How is it possible for three countries to be so different, yet at the same time be so similiar?
That question comes to mind to everyone who knows the Baltic states. Even the three young countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have thought about it. The three neighbouring countries have lived so close to each other but their pasts and views on life are so different. But when it comes to decision making, they all manage to agree on one thing together, which is nice, but not many know about their personal lives and relationships between the three. As supportive as they can be of each other, they also tend to bicker and tease each other. A lot. Brotherly bonding or hidden hatred? Who knows?
It was a peaceful Thursday evening at the Baltic's residence. Somehow the three males decided to become roommates to strengthen their bonds and hopefully give their bosses' a hint about making a proper political alliance between them, yet it seems it created more problems than solutions. Latvia was sitting on the couch and reading his usual favourite – a novel. It was a latvian author's work. The young blonde knew about his New Year's resolution of writing more rather then reading, but he couldn't help it, it was addictive. The shy boy had the common characteristic of most latvians – he was an introvert. So reading was his favourite activity. Though he wishes to be more open and social, he keeps all of his thoughts and feelings to himself, making his inner world his safe haven to avoid social interactions. But it had its downsides – he has trouble making new friends, which leads to frustration of not having someone to talk to besides his two roommates, which resulted in loneliness, which resulted in more isolation and reading. It was an awful cycle of introvertism and he hated himself for it. Luckily, he still has his two brothers – Estonia and Lithuania. They were not related, but Latvia considered them them all to be family. He just hopes that the other two deep down feel the same.
Suddenly the young boy heard a loud slam, it was Lithuania rushing in the house from the pouring rain. "Just my luck! Whenever I plan a date with Belarus it rains! And, of COURSE, I didn't take an umbrella!" Lithuania ranted as he was taking off his soaking wet coat and shoes in the hallway, "She hates getting her hair wet and now she is mad at me for ruining her day!" The older male walked into the kitchen, sat on the chair, crossed his arms and hid his face in the kitchen table, covering his pained and frustrated expression. It took a while of mumbles and groans for Latvia turn a sympathetic eye to the poor love-hurt man and get up to make him some hot tea. Despite having a broken heart, it still feels better to cry with dry clothes and a hot mug in your hands, not in your wet shirt and on the dirty table, Latvia thought to himself as he poured water in the kettle and set it to heat up. He looked at his broken brother and wanted to say something, but he knew that it would be pointless since he's never been in a relationship before. But seeing him so sad upset him too, he really liked Lithuania, they have no reason to hate each other and, they've been good friends for centuries. Rather than saying something stupid yet again, he just made him and himself some tea and sat across him, waiting for him to lift his face. Latvia waited for a solid 2 minutes without Lithuania lifting his head. Then he mustered up some courage, got up and touched his shoulder. The wet brown-haired man liften his face – it was typical face of frustration and anxiety. "Yes, what is it?" he asked. "You know, you should at least change your clothes, you're gonna get sick." was all the young Latvian could think of what to say. As stupid as it sounded, Lithuania managed to crack a smile and sigh deeply. "You really are lucky, you don't have to deal with this kind of stuff." He mumbled as he went upstairs to change into his home clothes.
The young lithuanian now wearing an old hoodie and slacks came downstairs, sat down in his place, took the mug and sipped the tea quietly. He tried not to let his younger roommate's kind gesture go in vain and tried to enjoy the hot beverage. He looked up to see that Latvia had been looking at him nervously for quite a while. Lithuania sighed deeply and said: "Don't worry, I'll be fine as usual. I'll get over it." Then he smiled and ruffled Latvia's messy hair. Latvia blushed slightly and murmured a quiet "I'm glad" under his breath. He disliked receiving such affectionate touches, because it made him feel like a little child. Back when he and Lithuania were small he would get in all sorts of troubles and Lithuania would always come to help and he would always ruffle his hair, pat him or take his hand. Back then it felt amazing to have such a supportive brother, but now it only reminds him that he's the smallest and youngest Baltic country and that he'll always get the "little brother"treatment. Latvia wants to become more mature and stronger, but the feeling of being in the shadows of both of his brothers made him lose confidence.
Lithuania finished his cup and asked him: "Where's Estonia?" To which he replied: "Upstairs as usual. He just can't be separated from his computer for more than five minutes." Lithuania laughed at that remark, knowing that he was spot on. Don't get them wrong, they have nothing against Estonia, they just love teasing him, and each other, of course. But a miracle happened and Estonia came downstairs. Speak of the devil, thought Latvia and Lithuania. He was pretty cheerful as usual, having that confident look on his face as he entered the kitchen and saw his two housemates sitting at the table and drinking tea. He greeted them cheerfully, oblivious to a distraught Lithuania and a nervous Latvia. He proceeded to make coffee for himself. Even at home he dressed nicely, shirt and tie and everything. Estonia seemed really happy for some reason since he was humming an upbeat tune and tapping his fingers on the kitchen counter. "You sure seem happy this evening. Found another theory about the Christmas tree coming from Estonia?" asked Latvia sarcastically, wanting to lighten up the mood. "There's no theory about something so obvious, we already know the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree came from Estonia." replied Estonia with a smug look on his face. "I just ordered a new laptop online, the newest edition of the brand I like, just can't wait! Soon I'll be able to do all the things I want at a much faster speed and with better graphics, and the storage memory will be even bigger!" he kept going on and on about it as if he wanted the whole world acknowledge his greatness and superior knowledge of computers. Latvia sighed, slightly regretting that he even bothered to ask him anything, though wouldn't matter anyways since Estonia was the kind of guy – if something was happening in his life then he'd let you know about it wether you liked it or not. Sure, Latvia was happy that at least someone in this house was feeling good, but sometimes the optimism made him choke . All he wanted to do was to return to his book. He looked at Lithuania, the older male seemed calm and somewhat composed. That was a sign that he was free from the comforting and could return to his life. He got up, washed his cup and went back to the couch and started reading from where he left off. His expression changed, his face muscles relaxed and formed a little smile his face. He loved reading, it helped him escape all his problems by indulging in a different world from his own. Sometimes he would get so carried away that he would become deaf and blind to his surroundings. Often enough resulting in ignored calls from others, forgetting about his tea, running into things or losing sleep.
Lithuania looked at the younger Baltic and felt a little envious. He wishes he could find his happy place, but he always found himself being worried about everything and everyone. It was in his nature to feel responsible for his work and the happiness of others. He got up to wash his cup as well, but accidentally bumped into the hyped up Estonian. "Oh, S-sorry!" he quickly apologised while stumbling about what else to say. He knows it was just an accident and not a big deal, but he still felt guilty about it. Estonia just smiled and said "Oh, it's nothing, really." Lithuania wished he could brush things off with ease just like Estonia. Estonia looked into his eyes and noticed that they were lightly red. His brow furrowed slightly as he asked: Hey, are you feeling well?" Lithuania smiled nervously and replied with: "I'm fine, thanks for asking". Only after a few seconds he added: " another failure of a date with Belarus."The Estonian tapped on his shoulder and said:"There, there, Lithuania. You're strong, you'll get over it. Just try not to dwell on it too much, okay?" Lithuania smiled and replied:"You're right as usual."Estonia became even more happier from hearing the compliment and dazzled like a star. Who knew Estonians were so charming and sparkly.
Lithuania went upstairs to take a shower and try to forget today's events. Estonia stayed downstairs and drank his coffee. He couldn't help but notice the lone Latvian sitting on the couch reading his book. Most countries would walk past Latvia and not notice him, but for him such quiet loners stood out of the crowd and how could he not notice his old time friend and neighbor? Being the middle Baltic he felt responsible for his younger Baltic sibling Latvia. He has the habit of shouting out his name whenever he's in trouble. Latvia is the closest he's ever had to a little brother and it made him feel somewhat proud. Proud to have him as a brother or just happy to not be the youngest and smallest amongst the three? Who knows. And just like brothers, he loved teasing him and being competitive with him. It keeps things interesting. No matter what Latvia says or does, he'll still stand up for him and protect him. Okay, he hasn't done that every time he has been in trouble, but that's why he wanted to make up for it. Estonia knows he hasn't been the best brotherly figure to Latvia, but he wanted become a role model for him. He knows Latvia's true potential of how great he can be, it's just that his self-consciousness gets in the way. For that Estonia blames Russia. That man destroyed Latvia's confidence and broke his will so hard that even 26 years after becoming independent again the effects can still be felt today. Estonia is an optimist and likes having happy people around him, that's why he really likes hanging out with Finland, and he wants to see Latvia as cheerful as he is right now. He can still remember his old personality before the war. It was a different time and a different Latvia.
Latvia felt as he was being watched by someone. He turned around and saw that Estonia was looking at him with this slightly worried gaze. Latvia cocked his head like a puppy and asked:"Hey…is everything alright?" The words snapped Estonia back into reality add he just realised he had been staring at Latvia for about a minute. "Y-yeah, everything's fine. Just dozed off for a bit" mumbled Estonia. The older male cursed himself on the inside for getting carried away with his thoughts. He hoped he didn't come off as a creep or something . Latvia, looking just as confused as Estonia, resumed reading his book, but couldn't focus on the words. He couldn't understand why would Estonia look at him like that. He has seen this look and it meant either that he felt pity for him or he has caused him some trouble again. Estonia wanted to escape the awkwardness so he went upstairs to continue his work on his computer. Latvia shut his book and sighed. He just wanted a peaceful evening, but his self-hurting thoughts ruined everything. He got up and went to his room, locked the door behind him and laid face down on his bed.