Meltdown

Russia was always watching.

It wasn't the stalking type of thing he would do for China. No, this was a different kind of watch. Russia was always looking out for the crack he seen during the beginning of the Cold War. His excuse was to keep an eye on the enemy, which was somewhat true. America was his enemy during the Cold War and in the hero's eyes that made Russia the villain.

"Which isn't very farfetched," Russia thought to himself with a childish grin.

But what caused the Cold War between Ivan and Alfred when they were so close together wasn't the friction between capitalism and communism. No, it was something more disturbing, though the philosophy that their countries were going through did add fuel to the fire that sparked between them that day.

Distraught by what he had done against Japan, America had stopped talking for a while. He stopped going on about being a "Hero", which many appreciated, but America had stopped talking all together. That caused everyone to worry.

He wasn't munching on hamburgers in the middle of the meetings or ranting about hiring a superhero to save the world. He didn't speak when it was his turn to speak in the meetings and his gaze was deep in thought. Russia didn't know the bubbly blond had much of a thought in his head.

England was the most concern when he noticed the lack of annoyance from the former colony. He tried teasing him to stir up some recognition from the blonde, but there was no response from the superpower. It was as if America was just motioning through day. He was like an empty doll of a nation. Russia found this amusing so he started watching the boy.

At first, Russia didn't think the blond would survive as a nation in this state, but then he noticed that when Japan had gotten better America had started to open up. Suddenly he was himself again, but of course Russia knew that he wasn't. The cold nation knew that America would never be the same again. He could see a bit of himself in the younger nation, and that almost made him shiver.

After some watching, Russia had enough. He had to see it for himself.

"Amerika," Ivan had said to the boy, his accent slightly thicker than usual due to the tension between the two.

"What do you want, Commie bastard?" America replied. The blond had started calling him that ever since communism started to spread over in the eastern world.

"We need to talk, da?" Russia asked, biting back the insult that wanted to spit out.

Alfred had smiled and asked, "Are you finally thinking things my way?"

America's smile was false. Of course Russia would know that. The older nation always had a childish grin to hide his insanity caused from his past, but this time he wasn't smiling. America noticed his seriousness and dropped his smile.

"No, not that," Russia had begun. "Amerika, I don't think you noticed, but you changed."

Suddenly a dark chuckle had ringed through the room. It wasn't Russia's laughter. It came from America. Ivan thought he could see a thin, but dark aura around America's head. He wanted to rub his eyes to check, but he noticed that America had a twisted grin on his face. At that moment, he noticed how pale the other had gotten. How the other's once bright eyes were tainted. How he saw himself when he looked into America's eyes. It was as if he was looking into a mirror at himself.

"Changed? How so?" he asked.

Russia didn't need to continue the conversation to know that America had slipped into the same kind of insanity that he was in, but somehow the older nation felt something…almost threatening about America. It was the kind of chill he got when ever Belarus dropped by. His instincts were telling him to walk away and he did.

Russia always regretted doing that.

Now, after the Cold War, Russia was stilling watching America. The blond was fidgeting in his seat, because he was being bored by Germany droning on. Ever since the end of the Cold War, the blond seemed to be a lot more cheerful and bright.

Ivan didn't think that Alfred's smile was real though. He was almost fooled several times, but that only meant that America was getting better at faking it.

"Hell yeah!" America shouted out.

Russia blinked. Apparently he was too lost in his memories to notice that the meeting had ended peacefully without a fight or interruption, and France offered the idea that they would go out celebrating in a bar.

It wasn't long before he was in a bar with a drunken England and France bickering. Italy was stripping himself naked and Germany was drunkenly trying to get him to stop. China and Japan were watching and laughing at some conversation that they found interesting with a Greece sleeping on the table. America's twin, Russia couldn't remember his name, was sitting next to America in the corner.

America got up to go to leave. He didn't seem to be having as much fun as he thought he would be having. Russia went after him discretely.

"Shut up!" America shouted to the world. He wobbled to the alleyway. The hotel was in the other direction.

Russia followed him and found America muttering to himself in a mantra. He had picked up a beer bottle and smashed it against the wall. Russia could have sworn he heard, "I'm not crazy."

To test out what he heard he said, "I think you are."

America snapped his head around. He glared at Russia.

"What do you want, Commie bastard?" he replied. Through the buzz in his head, America felt that this he had asked Russia this before.

"I'm not a communist anymore, da?" Russia had said calmly. "What happened to you? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know," America said as he slumped against the wall. He didn't stutter, but Russia could hear the fear. The younger nation looked at the larger man and he trembled. "Have I gone mad?"

"Da," Russia said. He didn't know what else to say.

"I'm not crazy! A hero is not like you! I'm a hero!" America proclaimed loudly, but there was no need to deny the truth. He yelled it out to provide comfort for himself, Russia knew that.

"You're not a hero."

"What do you mean?" America asked.

"You're just not, Amerika," Russia had said. "There's no such thing as a hero in the world."

Silence came from America's mouth. There were stillness and tension in the air. You could cut through it with a knife.

"I've been hearing things," America confessed. "I've been hearing voices in my head."

Russia walked closer to America and the blond had tensed up.

"What do they say to you?" Russia asked and he was replied with a mutter. It was faint and soft, but there was a certain distortion that could be found in his voice that Russia had previously experienced from the younger nation before.

"What? I didn't hear you," Russia said as he got closer.

"They tell me to kill…" America said softly, but this time it was clear. "They tell me to destroy, to murder another nation."

"They tell me to kill you," America said as he drew out his gun at Russia. He was trembling, but his eyes were glazed over. Russia felt the insanity that snapped once Russia had confronted it.

Before Russia could say anything, he was shot. As nations, they were immortal, but that didn't make it hurt any less. The bullet had been shot into Russia's left shoulder.

Russia acted as if the shot didn't happen and walked toward to America. He wasn't to leave the other, but he had an urge to help America. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that America looked like a sunflower.

America was too afraid to take another shot. Russia pinned him to the wall and out of pure frustration he had slammed his lips upon America's. The blond had dropped his gun and kissed back.

They battled for dominance, which Russia had won. America was lightly grasping onto Russia's scarf. The kiss was hot and enticing for both of them, rough to the point that their mouths were bound to be bruised. Russia wanted to be lost in the warmth that America's lips had given, but then he was snapped to reality once America had bitten his lip so hard that he could taste copper.

Russia pulled away from the kiss and wiped the blood off his lips. He had an urge to punch America, but then the younger male had stuck out his pink tongue and licked the blood off.

"You're going to bleed to death," America pointed out, but there was no concern in his voice.

"We can't die that way," Russia told him and he knew it, but it was troublesome how the blood from his shoulder had caused the snow at their feet to be dyed a lovely shade of red.

"But it makes you weak," America said as he leaned closer to Russia's face. He looked deeply into those purple eyes. "Why are you still here?"

"Because I'm waiting for you to crack, da?"

"What do you mean, commie bastard?"

Russia had simply grinned.

Pissed off by Russia's childish grin America have reached for his gun and aimed at Russia's chest, but he took too long because Russia already at a gun at Alfred's head.

They both laughed.

"You don't have a heart for me to shoot," America said.

"And you don't have any brains," Russia retorted.

They glared at each other. Their moment of passion had passed and was replaced by a tension, but Russia was glad. For some unknown reason, the older man was glad that they were like this.

"I'm the only one that you'll show this side of you, da?" Russia asked with a smirk.

"Da," America said. He only said yes in the other nation's tongue to mock him. "Because you'll be the first one I kill."

"Then the rest of the world will be safe then!" Russia said. "Because you'll never kill me."

"Want to bet?" America asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Nyet."

America broke into a laughter of insanity hat rang throughout the air. Russia smiled and cocked his head to the side to mock America.

"What's so funny?" Russia asked.

"I like you," America admitted. "You're entertaining, unlike the others."

Was that a confession Russia heard? The ego of the big nation was stroked by the simple idea, but America simply laughed and pulled the trigger. Out of shock Russia had dropped his gun.

"I take that back," America said as he pushed Russia into the cold snow. He looked at the hole that the bullet had caused in Russia's chest and slipped in a couple of fingers.

"Amerika!" Russia said as he hissed in pain. He had tried to push off America, but even though the boy had a smaller frame, he was stronger in the moment. Russia would blame the hole in his shoulder and chest. He refused to think that the blond would be this strong.

"No," America said as he looked at his blood stained hand. He shoved his hand into the hole roughly and the pain was unlike any Russia had felt. America pulled out a beating organ, which happened to be Russia's heart.

"Oh!" America exclaimed out of shock, mocking the man underneath him. "You do have a heart."

"Give it back," Russia said sternly. He didn't like the feeling, much less the idea that his heart was in someone else's hands. "Give it back!"

America smiled in a familiar way that Russia didn't like.

"Oh, but you're not in a position to question me!" America declared as he gave Russia's heart a tight squeeze. Russia had felt a tense pain in his chest. It felt even worse than when America was digging into his chest.

"Please, Amerika," Russia said desperately. He had swallowed his pride.

"So there is a way to kill a nation," America said as he tilted his head. "I wonder how my gun missed it."

Alfred licked the bloody heart and blood stained his cheek. It must be the wrong moment to say that Ivan was finding Alfred rather sexy covered in blood. The only thing that bothered the cold nation was that it was his blood on the blonde's lips.

"You're pathetic," America said as he gave Russia's heart another tight squeeze. He was nowhere close to himself. Russia noticed that America had cracked a long time ago and that it was useless to beg for this America to let go of his heart. Russia was good as dead. "I can't believe that I was wishing you'd help me."

"Even a hero needs a hero," Russia said with his childish grin. He somehow felt that their roles had reversed. America had tightened his grip and Russia had blacked out. He could have sworn he could hear the snowflakes descending from the sky. Russia had noticed that America was a lot like a sunflower. He had wished that he didn't walk away from America when the boy needed him. He wished he stopped America from destroying himself from his meltdown.

From that day on, Russia and America nation had be forgotten, except for their place in history books and small whispers that were pasted down throughout the years. Power and insanity had brought the two superpower down hard.