Welcome to another chapter!
This one will show the girls interacting with the Baltics.
I still can't believe that this story was supposed to be a oneshot! It's just too much fun to write!
*I do not own Hetalia. I do own Elts, Liene, and Liutas, however.*
Installment Nine
The Baltics quickly discovered that their protégés were not in Elts' room. However, they did hear running water, so Estonia assumed that one of the girls wanted to take a bath. Wanting to make sure that they—especially Elts, since he knew her the best—were okay, he hesitantly knocked on the door.
"Come in!" was Elts' muffled response.
Looking quizzically at the other two Baltics, Estonia shrugged before opening the door. Liutas was sitting on the sink, wrapped up in a fluffy towel that he knew wasn't his, while Elts sat primly on the closed toilet seat, also clothed in a towel (though this one was his). Liene, however, was already in the almost-filled bath, though she was short enough that only her head, neck, and shoulders were visible. Since all three were relatively decent in terms of dress (or lack there of, in regard to Liene), Estonia didn't feel as awkward being in the room with them.
"So, I take it you all want to take a bath?" Lithuania asked.
Elts raised an eyebrow at Estonia, in an almost 'really, he asked that?' sort of gesture.
"Yeah," Liutas finally responded. "It's very comforting, for us. And hey, in Japan, bathhouses are popular, and it's a bunch of people naked together, so I don't think this is that weird…"
Lithuania held up a hand. "I wasn't even going to say it was weird. Back when Estonia, Latvia, and I lived with Russia, sometimes we'd take baths together, too. It comforted us, just like it comforts you. Believe me, we all understand."
"Yeah, we'll leave you alone now so you don't have to keep awkwardly grabbing your towel." Latvia gestured to Elts.
"Raivis!" Estonia hissed, noticing the blush forming on Elts' face. "That was so rude!"
"What? It's true, though!"
A glare from Lithuania caused him to shrug. "Okay, I'm sorry. We'll leave now."
/
As soon as the three nations left the room, Liutas let her towel drop.
"I think the water's filled up enough." She quickly turned off the faucet. "Move over, Liene."
The shortest girl complied, and Liutas slid into the bath, sighing. "It's so relaxing already!"
"Hey, Elts, there's enough room for you, too!" Liene smiled, gesturing towards the last open spot.
Biting her lip, Elts slowly unwrapped her towel and stepped into the tub, though she didn't meet any of her friends' eyes.
"What's wrong?" Liene tilted her head.
"You two look like you've healed more than me. I look like a skeleton."
"Elts, we know your rapid healing is damaged. Of course you'll take longer to heal and put on some weight. And it doesn't matter to us; you're perfect the way you are." Liutas wrapped her arms around Elts, who had tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
"Yeah, and you still look pretty hot!" Liene chimed in.
"Thanks, guys."
The three were silent for awhile, until Liutas brought up another topic. "So, what do you think of these nations?"
"Before all the experimentation, I wouldn't have believed the idea. But now? It makes perfect sense to me." Elts leaned back.
"I'm glad there's another set of immortals for us to interact with, too," stated Liene. "And Raivis is so friendly. I know he thinks he's doing a bad job as a mentor, but he's shown me more kindness than anyone outside of our friend group has. Plus," she blushed, "he's really cute. And he's handling my…" she gestured at her body. "Fairly well, actually."
"Toris is probably the sweetest guy I've come across, too," Liutas added. "I found out he's even into swordsmanship, so he told me we could spar sometime. How awesome is that? Sparring with my own nation!" She turned to Elts. "What about you?"
"I'm probably the only protégé besides you two who likes living here better than back at home. Eduard is amazing; he's sort of like Taaveti in terms of the nerdiness, but without the 'invites himself over to my room with some booze, gets tipsy, messes up my room, then leaves' aspect to him."
"I remember that!" Liene exclaimed. "It reminded me of this entry about Tallinn I saw in a travel guide so long ago."
"Let me guess, drunken Finns?" Liutas teased.
Elts sank deeper into the water.
Soon, the three were embracing and laughing, laughing till they cried. None of them were sure whether or not the tears were of happiness or of bittersweet longing, so they wiped them away quickly and tried not to dwell on them too much.
/
The walls in Estonia's house were thin, so even though he and the other Baltics didn't want to intentionally listen in on their protégés' conversation, they ended up hearing most of it.
"Liene thinks I'm cute?" Latvia marveled, a blush tinting his cheeks pink.
"And see? She thinks you're doing a great job as a mentor," Lithuania pointed out. "So you can stop worrying about it!"
Latvia nodded, holding a hand to one of his cheeks. Estonia could swear that he was muttering 'Cute?' under his breath.
"They're sweet girls," Lithuania stated, sitting on Estonia's desk chair. "They didn't deserve all the hardships they went through."
Estonia nodded. "They're strong, though. I know they can heal. It will just take time. And a little help from us."
The three sat silently for awhile, until they heard the water being drained. Soon after, the girls exited the bathroom, now freshly dressed and smelling of flowers.
"It's a new lotion," Liutas explained. "Paula gave it to me before I returned to Lithuania."
The mention of the American made Estonia remember what he wanted to tell his new friends. "Now that you're with us, you get to attend world meetings along with us. And there just happens to be one in two weeks."
"Does that mean we get to see the others?" Liutas inquired.
"Yes," Lithuania answered. "You will also be able to meet the other nations, as well."
A look of genuine interest and happiness appeared on Elts' face, and Estonia's chest filled with warmth. He suddenly wished Elts would smile more, though he dismissed the thought quickly, knowing that it would take time for her to do so. But he would wait; it was worth it.
Ooh, does Estonia have a crush, or is he just feeling at ease around Elts? (Personally, I see their bond as platonic, but I can see where this is starting to sound romantic, haha.)
Next installment will have the world meeting, and introduce more Nations and Representatives!