Monday Story: I'm Coming Home

Brought to you by: Jenna (The-Cookie's-Monster)

Pairing/Character: EstLat

A/N: This is AU. Both live in America. :)

Enjoy!

~Jenna

He lay awake again, sighing softly. He stood up, going to sit on the window, staring out at the sky and up at the full moon. He couldn't sleep. He was too worried. His best friend and roommate, Eduard, had been drafted to Afghanistan. He hadn't texted in weeks, a rare thing for the usually so technologically efficient Estonian. He pulled his knees up to his chest, remembering the first time they'd met each other…

14 years ago; October 1996; Ms. Braginskya's Orphanage, Moscow, Russia

"Raivis, please, can you put the book down and socialize? We just got a new boy from Estonia. Try to be friendly to him. He's going to be rooming with you." Yetkaterina begged softly, sighing. The boy frowned, setting down a worn copy of Oliver Twist and standing up.

"Fine." He sighed, trudging downstairs, slowly. He collided with a boy in glasses carrying a suitcase up the stairs; the collision sent them both to the bottom of the stairs. The smaller boy looked on the verge of tears, scrambling up and off of him, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so so so sorry!" He exclaimed, lip trembling. The glasses wearing boy just grabbed his thick glasses and smiled at him kindly, placing them back on his face and gabbing the suitcase. He ruffled his hair gently, chuckling.

"No need to be so sad about it. It was an accident. I'm Eduard Von Bock and I dare say you are Raivis Galante." He smiled, Raivis gasped in surprise.

"H-How did you guess my name?"

A soft chuckle escaped, "Everyone kept telling me about you. You're going to be my roommate, I guess." He grinned, "Can you show me to the room." He nodded quickly, hurrying up the stairs, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment.

"H-Here it is. T-That's your bed." He said quietly. He scooped up his discarded book and folding a page, replacing it on the small nightstand that doubled as a bookshelf. He sighed quietly, watching the boy set his suitcase down and begin to put things away, "I-I'm from Latvia." He said shyly. The older boy nodded.

"I'm from Estonia." He smiled, glancing at the bookshelf and grinning, "You have the Harry Potter book?" He asked, going to sit beside him. Raivis nodded.

"Alfred gave it too me, I like it a lot."

"Me too."

This was the beginning of a glorious friendship.

The next morning, he tiredly sat at the table, eating cereal and rereading the text he had received. But, when a knock came, he set his spoon down and went and opened the door. He expected his Russian neighbor to be there to pester him again, "Listen, I-Ivan…I told you b-" He was cut off by a swift, but gentle kiss. He pulled back, touching his lips in surprise.

"Ivan still giving you problems?" Eduard teased, looking down

"Ed!" Raivis smiled, running in to greet the older boy, practically tackling him, crying and kissing him again. "I was so worried…You hadn't texted for weeks and all of a sudden I get a text saying your coming home and I…I'm sorry for crying!" He sobbed, clinging to the boy's military uniform. From the salty tears falling onto his head told him that his best friend was crying as well. "Never leave me again, a-alright?"

"Alright, Rav…I love you…"

"I love you too.