I decided I had to try writing some sort of romance... and there are very few RussLiech fanfics or art.
She said, I was seven and you were nine,
I looked at you like the stars that shined
In the sky, the pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
Growing up and falling in love
And our mamas smiled, and rolled their eyes
And said "Oh, my, my, my."
Ever since the two had been introduced, seven-year-old Lili Zwingli and nine-year-old Ivan Braginski were thick as thieves. All the other kids in the neighbourhood either ignored or teased Ivan, so he was glad to have someone like Lili. She looked up to the Russian boy, in a way. Despite everything, he managed to always keep a smile on his face. She'd follow him everywhere- unless they were at school, in class- which made him smile even more.
However, Lili's older brother, Vash, and Ivan's younger sister, Natalya, were highly against their friendship.
Their families were having a summer barbecue at Ivan's house. The four parents watched as Lili and Ivan happily splashed around in the pool.
"It's time to get out now!" called Ivan's mother, bringing out some towels. "You two look like you're freezing!" It was true. The pair were shivering- it was getting to be evening, so the temperature was dropping. Ivan ran to get the towels, and wrapped one around Lili, before using the other.
"Ivan and Lili, sitting in a tree~" Lili's father sung quietly.
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!" finished Ivan's father, before they both fell into fits of laughter. Their wives rolled their eyes, but smiled.
"No! That's a horrible idea! I hate it!" shouted Vash, bashing his hands on the table in protest. This only made them laugh harder.
"Big brother belongs to me!" shouted Natalya, glaring at the two, who were now playing in the sandpit at the end of the backyard.
"Oh my…"
Take me back to the house in the backyard tree
Said you would beat me up, you were bigger than me
You never did, you never did
Take me back when our world was one block wide
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried
Just two kids, you and I, oh, my, my, my, my.
Ivan came over to Lili's one day after school, angry. "The teacher does nothing! Absolutely nothing!" he shouted, kicking the base of the big tree that shaded the garden. Lili didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Normally, she was one of the only ones not scared of Ivan, but when he was angry… that was another story. When he wasn't saying anything, he would mutter something like "Kolkolkol…" under his breath. "They even beat me up! And he still did nothing!"
"M-maybe he didn't know what to do…"
"Do you know what it's like to be beaten up, Lili?"
"N-no…"
"Why don't I show you?!" He raised his hand, towering over the younger girl, breathing heavily. Lili stared up at her best friend. Why are you doing this…? she thought, bracing herself. Ivan may be gentle most of the time, but he could be strong when he was angry. Minutes passed, and he didn't strike. With every second, his intent drained away. "I… I'm sorry… Lili… I-I think I'm going to go home…" He turned and ran to his house, which was next door to Lili's. He'd left his schoolbag there, so she brought it over, and asked if he was alright.
"Why wouldn't he be?" asked his mother, taking the bag from the small girl.
"Oh… I was just checking…"
A few weeks later, they'd mostly forgotten about the whole incident, and were playing in Lili's backyard. They were playing hide and seek, and it was Ivan's turn to hide. He'd taken off his beloved scarf, folded it up and placed it on the table before the game began. When Lili saw it there after she finished counting, a rare, mischievous idea came to mind.
She snuck over to the table, knowing that Ivan was most likely watching her from his hiding spot, and grabbed the scarf. She heard him gasp, and ran, giggling.
"Lili! Please! Give it back!" Ivan yelled, jumping out from his hiding spot behind the bushes. She threw it down on the ground and sat on top of it. Ivan walked up to her, slowly, thinking of how to get his scarf back.
"Why don't you kiss me for it?" she asked, thinking that it would never happen. Ivan blinked slowly, slightly confused. He stood there for a moment
"Okay."
"What?! Neeiiiin!" Lili shouted, jumping up and running off. Ivan chased her, laughing. The scarf lay forgotten in the grass.
"But you said to!"
"Well, try and catch me!" Lili giggled, running as fast as she could. But the boy was faster, and caught up to her easily. "Oh no! Boy germs!" Ivan laughed, and gave her a hug instead. Kissing was for grownups, not kids. They fell into a heap on the grass, both laughing.
Vash sat on the balcony of the second floor, watching with a scowl on his face.
Well, I was sixteen when suddenly,
I wasn't that little girl you used to see
But your eyes still shined like pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
They never believed we'd really fall in love
And our mamas smiled, and rolled their eyes
And said "Oh, my, my, my."
Years passed, and Ivan and Lili, now teenagers, were still very close. But Ivan found himself seeing Lili… differently than he had before. He started getting nervous around her, but also wanting to spend more time with her. He also started to find her… beautiful. Her short blonde hair, large green eyes… she was the definition of beauty to him.
"Ivan!" she called, gently nudging him in the arm.
"Huh?!" Ivan exclaimed, shaking himself out of his daze. What is going on with me?! She's still the same old Lili.
Lili smiled back at her best friend. She loved the way his violet eyes seemed to sparkle, just like when they were kids- though they were now sadder than they used to be. He still smiled- but most of the time, his smile was there to mask everything else. However, they were always genuine when directed at Lili.
Their fathers always used to make jokes about the two of them. The pair never paid attention or heard these jokes. The whole of the two families were present, at another summer barbecue, when Ivan nervously kissed Lili. Lili's father fell out of his chair when she kissed him back. Ivan's father choked on the drink he had in his mouth. The mothers rolled their eyes once again at their husbands. "Oh my…" Vash glared from the opposite end of the table.
Ivan went inside to go get the dessert, and Vash followed, under the guise of helping him. When they were out of sight and earshot, Vash prodded the taller boy in the chest.
"You'd better not hurt my sister, you hear?!" he hissed angrily.
"Ch-chto?" Ivan asked, surprised and irritated by the sudden contact.
"You'd better not hurt her! You got that?!" Vash had to look up to see Ivan's face, despite the fact that he was two years older.
Ivan smiled. "I would never hurt little Lili- surely you know that, da?" Vash glared at him. "I would never let anyone hurt her." And with that, the conversation ended.
Take me back to the creek beds we turned up
Two A.M., riding in your truck
And all I need is you next to me
Take me back to the time when we had our very first fight
Slamming our doors instead of kissing goodnight
You stayed outside 'til the morning light, oh, my, my, my, my.
"Argh! Ivan, look out!"
The four-wheel-drive swerved sharply to avoid a tree in its path.
"Look out! Fox! No! Not the creek!" Lili screamed, clutching on to her seatbelt for dear life as Ivan turned sharply again to drive along the creek bed, instead of through the creek, the car pulling out plant roots as it passed. Ivan chuckled nervously, once again trying to turn on the headlights. They had died, so the only light source was that of the dim moon.
"Please remind me why I agreed to go camping with you…" Lili said, breathlessly. Ivan laughed again.
"The meteor shower. You remember, da? And you're the one who suggested we go."
"Oh… that's right. Well, we're lost now."
Ivan stopped the car. "No problem! The blankets and food are in the back seat. We can sleep in the car until we can see."
Lili yawned. "Well, it has to be past midnight by now… the meteor shower starts at two…"
"Look!" Ivan shouted, pointing out the side window. "Time passes when you're having fun!" They had gone camping on a rather large, forest-like mountain, from which they would have a good viewpoint. He pulled out some blankets and popcorn from the back seat, and they watched the show in all its beauty.
"You're still not tired?" Ivan asked. There was no reply. He looked down to see Lili asleep, leaning on his shoulder. He smiled, and kissed her on top of the head. Everyone else had left him- she was all he had. She was all he needed.
"I don't need you sticking up for me all the time!"
"He was insulting you!"
"But Ivan, that's no excuse to hit someone!"
"He deser-"
"With a faucet pipe, no less!"
So you're fine with letting people insult you?!"
"No! But… you could have badly hurt him!"
"It's only Alfred!"
"That's not the point!"
Ivan bit his lip. He didn't want to argue with Lili. But he lost control of himself when he was angry. He stood there for a moment, before storming out of the house, slamming the door. Lili stared after him, sinking down onto the lounge, crying. Ivan was frightening when he was angry, which made the argument even worse. She went to her bedroom, and cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, she went outside, to go to work, only to trip over something. She fell on the floor, and turned to see Ivan laying, asleep, on the front porch. His round face was tearstained, and his hair was a mess. Did he stay out here all night? I can't just leave him here… she thought, crawling to his side.
"Ivan…" she whispered. He stayed asleep. "Ivan!" His eyelids slowly opened, and he gulped at the sight of Lili in front of him, hoping she wasn't still mad at him. She gave him a small smile, which he returned with a larger one. "I've got to go to work," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
"What?! What time is it?!"
"Eight o'clock."
"Chert!" Ivan ran home, already running late for work. He didn't listen as his boss yelled at him for being late. He was happy that things were still alright with Lili. He came around that night with chocolates and a bunch of lilies. "You didn't have to!" Lili exclaimed, handing him a bunch of sunflowers she'd bought for him.
A few years had gone and come around
We were sitting at our favourite spot in town
Then you looked at me, got down on one knee
Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle
Our whole town came and our mamas cried
You said 'I do', and I did too
A few years later, Ivan and Lili were strolling around town. Winter was underway, and it was snowing. They bought some pastries from an Austrian man, an old friend of Vash's, and sat down on a bench in the middle of the park, beside the beautifully carved (and currently frozen over) fountain. It was their favourite place in their small town. When they finished the pastries, Ivan cleared his throat.
"Um… Lili…?" he asked, nervously. She noticed his cheeks going red. She didn't think it was from the cold.
"J-ja…?"
Ivan stood up, reaching into a pocket on the inside of his coat. Lili stared up at him, towering over her, wondering what was happening. The park was full of people, who'd all stopped what they were doing to watch as Ivan got down on one knee, and pulled out a small, black box.
"L-Lili, we've known each other for a long time, and… and I love you very much…" Lili smiled, now knowing what was going on. She decided to let him finish, though. This was rather… adorable. His face was slowly going red, and this was the only time she'd ever seen him nervous. "You are the only girl who's ever- and will ever- captured my heart… I would like very much to spend the rest of my life with you… and I was wondering if you would like the same… I was wondering if you will marry me, and be my wife…"
"Of course I will!" Lili replied, wrapping her arms around Ivan's shoulders (he was still kneeling, so he was reachable). The people around them clapped and cheered.
The church was decorated in pale colours, with bouquets of lilies and sunflowers along every other row of chairs. The whole town had been invited, and the room was full. Ivan stood up at the end of the aisle, uncomfortable in a tuxedo, and he still had his scarf wrapped around his neck. Both of his sisters cried- Yekaterina out of happiness, Natalya out of sadness and jealousy. All the chatter in the room stopped as Vash begrudgingly walked Lili down the aisle, and the organ played.
Lili smiled at everyone as she passed, then turned her gaze to Ivan, who beamed at her. She stopped when she reached him, and Vash joined the groomsmen. Lili and Ivan read their vows, and said their 'I do's.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Ivan lifted Lili up, and everyone cheered as they kissed.
Take me home when we met so many years before
Where we rock our babies on the very front porch
After all this time, you and I
When I'll be 87 you'll be 89
I'll still look at you like the stars that shine
In the sky, oh, my, my, my
It was probably kinda cheesy and cliché, wasn't it? I've never written romance before, or songfics, really, so please, tell me how I did!
[Edit- Oh, and Ivan getting Lili lilies? That's got nothing to do with her name. Lilies are apparently the flower of Liechtenstein.]