Lithuania was sitting at a small, wooden desk leaning over his paperwork when he heard a knock on the door. He started at the noise and looked cautiously into the peephole. Outside, he saw a small man with long blonde hair staring off to his left and picking at his pink coated fingernails. The brunette's heart raced and he felt his body cover with a cold, wet sheen. Poland…

He panicked for a moment, torn between letting the man inside and pretending that he wasn't in his room at the moment. How the man had even managed to find him was a mystery in itself which he didn't have time to deal with. He paced back and forth in front of the door before he heard the other man sigh.

"You're obviously there, Liet," he mumbled, tapping his food on the ground impatiently. Shit! Lithuania grabbed the handle in shaking hands and turned it.

"Hey… Poland! What are you doing here?" He asked, a false smile seeming more of a frightened grimace alighting his face.

"Can I come in?" Lithuania took this opportunity to really look at the other man. He was as lovely as ever in his physical appearance, androgynous in not only his figure but his countenance as well. The truly startling thing about the man, ironically enough, was his clothing. Instead of his usual flamboyant dress, Poland stood before Lithuania in plain (albeit designer) jeans and a muted purple T-shirt. His feet were covered with delicate sandals, but he wore no jewelry, no accessories, and nothing beyond a couple splashes of chipped pink nail polish to give a hint of the character he truly was. Lithuania gaped at the changes. Poland laughed, uncomfortable with attention for the first time in a long while.

"I know I'm not looking terribly fabulous, but you could still like, let me inside."

"Oh! Yeah, come on in. Sorry." Lithuania muttered to himself as he scurried around his room tidying up here and starting a pot of tea there. Poland stood over his paper laden desk, frowning as he thought to himself about the man's excessive work ethic.

"Sugar?" Poland looked up.

"Oh, sure. Thanks." He received the tea from Lithuania and sat on the couch, waiting until he sat as well. They sipped their tea in silence for a moment before Poland pulled his knee up on the couch and turned to look at Lithuania.

"Liet…" He started, looking away nervously when he saw Lithuania blush. "Liet, I'm seriously worried." At this Lithuania became visibly disturbed, shifting and fidgeting to avoid meeting Poland's gaze.

"A-About what?"

"About you." Lithuania laughed in feigned nonchalance.

"Why would y-you be worried about me?" Poland placed his cup on the coffee table before him and looked at Lithuania seriously.

"It's been like, a couple decades since you and Russia broke up and you're still totally seeing him!"

"What! I am not. We see each other at meetings, but—"

"Don't lie to me," he muttered looking away. "America told me." The words echoed pointlessly against Lithuania's eardrums. He felt as though he was hot and cold, floating and falling at the same time. His face twisted with pain and betrayal.

"H-He…"

"No, Liet. Don't be mad at him. He's just worried. We… We both are." Lithuania looks away, tears threatening his eyes as he felt his insides twist. He and America were friends… and he understood! He wasn't treating him like everyone else did…

"Look, it'd be different if you were… just sleeping with him," Poland started, his pain and discomfort apparent as he relayed his thoughts. "A-And I know that some totally awful shit happened when you guys lived together, but it's over now. You can't live like, your entire life suffering because of it! Please… Please let me help." Poland's hand shook as he tentatively grasped Lithuania's.

"P-Poland…" He stared down in to his lap struggling for words. "I just—I didn't mean…"

"It's not like you have to talk to me if you don't want to Liet. I mean, you and I… just someone."

"I don't even know why I keep doing it to myself…" Lithuania started, muttering quietly. "I keep coming back to him and making him hurt me… maybe to make him hurt himself… and I keep hurting myself."

"Why'd you start hurting yourself, Liet?"

"I'm not sure when it started." Lithuania's stomach twisted with nerves. "It started sometime in the USSR. One day he was drunk… we were all so poor and so desperate…. We were falling apart and he was so hurt and so angry… he just snapped."

"And?" Poland prompted gently.

"And he started hitting us. Anything he could reach, really. I couldn't stand to see him hit Latvia… Estonia either. So I did the only thing I could think of. It was subconscious at first but I think I…"

"You made yourself a target?" Lithuania's voice caught in his throat and he hiccupped.

"I…I guess I did." He looked away, ashamed of what he would say next. "Poland… I missed you so much."

"Y-You've missed me? But, I thought that you—"

"I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. And then… after everything he'd done to me and everything I'd goaded him into doing to me instead of them… I'm not good enough for you. Not anymore."

"W-What! What are you saying?"

"I'm so scared now. I'm so messed up and broken and stupid. God, I keep doing this—" Poland grabbed Lithuania's hand urgently.

"Liet, I have loved you since we were children. I totally miss you every day and wish to God that you would have said yes when I asked you to be with me."

"B-But… you don't care about?"

"No!"

"But what if I-?"

"No. Shut up, Liet." Poland's hands grasped Lithuania's shoulders and pulled him close. Their lips collided passionately, making up for lost time. Lithuania pulled back for a moment, his lips brushing against Poland's as he whispered.

"I love you, Feliks."

"I love you too, Liet."