Hello, my readers! I am officially on summer break, and I am back at home now. Not to mention, it was my birthday on the 8th, so I am twenty-one now! Woot~ (And now I can say that margaritas are fantastic, XD. But do not worry; I only had one and a half, haha.)
It's hard to believe I've been working on this story for two years. It really doesn't feel that long! I remember when I first started this story…
Due to the two-year anniversary of TWL, I am making this chapter extra long! (Yay!) It will also show that there is more to this story than just the torture. Though the actual plot is slow, it will start coming together. (A new story arc is about to begin, as well!)
Time will start moving faster by the end of this chapter, but that is intentional.
Also, be warned that this chapter contains a headcanon about Estonia's name. I will give more information about why I portrayed it this way at the end of the chapter.
I just want to thank everyone for sticking with me all this time. Old and new readers alike, this chapter is dedicated to you.
*Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.*
/
Chapter 23
Stanfield was sure that he was breaking about a dozen rules, but at the moment, he could care less. All he thought of was getting Estonia back to his room, to safety. Sickened by the fact that he could carry the boy, who was quite tall, without a hassle, he grimaced, making his way down the hallways. Thankfully, no one was in that corner of the facility, so he was able to make it to his quarters without being stopped and questioned.
Releasing the breath that he just realized that he had been holding, Stanfield gently placed Estonia onto his bed.
"You can sleep here tonight. I hope it's comfortable. I just need to grab some extra blankets for myself, since I'll be on the floor."
"Don't…" Stanfield looked to the boy, since those were the first words out of his mouth since the incident. "Please… Stay with me. I need…someone."
The red-haired scientist narrowed his eyes. Is he really going to ignore the fact that I brought him into this hell? Aloud, he responded with, "Are you sure?"
Estonia didn't speak, but he nodded, his body wracked with tiny trembles.
Disgusted by how far the Nation had fallen, Stanfield walked into his closet and changed into his nightclothes. When he climbed into bed and turned off his lamp, he noticed that his guest had inched closer to him.
"Goodnight, Eduard."
"Goodnight, Mr. Stanfield."
Stanfield closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.
The scientist didn't know how much time had passed, but he was woken by whimpers. "Eduard?"
"Make it stop, Mr. Stanfield! I feel her hands all over my body! Touching me. Hurting me. I feel her lips still on mine, and her tongue in my mouth. I want to throw up, but there's nothing in my stomach. I…I…!"
Though he could not see in the dark, he knew Estonia was having a panic attack. Quickly turning on the lamp, he held the boy in his arms, rubbing his hair.
"I failed them!" he finally choked. "Raivis is going to hurt so badly because I didn't get the medicine! He might die! His body isn't working right anymore!"
"Shh, Eduard. You didn't fail them. And I will make sure Raivis gets medicine, even if Fletcher tortures me!" While he wasn't sure if he could, he would try his hardest to make it a reality.
Once Estonia went quiet, he shivered in Stanfield's arms, clinging to his shirt. After wiping the sweat from the blond's forehead, he turned off the lamp once more, gently lying down. Though he assumed the wounds on Estonia's back hurt horribly, Stanfield noticed that the boy curled up on his side, his hands still gripping his shirt like it was a lifeline. The scientist took a deep breath before closing his eyes and allowing himself to sleep.
The next time both of them woke, it was to Stanfield's alarm. "Eduard," the man began as he got dressed, not wanting to startle Estonia. "I have to put you back with your friends, now."
The boy shook his head, his face twisted up in what Stanfield assumed was an expression of shame. "Can't…can't I stay with you longer?"
"I'm sorry, Eduard, but I can't. If I could, I would let you stay with me, but Fletcher would never allow it! Imagine what he would do to you if he knew!"
"I know." Estonia's voice was so quiet that the scientist had to strain his ears to hear it. "But I can't face them. They'll hate me."
"They will not hate you. You are greatly underestimating your friends, do you know that?"
Estonia said nothing. Instead, when the scientist gently took his hand, he allowed himself to be slowly guided out of the room. Before they walked to the Nations' cell, Stanfield stopped in one of the labs. Grabbing two eye shields and a tube of ointment, he gently taped the former to Estonia's ruined eyes, making sure no pressure was put on them, and tucked the latter into his pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"They're plastic shields to keep anything from further damaging your eyes. Since they weren't removed completely, I assume that they will heal eventually."
"Ah…" Estonia wrung his hands. "Thank you…"
Stanfield smiled, though he knew the boy could not see it. "It's no problem. Let's get you back."
/
"Why didn't Eduard come back last night?" Latvia bit his lip, worry evident in his eyes. "Miss Strike said she only needed his 'help' for something. What did that even mean?" He winced, another bought of pain overtaking him.
"I don't know." Iceland pinched the bridge of his nose. He was about to say something else, but the door slowly swung open.
Instead of Fletcher, who the Nordic boy was expecting, Stanfield stood in the doorway, holding the hand of a shaking Estonia.
"Take care of him, please," the scientist stated, gently guiding the boy to Iceland's side. "Strike was about to do something very bad when I came in and stopped her. She already took his eyes…" He shook his head sadly. "Just…don't yell at him, okay? He tried his best."
"What happened to him?" Sealand blurted.
"That is Eduard's story to tell. It would not be respectful if I did." Kneeling, he turned to Iceland, removing the tube from his pocket. "This will help with Raivis's pain. While he will need a pill later on, this will work as a temporary fix. Rub it on his wounds, and he should feel a little better."
Iceland took the ointment, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you helping us?"
"Because after seeing what Strike was capable of, I couldn't just watch."
"Thank you." Iceland accepted the scientist's words, especially since Estonia seemed to be clinging to him before.
Stanfield merely nodded before exiting the room. The lock clicked behind him, making Estonia wince. Iceland turned to him, but before he could do anything, the older boy walked over to the farthest corner of the room and sat there, his shoulders shaking. While he wanted to know what happened, he knew that Latvia's wounds needed treatment first.
"Raivis," he began gently, "I'm going to undo your bandages and put this ointment on your injuries. Is that okay?"
"Yes!" Latvia hissed, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. He allowed Iceland to remove all of the bandages, which let the others see how inflamed the gashes were.
Squeezing a bit of the ointment out, the silver-haired boy gently rubbed it onto the reddest cut. When the boy cried out, Iceland stopped, though he continued when Latvia nodded through his tears. As soon as all the wounds on his back were covered in ointment, he continued with the ones on his chest and stomach, followed by his legs.
"Are there any under your boxers?" While Iceland was almost embarrassed, he knew that helping Latvia held priority over seeing parts that he himself had. He had learned to throw modesty aside when he sewed Estonia's Plague sores up, after all.
"One." Iceland was relieved that the cream seemed to be working, since Latvia's voice seemed less pained. "Mr. Fletcher slid the knife too far down."
"Front or back?"
"Back."
"Can you lay down?"
"Yes." Slowly, Latvia lowered his torso until he was on his stomach.
"I'm going to lower your boxers a little," Iceland warned. "Not all the way, but enough to put ointment on the cut."
The small blond nodded, and Iceland could see that his face was pink with embarrassment. Sighing, the older boy lowered the younger's shorts until they were halfway down. Wincing, Iceland saw that a deep cut, one that he thought he had covered already, extended downwards diagonally across half his backside. It looked like it had never been bandaged, and it turned the skin around it an infected pink.
"Why didn't you tell me about this one before? It looks bad." The taller boy quickly slathered ointment on it before taping a small section of a new bandage over it. Making sure to be extra careful, he slowly tugged Latvia's boxers up until everything was covered.
"I didn't want to trouble you," Latvia finally responded. "And after Fletcher touched…" he didn't finish, and his voice got quiet. "I didn't want anyone reaching there for awhile, even if it hurt to sit."
He was scared to be touched there. Overcome with disgust for Fletcher, he gently lifted Latvia's upper body and embraced him, making sure to not jostle his legs. "It's okay," he whispered, pressing their foreheads together. "He won't get another chance to touch you that way. I'll make sure of it."
Latvia nodded, tears in the corners of his eyes.
The moment was shattered when Sealand tapped Iceland's shoulder. "I'm going to use the ointment on Estonia. I'm sure it'll help him."
"That's fine." The Nordic boy turned his attention back to Latvia, whose head was currently pressed into the crook of his neck.
"No, Peter! Don't!" Estonia's frantic cry startled both Iceland and Latvia.
"What?" Sealand dropped the ointment, a strange look on his face.
"What's happening?" Latvia struggled to move closer to Estonia, but his broken legs made it impossible.
As soon as Sealand moved, Iceland saw it. Burned into Estonia's back was a word that shook him to the core. In all caps, 'SLUT' covered the boy's lower back.
"Eduard!" He found himself running to the taller blond's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry!" The agony in the tallest Baltic's voice scared Iceland. "I tried so hard to get away. So hard. But my struggling wasn't good enough!"
No. Please tell me that she didn't! Not to Eduard! Though he hadn't prayed in awhile, he found himself murmuring to a higher power in his own language. I've been trying so hard to keep Latvia safe, but it was Eduard who was…? He wanted to throw up, but he was too far away from the toilet or sink. Suddenly, a thought hit him. Did Strike force him into it, or did she watch as Fletcher or Schramm…Or both…? He coughed, unable to finish the thought. Quickly looking down, he was met with some relief. There is no blood on the back of his boxers. But maybe they changed him? I need to know!
"Eduard!" Iceland couldn't suppress his tears any longer, so he cried, trying to talk at the same time. "Did they…? Were you…?" He wiped his eyes, trying to control his breathing. "Did Strike or any of the others...?" He couldn't bear to finish the sentence.
At that moment, Estonia threw his arms around the silver-haired boy and sobbed, gripping him until his nails dug into his back. Expecting the worst, Iceland wove his fingers into the Nation's thin hair, trying to comfort him. What am I supposed to do now?
But Estonia's words surprised him. "No," he rasped. "She was going to, but Mr. Stanfield stopped her."
Iceland nearly fainted in relief.
"But she did…touch me. A lot. But not where you'd expect, since she wanted it to be my own fault that I got…ah…turned on, rather than hers. She kissed me, licked my lips, and made me undress her and grope her chest." Estonia began to cry again. "It was disgusting; I just wanted her to stop! But she wouldn't listen. And when I tried to get away…" He unraveled the bandages on his arm, revealing another derogatory word cut into his flesh: 'Whore'. "But it was my fault." He turned away, his voice carrying so much shame that Iceland wanted to cry all over again. "I agreed to sleep with her in exchange for medicine to help Raivis. But I couldn't do it. I was too…too scared." His voice got softer until he was almost whispering. "And when I kept refusing her, she got tired of it, took my eyes, whipped me, and branded me with something. I don't even know what it is, but it's bad, isn't it?" He embraced Iceland again, trying to shield his face from the others. "I'm sorry Raivis! I failed you! I'm so sorry! But I couldn't let her do it! I'm sorry. So sorry…"
Horrified, Iceland held the shivering boy until his tears stopped.
/
Latvia couldn't breathe. Estonia's words kept replaying themselves in his mind, his tearful voice assaulting his ears. He sold his body…for me? If I wasn't injured… Suddenly choking, the small blond coughed until he vomited bile all over the floor, and even after everything was released, he still dry-heaved. This is my fault; I wasn't strong enough to deal with the pain…
He felt Sealand's body surround him, but at that moment, he was numb. He did all this for me?The micronation was talking to him, but none of the words made any sense. They sounded garbled, like he was underwater.
"Take me to Eduard!" he finally choked, his voice even hurting his own ears. He knew Sealand complied because suddenly, he felt himself being dragged across the room. His injured legs throbbed painfully, but he graciously accepted the pain. It is punishment for not being strong enough. It is a tribute to Eduard.
As soon as he was at his fellow Baltic's side, he threw his arms around him, sobbing into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Eduard! This is all my fault! You didn't need to do that for me; I would have been okay!"
"No, I wanted to!" Estonia's voice was soft, but the love in it was obvious. "I was tired of being useless. I'm the eldest here; I needed to protect you."
"Please, Ed, just stop it!" More tears fell from Latvia's swollen eyes. "You don't have to be the hero; you've already been through so much!"
Smiling, the Estonian allowed his lip to wobble, and allowed himself to cry. "You don't hate me? I'm not dirty?"
"I will never hate you. And of course you're not dirty! You're the farthest thing from it. You are Eduard Kask, and a hero. I'm just sorry that you went through all of that for…for me. I'm not worth it." Latvia rubbed his sore eyes.
"Raivis…That name…" Estonia whispered, gently rubbing the younger boy's back.
"But it was the one you wanted, right? To use as a 'screw you' to the Russians right after your first independence? Too bad it didn't last long..."
"You…" Estonia shook his head, hugging him tighter. "You are one the most important people in my life. Of course you're worth it. And you're one of the only people who knows about that name. Remember it, in case I forget it."
"Why would you ever for—"
Their conversation was interrupted when the door slammed open. Fletcher stormed into the room, his eyes murderous. "WHERE IS HE?" he yelled, causing Latvia to curl into Estonia as best he could. "WHERE IS THAT WHORE?"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING CALL HIM THAT!" Sealand ran at the man, punching him in the gut.
Coughing, Fletcher winced for a moment before picking the micronation up by his throat and throwing him against the wall. "Shut up, you insignificant child!"
At that moment, all hell broke loose. With a snarl, Snowflake lunged from her nest behind the sink and snapped her jaws around Fletcher's ankle.
"Filthy creature!" The scientist harshly kicked the dog, causing her to whine.
"Leave. Her. Alone!" Sealand crawled in front of Snowflake, shielding her.
"I thought I told you to SHUT UP!" Fletcher kicked the boy in the head until he fell limp. Snowflake whined, pressing her nose against the micronation's forehead.
Enraged, he turned to Estonia. "You disgusting shit!"
Afraid that the man was going to attack his friend, Latvia threw his body forward and wrapped his arms around Fletcher's legs. "Leave him alone! Please! He did nothing!"
"Get off!"
Even though he was kicked in the stomach, Latvia did not let go.
"You want to play it that way? Fine!" The scientist reached downwards, scratching at the small blond's face.
No matter how much pain was being inflicted on him, Latvia refused to allow the man any closer to Estonia.
Because his eyes were closed, the youngest Baltic didn't see where Fletcher's hand traveled until it was too late. The man dug his nails into Latvia's back, reopening the wounds. Just as he finally let go due to the pain, Iceland took his place, but was quickly kicked in the groin, sending him to his knees. After a few kicks to the head, he was knocked unconscious as well.
Before anyone could act further, Fletcher reached his target, yanking him to his feet by his throat and slamming his head into the wall. "You thought you'd get medicine by sleeping around, Estonian bitch? Is that why Russia neglected you at times, because you whored yourself out to him?"
"No! Stop it!"
"Was Strike not good enough for you, was that it? Is that why you shared Stanfield's room last night? Did you want to be fucked by him instead? Did you manipulate them both?"
Now Estonia wasn't even speaking in English. He sobbed in a mess of Estonian and Russian, pleading with Fletcher. While Latvia could not understand the former, he could comprehend the latter, and he cried when he heard the boy beg for mercy. The younger boy tried so hard to move forward, but he couldn't. His legs felt like they were made of lead.
"You know what? I am done with you and your disgusting attitude." He slapped Estonia across the face. "Take off those shorts."
"Ei! Ei!" Estonia shook his head.
"Do it now! Otherwise I will put little Raivis in your place."
Choking, Estonia felt for the waistband of his boxers and slowly slipped them off. He began to hyperventilate as he stood naked in front of his tormentor.
"See this, Strike! Was this really what you wanted to fuck? This piece of shit?" He pushed Estonia backwards until he lost his balance and fell. This time, he did not get up. "Let this be a lesson to you, Raivis, Peter, and Erikur. I don't take kindly to sluts manipulating my co-workers."
"Palun…" Estonia begged weakly, reaching his hand upwards.
It was promptly kicked away by Fletcher, who then placed his foot on the boy's throat. "If you're going to act like a whore, you're going to die like one: naked, on your back, and on the floor."
"No!" But Latvia could do nothing as the scientist stepped on his friend's throat, choking him. All he could do was cry as the boy's face turned blue, and his thrashing got slower. He saw blood drip down Estonia's nose, and he tried with all his might to crawl forward. But when he got close enough to touch the taller blond, it was too late. With one final smash of Fletcher's boot, the life faded from Estonia's posture.
"I hope you learned from this, Raivis," Fletcher whispered, smirking. He bent down, uncomfortably twisting the sensitive spots of Latvia's chest before ruffling his hair and leaving.
When Sealand and Iceland regained consciousness, they were met with the sight of Latvia sobbing over Estonia's limp, naked body, saying nothing but apologies in Latvian. Solemnly, they slid his boxers back on and embraced the crying boy, each and every one of them feeling completely useless.
/
Rodriguez sighed as she wrote the address on the package. Tino Väinämöinen. Finland… I hope you enjoy this video. Rolling her eyes, she placed the case in the box that Crowley's contact would pick up later, to deliver. Fletcher thinks this is going to make Tino disgusted with Eduard. I doubt it would ruin a friendship as old as theirs, but whatever. Fletcher's rules…
Cracking her neck, she narrowed her eyes and watched the 'show' going on in the cell through the surveillance camera. Raivis is getting tenacious, isn't he. Oh man, Fletcher isn't gonna like this… This is getting good…
/
America couldn't take it anymore. Though neither he nor the rest of his fellow Nations had gotten a torture video in awhile, he had a feeling that something terrible was happening to his captured friends. Against his boss's orders, he created a plan of his own.
Once he accessed the classified government files, he found Folder 100. Using his clearance as the personification of the United States, he created another folder, labeled simply, 'Folder 200'. He moved all of the documents there, and he secured it with a new password, something not even his boss could figure out.
The next part took awhile, but he created new documents filled with jibberish and random Wikipedia articles to match the exact size as the old files. Once he was done, he put the new files in Folder 100 and wiped his tracks clean so that there showed no signs of when the folder was last updated.
Wiping his eyes and forehead, America finally sent the password to Folder 100 to the email address he was given in one of the torture videos.
I know they'll discover this eventually, but I hope this buys us some time.
/
A week after America let the other Nations know about what he did as a diversion, the Nordics decided to have a meeting at Denmark's house. All four of them were getting increasingly worried about the state of the captured Nations, and were trying to come up with a better plan to rescue them.
Though it didn't seem it on the surface, Denmark was very rattled by everything. Sealand and Iceland were like brothers to him, Latvia was Sealand's friend, and Estonia? When the Dane was a teen, he had control over the tallest Baltic, who was only a child then. Though he admitted he was a little cruel at first, he had come to see the boy as a dear friend. Not to mention, their current relations were very positive.
Sighing, Denmark quietly left his house. He needed some fresh air; he was getting stifled by the heat, and by the depressing situation. As soon as he stepped outside, however, his eyes drifted to a little white package at his feet.
No! Not another one! But as he picked it up, he noticed something. Though it was clearly his address on the package, the name was wrong. Instead of 'Mathias Køhler', it read 'Tino Väinämöinen'. What? Something was different about this video, and he was going to find out what.
As soon as he snuck back to his room, he plugged in headphones and slid the disk into his computer. While there was no sound so far, a title message appeared.
We hope you enjoy this video, Finland. It shows what your best friend Estonia has been up to this past week. Who knew he had such a 'naughty' side…
'Naughty side?' Denmark's stomach twisted. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be pleasant. And it wasn't.
The video opened up with Estonia being pushed into a room by the blonde female scientist. Strike was her name, if I can remember… All thoughts of her name left him when the scientist took off her clothes until she was standing in her underwear.
No… Oh God, no! Denmark finally put the pieces together, and he resisted the urge to scream. Frantic, he pressed the every button he could think of to try to fast forward. But he couldn't.
Estonia looked up, trying to avoid making eye contact with Strike, or her body. "Will I get the medicine for Raivis now? Or afterwards?"
"Do you really think I would give it to you now? Then you'd leave without helping me out!"
"Can't you do it yourself if you're that desperate?"
Denmark could just hear the desperation in Estonia's voice. He doesn't want to do this, but he needs medicine for Latvia? He must be really hurt if he's willing to…
As the video went on, Denmark had to bite his lip to keep from throwing up. Not only did Strike forcibly kiss Estonia, but she also choked him, slapped him, and carved 'Whore' into his arm.
"No…Please!" Estonia cried openly, now.
"I wonder how your citizens would react to knowing how far their Nation has fallen. Would they still love you and revere you if they discovered that you were no better than a common street whore?"
Don't listen to her, Eduard! With each word, Denmark's heart broke for the shivering boy. And he could see that Estonia's heart was breaking as well.
After Strike made a disgusting comment about Latvia, Estonia stood up for himself, and for his friend, which made Denmark internally cheer. But his happiness was short-lived, horror taking its place when Strike snapped, restraining him to a lab table and brutally stabbing his eyes in.
No! Eduard! Denmark didn't realize he was crying until he felt the tears on his hand. He watched in horror as the boy was flipped onto his stomach and whipped. He realized the pain was far from over when Strike presented a burning piece of metal in the shape of an S to the camera.
The Nordic Nation realized too late what was going to happen. "No!" he whispered when the metal was pressed into his lower back. As Estonia screamed, Denmark silently screamed with him.
The scientist didn't stop with just one letter. No, she continued to brand the boy until S,L,U,T came together and formed the horrible word. The word that would scar Estonia's back for most likely his eternal life.
Suddenly, the door slammed open in the video, but the picture went staticky. Words soon appeared on the screen, and Denmark squinted to read them through his watering eyes.
Wasn't Estonia disgusting? Look at how he manipulated the lovely Strike, and didn't even bother giving her what she asked for. It was a pity Eduard had to be restrained and damaged so much. I bet you were wondering who was at the door. Let's just say one of the male scientists decided to join Strike… Estonia is a lucky Nation isn't he? It's completely understandable if, by now, you are done with this piece of trash. It will save your country a lot of trouble if you just forget about Estonia entirely…
Finally, the video went black. Closing his computer screen, Denmark let the words sink into his brain.
"Let's just say one of the male scientists decided to join Strike… Estonia is a lucky Nation isn't he?"
Denmark's eyes snapped open. No. Nonononono. The thought of the thin Nation being violated by not one, but two of the scientists made him absolutely sick. Before he realized he had done it, he had crushed his computer's mouse in his hand. Screaming, he ripped it from the laptop and threw it against the wall, where it shattered. They'll pay! he vowed, his eyes now leaking more tears than they had in a long time. They will not get away with ruining him! Eduard will not be forgotten.
He said nothing as the other Nordics stormed into his room, wondering what happened. He was too afraid that he would break down completely.
/
And that was the end of this…interesting…chapter. I really hope it was worth the wait. Once again, I apologize for the vulgarity. This is the end of the 'Estonia' story arc, so besides the beginning of the next chapter, this subplot will be referenced, but it won't be the main focus, anymore.
There are a lot of perspectives in this one, but I really wanted to show a lot of characters' thoughts, here.
I really hope that Iceland's and Latvia's parts seemed 'real', and that their reactions to Eduard's torture were both different and similar, if that made sense.
I know Estonia's canon surname is von Bock, and I respect that, but I don't think that would have ever been Eduard's surname of choice, especially when his people became more nationalistic. (Since, come on, it's not even Estonian!) In my headcanon, Estonia gave himself an Estonian surname after his first independence, but was forced to change it back to von Bock for humiliation purposes during WWII. (And then later on, he just got so used to it on paperwork that he didn't bother changing it back to avoid confusion.) I also see only Germany, Russia, and their governments at the time knowing about this, but since it was more of a personal thing, I don't think Eduard made it 'public' in time, so it was easier for them to make him change it back. As for Latvia, I just think Estonia told him about it one day. I chose the surname 'Kask' for him because it just seemed right to me, XD. (It also means birch, and I like the imagery of it, so, yeah…)
As for Fletcher, I really hope he is becoming more and more unhinged to the readers. (Not to mention, he is 'punishing' Estonia because he thinks Eduard almost got medicine through manipulation.)
Poor, Poor Estonia in this... That was not a pretty way to die...
And hooray, Snowflake is protecting Sealand, now!
Rodriguez is an idiot; she basically didn't care so much that she put Denmark's address with Finland's name, X'D.
Speaking of Denmark, his part was a PAIN to write. I never wrote him before, so I hope he turned out all right. To me, he is a very emotional person, so seeing this really gets his blood boiling.
And even though we know that Stanfield intervened to prevent Estonia from being traumatized further, Denmark doesn't know that. All he knows is what was cryptically stated in the video, as well as what he saw, so of course he would jump to conclusions and assume the worst.
Also, I see him and Estonia as good friends because their modern relations are positive. (Not to mention, I just think they'd be adorable buddies, since they're opposites, XD.)