How long has it been?A few days,maybe. Philip and Russia TECHNICALLY didn't try to solve the mystery of the love letter.
They rather used it as an excuse to escapd their friends and hang out. It was the weekends,and Philip met up with Russia.
"Yo,Roo!"Philip waved his arms as he ran up towards the Russian.
Yes,Philip's nickname for Russia is Roo. The taller one smiled and waved. Unexpectedly,Philip hopped up and slapped his palm,giving Russia high-five.
"You ready to go?"Russia asked,reaching his arm out for Philip.
"Yup!Let's gooooooo!"Philip hooked his arm around Russia's and ran to the park.
The Filipino stopped and let go of Russia to run to a bridge. Under it was a lake with fishes.
"What?First time seeing fishes?"Russia joked.
"Mmm...Maybe,maybe not."Philip shrugged.
"What?"Russia mumbled,slightly confused and concerned."You've never seen fish before?"
"One that's alive,anyways."Philip muttered.
Russia looked down at the water surface. Orange and red leaves were scattered around. Fall was starting fill up places with leaves,and since winter's coming,trees were shedding more.
"Look!Ice cream truck!"Philip suddenly said,pointing to the vehicle parked nearby.
"Wha...What's an ice cream truck doing there?It's almost winter."Russia asked.
But Philip already left sprinting for the ice cream truck. When he got close,he saw a food truck,and another,and another,and another.
When Russia caught up,Philip was going here and there,gawking and struggling to choose where he'll buy his food.
What made it harder is that the people operating their trucks were trying to persuade Philip. They keep bribing him,telling him that he could get a discount,or extra sauce or something.
"Ooh!Russia,you're here. I can't decide what to eat,what about you choose?"Philip told.
"Hmm...Maybe something to warm us up. Y'know,cause winter's coming and all."Russia suggested.
"Like what?"Philip asked.
The Russian looked at his options. There were a lot of good choices,he just didn't know which one.
"Look!Barbeque!"Philip exclaimed and rushed to the truck.
"How many times do you have to run away from me?"Russia sighed.
He decided to walk instead of run. Him and Philip's level of energy isn't the same. Philip was peeking inside the truck and sniffing the air.
Russia looked at the menu. There were some pretty good choices. After sniffing the aroma,Philip realized who was standing beside him.
"Oh,Russia. Right. You were supposed to choose."Philip scratched his nape sheepishly.
"No,no,it's okay. If you want this,then it's fine."Russia reassured.
Philip grinned and looked inside the truck to see the barbeques being cooked. The woman working inside saw Philip.
"Ooh,customers!"she clasped her hands together."Howdy there!Would you like some of our barbeque?"
"Yes,please!"Philip nodded.
The woman looked at Philip,then turned her head to see Russia. He was still scanning the menu. It took a while for the lady to recover,but she finally snapped back to reality,and put two and two together.
"Ah!I see. Are you here to try our new Couple's Choice?"the woman guessed,looking proud as ever.
"Your what-what?"Philip asked,a bit stunned.
"Our Couple's Choice. We recently added it on the menu."the woman explained."The Couple's Choice costs the same as one regular barbeque."
"Regular barbeque?"Russia looked at the menu."That's cheap."
"Yup!And the great thing is you get to have TWO barbeque sticks."the woman said.
Philip and Russia perked up. A cheap price?For two barbeques?And one is FREE?The two looked at each other.
"So is it the Couple's Choice then?"the woman asked with a weird face and a pink blush.
"Yeah!...Oh,wait,Russia. Are you okay with it?"Philip asked.
"...Yeah,y-yeah,I'm fine with it."Russia said,snapping out of some kind of trance.
Philip stared at the Russian for a couple of minutes. He blinked a few times,as if he was flexing his long lashes. A low hum was emitted from Philip before he turned to the woman.
"No,we'll order something else."Philip told.
Both Russia and the woman was a bit shocked at the answer. The woman stood there,frozen. She was confused. It took a while before she recovered.
"Wait,b-but he said-"the woman was cut off when Philip raised his hand to stop her.
"Sure,he said it was fine,but I'm not convinced."Philip crossed his arms."I don't want to make Russia uncomfortable."
"Are you doing this because of that?"Russia asked.
"Well,of course. I can tell. Your eyes says so."Philip nodded.
"O-Oh...What would you like then?"the woman asked,sounding a little disappointed.
After buying their food,Philip and Russia took a nice stroll around the park. They ate their barbeque while they were at it.
Russia was timidly chewing on his food. He was blushing a bit since him and Philip almost had to pretend to be a couple to get their food. Russia was a little disappointed,but also relieved.
"I still can't believe you did that."Russia chuckled.
"Whaaaaat?"Philip whined."You DID look uncomfortable."
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After that short trip to the park,Philip was sitting in the hallway of the school. He was reading a book that laid on his lap.
The Pinoy finally got bored,so he stood up and decided to return to his dorm. Philip closed his book and tucked it under his arm. He was about to walk away when something stopped him.
"Hey!You!"
Philip flinched at the sudden calling. He looked over his shoulder to see someone with a stern face walk over him. Did he do something wrong?
"U-Uh...Me?"Philip asked,pointing to himself.
"Yes,you."the man confirmed.
That's when Philip saw two more students walking beside the student. One had a happy face while the other had a poker face. They looked the same. Are they related?
"Do you need something?"Philip questioned.
"Yeah..."the student mumbled."My name's Japan!Nice to meet you."
"Oh....Nice to meet you,too?"Philip said,a bit confused at the sudden change of tone.
"These are my friends,South and North Korea."Japan introduced.
"Hello!"the one named "South" greeted.
North only waved. Philip examined the group. North was carrying some kind of bag,South was wearing a BIGGER bag,and Japan wore a camera with a strap around his neck.
"Is there a reason why you called me?"Philip said.
"Oh,yes!Right. We were wondering if you'd like to be our model."Japan told.
"Model?..."Philip murmured.
"Yep!Not the kind that walks down a runway."South cleared up."More like thr model in a picture."
"...And why me?"Philip asked.
The three flinched a bit,looking at each other. They had this sheepish look,and Japan was scratching his head.
"Well,you see,me and my friends are a group from a photography class."Japan explained."We have an assignment where we need to take pictures of at least ten girls from our school."
"But I'm not a girl."Philip mentioned.
"Yes,we figured. But...You see,a group can't take a picture of the same girl."South shyly told.
"..."Philip had this "say what?" face."What kind of rule is that?"
"It's still a rule."Japan shrugged.
"Okay,what do I have to do with this?"Philip inquired.
"You still don't know?You look like a girl."North said.
"With a few twicks,you'd look like an actual girl."South continued.
The four just stood there. Japan,South and North looked expectedly at the Filipino. Philip stared at all of them. He could already tell what they wanted. The shorter one sighed,finally giving in.
"Fine...But if you get in trouble for not actually taking a picture of a girl,I won't be a part of it."Philip said,laying down his condition.
"Sure!Plus,we can just say we don't have any other choices."South agreed.
"Now that that's out of the way,meet us at the courtyard after your classes."Japan told.
"Okay...Wait,but I have-"
"Thanks,byeeeee!"
Philip was left on his spot. Japan,South and North ran away-well,South and Japan were running,North was just being dragged like a rag doll.
The Filipino stood there. He forgot for a second that he still had his session with Russia. Welp,guess he doesn't have any other choice.
Plus,he could just run over to Russia's place once the photoshoot is done,right?
So after classes,Philip headed over to thr courtyard. It was an area in the middle of school buildings. It was like a mini yard in the middle of school.
Philip spotted Japan and South chatting near the tree,and North was rummaging through his bag while slightly swinging on the swing.
"Hey!"Philip called.
"Oh,you're here!Good. The sooner we get this finished,the better,right?"South said.
"Yeah,the sooner,the better."Philip completely agreed.
"So first things first...Wear this."South pulled out a dress.
Philip sweatdropped a little. He,again,almost forgot that these students' assignment was take a picture of GIRLS.
The Filipino took the dress and examined it. Oh,goodie...It was an off-shoulder dress. Philip scrunched his face. No backing away now.
"Once you're done,you'll wear THIS."Japan added,pulling out a blue wig.
"Don't worry,North will help with the wig and your make-up."Japan reassured.
Philip turned to look at North. He just sat there in silence with his blank face. When he caught Philip staring,he looked at him and turned away. He doesn't look like thr type of person to do someone's make-up.
"Don't worry about that. North's just shy."South placed his hand on Philip's shoulder."He's not used to eye contact."
"I see...He's the one who's gonna do my make-up?"Philip asked,pointing to the Korean.
"He doesn't really know make-up,but he's the only one who had steady hands."South replied.
"But how's he suppose to apply make-up if he doesn't know?"Philip started to feel unsettled.
"Instructions. Japan's sister is basically an expert in make-up."South shrugged,waving a notebook with writings on it.
"His sister,huh..."Philip thought.
Japan was walking around,kneeling and changing angles for the camera and adjusting it. Now that it's mentioned,Japan's flag looked familiar.
As if there was a clock ticking in thr background,Philip took a while to process before the "ding" came. Nekomi.
"That girl!That girl I bumped into and put me into suffering when she experimented on me."Philip thought.
A shiver run up his spine. If that's how Japan's sister acted,then he's a bit worried about North. Who knows what Nekomi wrote for North to follow?
But Philip shook it off. He went into a restroom and checked the stalls if anyone was inside. Luckily,the place was empty.
Philip looked around before he took off his uniform's sweater and necktie,leaving him with his white long-sleeved polo. Before he unbuttoned it,Philip placed his finger on the mirror. There was a gap.
"Better safe than sorry."he muttered.
He finally took off the rest of his clothed and put on the light,swishy dress. He gathered his uniform and placed them in his bag.
Philip peeked out the restroom. Nobody was looking,so he made a run for it. He sprinted towards the other tree.
"Okay,okay,I'm done. Now what?"Philip whispered,who seemed to be in a hurry.
"The wig."South pointed to the hunk of fake hair.
South led Philip to the swing where North was kneeling beside. After putting in the wig,the twins stepped back to see how well the wig was. Luckily,the wig was close to Philip's actual hair color,so it didn't looked too out of place.
"Okay,okay,here are the instructions."South began to read."Pour the milk into bowl-"
"Idiot,wrong page."North said.
"Oh...Hold on,hold on...Uhhhhhh..."South flipped through the pages."What the...I can't find it. Why can't I find it?"
"What do you mean?"North asked,peeping over South.
Philip watched the siblings argue and pull the notebook. Japan had to step up and break them apart. He examined the notebook,going through pages and pages.
"Dammit,Nekomi gave us the wrong notebook."Japan cursed.
"Say what?"South exclaimed in disbelief.
"See?It's filled with recipes. She must've grabbed the wrong one."Japan assumed.
"Goodness,she doesn't want us to cook make-up,does she?"North mumbled,sighing.
Philip felt tension between the three. They all had this irritated and stressed look on their faces,which did not bode well for the Filipino.
So he just sat there,swinging his legs back and forth. He looked down at his lap. The fabric of the dress was really soft. Out of nowhere,Philip's sight went black. A pair of hands covered his eyes.
"Guess who?"a deep,familiar voice cooed.
Philip could feel the warm breath on his nape,which meant that this person was close. Really,REALLY close. It didn't take long before Philip got an answer.
"You can let go now,Russia."Philip ordered.
"And what are you doing here?"Russia asked,leaning towards Philip's side.
"I was just helping Japan and his friends with their assignment."Philip reasoned.
"You haven't forgotten about your tutor,have you?"Russia teasingly asked.
"Hm...Look,just give us a minute. Just one picture,and that's it."Philip said.
"Very well!"Russia put up a smile.
The principal's son sat down besides Philip,noticing the other three staring at him. Japan,South and North all looked away when they eyes met Russia's.
"Is there a problem here?"he asked,raising a brow.
"Uhh...Well,we don't know how to do make-up."Japan nervously laughed.
"What's it for?"Russia asked,glancing at Philip."He's already pretty."
"Yeah,yeah,whatever."Philip rolled his eyes.
Russia leaned forward and look at Philip. A small tint of pink was on his cheek while the latter pouted. That's when he noticed something shining in the sunlight.
"Your eyes are pretty in the sunlight,too."Russia added.
The Filipino couldn't help but blush. He's not used to getting compliments like that. Philip looked away. Japan could feel the tension between the two,so he faked a cough.
"Anyways...We can't continue without it. Just a little bit is fine."Japan informed.
"Is that so?If you want,I'LL do it."Russia said.
"You?Make-up?No offense or anything,but I didn't expect you to know make-up."North told.
"Yeah,well,I have two sisters."Russia replied."Now let's get this over quickly."
North Korea handed over the make-up kit to the Russian. Since Russia had to face Philip,he knelt down infront of the Filipino.
Russia held up Philip's chin to look at what he was working with. Of course,the contact made Philip feel weird. Russia's skin was pretty soft,so that's nice.
Russia rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Japan,South and North watched in awe as Russia swiftly applied make-up on Philip.
The Filipino couldn't help but get tickled when he felt the bristles of the brush sweep across his face.
"Alright,I'm done."Russia said,standing up.
"But what about lipstick?"Japan asked.
"No need. I mean,his lips are already red after all."Russia answered.
"Is that why you were staring at his lips for so long?"North asked.
"...Yeah."Russia murmured.
Russia was just actually admiring Philip's lips,but it would come off as weird,so he kept his mouth shut. Philip fluttered his eyes open.
"Woah!Cool."South clapped his hands excitedly.
"We can finally take a picture!"Japan cheered.
Philip was asked to kneel on the grass. So he did. He skirt puffed up a bit,but nobody minded. South then pulled out a...blanket?A sheet?
"What's that for?"Philip asked,a little worried since he thought he'd have to wear more.
"Just hold it like you're holding a bouquet of flowers."North instructed.
"...What for?"Philip questioned.
"So it looks like you're doing the laundry by the river."South answered behind Japan.
"Yeah,y'know,like how the people used to do back in the old days."Japan added.
"Right...And where's this river?"Philip said,holding the big sheet.
"We'll edit it,no worries."Japan waved his hand.
Philip straightened his back,and North tilted his head slightly lower. He raised his arm a bit,to fix his pose and all.
After that was cleared up,North stepped back and stood beside Japan. Philip felt a little self-conscious since Japan,South,North AND Russia were watching.
"Don't smile!"Japan called out.
Well,now,Philip felt like smiling. He couldn't help but snicker,but a glare from Japan stopped him short.
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"Thanks for the help...uhh..."South trailed off.
"Philip."the Filipino continued.
"Yeah!Thanks,Phil."South said,shaking his hand.
After the shoot,Philip changed back to his uniform,and Russia helped take off the make-up. Japan was looking at all the photos they had.
A group of guys passed by,laughing. One of them caught sight of Japan's photos and stopped.
"What?!Japan!"the male shouted.
"Huh?Oh,what's up,Marcus?"Japan greeted.
"Who's that cute girl?"Marcus asked,referring to Philip's picture.
"Huh?Oh,her?I don't know."Japan lied,shrugging.
"Woah!She's so cute."
"Awesome!"
"Man,I wish WE took her picture."
Philip stared at the three males,who was unknowingly complimenting him. Yet,he remained silent,trying hard not to laugh.
"Philip. You still have tutoring to attend to."Russia reminded.
"Oh,crap!Right. Let's go."Philip said."We'll be going now,Japan!Bye!"
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Philip heaved a sigh as he finished his paper. Finally,he was done and could rest for the night. The Filipino slumped back on his chair before...
"Wait...Wait,NIGHT?!"Philip thought,his eyes snapping open.
The Pinoy jolted up and ran to the window to see that it was indeed night time. Philip's shocked expression faded into an irritated and tired one.
Russia,who got back from the bathroom,saw Philip with a pout on his face and arms crossed.
"We passed curfew again,huh?"Russia stifled a laugh.
"Hm."Philip grunted.
"So...Staying over for the second time?"Russia guessed,leaning back on the table and crossing his arms.
"...Let's not normalize me staying here overnight because I keep getting locked out of my dorm."Philip muttered.
A deep laughter was released from the Russian,much to Philip's embarrassment. Russia gave a pat on Philip's head when he walked past him.
The Filipino tramped towards the couch and sat down. Murmuring came from the pouting child,who sat hunched over the couch.
Russia cooked dinner which calmed Philip down. While Philip got ready for bed in the bathroom,the tutor was looking through the activities. A smile appeared on his lips. He regarded Philip proudly.
"He's learning fast."he thought.
After staring into space for a while,the Russian perked up to find Philip staring at him. He blinked for a while before finally speaking up.
"What is it?"Russia asked.
"Your eyes are pretty in the moonlight."Philip answered.
The Russian was,obviously,taken aback. A slight blush radiated on his cheeks. Not wanting to act weird,he steadily turned his head away.
With that,Russia became redder. He silently tried to cool himself down and succeeded. He turned back to Philip and smiled.
"Th-Thank you."he managed to say.
"Hm."Philip strolled away to the couch.
"Anyways,are you not going to bed yet?"Russia asked,changing the topic.
"Nah. My hair's still wet."Philip told.
The Russian stared at the latter,who was chilling on the couch and opened the TV. He sighed,standing up. He went to the bathroom and closed the door to drown away the sounds.
After a few hours have passed,Russia was starting to doze off. Philip was staring at the TV like a zombie. He blinked slowly and eyebags under his eyes.
"We should sleep now. There's school tomorrow."Russia told.
"'Kay..."Philip mumbled.
"..."
"..."
"What are you doing?"
"Sleeping."
"You're taking my bed."
Philip opened his eyes tiredly and looked at the Russian questioningly. He pouted a bit and tilted his head. Russia got up and knelt beside the tired Pip.
"Come on."the tutor ushered.
"Whyyyyyyyyyy?.....It's YOUR bed. Why do I have to take it?"Philip
"It'd be more comfortable for you. Plus,you probably move a lot when asleep."Russia sighed.
". . ."
"Philip?"
Quiet snores emitted from the now-asleep Philippines. He had dozed off in the middle of a conversation.
Russia just shrugged. He didn't mind that Philip was asleep. It'd be easier to move him that way since no one will be struggling.
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[ 3525 words ]
Hmm...Marcus
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