. He let go after Russia did, finding himself a little disappointed that they had to let go.

"Thank you again" America said softly, smiling a little at Russia.

After that, America went over to the cabinet that had the destressing candies. The one he'd taken from earlier had worn off, they were designed to relieve stress for long enough for the source of stress to be gone and for the person who was stressed to find a way to properly destress. He grabbed another one and took it, then closed the cabinet.

"No problem America!" Russia said, taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of America's desk. 

America went back and had a seat back in his chair behind his desk. He tested his head on the desk and sighed a little.

He moved again, straightening himself out a little. He then whistled for Samuel.

Samuel flew in and chirped happily, looking at America.

"Samuel, please go tell Brazil, Japan, Mexico, China, the Korea twins, and Italy that something happened and I would like to be alone today."

The crow nodded and chirped before flying out again, presumable to do as America had asked.

America looked back at Russia and smiled a little bit at him.

"I know my own limits. I love my friends, but I honestly think I might get too stressed if I see them after what happened" America said, looking over at Russia. 

Russia nodded a little and started to get up.

America shook his head and reached out a little to stop him from doing so.

"No- I'd like to hang out with you, please stay" America said, looking at Russia.

Russia seemed to buffer for a moment before sitting back down.

"Okay then. I'll stay" He said, sitting back down where he'd been before.

America smiled a little.

"You can leave if you want, I just didn't want you to leave because of what I said- "America said, trying to clear up any misunderstandings.

"I thought that you might want to be alone, and thought you might want me to leave " Russia responded.

America sighed a little and looked at him .

"I don't want you to leave! If I implied that, I didn't mean to!" America said, blushing a little. "I actually want to see you here a bit more often."

"I thought you might want me to leave, as you said you don't want to hang out with your friends." Russia explained.

America shook his head vigorously. "I don't want you to leave! I actually really like when you're around."

Russia smiled at that and looked generally happy when he heard that.

Russia's happiness was infectious, getting America to smile as well. He found himself hoping that Russia might stick around for a little longer. He wasn't sure what Russia  Russia usually did, and hoped he wasn't keeping Russia from it. He liked being around Russia, but hoped he wasn't keeping him from any obligations.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from anything. So if I am, please tell me!" America said, wanting to make sure he wasn't keeping Russia here if he had anything else to do.

"You're not. Usually I hang out in the library after my classes. I much prefer hanging out with you" Russia said, leaning towards the other.

America smiled a little, slightly flustered by Russia opting to lean closer to him. He didn't mind it, but really hoped it didn't come off as though he were uncomfortable, because he wasn't.

Russia seemed to take it as that and leaned back into his chair, and closed himself off slightly.

America wanted to clarify, but wasn't sure how. He smiled a little at Russia, trying to think of a way to start a conversation with him.

"So, what's your favorite malaphor?" America settled on, hoping Russia knew what that was.

"Mine is probably «You've opened this can of worms, now lie in it». What's your favorite?" Russia said after a moment's pause. 

"Mine is «I'll burn that bridge when I get to it»." America responded, smiling at Russia.

Russia chuckled a little and smiled again.

The two ended up talking and having fun until America's shift was over. Of course, America also worked on things for his job like powderizing the opium poppies and field poppies so he could make them into more consumable forms. It was a menial task for him, so having someone talk to him while he worked was nice.

His shift seemed to come to a close far too fast for his liking. Once it was over, he parted ways with Russia and headed back to his barracks. He took a quick shower to make himself feel better before he got ready to go to do his nightly gardening.

He went at his normal pace, with his normal care, but it felt slow. Ever since he'd started writing to Nyx, those on the way to the chamomile flowers felt slow.

Once he was there, he tended to the flowers before noticing the letter. He excitedly pulled it out and started reading it.

Dear Aku, 
Thank you for not minding, I just prefer writing. I always have, it's been a hobby of mine since childhood. So this may be the best way to communicate for me at the moment. That's why I'm glad you don't mind! 
I actually kind of have a sleep schedule, as long as I see you, I sleep easy and wake up on time. Sometimes I have to be woken up, but I have been able to wake up on time. 
Is there anything you need to know about me to get the correct amount? Or would it be okay to just tell me the rules on dosage? My height would give away who I am so I don't want to share it. 
I'm not sure if I'd be considered a "disaster" when around people I find attractive, but I haven't been teased about it. But my thoughts do become jumbled when I find someone attractive. I don't think I can self assess myself on this though. 
I would tease you for what you lightly crossed out, but as I do find you attractive, I have negative room to speak. 
Argentina still sounds like a bitch, but your friend Mexico has good sense. I like them, I don't even have to meet them and I like them. They sound like they have a good head on their shoulders.
Darn! I thought you might be one of those. Angel, nymph, and fairy are the most convincing because of affinity to plants and or healing. Not to mention that you face shape would be one that would easily fall into any of them. 
I would guess Caeleon, but that'd require you to wing bind, tail tuck, and do god knows what with your ears. So are you a baseline human? 
Also, I won't kill you? I like you too much. I'm far too fond of you. 
I don't think I'm the type of attractive to make you become a flustered mess. 
Also, don't worry about getting me a camera, my dad helped me get one. I hope you like Anatoly. 
Also, Bean is adorable, give him pets for me.

Sincerely, Nyx 

A picture was in the envelope as well, and when America pulled it out, he found a picture of a black cat sitting on a pink blanket. The cat had purple eyes, and was doing a 'blep', sticking their tounge out. On the back, Nyx had written "The void craves cuddles."

America chuckled and smiled, liking Anatoly. He read over the part that had been stricken through and flustered. Knowing that someone, someone he'd likely spoken to at least once, found him attractive was flustering. He wasn't sure who it was, but hoped he'd find out soon.

Chapter Text

Russia walked back to his room after dinner, finding himself dwelling on what had happened with America earlier. He was worried, though he knew America had been fine when he'd left. The worry just sank further into his chest. He looked over and found himself smiling when his cat, Anatoly, ran over to him. Hopefully America's cat, Bean, was giving him a similar comfort. Or maybe, America was doing something else to relax. Whatever the case may be, he hoped America was doing well and or feeling better. He waited for the time to pass, watching the sun slowly set. 

About an hour after the moon had risen, he saw America slowly walk over to the Chamomile flowers below his window. He let out a sigh of relief, thankfully, America was feeling well enough to do his nightly gardening. That made him feel better, seeing the other out gardening put his worries to rest. 

He forgot he'd even left a response out there until he saw America pick up the envelope, he watched as America opened the letter and started reading. America hanging out there when he read the letters was always nice. 

America then looked at the picture of Anatoly, and seemed to smile, liking him. Then he seemed to do a re-read of the letter, and something caused him to fluster. 

Russia realized what it was and flustered himself, he'd left in the part about him finding America attractive. He hoped that wouldn't mess up their relationship if he ever decided to meet up with America. 

He decided that he should give himself a deadline of some kind. If he didn't, he'd never actually get the guts to meet America in person. So maybe he could use this guessing game he'd started to set the deadline. 

He decided to write it down by making it the opening paragraph to his letter. He needed to use that to make sure he went through with it. After that, he got himself into some sleepwear and got in bed. 

Luckily, sleep came semi-easily to him. He had a few thoughts that flustered him, but for the most part sleep came easy. His dreams, however, got extremely flustering for him. 

One of the dreams had him and America on his bed, cuddling. In the dream, America had made the exact noise he'd heard from earlier, and then said "I love you". The noise had sounded adorable, both in the dream and out. In the same dream, America had pulled him into a kiss and then gone to relaxing. 

The next dream had gone a different route. He and America were in a compromising position, where he had America pushed up against the headboard of his bed. The sun was down, and the moon was lighting the room. America had his arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer. He'd leaned in closer to America and wrapped his arms around the others waist. They had kissed in the dream, and it had kept going, becoming more than just a kiss or two. 

He woke up from the second dream with a red face. He checked the time, finding it was really early. He got out of bed and looked in the mirror, his face was flushed. It was the second dream that had him like this. He snuck out of his room quietly and made his way to one of the showers. He locked the door, and undressed. He then turned on the cold water and stepped in. He stayed in the shower until he calmed down the massive amount of blush on his face. Then he turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. He dried himself off and tried not to think of the dream that brought him in there. He'd write what it was down, and hoped that wouldn't send him back to the shower to calm down. He got back into the pajamas he'd worn to bed and when he'd come here. 

He walked back to his room and went back in, deciding that he'd use a journal his dad had given him a while back. Maybe journaling the dreams would help him resolve it. 

He took it out, opening the leather cover. He smiled a little and flipped to the first page, taking out his quill and inkwell. Then he started writing. He wrote about the first one, it was the one that he honestly wouldn't mind experiencing in reality instead of just a dream. As he suspected, the second dream had caused him to need another cold shower. The dream would've been flustering if it'd been anyone, but it being America in the dream was something that made it more so. 

After writing it all down, he went to take another cold shower. He came back out after it and went back to his room after redressing. He tried to go back to sleep, but found himself unable. 

After a while of not being able to sleep, he got up and decided that maybe a walk around the palace would help. He walked downstairs and then started to walk around, finding it relaxing. Eventually, he decided to walk outside. 

As he walked, he eventually came across America who was tending to some morning glories that were also known as moon flowers. He paused for a moment, debating on if he should approach and talk to him.

He decided to approach him and just stay quiet, if America wanted to talk to him then he'd respond. 

"Hello?" America called out, looking around. He spotted Russia and went from slightly worried to calmer, with a small smile. 

Russia waved a little and took a seat on the ground next to America. 

"So, what are you doing up this late? Want to talk about it?" America asked softly as he went back to tending to the flowers. 

"I'd prefer not to talk about the specifics" Russia started, remembering a little of the dreams, before he spoke again. "But I am unable to go back to sleep." 

America nodded softly and gently hugged him. America gently patted his back before he pulled away and went back to tending to the flowers. 

"Well, I'd offer to let you come with me, but I'm going to be heading back to my barracks to start writing a friend of mine back." America said with a nervous laugh. 

"I can just continue to wander" Russia responded, not wanting to intrude upon America's space. 

America shook his head. 

"No... How about you come with me? As long as you aren't allergic to cats. That, or I can just walk with you back to your room." 

Russia dwelled on his options for a moment. 

"I'll just go back to my room, I don't want to intrude on your space." He settled on. 

America nodded a little and smiled at Russia, walking into the castle with Russia. 

Russia led the way for the most part, heading to his room. 

America followed him and then waved once he was there. 

Russia watched as the other disappeared into the hall, likely going back to his own room. 

Chapter Text

America walked away from Russia's room, finding himself hoping Russia might come visit his office later. He'd get Russia some of the tea he'd mentioned in his note, hoping that it'd be a pleasant surprise for the others. He walked to his office and grabbed a box of mixed tea from his cabinet. 

America started to boil some water for the tea. And while he waited, he started to write his response to Nyx. He however, didn't get to finish his response before it was time to pour the boiling water. He took out a couple tea bags, pouring a cup for himself, and one for Russia. He gently tucked the letter he'd started into the folder in his bag. He also put the box of tea in there. It was a chamomile-lavender blend. He hoped Russia would like it. 

He grabbed the cups of tea and snuck back out of his office, making his way to Russia's room. Once he got there, he used his foot to lightly tap on the door, as a way of knocking. 

Russia opened the door, and seemed a bit surprised to see America there. 

"You said you were having trouble falling asleep, so I figured this might help" America said, offering Russia one of the cups. "It's a blend of lavender and chamomile, it's supposed to keep your mind from stressing and help you fall asleep." 

Russia took the cup from America and smiled at him. 

"Thank you, that is very thoughtful." Russia said. 

"I didn't add any sweetener, because this is supposed to help relax you, not give more energy." America noted, knowing that that may be upsetting to some people. 

Russia nodded and lightly blew on the tea, getting slightly steamed by the still fairly hot tea. 

America smiled a little at Russia and used his now freehand to get the box of tea from his bag. 

"If you like it enough, and in case you ever have trouble falling asleep again, I wanted to give this to you." America said, slightly smiling as he offered Russia the box of tea. 

"Thank you America." Russia said, taking the box from the other. 

"No problem! I'll see you later!" America said, waving goodbye to Russia before he headed back to his barracks. 

Once he got back, he put his tea on his desk and put the folder on his desk. He took out his sealed inkwell and put it on the desk, walking away to get himself into something comfortable enough for the next few hours. 

He came back, finding Bean looking guiltily at a knocked over inkwell. Thankfully, the inkwell was intact, and no ink was spilled on his desk. 

"Bean, why?" He asked the cat, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. 

The cat meowed, then hopped off the desk, then walked away. 

America sighed and looked back to the paper, rereading what he'd written. He read something he'd written and saw it as vaguely concerning, so prepared his quill and struck through it. Once he was done with rereading over what he'd written, he took out Nyx's letter so he could check back and make sure he responded as best he could to it. 

Once he was content with his response, he waited for the ink to dry. He wrote "From Aku, to Nyx" on the back of the envelope he was going to put under the Chamomile flowers. Once the ink on both the envelope and letter was dry, he folded the letter and tucked it into the envelope. He smiled a little and checked the time. 

He got up and brought the envelope to the Chamomile flowers, hiding it beneath them before going back to his barracks. It was far too early to go to work, but far too late to get any sleep. 

He ended up finishing his tea while he waited for a proper time to start heading to his job. 

While he waited, he decided to pull out his watercolors and play around with them. He wasn't making a piece to display, just something for fun. He ended up creating a galaxy cat. He left it out on his desk, getting up to stretch. He hoped Russia was doing better, and hoped he'd managed to get back to sleep. 

He checked the time and decided to get something for breakfast then head to his office, he'd be really early, as per usual. 

He opted to just make himself a sandwich, it was enough to sustain him until lunch. He started his walk to his office as he ate, humming to himself happily. 

He had to admit, the night before did have him worried about the prince. But he hoped that the tea blend did help and that he liked it, as it was a blend he'd personally been using for a while. If not, and the prince had another night like that, he had different blends that he may like. He'd ask when he next saw the prince, which would hopefully be soon. 

As he watched the clock on the wall, he found himself zoning out a bit, wondering what had caused the prince to have a sleepless night. Whatever the cause, he hoped the tea helped. After a while of wondering, he decided to make himself some more tea. 

He put on some water to boil, going to his cabinet and looking through it. He pulled out a mug, a tea bag, and a little sugar. Today was a lavender-mint day, so that's what blend he went with. It'd throw some energy into his system and would calm his nerves a bit. 

Once the water was at a boil, he pulled it off and poured it into his mug. He then put the tea bag and sugar into the mug, leaving the tea to steep for a bit. Once he felt it'd been long enough, he stirred it. He then put his tea on his desk, grabbing some of the stuff he had to make into little treatment pills. 

It was a menial task, but one he could do until he had something to do that was important. He'd finished all the painkillers the day before, so was now making the powder into little pills. That always took the longest. 

He reached over and took a sip of the tea, hoping it wouldn't burn his tongue, before going back to making the pills. 

Chapter Text

Russia smiled a little to himself, deciding to take a sip of the tea America had brought him. The other was so thoughtful, and kind. The blend was really nice, and he liked it. He'd have to thank America later, he'd do that when he returned the mug. He'd be keeping the blend, even though he was sure he probably wouldn't need it again. Or rather, he probably would need it again he was just hoping he wouldn't. He sighed to himself, taking a seat back on the edge of his bed before taking another sip. 

After a while, he felt himself get tired. He'd finished the cup of tea, and felt relaxed and calm. He laid back into the bed after putting the empty mug on the bedside table. After laying down, he fell back asleep almost immediately. 

He woke up while the sun was rising, yawning a bit as he stretched. Luckily, it was early enough that his dad was not waking him up, which meant it was early. He smiled to himself, stumbling out of bed and getting dressed. 

After a quiet breakfast with his family, he started heading to his first class. He decided he'd check the chamomiles after that class, specifically after his second class because he'd have about an hour of buffer time before his third class. 

His anticipation to go check the Chamomiles for a response made time feel slower. But he managed, paying attention to the classes to the best of his ability. Once the first two were over, he ran over to the small patch of chamomile flowers. He spotted a response in an envelope and excitedly grabbed it, hopping off to his room to go read it. Once he was in his room he gently opened the letter. He was excited about how America had replied to him. 

He unfolded the letter and began to read the letter. 

Dear Nyx, 
Writing is a good hobby to have! I find myself enjoying it as well, even when it pertains to reports I need to write for my job. Honestly writing these feels kind of like passing notes in class, but in a fun way! It's not like we feel like we're going to get caught, it's more like we have conflicting schedules. 
Anyway, my friend, Japan says she needs your height and weight(as well as race). So being awake at night without consequences may have to wait. Or it'll have to until you're comfortable meeting up and/ or sharing your height and race. 
The dosage rules aren't incremental apparently, which is unusual in potions(according to her). So that'll have to wait until we meet in person, sorry! 
If you're a "disaster", you'd know! Especially when around someone you find attractive. Or you could be unaware, ask someone you trust about it! They'll probably be honest with you. 
And oh dear! I'm very flustered flattered knowing that someone finds me attractive! I don't see it myself, but I'm flattered, thank you. 
My friend Mexico has a pretty good head on his shoulders! So I agree with you there. Also, Argentina cornered me in my office earlier , I crave death. I was lucky, Russia got there and stopped her before she tried to kiss me again. I will eventually find a way to thank him for that. 
As for your guess of me being a baseline human, hah no! I wish. But that's an interesting guess.
A s for Caeleon, I'm not one. Wing binding and tail tucking (no matter your race) is very detrimental and damaging! 
I've treated cases of tail tucking in a deer guard, and let me tell you, the broken bones on the poor doe! She felt obligated to stay in her half shift form, but people apparently had been tugging and messing with her tail. That stuff doesn't fly! I've also seen tucking in longer tailed shifts, but usually, they tuck in a way that just causes stiffness. They (usually) wrap their tails around themselves. But if they go the route of having their tail down one side of their pants, I've seen broken bones. 
I've also seen tucking in the Caeleon, it was during my travels. I met one, she was wing binding and tail tucking. She had broken bones throughout her tail, and her wing binding almost caused permanent damage. I understand why she did it, but my goodness is it never worth it! 
If you happen to be considering tail tucking to get a job, this is my message of it not being worth it! 
Also, Anatoly is adorable. I'd like to pet him, would you introduce me if we meet in person (knowingly)? 
Also, Bean just chased my inkwell off my desk, I will not. 
Okay maybe I will. He's been given pets, and told they were from you. 

Sincerely, Aku 

Russia grimaced as he read about the cases of tail tucking America had written about. He hadn't considered tucking, and with that warning, he never would. 

He started writing his own response to this letter, finding himself frowning at America writing "I crave death". It made him worry for his friend, who he had realized he most definitely had a crush on. He shook away that thought and continued writing, hoping that his response letter might make America feel better. 

Once he was content with his response and guesses, he put the letter in an envelope and wrote "From Nyx, to Aku" on the back of it. 

He took his response to the patch of chamomile flowers and hid his letter in them. After that, he walked back inside the castle, walking to America's office to spend the last bit of his break with the healer. He walked in, and found America treating someone's wounds. It was the person he'd heard America call " 'taly", who he still didn't know the name of. 

America did an upward nod to him, before he went back to work. It was a casual acknowledgement of him, which told him that America was comfortable with his presence. 

Russia smiled a little at that and took a seat in a chair near America.

Chapter Text

America sighed to himself as he looked at the mixture he was making. He then remembered that he needed to get some medicine for a couple of people. The magic incident and all, he knew that the other healers had kept up with them, but it would hurt for him to do a check in on them. 

Packing away a couple of the painkillers he'd made from the opium poppies, and a couple of pills he'd made to deal with headaches from. 

He wrote a little note, sticking it to the door before he walked off to deal with a few of the patients from the magical incident. 

Once he was done with his check ins on them, he returned to his office and removed the note from his door. Luckily, they were okay, as well as any of the other people he found while checking on those in the infirmary. 

America wrote down the updates and what he'd done to aid in their continued recovery. He noted the progressions in their healing as well. 

After a while, he heard someone getting close to his office, so he looked up before they came in. 

Once the door was opened, he saw Italy standing there in his office's doorway. He quickly invited the other in, almost certain he'd be treating something. He didn't know what yet, but was eager to get this over with. 

"I'm here for another follow up... And I burned my hand this morning" Italy said before America even asked. 

America nodded and grabbed what he thought he'd need, a wound soothing salve that he'd formulated himself, a burn cream he'd picked up a while ago, and some bandages. He was feeling optimistic about Italy right now. 

He walked over and started to unwrap the bandages, and hummed happily when he found that nothing he'd gone wrong and that the healing was going smoothly. He applied some of the wound soothing salve before he reapplied the bandages. 

He heard someone else walk in as he was going over to treat the burn on Italy's hand. He looked over to see prince Russia and smiled at him. He also did a nod to show that he knew the other was there, and that he was welcome to stay. 

He noticed that Russia took a seat in the chair that was the closest to him, but didn't pay any mind to that, going about treating the burn on Italy's hand. 

"Deus meus, what did you do Italy?" He asked as he got a closer look at the burn. 

"I got too close to the stove while someone was cooking... And got burned as a result." Italy said, sounding bashful. 

"Good, you know this is stupid and something to not do again..." America mumbled as he continued applying burn cream. 

The burn cream had a cooling agent in it, he figured it'd do what he needed it to. Once he was content with the application of the burn cream, he applied some clean bandages to Italy's hand. 

"Now you stay here while I get someone to babysit you." He mumbled, walking over to the window. 

He whistled for Samuel, calling the crow over. 

He considered a bit of who he should ask to look over the dumbass for the day. Japan was his best bet, as she was off today. 

By the time he'd decided this, the crow was already there and messing with Russia's hair.

"Samuel, I need you to go get Japan, tell her she's on 'taly watch." He said, going over to get the crow to leave the prince alone. 

The crow did something akin to a pout.

"Okay Dad." The crow cawed, sounding grumpy. 

The crow then flew out the window. 

America sighed a little and smiled anxiously at Russia. 

"Sorry about Samuel, and for taking so long to get him to quit. I needed to figure out who could keep an eye on Italy" America said as he went back to his desk. 

He then started to write down the new notes on the healing process of Italy's first injury, and what he'd done in accordance to that. 

He heard Russia hum, and footsteps coming closer to his desk- he assumed that was Russia coming over to sit in front of his desk. 

He smiled a little to himself and continued writing, now having moved on to writing about Italy's burn. 

"I'm here~! To collect my dumbass of a brother." The very distinct voice of Japan chimed as she entered the room.  

He didn't look up to see what was happening, already knowing she'd grabbed her twin and was dragging him out of the room. 

"THE CROW CALLS PRINCE RUSSIA PAPA!" He heard Italy yell as he was dragged out. 

He was never going to hear the end of that, and was not excited. He hadn't heard Samuel calling Russia "Papa" this time, but he believed it. Especially since when the crow had relayed the message Russia had given him, the crow had called him "Papa". 

"I'm sorry about that - I swear I'm trying to get Samuel to stop doing that" He said, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Ah- it's fine, don't worry about it" Russia said, smiling at him. 

America smiled a little and tried to relax himself. He picked up the quill and started to write again. He wanted to finish his reports, hoping that it'd give him more time to talk with Russia. 

After a moment, he heard Russia move to get up, so he looked up. 

"I have to go to class, I'll see you later" Russia said, getting up from his spot across from America. He then waved before walking away. 

"See you later." America said softly, sighing as he looked down. 

He didn't have anything else that required his attention, but he'd have to stay in his office until his shift ended, which wouldn't be for a while. 

He decided that he may as well sketch something, so grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper. He started humming a little to himself, finding himself lost in his thoughts as he sketched. When he looked to see what he'd ended up with, he flustered a little, finding that he'd ended up drawing Russia. Before anyone else could see the sketch, he quickly hid it away, putting the sketch into his bag. He'd decide what to do with it later- he didn't have it in him to do so now. 

Chapter Text

Russia noticed that America seemed almost sad as he left, but thought nothing of it. He was pretty sure he'd heard the other sigh, but he wasn't sure about it. Either way, he would be certain to go back to visit the other again before the end of the healer's shift. 

As he walked towards the last class he had, he realized he'd left the journal open on his desk. But he quickly shrugged it off, no one really went to his room very often, so he'd be fine. But the more he thought about the journal, the more flustered he got. As he got closer to the next class he had, the more he realized that what he was feeling towards the healer was definitely starting to fall more on the side of romantic attraction and attraction in other ways. It wasn't just friendly anymore. He already knew it was a crush, but he'd never dreamed that way about anyone who he'd had a crush on before, which wouldn't be unusual if his only other crushes had been before fourteen, but he'd had a crush on a girl his age that lived in the village for about a month when he was sixteen. Then a crush on a boy from the same village when he was seventeen, that one lasted for about three weeks. But this was entirely new to him, he wanted to do more than just hold and kiss America. 

He quickly dismissed that train of thought as he walked into the room where his class was being held. He was thankful there was only one other class after this one, then he'd be able to spend the rest of his time with America. 

The third class of the day was one of the classes that felt short to him, so he was thankful for that. And luckily for him, the class sped by as it usually did, it felt fast and went by quickly. 

He excitedly stepped out of the classroom and started to walk towards his fourth class. 

As he made his way to his fourth class, he internally groaned as he remembered what it was and how long it always felt like it dragged. He knew it'd be worth it though, he'd be able to go see America for a little bit. He hoped that the healer would be as happy to see him as he was whenever he saw them. He sighed as he walked to the room. 

Instead of the door being open, there was a note on it. The note told him that his teacher was sick, and that he was basically free for the rest of the day. 

He smiled excitedly and looked around for a second, as to make sure he wasn't dreaming. 

When he was sure he wasn't, he started to walk towards the healer's office. Then he remembered that the journal was open on his desk- maybe he should go and hide that before he went to see the healer. He slightly changed his direction, as his room wasn't too far from the healer's office. So he didn't have to change his direction much. 

Once he got to his room, he opened the door, which was odd, he didn't remember closing it this morning. He didn't think much of it though, and walked in, quickly noticing that the journal was not on his desk, and opened, as he'd remembered leaving it. That gave him pause, if it wasn't there, where was it? He'd left it open on his desk, that was stupid. But no one ever went in his room, so it should still be there on his desk, open. 

Chapter Text

America sighed, not really sure what to do at the moment. He watched what was happening outside his window for a bit, and didn't find anything that gave him any ideas, but the scenery was quite relaxing to him. So maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to just rest. 

He crossed his arms out in front of him and rested his head on top of them. He wasn't going to sleep, just resting. 

It was like that for a while before he heard any noise, he heard a loud "DAD STOP-" from the direction of the rooms of the royals, but couldn't identify the voice of which of them it was. But he was able to tell they weren't distressed, just flustered, so he decided to continue resting for a bit. 

After a while longer, he heard someone pass by his office, and by then, he felt too relaxed to want to look up. Then he heard someone walk in, then the sound of something being placed down. He was curious now, but he'd wait. 

Then he felt a hand run through his hair. Someone was messing with his hair. They continued to do so until he made a noise, he was a little flustered and quickly calmed himself down. He stretched out his arms, as a cat would stretch after waking, and then opened his eyes and lifted his head. 

He saw Russia, but didn't feel convinced that it was Russia. So he blinked a couple times, as if to clear sleep from his eyes. But no, before him, Russia still stood. 

He now knew Russia was the one who'd been messing with his hair, but decided that he'd deal with that later. He'd deal with the very flustering implications of that later. 

He looked up at Russia and smiled a little at him, humming a little as he pulled his arms back close to himself. 

"Hey Russia" He greeted, smiling a little. He was happy to see Russia, as the other was nice to be around. 

"Hey America, I wanted to return the mug from last night." Russia said, sounding a little awkward and rubbing the back of his neck. 

Russia then went over to the coffee table and grabbed one of two mugs that was sitting on it. 

"I washed it." He said as he gave the mug to America. 

America smiled a little and took the mug, getting up to go put the mug away in the cabinet he'd pulled it out of the night before. Once it was put away, he went and sat back at the desk. 

"Thank you, but you didn't have to, I could have done it." he said, smiling anxiously. 

"I did have to." Russia said, smiling at him. 

America hummed a little and propped an arm up on his desk, opting to rest his head on his hand. 
"Well, I respectfully disagree with you on that, Russia." 

Russia hummed a little to show his disagreement with America's statement, but America opted to not respond. America made his disagreement with the statement known, and was content with that. 

America looked up at Russia and smiled a bit at him, he was hoping to show that he enjoyed Russia's presence. He wasn't sure how aware of that Russia was, but he hoped this was keeping it clear. 

"I really like being around you, I hope you know that." He mumbled, hoping Russia heard him. If Russia hadn't, it may be too flustering to repeat for him. So he just hoped Russia didn't ask him to repeat it. 

There was a moment's pause, before it became evident Russia likely had heard him but had not understood because of his mumbling. 

"Could you please repeat that?" Russia asked, sounding confused. 

America felt a bit of blush creep up to his cheeks as he tried to calm himself before it was noticeable. 

"I really enjoy being around you, I hope you know that." He repeated with a bit more confidence. 

Russia paused as if to process what America had just said before pulling his Ushanka over his face. 

America wasn't sure how to take that, so he got up and walked over to Russia, pulling him into a gentle hug, hoping it might help him feel better. After a second, he felt Russia slowly return the hug. He smiled a little, this let him know that Russia was okay and likely enjoyed the hug as well. 

America wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but when they pulled away he noticed that it was a bit past when his shift was over. 

"Ah! Russia, I'm sorry!" America said when he noticed the time. 

Russia shook his head and smiled at him, which confused America. He wasn't sure what that meant, and hoped Russia might clarify. 

But he didn't, just said goodbye and patted his head before leaving. 

That left America blushing and confused, just trying to process what the hell had just happened. 

By the time he realized he needed to get back to his quarters, he noticed that the sun was farther down than usual, his friends likely would have left already. 

He sighed and started his walk back to his room, and as he'd thought, when he got there, there was a note on his door. He picked it up and read it. 

You may have escaped teasing today, but you won't tomorrow Rosa. 

-Mexico, Japan, Italy, and Canada 

He immediately realized that he was in for a lot of teasing the next day, he'd completely forgotten that Italy had heard Samuel call Russia "Papa". 

He shrugged a little to himself and went into his quarters, closing the door behind him. He got himself ready and then started his walk around the castle, excitedly anticipating the fourth letter he'd be getting from Nyx. 

Soon enough, but not soon enough for America's tastes, he reached the chamomile flowers. He gently tended to them as he usually did, and once he was done grabbed the letter from the flowers. 

He gently undid the seal and opened the letter to read it. 

Dear Aku, 
I feel that setting myself a deadline for meeting up may be stupid, but I'm feeling a little brave. So when I get what race you are right (unless you're a shifter, in which I have to guess what the general area of specialization is) I'd like you to tell me. My response will probably be a time and place, or I'll just be there waiting for you. That's pending right now! 
Well, knowing that is how dosing on it works is upsetting, but I'll live! I was hoping to be able to not deal with the drawbacks of not sleeping so I can see the stars, but as is life. 
I asked my dad and he said that I'm a disaster, but not as bad as my little sister. So apparently I'm not too bad! Well, I probably am, but out of my family I'm not too bad. 
Also, if I ever catch Argentina, I'll punt her for you. That or I'll find a way to help get her away from you. Because you deserve better! 
Also, I knew tucking was dangerous, but I didn't know it was that dangerous! It's good to know though, I've never tucked myself. I don't think my siblings have either, but knowing how badly it can affect you is concerning! 
I'm glad you like Anatoly! I'll introduce you to him if you're still interested once you know who I am. 
As for Bean, if you'd be willing after a first proper meeting, I'd like to meet him. I want to give him pets myself- 
I hope you did give him pets for me though! 
And my current guesses are Dryad descendant, elf, or Breton(I know they are a human elf blend, but they're recognized as their own thing on the census). But I heavily doubt Breton, as you have told me you're not human. 

Sincerely, Nyx 

America hummed a little as he read, a little concerned Nyx was rushing himself. He hoped the other wasn't causing himself any stress over meeting up with him. America chuckled a little when he read the part about Nyx's sister apparently being worse than him, it was funny and cute to him. 

It was nice to know someone cared about him that much, but he'd have to discourage punting the girl- as funny and cathartic as the idea was, it wasn't one that was something he could encourage. 

He smiled a little as he read over the rest, noting that he'd have to tell the other the guesses were wrong. This guessing game would go on for a while, was something he concluded pretty quickly. 

Chapter Text

"Looking for this?" A voice Russia immediately recognized called out. It came from the direction of his bed.

So, that's where he looked, finding his father holding up the journal.

He hoped his father hadn't read the second dream- or either of them. He really hoped his crush on America was something only he knew about right now. But knowing his luck, it wasn't. His father had also likely read at least one of the dreams. He hoped that if his father had read one of them, that it wasn't the second one.

"Russia, of all the things to write about, why this?" His dad questioned, tossing the journal to him.

Russia caught it and quickly hid it in the drawer of his bedside table. He responded to the question as he did, not knowing which dream his dad had read. He really hoped he hadn't read both.

"Dad- Stop- it was a weird dream and I had to process my feelings on it." Russia reasoned, praying that his dad had only read the first one.

"I wouldn't call that just a weird dream, you dreamed about pinning America to the headboard of your bed and-" His dad stared at him as he started to summarize the second dream.

Russia flustered and cut his dad off with a yell before he could get to the more flustering part of the dream.
"DAD STOP-" Russia yelled out, quite flustered.

Luckily after that, his dad decided to leave him alone, getting up and walking out the room, but before he left, he suggested something.

"Just talk to him." He said, loud enough for Russia to hear. It sounded like he said something else as well, but what it was, Russia wasn't sure.

Russia watched as his dad closed the door, leaving him alone.

He then walked over, looking for the tea that America had brought him the night before. He decided he'd have a cup before going to visit him, as it'd help him calm down.

So he grabbed a tea bag from the box and went to boil some water. Once it was done, he added some sugar and the tea bag to a mug, in which he poured the boiling water. He didn't want to fall asleep when talking to America.

He took the mug with him back to his room, starting to sip it once it had cooled enough for it to not burn his tongue. He grabbed the mug that America had brought tea to him the night before, which was still in his room, to return to America.

After a second, he decided he should wash it before returning it, which meant he was headed back to the kitchen. He got there and placed the semi-full cup of tea off to the side before he washed the other mug from the night before. Once he was done washing it, he dried it and grabbed the cup of tea he'd made earlier. He took a couple more sips from it before he headed back towards America's office.

Once he was there, he walked in, noting that America seemed to have fallen asleep with his head on the desk. America looked adorable, and he felt tempted to put down the mug from the night before and just pet his hair. It looked really fluffy and soft, and he had very little self restraint.

He carefully put both mugs down, trying not to wake the healer. Once they were put down, he'd put them on the coffee table, he went over and reached out a hand carefully. He then started to pet the healer's hair, it was fluffy, a little dense, and very soft.

He heard America make a small noise, indicating he was waking up, so quickly backed off, a bit flustered. He hoped he hadn't woken America up. He would've liked to continue to mess with America's hair, but didn't want to freak him out.

Once America was awake, he returned the mug, doing so after the other had greeted him.

He'd noticed the smile on the other's face when he'd greeted him.

He'd grabbed the mug from the coffee table when he was returning a greeting to America.

After he returned it to America, he mentioned that he'd washed it.

America responded to him with "Thank you, but you didn't have to. I could have done it."

He promptly disagreed with, and voiced that, saying: "I did have to."

To which the healer responded with "I respectfully disagree with you on that, Russia."

He responded with a hum, showing he still disagreed, but they were now in an "agree to disagree " type situation.

After a little bit, Russia noticed America had taken to looking up at him from his spot at his desk. The healer had a gentle smile on his face, and after a small pause, he said something.

It sounded like the healer had said something along the lines of enjoying something.

So, a bit confused, Russia tilted his head, unsure if the other had wanted him to understand. He assumed that if America didn't want him to understand, he wouldn't repeat it. So he asked the other to say it again so that he may understand.

"I really enjoy being around you, I hope you know that."

Russia paused, almost unsure if he'd heard that correctly. And when he realized he had, his face started to grow hotter so he covered it with his hat. He hoped America hadn't seen that he was blushing.

Suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around him. Soon he recognized that it was America, hugging him. He slowly uncovered his face, noticing that America wasn't looking up at him after he'd uncovered his face and eyes. He blushed a little and wrapped his arms around America, returning the hug.

They stayed like that for a while, not a word spoken. But, Russia didn't mind it, enjoying the silence and the hug from the other.

It felt quite sudden when America looked over and noticed something. He then apologized for something.

Russia then looked over to see that it was late, and a little past 7. He hummed a little and shook his head, as if to say there was no reason to apologize.

He smiled a little and petted America's head, taking the chance to mess with America's hair a little more before he went to go and have dinner.

"See you tomorrow" Russia said, leaving the room after he said that.

Once he got to the dining room, he and his family had dinner. He felt lucky that the others had a conversation amongst themselves and had not tried to pull him into it. After dinner, no one had bothered him as he walked to his room, his dad opting not to tease him, which was also nice.

Once in his room, he waited by the window, watching for America to come out and tend to the chamomile flowers.

He carefully watched and smiled when he saw the other come out early. When he saw America open the letter and start reading it, he got excited. The reactions he saw were so cute to him. The chuckle he heard the healer make was absolutely angelic. He hoped he might hear it again. He liked being the reason the other laughed, and hoped he could be the reason it happened more often. He hoped to see him smile more too.

He smiled at the thought of that and then went back to his bed. He was excited to see the other the next day, he'd try to show up in his office early, he knew the other's shift started at nine, so that's when he'd show up.

With that thought, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

America walked back to his barracks, humming to himself as he did. The first thing he did when back was get Nyx's letter out and put it on his desk. He wanted to take another look at it to decide how to respond.

After rereading it, he took out some paper, his inkwell, and his quill. He then opened the inkwell and dipped his quill in so that he could start writing.

After writing in the little "Dear Nyx", he re-read the letter and responded as best he could to each part. He felt concerned for Nyx, worried that by giving himself a deadline of sorts, might negatively affect him, so he said as much. But he also noted his excitement to meet the other. He hoped it wouldn't make the other disregard his own comfort.

Then he continued to read over what else Nyx had written, responding to all of what he said accordingly. He also added questions about what he'd said out of curiosity.

He didn't notice how the time flew by as he wrote, soon finding himself done with the letter. When he was done with the letter, he found it around the time he'd need to start readying himself to leave.

Well, not exactly, it was when he preferred to get ready to leave. So, he headed into the bathroom of his barracks and turned on the shower. While he waited for it to reach a proper temperature, he stripped himself of the clothes he'd chosen to garden in. They were dirty, he noted to himself, deciding they'd be making it into his next wash.

He hummed a little to himself as he hopped in and started to clean himself. He washed his hair and the rest of his body. He didn't shift, as he wouldn't have to worry about his fur for a little while longer.

Once he was content with his level of cleanliness he hopped out of the shower, turned it off, and started to dry himself. He wrapped his hair then used a different towel to dry the rest of his body. Once his body was dry, he hung up the towel he'd used on the little rack. He then ruffled and messed with the hair under the towel. Once content, he unraveled the towel, and found that his hair was barely even damp. He wasn't yet content with that, so took the towel to it again. He hung the towel up beside the first once he was content. He then walked out of the bathroom and collected everything he'd need for his outfit for the coming day.

He then dressed himself, and grabbed his messenger bag. He slung it over his shoulder and then prepared the envelope for the letter, writing "From Aku, to Nyx". While he waited for the ink to dry, he collected the dirty gardening outfit from his bathroom, putting it in his laundry basket. Then he returned to the letter, and gently folded it, and put it into the envelope. He closed the envelope and decided to eat breakfast then take the long way

He made himself some breakfast, ate, then left. During this, the letter never left his sight, always within his reach.

It made him feel better about it; sure he'd never lost a letter, but he didn't want to make this the first time he did. He almost laughed at himself, holding onto, and keeping a close eye on, the letter made him admittedly feel a little childish.

Once he was done with his meal, he started the walk to his office. He stopped by the Chamomiles and crouched down so that he could put the letter under the flowers. He carefully moved them aside so he could slip the envelope into them. Once it was in the flowers, he moved the flowers back to their original positions, healing the stems of any minor damage he may have caused. Then he got back to standing and trotted back off, continuing to his office happily.

He quite enjoyed these letters, and enjoyed getting to know whoever went by the alias "Nyx". Whoever it was was someone he'd be happy to have as a close friend, someone he'd like to be closer to. But for now, he was content with the letters. He hoped that Nyx was as well.

He shook off the thoughts and continued his walk; now that he'd refocused his thoughts he realized that he was moving faster and growing closer to his office faster.

Soon, he found himself in front of his office. He opened the door and almost immediately noticed the mug on the coffee table. So, he walked over to investigate.

He noticed that it was the tea of the variety he'd recently given Russia. The mug looked mostly full, but it had been drunk from. He thought for a moment, then remembered the sound of something being placed down the other day, this must've been what Russia set down before messing with his hair.

As he remembered that, he felt his face grow hot. He tried to calm himself, and fanned his face as if trying to cool off.

It took himself a bit to compose himself, but he eventually did. He then started to think about what to do with it. He settled on deciding when Russia got there.

Soon enough, he heard someone come into his office, and looked to see who it was. It was Russia, which was pleasant; he was always happy to see the prince around.

So, he happily greeted the other with a smile on his face. "Good morning Russia! How are you?"

Russia smiled a little before speaking. "I'm doing well, how about you?"

"I'm doing great! Thanks for asking." He said with a purr rolling off his tongue, it was almost instinctual when he was happy. He immediately felt himself fluster, but kept the blush off his face. He just hoped Russia hadn't heard it, as it'd be a bit embarrassing.

Thankfully, Russia didn't mention it if he'd noticed. Though, America didn't think he had heard it, as it seemed like something Russia would ask about.

"Did you leave a cup of tea in here yesterday?" America asked after a moment, loosely gesturing to the cup on the coffee table.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, I didn't realize I did."

America hummed a little before he spoke again. "If you want it, I can use some of my abilities to warm it back up."

"That'd be nice, but don't waste your resources on it-"

Russia cut himself off, assumedly because America had ignored that and already reheated the tea and was handing him the cup.

"Thank you, but you really didn't have to." Russia said, taking the mug gently, before taking a sip.

"Maybe not, but I wanted to!" America happily replied with a smile as he walked back over to his desk.

This was something he didn't do often, his heating magic was extremely weak, he couldn't even produce fire. It also took quite a bit out of him, admittedly. So he reached into his drawer and pulled out a small tray of snacks. He grabbed one of the more energizing ones from the bunch and started to eat it. He knew that it'd keep him from feeling tired.

When he saw that Russia was enjoying the tea, and had a smile on his face, he felt that the temporary loss of energy was well worth it.

He watched as the prince took a seat across from him, in the chair in front of his desk.

America hummed and thought for a moment, admittedly, he also wanted some tea. So instead of taking a seat, he went to making some for himself.

He went with black tea, and found himself comfortable in the silence that filled the room. It wasn't awkward, it was comfortable.

As he thought, the more he realized that he'd failed in not catching feelings for the other in the room. He almost laughed at himself, but didn't.

He felt a little pathetic for hoping that he may have a chance with the other man.

Chapter Text

Russia sighed a little bit as he left the office of the healer. He'd waved and said goodbye to him, he had decided to leave a little earlier than he would've liked so that he could see if there was a response in the flowers - he knew he probably shouldn't expect one, but he was hopeful. 

As he approached the flowers, he saw an envelope, nicely placed among them and excitedly ran over to get it. He gently removed it from the flowers and fiddled with the envelope for a bit as he continued to his next class. 

He got in the room and his teacher wasn't there yet, so he opened the envelope and began reading its contents excitedly. He felt giddy like a little kid. 

Dear Nyx, 
Don't make yourself uncomfortable with a deadline! You don't have to meet up with me too soon! But I do feel excited to meet you, I must admit. 
As for Argentina, don't do anything that'll get you hurt! I hope you just help keep her away from me. I don't like her, but she's my friend's sister. 
How much of a disaster is your sister? 
I'm also very glad to hear that you have never tucked, and I hope you plan to keep it that way! If for whatever reason you decide to tuck, I'll be there to scold and treat you. I may not have met you knowingly yet, but I care deeply for you. 
Also, that'd be wonderful! I'd love to meet Anatoly. I don't think who you are would ever shift my perspective on you and make me uncomfortable. You could be anyone, and I'd still just be interested in hanging out with you. 
And I did say I'd give Bean pets for you. I did, but after meeting up if you still want to pet him, feel free to pet him. 
As for your guesses, all of them are out! Dryads are forest spirits, and their descendants usually have fully white eyes or have green irises. They also have an affinity for plant magic!
I have next to no magic affinity, but I can use a little healing magic. I can use magic on plants, grow and heal them, but it's not at a high enough level for me to even be considered as a candidate for being a descendant of a Dryad. 
As for elf or Breton, I just don't have any of the hallmarks of them. I also don't have the proper magic affinities, and none of my family are either of the two. 
I wish you luck on figuring out what I am! 

Sincerely, Aku 

Russia smiled a little and took some paper out of his bag, a portable quill, and his inkwell out of his bag. He wondered how far into writing a response he could get before he was stopped by his teacher showing up. He uncapped his inkwell and dipped his quill into it, ready to find out. 

He was able to get roughly halfway done with his response before his teacher showed up and stopped him to start the class. 

So, Russia capped his inkwell and put away it and his quill. Once he was done with that, he checked the ink on the paper, wanting to make sure it was dry before he put it elsewhere. 

The class started, and it felt a bit boring to him. It felt long, but he was anxious to finish his next letter to America, so it definitely wasn't as long and drawn out as it felt. He knew that, but that information didn't stop it from feeling that way. 

Once the class was over, he had a thirty minute break before his next class. So he walked to his room as quickly as he could so that he could finish his response letter. 

Once he was in his room, he unfolded the half finished response letter and placed it on the desk. He took the inkwell out of his bag and uncapped it, putting it beside the letter. The sound it made earned him a half-assed glare from his cat, Anatoly. He laughed a little at that and took out his portable quill. 

He dipped the quill into the open inkwell and started writing. 

Soon he felt content with his response, so got out an envelope. He wrote "From Nyx, to Aku" on the back. 

He waited for the ink on both to dry before he gently folded the letter and put it in the envelope. 

After that, he got up and walked out of his room, down the stairs, then out of the castle. He went over to the chamomile flowers, and then his response in the flowers. 

As he walked to his next class, he remembered what America had done earlier. He remembered that America had heated up the tea with magic, this either meant that part of the letter was a lie, or that he'd used a lot of energy to do it. And based on what he knew, he was sure it was the latter. He was sure of this because he'd seen him get something to restore his energy. 

He thought it was cute he'd do something like that, but was a bit worried for him. That gave him hope that he may have a shot, and may be able to get in a relationship with him. 

But he'd have to wait until at least the little game he'd started was over, if he was to be in a relationship with him, he wanted the other to know that was him. This reinvigorated his hope to get his guess on what America was correct. 

He settled on that he'd keep a closer eye on how the other acted, and such, that'd definitely help him get closer to a proper guess. 

Before he knew it, he was in front of the classroom where his next class was to be held. 

The class was one of the more interesting ones he had, and now that he didn't feel urged to read or write, he knew he'd be able to enjoy it. 

Chapter Text

America looked at the now empty cup of tea beside his hand and hummed to himself. Russia had left for his classes not too long ago. He enjoyed Russia's presence quite a bit, and he realized having him around more often would not allow for his crush on the other to go away. But he couldn't bring himself to really mind, the other's presence was nice and calming to him. So he felt he could probably learn to live with the feelings, as trying to distance himself from the other would hurt a lot more. And it wouldn't just hurt him, it'd probably hurt Russia just as much if not more. So he'd find a way to cope with the feelings and crush. And he'd hope the feelings wouldn't get more intense. He could learn to live with them if they stayed the way they were. Though, it would be a lot easier for him if those feelings died down or calmed, but he likely would not be getting any such mercy.

Getting such a mercy was almost impossible- as the feelings dying down would only happen if they separated. He found himself unwilling to do that, because of how much it'd hurt Russia. Especially since he wouldn't be able to explain to the other why he was choosing to avoid him. It'd probably hurt him even more because he'd be asking Russia to not come and without any explanation.

So he'd learn to live with them. It was the less painful option for both himself and Russia. He cared too much about the other to do that. He couldn't hurt Russia like that and be okay with it. If he did, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He shook the thought from his head and grabbed the empty mug Russia had left in there earlier, it'd probably do him good to leave his office for a bit. As he left, he put up a little note to say that he was out, and then closed the door. So he navigated slowly, finding his way to the kitchen of the castle. Once he was there, he went to the sink. He cleaned the mug happily, humming a little. Once it was properly cleaned, he dried it before setting to search for the cabinet in which it should be put away.

It took him a couple minutes to find the cabinet that it belonged in, as he almost never found himself in the area. He'd been told he was welcome to do as he pleased there by Soviet, but didn't feel comfortable doing so. Thus, he didn't really know the layout that well.

But he didn't exactly have time to linger on that, as he should really get back to his office so he could work out what to do next, he was on the clock for a few more hours after all.

As he made his way back to his office, he tried to consider what he could do when he got there. Re-organization? Not necessary, he could easily access all the things necessary for any treatments he regularly needed to do, and those that were rarer were also easily accessible. Plus he knew where everything was and how to reach things he needed now, so changing it wouldn't be beneficial. He'd cleaned earlier, but doing so a second time wouldn't hurt. So unless he could think of something better to do, he'd be cleaning up his office again. He wished he could think of something more productive to do with his time, but he couldn't think of anything.

He'd gone to help the other healer's earlier, and they were grateful for his help, but had everything handled.

He sighed, deciding he'd check in with them again, and see if he could help! It'd be productive and a good use of his time, so he figured why not! If his help wasn't needed or wanted, he'd go to his office and clean.

So he passed by his office, going into the office of one of the head healers. He saw them and walked over to their desk- if he could help in any way, they'd know.

"Hey Holly, just wanted to ask if there's anything I can help you or the others with right now!" He said, putting a bit of bounce in his step.

"Nope- we have everything handled. If anything, things are a bit slow right now!" The experienced healer responded with a small hum.

America felt sufficiently deflated hearing this, as it meant that he'd be cleaning the office again- which was redundant! He'd already done so earlier.

"Well, thanks! I'll be headed to my office. Come get me if that changes, yeah?" He said, giving Holly a smile as he turned to the door to leave.

"Of course "

With that, America left the office and closed the door behind him. He then started back to his own office, which he supposed he'd be cleaning up again. It felt stupid, it was already very clean; what was the point of this?

Before he went back into the office, he grabbed the note he put on the door and crumpled it up, throwing it away. Then he headed over to one of the cabinets in his office. He knew it had the supplies he'd need to clean up his office.

He grabbed the wipes, a spray cleaner, some paper towels, and a couple other things and set to re-cleaning his office.

He started with the areas he expected to be the most dirty, the ones that were touched by many people. The door handle, his desk, his medical table. He wiped them all down carefully with the supplies that he deemed fit for each surface. Then he moved on to the next surface, spending an adequate amount of time on each thing he was cleaning.

He was still cleaning when he heard someone open the door to his office and come in; he recognized them before they said anything. It was Russia!

He was glad, it was starting to get a bit boring, being alone and cleaning. He was excited to hear about whatever Russia felt like talking about. Even if he didn't feel like talking, his presence was nice and good enough for him. Though he did find himself hoping Russia would have something to talk about. But in any case, he was happy to have the other in the room with him.

Chapter Text

Russia found himself smiling as he headed towards the medical wing. In all honesty, the class he'd just gotten out of was quite fun! But it was something that would be far outshone by what he was about to be doing, or it usually was. As he headed towards America's office, he could smell cleaning supplies. That scent continued to grow stronger as he approached the office, which made it likely he was going to find the small feisty healer cleaning up his office. 

If he was cleaning he'd enjoy some company, maybe a little help, and maybe someone to talk to. And if he didn't want him there, he'd leave. He figured that while he was at it, he could offer to help America. If he didn't accept, that would be fine. 

With that thought, he opened the door to the office and saw America over by his desk, wiping it down. It seemed as soon as the other heard the door open, he looked up to see whoever had entered the room. 

It seemed that as soon as America saw that it was him, a warm smile crossed his face and he closed his eyes for a second. That was odd, it was almost like a slow blink, one not too dissimilar to the one his cat, Anatoly, gave him. He hadn't noticed it before, but America seemed to do the same "slow blink" every time he'd come in recently. He shook that particular thought and returned the smile as he went further into the office. 

"Would you mind if I help you?" Russia asked, walking over to America. "Would you like to talk as well? Or should I leave?" He continued, deciding to get all those questions out of the way. 

If America didn't want him there, he didn't want to be there for long enough to make him uncomfortable or unhappy. While he liked being around America, he wanted the other to enjoy the time they spent together as well. 

"I don't really need any help, but I would really enjoy it if you'd stay and talk with me. Given it won't interfere with your schedule or anything you're doing." 

With that answer, Russia moved over to one of the places to sit in the office. If America didn't want him to help him clean he'd just sit with him and talk, as the other did express interest in him staying. He'd be happy to fulfill the request, even if all he could do was be silent company. But he was thankful that America was interested in hearing his voice, maybe he'd be able to hear the other's pretty laugh again, or even just make him smile. 

God, he just wanted to make the other happy. 

"It won't! In fact, I'd be happy to stay given you'll allow it." He repeated the sentiment with a smile, deciding to double check that America wanted him there before he went further into the office. He didn't want America to just say yes because of who he was. 

"I'd be happy if you stayed" America said, continuing on to clean the area he had been before. 

He would be happy if he stayed- it wasn't just him being allowed in because he was the prince. It meant that the other possibly enjoyed his presence. 

"Well, uh, what would you like to talk about? Anything specific?" He pried, making his way further into the office. Opting to find a seat as close to America as he could. 

"I don't have anything particular in mind, anything you want to talk about is fine." 

Russia considered for a bit, trying to pick a topic that he could talk about with America. 

"How about cooking? Can you cook, or are you better at other things?" He settled on. 

"I can't cook to save my life. But, I do like baking. How about you?" America responded with a hum, continuing to clean. 

"I'm a pretty good cook, but I can't bake to save my life" Russia admitted with a laugh. "Do you like coffee at all?" 

"I do, though I do prefer tea. How about you?" America hummed out the response a return question. 

"I don't really like coffee, admittedly. I was just curious about if you do" Russia said with a smile. "Is it weird to say you smell nice? Because you do and I'm genuinely curious of what you use to smell that nice-" 

"You're a shifter, and generally that makes the sense of smell stronger, so I don't find it too weird." America responded, moving to another area to clean it. "But I made the mixture I use myself, the scent comes from lavender." 

"There's a second scent in there, but I can't place it, do you know what it is?" Russia asked curiously. 

"I've been told I have a slight lemon-esque or a citrusy scent. So I take it that's what you're smelling." America divulged. Though since he wasn't able to pick up his own scent, he wasn't sure how true the information was. 

"Oh, thanks, I was curious about that." Russia said, finding himself smiling a bit. "When you take days off, what stuff do you like to do during them?" 

"I don't take days off. During the time off I have, I like to write letters to my family that still travels and do art." America hummed, a smile in his tone. "And how about you?" 

"One, that's concerning, you need to take a break! And two, could you show me some of your art sometime? Also, I like to spend my free time with you. But before, I spent my time in the library." 

"I'm fine as things are." America waved off with a hum. "And of course, I'll bring some in here so I can show you at some point." 

"Alright, thank you." Russia felt himself smile, happy that America would show him some of his artwork at some point in the future. "What's your favorite song? Or, well, favorite kind of music?" 

"A couple of my personal favorites are Curses by The Crane Wives and Gone the Rainbow by Peter, Paul, and Mary." America responded, a smile finding its place on his face. 

"I'd like to hear those at some point." Russia said, smiling. 

"I'd be okay with singing either of them at some point, but I'll warn ya that I don't have the best singing voice" America admitted with a laugh. 

Chapter Text

America walked over to Russia and gave him a hug, knowing that his shift was over and that they should both head their separate ways. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Russia." America said with a small smile coming onto his face. 

"I'll see you then!" Russia said happily, returning the hug quickly. 

Slowly, America moved away from the hug, subtly letting the other know he was ready to head out, and that it was also time for him to head to dinner. Once Russia let go, he gave him a warm smile before opening the door to his office and heading out. He waited for a second, watching as Russia headed the other way. 

He sighed a little as the note from yesterday came back to him; he was not looking forward to the teasing his friends were going to give him today. Honestly, it was over something so small, he really didn't see why he should be teased over it. That was neither here, nor there, he just needed to get back to his room and collect himself something to eat. 

He stopped by the kitchen and grabbed himself some of the leftovers from the day before, warming them up with the fire magic before heading over to his room. 

Outside the door to his room he saw Mexico, Japan, Italy, Canada, South Korea, North Korea, Brazil, and China, seemingly awaiting his arrival. He got closer and reached for the handle of his door. He unlocked it, then opened the door, letting his friends in before he entered himself. 

Once they all situated themselves, finding their preferred places to sit in his room, he went and took a seat at his desk. 

"Why aren't ya sitting on your bed?" China asked. 

America paused for a second, confused by the question his friend had asked. 
"What?" America questioned, deciding to verbalize his confusion. 

"You usually sit on your bed, why are you sitting at your desk?" China clarified before repeating the question. 

"Oh uh, I guess I've just been sitting here a lot as of late. I didn't realize it was odd" America said, putting his food on the desk and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

"Why?!" Japan's excited voice cut in before a different conversation could start. 

"Oh, I've made a friend of sorts" America started, smiling a little when he thought about the letters that he and Nyx had been exchanging. "He goes by Nyx, and we've been talking though letters for a bit. He's decided he wants to figure out what race I am before we meet in person." 

Japan visibly deflated, she'd definitely been hoping that this had something to do with his crush. And he knew it, finding himself glad that she didn't have an easy segway into teasing him. 

"Wait, is it not obvious you're a cat shifter?" China pitched in again with a question. 

"Maybe it's obvious to you guys, but I do a pretty good job at keeping that away from people!" America said, a proud smile finding its place on his face. "I have a reputation for being kind of scary, and that wouldn't really stay if people knew I was just... Cat. You know? They'd find me cute, and I need to hold the ability to be scary for them to follow proper treatment plans." 

"Honestly, I think the fact that you're a cat shifter makes you more scary..." Italy mumbles, shivering a little at a thought that ran through his head. "Cats only stick to birds and stuff because they are restrained by size... You could and would eat us all if you still had the instincts of a cat." 

"Your sister is literally one of the examples of why people don't find us scary" America grumbled. "But I digress. Plus, the mystery of them not knowing makes me a bit more scary! They don't know my capabilities, so they listen to me." 

Luckily, this topic seemed to distract his friends enough from the idea of teasing the absolute hell out of him. 

Luckily for him, they ran their time out before they could start teasing him, and if they got too close to the topic, something else always seemed to distract them. 

So he bid them goodnight as they left. Once they were all out of his room, he closed the door and collected an outfit that better fit for his nightly gardening. 

He hummed happily to himself as he walked out of his room, being sure to close and lock it behind himself before he began to do things as he usually did.

But as he was nearing the chamomiles, where he found Nyx's letters, he heard someone. 

He quickly put his guard up and swung around, furiously checking for what made the noise. He spotted a fast approaching Argentina, and quickly started to get as far away from her as he could. 

He saw a tree, not too far from him. He quickly ran towards it and swiftly began climbing the tree, throwing himself up the branches as quickly as he could in his "human" form. 

He was glad the crazy following him didn't know how to climb. It took a bit before she gave up and left. 

He let out a sigh of relief once she was gone, and hopped down, landing gracefully on the ground. He then made his way back to the flowers, continuing as he usually did. 

When he saw a letter in the chamomiles, he smiled and felt excitement wash over him. 

He quickly grabbed the letter and gently opened it, excited to read it. 

Dear Aku, 
Nah, I'll be fine! As I said, I'm feeling brave. 
As for Argentina, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. I just want to keep her away from you, I'm trying to figure out how I can help you out with her. I swear It won't anything that has to do with injuring her. 
Also, my sister saw someone she was into, and apparently ran into her room and screamed for about an hour. At least that's what Dad said. As for me, I just kind of scream into a pillow if the thoughts get too flustering. I usually can keep them from doing that when I'm anywhere but my room. 
I won't tuck! I swear I never will, I never even considered doing it. My resolve not to use stronger now that I know the risks. 
I feel like it might change your perspective on me, so I'm anxious and excited for when I get it right. 
Also I feel Anatoly would almost definitely love you, you'll probably get cuddled by him. He's very affectionate.
As for my new guesses, are you a shifter or Drow? I'm running out of guesses, sorry! 

Sincerely, Nyx 

America smiled as he started to read, finding himself chuckling as he read the malaphor. Then he felt relief when he read that nine of Nyx's plans would result in someone being hurt. After that, he found himself devolving into giggles as he read about how Nyx's sister was. 

God, after reading a bit on how excited and anxious Nyx was to meet him, he wanted to hug him and assure him he'd never judge him for something he couldn't control. But that would have to wait until they met in person properly. Then he smiled as he read more on Nyx's cat. 

He smiled excitedly when he read the first guess, shifter! Nyx had gotten it right, but the game was to continue, as per Nyx's terms. 

Chapter Text

Russia sighed and smiled as he left the healer's office, heading to the dining room. 

Dinner went pretty well, he luckily wasn't the subject of his siblings' teasing, probably because they weren't aware of his feelings for the healer yet. The one who had that particular honor was his sister, Ukraine. So he just ate while they teased her for her feelings for Canada, a castle worker who'd come in around the same time as America. Canada was fairly quiet and soft spoken, he was a woodworker, but his main job was repair work. 

He'd heard it a million times, the story of how Ukraine fell for the guy: Canada had been repairing one of the windows Kazakhstan had flown into, and he'd greeted her and gave her a wooden cat figure, asking her why she seemed down. He didn't even know she was royalty, was just kind to be kind. She said that she fell for him right there and then. 

Right now however, she was bright red and sputtering nonsense as she was teased relentlessly by their siblings. He felt bad for her, but she had admittedly brought this upon herself by telling their siblings. 

Luckily for his younger sister, dinner came to an end, and she immediately bolted out for her room. He got up soon after and left for his room, trying to think of something to do while he waited for the healer to come out. 

He knew it wouldn't be too long before he'd see him, as he had a pretty good grip on how long it took the healer to get to the chamomiles below his window. 

He saw America beginning to approach, getting close enough to the chamomiles that he could see him now. But then, something spooked him, made him run. He saw the other get closer to the tree, he saw what made America run. Argentina, that damned girl couldn't leave him alone. He'd basically told her to leave him alone earlier, but now that she thought that he wouldn't see her, she was back at it. 

He wasn't sure what he could do right now, but he'd figure it out. 

He watched as America expertly climbed the tree, getting out of Argentina's reach. 

Argentina stayed at the bottom of the tree, attempting to climb it and failing miserably. But not too long after, she left the base of the tree, likely going back to her room and soon after she was gone, America climbed back down. And went back to tending to the flowers. 

He looked a little tense while doing so, which was to be expected after that kind of encounter. 

He decided that after he saw America's reaction to the letter, he'd go down there and try to comfort him. 

But he'd need an excuse, if he was asked what the actual hell he was doing up and about at that time... He'd just say he felt a little restless and was waiting for the calming effects of the tea to kick in. That should do well enough. 

Soon, he saw America get to the chamomiles and grab the letter, he looked kind of excited when he did. 

He smiled a little seeing that, being the reason the other was happy or excited would never cease to make him smile. 

He watched the other open the letter and start reading. He heard him chuckle, then saw some relief wash over him. What he'd written to make the other feel relief, he wasn't sure, but he was glad for it. 

And then he heard America beginning to giggle, and god was it one of cutest noises (if not the cutest) he'd ever heard. But after a second, his expression went almost unreadable, and he stopped giggling. But soon enough a wide smile returned to America's face, and he looked excited. 

He waited for a second, watching as America returned to tending to the flowers, then slowly made his way out of his room, careful to be quiet when he opened and closed the door to his room. He quickly made his way to the door that opened to the field area in the castle, then began walking in the direction he'd seen America going, soon finding him. He walked over, making no effort to silence his footsteps, wanting to make sure America could hear him. He didn't want to freak him out. 

He decided that he'd pretend to be surprised to see him there, as he didn't want to let who he was be known until he got it right and set up a meeting with America. 

"Hey America, what are you doing out this late?" He asked. 

"I could ask you the same, Russia" America hummed, pausing for a moment before deciding to answer him. "But I'm out here gardening. It's peaceful." 

"Oh, well, I'm just waiting for the tea's calming effects to kick in because I'm, admittedly, a bit restless." 

America nodded a little and smiled at him. 

"Do you want a hug, me to guide you back to your room, or would you like to follow me while I garden?" 

"A hug, if that's okay with you." 

America leaned in and wrapped his arms around Russia, giving him a gentle hug. 

Russia happily returned the hug, moving to start comforting America. When he noticed America relaxing fully, and seeming to calm down completely, he let himself relax as well. 

"Now, are you feeling better?" America asked, not moving away from the hug just yet. 

"Yes, thank you." Russia said, smiling. He knew he'd succeeded in making the other feel better again. 

"Now, I'm gonna take you back to your room." America said as he gently pulled away from the hug. 

"I can go back on my own- I wouldn't want to take up any more of your time" It was true, he didn't. He could make his way back on his own. 

"Nope! I'm taking ya back to your room Russia, whether you want me to or not" America said, smiling up at him. 

"I-" Russia stopped himself mid-protest, realizing America probably would walk him there anyway... And it'd give him more time with America. "Okay, fine." 

America hummed happily at the acceptance and began to lead the way to Russia's room.

It took them a good few minutes to get there, as they took a different path than Russia came. But they went up the same staircase upstairs. 

As they got to Russia's room, and America wished Russia goodnight, America paused for a moment. 

"Before I head out, I'm going to write down which room I'm in-" America said, giving Russia a smile. America proceeded to grab a small blank sheet of paper from his bag. 

Chapter Text

America chose to bear down on the wall next to him as he wrote down where his room was. 
"There! Now if you have any troubles with relaxing, past 2AM and before 6AM or 7AM, you can probably find me there." America said with a smile, handing the note to Russia before he leant in for a hug. 

Russia seemed a bit surprised by the hug but happily returned it. 
"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that" he said, leaning into the hug for a second. 

"No problem! And of course I did, and I'll be there to help you with any trouble sleeping you may have." America said without hesitation. "Well, goodnight Russia. Have a night rest." 

Russia smiled and leaned into the hug for a second. "Thank you, you have a nice rest too." 

America smiled a little and slowly let go, waiting for Russia to do the same, once he did, he said "goodnight" one last time. Then he headed off, going back to finish up his gardening. He didn't even notice as the roughly five hours went by as he gardened. 

He knew Russia wasn't aware that Argentina had put him on edge, and that him showing up like that made him feel better. And Russia didn't need to know that, as he would prefer keeping the situation with Argentina even at his own expense. Though, he'd definitely find some way to show Russia gratitude. He wanted to make sure Russia knew he was thankful, though he couldn't really do anything without possibly causing more problems. 

His thoughts were caught on that subject until he got back to his barracks. 

After which, he took the letter from Nyx out and put it on his desk. 

Though before he would be able to get to writing, he needed to take a quick shower and get himself cleaned up. So, he did. Once he was content with how clean he was, he turned off the shower, got out, grabbed a towel, and then dried himself off. He grabbed the comfortable clothes he'd brought in for himself and changed into them before leaving the bathroom. 

He went back over to the desk and turned the chair to face the desk again. Then he sat down, pulling out some sheets of paper and his inkwell and quill. 

He opened the inkwell and dipped his quill in before starting to write on one of the blank pages of paper. 

As he wrote, he checked the letter to make sure he addressed everything in Nyx's letter. 

He was excited to see his friend in person, and seeing as he was getting closer to the right answer, he'd get to see him soon. 

Once he was done writing the letter, he took out an envelope and excitedly wrote the usual on it, then waited for the ink on both the letter and the envelope. Once it was, he slipped the letter into the envelope. 

He then checked the time, hoping it'd be closer to 7 AM than it was. 

He'd been writing since about 2:45 AM, and it was now about 3:13 AM. He had three hours and forty-seven minutes to do basically whatever he wanted until he would leave his room. He knew it'd be fine to leave, but he had promised to be in the room until 7 AM. A promise to stay in his room, a promise to Russia, someone who he saw as a friend but also part of the royal family. But mainly, he saw Russia as a friend. He knew from the outside view it definitely seemed like there was a power imbalance there, but there wasn't. As Russia's father had told America he had no one other than himself to answer to. And most around the castle weren't aware of that- other than those who'd overheard the conversation that brought that up, or those who were perceptive enough to notice how he didn't flinch at any attempts at power play in his earlier days here. 

He remembered the first day he was officially employed there- an old coot who was a healer decided to push around the "fresh meat". He'd just been taking it at the time and Soviet, against his own medical advice, came in and berated the old coot. After that, Soviet had told America and the old coot, who America had come to learn the name of: Eugene Clark, that America didn't have to answer to anyone but himself. It was kind of funny to America now, as he'd come to know Soviet as a usually calm and relaxed man who was sometimes stoic, seeing him reversing power play onto Eugene. The full name card was petty and funny to America. 

Though he felt he was reminiscing too much and decided to check the time. It was now 5:06 AM. He had at least 54 minutes, definitely not enough time to sleep away, so he'd need to find something else to do. 

He figured that he could draw, though he wasn't sure what to draw. But he supposed he could grab the flustering sketch from earlier and continue it. Hopefully Russia wouldn't mind that he'd drawn him. 

He drew his other friends, and they didn't mod when they found out, so hopefully this wouldn't be any different. 

So, he reached for his bag and rustled through it, searching for the sketch. Once he found it, he carefully brought it out, placing it on his desk gently. He then opened the drawer of his desk, pulling out his watercolor paints. 

He got up and walked into his bathroom, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. He then walked back into the main area of his room, taking a seat back at his desk. 

He took a brush out of the drawer then closed the drawer once again, using the brush to wet the paints. Then he lightly erased his sketch before he started to use the watercolor to add some more life to the sketch. It brought the drawing to life. He liked it as a sketch, but liked it a little less since it was now far less defined. But he could fix that, his quill was still nearby, and his inkwell was uncapped. 

So he grabbed his quill and dipped it into the ink, then started to go over the lines from his sketch that he wanted to keep. 

By the time he was done, it was a bit past 6 AM. There was a bit of time until he was clear to leave his room, but it wasn't as overwhelming as before. 

He hummed then got up, leaving the page to dry as he went and grabbed an outfit for work before going into his bathroom to change. Once he was changed, he left his room and got himself some breakfast. He brought it back to his room and ate it. Once he was done with his food, he brought the plate back out and cleaned it. 

He returned to his room and picked up his bag and the letter, excited to drop the letter off for Nyx. Especially since their game was getting closer to an end! 

Once he'd collected both items, he left his room and closed the door behind him. Then he started the walk to his office, stopping by the chamomile flowers. He gently hid the letter in the chamomiles, then continued his walk to his office. 

Chapter Text

Russia looked at the note in his hand. He had honestly not been expecting that, he didn't expect the healer to give him that. But he supposed it came with him having gone to America for trouble relaxing twice. Even though he'd only been genuinely having trouble one of those times. 

America had basically given him an invitation to visit him for comfort- which he had to admit was pretty tempting to him. He really didn't want to overuse it or make America regret giving him that. 

He realized he should close the door to his room and head to bed. He let out a small chuckle as he closed the door gently and quietly. He walked over to his window, taking one last look out, spotting America going past it on the ground. 

He smiled a little bit as he walked over to his bed and got in, pulling the blanket over himself. He shifted around for a bit, getting himself comfortable. Eventually sleep over took him- he didn't even notice. 

He whined a little as he opened his eyes and looked over, America wasn't by his side- damn it that was a nice dream. He grumbled to himself as he reached into his drawer and pulled out his little 'dream journal'. Really all it contained was two dreams he'd had about him and America, and he was about to add a third. 

He got out of bed and grabbed his quill, going over to his desk, and set the journal down. He uncapped his inkwell, dipped the quill in and began to write out the dream. 

In this one, he'd confessed to America about being Nyx, and then they'd gotten closer and closer, eventually deciding to be in a relationship. They'd find on dates, he'd been able to hold America, they'd cuddled in his bed. And then they eventually got married and, well... Consummated their marriage, then they'd gone to bed together... And then he woke up. 

He was so damn mad that was a dream, and that he'd woken up from it. He was grumpy as he continued to write every little detail he remembered from the dream. Once he was done, he capped his inkwell and put his quill away. He waited for the rest of the ink to dry before he closed the journal and returned it to its hiding place. 

Then he joined his family for breakfast, which was fairly quiet. Which, even though usual, was nice. Especially considering the type of dream he'd had; the great annoyance and disappointment he'd felt when it ended. It felt like waking up and learning that it was just a dream had emotionally wrecked him. 

But at least he might be able to seek out America for comfort? Maybe not seek him out for comfort, as America's presence was comfort enough.

Once breakfast was over, he excused himself, trying to figure out how he should spend his free day. 

First, he decided that he should check the flowers to see if there was a response from America. 

He'd heard someone wandering around near the little healer's office, so he might be in luck, he might just find a response. Though it was also very possible that America was in his office and still working on a response. 

But there was no other way to know than to check. 

So, he made his way out of the castle and over to the patch of chamomile flowers. When he spotted an envelope in the flowers, he excitedly grabbed it, being careful to not harm any flowers when he did. 

Once he had it, he made his way back to his room, opening the letter while he walked. 

Then, he began to read it, still making his way back to his room. 

Dear Nyx, 
Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I'm a shifter! 
You still have some guessing to do. I'll tell you when you get in the right area! Feel free to ask some questions to make it easier! 
Also, is that a malaphor? I love those! The one you used is one of my favorites. Also, thank you, I may not like Argentina, but I don't want anyone hurt. 
Speaking of her, she got to me last night before I picked up your letter. I had to get away as fast as I could; I was able to hide from her until she left. 
I can handle myself around people I find attractive during my office hours, because I can use my professional attitude to overcome it. 
And I am glad to hear that you've never considered tucking. 
Also, give Anatoly some pets for me in the meantime! 
As for Drow, they're an off-shoot of elves. They are colloquially known as "dark elves"! So technically, you just guessed elf twice. 
Also, I'm probably going to hug you the first time I see you. If that's okay with you? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. 

Sincerely, Aku 

Russia added a bit of pep to his step after reading the first line, very excited. Now all that was left was to try and figure out what type of shifter America was. 

He smiled to himself as he continued to read and walk, glad that he was earning more of America's favor as Nyx. Though, he still wasn't sure what to do with Argentina. He still needed to figure out how to deal with her. He held far more disdain for her now than ever. He hated to see her hurt America the way that she did. 

Once he got to his room, he found his cat and pet him a bit as America had asked. 

After that, he took out some paper and began to write his response. 

Once he was done writing his response, he put it in the prepared envelope then carefully sealed it. 

Then he left his room and walked to the flowers below his window, then moved the letter carefully into the chamomile patch. 

Once the letter was in the flowers, he excitedly made his way to America's office. 

The letter and his writing of a response had made him mostly forget about the dream he'd had and the disappointment he'd felt upon realizing it wasn't really. 

As he got closer to the office, he listened for America's voice, or something to indicate that America was there. He knew he probably was there already, especially considering the letter was already hidden among the chamomiles. 

He moved closer to the office and attempted to quietly open the door, only to find he'd failed. Seeing as America was already looking in his direction. 

"Good morning, Russia!" The healer greeted with a wave. 

Chapter Text

America sat down at his desk and started the hot water, deciding he should make himself some tea. 

While he waited on that, he decided to go and bring some more food into his office for lunch. He decided that he may as well bring enough to his office for himself and the visitor he often had, Russia. He wasn't sure if the other had been getting proper food when he spent so much time in his office, and wanted to make sure that he did. So he planned on giving the second portion to Russia. 

So, he quickly ran back to the building in which his barracks were, picking up two portions of food, then ran back quickly. It wasn't quite early, but he was still a little surprised to see Russia up and walking around the flowerbeds of the castle. It was about breakfast time, so seeing Russia out was interesting, to say the least. 

But he shrugged it off, continuing his way back to his office. Once he got back, he quickly put the servings of food away, and went to handle the hot water he'd set for tea. He took out a mug, grabbed a teabag, and set to preparing the tea. 

Once he was done, he set the mug down on the desk in front of him. Then he took a seat and waited for the tea to cool down a bit. While he waited, he decided to take out a piece of paper to draw. He decided to draw Nyx's cat and his cat, curled up together. He thought it would be a cute picture, and he could give it to Nyx with his next letter, which would be a while away. 

A bit into the sketching process, he heard someone approaching his door. So he lifted his head and looked towards the door, readying himself to greet whoever walked through it. 

"Good morning, Russia!" He gladly purred out the greeting, very happy to see the prince. 

"I uh, Good morning America" Russia greeted, seemingly a bit disappointed. 

What Russia was disappointed with, America wasn't sure, but America wouldn't push it. If Russia wanted to tell him, then he'd let that come naturally. 

But for now, he'd try to make him feel better and maybe forget what was troubling him, just like how Russia had unknowingly done for him last night. 

So he sparked up a few conversations, and that made the time fly. He barely even noticed what time it was until it was around lunch time. 

Once he noticed, he wandered over and pulled out the lunches. He passed one to Russia before taking a seat again. 

"I brought an extra lunch with me, cause I've noticed that you don't really leave unless you absolutely have to " America hummed, starting to eat the portion he'd brought for himself. 

"You didn't have to... But thank you" Russia said, a little blush appearing on his cheeks. 

What was causing Russia to blush, America was unsure. It likely had nothing to do with him, so he shrugged it off. 

"No, No, I did!" America responded with a happy smile. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just got you what I got- I hope that's okay." 

"That's fine! Though seriously, you didn't have to." Russia repeated. 

America shook his head, choosing to bring this little playful argument to an "agree to disagree". 

Though he found that they quickly delved back into their previous conversation. Every now and then there'd be a pause from one of them when they took a bite of food. 

He ended up finishing his food before Russia, and he quickly dealt with the dishes from his meal. Once they were clean, he returned them to their original place in the room. 

As they talked, America decided to pick up on his sketch of the cats. 

He was still working on the anatomy of the two cats. 

He admittedly wasn't fully sure of how big Nyx's cat was, so he decided to draw Anatoly about the same size as Bean. 

He found himself smiling a quite a lot while they talked and he continued to sketch. 

Eventually, Russia seemed to get curious, and chose to ask: 
"What are you drawing?" 

America found himself smiling a little as he answered. "Oh, I'm drawing my cat and my friend, Nyx's cat. I'm not sure how big his cat is, so I'm drawing them the same size as mine." 

Russia nodded at that and hummed a little. "What's your cat's name?" 

After he spoke, Russia took a few bites of his food. 

"Oh, my cat's name is Bean" America answered happily, sending Russia a quick smile before he went back to sketching. 

"Could I see this piece when it's done?" Russia asked. 

"If it's done before I give him my next letter, sure." America answered with a smile. 

Russia paused for a moment before he spoke again. "If I go by your room at some point, would I be able to see Bean?" 

"You just want to see the art piece so you can see my little bastard child bean?" America jokingly asked with a laugh. 

"Kind of..."Russia said, looking away. "But I also want to see some of your finished art-" 

America just laughed a little and set the sketch aside for a moment. 

"Am I allowed to pat your head?" He asked, wanting to make sure he didn't cross any boundaries Russia may have. 

"Uhm... Sure, I don't mind" Russia responded, looking a little confused by the question. 

America hummed and then pet Russia's head, on top of the hat. He would have normally removed the hat, if this were one of his friends. Because he knew that this was something they were okay with, but as this was Russia, he didn't want to ask in case it was something he was uncomfortable with. Especially seeing as he hadn't seen Russia with the ushanka other than one time. He saw his friends without the hats that some of them wore often, and they'd made it fairly clear to him it was okay to remove them. 

Though, he decided to not dwell on it. He returned to his seat and smiled at Russia before pulling his sketch back over to be in front of him. As he wanted to continue to work on it while he and Russia talked. 

Chapter Text

Russia smiled a little bit as he left America's office. He'd enjoyed his time with America, and couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

Though he had a little bit of time he could waste before he needed to head to dinner. So, he decided to walk around the outside of the castle for a bit.

As he passed by the chamomiles, his letter wasn't the only thing he saw, there was also a kitten. A small, quite fluffy, kitten. They were sneezing a bit, and looked old enough to walk.

He couldn't see much of the little puffball, so he bent down and got closer to the ground to get a better look at the kitten.

The kitten started to weakly hiss at him, showing that the mother likely was feral. The kitten was tucking one of their back legs further under them than the other.

That concerned him, he needed to have a look at the little one. So he ignored the weak hissing from the kitten and gently coxed it into showing him the leg.

He found an injury, there was some singed fur on the tail and area around a cauterized wound on the kit's back leg.

The kitten had likely been abandoned by their mother and the rest of their litter. His best guess was that the kitten had been in the area of a magic mishap from that hadn't happened too long ago, though where the mishap had happened, he wasn't sure.

The poor kitten... He knew he needed to bring them with him. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to find them again if he let them out of his sight, and the next person to find them may not be kind. And seeing as the kitten had been able to get around as much as they had, he knew he wouldn't find them there again if he left them.

He carefully held them in one hand and took off his Ushanka before gently plopping them in it, careful not to further injure them.

The kitten was a tuxedo with white front paws, black back paws except for one toe on their right back paw, and their white fur went to the bottom of their mouth. They had two white spots, one above each eye, almost like eyebrows. Their eyes were olive green, and would be very pretty if it weren't for the fear they held.

The kitten was so scared of him... He wished he could get them to like him, but that would take time. For now, he had to go to dinner and then get this kitten to someone who could heal them.

He walked to the dining area as quickly as he could, took a seat, and gently placed his hat in his lap.

He got a couple questioning looks from his siblings, which he completely ignored, trying to finish his food as quickly as possible so he could get the cat treated properly by someone. As soon as he was done, he carefully took his hat back into his hands and excused himself.

Maybe America would be in his room, so he could go to him. He didn't want to bother him when he was on break, but this kitten needed treatment. So he made his way there as quickly as possible.

He knocked on the door kind of frantically, hoping America would help him.

"America, I'm sorry to bother you so soon after your shift" he said as soon as the door opened, dipping his head. "But I need help getting this kitten treatment."

He lifted his head to see that the door was open to a room full of several people, one of which was Canada, another of which was America.

America was getting up from his spot at desk, then he came over to him.

Russia looked at America and smiled nervously.

"The kitten's in my hat. My guess is that they were involved in some sort of magic mishap"

America nodded and little as he came closer, taking a look at the kitten before picking them up. He got a good look at the injury, carefully handling them so as to not cause further harm.

"Sakura, could you use any of your abilities to heal them? Or do I need to collect myself something for stamina and energy?"America asked, directing his attention back into the room.

"I can get them! I'm on break~ so I have plenty of energy" a slightly high pitched feminine voice purred.

Then a second person joined America at the door, they had long white hair with red tips. They were in some sort of uniform- Russia vaguely recognized it as a school girl uniform from a different kingdom. They also had cat ears and tail, with bits of red near the end of their mostly white tail. They had red eyes and a red circle in the middle of their face. But Russia didn't recognize them, so he looked to America, hoping to get an introduction.

"Oh, right! Russia, this is Japan. I call her Sakura!" America said as he gently gave Japan the kitten.

Russia smiled nervously and waved at Japan. He watched as she healed the kitten, and happily took them back when Japan when she was done healing them.

Russia dipped his head and smiled, then looked at Japan. "Thank you for healing him, I'll be out of your hair now."

America smiled at Russia. "Don't say it like that! You're not a bother. You're welcome here any time!"

"But-"

"Aye Aye Aye! No! You're no trouble. I mean that." America said, cutting him off. "I gave you the information to get here because I am okay with you being here. Look at it as an invitation to come here"

Russia nodded a little at that and smiled.

"Thank you," Russia said. "I'm still going to head out, I'll see you tomorrow America."

America nodded and walked over, giving Russia a gentle hug before he said goodbye. "Goodnight Russia, see you later"

Russia hugged back, a bit of blush making its way onto his face. Well, it was a half hug as he was keeping the kitten held with one of his arms. Eventually, he let go of the hug and smiled at America before he went home.

Chapter Text

America smiled to himself, watching as Russia left. He was glad Russia had a little companion now, and that the kitten had someone to rely on again. He closed the door and went back to his spot at the desk, and noticed that some of his friends were huddled together, whispering about something. He wasn't sure what they were whispering about, and he didn't care to find out. 

Japan was the one who moved away from the whispering first and giggled a bit as she moved over to America. 

"America~!" She purred with a giggle. "You have a chance with him~" 

"No I don't" He dismissed, rolling his eyes. She found another way to tease him. Peachy. "That's hogwash Japan, and you know it." 

"No, it's not!" His friend whined, insistent on the fact that America did have a chance. "He was blushing when you hugged him!" 

"It could've just caught him off guard and embarrassed him." America reminded, rolling his eyes. There were several possible reasons Russia blushed when he hugged him, so just assuming it was because of returned feelings was just stupid. 

Japan groaned and looked at him. "You didn't see the way he was looking at you! You totally have a chance!" 

"How about we change the subject before we have an argument?" South Korea suggested, hoping to shut her girlfriend up before she managed to make this into an argument. 

"Yes please" America mumbled, relaxing into his chair. 

They spent the next few minutes picking a new topic. Japan eventually dropped the teasing after a while of Bean messing with her hair. America did his best to keep the topic from going back to his crush on Russia, especially since Japan seemed insistent on the fact that Russia probably returned his feelings. 

After a while, he drifted out of the conversation, getting lost in his own thoughts. He found himself thinking about Russia and a bit about Nyx. The two were quite similar, and honestly he thought they'd probably be great friends if they ever met. They'd probably be like two peas in a pod, and he'd be happy to see it. 

"Hey America, it's getting a bit late, we're all going to head out" China said, getting up. 

That snapped America out of his thoughts. He nodded and got up, smiling at them. He bid them all goodnight as they left his room, heading to their own rooms. 

Once they were all out, he pet his cat, Bean, gently before grabbing something more comfortable to garden in. He chose a maroon sweater that he'd embroidered golden yellow details into and black loose-fitting pants. After changing, he grabbed his messenger bag and put it on, petting his cat once more before he left. Once he was out, he started his gardening excitedly, being careful and gentle as he did. 

He found himself lost in his thoughts as he gardened, until he reached the chamomiles and found an envelope left by Nyx. 

He carefully picked it up and excitedly began reading. 

Dear Aku, 
Oh, I got it?! But the guessing game continues, I suppose! 
Since you don't mind questions, I have a few! This might narrow my guesses down a lot.
Is the shift a mammal shift? If not, what category of shifts should I look at? 
Yeah, that was a malaphor, I love those things. They're fun! Some are funny. Like: "You've opened this can of worms, now lie in it" or "... until the cows freeze over". 
That being said, I promise I won't let anyone get hurt while I get her away from you(when I figure out how). As much as I'd like to seek retribution on your behalf, I won't because you asked and I hold a great deal of care for you and I care a lot about your feelings on things like this. 
How do you handle people outside of office hours? Especially if you find them attractive. I'm genuinely curious. 
And I have given Anatoly pets for you! I hope you are comfortable enough with me after finding out who I am to go to my room to pet him. 
Also, really? I didn't know! I just have been basing my guesses on what the census allows for you to answer with, so thank you for telling me! 
Also, from what I've heard, shifters are noted to not be able to practice magic well, so could you tell me how true that is? 
Another question, I've been curious about this for a little while, why are your sclera (I think that's the term for the "whites of the eyes") black? 
Also, my first guess in the general animal category is a bat of some kind. If you're not a mammal, one of my guesses would be some sort of corvid. 

Sincerely, Nyx 

He smiled a little, being able to feel Nyx's excitement about getting it right was nice and a little cute, even if he couldn't see the other's face. He hummed a little as he read the questions Nyx had to narrow the guess down. He was glad Nyx was taking him up on that, as he was excited to meet him. 

He smiled a little as he found out that Nyx liked malaphors, finding the ones he provided funny. 

He relaxed a little as he read that Nyx wouldn't do anything in retribution, thankful no harm would come to Argentina... Even if she wasn't kind. He read through Nyx's question and considered how he'd answer it, as Nyx was probably seeking a little bit of advice on how to handle it himself. 

He smiled happily, glad Anatoly had gotten extra pets. He also made a mental note to reassure Nyx that he'd definitely be comfortable going to his room. 

He found himself humming a little as he read how Nyx had been getting his guesses, it made sense. 

As he read the other questions Nyx had, considering how he'd answer them. 

Then he got to guesses, chucking and smiling at them. They were wrong, but cute. 

Once he was done, he folded it back up and put it in its envelope. Then he continued to tend to the flowers, humming a little tune to himself while he did.

Chapter Text

Russia looked at the little kitten he held, deciding on a name for them. He'd yet to check the gender of the kitten, as he'd been more worried about their injury. So before he let them do as they pleased in his room, he should check and name them.

He gently checked and found that the kitten was a female, and he considered how he should name her.

Then he remembered the stupid thing he'd agreed to with his sister a year ago. If he ever got a tuxedo cat, he was to name them Tux.

She was drunk, as was he when this was agreed to, but she'd remembered the next morning and made sure to remind him.

He pet the kitten with a smile before he sighed, taking the kitten out of his hat. He placed her on the bed and then pet her.

"Alright Tux, I'm going to get you some food, stay right there, okay?" He said, as if the kitten could understand him.

He then proceeded to go around his room, looking for the kitten food he knew he had left over from Anatoly.

He eventually found it and poured some into a bowl, putting Tux in front of it.

Then, he went to looking out of the window, waiting for America to come by.

Anatoly mowed at him before hopping up on the desk in front of the window, likely curious of what his person was insistent on watching. Russia smiled a little and gently moved his cat so that he and the cat could see out the window.

Eventually, he saw America come into view and pick up the letter.

Anatoly, upon seeing a person he didn't recognize, decided he wanted to throw himself out the window to go greet them. Which Russia quickly stopped him from and quietly scolded him. The scolding got a confused puppy-like head tilt from the cat in question.

"Don't throw yourself out a window for the love of all that's high and low." Russia whisper yelled at Anatoly with a sigh. He was a bit exasperated, and too tired for these kinds of antics from his cat.

He then went back to watching America's reactions to the letter, finding that he'd missed a bit of it sadly, but he heard him laugh a few times. He felt himself melt when he heard the laugh.

There weren't too many other reactions that he got to see from America, which was a bit saddening, but he'd see America the next night.

Then he heard America start humming, it wasn't very loud, and he could barely hear it. But the tune was nice and comforting, so he listened to it closer so that he could remember it whenever he felt restless. Once he could no longer hear America's humming, he made his way back to his bed. He pet Anatoly and smiled a little at the cat.

"Don't worry, you'll meet him soon." He promised the cat as he followed him. "I'm not sure when, but it'll be very soon, okay?"

He then got in the bed and started to get himself comfortable. He felt the air knocked out of him and looked only to find his cat, Anatoly, curled up on his chest. He smiled a little and closed his eyes again, relaxing into the bed. He fell asleep to the sound of Anatoly purring, quite loudly.

Russia jolted up, and looked around worriedly. He relaxed a little and let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that had just been a nightmare. He got out of bed and stretched a little, still not able to shake those images from his head. He just had to go check on America and confirm he was okay. Then he could get some sleep. Hopefully.

He checked the time and sighed, it was a little before America would be in his room, so he'd be better off just waiting near the room than searching around the castle for him.

So that's what he decided to do, grabbing the paper he'd been given the night before. He made his way to America's room and waited outside of the room pitifully. He knew it looked and felt pitiful. But he just needed to see America, make sure he was okay, remind himself that it was a stupid nightmare.

So when he saw America coming closer after he'd been there for likely ten minutes, he felt immediate relief and almost ran over to the healer, hugging him. He then just kept touching him, reassuring himself and securing in his mind that America was alive and breathing.

He then relaxed and went back to hugging America.

"You alright Rus?" America's voice brought more comfort, though he could hear the concern in it.

He noticed the nickname though, it was new, but he didn't really care to mention it right now. He was just glad America was okay.

"I am now..." He mumbled, finding himself holding onto America far more tightly.

"You don't have to tell me what happened..." America started, gently moving his arms to hug back. "But it might make you feel a bit better if you do."

"I... I had a nightmare." The taller male managed to get out, refusing to let go. "You got caught in the middle of a magic accident... You got horribly injured, I..."

America just hummed softly, gently rubbing Russia's back.

"I couldn't get to anyone on time... You stopped breathing, I couldn't find you pulse..."He held onto America even tighter than he had been before he got to that.

America gently reached and grabbed his hand from his own back.

"Here, I still have a pulse" The healer gently guided Russia's hand to a spot on his neck. He gently pressed two fingers to the spot. "See? No need to worry. I'm still here."

Russia nodded, feeling the pulse made him feel better.

America then guided his hand to the middle of his chest, allowing Russia to feel him breathe.

"I'm also still breathing. I'm alive and well, I assure you." America said softly before letting go of Russia's hand. "Now, do you want me to walk you back to your room or do you want to stay with me in my room?"

"I don't want to bother you more than I already have..." Russia said, looking away and letting go.

"You aren't bothering me, and you never will be bothering me, okay?" America assured, smiling softly at him. "Now, do you want to go back to your room, or stay in mine?"

Chapter Text

America smiled gently at Russia, who had still yet to answer the question.

"Could I... Could I stay with you?" Russia asked in a whisper, as if speaking any louder would put them both in danger.

"Of course, I wouldn't have offered otherwise." America assured him with a gentle smile. He then turned himself to the door, gently opening it.

He then realized where the other's arms were, and it was admittedly a little flustering. They were wrapped around his waist at this point, though he was fairly certain they'd start around his upper chest.

He walked in, making sure that Russia got in as well. Once they were both in, he closed the door quietly so as to not wake anyone else. He smiled softly at Russia and gently led him over to the bed, having to gently coax Russia into it. Once Russia was in the bed, America got his inkwell and quill from his desk, then searched around for something he could bear down on. He then headed back to the bed and got in, next to Russia, who seemed to relax again upon his return.

"I'm still here Rus, do you want to pulse check me or something?" He assured him with a gentle smile and laugh.

"Can hold?" The other mumbled, opening one eye to look up at him.

"Sure, if it'll make you feel better."

After he said that, Russia shifted and grabbed onto him, snuggling up to him a bit. He felt Russia nuzzle his head into his side, which was quite flustering. But it seemed to be relaxing Russia, so he pushed down how flustering it was, dismissing his own thoughts.

He grabbed a pillow from behind himself, and placed it on his lap. Once it was there, he put the board he'd grabbed on top of the pillow, and put his writing utensil and inkwell on the board. He then reached into his bag and pulled out the letter from Nyx, an envelope, and a few sheets of paper. Then he started to write his response, while rereading the previous letter to make sure he got everything.

Once he was done writing, he reddied the envelope and waited for the ink to dry. Once the ink was dry on the envelope and the letter, he folded the letter and slid it into the envelope. He put his closed inkwell and quill on his bedside table, slid the board in between his bed and bedside table, and put the pillow back behind himself. He looked over and saw that Russia was comfortably asleep.

He wasn't sure of how much of a heavy sleeper his friend (and crush) was, but hoped that it was enough hat he could move to make himself more comfortable. Though he was careful as he slowly shifted himself down so that he was laying down.

Russia stirred a little and opened one of his eyes, looking over at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere" America gently reassured, smiling at Russia. "I was just getting a bit more comfortable."

Russia made an incomprehensible noise and moved closer to him. He then moved one hand up to check America's pulse again.

"See? I still have a pulse." America affirmed, moving to lightly hug Russia. "You can go back to resting, I'll be here when you wake up."

Russia let out an affirmative noise then got closer to America, burying his face in America's chest. He then pulled America even closer, cuddling up to him. While Russia cuddled him, he also moved his hands the same way he had earlier, confirming to himself that America was still alive and there.

America smiled softly and hummed a little, hoping it'd help Russia relax and let him know that he was still there and breathing. Soon, he noticed Russia starting to relax, likely falling asleep again. But he kept humming, closing his own eyes so that he might also get to enjoy some sleep.

He opened his eyes and looked around, finding Russia who was still asleep. He looked at the clock on the wall and found that it was now 6:46.

He normally liked to be up and out of bed by now, but he could stay a little while longer, if only so Russia got enough rest.

He hadn't noticed when he woke up, but now that he was more awake, he noticed where his own arms were, as well as where Russia's were. His were around the taller man's shoulders, and Russia's were around his waist. Though, that wasn't all; Russia had managed to get his shit moved up, and that his hands were on his bare skin. And he could feel Russia's hands moving, tracing his sides. Russia also had his face buried in his neck, his breathing was calm, and slow. The other was in a comfortable state of sleep.

He had not been expecting this, and it was very flustering. Russia's breath against his neck, the feeling of Russia's hands on his sides- the best he could rationalize was that Russia was dreaming of doing this to someone he fancied, someone more in his league than himself. He couldn't bring himself to let go of the hope that Russia wanted to do anything even remotely romantic with him.

"Мой..." He heard Russia whisper, as though it was directed at him.

He seemed quite content, whoever he was dreaming of was the one lucky person. He couldn't help but hope that it might be him, though he knew it was unlikely.

He never heard Russia sleep talk after that, though he didn't mind, as Russia deserved that privacy. Though he couldn't really Give Russia much, given how he was being held so close. But, holding him like this seemed to help keep Russia calm and relaxed.

He ended up laying there for a long while, checking the clock, finding it was now 8:06. He really should wake Russia up, so that Russia could get himself ready for breakfast, and so that he could get a meal and get to his work.

"Hey, Rus"He gently started, trying to wake him up. "You have to wake up"

"Нет..." Russia grumpily muttered. "Я остаюсь с Звезды" (*No *I stay with Stars)

"Rus, you gotta wake up." America said, gently trying to wake him. "It's Eight. You gotta go to your room and get ready for the day."

Russia made an even more grumpy noise as he opened his eyes.

Chapter Text

Russia opened his eyes, only to find that he couldn't see much. So he moved his hands a bit, feeling warm skin under them. Not fabric, skin. Then he remembered the night before, he'd had a nightmare, and America had allowed him to stay with him. He wasn't sure where his hands were, or where he had his face. 

"Rus, you gotta wake up, okay?" Came America's voice. It was close to his ear, so he probably had his face in his neck. 

He quickly moved his face back and looked up at America dumbly, it was still quite early. 

"Could you, uhm, move your hands out from under my shirt?" America asked, having a bit of blush on his face. 

Russia felt himself light up a bright red, now knowing where his hands were. As he moved his hands out, he realized that America had curves. He'd been, whenever he dreamt about those sorts of things, imagining America with a more average build. But knowing he had curves, oh God, he was even more attracted to him. He was already attracted to America, and didn't think he could get more attracted to the small healer. He wrapped his arms around America's chest. 

But seriously what the actual fuck had he been thinking, putting his hands up America's shirt like that. 

"Oh my God I'm so sorry." He mumbled, averting his gaze. "I didn't mean to do that, I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable." 

"It's fine, you were half asleep. You aren't making me uncomfortable, that was just a little surprising" America said, gently hugging Russia back. He eventually let go of Russia and sat up, pulling Russia up with him as a result of being held onto. 

"You can let go, Rus" America giggled, smiling at Russia. 

Russia got a bit pouty as he let go of America, he had wanted to hold him for a while longer. So, he decided to flop back down on the bed dramatically. He craved America's touch, so hugging him was nice, he hoped America would decide to play along and hug him. 

"Alright, c'mere" America muttered, gently hugging Russia and pulling him out of the bed and to his feet. 

Russia let himself properly stand, happy that he'd gotten attention and a hug from America. 

"Now, you gotta get to your room and get ready, I'll see you later, okay?" America promised, smiling at Russia gently as he let go of him. 

Russia pouted, but gave America a quick hug before he made his way out of the room. He then made his way to his room, making it a little late. He then changed quickly and put his Ushanka on. He grabbed some paper and an envelope before he went to get himself breakfast. 

After breakfast he headed towards his first class today, stopping by the chamomiles, finding a response from America. Which he excitedly opened and read as he walked to class. 

Dear Nyx, 
Yeah, the game continues! 
As for your question, I am a mammal shift. So sadly, your secondary guess of corvids is out.
But I do love corvids like crows and ravens! I happen to have one named Samuel, he's akin to a witch's familiar... But obviously I'm not a witch! I'm just a healer who can do a little magic.
I love malaphors so much! My favorite still remains as the first one you used: "We'll burn that bridge when we get to it". 
Also, Thank you, I just don't want anyone to get hurt. 
As for how I deal with people I find attractive outside of office hours, I haven't had to do so much. I'm not sure if I know how I would, but I'd probably be fine unless they flirt with me!
Also, thank you! I hope Anatoly is a good cat for you most of the time. Because mine acts like he's on opium poppies, without a prescription, at all times. 
Also, I'm sure I won't be uncomfortable with you after I know who you are! I'm sure I'd be fine with visiting your room and meeting Anatoly. I promise I will still be comfortable with you.
Shifters being unable to practice magic is a complete and utter myth. The only race that's unable is the Caeleon, but it's likely to keep them from being far too overpowered. If I remember correctly, at one point they had magic potential, but after one of the wars that happened, they were sealed away from magic. 
As for why my sclera are black, I'm not really sure! But you did use the correct term! I used to actually hide my eyes, as in my travels in my childhood, people really didn't like them and bullied me for them. The way people accepted it here is actually one of the reasons I settled here! 
A theory I've heard going around on black sclera is something that may go back to ancestors! From what I've heard, the theory is that those with ancestors proficient in dark magic, who would be proficient in it themselves, have this trait. But I'm really not willing to test that right now, I'll stick to the little bit of plant and healing magic I can do! But the theory is interesting to me. 
Also, I'm not a bat shifter! But we are generally considered to be nocturnal. 

Sincerely, Aku 

He smiled to himself as he read then gently folded the letter, putting it back in its envelope. He'd write his response after his class. 

He walked over to the classroom and found that no one was there. The door wasn't open, and there was a note on the door, telling him his teacher was sick, and to use today as a study day. 

He'd already gone over the material, so he wasn't worried about going over it more. He opened the door, went inside, and took out the letter from America. 

He then took out a couple sheets of paper and the envelope. He then got his inkwell and quill, and started writing. 

He took a while to finish the letter, then he got the envelope ready.

Once the ink on both was dry, he gently folded his letter and put it in the envelope. He sealed it and then returned everything to its original state. 

He left the room, closed the room, and took his letter to the chamomiles, carefully placing it in them. 

Chapter Text

America hummed to himself, getting himself ready as soon as his door was closed. Then he grabbed his letter, putting it in his messenger bag. Once he was ready, he headed out. He got two meals from the kitchen, hoping Russia would enjoy what he grabbed.

He then headed to his office, making his way to his office quickly, stopping by the chamomiles to leave his letter, before getting to his office as quickly as he could.

He opened the door to his office and made his way over to his spot at his desk, checking the clock on the wall. He was three minutes early.

He didn't like that he was just barely on time, but there wasn't much he could do. Though he did feel a bit more accomplished, he'd managed to calm the prince down from a nightmare, and help him sleep easy.

He knew Russia slept comfortably, as before he'd taken the potion from Japan, and woke to the slightest touch. He was a very light sleeper.

He didn't wake to Russia moving his hands under his shirt, meaning it happened when he was in a deeper state of sleep.

He'd ask Russia about why he did that in his sleep in the first place, as he was curious, but also concerned.

Though, he thought Russia probably just slept hugging a bed most of the time. What had caused his hands to wander up his shirt though, he wasn't sure. However, he wanted to find out. If Russia knew why, that was.

After a while of thinking, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps headed towards his office. He looked towards the doorway, ready to greet the person who walked through the door. Soon, he saw it was Russia and smiled a little, happily greeting Russia.

"Hey Russia!" He purred, a smile on his face. He wanted to speak with Russia for a second, and allow him to get comfortable, before he started to ask about it.

"Good morning, America." Russia said as he stepped in the room, wandering closer to America. "I uh, I want to apologize again for putting my hands up your shirt..."

America gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk, inviting Russia to sit down. Once he had taken a seat, America decided to get the question out of the way. Why had he put his hands up America's shirt?

"You were asleep, you weren't aware that's what you were doing." America reassured gently, giving him a soft smile before he spoke again. "Though, I have to ask why you did. Do you know what you were dreaming about?"

"I don't know... I don't remember what I was dreaming about. I guess I do tend to wake up cuddling a pillow, I just held onto you like that pillow..." Russia mumbled, confirming America's suspicion.

America nodded and smiled at him.

"Well, don't worry about it." He said, humming a little. "If you remember it, please tell me what it was about cause I'm curious."

Russia nodded and smiled, looking over at him with a fond smile.

"I'm not done with the art piece, so maybe you'll get to see the piece before I get it to Nyx." America chuckled, reaching into his messenger bag and pulling out his unfinished art.

Russia seemed to get excited at that, definitely wanting to see America work on it. So, America happily pulled out his materials and started to work on it.

"Hey, uh- America?" Russia spoke up as America began working on the art.

"Yeah, Russia?" America responded, stopping his work for a second to look at Russia. He wanted to make sure Russia knew that he had his full attention, even if he was working on art or something else.

"Do you mind if I call you Звезды?"

"I don't mind, so feel free to!" America said, going back to his art.

America paused for a second before switching to a slightly flirty tone. "Was your dream about me~"

"Wh-Wha?" Russia sounded flabbergasted and very, very flustered. "Why- why do you think that?"

"Ah, well, you just said that nickname in your sleep. " America said with a small chuckle. "You said, and I quote, 'No, I stay with Stars' when I was trying to wake you."

"I, uh... I don't remember the dream, but I guess the dream probably involved you" Russia sounded embarrassed, or even more flustered.

Which it was, America wasn't sure. But he mentally shrugged it off as he got back to working on his art piece. He gently erased the lines of his sketch and took out his watercolor and a brush before he started to color the image.

" I'm curious, why have you solely been saying the nickname you have for me solely in Russian?" America asked, continuing his work on the piece. "I admittedly would do the same, but with Latin."

"Звезды? Oh, well, it just makes me feel closer to you. And Russian is my first language, so I prefer it heavily." Russia explained, likely looking at him as he could feel someone's eyes on him.

"Thanks for telling me, Rus." America said, a soft smile on his face. "I've been meaning to ask if I could give you a nickname as well."

"Oh, you mean Rus? I don't mind!"

"No, like you, my nickname would be in a different language." America quickly corrected, letting out a quiet giggle. "The nickname would be Mons leo."
(*mountain lion)

"What language is that in? It's not one I've heard before... Well other than from you" Russia seemed genuinely curious about the language. "Also, could you tell me what it means? I'm curious, and you understand what my nickname for you means"

"I uhm... It means Mountain lion" America mumbled, looking away nervously.

"Oh! Mons sounds like Мой or mon, so I thought it meant something like 'mine'." Russia admitted with a laugh.

"It doesn't!!" America yelped, flustered. He stopped using the watercolor so that he didn't mess up the piece.

Russia just laughed a little more, and then he felt someone ruffling his hair.

He felt blush come onto his face, knowing that it was Russia. But, he quickly calmed himself and went back to working on the piece.

He finished the art piece a little before lunch time, so he let Russia look at it as he got both meals for them.

Russia seemed to like art, and once the other was done looking at it, they ate their lunch peacefully.

Chapter Text

Russia found himself smiling to himself as he walked back to his room, dinner had been... Odd. His father had questioned where he'd been the night before, and why he hadn't been in his room when Soviet had come to wake him. He just told him that he'd just had a nightmare, went to the person he lost in it to reassure himself that they were still alive, and that they'd let him stay the rest of the night. He didn't mention who it was, especially since he was in front of his siblings. He really didn't feel like ending up like his sister, Ukraine, who had sneezed on him before he headed to his room. It obviously wasn't on purpose, she probably was just minority sick.

Once he stepped into his room, he looked around greeting his cats, Anatoly and Tux. He pet Anatoly and attempted to pet Tux before taking a seat on his bed.

His face heated up as he was hit by the dream. He'd been cuddling America on his bed, they were dating... And then they'd started to do things. He started to mess with his neck, slid his hands up and down his body... He blushed even harder, grabbing the journal from its place in the drawer.

He then walked over to his chair by the window and started writing down the dream. He couldn't tell America about that being what the dream was about... It'd definitely make him uncomfortable. Or at least he was pretty sure it would.

Once he had it written down in the journal, he closed his inkwell, put his quill away, then closed and returned the journal to its home in the drawer of his bedside table.

Maybe if he didn't fuck up his chances when he revealed he was Nyx, he could tell America he had those sorts of dreams about him. Or he could fuck up his chances by asking America how he felt about being someone they dreamed about. Though he quickly dismissed that idea, it'd make America uncomfortable. America was someone he wanted to make feel comfortable and safe.

Soon, He saw America wander over to the chamomiles and start to gently then to them. But before he found the letter, Russia spotted Argentina. She seemed to be trying to sneak up on America.

Russia knew he could let anything happen to him, so he quickly left his room quietly. As quickly as he could, he got outside and over to the chamomiles. He only made an effort to hide his footsteps when he risked waking his siblings. Once he was getting closer to America, he made no effort to hide the urgency in his walk. Just getting over to him as quickly as he could, hoping he got there before Argentina got there.

He gently wrapped America in a hug, relaxing a little upon doing so. Because at least now, he knew if Argentina were to approach America, he wouldn't have to deal with her alone.

"Hey, hey, Mons leo, what's wrong?" America asked, his tone was gentle and soft.(*Mountain lion)

"Just saw her coming towards you." Russia mumbled, gesturing in the general direction of Argentina. " Didn't want to leave you alone to deal with her."

At least, not again... He thought to himself. Leaving America to deal with the shitty homophobe alone, especially when he knew he could help, felt unforgivable.

"Thanks for the warning Rus. You don't have to stick around l can deal with her on my own." America smiled softly at him as he said it.

"Нет. I help or stay with you until she leaves." Russia insisted, not letting go of America.

"You need sleep, so you can't stay with me while I garden-"

"Oh, there's something in the flowers, see?" Russia pointed out, opting to pretend to notice his own letter. He hoped that little buffer would push America into being willing to do something other than stubbornly continuing to care for the plants. He let go of America so that he could get the letter.

He averted his eyes, really not wanting to end up staring at America's behind. He looked back and saw that America was standing back up. Though, admittedly, he'd looked a second or two too long at America's butt. He hoped America hadn't noticed though.

"Ah, Thank you Mons Leo! It's a letter from my friend." America sounded genuinely happy, making a sound that was very close to a purr.

Russia shrugged it off, though he did find the noise very cute. If he could scoop America up and get him away from Argentina, he gladly would. Though he wasn't sure America would be okay with him doing so, and the healer's comfort was of utmost importance to him.

Russia hugged America gently and smiled at him. Holding America close always felt great, and it didn't seem to make him uncomfortable when he did it. America slightly leant into the hug, giving him a half hug. The healer seemed intent on not damaging the letter in any way, which was nice.

Russia eventually let go of the hug and smiled at America. He then looked around, wanting to see if Argentina was still hiding nearby. He didn't see her anywhere nearby, so it was likely safe, but he wanted to stay with America for a little longer just in case.

"I don't see her anymore, but do you mind if I stay with you for a while?" Russia asked, hoping America would humor him.

"No, I'm going to walk you back to your room, though." America said, giving him a small smile.

Russia sighed a little, but knew protesting wouldn't get him anywhere. America wanted to get him back to his room, so that's what would happen. It didn't mean he wouldn't worry about America, far from it. He didn't want Argentina to show her ugly mug around America anytime soon, but was worried she would. Russia hoped this would be enough buffer time for her to give up for the night and leave America alone.

"Alright" He said, stopping himself from sighing again. He was worried, but knew America would be fine on his own.

America smiled at him again and gave him a half hug before beginning to lead him to his room.

Once they were there, Russia gave America another hug before he went back to gardening. America let out a quiet laugh and smiled at him.

"Good night, Rus. See you tomorrow."

Russia smiled a little as he slowly pulled away from the hug. "Good night, Звезды"

Russia waved by to America before going back into his room.

He closed his window, getting the distinct feeling it was going to rain, which was backed up by how Anatoly was going about grooming himself.

Chapter Text

America walked back to the flowers, quickly and quietly. He was thankful for Russia having stopped Argentina from getting to him, but he couldn't stand to be the reason that the other lost more sleep. Because unlike himself, sleep was a necessity for Russia.

Soon enough, he was back at the chamomiles. He placed the letter down beside himself gently before he started to gently tend to the chamomiles. Once he was done, he grabbed the letter from beside him and gently opened it.

Dear Aku,
Awe darn! Well I'm closer to meeting you. 
The closer I get, the more anxious and excited I get. I'm excited, but I worry you may not like me when you find out who I am.
Also, I love the crow! Doesn't he call prince Russia "Papa"?
Malaphors are always fun, so I'm glad you like them!
Well, I'm pretty sure if they flirt with you, it means you have a chance? If not, I don't know what it means.
Anatoly is a good cat most of the time! He's very cuddly, and is adorable.
Also, I have no idea what effects opium poppies have other than pain relief, but based on context, I would hazard to say it's not a good thing.
Also, I think that's really cool! I've only ever heard of magic being sealed away on an individual basis, never for an entire race. That's really interesting, and I would love to hear more about it eventually.
I'm glad you're more comfortable here. I'm glad you settled here. I personally think your eyes are cute, and I will never understand why they were ever made fun of.
And that sounds like an interesting theory, maybe we can look into it when we meet up.
Well, my guesses are wolf of some kind, canine, or possibly deer. Am I close or not?

Sincerely, Nyx

America smiled a little bit as he read through the first part of the letter, glad Nyx was also excited to meet him, but hoped that he could ease his anxiety on it as well. Then he sighed, disappointed at how quickly the news of Samuel calling Russia "papa" had spread. But he supposed that it was bound to happen, as Italy had yelled about it.

Though he was glad to hear that Nyx also liked malaphors, as they both found them fun to use.

He sighed a little, finding Nyx a little naive in thinking that flirting usually meant that someone would have a chance. He may just be cynical, but it did not mean that most of the time for him. People had done it as a joke, dare, or to just simply show him how no one could love him with eyes like his. He was likely just cynical in this particular case. Nyx probably had better experiences with flirting, and probably knew what it should've meant to him. He wished he could've grown up here, people didn't actually mind his eyes here, just saw them, shrugged, and moved on with their days. He'd even had a few people say something ppl "Ooooo! you have pretty eyes like my grandma!" or "Oh, cool! You have cool eyes like my friend".

He smiled a little to himself as he read about what Nyx knew of magic being sealed away, he'd have to tell him more of what he knew later. Maybe they could look into it after they met. It'd be something that they'd both hopefully enjoy.

Sadly, unlike Nyx, he knew well that people didn't like his eyes, and why they proclaimed that they didn't like them. He'd been calling many things in his earlier years traveling with his parents. They'd called him things like: demon, freak, monster, lost face, shame, disgrace, ignominy, embarrassment, mistake, blemish on existence, antichrist, "that thing", howling fantod, abomination, delayed abortion, curse to this world, blasphemy against nature, and many other degrading and dehumanizing things.

He was glad that Nyx found the theory interesting, and felt excited to look into the theory with him when he met up with him.

He found himself laughing a little as he read the guesses. It was a good-natured laugh, as those were far off from what he was. Though, he was disappointed that he hadn't gotten it, as he was excited to meet up with Nyx.

Once he had finished reading the letter from Nyx, he gently folded it and put it in his messenger bag. After that, he smiled to himself and continued to garden. As he did, he found himself lost in thought, nothing too important crossing his mind. Other than that Ukraine, one of the royals, had started sneezing earlier that day. It was probably nothing, she, one of her siblings, or her father would come to him if something was up. Though, he ought to make sure she got a good night's rest in case she'd caught something. He ought to check that before he went back to his room for the night. But before he finished gardening, it started raining, which was nice, though he didn't have an umbrella. So he moved a lot quicker to get the gardening done, he didn't feel like getting sick.

Eventually he finished his gardening, and quietly and quickly dropped by the room next to Russia's, hearing the sound of someone peacefully sleeping inside. He smiled a little and moved on, heading back towards his own room after that. Once he made it into his room, he settled down and took the letter out of his messenger bag and took out his inkwell and quill. He opened the inkwell and took out some paper before he began to write. He reread the letter again before he began responding, wanting to appropriately address everything Nyx had said.

Once he was done with his response, he set it aside to dry and took out an envelope, writing the usual "From Aku, To Nyx" on it.

He hoped that Nyx would guess correctly soon, as although it may be a little selfish, he wanted to talk to him in person and hang out with him. When he was writing his response, he made damn well sure that he wasn't being pushy about that. He wanted Nyx to see him on his own terms.

Regardless of when he got to meet Nyx, he was glad to have met him and had the chance to talk to him.

Chapter Text

Russia yawned a little as he woke. He stretched a little before getting out of bed and grabbing his clothes. He headed to the bathroom and set his clothes on the counter, locked the door, then started to shower. He hummed to himself as he washes his hair. He then cleaned the rest of himself, then got out of the shower and turned it off.

He grabbed a towel and dried himself off quickly. He made sure to dry his hair as much as possible, wanting to be able to wear his ushanka today. Once he was done drying off, he hung the towel up to dry. He then grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed. Once he was dressed, he left the bathroom and went back to his room to grab his Ushanka. Once he was in his room, he put on his Ushanka and then went out to the dining room.

He was expecting to be the only one there for a while, but found that he wasn't. His father was also there.

"You wanna tell me where you were the other night?" His father asked, the question seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"I... Uh... I had a nightmare about losing America, so I went to his room to remind myself he was fine" Russia explained, quite confused.

"And you weren't in your room in the morning, because? Russia ya gave me a heart attack when I went to wake you up." His father prodded.

"He invited me to stay after I pulse checked him several times." Russia added, looking away. He didn't feel like mentioning how tightly he was hugging America, and how he refused to let him go at first.

"Okay then. Just leave a note next time, that was quite the scare." His father said, sending him a nod.

With that, he hummed to himself and got his breakfast early. He'd eat alone, then he wanted to look into some stuff in the library. He wanted to see if he could collect some herbs to offer to America, see if he could help. He knew he'd have to collect some catmint, also known as catnip, because it was known to be helpful for stomach cramps.

As soon as he finished his food, he dealt with his plate then bolted off to the library. Once he got there, he could hear the crackles of the fire but also the pitter-patter of rain. Well, he was certainly glad he'd closed his window last night before he went to bed.

He grabbed a few books on herbs, read through them quickly, and memorized their general uses and how they looked. He decided to return to his room to put his Ushanka away before running out to go collect some of the herbs.

He ran out into the rain and cringed a little, but continued his little quest. First, he collected the catmint, then found his way to a few of the other things that grew at the castle. Like mint, which was ground up and made into a paste that would be used to soothe aches, or valerian which was a root used to help reduce anxiety.

It'd stopped raining by the time he'd collected everything, but he was absolutely drenched. He ignored it and started towards America's office, wanting to give the herbs to him before he went to class. He'd check for a response letter later.

He opened the door and found that America, as usual, was already looking at him. He smiled and walked into the room, making his way over to America.

"Good morning, Russia." America greeted with a small smile.

"Morning America!" Russia said, holding the herbs toward America. "I uh, wanted to bring you a few herbs! I wanted to get you a gift, and I wasn't so sure what to get you, so I got you this."

"Thank you, now could you tell me what you have?" America asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"I have Catmint, mint, valerian, comfrey, and some cloves!" Russia found himself excited as he mentioned what he'd collected.

"Thank you. Though, I can't accept the catmint, it will... Make me high for lack of a better term." America admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Russia separated the catmint out, and handed the other herbs to America. He now knew what to make his guess, he didn't have to read the letter from America. But he would, he just would respond to it in person instead of on paper.

"You can take the catmint over to the other healer's office. They'll be able to use it." America informed him happily. He likely didn't want the herbs to be wasted, which he understood.

Russia nodded and smiled at America. "I will! I'll see you later."

"See you later, Mons Leo." America said softly, a smile on his face.

Russia then left, taking the catmint over to the office across the hall, dropping it off and giving a short explanation before running off to his class.

He sneezed, he should've changed before he started to class, but it was too late for that now. He was sitting in his seat and waiting for class to start, it was far too late to change.

He'd change when he got out of class, before he went to visit America. He sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall, he had about five minutes until his class started.

He rested his head on the table and started to hum to himself. Deciding to hum the same tune he'd heard America humming. It made him feel less bored and less alone while he waited. Eventually, the clock probably struck the proper time because he heard the door open and his teacher come in.

He lifted his head and smiled, ready to listen to whatever his teacher had to teach him today. Though, admittedly, there were many places he'd rather be or things he'd rather be doing than this. But that was neither here nor there.

He quickly found out that today was a day where he'd be stuck in a boring part of history. He'd already researched the era enough, he'd do fine without the lecture.

He supposed, maybe zoning out a little to think about America wouldn't hurt too much.

Chapter Text

America sighed, not feeling like leaving until it stopped raining. It'd been raining since soon after he got back to his room last night, at around two in the morning.

It'd been raining for about six hours, and he wanted to head off to his office. He'd eaten breakfast a little after seven, it'd still been raining then. It had been lightening up a bit, so he'd be able to head out soon.

As he waited for the rain to leave entirely, he grabbed a covering for his letter to Nyx as he wanted it to be intact when it got to him.

He carefully encased it in the waterproof casing and walked out of his room and towards his office as quickly as he could. He stopped by the chamomiles first, nestling his letter carefully among the wet petals and leaves. Once he was content with its placement, he stood back up and continued on to walk towards his office.

A little bit after his shift had actually started; he'd had an ever so slightly embarrassing interaction with Russia. He'd had to admit to the fact that he was affected by catnip. He didn't like how much that had revealed about him, and hoped Russia wouldn't tell anyone. He needed that mystique, and the danger that came with the unknown to get him patients to listen to him. But, knowing Russia, and knowing that they were friends, he probably wouldn't tell anyone.

He sighed a little and looked at the herbs in his hands. He smiled a little, maybe he did have a chance after all. Maybe, but he wouldn't hold his breath over it.

He smiled and gently placed his herbs on the counter and began to sort them into piles so that he could put them away. Once he had them sorted he grabbed the piles gently, carefully putting them in their respective places. As soon as he had them put away, he went back to his desk and sat in the chair. There wasn't really much for him to do at the moment but wait.

He started humming to himself as he pulled out a piece of paper, deciding to doodle. He lost track of time with the combination of humming one of his favorite tunes and drawing. He was only snapped out of it when he heard someone coming close to his office.

So, he looked up and stopped humming, then looked at his doodles. He quickly flushed when he found that he'd drawn Russia.

He quickly hid the sketch in his drawer before the door opened.

When the door opened and he saw who was in the doorway, he was glad he'd gotten the art hidden away as quickly as he had.

He quickly calmed the heat on his cheeks and greeted Russia happily.

"Hey Rus, it's nice to see you again!"

Though he noticed something about Russia's expression shift. He couldn't place his finger on how exactly it had shifted, but he could tell he'd gone from annoyed to content after seeing him.

So he chalked the look up to something having annoyed him earlier. So he hoped maybe he could ease the annoyance.

He got up and walked over to Russia, giving him a gentle hug. The other was in a different outfit, he was glad. He hoped he'd done that before he'd left to go somewhere.

"Hello Звезды!" Russia said, sounding excited to be around him. He also scooped America up into a hug, which seemed to make Russia even more happy.

"So, how are you? Ya looked a little annoyed when you came in here." America hummed, not moving from the hug, choosing to return it and allow himself to be held.

"Better, now that I've seen you~" Russia hummed.

Was that a flirt? America wasn't sure if that was a flirt or Russia just being genuinely happy to see him.

He didn't want to get his hopes up, so he was going to assume that Russia was just happy to see him.

"So, uhm... If you don't mind me asking, what had you annoyed?" America asked carefully.

"Just saw something that annoys me a little, don't worry about it." Russia muttered, seeming quite content now that he was hugging America. He kept bringing America ever so slightly closer.

America laughed a little and smiled relaxing into the hug. As he relaxed, he felt Russia pull him up more, pulling him up off the ground. He let out a surprised noise, but didn't fight it. He wasn't sure why Russia was holding him up the way he was.

"Russia, why are you holding me up?" America asked nervously, letting out a little 'eep' noise as he was lifted further off the ground.

"Because you're small... And I didn't realize it until now, but you're also fun to hold!" Russia hummed, putting America down. Only to pick him back up, but he was holding America in a more comfortable way than before.

"Russia- put me down-" America requested, looking at the ground, which felt so far now.

Russia seemed a little bit grumpy, but he complied, putting America down gently.

"Sorry, didn't mean to cross any boundaries..." Russia mumbled, looking away.

"No- no, it's fine. You didn't cross any boundaries, the ground just feels very far when you hold me like that." America explained quickly, feeling some blush rush on to his face. It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but he also liked being held like that. Though that was something he'd never admit out loud.

"So, can pick up?" Russia excitedly spoke, bouncing a little. He seemed to like the idea of picking America up more often. The way he'd worded it had sounded childish, but America didn't mind finding it a little cute.

"Yes, you can." He said softly, a small smile on his face. "But it will take me quite a bit of getting used to."

Russia immediately picked him up again, and proceeded to carry him around the room for a while.

America couldn't help but blush, he wasn't used to being held this way, and the fact that he had a crush on Russia didn't make it any easier.

Russia only put him down when he had classes, and was quite pouty when he had done so.

"Alright, alright, see you later Russia." America said with a small smile, waving goodbye to Russia.

"See you later..." Russia grumbled before leaving the room.

Chapter Text

Russia pouted a bit as he left America's office, he then headed to his room. He grabbed a piece of paper, quickly wrote a small letter, telling America where to meet him, and a time. He was excited, but also nervous about how tomorrow would go. He folded the paper and put it into the prepared envelope.

He then quickly made his way to the chamomiles, and found that there was already a letter there, and it was in a casing.

He gently picked it up and got out the letter from America. He then put his letter in the casing, as the leaves and petals were still wet.

He then walked off to his next class, holding the letter from America. On his way, he sneezed a couple times, but he got to class pretty quickly.

When he got into the classroom, he took a seat and opened the letter. He started to excitedly started reading through it, smiling very happily as he did.

Dear Nyx,
Yep! You are far closer to meeting me! Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about when it comes to meeting me.
I doubt your identity will change how I feel about you! I'd like to give you a hug when we meet up knowingly. Have a little more confidence in yourself!
Yeah, that'd be the crow! Samuel has decided that prince Russia is second father. Hence "Papa". It is very flustering to me personally.  I've noted why in previous letters.
And yes, but I have seen people do it just to screw with someone, which is what makes me feel doubt. So I would personally don't know anymore.
Well, at least your cat is well behaved?
I wish Bean was! But alas, he isn't.
Also, you're correct about someone being on opium poppies is a bad thing, and I hope you never have to see it.
I don't know much about the history of the sealing away of Caeleon magic, but from what I've heard it's complicated. It's a subject I'd love to delve into and study when I retire.
Also, I'm glad you think positively of my eyes! I haven't heard anyone say anything positive about them outside of family and some of the people here, so the sentiment is new and flustering to me. And people find them creepy, call them unnatural. So honestly hearing that someone finds them otherwise is... I don't know.
And that'll be fun, I would like to spend time with you to look into that.
Well, neither are right, but often what I am is considered the opposite of one of your guesses!

Sincerely, Aku

Russia frowned a little, finding that complements about his eyes were new to America. He'd have to make sure that America knew he found them beautiful.

He smiled a little and let out a sigh, knowing that the letter gave him the perfect out to have made his letter what it was. America had given him quite the large hint, but he didn't mind. Especially since it'd conceal his identity just that little bit longer, he feared he was in the last stretch of time that America would be willing to be near him.

So he was happy he'd gotten to pick America up. He hoped America would stay true to his word of not judging. He knew America had a good track record of keeping promises, but he worried that this might be different.

America admitted to finding you attractive... Russia reminded himself, getting himself to relax. America keeps his promises, and he's been fond of me both in person and though letters. Hell, he might even- no, stop it, don't hope too much. He probably doesn't feel that way. He snapped himself out of the train of thought, America probably had no romantic interest in him.

Though that hadn't stopped him from fantasizing, he reminded himself. He could do well to have a little hope. Maybe America would allow him to hold him again, or cuddle him.

He couldn't help but wonder if America had any markings on his body, like freckles, or stripes of color.

God if America had freckles, he doubted he'd ever be able to stop touching, tracing, and kissing them if America did. He'd have to ask America when they met, and if he did. He'd have to contain himself.

He was more than happy with what he already had, in that he was close to America.

He snapped away from these thoughts when he heard the door open behind him.

When his teacher introduced the topic, he internally groaned. Two topics he'd had talked to death to him in a row.

This time, it was literature he'd already read in the library, and found boring. But the way his teacher had talked had promised him a lecture, which he wasn't exactly interested in.

He'd be able to push through it and listen.

He was dead wrong, his thoughts wandered and he'd found himself slowly delving into daydreams about America. Daydreams about innocent "I love you"s, cuddling, holding, kisses, and just overall love and affection. He even daydreamed about dancing with him, spinning him into a kiss.

As soon as the lecture was over, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the closing of the book. He folded the letter, putting it in the envelope, and then he headed back to his room. He dropped off the letter then excitedly ran off to his dancing classes. His little daydream about dancing with America invigorated.

With that class, he was energized when he started and ended, when usually he was admittedly a little tired. But since he wasn't at the moment, he decided that he'd spend some more time with America while he had the chance.

He sneezed again on his way to America's office, he wasn't really sure what was up with him sneezing today. But he shrugged it off and continued towards America's office.

Once he was there, he carefully opened the door, now understanding why America knew he was coming whenever he was. He hoped America would let him see him in a half-shift form, as he was convinced America would be adorable. But he wouldn't push it, though he would ask at some point after his little reveal.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard America ask if he was okay. He flushed out of embarrassment, usually he was better about keeping his thoughts from wandering, today was really an off day for him, he supposed.

Chapter Text

"Hey Russia, it's good to see you back!" America happily greeting Russia, who was standing in his doorway.

There was a good few minutes of silence, where Russia didn't respond. That worried him a bit, but Russia was probably just zoned out.

He got up and walked over before trying again. "Hey, Russia, you alright?"

After he said that, Russia started to blush quite heavily and look away from him. He was definitely embarrassed, so he chose to back off a bit so Russia could relax again.

"I'm fine- my mind has just been wandering a bit." Russia managed to get out, definitely embarrassed. It showed through in his tone.

"No, no, it's fine!" America reassured, gesturing into the office to invite him in. He really liked having Russia around, and hoped Russia felt the same way about being around him.

Russia came in after a while, and took the same seat he usually did, the one in front of his desk. So he went back to his chair, sitting back down in it.

"Have you been feeling any different, or is it an off day for you?" He asked, hoping that it was just an 'off day' and not that he was getting sick.

"Just an off day, I've been feeling fine." Russia chuckled, looking at him. There was a sense of softness and care in the look. "Just been doing a lot of thinking"

America nodded and hummed, glad that Russia didn't feel off. He felt a small smile come onto his face as he looked at the other. Maybe having fallen for the other wasn't such a bad thing, even if he never got his feelings returned.

Russia looked like he hadn't gotten enough sleep, maybe he was tired.

America searched around his office for a second, pulling out a pillow he had to make patients comfortable. He gave it to Russia. And smiled at him. The other looked quite confused, he was definitely tired.

"Get some rest, you look tired, and you're certainly acting the part" He explained with a small laugh.

"But that doesn't make sense- I was so energized like five minutes ago-" Russia whined, reluctantly accepting the pillow.

"Well, I think you probably got excited and tricked your brain into thinking you had more energy than you do" America explained, knowing that was something that could be done, he'd seen it many times.

Russia grumbled a little as he rested his head on the pillow, shifting his face around on it until he was comfortable.

Maybe it'd help if I hummed... He thought, returning to his original spot. He reached over, gently patting Russia's head as he started to hum.

Russia seemed to get more comfortable and relaxed at the sound, so America continued without hesitation. He kept humming the same tune, smiling softly as he did his best to make it easy for Russia to get some rest.

He kept humming until Russia was asleep, then picked something to do until the Russia either woke up or his shift ended. So he ended up choosing to draw, decided to sketch a tree. He made it something that looked like it had been pulled directly out of a dream. He made it willow like, drawing a landscape around it to sell the dreamlike quality. Eventually, he was happy with his sketch, so he erased it until he could barely see it.

He then pulled out some water colors, using them to color in the sketch. He painted the sky a pale yellow, the leaves of the tree varying shades of pink, the trunk of the tree a warm shade of brown, the ponds he'd added around it purple, and the land warm shades of green.

By the time he was done, his shift was about to end, and Russia was still asleep. He had to wake up Russia, so he set aside the drying art piece and moved around to the other side of his desk so he could wake the other.

"hey, Russia, you gotta wake up, okay?" He gently prodded, patting his head.

Russia made a grumpy tired noise, looking around with half open eyes.

"It's almost 6, you have to get up okay?" He said softly.

Russia blinked a couple times and squinted as if not believing him.

" It's almost dinner time for you, you gotta get up" He pressed, lightly chuckling. He had a small smile on his face, Russia was being quite adorable.

Russia stretched a little then stood up, handing the pillow back to him.

America took it and smiled softly.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" America said gently, smiling at Russia.

"See you then" Russia mumbled, stretching again. He then made his way out of America's office.

America smiled a little and waited a little longer before heading back to his barracks. He found his friends already there waiting to be let in.

He let them in and sat at his desk again. Luckily, Japan was kept from teasing him about his crush on Russia by her girlfriend openly flirting with her in a slightly sexual manner. Because apparently, Japan was now "Work" and he was never going to drop that until she dropped teasing him about his crush on Russia. Safe to say, he'd never be dropping it.

"Sakura, until you stop teasing me about my crush, I will be calling you South's work. Don't test me, you know I will." He stated, deciding he'd tell her, it was worth a shot of getting her to stop. "Either that or I'll call South to come get her work."

Japan flushed and threw a pillow at him. Safe to say, his crush wasn't brought up again that night.

Soon they were leaving his room and going to bed, so he collected some more comfortable clothes to garden in and changed before he started to do his nightly gardening.

When he got to the chamomiles, he found that there was a different letter in the casing he'd used to protect his from the water. That told him that told him that it was probably left earlier on in the day, when the water could still damage the response. Meaning he'd either tipped his hand too much, or the response was just short.

He carefully opened the casing and then the letter in it.

Dear Aku,
Well, I'm extremely confident in my guess. I would like to meet with you at the fountain at noon tomorrow. The fountain that's surrounded by rose bushes. I hope you don't mind. If you do, I'll be there until eight at night.
My last guess is that you're a cat or feline of some sort.
I hope you won't judge me for who I am.

Sincerely, Nyx

Or he'd done both, as the letter told him. It was short and gave him a location and time to meet Russia, he'd have to tell his friends that he wouldn't be hanging out with them as usual.

He continued gardening, eventually getting back to his room and starting to write short notes to explain everything to his friends.

After he had the notes done, he ran around, quickly distributing the notes to his friends, they'd see them in the morning.

Chapter Text

Russia had to wake himself up a bit more before he went to dinner, so spent a couple minutes doing that before he left the area.

Once he was more awake, he went to dinner and ate fairly quietly, only talking when spoken to, he didn't have the energy to start any conversations with his siblings, family, or really anything.

His dad had noticed and had asked him about it, he admitted he was tired and that today was an off day for him. His dad had told him to go to bed, and so here he was, in his room, waiting by the window to see America. He was excited and nervous about America's reaction, but hoped it would be positive.

He smiled when he saw America come over to the chamomiles and get the encased letter from them.

He noticed that America seemed to get spooked after opening and reading the letter. He hoped he actually hadn't scared him, but smiled as America relaxed again. He was glad he wasn't too spooked. He sighed a little and rubbed his eyes, going back to his bed and laying down. He wasn't feeling very well, and hoped he'd feel better in the morning. He tossed and turned in the bed before eventually falling asleep. It was a fitful sleep, but sleep nonetheless.

He woke up and he was shivering, but not cold. The blankets were off of him, and he wasn't cold. He was sweating. He also felt even less energetic than before. He'd be able to function, but he would feel like shit if he tried.

Plus he'd promised to be by the fountain for most of the day. He couldn't just not be there whenever America decided to show up.

He also didn't want the information that he was feeling under the weather to get back to America, because then there was no way in hell he'd be getting to the fountain before America. Plus he wasn't even that sick. It wasn't the sickest he'd gotten, and America watching over him while he had was at most a one day cold would be overkill.

So he got up and stretched, not succeeding in making himself feel better. He grabbed some clothes and haphazardly got himself ready for the day, hoping no one would call the little healer to come force him back to bed.

He headed down to the dining room tiredly, getting himself something to eat before taking a seat at the table. While he was eating, his father came in, took a good look at him before rolling his eyes.

"Back to bed with you." His father stated. "Or do I have to call your little crush to make you?"

Russia flustered a little bit but finished eating. "I'm not gonna." he grumbled, blinking tiredly.

Soviet looked at Russia then hummed, walking off.

Russia shrugged, not sure what his dad was going to do. America wasn't on shift yet and wouldn't be for about another hour and a half, so he would probably be fine. He didn't think Soviet would bother America before his shift started.

So he continued to eat, he'd probably be fine for the next hour and a half. America would probably then have the initiative to kick his ass to bed because he'd be in working hours. He continued to eat, getting up and going to clean his plate after he finished eating. He was in the middle of cleaning when he was pulled away from the sink.

He reached out to turn it off and started looking around, confused.

"I'm taking you back to bed." America's voice was gentle but stern. He also heard a quiet chuckle from the other. "C'mon"

Russia found that America was the one who'd pulled him away from the sink. He was surprised, he didn't think that America would be around the castle at the time.

"Surprised, Rus?" America said with a small laugh. "I like to show up early. Plus, it's actually later than you thought."

"What do'ya mean " Russia asked, blinking tiredly.

"It's actually a little past eight, I'm only an hour early." America said gently, continuing to gently pull Russia away from the sink and out of the kitchen.

"Lemme finish cleaning my plate" Russia mumbled, struggling to move towards the sink again. "Plus I have stuff to do today-"

"I have to check you for a fever." America let a small laugh before he finished his thought. "And the thing you have to do is rest."

"Nooooo- I have a thing to do- a promise to keep." He grumbled, continuing to struggle. "Plus, I'm not even that sick"

"Mhm, you were too tired to realize what time it is, and that I was even getting close." America remarked, continuing to get Russia out of the kitchen. "So, c'mon."

Russia grumbled a little, and continued to resist.

"I'll pick you up again." America hummed out the threat. It wasn't a threat per say, Russia just didn't want to go back to bed. "So, either I pick ya up and carry ya there, or you go by choice."

Russia ignored this and continued to struggle against America's hold on him. He would very much like to continue his day and wait by the fountain as he promised.

"And I'm certain that whoever you promised to do something with or for will understand." America said softly, smiling a little at him as he opted to lift Russia up.

Russia struggled a little, trying to get down. He had to get to the fountain by noon and stay there. He had promised that he'd be there, and he couldn't exactly tell America with another note, there was no taking it back. He had to be there.

America gently placed Russia on the bed, carefully moving a hand to see if Russia had a fever. Which he did.

America started taking a few things out of his bag, knowing a few things he could do to help lower the fever.

He was lucky had some vervain and yarrow in his bag. He gave some to Russia and told Russia to chew then eat them, as that'd help make sure they helped sooner.

When America left for a bit, Russia stated to get himself up and tried to start making his way to the fountain.

He was stopped by America, who had likely started looking for him. He was then picked up, brought back to his room, and lightly scolded.

America sighed and gently placed Russia back onto the bed, making sure he laid down, then he put a cloth into some cool water. After that, he put the cloth on Russia's forehead. He hoped that it would help cool Russia's temperature.

Russia refused to close his eyes, watching as America pulled a chair over to sit next to his bed.

Then America started humming, which caused Russia to relax. He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up again, he felt a whole lot better. He wasn't quite back to normal, but it was more manageable now, he'd probably be able to convince America to be able to continue his day.

Speaking of him, he was seated next to his bed. He had a soft smile on his face.

He also noticed that America's shift was almost over, so the other would probably leave fairly soon. So he pretended to be asleep, as if America knew he was awake he'd probably stay with him until he genuinely fell asleep again.

After what felt like hours, but was probably ten or fifteen minutes, he heard America get up, move his chair back, then leave the room. He opened his eyes, carefully scanning the room to make sure America had actually left before getting up and opening his window.

He climbed out of the window, choosing to take the fastest way he could to the fountain.

As soon as he got on the ground, he made his way to the fountain, taking a seat on one of the benches by the fountain.

Because of how he'd opted to get there, he was there before America. He hoped America didn't try to come here while he was asleep, but knew that the other probably wouldn't have left him alone while he was in bed. So the fear that that was the case was unfounded.

He sighed a little, anxiously rubbing his forearm. He hoped America would get there soon.

He heard some noise and perked up, looking in the direction it had come from. Upon looking, he saw America coming towards him and the fountain.

He smiled to himself anxiously and tried to make himself more presentable.

When America got over, he immediately went to checking on him, seemingly not paying any mind to the fact that he was Nyx. He seemed more concerned with getting him to bed and making sure that he was okay, which was a relief.

"Now that you know I'm Nyx, what are you going to do?" He asked, smiling anxiously.

Chapter Text

America paused after Russia asked him that. What was he going to do? He was going to get him some rest and then they could talk about it.

He also wanted to meet and pet Anatoly, but that could wait for when he got Russia- Nyx? To his room.

"First, you're getting some rest, okay? After that we can figure it out. Though, I would like to meet Anatoly." America said lightly, chuckling as he looked at Russia.

"I'm feeling well enough, we could at least talk about it a little-"

America chuckled gently and moved a hand to Russia's forehead checking his temperature. It was still a bit high, but much better than earlier. So he'd much prefer to have this conversation in Russia's room while he rested.

"Well, you still have a temperature. I'll make a deal with you, how about we go to your room then we can talk a bit more." America hummed, pulling Russia to his feet before lifting him without hesitation.

"Let me do the holding-" Russia whined after being picked up.

"Mmmm... Maybe when you're better." America said, pretending to think about it. He started towards Russia's room, not putting him down.

He only put Russia down when he got to the room, putting him on the bed. He made sure to help the other get as comfortable as possible, wanting them both to be comfortable for this conversation.

America flustered a little when he remembered a couple things from the letters. He'd admitted to finding the other attractive, and he'd been able to read it. He couldn't get the heat to leave his cheeks. It was embarrassing enough to have admitted that to someone, but to have basically told them to their face was even more so.

But Russia had also admitted to finding him attractive in those same letters. That'd been slightly flustering the moment he'd originally read it, but now that he knew that his crush thought that way of him... Well he wouldn't be getting the blush off his face anytime soon.

"Mint for your thoughts?" Russia asked, sitting up and reaching into his drawer. Then he pulled out a 'mint', a circular aqua coin.

"I uhm.. I don't need it. I'm just remembering the letters." America mumbled, looking down nervously, the blush still warming his face.

"Mint for your thoughts." Russia repeated, scooting over and putting the mint in his hands.

America looked away and blushed more as he started to explain. "I um... I'm just... Just remembering the... The letters."

Russia hummed, acknowledging what he'd said. Though, the noise told him that Russia wanted him to continue, tell him exactly what he had been thinking about.

"I remembered... I remembered that I mentioned how I... How I find you... Attractive. And.. and you said that- that you also find me attractive." He managed, even more flustered after saying it out loud.

"You're adorable, of course I find you attractive" Russia purred, grabbing America and pulling him into the bed. "I didn't mean that I just find you physically attractive, though that is certainly the case"

America flushed even more if that was possible, looking up at Russia.

"If it would be okay with you, I would like to court you. To date you, love you, and hold you" Russia hummed, kissing America's cheek.

"I uhm... I'd like that, I'd like to date you." America mumbled, allowing himself to be pulled close to Russia.

Russia seemed to get extremely happy and excited, pulling America even closer. America relaxed, wrapping his arms around Russia. The blush still covered his face, but he also had a slightly dorky smile on his face as well.

"Would you, maybe, go to the dance in a couple months with me?" Russia asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

"I suppose I could take a day off, I don't know much of how to dance though." America admitted, cuddling closer to Russia.

"I could teach you!" Russia exclaimed, excitedly pulling him closer.

America smiled softly and relaxed a little. "Alright, now, you should get some rest."

"Promise you'll be here when I wake up?" Russia asked, looking at him hopefully.

" I'll be here when you wake up" America agreed, deciding it wouldn't hurt to skip gardening for a night.

That made the other quite happy, resulting in him getting pulled into the bed and cuddled. He didn't mind though, turning himself to face Russia and cuddling into the other as well. He got comfortable very quickly and eventually drifted off to sleep.

He woke up and found himself next to Russia, which was quite flustering on its own, but then he remembered the night before, remembering that they were now dating.

" 'Mornin Звезды" Russia hummed, his voice slightly muffled.

America could feel Russia's face in his hair. The other was quite content, and he had no intentions of making him pull his face out.

"Good morning, Rus" America mumbled, smiling softly.

"Was last night a dream? Please say it wasn't " Russia mumbled, cuddling himself further into America's hair.

"I don't believe so , as shared dreams are a myth, my love" America hummed nuzzling his face into Russia's chest.

"Pinch me-" Russia mumbled not letting go of America.

America chuckled lightly and humored Russia, lightly pinching the other's arm. Showing that, in fact, last night had not been a dream.

"Could I kiss you?" Russia asked, the question feeling a bit sudden.

"I- I- Yes, but why-?" America asked, looking up at Russia, a heavy blush on his face.

"I just... I don't want to make you uncomfortable, and I've wanted to for a while-" Russia mumbled, pulling his face out of America's hair so that they could actually kiss.

"You wouldn't make me uncomfortable, and I assure you that you're not making me uncomfortable." America promised, smiling at Russia. "You can kiss me."

Russia gently held America's cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss, then another, and another. America didn't mind though, it was fairly clear that Russia had wanted to do this for a while, and he wouldn't lie and say that he didn't enjoy it.

Eventually Russia pulled away, a heavy blush on his face. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself..."

America giggled a little, also blushing quite heavily. "I don't mind, I actually enjoyed it-"

Russia smiled excitedly and pulled America closer, cuddling up to him more.

The two had their moments, and had a lot of fun. They had decided to not exactly hide their relationship, but see how long it'd take for the others to catch on. Russia had spent a lot of time in America's office. Usually the two just talked, but sometimes Russia would decide to hold America close and not let go unless America heard someone coming. He'd even kissed America a few times, though it was rare for him to be allowed to. Russia had also managed to teach America to dance, though the healer stumbled quite a bit at first.

Eventually, the Fall equinox had come upon them, as well as the dance that came with it. This was the dance where the two would technically reveal their relationship, though it wasn't a guarantee that it'd be as telling as they hoped.

After a small introductory speech from Soviet, each of the prince and princess was to find their partner they wanted to dance with. Usually they chose to dance with each other, as none of them really had a partner. This year was different though, as Russia instead of grabbing one of his siblings or someone random from the crowd to dance with, called out for someone.

"Звезды! Come dance with me!" Russia called out without hesitation.

America lightly flustered as the usually lively crowd fell quiet, wondering who "Stars" was. America started his approach, gaining the attention of those around him, which wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

Russia happily grabbed America's hands, pulling him close gently.

"Don't pay them any mind, pretend it's just us" He whispered softly to America. "It's just like practice! It'll be just us."

America nodded a little, carefully moving to how they usually did this, doing his best to ignore everyone else there. Ignoring how the ballroom devolved into chaos as Russia started to dance with him. The two moved to the music that was yet to play.

The two of them got lost in their own world, Russia eventually twirling America into a kiss, then holding him for a second before the two of them went back to dancing.

The two of them were having fun, throwing in some moves they'd made up for fun. They didn't notice when the music started, but they certainly noticed when it had ended. That got them to stop dancing, look at each other, smile, blush a little, then look away.

After a moment, America felt someone pick him up off the ground and shift to hold him princess style.

"Ruuuuusiaaa- put me down" America whined, quite flustered by Russia choosing to do that in front of people.

"Nope! You're too cute to put down," Russia purred, smiling a bit.

The rest of the fall festivities went as they normally did, though the people couldn't seem to not keep their eyes off the two. So, midway through, Russia just walked out into the garden to sit with his boyfriend. No one followed them, and they just enjoyed the rest of the time together, watching the sun set.

Russia couldn't help but kiss America as the sunset faded to darkness and stars.

The stars and starlit flowers were how their relationship started, and they would love each other until those very stars burnt out and far after.

"I love you" America murmured, smiling softly.

"I love you too, Звезды" Russia replied, smiling as he kissed America on the cheek again.