Damn. [Latvia x Reader] -Part 2 out of 3-

Slight warning: I don't recommend for those 12 and under, but I think all you guys can handle this chapter.

After a moment of putting my own thoughts together and tugging a lock of Raivis's extremely soft and envy-inducing hair as I passed by him towards my bag, I started rummaging through it.

"Alright. I am going to need you to disappear for a better half of an hour because I'm going to be setting everything up. So, go find something to do in the meantime, and stay on the second floor until I say otherwise." I commanded, halfheartedly.

"But-"

"No buts!" Not even your really cute one.

Oh my God. Did I just-?

He made a whining sound in the back of his throat, and trudged half-heartedly up the staircase.

"F..fine, I'll be in the shower." He sulked obediently.

I grinned whilst clasping my hands together in retro super villain fashion. And so it begins.

The color scheme revolved around maroon and white, taking his favorite colors into consideration. Looking through my arsenal of decorations that consisted of a banner reading "Happy Birthday!" to be strung along the entryway of the house, some colored paper plates and cutlery, ribbon, balloons, streamers, and of course party hats designed for those who were ten years of age and younger (mostly for shits and giggles). Last but not least, I packed a couple of presents for him.

Well, those were the only things packed for the 'party'. I had also packed a couple days' worth of clothes and thing in the event of actually being allowed to stay for the few days my parents will be away.

*Le time skip brought to you by the lack of the authoress's ravenous plot bunnies *

I had decorated the entire lower level of the house, and I was pretty damn proud to say the least. All was perfect except for the banner. The place where it was supposed to go was too high up. I was determined to not have Rai's not-very-secret-surprise party too half-ass'd and end up having him help put it together. I grabbed a ladder from the garage, I propped it against the wall, and got the banner and thumb tacks ready.

All of the sudden, a door unexpectedly shut (closer to slamming actually) next to my head on the upper level, and I flinched, nearly losing my balance. I clutched to the ladder and part of the wall for dear life, and waited for a sense of balance to return. Once that fiasco was behind me, I pinned the first side of the banner with the thumb tack successfully.

I got down from the ladder, and had to move it to the other side of the foyer. Getting ready to secure the other side, I see a tiny, black, flying bug land on my nose. Now, if you wouldn't freak out at something randomly landing on your nose, then you can just go get some help because noses are not meant for miniature flight landings. I, as a somewhat normal (Yeah, right.) human being did indeed spazz out and fell from the freakin' ladder. Now, it really wasn't that far up, but as luck would have it, I was still holding the tacks.

Lucky me.

I landed on the cool, tiled floor with an 'oomph', and as the tacks scattered, one punctured my forehead. Yes. You read that correctly. My forehead. Luckily, that was the only injury other than a few bruises that'd hurt tomorrow morning. The bug mockingly flew away unharmed, while I was motionless on the floor. I plotted its demise as I fumbled back up onto my feet.

I trudged over to the mirror to look over the damage. The tack was still implanted into my face, and there was bruising on my cheek as well as bruising surrounding the tack. Now, I'm not normally squeamish and am able to watch the goriest horror movies I could get my hands on, yet I could not find it in myself to dislodge the damn thing without squirming.

"_! What happened? I heard a thump, and.. and.. i..is that a tack in your forehead!?"

I yelped, and blood rushed to my ears. Oh, my poor, poor soul. I was not prepared for this.
Nuh uh. Not in a million years, and not for the reason you think. For a minute my brain stopped functioning, and I forgot the whole falling and getting an arrow to the knee a thumbtack to the forehead. Because standing in his naïvely-accidentally-hotter-than-hell glory was Raivis. Obviously directly from the shower. Shirtless. God-like hair dripping wet. A stray water droplet ran down his surprisingly lean-muscled chest. His plaid, flannel pajama pants were hanging dangerously low on his hips, and a towel was thrown over his shoulder.

I think my heart damn near quit on me.

"_!" He was certainly worried, and I remembered that he was waiting on an answer.

"Huh?"

"You.. have a tack in your forehead."

I looked up, cross-eyed, and momentarily not coherent enough to understand English apparently. Finally, I re-acknowledged that I had a thumb tack puncturing my face.

"Oh, yeah."

He stared at me in concerned disbelief.

"Are you going to take it out?" He pointed slightly at it.

"Honestly. I don't know if I can." My breathing and heart rate were returning to normal. Were.

Until he decided to walk saunter over, in my personal bubble, lifting my face up toward him, and examining the damage. His thumb ran over the bruise on my cheek, and his sympathetic gaze searched for any other possible bruises. My ears grew redder and I was sure that my face was flushed, and my mind was running way past the lines of where it should.

"D..do you want m..me to take it out?" He whispered, warm breath fanning across my face, instantly my face get prickly warm. I grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Just..get it over with. Okay?"
I gave myself a pat on the back for not turning into a puddle of goo, and keeping my voice straight if not lowering it a little, and I looked toward the floor.

His seemingly permanent puce-pigmented cheeks deepened in color as he nodded. He was almost completely hiding behind his hair. The effect he had on me was accidental. He had this innocent, naïve air and for some reason it made me want him. Perhaps more than I should.
Holy shit. Do I have a fetish?

I sound awful. Well honestly, I really didn't care.

He reached for the tack. There was a 'pluck' sound, and then a tiny drop of blood trickled down. It ran down the tip of my nose, and fell to the floor. Rai lead me to the bathroom by my wrist where he pulled out a first aid kit.

Next thing you know, the blood was cleaned up after the bleeding stopped, I put on some liquid bandage, and I took an Advil for the swelling and/or pain.

"There. See? Not so bad, huh?"

"Thanks, Rai."

He smiled assuringly, and we left the bathroom.

"Well, that was fun. " I muttered with light sarcasm.

Then I remembered something. The banner was still not put up.

"Oh, man. I'll be right back. I have to finish putting the thing up."

I walked back up to the ladder, and was about to show that motherfucking banner who's boss when a hand came down on my shoulder and pulled me back.

"M..maybe I should finish that for you." He looked down at me with his big, indigo eyes.
It's strange saying that since he used to be the one having to look up at me.

"Rai. It's your birthday, and I'd feel bad if I made you put up your own birthday stuff."
He looked up at the banner and then back down at me.

"I'd feel h..horrible if I made you go back up there and risk you getting hurt again. Plus, you're not making me do anything. I want to do it."

"I'll still do it anyways. I promise that I'll be careful."

I turned on my heel, and started climbing the ladder, determined to finish what I started. That is until he, once again, grabbed my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks.

I felt his warm breath next to my ear, and his fingers were firmly holding my shoulder, albeit they were slightly shaky.

"W..well, I said 'no'."
His voice muttered lowly, his Latvian accent heavier than usual. I felt my spine tingle, and a shudder flicker down my spine without my consent. Damn. Goosebumps appeared on my neck and arms, and I tried not to move an inch. Jesus. At least I didn't blush.

Just as fast as he stopped me, he let go, stole the thumbtack out of my hand, and headed up the ladder. I was peeved at myself for allowing him to have such an effect on me, and it made me feel guilty for having those feelings because he probably only wanted nothing but a friendship with me.
I felt as if it was all biased.. a double standard.

Sheesh, I hate it when I think too hard.

"Seriously, It's not a big deal."

"I know, so why not let me do it for you? You've already got to do everything else."
Good point. Raivis had successfully pinned the banner up without a hitch, and I stood there, feeling like an incompetent monkey.

"Sorry."

"Pardon? For what?" He seemed minorly surprised of my apology.

"For being a pain in the butt." I kicked imaginary dust as I looked down at my bare feet.
He smiled and ruffled my hair.

"It's not at all a problem. I don't mind helping."

"I know.." I sounded like a stubborn, forlorn kid.

"Besides, didn't you mention something about making a cake?"

*time skip to cake baking in the kitchen in Latvia's point of view*

We were both trying to gather the ingredients for the cake, and most of everything was out, and we only had to find the egg-beaters. I was looking for the machine while _ was searching for the actual beaters.

"Okay," She paused, propping her hands on her hips, while she was turned away from me, looking up into the cupboard. "I have some good news, and I have some bad news."

"Y..yes?" I couldn't help but stutter for the hundredth time today.

"Good news first or bad news?" She sighed, as if growing tired.

I gulped, and my cheeks flushed a little.

"Uh, surprise me?"

I'm not sure what's been going on, but I've been more aware of how good she looks. More than usual. And I have nothing to pin the change in my train of thought on other than my sudden growth. I've been feeling warmer and, although I've always found her attractive in mind and spirit, I feel more.. physically attracted as well.

Not that I haven't always thought she was pretty, but it's as if the feeling has intensified, and my mind keeps drifting. Drifting to places where I want to do really bad things to her. It's making me a nervous, erratic wreck. What if I accidentally do something, and she thinks that I'm a sicko or she finds out that I want more than just her friendship and then what we do have is ruined?

I have always read those clichés in romance novels with the same problem, but the fear is very real and it is driving me crazy. All I can do is try not to mess up, and hope. Hope for what? I'm not sure, but something has got to happen. Oh my goodness, I need a drink.. or five.

"Hello~?" A hand waved in front of my face, and I saw that she was right in front of me. I flushed even more, and I couldn't do anything but shake. If only I grew out of my anxiety..

"H..huh?" She stepped back, and faced the other cupboard again.

"I said, 'I found both the machine and the beaters'," He paused, and strained to reach the shelf above her. "',but'" She huffed, exasperatedly. "'I can't reach them.'"

"I'll see if I can reach them." I offered quietly, and I was pleased to hear that I at least didn't stutter. I walked over to where she was, and I saw where the egg beaters were, and reached as far as I could. I grasped them, but I sucked in a breath when I felt my stomach grow warm. I looked down, and I was that _ was trapped between me and the counter, and her back was pressed against me, and I felt her tense.

As soon as I had a hold of them, I quickly stepped away from her, and I could almost swear that our faces were the same shade of puce. I held out the beaters, and she took them as I mumbled a shaky apology.

She immediately stared down at her feet, and she blushed even more. In all of my time of knowing her, I'd never seen her so shy and submissive. My body grew warm at the idea, and I cursed myself for wanting to see more of that from her. Oh dear.

*Reader's point of view.*

Oh God. Did that really happen?

He was really warm, and it felt so nice being close to him, but I have to get a grip on myself. I could feel my face radiating warmth, and after I took the beaters, I read the ingredients off the list so I could mix the batter.

I started the beaters, and all was going well until I saw Raivis, out of the corner of my eye, drinking from a vodka bottle. I knew that he drank sometimes, but come on, man! Chugging straight from vodka bottles?

I think he saw that I had 'What the Hell!?' written across my face because he stopped drinking to tell me something.

"I hope you don't mind me drinking. I promise that I can hold my liquor, so don't be too alarmed."

He paused.

"Would you like some?"

"Uh, I've never tried liquor before, but.. I'll try a sip I guess." I knew I probably wasn't going to like it, but I thought I'd be a good sport, and try a little. As they say, 'When in Rome..'

He took over the batter mixing, while I gripped the bottle, albeit a little apprehensive. I tipped the bottle, and I accidentally tipped it to far, and swallowed a mouthful. Way to go, me. So much for a sip.

It tingled and heated my throat on the way down, and it made my tummy feel all warm. I guess it wasn't as horrible as I expected, but it wasn't that much better either. At first, I didn't feel any different. However, about forty-five seconds later, I could momentarily feel a weighted sensation in my bones, and then I started to feel lighter. Man, I guess I'm a lightweight.

I think I understood why Rai drinks so much. I feel warm, calm, and.. what's the word.. comfortable? Yeah, something like that.

"Well?"

"Um, not bad. I guess."

"Feel free to help yourself to some more. We've got plenty, but I wouldn't recommend drinking too much, _."

"Okie dokie. Am I supposed to feel this weird already?"

"I think you're just not used to it."

I 'hn'ed in agreement.

I took over the eggbeater, and put it to high, and I had Raivis set the oven and get a couple round cake-tins.

Once those were set up and filled with batter, we put them in the oven.
Since we had to wait for the actual batter to be fully cooked, I suggested that we go ahead and make the frosting.

I got a new mixing bowl, and put back the batter ingredients as I took the ones needed for the frosting out. Personally, making icing is better than buying it, because then you get to lick the bowl and it tastes so much less processed. I countered that logic a little bit by the fact that all frosting is good frosting.

"Hey, Rai?"

"Mmh hmm?"

"I think I have the frosting under control, but do you think you could find a movie to watch?"

"Sure."

He sounded a lot calmer. More stable, really.

"Rai, how much have you had to drink?"

"I'm on my second bottle."

"You downed an entire bottle of vodka in less than 15 minutes?"

He took another swig, and I could tell his face was slightly more flushed than it had been.

"You helped."

"I had one drink."

He handed me the bottle.

"There's more."

I looked at him, then at the bottle. I took it, and gave him a look from the corner of my eye as I swallowed another mouthful.

"Maybe I should hold onto this."

"But-"

"No buts, Rai."

He pouted and looked at me dejectedly. My resolve wavered a little, but I hung on to me reasoning. Or whatever was left of it.

I turned around to whip up the batch of frosting, and I noticed he just stood there looking like he didn't know what to do.

"The movie?"

"Oh, right."

He walked out of the room, and I turned the mixer on. I was putting the ingredients together and as the egg beater was doing its job, I grabbed the vodka bottle, and took a swig with my one free hand. I noticed that my motor skills were starting to lag a little more with each drink, but I've usually been good at knowing my physical limits. Usually.
Before I could react, my hand slipped a little on the handle of the mixer, and it went to the highest setting, and frosting was being flung everywhere.

"Shit!"

As fast as I could manage with my slightly handicapped state, I set down the vodka, and tried to figure out how to turn the damn thing off. Before I know it, It stopped by itself, and I was staring at it in confusion.

"You have the frosting under control, huh?"

I looked up at him, smiling guiltily. We were covered in frosting, and he was holding the cord which was unplugged from the electricity outlet. The kitchen was mostly spared, all but parts of the counter and nearby cabinets.

"Uhm, myy hand slipp'd?" My speech slurred a little, which was somewhat unnerving.

God, he looks attractive.. Especially with frosting all over him. He must have had another bottle of vodka somewhere because he had looked a tad less than perfectly sober. Yeah… I think I'm a little tipsy, too. It was hard to think, so, against better judgment, I just acted.

I reached out, and held his cheek in my palm; wiping frosting from his bottom lip with my thumb. I felt him still and stop breathing; his eyes were unsure and wider than usual. He didn't move though.

I brought my thumb to my mouth and quickly licked the frosting off, but other than that, we didn't have any measurable emotion showing. Nor did we make any sudden movement. All we did was look each other dead in the eye. I saw something that I would never have thought Raivis had. It was raw. I recognized it, but did not have a clear way of explaining what it was. There was also something familiar, too, and it was completely him. I wondered if he saw anything in my eyes.

I wondered if he saw that I felt something for him. Whether it's love or just teenage stuff, I don't even know. It's there though, and I know it.

My reflexes were off kilter from the alcohol in my bloodstream because next thing I know, Raivis had pressed against me, making me lean into the counter for balance. His left hand moved to the counter beside me, while his other held my cheek like I had done to his. Only this time, he brought his face to mine, and flicked his tongue against my lower lip, taking some frosting with him.

Jesus. My blood ran through my veins like a bullet train, and my breath faltered. I wasn't used to being close to a guy like this, and especially not Raivis. My brain fumbled over itself with questions. Where is this coming from? Does he have intimate feelings for me? Where is this boldness coming from? Will there be more? I shamelessly hoped there would be.

I pressed myself a little closer to him instead of forcing all my weight onto the edge of the counter. I felt his breathing get shakier.

"M..mmm.. _, Can I confess something to you?"

I looked up at him, hazily. I felt warm; he felt warmer. I could barely think straight; his deeper than normal and slightly husky voice didn't help.

"..Anythin."

"I have always liked you more than in just a platonic way for quite some time. I…I don't know if this will ruin what we have, but I thought you should know. Another thing you should know is… ever since… ever since I changed overnight, I've wanted you unbearably bad. More than I should… in more ways than one..."

As he finished, his voice grew lower and lower. The warmth flit down my spine like before and pooled at the base of my gut.

"Rai, I..I've had somee morre than platonic feelings for you forr quite a while, too.. Then n' now… An'… I promise that it'ss not the vodka talkin'."

I deliberately grasped the hand on the counter beside me, and my other hand twirled some of his incredibly soft hair at the nape of his neck as I leaned forward, pecking the corner of his mouth softly and slowly. I felt a tremor reverberate through his body, and he brought our hands to rest on my hip as he pressed impossibly closer, and I felt his breath at my ear.

"We're both under the influence of alcohol, and I don't want there to be any regrets later. If this goes any farther, …I don't know if either of us will be able to stop. You understand, right?"

"Rai… what aree the chances of either of us bein' brave enough when we're sober? I've wanted you t'do somethin' for the longest time, and you deserve somethin' in return for hhelping and putting up with ev'ryone and everything elsee. Whatt have you got t'lose?"
He brought me close in a tight embrace, but could barely hear him with his face nuzzled into my shoulder. I tightly hugged him back.

"You."

We stayed like this for the longest moment.

"Raivis.."

"..Hmm?"

"That'll never happ'n."

He leaned away from me so he could look me in the eye. His eyes looked slightly misted over, and he kissed me with a sense of disparity; it was a heartbreaking kiss. Reacting nearly immediately, I moved my lips in sync with his, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my hands through his hair, pulling a little. He groaned quietly, and held me flush against him. If felt good.

Really good.