Speed Fic Writing Competition - Winter Olympics Prompt
Title: Cold Russian Nights
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG 13
Warnings: Swearing and allusion to sex
Pairings: US UK, talk of US Russia, UK Russia
Word Count: 2,442
Summary: Alfred's intense training for the 2014 Olympics in Soichi, Russia causes a topic to come up that causes a fight. Revelations and misunderstandings ensue.
"Do you and Matthew really need to go all out in your training? You do realize that you still have six months left? I would like to have some part of you left to cuddle with during those cold Russian nights in the Olympic village.” Arthur chastised as he lightly dabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton swab at the long gash on Alfred’s forehead.
Alfred grimaced. “Exactly, that’s why we’re training so hard. I refuse to lose to him.”
Arthur wasn’t sure if the grimace was from the sting of the alcohol on the wound or if Alfred was really that determined to win.
“Who? Ivan or Matthew?”
“Both. Ivan mostly though.” Alfred gave a little shrug. “Can’t help it, when it comes to him, I’m just driven to try and beat him more than any other country.”
Arthur shook his head.
“Al, the cold war is over you know.”
Alfred shook his head. “It may be, but we’ve got history. And Ivan wouldn’t respect me if I can’t beat him at his own game. It’s all about strength. Physical strength equals strength of character and that’s how Ivan determines if you’re the type of person he wants to get into bed with.”
“Yowch!” Alfred cried out and wiped quickly at his eye and then cursed as he rubbed vigorously at eye. He looked up at Arthur with a watery red-rimmed. “What was that for?”
Alfred looked furious as he held one hand to the spot on his forehead where Arthur had been trying to wipe away the dried and caked blood before he ground the freshly soaked alcohol soaked cotton ball at Alfred’s comment in the now open wound letting the alcohol drip down Alfred’s face.
“Why would you care what Ivan thinks unless you really wanted to bed him? All those years, during the wars, every conference, Olympic competition, the way you two would look at each other…” Arthur grabbed some butterfly bandages and tore the packages open with in punctuation to each comment. He slapped then hard over the wound. “I was a fool not to see it even after Francis and Yao both hinted at the damn sexual tension with Ivan. But I dismissed all the talk of our little ‘triangle’ as just water-cooler gossip, But now I’m hearing it straight from you without any preamble…like some bloody dodgy prat!”
Arthur started throwing things back into the first aid kit in his irritation.
Alfred grabbed his wrist in time to rescue the bottle of iodine before it became a casualty of Arthur’s anger as well. “G*d Arthur! I meant politically. It’s just damn euphemism.”
Alfred pulled Arthur towards him but the other man dug in his heels and stood his ground. “You’re a damn stupid ass if you think I’m going to let you sweet talk your way out of this,” Arthur growled. “Is this how you make all your connections of state? Are those other relationships more than just political?”
Alfred let go of Arthur realizing the futility of trying to move him. Arthur might be shorter and smaller than him, but he was a master at shifting his weight and becoming quite immobile when he wanted to do so. Alfred instead grabbed a towel and moved to the sink. He turned on the faucet and soaked the towel. He dabbed at his eye that was still stinging. He tried to collect his thoughts. Had Arthur been always been harboring these suspicions? And if not, then for how long? Had it been since the start of their relationship? Sure he was competitive and as anyone in any type of high position well knew, people were attracted to power like moths to a flame. He may go into business with them BUT there was only one he wanted to go to bed with. Didn’t Arthur know that by now? He knew that Arthur had had many lovers during his imperial days and even afterwards. Frankly, it wasn’t until after the Great War that they had finally started to grow close again. Their relationship had started off as a love hate thing too. Well, more hating and fighting until one day the wall between them just broke and they realized that they had never really hated each other. They had just been afraid, afraid of getting hurt all over again. So Alfred could see where the constant power struggles and extreme competitiveness between him and Ivan could lead Arthur to believe there was the same sexual tension there as there had been at the start of their relationship. But Arthur was wrong, he and Ivan were just simply too much alike in personality, ambition and drive. That’s why they were always clashing. Alfred may not have known Ivan’s inner thoughts on him, but he was fairly certain that the soft-spoken Russian would concur. Alfred wasn’t any type of scheming political genius, but he knew people and was good at reading them regardless of nationality. Political scheming and machinations was more Arthur’s style, which is why he didn’t try to win this argument with wit or logic.
Alfred turned back around. Arthur was cleaning up. He seemed to be waging some type of internal war as his jaw was set in determined grimace as he vigorously attacked a blood stain on the floor, but his eyes held a dejected acceptance.
“Artie, what has Matt said about Ivan and I?”
Arthur answered Alfred as he went to get some soap and water from the sink making sure not to look at Alfred as he passed by. “You know Matt and I don’t really talk much since his independence. Besides he is no gossip and I doubt he would rat on you, if he did know anything. Despite your fights and the way you treat him at times, he thinks of you like a brother and is surprisingly loyal to you.”
“But he also thinks of you like a father and wouldn’t want to see you hurt. So he would find some way to tell you if he knew I had done something that would truly hurt you.” Alfred noted the doubt still in Arthur’s eyes. “But even if you heard both Ivan and Matt tell you that there’s nothing going on, you would still harbor that niggling of doubt, wouldn’t you?”
Arthur bit his lip and looked away. Alfred had hit the nail on the head with that one. Maybe he had jumped to the wrong conclusion, but the rumors the last ten years had been too much. He just couldn’t hide the doubt anymore and it had all come tumbling out at Alfred’s ill-advised comment.
“Aw Artie, why do you always want to start a fight?” Alfred leaned over to hug him. Arthur wanted to melt into that hug, but he couldn’t let himself relax. He stood there stiff and unrelenting. Alfred pushed away shaking his head. “Maybe it’s time I go home.”
He watched as Alfred picked up his stuff and quietly closed the door behind him.
Five months later, the various nations were arriving in Sochi, Russia. Ivan greeted all the countries with great big bear hugs and a bottle of homebrewed vodka. For consumption after the events, he warned with a great big smile. Arthur watched as Ivan beamed at Alfred as he ran down the walk to surprise the Ivan with a bear hug of his own that lifted Ivan off of his feet. Ivan laughed in delighted surprise. Ivan then clamped his big hands to either side of Alfred’s head and greeted Alfred with two quick successive kisses on each of his cheeks. “Alfred! It is good to see you! I shall enjoy watching your defeat on my soil!” Alfred laughed and slapped the tall man on the back. “You can’t mean this year my friend because I plan on hearing them play the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ until you know it better than your own anthem.”
Ivan laughed. “Ah, quick as always my friend. Come let us have toast before the competition. Arthur, Matthew, come, come.” He gestured and Arthur looked over at Matthew who simply shrugged. They followed Ivan into his house.
*****
Arthur was waiting alone in the sitting room as Ivan showed Matt and Alfred to their rooms. Many of the nations had come early to practice on the courses before the start of competition. Unfortunately, not all of the housing was ready for all of the nations, so Ivan was hosting some of them in his home.
Ivan soon returned. “Are you ready to rest as well?”
Arthur shrugged him off. “No, there’s not as much time difference, so I’m not suffering the jet lag the other two are. Plus there is something I wanted to ask you.”
Ivan nodded. “I’m glad to have the company. Would you like another drink?” Arthur nodded. Ivan topped off his glass again and then sat down across from him. “What weighs on your mind? Is it sharing this house with Alfred after your fight?”
Arthur looked up in surprise. “You heard about the fight?”
Ivan waved him off. “Da, one would have to be dumb and blind not to have seen the way you two acted around each other in the last five months.”
Arthur sighed. “Yeah, that’s part of it. But it’s also about Alfred staying with you.”
Ivan raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. “Why? Many other nations are staying here as well. Don’t worry, we may compete but it is not that which starts wars.”
Arthur mumbled under his breath, “I’d be happier if it was.”
Unfortunately, Ivan caught the comment in the quiet of the room. “Why is that Arthur? Do you wish for the dark times again when two of us were but a moment from nuclear holocaust, and as Alfred would say, ‘hell-bent on destroying ourselves and taking the whole damn world with us?’’
“No, I don’t. But it was nice when I was the most important person in his world, when he still loved just me.”
Ivan stared at Arthur as if trying to plumb some answers from the depths of his eyes. He got up and set his drink on the table next to Arthur’s and sat down on the couch uncomfortably close to Arthur. He clapped Arthur’s hands between his.
“Arthur, last time I checked, he still does. Believe me when I say, ‘very much so.’” Ivan smiled and leaned in and gave Arthur a gentle kiss on the forehead. “That is why I have not taken advantage of your temporary break-up out of respect to Alfred’s feelings for you.”
Arthur stared at Ivan trying to see if he heard him correctly. “Ivan, are you telling me that it’s not Alfred, but, but..”
Ivan smiled and nodded.
“Damn well better believe it. Or I might be a wee bit mad at the two of you all cozy over there. That’s why I told him that your room had to be across the hall from mine and I was sleeping with the door open.”
Arthur flipped around to see Alfred leaning in the doorway watching them. He gave Ivan a long cold stare until the other man let go of Arthur’s hand and raised them up in a gesture of defeat. He stood up, picked up his glass and walked over to the other side of the room.
“Alfred, I don’t understand.”
“Geez, Arthur you’re not usually the daft one.”
Arthur fumed at the comment and stood up and marched over to where Alfred was standing. He poked a finger in Alfred’s face demanding, “whatever game you’ve got going with Ivan to prove your point is done. I’m having none of it.”
Alfred grabbed Arthur’s hand and pulled. Arthur fell into his center of gravity like a planet to the sun. It felt good to be there after so long. And he forgot for a moment that he was still supposed to be mad at him. Alfred stroked the top of his head and whispered to him, “Now who’s the silly git? The fierce competition between Ivan and I never had anything to do with some misplaced sexual tension. Can’t you see we’re too much alike? It was jealousy that drove us. He thought I wasn’t good enough and I refused to give in. I would do anything to keep from losing something I held so dear.”
Arthur mumbled from his chest, “What are you going on about Al?”
Ivan muttered miserably from the corner, “You. I had hoped you would eventually tire of him and learn to love me. Your fight gave me hope. I hoped to win you fairly. To make you finally see me, here in my country, in my crowning glory.”
Arthur’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor in shock. Had he really been so blind not to see that it was him and not Alfred that Ivan was pining after? Well that was a weird turn. He realized he had some apologizing to do.
“Um Alfred, I don’t know what to say. I was wrong and I should’ve never jumped…”
Alfred hushed him with a long deep kiss. Arthur just about melted as the pent-up fears and despair of the past months was released.
Alfred looked at him with forgiving eyes. “Yeah, you shouldn’t have, but I also know how you felt.” He glanced over at Ivan who just raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
Ivan waved a hand at them and made a disgusted noise in his throat. “Ugh, go. Be happy. I concede to you Alfred in this, but I will definitely see you lying defeated next month on the ice. Perhaps then Arthur you will come to realize your mistake. I wait for that time.”
Alfred simply went with the childish retort as he said, ‘nyah’ and stuck out his tongue in Ivan’s direction. Though he wisely grabbed Arthur and dashed down the hall toward his room before the big man could react. Arthur worried about meeting up with the big man the next morning after all that, but when he heard Ivan’s belly laughter ringing down the hall after them, he realized that Alfred had been telling the truth when he said they had eventually become good friends and just friends.
Alfred pulled him into his room and Arthur noted that his luggage had already been moved in there. “Alfred, some people might think you had this all planned out. Like some devious mastermind.”
Alfred gave him a toothy grin as he closed the door behind him. “Nah, you know me. I’m a man of the moment and right now I’m thinking of just one thing.”
Arthur smiled. So was he.