Disclaimer: I don't own APH or anything associated with the series.

Warnings: Some fluff, maybe not.

KorJap. Implied USUK.

My birthday fic for Korea's Liberation Day

The first person to come along to greet Yong Soo a happy birthday is Hong Kong.

He comes over with fireworks and food to help set up for the upcoming party, even though it's barely past midnight and the guests will only begin to trickle in past noon. It's a time to bond with his Cantonese brother, so Yong Soo doesn't let it go to waste.

During the decorating and chatting, the phone rings and Yong Soo answers to a rather hassled-sounding China. After his big brother congratulates him and assures him that he will be on time for the party, the conversation is cut short by Russia taking the phone from China and giving his greetings to the Korean. Yong Soo decides not to question why the two nations are together half past midnight, so he politely ends the conversation and reminds them that no, they're not allowed to bring alcohol this year. He doesn't want to reconstruct the entire living room all over again.

Hong Kong is asleep on the couch by the time his phone call is over, so Yong Soo decides to curl up on the armchair next to it and follow suit.

Early in the morning, both boys are woken up by the knocking on the door. It turns out to be India, who shares South Korea's birthday and hosts the joint party every other year. India has brought over some delicious homemade cooking, and Yong Soo is glad to add the various dishes to the buffet that is slowly accumulating in the dining room.

Taiwan and Hungary both show up right around lunch time. They're both always eager to help, though Yong Soo suspects that they're just putting up cameras in every crook of the house to capture any incidents they might like to watch. He doesn't mind, but he tells them that the bathroom and his personal bedroom are off limits. Hungary pouts but concedes; it's rare that she gets open permission on this kind of activity anyways.

Somehow, Yong Soo feels that the ban of alcohol will not prevent Elizaveta from getting what she wants. The nations have the strangest urges at the strangest times.

The doorbell rings as the last dish of lunch is dried and stacked away. India opens the door to a beaming Italy and scowling Romano, with Germany and Prussia in tow. Spain is running up from the driveway, presumably having just parked the rented car now sitting idly under the sun.

The first guests are ushered in and seated in the spacious living room, and Yong Soo dashes in to give the Italian brothers a hug. Romano immediately goes red in the face and sputters, but it's all standard procedure by now, so nobody really minds.

Germany is giving a long, instruction manual-ish explanation about the new coffeemaker he has bought for a present when the doorbell rings again.

After China comes in with Russia, who is in a glaring match with an unfortunate Poland, more and more guests join in. By the time France comes in with an unspeakable present that Yong Soo immediately is aided by England in burning in the front yard, the house is filled with a variety of nations.

Yong Soo wonders who sneaked in the beer. He can smell it. Not that it matters too much, because there's simply no point in accusations over alcoholic consumption. It's not like he wasn't expecting this.

Sighing, he steps out momentarily to let out a stray cat that followed Greece in.

Then, as if he were waiting for Yong Soo to step outside all along, Japan approaches him from across the narrow street.

His mind stops.

He hasn't seen Kiku for a while. In fact, he's never seen Japan, ever, on this day ever since the end of his colonial days. The Japanese nation has sent presents before, but never presented himself on this particular day.

August 15th. The day Korea was liberated from Japan.

Kiku's just looking at him, and it's driving him up the wall. Yong Soo takes in a deep breath, because this is Japan, this is Kiku, and Kiku is stuck up in ways beyond comprehension and thus needs to be treated accordingly.

"Get the hell out of here,"

Well. Accordingly never has to mean nicely now, does it?

Leaving the front door wide open and sending a meaningful glance back to where expressionless eyes watch him, Yong Soo reenters the house and goes to check on the food.

Running straight into Alfred wolfing down the treats is nothing really surprising. The American is three-fourths of the reason why Yong Soo makes sure to prepare so much food in the first place.

"I can't believe it," Alfred complains and simultaneously inhales a generous slice of pizza. Yong Soo internally winces at the sight.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, look at Iggy, man. He practically never shows up to my super cool parties, but he shows up to say happy birthday to India, who gained independence from him not much differently from how I did. Lame." At the subtle raise of Yong Soo's eyebrow Alfred hurriedly adds, "Not that your party's lame, dude. It's nearly as cool as mine!"

Yong Soo shrugs as a sign that he hasn't taken any offence. "I'm sure that England doesn't equate the impact of losing India to what he felt when he gave you up. Didn't England like you a lot more?"

"Dunno," America grumbles as he bites into a large chunk of chicken. He doesn't seem pleased to see England offering any other ex-colonies birthday greetings.

"I get what you mean, though." Yong Soo's eyes follow Japan, who has quietly entered and is now placing a small wrapped parcel on the growing pile of presents for him. Another wrapped item is placed on another pile, the present for India, before Japan is suddenly assaulted by a hug from Italy.

"You talking about Japan?" Alfred's eyes catch the Japanese man in the crowd easily. "Woah, isn't this the first time he's ever came over to your b-day party?" This time he's munching on a doughnut. Yong Soo swears he doesn't understand how Alfred can eat so much food in so little time.

"Well, we're not much better off than you and England."

"Colonizers and colonies and shit. Think that they're so superior and can't afford to come to my birthday."

They're in similar situations, perhaps. Except Yong Soo doesn't seem so obviously interested into getting into Japan's pants like America wants to get in England's.

Alfred is busy chugging a coke, blue eyes now trained on a furious England who is trying to castrate France or something of the like. He's not the only one staring, because more than half the guests are now watching with interest as they place bets on whether France will lose his manhood or not. Canada would normally be pulling the two apart, but he's either drunk or oblivious, because the blonde is now cuddled into Prussia's side and softly snoring away.

"I think you should go stop England; I don't need to be washing blood off the rug again. " Alfred is up before Yong Soo is done with his sentence, and soon the American is pushing the crowd aside and proclaiming his heroism in the center of attention.

Japan, finally free from his longtime friends, is standing stiffly in the hallway that leads to the other rooms. Yong Soo watches him hang back from the crowd, obviously uncomfortable.

Yong Soo walks over to Kiku's side, not quite looking at him just yet. "I take it you like it here?"

Kiku shoots him a withering glare. "Most definitely."

That's a big fat no. Yong Soo bites back a snort of amusement, because showing the other man that he's finding anything funny about this would be like losing ground, giving away an extra point. That's the game they play.

"Then you should leave." The words betray the actions. Yong Soo's hand closes firmly over Kiku's wrist and leads him, maybe gently, to his room. He's aware that there's a camera planted in the hallway, but he's pretty confident that the angle makes it impossible for his hand taking Kiku's to be filmed. The world still thinks that they hate each other, and neither South Korea nor Japan have given the rest of the world any reason to think otherwise.

They've never hinted to each other otherwise.

The door clicks shut and now everything is quiet, except for the din beyond the locked door.

Kiku tugs his wrist out of Yong Soo's grip. Obsidian eyes flash, not with anger, but something else. "You are impossible, reckless, childish—"

The insults continue on, but Kiku is now leaning on the door and pulling him forward until they're pressing against each other with Yong Soo leaning on the door and trapping Kiku within his arms. Yong Soo can feel the other's breath against his ear as Kiku stands up on the tip of his toes and whispers everything that he hates about South Korea.

Yong Soo knows that Kiku was hurt, devastated, by the end of the second World War. He had done everything in his power to keep Korea, make him his own, flog his native tongue out of him so that he could instill Japanese. It's not logical, but it's natural for Japan to hate him and hate this day and hate everything that tore his empire, his colonies, his brother he tried to pretend he never cared about from his hands.

So Kiku, Japanese all the way through and ever so artful about subtlety and whatnot, masked his feelings and resentment and fear and told the lies he knew he had to say.

That's how the charade started.

Yong Soo plays along now, because this is Japan, this is Kiku. And though he hates the weaving lies and curving truths and ridiculous nonsense, he knows that being straightforward with Kiku never helps him get nearer to the truth.

"I still hate you, you know," Yong Soo says conversationally, cutting Kiku off and sliding a hand under the other's shirt. He feels the shorter man shiver.

(What, he said he said he's not obviously interested. He never said that he didn't want to get in Japan's pants.)

"I hate you too," Kiku mutters as he pulls unbuttons Yong Soo's shirt. Yong Soo's smile nearly slides off, but he keeps it there and pushes a little.

"That all you got to say?" Japan glances up at him strangely.

"I suppose so."

Funny, I never felt this way before.

He frowns properly this time and pushes harder. "You don't have anything else to tell me?"

He doesn't know why he suddenly feels the need to make Kiku lose this game, to admit something he's been wanting for a long time. They've spent sixty-six years saying the same lies and trying to heal the wounds that never disappeared, and there can't be a point to all this nonsense right now.

But he needs Kiku to say it, because after sixty-six years finally coming through the front door must mean something and he's sick of the lies, the game that they've played too long and dammit Kiku I want the truth look at me tell me show me so that I can understand—

"It's my birthday," Yong Soo adds for good measure. He forces the grin back.

Kiku looks at him, and he looks back.

"I still hate you." Kiku finally says, because that's what they've been telling each other for sixty-six years and he can't change that now.

Yong Soo's face falls. "Oh."

And Kiku's eyes widen, because that one short word says it all. He repeats the word in his mind. Oh. Oh.

It's strange to think that they've been able to see through each other's lies the whole time. That's what the game was about, it was about telling lies and seeing right through them and never admitting the truth out loud because the truth hurts and saying it hurts more and…

And…

This is probably the most straightforward Yong Soo has ever been with him, and it means something.

It means everything.

"You are such an idiot," Kiku whispers fiercely as he pulls Yong Soo's head down for their foreheads to touch. He says the words forcefully, with meaning, and hopes Yong Soo understands.

I'm not lying this time, I'm telling you the truth I'm saying it out loud I'm telling you what I've always meant and never said so please listen please understand please

"I love you." Yong Soo's breathing speeds up, because somehow this is different.

It's not a lie this time.

"You do realize," Yong Soo says shakily, "that I've been waiting for this for a long time?"

Kiku laughs, something he hasn't heard for years, and then Yong Soo feels whole again. He grins cheekily and presses his lips against the other's.

Oh boy, Alfred is going to be so jealous.

/Because yes, Alfred and England have been in UST for two centuries while Yong Soo and Kiku have resolved their issues after two thirds of a century.

I've always found Japan's way of saying "yes" but meaning "no" and such mannerisms interesting to write about, but they're harder to illustrate than I thought. Woe to my limits.

66th anniversary of our liberation from Japan. Happy Birthday Yong Soo!

Interestingly, there's a protest going on in Japan right now. Apparently there is a fair number of folk who oppose the growing number of Korean influence in their media and are having a protest against it. Korea and Japan have so many issues, and I hope they're resolved someday soon. This happens to be one of my guilty pleasure pairings, after all.

I'd appreciate a review, at the very least to see how many Korea fans still exist in the fandom. Thank you.