I've had this idea in mind for a while, mostly since I rp Ivan in a cage when my rp buddies and I do a circus rp, I do a flesh eater!Ivan who is used to scare people (he's actually a wild man from Russia).

But I really liked the idea of him being locked in a cage and then this idea came to mind and... well... here ya go.

Summery: It was common for people to have someone called a 'helper' with them at all times, but Ludwig, someone who never bothered to have one, finds one of these 'helpers' in a cage, he feels that maybe he should own one.

Warning: indentured servents (they aren't really slaves, but...), cussing, yaoi, crack pairings (at this point, dear loyal readers, do I even need to tell you this?), possible smut, OOC (it's AU, and a fanfic, who cares!), AU late Victorian era, other things

Pairings: Ivan/ Ludwig, possible Prussia/England, Canada/ Ukraine, France/ Seychelles and Austria/ Hungary later on, with other pairings mixed in

I own nothing but the plot, if I owned Hetalia do you think I'd be sitting here writing fanfics for my characters? ... Ha! I'd probably still write fanfics! XD

On with the fic!

Steel Bones

Chapter One

It was cold, but it was always cold wasn't it?

Tired violet orbs stared out at wooden planks, put together to from the walls of the large inclosed cart he was forced to sit in, behind rough bars of cold, heartless metal. The only light in the cart was from the cracks and spaces in the wood, letting in the dull light of the moon. The cold night air drifted through these cracks, bringing a familiar feeling to his colder skin.

He placed his head on one of the bars, it wasn't comforting but the extra coldness was familiar to him, just as the night air. He knew he should sleep, but he didn't want to, he was restless. The others in the cart were sleeping soundly, getting the rest they needed for tomorrow, but he couldn't sleep. It was pointless, he was not like them.

No, he was much different. He wasn't going to be sold like them, he was just going to continue being an attraction, to catch people's attention and draw them in. Everyone wants to see the crazy wild man, locked away in the cage, angry at the world. He was not like the others in the cart, nor was he like anyone else.

Drawing his knees up to his chest, he let out a raspy sigh and nuzzled at the cold skin of his scruffed up knees. He licked at the wound a little, tasting the copper taste of dry blood. He had been pushed to the ground, shoved into the cage like usual when he was taken out for his very brief moments of freedom.

Another sigh came from him, his silvery bangs falling in his eyes as he bowed his head, attempting to go to sleep, needing to be up and ready for another day of the same old thing.

But... maybe it would be different? Maybe...

"Thanks for the ride Francis."

"Ah, no problem Louis, anything for a friend."

"Please call me Ludwig, not Louis." A blond man said, icy blue eyes looking a tad bit annoyed at the change of name. Like he wanted to be called by the French version of his name, the nerve of some people.

A chuckle came from the man sitting in the seat next to him. "Heh, Ludwig, you know I do that to mess with you." Francis Bonnefoy, famous business man in the fashion world, smiled at his fellow business owner, a steel business, Ludwig Beilschmidt. The German just frowned at this, making Francis smile a bit. "You really need to lighten up mon ami. You'll end up being a sad old man if you don't do so."

"I will not be a 'sad old man' Francis. Now, where exactly are we going?" Ludwig swatted at the hand that had been placed on his shoulder, Francis having done so while he spoke to the younger blond. Francis has asked him the night before the join him for a day out in the city, it was odd though, normally Francis asked to meet up with Ludwig's older brother Gilbert. But it was understandable, Gilbert was off in either one of the British owned territories of Africa, or in one of the southern ones, since Prussia had control of that territory. Most likely he was in a British one since he was with Arthur Kirkland, the owner of the Kirkland Tea company.

Francis just smiled a bit. "I think it is time that we got ourselves one of those 'helpers' that have become so popular nowadays."

Ludwig frowned deeply at this. He had heard of 'helpers', people who were considered 'indentured servants', though they had no chance of being paid or being set free after a few years. They were like slaves that followed you around, dressed like maids or butlers. A snort came from the twenty year old. "I have no need for one. I have Matthew and Yeketrena at home already, I don't need anyone else."

"Ah, but they are only two people, and what if you need someone to follow you around when they are unable to?" The Frenchman got a look as an answer and he scoffed. "Oh come on, just have a look with me, alright?"

Blue-eyes looked at him before Ludwig sighed, he might as well humor the other man, that, and he probably didn't really have any say in the matter anyway. Once Francis had his mind set on something, he was going to get it done. He gave a nod and Francis smiled, telling the driver to head for the market place. Ludwig frowned, what good would come of this?

He growled and snarled at the people, watching the women shriek and gasp, moving close to their husbands or lovers, the men would comment or jeer at him. He learned to block out the harsh comments, but sometimes some of them would hurt, he couldn't block out the worse comments.

A bang alerted him, he looked up at the man in the fancy suit, glaring down at him. Oh, the bang was from the cage being hit, he had started to settle down. With a sigh, he continued to do his act, his 'master' smirked and started talking to the crowed, saying that the one in the cage wouldn't hurt them, he was just there for show. The one who 'owned' him lead the crowd away, towards the stage set up to display people to be sold off as 'helpers'.

When the people stopped paying attention to him and listened to the words of his 'master', the caged one sighed but jumped, his cage being dragged to the side by strong 'helpers' , his service was not needed anymore for the moment. He was happy for that, he didn't have to be displayed like a common animal or a sideshow freak anymore. Well... at least for now.

From where he sat, he started to people watch, his violet-eyes trained on the people before him, heading towards the stage, walking up and down the streets to do their shopping or whatever. What he wouldn't give to walk the streets as well, to be dressed up in nice clothing, not just in these filthy excuses for pants and a shirt. He sighed softly looking down before he noticed a pair of feet stopping just a two or three feet from the cage.

His head shot up, looking right up at a pair of icy blue orbs.

"This is pathetic Francis, I don't want to be here." Ludwig frowned, looking at the people all around him. Francis just looked at him, giving him a look to shush.

"Louis, you said you would come with me to this, so settle down."

"My name is Ludwig, and I only came because I didn't have a choice." He crossed his arms, looking up at the strange man on the stage, talking about some poor bastard who was about to be sold. With a sigh, Ludwig looked for a way out of the crowd and found one. While Francis was distracted, he carefully snuck out of the crowd of people and went to find something to keep his mind off of this stupid auction.

Wandering around a bit, Ludwig became bored of the market place, there wasn't much to look at or do and he made his way towards the stage again but paused, noticing something behind it. Making his way forward, he spotted a cage. Ludwig frowned deeply, did... did they really keep the 'helpers' in cages? He stormed over, only the pause when he saw that there was only once cage, with someone inside.

Stepping closer, he paused in front of it, looking down at the person inside. Looked to be a rather large man, with deathly pale skin and in the most filthy clothing he had ever seen. There were cuts, scars, dirt and dried blood on him. His hair was a strange silvery color, but he looked young, probably a bit older then Ludwig but not that much older. Suddenly the other's head shot up, violet-eyes locked right onto his own eyes and Ludwig just stared.

The man's face was rather child-like, due to the baby fat that seemed to remain on his cheeks. His lips were light colored, but dried and cracked, his nose was rather large but it fit his face well, but his eyes... those violet-eyes were so beautiful and haunting, as they stared at him, Ludwig felt like this person was trying to look into his very soul.

He watched as the other man slowly lifted his hand and gripped one of the bars of the cage before moving closer, staring up at him. His mouth was a straight line before it turned into a snarl, he was going into a defensive mood. The trapped man started to growl and swung a hand out Ludwig up jumped back.

"H-hey...! I'm not trying to do anything..!" Ludwig frowned, staring at him. "What... what are you doing in that cage? Why aren't you with the others on the stage?" He asked out of curiosity, he sounded a little worried, it wasn't normal to see someone in such a condition, it was rather... depressing, unsettling. Ludwig felt like he should help this caged man, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

The other man paused, looking confused. He tilted his head like a dog, his out stretched hand was pulled back into the cage. He continued to look at him and pressed against the cold bars. Ludwig noticed that the bars had been scratched and bitten at. That poor man. "How... how long have you been in here?"

Before the man could say anything, there was a shout. Both men turned to see the seller glaring at Ludwig. "Hey! You're not suppose to be talking to that thing! Get away from it!"

Ludwig narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't call him an 'it' and why is he in this cage? Isn't he one of those 'helpers' you're trying to sell?"

The seller glared back. "No, it is a wild animal from Russia, its my star attraction to drag customers in!"

"Well, your plan works. I'll buy him." This caught both the caged man and the seller by surprise. Actually, Ludwig was surprised as well, but he had a strong feeling that this man didn't treat the poor man well.

"You... you want to buy it?" He started to laugh. "That stupid thing isn't for sale!"

"A thousand for him." Ludwig pulled out the money, showing it to the seller who was now grinning like a child on Christmas morning. The man took the money before motioning for his 'helpers' to come forward. He gave them the command to tie the imprisoned person up and hand him over to Ludwig.

The German watched as the cage was opened and the other was yanked out, quickly tied up by thick, strong ropes and a muzzle was put over his mouth. Those strange eyes locked onto Ludwig again, watching him carefully as he was pushed toward the blond. Ludwig suddenly felt uncomfortable as he looked up at this person, dear God he was tall, taller then any man Ludwig had ever met. Before he had just been sitting in that metal trap, but now that he was standing...

With a clearing of his throat, Ludwig reached out, placing a hand on the other's shoulder, watching as he twitched, trying to move away from the touch. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He spoke softly, truthfully, keeping his hand on the other's shoulder, moving it down his arm. He felt cold, like ice. It was... unnerving to say the least. He let go and removed the muzzle, not needing it, and even untied the man, who blinked in surprise. With a careful glance at the seller, Ludwig turned and walked away, reaching up to hold onto the other's arm once more.

"W-who is this?" Francis asked in both wonder and fear as he looked up at the giant who stood next to Ludwig. Mon Dieu! He had to be almost seven feet tall! Such a strange sight!

"I don't know his name, he won't speak." Ludwig sighed. He had asked the other questions as they walked towards Francis, but the man just kept quiet, eyes on the ground, a look of nervousness and discomfort were clear on his face. "I bought him from that terrible man. Looks like you didn't get a 'helper'. Didn't see anyone to your liking?"

"Oui, terrible selection. But I'm surprised Ludwig, I wasn't expecting you to buy one, let alone someone like... well... him."

The person they spoke about frowned, giving Francis an annoyed look, and gave a snort. Francis looked a bit offended by this and turned away from looking at the silver haired person. "Well, he's your problem Ludwig, I hope you know what you got yourself into here."

"I figured, and I know what I'm doing." Actually he really didn't, this whole thing had happened on a whim, but he couldn't let Francis know that. The older blond just nodded and headed back for the automobile they came in, only this time the new 'helper' was coming alone with them.

The ride was uncomfortable, not because of it being quiet, but because you had three adult men sharing one long, but not long enough, seat. And this new person was a rather large man. Francis wanted to complain, but he was a bit fearful of the other man, for he was a monster of a human and looked like he could hurt the blond just by touching him.

When Ludwig's stop came up, Francis was happy to see them leave, but he gave Ludwig a warning that if anything went wrong, to contact him right away. The German just gave him a look before nodding and getting out with his 'purchase'. Francis watched them go into Ludwig's home before turning away from the window.

Ludwig watched the automobile drive off before he turned to the other. "You'll be staying here from now on, now come on, I need to get you cleaned up, you're filthy." He opened the door. He looked around before calling out. "I'm home!" He yelled, hearing two replies of 'welcome home sir!' coming from within the house.

The other man looked down at him, confused. "Oh, those are my servants. I'll have you meet them later, alright?"

There was a nod before the other opened his mouth. "Ivan."

The blond blinked. "Did... did you just speak?"

Another nod. "My name is Ivan. I... don't like to talk very much." Ludwig looked at him, listening to him. He had an accent, like that of one of the Slavic nations, sounded Russian. Was that where he was from?

"Well, nice to meet you Ivan. I am Ludwig Beilschmidt and welcome to my home. Follow me, I'm going to bath you." Ivan looked at him, studying once more, before following Ludwig up the stairs and towards a room, stepping inside and looking around. It was an interesting looking room, one he had never seen before.

"What is this?"

"It's a bathroom, you get cleaned in here and use the facilities as well. Have you never been inside of one."

"I have not. I was cleaned with a bucket of water." Ivan hadn't really been given much after he was taken from his home, so anything like this was new and interesting to him. He watched Ludwig look at him curiously before going over to a large bathtub and turn on the water. "What is that?"

"This is the bath tub, you'll be bathed in this. Now remove your clothing." Ludwig blushed lightly, he hadn't really been in the presence of another naked man before, but he needed to clean Ivan, he was so... filthy! Something Ludwig hated! Dirt, filth, the whole thing bothered him and he needed to remove that stuff from this person now!

Ivan blinked but nodded and removed his clothing. He stood there, naked, in front of Ludwig. His pale skin was exposed, every part, every scar, all for Ludwig to see. He was surprised that he had not attacked Ludwig, normally he jumped on anyone who tried to come close to him, out of defense, but maybe because Ludwig was being nice to him, he let his guard down a bit. Still, best to keep an eye on this man, you never know...

Once Ludwig had the tub filled up to the right amount he needed, he turned, seeing the naked man. He blushed a bit more. "Get in please, so we can start." Ivan nodded and walked over and put a foot in before letting out a cry and falling back, landing on his back and holding his foot, whining like a dog. "A-are you alright?" Ludwig asked.

The other frowned. "Why is it so hot!"

"Have you never been bathed in hot water before?"

"Nyet..! At least... not that I remember doing so..." He frowned and stood up, looking at the water, biting his lip.

Ludwig frowned a bit, looking at him. "Just carefully step in, be slow, let your body adjust to the heat, alright?" Ivan looked at him, a bit unsure, before doing as he was told. He hissed a bit once his foot went back in, but he slowly adjusted to the heated water against his skin and soon enough he was in.

He looked at the water and smiled a bit, it was a lot nicer then having a cold bucket of water dropped on him. He turned to Ludwig who sat on a perch, connected to the tub as it sat againt the wall. Next to Ludwig were some bottles and a rag, along with a large, glass cup. He was curious as to what Ludwig was going to do with those.

"I need you to dunk your head please." Ivan blinked and shrugged, leaning back and held his breath, letting the water cover him. After a moment of enjoying being surrounded by warmth, he let his head rise up, his soaked hair sticking to his face.

"Was that what you wanted me to do?" He got a nodd from the other man, before watching Ludwig pick up one of the bottles. "What is that?"

"This is for your hair, we're going to clean it." Which was a must, it looks as if Ivan had never cleaned his hair in his life. He opened the bottle and poured a bit of the contents of it into his hand. The scent of flowers caught Ivan's attention and he looked at Ludwig curiously. "It's lilac. Francis, the man you saw me talking to earlier, gave it to me. He knows how much I like to be clean."

"Do you... clean often?" Ivan asked as Ludwig rubbed the smelly stuff in his hands. He almost purred in delight when Ludwig's hands started to massage his scalp, letting the substance lather up in his hair. This felt so... nice, he smiled, leaning against the back of the bath tub, letting Ludwig rub his head.

"I prefer to be clean. I bath four times a week, and I wash every time I do. I hate to be filthy, especially with how everyone else is so..." The blond shivered violently. "Well, as I said, I like to be clean."

Ivan justed 'hmm-ed' at this, his eyes still closed. He liked this, Ludwig was nice and was talking to him like a normal person, not talking to him like one talks to an animal. How strange, was this all a dream? Was Ludwig real? He hoped so, he really did. Ludwig made him happy right now, like whever he saw sunflowers. Yes, Ludwig was like sunflowers, something nice that made Ivan smile.

The rubbing stopped and Ivan pouted. "Keep you eyes closed, I need to rinse." Ivan did as he was told and felt warm water wash over his head, getting the soap out of his hair. This was repeated a few times until Ludwig made sure all the subs were gone. Ivan's hair felt soft and looked a lot cleaner. Hmm... it looked like it needed a bit of a trim, but Ludwig could do that later.

Reaching up, Ivan ran a hand through his hair. "It feels... different."

"It's washed. I got rid of the nasty dirt and grease in it." Ludwig replied going to grab the next bottle. He poured some of the contents of this one onto the rag and dipped it into the water, getting it wet before he started to scrub at Ivan's back. The scent was picked up by both Ludwig and Ivan and the German answered the other's question before he could ask. "Vanilla, a gift from a merchant friend of mine from the Ottoman Empire."

"It has a nice smell." Ivan smiled a little, enjoying the mix of lilac and vanilla on his body, better then his usual scent. He let Ludwig wash him, sitting quietly, neither speaking to one another. Both had questions for the other but neither felt like asking them, it seemed like it would be too soon, they had only just met today. Ivan's questions as to why Ludwig bought him and Ludwig's questions as to just who Ivan was were to be ignored for now.

Once Ludwig had Ivan all cleaned up, he pulled the taller man out of the tub and handed him a towel. "Here, dry yourself off." He spoke before draining the tub and leaving the bathroom, going through a second door, located next to the sink. Ivan blinked, curious as to where Ludwig went as he dried himself off. He dropped the towel and went through the door, entering a huge bedroom.

The theme of the room was green and dark, polished wood, concidering the color scheme of the bed spread (it was a huge bed too!) and the wood used for the floor and furniture. It fit well with Ludwig from what Ivan could tell, and it was rather nice. Ludwig must be very rich to have such a nice bathroom and bed room, heck, even the house was nice, or at least from what Ivan had seen so far.

He continued to scan the room. There was the large four posted bed with curtains on three of the sides, a fire place, a small couch and table, a dresser, a book case, and two large windows on each side of the fire place. There were three doors as well, one leading to the hall, one leading to the bathroom, but the third was opened to reveal a closet where Ludwig was going through it.

"Master, what are you doing?" Ivan asked, catching the other by surprise.

"I-Ivan..!" He turned, looking at him, eyes wide for a moment. "You scared me..! And please, don't call me master, I don't need that title. And what I'm doing is looking for something for you to wear."

"Can I not just wear what I had on before?"

"No! Those clothing are so... disgusting, and they looked way to small on you. Hmm... you're taller then me, but we have a similar build..." Ludwig walked deeper into the closet, it was a walk in one after all, before coming out with a shirt in hand and a pair of pants. He walked to the dresser and pulled out some undergarments. "Put these on."

The giant blinked and took the clothing. Ludwig had picked out his largest set of clothing for Ivan, hopefully they would fit. Well, the shirt rode up a little on Ivan once he had finished buttoning it, and the pants revealed a bit of his ankles and part of his leg, but they would have to do until Ludwig could take Ivan shopping for clothing, probably best to do it tomorrow, it was rather late in the evening and Ludwig had work to do.

"Let me take you to your room, alright? Matthew and Yeketrena have their own rooms, and you should have one as well." He took Ivan's hand, earning a twitch from the man, before taking him out of the room and down the hall to a door and opened it. "This is a guest room, but you can have it. You may explore the house, and if you have questions, just ask my servants. I need to do some work, alright?"

Ivan just nodded, watching Ludwig leave the room, hearing a door close a moment later. He was left alone, in a house he had never been in before, in a situation and lifestyle that he had never dealt with before in all the years he had lived.

What was he to do?

TBC

Wow, this was longer then I thought! I almost ended the chapter with the scene of Ludwig buying Ivan, but I just kept writing.

I actually got some inspiration for the bathroom scene from a fanfic from a long time ago, I don't even know if it is still around (it's from, like, 2007 or 2008, I can't remember) so credit for the inspiration goes to the writer who wrote the original scene.

Ivan will show some of his basic instincts soon, he's smart but he's still very socially awkward and doesn't do well to being touched, but he liked being bathed, that was nice. And yes, he does act like a wild animal when he's threatened or very nervous or uncomfortable.

Also, I believe Ludwig would be a man who would have a very small staff, he's prefer to do some things on his own but would need some help. He would also pay very well.

Please review~