Happy late Christmas/New Year's to my sister LostHazelEyes! Yeah...this was originally going to be a Christmas present (and her's to me), but we decided to extend them to New Year's. Then my laptop stopped working and I couldn't work on it until today, so I'm sorry sis!

Although this is rated T ( cause sister isn't ready for hardcore lovings yet), it does contain copious amounts of angst and fluffiness as well as Poland's annoying accent and cross-dressing ways. Yes, it's PolandxLithuania because they are her absolute Hetalia OTP so it was a no brainer. I apologize right now for Poland's random OOC!ness. And I'm also sorry that I'm not really sorry about that.

I own nothing, otherwise I would be very rich and be molesting hot personfied country menz (thank you France~)

Enjoy!


The light from the fading sun shone through the open curtains into the bedroom. Toris took a deep breath.

It even smells the same, he thought.

"Like, you can get yourself all settled in while I go make dinner, mkays?" Feliks chirped from the doorway, eyes never leaving his friend as he entered the room. His old room.

"Okay," the brunette smiled. Once Feliks footsteps drifted away, he put down his bag and sat on the bed, facing the window over the endless rye fields.

"Free," he whispered, "I'm free."

~x~

Feliks stood in front of the stove stirring tonight's dinner; sorrel soup with smoked skilandis, rye bread, apple cheese, linden blossom tea, and even cranberry pudding for dessert. Feliks smiled as he poured the soup into bowls and set everything on the table. Today was a big day: the day Toris had finally gotten his independence from Ivan and was now his own country again.

"Liet! Like, hurry up, dinner's ready!" the blond called.

"Coming Feliks! God, I'm so -- " Toris cut himself off as he entered the room.

Said boy looked up and saw the shocked look in his friends eyes. "Liet?" he asked, wringing his hands in the pink apron around his waist.

"You...you..." the green eyed boy looked at his friend, "you made me...all my favourite foods..."

"Well, like, duh! This is a celebration, of course I would! Besides, after like so many years of shoving that mean Russian's horrible food down your throat, I figured you'd, like, totally be craving some of your own stuff" Feliks beamed.

Toris didn't know what to say. His heart was swelling and he could feel tears building behind his eyes. After everything that had happened, Feliks had come and taken him in once free from Ivan; given him a home.

"Liet?" the Polish nation had a reputation for being completely clueless, but he could clearly see the emotion in his friend's eyes. He walked towards the shaking boy and wrapped his arms around him in a light hug. "It's okay, Liet. You don't have to hide anymore," he whispered, caressing the soft brown hair.

Those words were all that were needed for tears to slide down the boy's face.

~x~

Days went by; then weeks, then months. The progress was slow, but it was happening. He could feel it; his body was slowly heeling after so many years of torture and hardship at the hands of the smiling Russian with a heart of ice.

Toris leaned back in the tub, letting the water envelope his thin frame in its gentle warmth. It felt so good, even months later, to feel heat after years of body-numbing cold.

There was a knock at the door. "Liet, are you still in there? Jeez, like, why do you always take, like, forever when you bathe?"

The Lithuanian smiled. "I'll be out in a minute."

"You better! I, like, don t want my best friend to turn in a totally pruney old man!"

He had to laugh at that. He missed the blond saying things like that, even though his voice tended to grate on his nerves at times. Now he welcomed it fully.

He didn't notice the faint sound of the door clicking shut. Nor was he aware it was even opened at all. Feliks stood on the other side and pressed his forehead to the wood. He hadn't meant to sneak a peak; honest. The door just happened to have not been shut the whole way, that's it.

He hadn't meant to see the scars. So many wounds, cris-crossing and layered all over his back. Many of them were still red and hadn't healed completely, probably from being reopened over and over. Feliks struggled to keep his breathing under control so Toris wouldn't hear him and get worried. He felt sick just thinking of it.

I'm gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch!

Feliks walked down the hall to his room. Tomorrow he would make a very special visit...

~x~

Feliks had gotten up early and hurried through his routine, pulling on his uniform (he would have preferred his new mega-cute hot pink miniskirt but knew it would not get him the response he wanted) and quickly grabbing some breakfast. Lastly, he went and ckecked up on Toris. His friend was sleeping, his brown locks fallen over his face just adding to the overall peaceful look he had. Feliks smiled softly, his friend was truly beautiful. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear, causing him to stir. Slowly one green orb opened.

"Feliks?" he asked softly.

"Ssh. Go back to sleep, Liet." he answered just as softly.

"What is it?"

"Just checking on you. Did you, like, sleep well?"

Toris moaned. "I did. Are you going somewhere?"

"Oh," Feliks looked at his clothes, "I have a meeting I can't avoid. Which totally sucks, but it's like, real important."

"Ah."

"Go back to sleep, okay? When I get back we can go out and have a picnic in the rye fields like the old times."

"That sounds," Toris paused to yawn, "wonderful."

"Sweet dreams." Feliks whispered, kissing the boy's forehead and quietly shutting his bedroom door.

The walk wasn't a long one, not compared to other's he'd had to take, and soon the Polish boy found himself in front of a large mansion. He pounded on the door and turned the knob. It was open. He burst in.

"IVAN!"

His voice echoed through the large house with no response. Typical.

"Ivan, I like don't have time for your games! Come out here!"

"How sad. I enjoy playing games."

The Russian stood off to the side, leaning against the doorframe. The ever present scarf was wrapped around his neck, his jacket slightly open. And that smirk he always wore was there as well. Feliks wanted to punch him so hard.

"Like, cut the crap! I should totally kill you right now for what you've done!"

"Oh my, that would make an awful mess. How about we do this in my study? I should hate for poor Raivis to explain what exactly he's cleaning to anyone who happens to come in." he replied, his smile never faltering. "Come!"

The Pole followed him and immediately yelled out: "I know what you did to him."

"Really? How curious, as I have no idea who it is you are speaking of."

"You, like, damn well know who! Liet's scars. I've seen them you total psychopath."

Ivan pondered before his face lit up. "Oh! You mean my love marks!"

The boy stood gaping. "L-love marks?! His back is covered in scar tissue!"

"Da, that is how I make sure that they stay forever. Now little Toris will never forget me!" The white haired nation may have been smiling, but his eyes betrayed a hint of malevolance one rarely lives to see.

"He's not yours anymore. And if you EVER come near him again you'll have another Polish-Soviet War on your hands. I'd like to see you try and get yourself out of that!" And with that the blond left.

"I'll remember that..." Ivan smiled, watching him leave with a smile. Eduard and Raivis looked on from the kitchen, amazed at that they had just heard.

At least Toris is safe now, they thought.

~x~

Toris fell back against the rye and sighed. "I missed this."

"I'm, like, so totally glad! I knew this would be the thing to lift your spirits!" his friend said. After returning from Ivan's, Feliks had changed out of his uniform and into some more appropriate clothes (meaning that new super cute pink miniskirt and a tight sweater) and make a newly woken Toris brunch before stealing him away to the fields they had spent so much of their childhood in.

"Mmn." green eyes met equally bright green. He had been feeling a little down lately. The nightmares of the nightly "fun" Ivan had with him were growing less powerful and much of his body was healed, but he still felt sad. Only when Feliks had kissed him that morning had he felt happy.

Was he falling for his friend?

Well, they had grown up together, shared a few traditions, they were even married once, though for political purposes. Still he never really thought of Feliks in that was...

There was that one time though. Toris blushed at the memory. They were young teenagers in human years, and were laughing and tumbling around in this very field when suddenly Toris had half-fallen on the other and their lips met. He sat up and apologized, his face red, but was surprised when Feliks kissed him back, and soon they were just laying there kissing each other.

The brunette turned. He had told himself that it was nothing, just two kids experimenting and sharing their first kisses. But after that Feliks had started wearing women's clothing and talking in that accent, and then the wars...

Toris shook his head. This was not the place to be thinking about that.

"Hey, Toris, can I, like, ask you something?"

Toris stared at his friend. Feliks rarely, if ever called him his actual name. The last time he heard it was that last time in the fields...stop thinking about that!

"U-um, sure."

"Why didn t you tell me?" Feliks looked in his friends, shifting closer.

"Tell you?"

"Your back. I saw."

The Lithuanian paled. God, that was the last thing he wanted him to see, why?!

"Feliks --"

"Did you not trust me enough to tell me what he did?" the blond's lip quivered, "I would've understood."

"Feliks, I do trust you." it was true, he did, with his life. But the nightmares -- Ivan beating him, Ivan cutting him, Ivan raping him -- kept him in constant fear. Fear that the Russian with the violet eyes and child's laughter would come back for him.

"I went to him today."

"W-what?!" Toris stuttered.

"I went and told him to, like, stay the hell away from you." Feliks said in all seriousness.

"W-why would you do that?! You know what he's capable of? He could ve killed y--"

Toris protests were silenced when soft lips crashed against his.

Feliks brought his hands on either side of the boy's face, threading his fingers through the soft brown locks. He released the other's lips and pressed their foreheads together, eyes locking with the glazed over ones of his friend.

"Because I love you. Why else do you think I, like, started wearing girls clothes and acting like this?"

"...you...love me?" Toris could barely think his heart was beating so fast.

"Duh, I just said that!" Feliks smiled.

Toris tried to hold back the tears forming as he wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders. "I-I-I love you too."

Gently their lips met again, and Toris knew he had nothing more to fear. After all, scars fade, and nightmares drift away, but the love he felt right then in that magical field, away from the snow and the pain, would never change. That he was certain of.


NOTE: all those foods are actual Lithuanian foods. I tried to pair up things that would've been appropriate and that went together.

I apologize for the sappy crap ending. It s almost 2 in the morning and I just wanted this done. Please review! Reviews are (to quote Twilight *shudder*) "my own personal brand of heroin". And this is one drug I have no intention of giving up, so feed my addiction and press the button!