Toyls dried himself quickly before throwing his clothes back on, anxious to see what kind of damage Poland had to endure during his absence. It would surely be much more than old combat scars they had in their younger years if Feliks was acting so serious but hesitant to show him. Lithuania stepped out of the bathroom half expecting Feliks to be standing right there across from the door. But he wasn't. So the brunet looked and easily found the other Nation in the living room, on the couch. He had one of the scrapbooks open on his lap. Toyls approached carefully and sat down next to him, glancing down at the scrapbook to see a huge clipping with a headline written in Polish. Toyls could recognize the word for defeat.

"So…you actually do have something you're hiding, like my scars?" Toyls asked tentatively as if he was speaking about taboo subjects.

Feliks nodded. "Tak, granted, not as…bad as yours, not as widespread, I should say. Most of mine have fully healed on the outside, at least. It's harder to say for the inside though…" Feliks' hand went to massage his neck where Toyls spotted a silver lining of scar tissue around the entire neck, if he looked close enough.

"There's one I keep hidden, even to this day. It's covered up with makeup or long sleeves, always. Sometimes both if I'm feeling really paranoid about someone finding it. It's a lot easier to hide in the fall and winter cause of coats and sweaters, but spring and summer are more complicated for me with the placement n stuff."

Lithuania had an idea about what Poland was talking about. He used clothes and makeup to hide his bruises at the mansion. "You don't have to show me if you're not ready to, if it still causes you so much pain."

"Nie, I need to get this off my chest. So someone else knows." He took a shaky breath and pointed to the newspaper clipping. "Can you read this or is your Polish too rusty? Ah, anyways, it says 'Germany defeated.' That's the headline from the day Germany signed their surrounded."

Feliks turned the page to another clipping. "This one says, 'Thousands saved from concentration camps.'"

Toyls gulped, fearing where this was going and how it would end. Not the camps. Anywhere, anything, but those hell holes.

Feliks silently rolled up his left sleeve up to his bicep and held his arm out for Toyls to see. The brunet gasped loudly and covered his mouth with both hands, tears forming in his eyes already. His eyes were glued to those blue-black numbers forever inked into the blond's skin.

"Feliks, oh god no."

"It's the brand they gave me the first day I was there," Feliks explained, his eyes looking off to the distance and blank. "I used to have angry red claw marks all around it, trying to scratch it off several times."

There were long and deep looking scratch marks left around the skin, all faded and almost impossible to see if one didn't want to see. But Toyls saw. And he stared.

"I thought about getting it removed since the last of the survivors are dying off now, but I can't bring myself to do it. I can't afford to believe that anything is impossible. I can't afford the luxury of being in denial."

Toyls stared at the uneven, crooked zeros on Feliks' left arm with disgust and sympathy, he had never seen a serial number in person as all his children died before they could ever see the camps. But Toyls knew what it was like to carry such a heavy burden on their skin.

"Feliks, I'm so sorry. I…whatever I said yesterday about Germany and the camps, I take it all back. I'm sorry I ever sided with him and accepted his help," He sobbed as he gently kissed those horrible numbers Feliks seized up and held back a choked cry of pain. Toyls looked up when Feliks tensed.

"Did that hurt, Feliks? Oh god, I'm sorry."

"I-it's just sensitive, that's all. It's still kind of painful, you know? Even though it's been there all these years. I absolutely loathe it; I hate that it's tainted my body and my country just by existing. And as much as I wish I could rid of it and just forget about it, but it'll never happen, I can't deny what happened black there and it can't be justified, maybe humans can, but I can't.

"And this horrible, disgusting mark, branding me for what I am. It may not hurt as much as your scars, and the thing may be easier to hide, the damage this thing has done still haunts me, in so many ways."

Feliks buried his face in the brunet's shirt and gripped it hard in his hands. "It will never heal or hurt any less over time, but it will still be there to remind me of how idiotic I was. How I was tortured for just being me. Even though I was a Nation, they still tortured me, took pleasure in it even since we heal so fast. What they put me through was—"

Toyls cut Feliks off, seeing how upset his dear friend was getting. "No need to go into details, Feliks, I…I don't want to know what they did to you. I don't want to hear how they tortured you for hours at a time just because they could, I don't want to think about you being hurt so badly. It will honestly break my heart to hear, so please, don't." He hugged Feliks tight and rocked him gently in his arms.

"I just wish that those crazed lunatics could get a taste of their own medicine, see how they like being treated like human garbage in the camps they created," Toyls said in a darker voice, his anger rising again. But Feliks snapped him right out of it with a desperate outburst.

"Nie! Nobody deserves to go there! There is nobody on earth that I hate enough to send there. Only one person, though, but he's been dead for years now. But that's all. So get those dark thoughts out of your head right now, Toyls Laurinaitis." He had to keep his promise to himself, he couldn't let Toyls go into that darker headspace. That wasn't the Lithuania he loved.

Toyls stared at Feliks with widened eyes, stunned by the outburst and the use of his full name. "I…I'm sorry, Feliks. I didn't know what I was saying, like you said, they were dark thoughts. I have to control them better." He sighed and pulled Feliks in to hug him again, to comfort them both.

"That brand on your skin is worse than my scars. By tenfold, at least. The hand of evil put that on you while my scars were the product of anger and insanity. If I could…if I could have, I would have saved you from this fate, begged Rusija to take you in instead, even if he held you in the basement. You would have had better treatment than with Germany.

"But we were both so stubbornly proud and unwavering when it came to our views on one another at the time that we lost touch of reality. I never want to hear how you got like this again, just like you promised me, I won't let you get hurt, my dearest friend."

Poland sobbed and rubbed his face in the warm material of Toyls shirt and clung to him for dear life. With his guard down from facing his fears, it was difficult for him to seek true comfort that Toyls should have brought him. His words touched his heart, but it was hard for him to really accept the words for what they were.

"Thank you, Liet. With you here, it's much easier to be happy. To not have to be in pain constantly or fell regretful and just for once…let things be the way they should be, how it's meant to be. I'm right where I belong with you here."

Lithuania nodded and let Feliks take his comfort. It reminded him of Latvia, in a way. He leaned back against the couch and helped Feliks propped his legs up and over his lap, so he could sit sideways in his arms. They were comfortable like this in each other's grasps, in each other's warm embraces.

"Just rest for now and be happy, like you were always meant to be," Toyls said softly in a dreamlike voice. "There doesn't have to be pain or regret in this moment here. It can be peaceful and happy for a change, tak?" He placed feather-like kisses on blond hair before resting his head against the other, sharing the sweet moment of peace.

While in their trance like moment of peace, Feliks readjusted himself and sat himself in Toyls' lap, straddling the brunet so they could have more skin contact. It startled Toyls enough to grab at Feliks' arms, his hand brushing up against the brand still on display. Feliks let out a shocked gasp and pulled his arm away from Toyls, quickly pulling the sleeve down. They looked at each other, one concerned, the other apologetic.

"I'm sorry!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

Feliks continued, "I should've warned you I was gonna do that." He looked down sheepishly. "I know you're still totally jumpy from being round Rosja for so long, and it's kind of a intimate position, but I just wanted more of your warmth. I'm sorry I totally ruined our moment there."

"I-I shouldn't have grabbed you; I knew it was just you. Did I hurt you when I grabbed you? You sounded like you gasped in pain."

"You could never hurt me, Liet."

"I'm sure some bruises have different opinions."

Feliks snorted. Okay, that was pretty funny, "Okay, I'll give you that, but you just startled me was all. I knew you still had some crazy reflexes left in there," he giggled. "But I know you'd never hurt me now that we're reconnected. I'm not afraid of you. And I never will be cause I love and trust you enough to keep me safe, even when my guard is down."

Toyls sighed softly in relief. "Okay, I'm just glad I didn't hurt you. As for the position…it's…it's okay. If you need me like this, then I won't complain." He suddenly went serious again as he took a self-proclaimed oath. "I will be your sword and shield, just like in the past, so put your faith and trust in me to protect you."

Feliks felt a chill run down his spine as well as a warm blush crawl on his face. He cupped Toyls' cheeks, smiling. "You don't have to be so serious right now, my prince. Don't forget, I'm trying to change too, so you won't be alone with protection detail, I'll be right there too, protecting my precious prince from harm, even from himself."

He kissed both of Toyls' cheeks and then his forehead. He also took hold of an arm and turned it over so he could kiss the Lithuanian's scarred wrist. "If we are gonna be all serious for a moment, know that I will keep my promise. I won't let Rosja lay a finger on you again. No second chances, I will not risk losing you this time. Not ever again."

Lithuania gulped some as he looked Feliks in his eyes, so filled with fire and fight, passion, love. He couldn't help but pull the blond closer and gently kiss him, making them both blush. "It's sealed with a kiss now, so there's no going back on it now, right?"

Feliks flung his arms around Toyls' shoulders and hugged him dearly. "That was like so crazy romantic, Liet! I have butterflies in my stomach now, I'm like, so on cloud nine right now!" He giggled softly and nuzzled against Toyls' neck.

"It…I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't stop myself from kissing you. I guess it just felt right in the moment. I'm sorry if I confused you, I'm even confusing myself, to be honest. I shouldn't do that kind of thing when I don't feel the same way…"

"Don't worry about it, I know you don't share my feelings, yet," he emphasized. "But it just makes all the little kisses worth it, cause it gives me hope for us and our future. Besides, friends can totally kiss each other and not make it weird!"

"Well, you on my lap might make it a little weird, but a nice weird."

"Hej, we're just being comfortable and relaxing. Plus, it's super comfy being on your lap. I've missed being this close to you, y'know?"

Lithuania gave a small chuckle. "I guess it is quite comfortable, reassuring, even. I didn't realize how much I craved another's touch."

"Yeah, same here." Feliks nuzzled Toyls' chest. "We're gonna fix that immediately. So, let's just stay like this and cuddle for a while, okay?"

Toyls nodded and wrapped his arms around Feliks' waist, getting comfortable himself, sighing in content. He closed his eyes and had a peaceful smile on his face. Feliks looked up for a moment and saw how relaxed Lithuania was, relaxing more himself. He closed his eyes as well, enjoying the intimate moment for what it was, a step closer to holding Toyls' heart.

The pair didn't mean to fall asleep, it just happened naturally as they listened to each other's heartbeats and warmth.

For Feliks, it was a great comfort to have Toyls there and that they reconciled. Decades of stress and anguish all gone in a two-day span. It had been a crazy whirlwind, that's for sure, but the results were well worth the pain his body went through during the brawl. It was inspiring—and terrifying—to see that kind of passion, determination, and fight in Toyls after such a long time of being repressed and worn down. He loved that Toyls finally opened up to him, allowed him to hold and kiss him, even if he was doing it to be polite or see his own comfort. He didn't mind if Toyls needed time, he had all the time in the world. He just hoped, that for the rest of time, Toyls would need him as much as he needed him. That Toyls would chose him over everything and everyone.

For Toyls, his spirit was finally at rest and was slowly being repaired by Feliks' unconditional love and boisterous nature. Being on the end of positive love interest was almost a foreign concept to Toyls at this point, but it was a welcomed change. Nothing was expected of him but to heal and grow until he could learn to love instead of being forced for survival's sake. No empty words needed, no shows of anxiety, no duty to perform in a loveless act. It was a great relief off Toyls' mind.

Toyls was the first to wake up after about an hour and a half, feeling a heavy weight on him. He looked down to see blond hair and another body on top of his. The sleeping Pole on his lap. He blushed slightly at their intimate position, but smiled, nonetheless. He had let his guard down enough to fall asleep like that. Guess Feliks just had that effect on him. He didn't want to disturb Poland, so he just closed his eyes and began to think about their relationship up to this point.

They had always had their ups and down, as any couple would, though theirs spanned decades, centuries. They actually didn't fight as much as Toyls thought, when they were together all those years. It was mostly happy as they prospered from their union—Toyls found that word god awful now—though Poland did take advantage of Toyls' kind nature. He realized that he never seemed to mind it that much, especially when compared to his relationship with Russia where it was a take, take, take arrangement. He certainly had taken Feliks for granted.

But now they were together again, a fresh start, and now he wondered what he really wanted out of this new relationship with Feliks. Certainly not sex, Toyls was honestly sick of it at this point, though if it happened naturally, he wouldn't be opposed. But to expect sex just because they were a couple never sat well with Toyls anyways, and he knew Feliks was the same way.

He figured respect was a given at this point, as well as love, well, he would get there eventually whereas Feliks was already there. Toyls knew he liked Feliks, despite his many flaws, and after liking can come loving. The physical touching was nice too, he didn't pull away from it like he would have twenty years ago. But that's not why Toyls agreed to give them another shot. Deep down, he knew that his love for Feliks never truly went away, he dreamed of them reuniting back before Russia had beat the idea out of him so long ago. Because like most of his good qualities, they were pushed deep down and buried over centuries of oppression.

So what did he really want? A partner, he thought. And equal partner with similar ideals and a fire that could bring out Toyls' best side. That was Feliks, he thought fondly, and with both of them working on their flaws to better themselves for the sake of each other, made him hopeful for the future.

Lithuania's train of though came to a halt when he felt Feliks stir and groan out.

Feliks sat up some and stared at Lithuania in the face with a teary-eyed expression. "Oh my god, it wasn't a dream. Awesome!" He squealed and squeezed Toyls tight, taking the brunet by surprise. "I thought I dreamt of us being together like back then and you being here only for me to wake up and you weren't…"

"Nope, it wasn't a dream, Feliks. I'm here, we're kind of back together, I think, at least. I think we're a couple again, but I don't know since…you know…"

"What are you talking about? Of course we're a couple, silly! We're boyfriends and everything now. Oh! But that reminds me. We totally need to go on a real date to make it super official." He suddenly gasped loudly and scrambled to his feet. "Oh my god, I need to go feed my animals before they starve to death can you make us something to eat too, would totally appreciate that, thanks!" he said quickly all in one breath and bolted out the door.

Before Toyls knew it, he was alone on the couch and left in charge to make them dinner. He sighed some and grabbed a hair tie to pull his hair out of his face. This was okay, after all, Feliks had animals to tend to and knew from personal experience that it took a lot out of someone. Feliks would be hungry afterwards, so making dinner wasn't a big deal, he thought it was a fair trade off.

Feliks came back inside after nearly an hour and a half later with small bits of hay in his hair and clothes. He smiled wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen and smiled wide. Toyls had cooked dinner! How very sweet of him. He bound for the kitchen just in time to see Toyls putting food on the dinning room table. The brunet jumped slightly when he saw Poland but smiled thoughtfully at him.

"Ah, my timing was perfect after all. I took the liberty of preparing our meal," Toyls explained as he took a seat at the dinning table.

Feliks quickly joined him at the table and looked at the spread before him. He saw cabbage rolls, potato pancakes with sour cream, and best of all: pierogi. "Oh my god, Liet. You made all of this in the time I was gone? You're fantastic, Liet! Thank you!"

Toyls blushed at the compliment. "I just did what I could with the ingredients you had laying around the house. I hope everything tastes all right, I tried to season as best I could with your spice rack."

"Oh, hush, Toyls. It smells delish. Plus, you made it all from scratch, huh? So it must be good if you made it yourself," Feliks concluded as he leaned forward and kissed Toyls on the cheek before he loaded his plate up with food.

With a warm blush on his face, Toyls followed suit and served himself. Feliks popped a dumpling into his mouth and moaned at the juicy taste.

"Oh wow! Totally yummy! What's the filling made of?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Oh, the cepelinai are filled with mushrooms, potatoes, and cheese. You didn't have a lot of fresh meat, I could only find some ground chicken in the fridge and used that with the cabbage rolls," Toyls explained.

"Eh? Cepelinai? You mean these aren't pierogi?" Feliks ask as he looked at the ten remaining dumplings on the serving plate.

"Oh, that's what my country calls them, but they are basically the same. Cultural differences, you know? We all want our own versions of comfort meals."

"Right, right," Feliks said as he waved his hand in understanding. "Well, whatever they're called, they're delicious. And the gotąbki looks perfect, 'cept I'm guessing you couldn't make the tomato sauce that goes on top, which is totally fine. I doubt I had the ingredients for it anyways."

Toyls laughed slightly. It felt good to hear. "Ne, you didn't. But I'm sure it'll taste good. I still had a good recipe for the balandėliai, or rather, what did you call it? Gotąbki? Anyways, I wanted to make things our cultures shared. To celebrate us getting back together."

"Aww. You're so totally adorable, thank you! That's the nicest thing to hear ever!" Feliks picked up a pieróg—cepelina…a single dumpling—and held it up for Toyls to heat from his hand. Toyls blushed and leaned over to take the cepelinas from Feliks' fingers and chewed. The Pole squealed in delight. "So totally cute," he gushed, making Toyls blush more.

"Thank you," Toyls said after he swallowed the dumpling. "I'm glad you like my cooking."

"Are you kidding? I always loved your cooking. I looked forward to when you cooked back at the castle."

Feliks pulled a cabbage roll to his plate and cut into the steaming hot dish, immediately taking a big bite, instantly regretting it. He fanned his mouth and chewed painfully. "Ow! Ow, hot, hot, hot!"

Toyls blinked and stifled a laugh as he quickly came to the rescue with a dollop of sour cream to help Feliks' burnt mouth and tongue. "Here, this should help."

Poland quickly ate up the sour cream and let it melt in his mouth and coat it before sighing in relief. "Like, thanks a ton."

They ate the rest of their meal, chatting and joking with one another about food, mostly to keep the conversation light and jovial. Toyls talked about the food that his country adopted from Polish cuisine and told him their names in Lithuanian, with Poland telling him what they were called there.

They ended up teaching each other about their languages, turning their after-dinner talk into a language lesson. They told each other how to say common phrases like 'thank you,' 'you're welcome,' and even 'I love you,' though Toyls was hesitant to say it aloud until Feliks convinced him it wouldn't count. Feliks loved the way Toyls said it and tried to replicate the phrase.

"Ash tah-vay me-loo," Feliks said proudly, thinking he had gotten it.

Toyls smiled and giggled softly. "Almost, Feliks. Aš tave myliu," he repeated slowly.

"Ah… aš tave myliu," Feliks repeated. He giggled softly and hugged Toyls. "Hey, Toyls! Aš tave myliu!"

Lithuania smiled warmly and cupped Feliks' cheek, saying something else in Lithuanian that sounded equally as pretty as 'I love you.' "Tu esi gražus," he said with a faint blush.

Feliks smiled. "What does that phrase mean?"

"It means 'you are beautiful.'"

The blond's entire face lit up and he lunged closer to the other, nearly knocking them out of their chairs with the force. "You think I'm beautiful, really?"

"Well, yeah…anyone can see that much."

"But you, specifically you, Toyls, find me beautiful? That's a lot different than generalizing it to just anyone!"

"Y-yeah, I've always thought you were beautiful."

Feliks giggled and kissed the tip of Toyls' nose. "I love that, Toyls! Cause you're so totally my handsome prince! I'm so super glad."

They finished up their banter and both Nations stood to clean up from dinner, washing their dishes and chatting away. Though Toyls did most of the cleaning, washing the dishes in scolding hot water while Feliks dried them and set them down on a towel to put them away later. It was nice to fall into a routine Lithuania knew all too well, from his days back in the mansion, but with Feliks there, he didn't feel trapped like back then.

Before they knew it, it was almost ten at night and they were suddenly tired. Feliks was the first to show his tiredness, yawning loudly and stretching. He suggested they go to bed soon and Toyls agreed happily.

"Could I trouble you for some sleep clothes, Feliks?"

"Yeah, totally. I can see what I have in my closet. Maybe one of my nightgowns could—I mean, um, sleepshirts, could possibly…work for you. Eh heh…" Feliks said with a nervous laugh, still trading carefully for Toyls' sake.

Lithuania smiled softly, "Semantics, Feliks. Why panic over something so trivial, it has many names. It doesn't bother me, you know. That you wear women's clothing. It's an endearing quality of yours, I've learned. It makes you special and it makes you…you."

Feliks' face lit up again and he jumped into Toyls' arms, kissing him softly and giggling, confusing the stunned Lithuanian. "Oh my god, Liet! You can't just keep saying all these sweet things and not expect me to not kiss you properly as a thank you!"

Toyls looked confused. "I need to be properly thanked with…kisses?"

"Well, duh! I need to always thank you properly, my sweet prince." He grabbed Lithuania's hand and lead him to the master bedroom where he sat Toyls down on the edge of the bed.

"You don't have to go through everything just to find me something, anything will do!" Toyls called out, but Feliks was already deep into his closet, rummaging. He sighed softly and laid down to test the bed, it was much nicer than the hotel bed, that's for sure. And the bed was huge, it was a king-sized bed with cream colored sheets and a pink comforter on top. He stared at the ceiling and sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment.

Feliks came back ten minutes later with a single nightgown in hand, holding it up triumphantly for Toyls to see. It was perfect for the Lithuanian, a deep forest green with light blue laced edges, tiny flowers and deer graced the dark fabric. "I found the perfect one, I knew I had something that was so you! What do you think—"

He noticed Toyls was asleep on the bed and held back a soft giggle. He totally needed a picture and tracked down his phone quickly to preserve the moment. He favorite shot was a close up of Toyls' peaceful face. After taking the pictures he wanted, he noticed Toyls was laying on the comforter and hummed in thought. He grabbed another blanket from the closet and covered Toyls up before he got ready for bed. He slipped in under the covers of his bed and snuggled up close to Toyls, happy to have his lover right there in his bed, sleeping beside him. He fell asleep with a large smile on his face.