This story is for the lovely Ninilia. Thanks again for all of your support! I hope you enjoy this fic.
Latvia's poem belongs to me; I actually wrote it.
September 5th 2015, Saturday
I went to one of Prussia's awful parties.
Big Brother wasn't there. I was hoping he would be, especially since I saw his underlings attend. I wonder what was so important that he couldn't attend? Was it business? Big Brother is such a hard worker. I admire him greatly.
Latvia drinks too much.
Belarus stalked around the dance floor in a fruitless search for Russia. She glared at the other countries as she shoved past them and their ridiculous attempts at dancing. Belarus pondered if the countries would carry on if they only knew how idiotic they looked.
She shook the thought off and continued her search. The only reason she even came to one of Prussia's obnoxious parties was to see her big brother.
After more useless searching she decided to look for Russia's underlings. She figured if she could find Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia she'd find her beloved sibling.
She spotted Estonia first. He was hovering near Finland and the rest of the Nordic Five, sans Denmark, like a puppy begging for scraps at the dinner table. Belarus briefly wondered where Denmark might be, then scoffed. There was no way she was concerning herself with them. In her opinion, the Nordics were akin to high school girls. The only difference being that they caused more drama.
Next she noticed Lithuania sandwiched in between Prussia, America, and Denmark. That was fine with her. She never exactly jumped at the chance to spend time with him anyway; he was a whiny nerd with pollakiuria after all.
Latvia took awhile to find. Belarus eventually found him in a dark corner of the venue drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Since he was the only Baltic Nation she could stand and he wasn't surrounded by a group of ass hats, she decided it was safe to approach.
"Where's Big Brother?" she demanded, voice completely monotone.
Latvia jumped and snapped his head up to face her, "H-hello Ms. Belarus," he tried to smile politely, but only managed a grimace.
"Where's Big Brother?" Belarus repeated with a glare.
Latvia gulped nervously and took a giant swig of the bottle of vodka in his hand, "Uh... he said he wasn't c-coming."
"Why not?"
Latvia shrugged, shaking visibly, "I-I don't know. I'm sorry Ms. Belarus."
He took another large gulp of the vodka, finishing the bottle. He pulled another bottle of Latvijas Balzams from the table and started on it, all the while giving Belarus anxious glances.
"How much have you had?" Belarus asked in a tone that was clearly disinterested.
Latvia hiccuped, "A lot," he murmured seriously.
Belarus looked around the room again, "I should go home. There's no reason for me to be here if Big Brother isn't coming."
"Why haven't you left, then?" Latvia asked weakly, steadily growing more confident with each giant gulp of alcohol.
Belarus ignored the question, "Your body is young. Aren't you damaging it?"
Latvia shrugged. He knew Belarus wasn't worried in the slightest, she was just naturally curious, "I suppose it's a lot like your scowl. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it," Latvia easily stuck his foot in his mouth.
Belarus' eyes flashed in animosity, "What was that you little twerp?"
Latvia recoiled at her reaction, "It's just that you're so pretty. But, you are constantly scowling. Even if you wanted to stop, it would be very hard because it's become a habit now, right?" Latvia rambled, fear apparent in his tone.
Belarus paused for a minute. Pretty? He thinks I'm pretty? She watched Latvia as he continued to ramble on. Right now he was mentioning hamsters and... well Belarus had already lost interest. She leaned in close to observe him, trying to see if she could catch any of the usual signs of lying. He was swallowing a lot, which was a sign of lying. But, he wasn't hiding his eyes or hands. In fact, he was gesturing wildly.
Latvia paused to blush deeply when he noticed how intently Belarus was watching him, "U-um, Miss?" he asked.
She narrowed her eyes, in an attempt to intimidate the truth out of him, "Do you really think I'm pretty?"
Latvia flinched under her gaze, then nodded, "Y-yes. Everyone does. Didn't you know...?" Belarus blinked at him.
People think I'm pretty?
Why haven't they said anything?
"You're the only person who has said that to me," Belarus said stiffly.
"O-oh. W-well, I'm sure they were just getting around to it. No need to worry about it or anything. Do you want a drink?" Latvia prattled on again in unease.
He never got an answer to his offer. When he finally gathered the courage to meet her eyes again, Belarus had turned on her heel and begun the violent trek back toward the exit, pushing and threatening others aggressively as she went.
Latvia breathed a sigh of relief, dealing with Russia and his siblings was always so stressful. He absentmindedly grabbed a fifth bottle and nursed it while thoughtfully observing the crowd.
Latvia wished he could be home reading a book.
September 22nd 2015, Tuesday
Mr. Lukashenko gave me the day off. So, I went to visit Big Brother at his home. He wasn't there. I can't figure out why, though. Was he kidnapped? Was he visiting someone else? Maybe... China?
I'll kill him for stealing Big Brother.
Also, apparently Latvia writes poetry.
Today, the Baltic trio had the very rare treat of spending the day Russia free. Latvia eagerly seized the chance to stalk around his room all day. He cycled from writing poetry to searching for a new book to read. Estonia found himself glued to the piano for most of the day. Lithuania had opted to not spend the day at home at all and finally took the time to visit his martial arts dojo.
It was nearly silent all day, only the sounds of Estonia's piano playing were present to break the still air. Occasionally, the soft music would waft gently from the room across the hall to where Latvia sat on his bed.
Estonia and Latvia's peace was abruptly halted when a loud banging erupted from the front door. Surprised, Latvia yelped and tumbled off the bed, "I'll get it!" he called to Estonia, reasoning that he was probably already up.
Belarus wasted no time on petty greetings. When Latvia opened the door for her, she stormed straight in, "Big Brother!" she called to him.
Latvia blanched. Crap. What should I tell her? He quickly glanced at her hands to double check that she didn't have a knife. Wanting to keep it that way, Latvia scrambled to put himself between Belarus and the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Belarus sent him a dangerous glare.
"N-nothing," Latvia cursed himself for being a terrible liar, "It's just that, Mr. Russia isn't here today."
"Why not?"
If it were possible Latvia paled even further, shaking violently out of fear, "I-I don't know...?"
Belarus cocked her head at him as if contemplating this. Her eyes sparked in anger, "How can you not know? Is he not your boss?" she stepped toward him in a threatening manner, eyes like a predator's trained on him, "Or maybe you're lying."
Latvia couldn't take the stress anymore and burst into tears just as Estonia entered the room.
"O-oh. Good morning, Ms. Belarus. How are you today?" Estonia easily drew Belarus' attention away from Latvia with a display of minimalistic nervousness.
Latvia watched the exchange between his savior, Estonia and Belarus, who was likely there to collect his soul.
Estonia managed to keep Belarus from killing them both and was now leading her through the house. Latvia sniffled a little, having calmed down a bit with Belarus out of the room.
Belarus glared darkly at the blonde nation beside her. Stupid, glasses wearing nerd, using giant words specifically to confuse people. What an asshole.
He led her through every room, including all the bedrooms, giving her ample time to search and confirm that Russia wasn't there.
Belarus had searched all of the rooms, except one. She hadn't found anything that was even interesting, let alone the slightest trace of her beloved brother.
These Baltics are so boring it's nauseating. I need to get out of here. She thought as she stomped in to the last room, "Whose room is this?" she barked to Estonia upon seeing the mess of papers lying haphazardly around the space.
Estonia adjusted his glasses and answered simply, "Latvia's."
Belarus was intrigued at the sight of so many loose pages. What is all of this? She stepped toward a page lying precariously on the edge of the bed, threatening to fall listlessly to the floor. Gently, she picked up the page and read it without thinking:
Glimpses of a specter,
Achingly capable,
Through misty timber
How easily impalpable,
And yet to coldly garner
Scarce appreciate
The pow'r it wields
What feasible fate,
What attainable yield,
Can result to regulate?
Belarus wondered what the poem could be about. She set the paper down and walked about the room in search of her big brother. After a few short minutes, Belarus shot a glare at Estonia for another profitless search and left the room without another word.
Estonia observed that she hadn't searched it as thoroughly as the rest. He smirked knowingly and followed her back to the living room.
Latvia was waiting for the two of them when they arrived, "Oh good, you're finished!" he smiled happily, but he was still weighted down heavily with nervous energy. Belarus stormed past him, making a beeline for the door, "I made lunch," his words were drowned as the door slammed after Belarus' exit.
Latvia looked at Estonia with wide eyes, "D-did I do something wrong?"
Estonia shook his head and patted the younger nation on the back reassuringly.
October 6th 2015, Tuesday
I saw Big Brother today while I was out. He ran away before I could speak.
It was very upsetting.
October 31st 2015, Saturday
Halloween; today I stayed home.
It was quiet and peaceful until Latvia showed up.
Belarus was practicing her knife throwing when the doorbell interrupted her mid fling and she missed, hitting the wall. She let out a plangent growl, ripping the knife out of the wall, and trudging toward the door.
Latvia's nervously smiling face greeted her, "Happy Halloween, Ms. Belarus!"
Belarus raised a dangerous eyebrow at him and shifted the knife in her palm, alerting its presence to Latvia. He paled and took an involuntary step back.
"What do you want, Latvia? I've told you before, I don't have any candy to give you," she paused and gave him a once over. Latvia was dressed as a bunny. Complete with ears and a waist coat with puffy shorts and a large clock attached to a little cape around his shoulders. He looked utterly humiliated, "Aren't you a little old to be trick-or-treating now, anyway?"
Latvia winced, "Probably. B-but, that isn't why I'm here."
Belarus crossed her arms, the knife in her hand glinting dangerously. The look on her face plainly demanding him to elaborate.
"I thought maybe you would want to share some of my candy with me," he gave her a weak and frightened smile. It looked more like a grimace and if Belarus hadn't known any better she would have suspected he was in pain. But, that was just Latvia's skittish personality. She almost rolled her eyes.
This kid is such a baby.
She eyed the large sack of candy he was holding up.
There was a moment when Latvia was positive she would take the bag and close the door in his face.
Why did I do this again? Oh right.
This was Estonia's idea.
Well... I'm never listening to him again.
Latvia was prepared to just hand the bag over to Belarus and leave when she stepped to the side, allowing him to enter.
Latvia found Belarus to be a gracious host, even if she was homicidal and creepy.
She must've decided Latvia was cold and threw a blanket at him. It landed in a heap on his head and Latvia was temporarily blinded as he struggled to peel the offending fleece off.
He settled for leaving the middle stretched across his head while the corners draped over his shoulders. Belarus stifled a chuckle, keeping her face impassive and told him to make himself at home while she disappeared into the kitchen.
Latvia tried to mostly ignore her attempts at taking care of him because it freaked him out. He couldn't help but think that she was lulling him in to a false sense of security, waiting for just the right moment to strike.
So, he busied himself from these thoughts by categorizing the candy he had collected. He sat on the floor obsessively placing each piece of candy into a pile. There were a ton of different piles, including but not limited to, fruit flavored hard candies, peppermint hard candies, chocolate with nuts, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, individual bags of candy, and miscellaneous.
Belarus returned a few minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate. When she presented it to Latvia he suspected she was teasing him. She shook her head and re-offered the warm drink, "It's cold outside. Drink," she ordered.
"W-where's yours?"
"I'm not cold," Belarus answered as if it were obvious.
Latvia conceded and took the cup from her, "Thank you, Ms. Belarus."
She grunted in reply and sat down on the floor across from him on the other side of his candy piles, "You didn't choose that costume, did you?"
"Ah... no. Mr. Russia's condition for my trick-or-treating is that he pick my costume," Latvia chuckled nervously. He was a little unsure of bringing Russia up in front of Belarus. But, she had no visible reaction.
Belarus eyed Latvia thoughtfully.
Big Brother chose well, he's cute dressed as a bunny.
She shook the thought away immediately and grabbed a peppermint patty from one of Latvia's piles. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Latvia shift uncomfortably and pull his bunny ears off. He set them aside and started munching on some licorice.
Belarus eyed the bunny ears.
He must be very uncomfortable in that outfit.
In a moment of compassion that surprised even herself, Belarus snatched the bunny ears and placed them on her head.
Latvia looked up at her, startled by her sudden movement. He gave her a quizzical look.
Belarus shrugged and reached for a jolly rancher, "Now you aren't alone," she said simply.
December 24th 2015, Thursday
Christmas Eve; everyone went to America's to celebrate. It was loud and boring. I never caught sight of Big Brother.
Chasing him is tough work. I wish he would make it easier to love him.
Does that make sense?
December 25th 2015, Friday
Happy Christmas. Today I received a new ribbon.
Belarus woke up less than thrilled. Because of one of America's lame Christmas parties, she slept in past five and missed the sun rise.
Her whole day was officially ruined.
Especially since the time that she did happen to wake up was torture, otherwise know as 8:00 am. Belarus saw this as a bad omen.
She grouchily dressed herself and trudged toward the kitchen. After making herself a cup of coffee she dragged herself in to the living room and flopped on the couch. She sipped at the warm caffeinated drink lazily until she noticed a Christmas decoration that wasn't there before. Belarus never decorated, she was much too busy to bother, really.
She gazed at the tiny Christmas tree on her coffee table with an indifferent expression.
Right, Finland does this every year.
Belarus leaned forward, expecting to see her usual present, commonly a new knife, gifted by Finland under the guise of "Santa Claus."
While she did find her new knife, she also found another box behind it. Puzzled she set the knife away and picked up the second present. She turned the small red box over in her hands, the tag on the side catching her attention:
To: Baltkrievija
From: Latvija
Inside the box she found a new hair ribbon patterned in red and white after the stripe on the staff end of her flag. Belarus furrowed her brows, puzzled over Latvia's kindness.
January 13th 2016, Wednesday
I went to the World Conference today. I thanked Latvia for the ribbon. Big Brother was unusually interested in him.
Latvia was cowering in between Estonia and Lithuania. There was a World Conference today and the Allies usually held their meeting before everyone arrived.
Russia had left the three Baltics in the hall with a few choice words before entering the meeting room.
"Mr. Russia is always so harsh," Latvia whined.
Lithuania eyed him, "You make it worse for yourself."
He and Estonia shared a chuckle at that. Latvia was always saying and doing things that were strictly prohibited in their boss' presence. Latvia only winced at this reminder. If only he thought things through before he opened his mouth.
Would his life be easier, then?
Probably not.
The Baltic Trio spoke amongst themselves for the majority of the Allies' meeting. Once it was over, Russia returned. Usually the rowdy interaction between the Allies, those Russia considered close friends, was an instant mood improver. It was no different today as Russia greeted them with his trade mark child-like grin. The smile was even slightly less intimidating than normal.
"Privyet. Shall we head to the World conference room?"
The Baltic Trio nodded their agreement, even if it didn't really matter, and followed Russia to the main meeting room.
Latvia was dying... of boredom.
Honestly, why did World Meetings have to be so... repetitive? The G8 always fought over the same things. Occasionally a new country would join in the current argument, but this hardly ever changed the outcome.
France would start it by badgering England and the two would inevitably start to hash it out. America would butt in with a declaration of his hero-ness and problem fixing skills. England would in turn insult America and everyone would start to argue. Germany would demand order and get it, if only for a short time. Then the whole ordeal would start all over.
In Latvia's opinion this is the real reason why nothing is ever accomplished at the World Conferences; the G8 are just to quick to attack each other rather than the World's problems.
If he weren't wound so tight from stress, Latvia was sure he'd fall asleep before the end of every meeting.
Once the meeting and fighting had finally finished, Belarus made a beeline for Latvia. However, when she made it over to him he was speaking with his friends. Belarus waited respectably in silence until he finished talking.
Lithuania was the first to notice her. He grinned instantly, "Hi, Belarus!" Latvia turned around cautiously and smiled up at her timidly.
Belarus ignored Lithuania in favor of Latvia, "Thank you for the present."
Latvia blushed and shifted his weight, slightly uncomfortable, "It was nothing."
"It meant a lot to me," Belarus stated. Lithuania watched their exchange wide eyed. He gave Estonia a confused look as if to say, When did this happen?! Estonia ignored his question and rolled his eyes.
Latvia's blush deepened. He really thought the whole thing was a bad idea. It was quite the relief to find out that the icy Belarus had appreciated his gift, "Y-your welcome. It was thanks," he stuttered awkwardly.
"Thanks for what?" Belarus tilted her head slightly, face unreadable.
Lithuania was sure he'd freak out at how unusual she was acting. He found her actions a welcome change... she just looked so adorable.
Latvia coughed a little, "Uh, for the... ears."
Belarus only nodded, "Like you said. It was nothing."
It wasn't really. Not for her. But, Belarus couldn't figure out why she was so keen on going out of her way for Latvia. Hell, she was actually thanking him. Belarus wasn't sure she could remember the last time she had thanked anyone for anything... except of course her big brother.
Speak of the devil, "Latvia," Russia appeared out of nowhere, making Latvia shiver involuntarily at the sound of his voice.
By this time, Estonia and Lithuania were long gone, having sensed the impending Russian invasion of private conversations.
"Mr. Russia!" Latvia squeaked.
"Hello, Big Brother," Belarus greeted him calmly.
Russia's eyebrows shot upward, surprised that she didn't automatically propose. Belarus, however saw nothing out of the ordinary with her greeting. She was currently speaking to Latvia after all, not her brother. Wouldn't it be rude to ignore Latvia in favor asking her brother to marry her?
"Belarus," was Russia's curt reply to her greeting. He turned back toward Latvia with a questioning gaze, "What is going on here?" he asked.
Poor Latvia never had a chance.
"I was thanking Latvia for his Christmas present," Belarus answered then turned back to Latvia, "It really is very nice. I like it."
Russia's eye twitched, "Latvia, you gave Belarus a Christmas present?" a brotherly protective edge was seeping into his tone.
Latvia's eyes were wide as saucers, "Y-yes."
Russia placed his large hand on Latvia's head and 'affectionately' ground down on it, "Latvia, you are such a selfless person, da? Giving presents to my sister? I'm so proud of your... kindness," Latvia could tell from Russia's voice that he wasn't all that happy.
He had barely even spoken this time!
The universe must hate him.
Belarus watched the two of them with a mask of mild disinterest. Inside, however she was actually annoyed with Russia for causing Latvia pain. Though, much to Latvia's chagrin, she made no move to stop her brother.
Russia turned half of his attention to Belarus, still partly focused on making Latvia miserable, "What did he get you?"
"A ribbon for my hair. It's very pretty," Belarus stated blankly. Russia glared darkly at Latvia, a murderous aura emanating from him.
Apparently, he didn't catch the indifference in her tone. In fact, all Russia heard in that moment was a dreamy sigh and girly giggle from Belarus.
What was happening to his sister?
Latvia, you will pay. He thought as he said a quick good-bye to Belarus and dragged Latvia, who was dangerously close to tears, out of the room.
January 23rd 2016, Saturday
Today was uneventful.
I watched the sunrise, but it felt lonely.
I haven't seen Latvia in a long while... or Big Brother.
I've been swamped with so much work lately I haven't had time to visit.
February 14th 2016, Sunday
I finally received a day off. I went to spend the day at Russia's.
Also, I'm in love with Latvia.
Belarus felt ridiculous sneaking around the outside of her older brother's home. But, she couldn't help it. For some reason, she really didn't want to see him.
Which was new for her. She was used to agonizing over when she'd get to see him next.
What was happening to her?
Maybe it was the day. Recently her boss had been working her hard. She didn't mind that so much, just that she hadn't been able to come over for four weeks. Except that now she was here, on Valentine's Day and for the first time she felt... nervous.
For what she wasn't sure.
It wasn't like Valentine's Day had ever meant anything to her. In fact, she would make fun of it every year it rolled around in all of it's red-and-pink-frilly-non-biological-hearted glory.
Where did that shape even come from? A real cardio vascular organ looks nothing like two two's smushed together.
Belarus rounded the corner of the house, finally making it to the backyard. She squinted at what looked like a figure sitting peacefully at the edge of Russia's sunflower garden. Belarus was instantly able to tell that this figure wasn't Russia.
She approached silently and found that it was Latvia.
All of a sudden, Belarus felt a bit sick to her stomach. She winced and uttered a pained, "Ugh."
Latvia yelped and whipped around with a terrified look in his eyes. He relaxed when he saw it was Belarus, "Oh, good morning, Baltkrievija," he said, calling Belarus in his native tongue.
Baltkrievija? He's never called me that before...
Belarus' stomach twisted and fluttered angrily. She gave him a barely visible smirk, "Hi, Latvia," she uttered, softly.
Latvia grinned up at her cutely before a thought occurred to him, "Mr. Russia is inside if you wish to speak to him."
Belarus was silent as she mulled this over. She really didn't want to leave Latvia outside alone. He was just so, so... precious.
"I don't want to talk to Russia," she said as she took a seat in the dirt beside him, disregarding thoughts of ruining her dress.
Latvia noted her use of 'Russia' over 'Big Brother' and looked confused, "But, why?"
Belarus gazed at him out of the corner of her eye, "Because I want to talk to you."
"Oh," Latvia smiled brightly.
They sat in silence for awhile, just looking at Russia's sunflowers. Belarus had never noticed how pretty they were. Have they always been this way? She looked over at Latvia again and noticed he was writing in a notebook.
"Are you writing more poetry?" she asked.
Latvia looked back up at her, "How did you know about that?"
Belarus smirked wickedly at him and Latvia couldn't help but chuckle.
"So you've read them before?"
Belarus hummed, "Only one. It was very good."
Latvia thanked her and they were silent again.
"Oh!" Latvia gasped, his head snapping up from his notebook, "I almost forgot. Happy Valentine's Day, Baltkrievija."
I kind of like it when he says my name like that.
A light pink dusted Belarus' cheeks as she wondered for the billionth time that day what could possibly be wrong with her. She grunted in reply and shifted uncomfortably in the dirt.
"How've you been?" Belarus changed the subject.
"Mr. Russia has been more demanding as of late. It's worrisome... but, somehow I always manage to complete everything he asks of me," Latvia mused, "What about you?"
"Lots of work. But, I don't mind it."
"I'm glad you're doing well," he smiled. Latvia set his notebook aside and stretched. Belarus' gaze fell on the notebook and she looked up at him questioningly as if to say, May I? Latvia blushed a little at the unspoken question, but made no move to stop her.
Belarus gently picked up the notebook and flipped through its pages. She found a thoughtful verse on every page.
Latvia was watching her face closely as she read. He was happy she liked what she was reading. It was always hard letting someone read what you've written. A lot of your soul ends up in the pages, it's painful when someone can't appreciate that.
As Belarus was reading, a thought occurred to her. She let her head hang and handed the notebook back quietly.
How did this happen? When did this happen? She thought anxiously.
Latvia noticed her odd behavior, "Is everything all right, Baltkrievija?" he leaned a bit toward her.
Belarus kept her head down, hair covering her face and she turned away from him slightly, "Marry me," she whispered.
Latvia froze, "W-what?"
Belarus lifted her head to look in his eyes, "Marry me," she said louder.
Latvia was thoroughly confused now, "Russia..?"
"Am I speaking to Russia?" Belarus asked.
Latvia stared at her, "No..."
Belarus shifted so she was sitting directly in front of him. She grasped his hands and repeated herself for the third time, "Marry me."
"Me?" Latvia pointed to himself.
"You," Belarus confirmed.
"Why?"
"You're nice."
Latvia nodded, "Okay."
"I also think you're cute."
Latvia nodded again.
"That wasn't a 'no'," Belarus observed.
"I know," Latvia sighed, "Russia is going to kill me."
Belarus smiled a real smile at him. It was one that Latvia had never seen before, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Thanks so much for reading! I don't actually do romance often... if at all. So, I hope this wasn't a major disappointment.
-FRA