A/N: Hello everyone! This is a deviation from my usual favourite characters, but in the course of writing this, I really grew to love both Belarus and Lithuania. SuicideMonday challenged me to write a Belarus/Lithuania and so here it is! I absolutely loved writing this and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia or any of the countries mentioned within. The characters all belong to Hidekazu Himaruya.
White Gummi Bears
The high rattling noise that Latvia's tea spoon kept making against his tea cup due to his trembling hands annoyed Natalia to no end. She threw a glare in his direction, which only further increased the frequency of the rattling. She sighed.
The atmosphere was tense, as always. Russia, oh, handsome, powerful Russia, was the only nation seated at the table that seemed oblivious to the tension lingering in the air. He smiled in his endearingly innocent way (oh, how she wanted to corrupt that sweet, delicious innocence...!) as he ladled spoon after spoon of sugar into his tea.
The silence was so pronounced that it was almost visible in the heavy air.
As she stared obsessively at the oblivious Russia's nimble hands, she could feel his eyes on her again.
Not someone to be thrown off by someone else's gaze on her, she whipped her head to face Lithuania, meeting his eyes squarely and challengingly.
She almost laughed as he jumped, flushing red and averting his gaze to focus intently on the tea in front of him. His face burned.
A satisfied and amused smile twisted her lips as she focused her attention on her dearest brother again. Next to him stood his ever-present bottle of vodka, half-empty. Russia was actually drinking more vodka than tea, she fondly noticed.
She also noticed, with a troubled feeling in her chest, that he looked less cheerful than usual. It appeared that he was not happy with something.
Glancing at the three Baltic Nations, she could guess the reason for his sadness. They were independent now, not part of him. She felt for him and wished desperately that she could ease his pain. Especially Lithuania was a nation Russia wanted to become one with, she knew.
But how could she convince Lithuania to become one with her brother? There was nothing she could use against him, nothing to take his mind off his independence.
Or was there? She noticed his gaze on her again and this time she looked at him without glaring, without turning away in rejection. His blue eyes widened a little and a shy smile stole its way onto his lips.
He wanted her; that much was clear. Now, if only she could somehow make him fall in love with her (she shuddered at the thought)... then she could simply ask him to prove his love for her by becoming one with Russia.
A slow smile crawled onto her lips, making the blushing Lithuania blink and smile back.
Now the only thing she had to do was find out how to get close to him.
oO0Oo
France was standing alone in the gardens of the UN building, examining the red roses, when Belarus approached him.
"France.", she said in measured tones. She would have intimidated him into telling her what she needed to know, but she knew she would get farther with politeness.
He turned and sent her a blazing smile. "Oh, the beautiful Natalia, have you come to be with me at last?"
Swallowing her scathing response, but unable to quite suppress her annoyed frown, she began speaking.
"You are good at love-related things, are you not?", she asked impatiently.
A gleam entered his eyes. "Have you come for advice to be with Russia?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Her patience at an end, Belarus snapped at the blonde. "Just tell me how to get close to someone."
France's face fell a bit, but he looked thoughtful before answering. "To get closer to any man, try to find common ground, try to find similarities with each other and connect! To connect, a little gesture will do. Something like doing something he likes. Also, sharing something is a wonderful way of achieving this!"
She processed his words in her mind, ignoring the blonde's further words. So it was that easy...
"Thanks.", she snapped and walked out of the garden with a new purpose in mind. Getting closer to Lithuania by showing him that she was not averse to his affections. The lie made her wince.
oO0Oo
Belarus was unsure how to approach the situation. She had never tried sending subliminal messages, had never tried giving a man hints as to the fact that she was interested. There had only ever been one man in her life, Ivan.
As she entered the room, her cold eyes fell on Lithuania and Latvia, who were sitting together on the sofa, sharing a packet of gummi bears as they spoke in quiet tones.
Try to find similarities with each other and connect!, her mind supplied. And she glanced around the room, looking for something to use to "connect with" Lithuania. She knew, with condescending certainty, that in reality, she had absolutely nothing in common with the soft-spoken nation, but as France had suggested, she needed to find similarities.
Her gaze fell on the gummi bears and she shuddered internally. She hated those sickeningly sweet bears. Honestly, how could anyone stand eating them?
To connect, a little gesture will do. Sharing something is a wonderful way of achieving this...
Suddenly, Natalia knew what to do. With aggression burning behind her eyes and devotion for her brother motivating her, she moved across the room to where the two nations were sitting.
Even as she was halfway there, she could see Lithuania's eyes flick toward her, as though he had felt her presence. He blushed and turned back to Latvia.
As she stopped next to the low table, she eyed the packet of gummi bears with a disdainful look, wondering how she could possible make that "gesture" and seem interested.
"H-hello Belarus!", Lithuania shyly said, looking at her and then quickly averting his eyes. The blush was still apparent in his cheeks. Pathetic.
"I like gummi bears", she ground out through gritted teeth, disregarding Toris' greeting.
Before Lithuania was able to offer some, she thrust out a hand, buried it in the packet of gummi bears and withdrew a handful, disgustedly eyeing the mostly white bears. They reminded her of frozen, colourless slime.
She was surprised as small Latvia haltingly protested. "D-don't take too many of the whites… they're Toris' favourite…"
Lithuania turned on him abruptly, silencing the smaller nation with a look. "Shush, Raivis, she can have any that she wants!"
With that, he threw her a shy glance, as though to gauge her reaction to his coming to her defence. Oh, if only he knew.
For the sake of her scheme, Natalia slowly placed a gummi bear in her mouth, refusing to taste it, refusing to chew the odd substance.
As Lithuania watched her, she pretended to chew by moving her jaw, before she swallowed the gummi bear whole. She suppressed a shudder.
She caught a motion out of the corner of her eye. Lithuania had just elbowed Latvia and whispered a few words to him in what she assumed was Latvian or Lithuanian.
Abruptly, Latvia rose, gave an uncomfortable and awkward wave and a muttered "I have to go", before leaving the room as quickly as possible.
Belarus raised an eyebrow at their obvious behaviour, but schooled her expression into something more welcoming and borderline friendly as Lithuania looked at her again.
The effect her half-smile seemed to have on Toris was enormous. He looked both empowered and so very very vulnerable as he shyly smiled back, slowly gaining confidence.
Confidence was good. She liked confidence. It was a lot less annoying than grovelling fright.
As Lithuania's blush faded and his blue gaze grew more serious, memories long forgotten rushed through her mind and Natalia remembered.
She remembered a time long past, a time when she had been under his control, when he had been the one to stand over her, tall and powerful, the largest state in Europe. It had been so long ago, in the twelfth century, through the centuries until everything fell apart in 1795.
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
How the mighty had fallen. Now he sat there, in front of her, no longer the strong nation she used to look up to, no longer the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Just Lithuania now. There was no grandness left.
"Belarus", he spoke, and Natalia felt a nearly forgotten clenching in her chest as she remembered the way he used to call her name back when she was just a teenager, back when he had been the one to be annoyed by her, the one to reprimand her and take care of her.
She felt a seriousness settling over her, a feeling of calmness drowning out the mercurial nature of her thoughts. It was as though the fanatic side of her, the part she considered most dangerous, had been thrown into darkness, as though a flip had been switched off.
She remembered the past.
How she used to run around Lithuania, her traditional clothing dirtied from playing, a slightly older Ukraine chasing her. How she hid behind him, his benevolent blue eyes resting on her as she played with her sister.
"The Grand Duchy... do you remember?", she quietly asked, searching his soft eyes.
A widening of those blue eyes was her answer. "Those times are gone now, Natalia." He sounded tired, and for a small moment, Belarus could see his age of centuries.
Where had the blushing nation gone? Belarus read such a variety of emotions in Lithuania's gaze, combined with a nostalgic look. She nodded to herself. Weak Lithuania, shy Lithuania, had gone to where her insanity resided, where her bipolar emotions raged. He had left the present behind, immersed in the past as he was.
And as he looked up at her, with those steely eyes, the eyes of a ruler, the eyes of the largest nation in Europe, she felt herself transported back into the past along with him.
Ringing laughter and Lithuania's deep voice chuckling, her face buried in his neck, a hug, a ruffling of her hair.
As their gazes met, the past swirling around them in beautiful patterns, she forgot her scheme and her reasons for it. There was only the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and her deepest loyalty was laid bare.
"Belarus", he breathed and stood over her in a flash of flowing movement.
Only too gladly did Natalia let him wrap his arms around her; only too happily did she lean into him and return the whisper of his name.
It was a reunion of former comrades, of guardian and protégée, of lovers, of old, old friends.
For the moment, her insanity was kept at bay with his steady presence and the past healed the wounds of their relationship, perhaps only for a while.
And perhaps the spell would break soon, perhaps they would return to the present soon to rediscover shyness and weakness, hatred and revulsion.
But in this eternal moment, they were the glorious past and the glorious past was them.
oO0Oo
I just found out that this year it's Lithuania's 1,000th birthday, technically! I read that the first mention of Lithuania as a country was in 1,009 AD, so happy birthday, Liet! =) May you always be successful, happy and rise to your previous greatness again!