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I don't own anything

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General Winter was gone for the most part, so it didn't come as a shock when the news of his death arrived. Financially, they were safe. Winter had a big insurance over his head, so that the six got a sum of money that would last them for two or three years, including living expenses. That was when they moved out of Novgorod, and into a different area, outside of Russia.

Brackenwood was the ideal area. Cheap, close to a good school, and had four seasons. Yekaterina had gotten a job doing God knows what, and Ivan had enrolled Nataliya, Toris, Eduard and himself into Ridgeway. Ivan was the first to graduate, followed by Natalia. Toris and the blonde girl were the same age, but the Lithuanian was held back due to his absences. Eduard skipped a grade, which landed him with his Lithuanian 'brother' into the same grade. Raivis was still in Junior High, but managed to pull through as Eduard helped him with work. Everything went well despite the fact that no one was looking after them.

"I'm actually kind of glad that General Winter has passed." The Estonian said one night. It was only the three adopted ones that were sitting at the table. Toris gave him a look.

"You shouldn't say that."

"But I am glad. Without him, everything seems...warmer."

"Even so, without him we wouldn't be here."

"Y-Yeah... I'm actually glad that he f-found me."

Eduard raised an eyebrow at the small boy. "What were you doing in Italy anyway?"

Raivis gave a shrug at the question. "Dunno. Where did Father find you?"

"Don't call him that. Anyway, he found me somewhere in Estonia. I am Estonian afterall."

"He found me in Lithuania..."

"You're Lithuanian?"

"Yeah, I liked it there. But I like it here too."

"Brackenwood is n-nice."

"Mm...."

There was never a lasting conversation.

"You know what's weird?" Toris askd suddenly. The other two looked up. "We form the Baltic states, and Ivan is Russian, Yekaterina is Ukranian, and Natalia is from Belarus. Funny isn't it?"

"If only we had some Nordics." Eduard said quietly. Raivis smiled at the comment.

"H-How are things for you in that school?"

"Things are great! I'm starting to look at colleges I want to go to. You'll be a first year next year, right?"

"If he gets in that is."

"Eduard, don't be so cold."

"I'm just being honest."

Toris shook his head at this. "Anyway, if you ever need help, you can always count on us."

'Us?' "Mm."

"...It's lonely without Big Brother...."

"Ivan? Uh, yeah, I guess so." Toris said, looking down at his food. In all honesty he was glad that the Russian was out of the house. But it was unnerving how he would pop up from time to time.

"I for once, am glad to have him out of the house. Though Miss Yekaterina worries me.... I hope she's alright." Eduard finished, a small red shade tinging his ears. Toris smiled, but Raivis didn't seem to get it.

"I-I'm glad, that Natalia's with her friends most of the time.... she's really scary." Raivis said, trying to keep the conversation going.

"How could you say that? She's so cute..."

The dreamy look on his face was too much.

"She uses k-knives on me! A-And they hurt!"

"But I like her."

"What about Feliks?" Eduard asked. Toris tilted his head to the side.

"What about him?"

"Well.... doesn't he like you?"

"Of course he does; we're friends." Toris stated plainly, Raivis scrunched his brows together.

"But, I thought he liked y-"

Raivis was cut off by Eduard's cold stare. Toris shrugged and went back to his food.

"Well, Eduard and I have a project and two essays to work on, so we'll be at the Library tonight."

"B-But it's dark, and I'll be alone."

"Grow up for once." Eduard said scathingly. Toris glanced at the two, but didn't say anything. Raivis had cast his eyes downward and fumbled with his fork.

"O-Okay.... Sorry."

"Hn, not your fault."

"Really?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

It was either Eduard was really cross all of the time, or he just didn't like the younger boy.

...Was there a difference?

Toris and Eduard shuffled over to the sink and placed their dishes over into the sink, leaving some water sitting in them to make cleaning easier. Grabbing their bags they made way for the door, leaving Raivis sitting at the small table, eating alone. Toris said goodbye before closing the door and encasing the boy in the building.

The clock ticked and minutes passed by. The eerie quietness was beginning to ring in his ears.

Well, at least Eduard wasn't here to be cross with him, right?

-

It must've been at least an hour. His eyes fluttered open as a rather large hand shook his shoulder.

"Raivis.... Raivis.... Ra~ivi~s..."

The boy sat up, rubbing none eye with a loose fist. "Wha, Toris?"

A giggle was his answer. When did Toris giggle?

....

Toris didn't giggle.

Looking behind him, Raivis saw no other than Ivan, standing with a smile on his face, dressed in his tan coat.

"Brother!"

He jumped up to his feet and turned around to hug the Russian, only to be lifted from the ground.

"You've been a good boy, da?" Ivan asked, kissing the boy's cheeks before setting him down. Raivis beamed up at him.

"Yes."

"And you've been staying out of trouble?"

"Yes. I promised."

A chortle came from the taller one as he leaned over and pressed his lips against his forehead, inhaling his lovely scent. "And you've been trying to get good marks in school, da?"

"Mm, I have....Brother?"

"Da?"

"Why are you here? You were here a month ago."

"Oh, my little Raivis does not like it when I come home?" Ivan asked, feigning a hurt look. Raivis shook his head no, a worried expression overtaking his features.

"It's just, Eduard's been acting weird about it."

"Oh, of course."

There was something creepy in Ivan's velvet eyes that sent a shiver to crawl under the boy's skin. Then, out of the blue, the burly Russian leaned down and scooped the boy up into his arms, making way for the second landing.

"B-Brother?!"

"Fufu, you're so cute when you're flushed."

"A, but, what-"

"I'm just taking you upstairs. I'm tired, and I don't want to sleep alone."

"You're staying over?" The Latvian asked, hope ringing clear in his voice. Ivan buried a kiss in his short ringlets and gave something that sounded like a yes. A smile adorned the boy's face and he clung to him.

"You don't mind sleeping with me, do you?"

"Of course not."

Ivan was satisfied the answer. He managed to open the door to his room with his elbow and set the boy down onto the bed. He took the coat and shoes off, Raivis following suit. Ivan made himself comfortable, securing the smaller blonde into his arms. The Latvian tangled his legs with the other, his small hands grasping the front of his brother's shirt. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, with the warmth all around him and a soft humming dancing lightly in his ears.

---

Eduard scowled in disgust at the sight before him. He and Toris had come back from the Library, only to find the dishes unwashed, Raivis's food unfinished and still sitting on the table, and the said boy sleeping in bed with the Russian.

He wanted nothing more than to smack the boy upside the head, but he was twined together to the older male, and if he accidently hit Ivan, things would not turn out pleasant. His only choices were to either leave them be, or wake them both.

There wasn't much point in waking them up.

Eduard turned his heel and stepped out f the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Toris came up from the first landing, looking at him funny.

"Why were you in Ivan's room?"

"He's in there with Raivis. My guess is that he showed up after we left and dragged the idiot into bed with him."

The colour drained from the Lithuanian's face. Ivan's return was never a pleasant thing for anyone (minus Raivis and Natalia) in the house. Even Yekaterina didin't want to face him when she came back from where ever she went off to.

"...Well... the best we could do is make sure his needs are met and that we stay out of his way."

"No need to say it outloud; it's common knowledge by now."

"We should get to bed."

"Yeah."

"What time do you think he'll wake up?"

"Knowing him, whenever he likes."

"Not much of an answer."

"Never is."

---

The morning went smoothly. Eduard didn't bother waking Raivis up since it would only end up in waking Ivan, and he was late already, so what was the point? The dishes from the night prior were taken care of and put away, cereal and muffins were set so that Ivan didn't have to got through and trouble. There were no problems there...

The only problem was that there was no Vodka or alchohol in the house.

"Let's just leave." The Estonian urged, tugging the other's sleeve. Toris looked at him, and then at the stairs, and then back at his brother.

"But, if we leave now, then Raivis..."

"He can look after himself, and if we don't hurry we'll be late."

"But-"

"I don't care about Raivis, he can handle Ivan better than any of us here. It's us we should worry about."

Toris gave in and grabbed his bag. Slipping into his shoes he trailed after the younger one, but spared one last look at the stairs before murmuring an apology and going out the door.

Why did it feel like he was neglecting the youngest boy?

The thought buggered the hell out of the brunette as he walked with the blonde. He treated him just as kindly, he cooked food for him, and true, he did baby him from time to time, but there was a wall that sat between them and wouldn't budge.

"Don't think about it too much." Eduard said flatly.

"Yeah... wait what?"

"I said 'don't think about it too much'."

"No, I mean how did you-"

"Your face gives it away."

Toris gave returned the flat look. This one on the other hand, was colder than ice to the Latvian. Snorting when he didn't undertsand a problem, or glaring at him at the most random occasions.

"You know, you should treat him a bit more kindly."

"Why?"

"Well, I dunno, but you know, it's just one of those things."

"I could care less if he were to fall in a well and got trapped in there."

"Eduard!"

"Well? It's the truth, and the truth is always brutal."

A tired sigh was all that he could give. There was no use in trying to get the Estonian to be nice to the youngest Baltic.

...Baltic?

When had they become the Baltics? This wasn't history.

---

"RAIVIS! RAIVI~S!! PETER IS HERE TO PLAY WITH YOU!"

A boy, about ten or eleven, stood outside of the window and continued to shout. Ivan's eyes twitched before cracking open.

"RAIVIS!!"

The bitching and screaming of a child was never something to like, it reminded him too much of Natalia and her constant declarations of marriage, which in its own twisted way was very possible. Shaking the thought off, he gently unwrapped the small arms that held him down and rolled out of bed. Putting his feet in his shoes carelessly, he went over to the window and saw a blonde boy with furiously brushy brows, standing and chucking rocks at his younger brother's window.

"What are you doing?"

Th blonde's head snapped in his direction, an 'oh-shit' look covering his face. Ivan chuckled at this.

"I asked you what you were doing."

"....I have no time for fat popsicles."

"Wha, that's not nice to say. And I'm not fat, I'm big boned."

"Hn, no difference to Peter. Peter is here to see Raivis. That jerk, he hasn't played with me for two weeks now!"

'So he's a friend of Raivis's.' "I'm sorry, but Raivis won't be seeing you today. Or tomorrow for that matter. You won't see him anymore."

"Eh?! Why?"

"Because I said so!" Ivan stated with a big grin. He found enjoyment in teasing and taunting others; it was so much fun!

The boy's brows furrowed. "You can't tell me what to do!" He retorted rather angrily. This only got the older man to chortle.

"Fufu, but I'm Raivis's older brother, and I'm in charge of him, so he has to do as I say. So even if you come to see him, he won't be able to see you. Goodbye now."

"Wait! Rai-"

The window closed, cutting Peter off from communication with anyone in the house.

"...Hm, I'll tell Papa about this."

---

Ivan went over that scene as he sat at the desk, his eyes gazing down at the paper before him. That was when he first met Peter, but it wasn't the last. The boy kept coming, trying to see the Latvian boy. Suddenly, he snapped himself out of his thoughts and shook his head.

"I need to get this done quickly if I want to see them tonight." He said in a murmur, his pen beginning to move again. Chemicals sat in their containers, neatly alligned against the wall in the shelf. The ticking of the clock plicked by, along with the continuous scratching of a pen. Ivan wasn't even done with the first half of his duty, and he had to get it in before the day ended or he would have an earful from the head of the department.

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It's, it's getting there. Next chapter bounces back to real time where Rai's a first year. It's unhealthy to like him so much (^w^)

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