The Safe Haven

The Alpha

Russia's pov
★•°★°•★

After France and Canada left, I waited a while more to go back to "America"'s room.
I think I'm just going to call him Stars. It's easier. I walked into his room quietly and sat down on a chair that was in the corner of the room. I looked up at the country.
Oh, he's sleeping.
Canada told me that America was a year older than me. That's surprising. He is shorter than Canada, Finland, and me, but he is still considered tall because he is above average in height, according to the medical textbooks we have for humans. Countryhumans are a subspecies of humans, so our biology isn't quite the same, but close enough for most of their healing methods to work on us as well. A difference between us and humans is that any gender could become pregnant, not just the females. Even though male on female mates are more common than male on male or female on female.
I honestly don't care about that. I just don't have any time to.

I heard shuffling. I swiveled my head around. No one. I looked at the bed.
Oh.
It was just Stars. He's restless for being asleep. I saw him clutching the sheets as his life depended on it.
He must de be having a nightmare. It would make sense for all that he has been through.

What calmed Bela down when she had nightmares?
I know she liked cuddles, bedtime stories, and petting her hair.
Well, he's already asleep, so bedtime stories are out, and cuddling with a stranger that gave me a death glare for a minute straight without blinking is suicidal.
I let out a sigh. I want to help him rest. He has been through a lot.

I looked over at the sleeping county. He still looks stressed out. I can see his slim fingers clutching at the white sheets.
I finally made the decision to try to help the recovering star-covered young man.

I got up from the lonesome chair in the corner of the decent-sized room and walked over to the bedside. I then sat in the chair France was sitting in earlier.
I looked down at the troubled boy and placed my hand gently on his hair. Stars stiffened his body, and his breathing stopped for a second. I trailed my hand down to his face and stroked his scared cheek with my thumb gently. His face started to relax, and Stars leaned into my hand, seeming to be craving the warmth my hand carried.
I couldn't deny the redness that rose up onto my cheeks and made me look like my father.

I continued to stroke his cheek lightly and brush his fluffy hair with the tips of my fingers. For an unknown reason, I started to smile and enjoy the simple things that made him rest.

Wait.

Why am I still doing this? He is soundly asleep now and doesn't need to be pampered anymore for him to rest.
But.
I kinda like it. Knowing that I helped him.

I looked at Star's face.
Oh, that's new.
There, a faint smile was painted on his face.
Huh.
It suits him.

I hummed while I petted his hair.
This is rather relaxing for me.
I know that I can stop at any time, but I can't bring myself to do so.

30 minutes gone by without waking the now restful country. I yawned and took back his hand from the mass of hair. Stars whined and put his own hand in his face, unconsciously slapping himself.
The boy jolted awake and gasped. I just looked at him with my hands intertwined. He looked back at me and flinched backward, scrambling to the corner of his bed.
"W-what are you doing in my room?"
"Protecting you."
He continued to glare at me slightly, but I could see a sliver of fear in his glowing eyes made out of fire and ice.
"I won't hurt you."

"I've heard that one before."
He snarled at me. My face fell. Poor thing.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would've already."

He looked away and seemed to relax his fence body a fraction.

Stars looked away from me. "What do you want from me."

I replied honestly.
"Nothing."

"No one has wanted 'nothing' from me. So. What the hell do you want."

"For you to get better," I shrugged my shoulders.

He glared at me.

"What's the truth?"

"That's the truth. I want to help you. Whether you believe it or not. I could've let you die on multiple occasions, but I didn't. Why would I take you back all the way to my camp and revive you, just to take advantage of you?"

He looked down again.
"Thank you," he mumbled under his breath.
A smile started to spread across my face. "I didn't quite hear that, Stars," I smirked.

He rolled his eyes, and a small smile crawled across his face. I saw him relax more, getting more comfortable around me.

"My name is America."

...

"And. I said thank you. Alpha."