Pairings: RusxLith, BelaxEsto, UkrxGer, Possible AmerxLith
Main Characters: Ivan Braginski (Russia), Toris Laurinaitis (Lithuania), Alfred Jones (America), Feliks Łukasiewicz (Poland)
Supporting: Natalya Braginski (Belarus), Katyusha Braginski (Ukraine), Eduard von Brock (Estonia), Raivis Galante (Latvia), Ludwig Beilschmidt (Germany), Gilbert Beilschmidt (Prussia)
Summary: "It's not his fault, I made him lost his temper..." Toris thought he made the right decision to stay with Ivan. After all, every relationship has it's ups and downs. His friends say he's in denial and want to help him escape the horrors of the Braginski house. However, Toris refuses to leave his comrades at the mercy of his abusive lover. Especially the one who causes the most trouble..
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. I own nothing!
Toris laid in their bed, his breathing shallow. Ivan allowed him to stay in bed to recuperate. "After all, I can't let my delicate flower die on me.." He said before he left for work. Wincing in pain, he carefully pulled himself up and out of the bed. He grimaced as excruciating pain shot throughout his chest. He made his way to a mirror in the corner of the room. Switching on the lamp, he surveyed the extent of his injuries. His chest and around his ribcage was covered in black and blue bruises; his neck was red and swelling a little (due to Ivan's roughness the other night). He touched his neck gingerly, wincing as he ran his finger lightly over the swelling. 'I should get this treated', he thought, 'But what was the point in that?' After all, he was a nation and nations don't sustain their injuries for long. He knew the swelling on his neck would be gone by night but his bruises would probably take longer to heal, if they heal at all. He turned to check the scars on his back. 'These will never heal.' He thought bitterly. Slipping a shirt on, he made his way to the kitchen. "No point in trying to starve myself." he said to himself.
As he entered the kitchen, Toris was greeted by an odd but somewhat familiar sight. Natalya Braginski, Ivan's younger sister, and Eduard von Brock, his co-worker, were in the middle of an intense makeout session. Natalya was sitting on a countertop, her arms around Eduard's neck and legs around his waist. Her shirt was unbuttoned, exposing her smooth, pale skin and black bra. Eduard was shirtless, his head on her neck, kissing it roughly. He bit down on her collarbone, making her cry out in pleasure. Toris immediately looked away, his heart aching. He had a crush on Natalya for years but she refused to give him the time of day. She even broke his fingers when he took her out on a date; yet, here she was, practically giving up to Eduard. Of course, he knew about their affairs; Eduard would brag about it to him and Raivis. He often contemplated telling Ivan about what went on behind his back (he was still fuming about Katyusha and Ludwig dating); if he "let it slip" that his "precious little sister" was fooling around with his subordinate, Ivan would explode. However, he always decided against it; Ivan would find a way to have Natalya and Eduard killed then take his frustations out on everyone in the house. He didn't want to put Raivis through anymore of his torture. Sighing softly, Toris sat at the dining room table and read the newspaper, trying to ignore the obvious sounds from the kitchen.
A an hour later, Natalya and Eduard exited the kitchen. Natalya strolled passed Toris without looking his way, too busy buttoning up her shirt. Eduard, however, sat across from Toris with a satisfied smile on his face. "Like the show?" He asked. He didn't answer; instead he folded the paper and went into the kitchen. "Don't need to be a little bitch," Eduard called to him, "It's not my fault she didn't choose you." He went off to take care of his duties. Toris was in the middle of making an omelet when Gilbert and Raivis entered the kitchen. They were already dressed for work. Gilbert was sporting a black eye (no doubt given to him by Ivan) while Raivis looked exhausted. "What happened?" Toris said, serving his friends breakfast. Gilbert didn't answer. Raivis whispered, "Mr. Ivan is upset. A business plan fell through and he's taking it out on everyone." He started to cry and shake. Gilbert took a sip of his coffee. "He's acting like an asshole. It's not our fault he's a horrible business man!" he snapped, slamming his fists on the table. "Keep your voice down", Toris said gently, "Ivan has ears and eyes everywhere." He sat across from his friends, taking a bite out his sausage. "Gilbert, I think you should keep your opinions to yourself. I mean, I know Ivan can get out of control but he is a good man." Gilbert snorted, "You're only saying that because you're sleeping with him." He drained his coffee and got up to get more. Raivis sipped his tea and said, "Just because Toris is Ivan's boyfriend, doesn't mean he doesn't get treated like us. I mean, I think Toris gets it the worst. Speaking of punishment", he lowered his voice, "How come Eduard doesn't get punished like us?" "It's because he's banging the boss's sister!" Gilbert shouted. Toris and Raivis both shushed him and looked around. "I'm actually surprised as well", Toris said, "I mean, Ivan must surely know by now about Talya-chan and Eduard." "Tch, even Ludwig knows and he doesn't even live here." Gilbert said. Toris and Raivis gave him a quizzical look. "Katyusha tells him about what goes on here from time to time." He said coolly. Toris began to relax as his friends continued gossipping about what was going on under Ivan's nose: Natalya and Eduard's affair, Katyusha's alleged engagement to Ludwig, money supposedly being embezzled by one of Ivan's underlings. The trio continued like this for a good hour and a half before work called the duo away.
Toris stretched out on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had the day off but was bored. He obviously couldn't clean as his ribs continued to hurt him. He thought about getting some paperwork done but decided against it. He was already caught up in all of his work. He even contemplated helping Ivan with his work but shot the idea down; Ivan hates it when people go through his business. He decided on calling his friend, Feliks. The phone rang several times before Feliks finally answered. "Like, hello?" His drowsy voice filled the reciever. "Hey, Feliks. Did I catch you at a bad time?" Toris asked. "Oh of course not!" Feliks suddenly sounded excited to hear from Toris. "I needed to get up anyway. I'm going clothes shopping later and I so totally didn't want to miss the sales." Toris chuckled softly; his close friend was always trying to find the best clothing for cheap prices. The Polack continued to yack about this and that, what was going on in his country and such. He suddenly got serious, "Are you feeling alright, Liet?" Toris was taken aback at his friend's sudden seriousness. "I'm...I'm fine. Never better." He replied. "You're still bad at lying", Feliks chided, "Is he hurting you again?" His voice was full of concern, which was odd for him. "You know you can tell me. I'm not the only one who's worried about you, Liet. Alfred is beside himself with worry since you stopped contacting him." 'Alfred...' Toris remained silent, tears welling up in his eyes. Alfred and Feliks were his only real friends and they knew what Ivan did to him. He began to cry and told his oldest friend about what Ivan had done. The beatings, cigarette burnings, the mental abuse. He told him everything, except what he did to him the other night. After he was done, Feliks remained quiet. "Let's get together", he finally said, "You, me, and Alfred. We can hang at my house and talk. I know Alfred would want to hear this too." Toris agreed. They planned to hang out at Feliks' house the next week. Raivis entered the bedroom and flopped on his bed, exhausted. "Mr. Ivan is home. He wants to see you." He said before closing his eyes. "I have to go Feliks. I'll talk to you later." "See ya!" Feliks said and hung up.
He made sure he looked adequate enough for Ivan and went to see him. He was sitting in his study with his sisters, Katyusha and Natalya. He was drinking a glass of vodka and reading the paper. Natalya was sharpening her knives by the fireplace. Katyusha was knitting something, no doubt for Ludwig. She was singing softly to herself, stopping occasionally to take a sip of her wine. "Y..you need to see me, hun?" Toris asked. Ivan looked up and smiled a warm, albiet unnerving, smile at his lover. "It's good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" Toris smiled uncertainly, "I'm getting better. Most of the pain is gone." "That is good." Ivan said. He turned to Katyusha, "Syestra, can you go and make the 4 of us dinner? I'm in the mood for your delicious cooking." She smiled at her younger brother. "Of course, Ivan. Natalya, can you help me?" She stood and made her way to the door. "Actually, I'd prefer it if Natalya stayed here." Ivan said. She nodded and walked past Toris, her face etched in worry. Toris sat in a chair next to him, somewhat nervous. The room was filled with an uneasy silence. Ivan took a swig of his vodka and lit a cigarette. "I've been hearing that some things have been going on inside of my house." He looked from Toris to Natalya and back. "Natalya, when were you going to tell me about your boyfriend?" She stiffened and shot a glare at Toris before looking at Ivan. "I have no clue what you're talking about, Brother." "You're a smart girl, Natalya. I had hoped that you would marry someone who was deserving of your beauty and brains. Maybe you could've become the head of the Bratva, But to disgrace our family name by fucking the help IN MY OWN HOUSE!" Ivan stood, gripping a lead pipe. Natalya cowered at his feet, "I-I'm sorry Big Brother! I didn't think-" "OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T THINK! YOU NEVER THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!" His voice shook the glasses in the room. Toris cowered in his seat as the Russian towered over his sister. Natalya threw herself at his feet, kissing them and begging for forgiveness. "You're not the only one who's going to be punished."
He pressed the call button on the wall and minutes later, Eduard was being dragged into the study by Ivan's guards. They threw him to the ground, next to Natalya. He was covered in bruises and cuts. She screamed and pulled him into an embrace. "What did you do to him?" "I needed information and he so kindly gave it to me." Ivan said with a smirk. "Now, I know everything. The embezzlement, the attempted takeover, your affairs. Don't think you can hide anything from me in my own house." Ivan raised the pipe and brought it down on Eduard's chest. The pipe connected with a sickening thud, breaking his ribs. Ivan swung it at him again, breaking his jaw and cheekbone. He then turned on his sister, hitting her in the back, arms, and stomach. Toris watched the beating continue for a half an hour, Ivan beating the two within an inch of their lives. When he finished, he dropped the bloodied pipe, breathing heavily. Natalya and Eduard lay in a pool of their own blood, whimpering in excrutiating pain. Straightening up, Ivan cracked his knuckles and approached his terrified lover. "I'm sorry you had to see that, darling." He kissed Toris forcefully, pulling him into a tight embrace. Tears slid out of Toris' eyes as he saw the mangled bodies of Natalya and Eduard be carried out. Ivan broke the kiss to tell the guards to take them to the hospital. He rang for a maid to clean up the blood from the carpet. "Come, Syestra must have dinner finished." Ivan took Toris by the hand and led him to the dining room, where a pale Katyusha was waiting with dinner on the table. "Pirozhiki!" Ivan said happily and sat down to eat. "E..excuse me." Katyusha went into the kitchen, sobbing softly. Ivan paid no mind to his weeping sister; he was too busy eating. "Let me refill your glass, sweetheart." Toris offered and went into the kitchen to fetch more vodka. He was greeted by the sight of Katyusha crying by the sink, holding her crucifix and praying to God in Ukrainian to forgive Ivan for his cruelty. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, remember, they cannot die." "I know but, I didn't expect Ivan to be so cruel to them. To his own little sister." She wiped her eyes with her handkerchief, "Come, we need to go back to Ivan." They returned to the table and finished their dinner. Afterwards, the two Braginski's went on a walk to talk about work, leaving Toris to clean the mess. He went up to bed, thinking about the day and wondering if he'll be alive.