Hetalia © Hidekaz Himaruya
Ever since the kiss, it seemed that things around Natalya and Toris were going much smoother. The two were much more relaxed around each other and it was not strange to find them like they were at the moment. They were both on the couch in the living room, Natalya had a book in her hands and Toris' head was on her lap. His dark brown hair was pushed, courtesy of the blond, out of his face and flared out on her dress. In his hands were his government documents.
"What are you working on?" Natalya asked curious after her fiancée had gotten up to work on a whole new stack of papers.
"This?" he asked holding up the large ream of papers. She nodded.
"Eh? Right now it's just reviewing some documents for a very important upcoming meeting."
"Another meeting?" she asked with a slight pout. It seemed like he was always running in and out of the house attending meetings. If you asked her, he worked too much.
Toris sat back down beside the woman and poked her pouting cheeks, "Sorta, but this one is so much more important."
"How so?" she asked swatting the finger away but eventually laid her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him expectantly for an answer…and maybe for a kiss. Toris noticed both and blushed. They'd kissed several more times since the first time but it still had him blushing, but how could he not? After so many years of pining after the girl currently looking at him, it seemed like a dream. He was waiting for the cold slap of reality to wake him up at any moment.
Sadly that did happen when the sound of approaching footsteps reached Toris' ears. His heart rate skyrocketed, but in a bad way. Shocked he pulled back and stared at the door in horror. By the way the blond was staring up at him in confusion, it was a good bet she hadn't heard. He silently thanked any and all gods for that.
"Natalya, I-I'll be right back," he said jumping out of her hold and toward the door. "Just stay here, I'll be back shortly!"
Said woman stared at the door where her fiancé had just exited.
What?
Poland was a social person; there was no doubt about that. While his days were busy visiting other nearby nations he took notice that he hadn't seen his best friend in awhile. It wasn't Poland's fault; he had called Lithuania several times to set up a day they could hang out. But each suggestion was met with rejection. Finally, after being fed up, the flamboyant blond decided to surprise Liet. It wasn't like he was doing anything important after all. That and the fact Liet would never throw him out. Liet was too nice for that.
As expected, the front door to Lithuania's house was open.
"Liet!" he called walking down the halls, "Like, where are you?"
The young looking nation peaked around wall corners and into rooms until finally he stumbled upon Lithuania blocking his way to the living room. He was situated awkwardly on the door frame and trying to look casual.
"P-Poland!" Lithuania said just a little too enthusiastically. The tone of his voice was also too shrill to be normal. Poland lifted a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him. The Liet he knew was never that enthusiastic and hardly looked that nervous.
"What're you hiding?" he asked seriously, folding his arms over his chest. He knew Liet, something was definitely up with him. The only time Poland could think of Lithuania acting so skittish was when a certain Russian was around. Unintentionally his emerald green eyes narrowed.
"H-hiding? I'm hiding n-nothing," he said with an awkward laugh, still trying to look as casual as possible.
"Uh-huh," Poland mused skeptically. His bright green eyes caught the brunette's quick glance over his shoulder. There was definitely something there in that room. The question was what?
"Let's go talk in my study! It's much nicer than out here right?" Lithuania asked quickly, while he turned Poland around and began to push him in the other direction. Just as the two were two feet away from the living room entrance, Poland twisted around and ran for the door. Just as he pushed his way through he heard Lithuania shout, "Poland, no!"
It was not someone he had been expecting. Really, by the way the dark brown haired man was acting Poland was expecting a full scale plan for world domination or even Russia in the next room. Liet knew how much the blond hated Russia but again Lithuania was too nice to ever say no to one of Russia's visits. 'Creeper,' Poland mentally shivered. In reality it was the last person he would have thought to have seen in Liet's house.
There sitting all prim and proper was Belarus. The same woman who was obsessed with her older brother, carried sharp knives on her person, and spat malicious words. She looked all the world like she belonged in Liet's house, what with the way her hands were wrapped around a worn novel and her legs crossed at her ankles. He looked to his left and his right, had Poland just stepped into a twilight zone?
"Be—" before Poland could shout, Lithuania's hand shot out to muffle his exclamation. Poland turned to look him in the eyes. His eyes clearly displayed his confusion and the many questions that accompanied it.
"I'll tell you later, but please just go with it," Lithuania pleaded quietly to the other man. Poland looked ready to object, but the insistent look on his friend's face gave him pause. The blond man complied with a nod. Slowly Lithuania dropped his hand.
"Natalya," Lithuania caught the surprised look Poland sent him after using Belarus' human name, "This is Feliks."
"Feliks," she asked looking him over with a speculating air, "So you are male after all."
Poland bit his tongue, for Lithuania's sake. Yup, that was defiantly Belarus.
"We'll be in my study okay?"
Natalya waved them off, already engrossed in her novel once again. With strength Poland didn't know his friend had, Lithuania was pulling him away. He stole one more glance back at the Belarusian who sat just a bit stiffly on the couch. Poland blinked, was she…jealous?
What the hell was going on?
"Liet, like what the hell?" he asked once the two were safely tucked away in Lithuania's study. The brown haired man slumped into the chair behind his desk. He remained quiet under the blond who had an eyebrow raised and his hands on his hips.
"Is it too much to ask you to forget what you've just seen?" Lithuania asked weakly. Poland gave his friend a blank look. Then he plopped himself down in the chair opposite of Lithuania, crossing his legs and his arms. It was like the usually very spontaneous atmosphere around him disappeared while his serious side took over. This side of Poland hardly ever showed itself, but this was one of those times.
"Ha ha," Poland said sarcastically, his bright emerald eyes sharp. "Now like spill."
Lithuania took a deep breath, his hand instantly going to the bridge of his nose, "It's very complicated."
"Then like start from the beginning," Poland responded. Liet had a bad habit of stalling. Sometimes you had to push him to actually get any information out of him.
"Okay, it's like this…" Lithuania sighed before adding hastily, "Don't judge me…"
After an hour of retelling of the accounts that lead to Belarus living with him and the ring on his finger, Lithuania looked up to face his friend. The male in question was blinking slowly with a slightly agape mouth.
"Liet!" he shouted sounding scandalized, but slowly his face turned into once of sly understanding. "I would have never expected you to like have the balls to go through with something like this! Bravo!"
"P-Poland!" Lithuania exclaimed as his face erupted into a ripe tomato. The blond country personification laughed at the look on his friend's face.
"This does explain the recent spike in Belarus' trade with you…" he muttered lowly to himself before he shook the thought from his head.
"You're not angry?" Lithuania asked in a small unsure voice. He peaked up at the blond who stood proud and confidant.
"Angry?" Poland inquired looking surprised, "Why? This is a totally great opportunity for you!"
Poland was taking the news quiet well, even supported him. This confused Lithuania.
"I mean you have been like pinning after Bela for ages!" Poland said, not at all exaggerating. He walked over to his friend who was still hunched over his desk. The defeated posture implied he was waiting to be reprimanded. Instead of yelling at the Lithuania for being selfish, idiotic, or anything else the brunet might want him to say, Poland knelt down to be level with him.
"Hey," Poland said getting Lithuania to look at him, "You're my best friend Liet. I know how much you want Bela to love you. We have a chance to make her fall in love with you. And you know what?"
Poland paused, waiting for Lithuania's answer. When the other green eyed male shook his head, Poland's face broke out in a confidant smile, "I'm going to help to make it reality!"
"Why?" the brunet asked, purely curious. Poland had shown time and time again his dislike for Russia and his younger sister.
"Why?" Poland asked incredulously, "Because you're my best friend!"
The conviction in that sentence alone quieted Lithuania.
"Thanks Poland."
"No problem."
"Now like let's go see Bela~!" before Lithuania could catch the other, he was already out the door. "Are you like coming Liet?"
"Poland!"
Poland chuckled as he nearly ran back to the living room. Just before he opened the door, the blond composed himself. While it was Belarus in the next room, he wasn't entirely sure how much of the old Belarus was there. Hopefully she wouldn't pull a knife out on him. He shook the thought from his head and burst into the room with his usual energy.
"Nattie~" he called in a sing song voice before he launched himself at the other paler blond. She looked very shocked to suddenly have her arms full of Poland.
"W-what?" she asked perplexed. Her arms held awkwardly out to her sides as the blond male hugged her around her middle like a child would do to a teddy bear.
"Do you not remember me Nattie?" the green eyed blond asked with a pout. "I'm like so hurt!"
Everything about Belarus screamed uncomfortable and if Poland wasn't trying to keep in character, he might've laughed. Not chuckled, or giggled, but laughed. Her facial expression was that priceless.
"Umm uh Feliks?" she asked trying to detangle herself from the man's arms. He was not so easily shook off.
"Yes, but you cheated Lie—Toris told you already."
"Po—Feliks!" he heard someone shriek behind him. With a casual look over his shoulder, it was of course Lithuania.
"Hey Toris!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Feliks," Toris sighed, before his eyes drifted up to Natalya stilling trying to get out of Poland's vice like grip. The sight was actually very humorous.
"Who are you?" Natalya finally asked after she gave up trying to escape the other. Her arms hung dejectedly at her sides. Toris held his breath. What would Poland say?
"I'm Toris' best friend," the Pole answered honestly, "and by extension your friend too!"
"My..friend?" she asked, the thought completely foreign to her. She had never thought about having friends…or family…it was always just Toris. For some reason just having one person was enough for her.
"Yeah!"
She questioningly looked up toward the only other person she had contact with. Toris nodded in confirmation. With that she took a really good look at the other, to see if he jogged any memories. He did not, but he did make her feel a little self conscious. For a man he was very effeminate. He had clear pale skin that looked extremely soft, straight silky sunny blond hair, wide clear green eyes, and pale pink lips. Not to mention his plucked eyebrows and sweet scent.
"Hi," she said to him lamely. What else could she say?
The blond man pulled away from her then began dragging her upstairs to his room.
"We have like so much to catch up on Nattie~" he sing songed. The poor woman looked even more baffled. She threw a very confused and almost lost look back at Toris before she disappeared up the stairs.
"What?" Toris wondered, standing alone in the living room.
"How did I miss this room?" Natalya wondered looking around the room in which Feliks had dragged her into. He lay plopped down on the bed in the middle of the room. The comforter and pillows were varying shades of a light pink with white mixed into it. Not only that but they had frills on them. Even more astonishing was the dark pink of the walls along with the ponies. It was beyond girly, like a little girl's room.
"It's like amazing, right?" Feliks asked with a smile.
"You could say that," the paler blond said with a deadpan tone.
"Come, sit sit!" Feliks said pulling the woman down to his bed. Reluctantly, she did as he said. She tried to keep some distance between them but the male did not seem to get the hint as he kept getting closer to her when she scooted away. After a minute she stopped and gave up.
"So?" Feliks prompted twisting a lock of his hair around his pointer finger, once he grabbed a pillow to hug to his chest.
"So what?"
Feliks rolled his emerald green eyed before he answered, "How do you feel about Toris?"
Natalya gaped at the straight to business tone he had, "What?"
She had barely met him, how could he expect her to answer such a question?
"Do you like him?"
The woman shifted uncomfortably and voiced her thoughts, "Uh, I don't think this is appropriate conversation for two people who barely met."
"Barely met?" Feliks asked looking scandalized, "We've like know each other for years!"
Technically it wasn't a lie. The two were never well aquatinted after she grew up and began to live with Russia but before, when she was just a little girl she spent a lot of time with the Pole. Before Russia he was like her older brother figure.
'The good days before Russia made her into a psycho bitch,' he thought sourly.
"Years?" she asked looking down at the Polish man laying on his stomach. She was skeptic of his claims. How could she, a rather cold and reserved girl, be friends with a man like him? This man who had an endless amount of energy, she wasn't even sure she liked that certain character trait about him.
"Yeah, who do you think like gave Toris the push to ask you out? You can't believe he did that on his own," the blond fibbed. Actually if you thought about it, if they were humans, it was a high possibility that Felkis would have pushed his friend into action. God knew that the brunet would need the push.
"You know how we got together?" she asked looking genuinely curious.
'Shit,' Feliks mentally cursed. He should have thought that sentence through. What was he going to say now? The expectant gaze of Belarus unnerved him, 'Sorry Liet.'
"He never told you?" he asked her. She shook her head, "Will you?"
"Umm, uh I don't know…" the expectant look stayed on her face. Poland sighed; he'd seen that look before. She would not leave him alone until he spilled. He picked his brain for every romance movie or novel he had ever read and tried to string together a plot.
"Oh!" he shouted once one popped into his head, "It started in College!"
"College?" she asked dubiously, "but he said we knew each other as children."
"Y-yes! That's right, but then you moved away and he like didn't get to see you again until college!" Poland corrected.
"Where did I move—"
"Shhh do you want to know or not?" Poland snapped when she began to interrupt him. She quieted down.
"Okay so like he was studying politics and the law, spent all his time studying, I swear!" Poland pretended to sound exasperated, "So I, being his best friend, had to drag his butt out of those books and thought like seeing a ballet would be good for him. On campus of course, we were poor college students."
"Ballet?" Natalya asked wondering how that mattered. Poland shushed her again.
"That's where you came in," he said, "You were one of the dancers in the school ballet we went to!"
Before she could question him Feliks answered with, "Yes, you were a ballet major!"
"You were one of the best but back then you were a little nobody, just starting out you know? Undiscovered talent. Although Toris sure saw you. I like doubt he even focused on the story of the ballet but just watched you the entire time."
It wasn't a far stretch. Poland had seen Belarus dance ballet several times. The woman was very graceful and looked to be one of those acclaimed professionals. So why not make her a ballerina? It was a cute concept, if he didn't say so himself.
"Afterward you were all he could think about," the male blond continued, "he went to more of your shows afterward. He was like an infatuated puppy, but all the while he kept saying how familiar you looked.
"Finally, I got fed up with his unrequited love self pity and took matters into my own manicured hands. I got us jobs to help set up the stage before one of your performances. Doing so had us helping out during rehearsals which also meant we got to see you for a couple of hours during your practice time. Poor Lie—Toris," Feliks corrected, "was still like painfully shy about the whole thing. It was then that I gave him a push—literally—in your direction one day."
The blond paused for a breath and to also think of more details to add. His bright green eyes darted toward the other to gauge her reaction. She looked deep in thought with her brows drawn together while she absorbed the new information.
"What happened next?"
"I'm glad you asked. You totally bitched him out about it. I thought for sure he would give up, but nope little Toris was not deterred by your cold attitude. I think that was because he learned your name in that same moment and finally remembered you as the girl who he was friends with as a kid. I think he said something about his 'first love' and 'fate' too. After he told you his name you were less hostile toward him. Then he somehow he got you to agree to a date with him. From there is history as we know it."
To punctuate his ending he picked up Natalya's hand with the ring.
"Really?" she asked taking her hand back and glancing at the white gold. She tried to remember what Feliks was talking about so adamantly. Nothing came up. She also couldn't shake the feeling that so many things had holes or did not match up. Maybe it would be better to ask Toris?
"Really," Feliks confirmed. He jumped off the bed and went to his dresser with the mirror. He pretended to fix his hair but he was watching Natalya. She looked very unsure, that was definitely not good.
They needed proof.
They needed to forage some documents.
A/N: Hey:) lol so that was a fun chapter to write someone with confidence and isn't afraid to get sh*t done lol So Poland knows now? Will this complicate things further?
Well I can't wait for the next chapter to be finished, it'll be about shopping, first dates, and Poland making things a little awkward with his commentaries lol.
Thankyou to those who reviewed:D makes my day and encourages me to write. I also really appreciate those who favorite or add to their alerts!
