T/Ws: Blood, self-harm, threats and violence.

Chapter 34: Or Else

Ivan awoke with his whole body screaming. Feeling the soft covers under him meant he was finally home. He also felt an arm draped over his chest and something pushed up against his shoulder. Opening his eyes he saw Gilbert sound asleep next to him, he was a little worried that the Prussian had a gun clutched in his free hand.

'I should have known you would have made it into my weapon stash at some point.' Ivan laughed to himself, his voice still hoarse from the days of screaming.

'You found your old gun too. I guess I can let you keep it. I trust you not to use it on me.' Ivan smiled, ignoring the pain so he could lift his arm and place his hand on the Prussian's.

'Ummm… Oh did I fall asleep…' Gilbert said in German as he stirred.

'I didn't mean to wake you.' Ivan said sadly.

'Are you hungry or thirsty?' Gilbert asked, sitting up, much to the Russian's sorrow.

'I don't know…' Ivan sighed, he wasn't feeling anything but pain right now.

'When did you last eat?' Gilbert pushed.

'I don't remember.' Ivan said honestly.

'I am gonna get you something okay?' Gilbert said softly, placing the Russian's hand in his and rubbing it softly.

'Okay.' Ivan nodded.

Gilbert got up, leaving the gun at Ivan's side and surprisingly his bird. Ivan rubbed the birds face softly as he waited for the Prussian to return.

'How long does a bird like you even live? I know you are the same one from Stalingrad, so it's been at least 19 years.' Ivan whispered as the bird chirped contently from his attention.

Gilbert came back with a tray. It had some soup, a small piece of buttered bread, alongside some tea. Gilbert placed them on the bedside table before helping Ivan sit up and placing the tray on his lap.

'I want vodka…' Ivan grumbled.

'Why did I expect anything less, you're an alcoholic.' Gilbert laughed, grabbing a bottle from Ivan's room stash.

'Now this I have missed.' Ivan smiled as he took the bottle in his hands and took a massive swig from it.

'So you missed the vodka but not the awesome me! Unbelievable!' Gilbert fake pouted.

'So needy.' Ivan laughed softly.

'I am sorry who am I playing nurse for?' Gilbert scoffed causing Ivan to giggle but however the giggling stopped the moment his phone began to ring.

'You want me to get that?' Gilbert asked.

'Definitely not!' Ivan panicked before grabbing the receiver.

'So have we learned our lesson?' His Boss smirked from the other end of the line.

'Yes sir.' Ivan said sadly.

'Good, then I take it you have punished DDR.' His Boss asked.

'Um.. not yet.. I am… I am not fully healed…' Ivan said anxiously.

'Did I ask that? I asked you to punish DDR or should I send you back since you haven't learned anything.' His Boss spat.

'No sir. I will do it.' Ivan shook.

'I will send someone to pick up the photos tonight then. Don't let me down again. Or I will be taking both of you this time.' His Boss warned before hanging up the phone.

Ivan meanwhile went white as a sheet. He didn't want to have to hurt Prussia as bad as his Boss wanted him to, but what choice did he have. If he didn't his Boss would hurt both of them.

'You alright.' Gilbert asked worriedly.

'His sending someone tonight…' Ivan muttered out.

'Oh fuck no! They are not taking you again!' Gilbert growled.

'For both of us… unless I… I punish you for… for crossing west… he wants photo proof I did it…' Ivan began to cry.

'Wait, he knows?' Gilbert's heart sank.

'They recorded the payphone… I think… I was punished for not keeping you in line… He ordered me to punish you the same or…. Or he would do it…' Ivan explained as he sobbed.

'It was my fault. I am the reason he did this. I didn't think that.. Fuck I should have been more careful.' Gilbert said sadly.

'We both got careless. I should have shut you up the moment you talked too much but… you were so upset I couldn't bear to do it.' Ivan sighed.

'So what now?' Gilbert asked nervously.

'We need to fake them somehow. I don't, I don't want to ever hurt you that badly again. I- I- I couldn't.' Ivan cried, still remembering their fight the week before.

'Shame I don't have photos of how I looked last week. That would have made this easier.' Gilbert sighed.

They needed a plan and fast. For one Gilbert didn't fancy getting his ass beat again and for another there was no way he was letting them take Ivan again and this time him.

'Could we not use makeup?' Gilbert asked.

'Do you have any? It also needs to be convincing.' Ivan looked away.

'Fuck! You're right!' Gilbert said, hitting the bed with his fists.

'We have no other choice then do we?' Gilbert put his head in his hands.

'No I refuse!' Ivan exclaimed.

'If you refuse, he's just going to take us both!' Gilbert snapped back.

'I know!' Ivan cried.

'Just hear me out. What if you hit me enough just to bruise me, make it believable but not actually hurt me too badly.' Gilbert winced as he said it, he couldn't believe he was even suggesting doing such a thing but the alternative was letting Russia's Boss do it, he was in a corner.

'He will expect blood too.' Ivan argued.

'Then we get some blood. Surely we have some raw meat we can squeeze some blood out of.' Gilbert added.

'I have a better idea.' Ivan said, grabbing his cup of tea and downing it before grabbing a combat knife from his bedside table drawer.

Ivan took a deep breath before digging it into his arm and holding it over the glass.

'Are you insane?!' Gilbert screamed in shock.

'That meat thing won't work, I am already in pain anyway so fuck it, we will wipe this on your face. Do you still have your clothes from when we fought?' Ivan winced.

'Yeah, I haven't done my washing yet. I was probably going to have to throw them out anyway.' Gilbert answered, he hadn't done anything but sit on that fucking window since they took Ivan.

'Put them on, they still have blood on them, hopefully he can't tell it's old from the photo, we will use my worst Camera.' Ivan explained, having got what he thought was enough blood he took his arm away from the glass and placed pressure on it to stop it bleeding.

'Wipe it on your face now before it clots and put some in your hair.' Ivan said motioning at the glass.

'Mein gott, I can't believe I am doing this.' Gilbert grimaced as he took the glass.

'We do what we must to survive.' Ivan asserted.

'Yes but wiping your blood all over me is super gross and really not something I ever wanted to do.' Gilbert grumbled walking to the mirror as he began, trying his best to make it look real.

Once he was done, Ivan placed a bandage over his arm and using his pipe as a cane attempted to stand, falling back onto the bed instantly.

'Let me help you.' Gilbert ran over.

'Nyet! You need to get changed, I can do it. I need to.' Ivan pushed him away before trying again, this time getting to his feet but his face screamed he was in agony the whole time.

'Are you sure?' Gilbert asked.

'Yes now please hurry, da. I am not sure how long I am going to be able to do this for.' Ivan said through fitted teeth.

'Alright.' Gilbert nodded before running off.

Ivan meanwhile slowly hobbled to the door, leaning his body on the frame when he got there.

'Lithuania!' He tried to scream but his voice was still fucked and he couldn't make anything louder than his normal talking voice and even that hurt.

'Fuck…' Ivan sighed to himself as he began to make it to the stairs.

He was going to have to do this on his own. Taking the banister with one arm and using his pipe to support him with the other, he slowly made his way down the stairs. By the time he got to the bottom Gilbert had gotten changed and ran over to help him.

'Dummkopf.' Gilbert scoffed as he took the Russian arm over his shoulder and helped him stand.

'I need my camera, can you shout for Lithuania.' Ivan said embarrassed.

'Sure.' Gilbert smiled.

'LITHUANIA! GET YOUR ASS HERE!' Gilbert yelled with a slight smirk causing Ivan to giggle.

'What are you laughing at?' Gilbert raised his eyebrow.

'You sound so scary when you shout.' Ivan giggled more.

'Why are you finding scary funny, you're messed up and besides I am the Awesome Prussia, or course I am scary when angry.' Gilbert smiled softly, Ivan was always so strange.

'I think he's ignoring you.' Ivan pouted when Lithuania had still not shown.

'He does hate my fucking guts.' Gilbert laughed.

'LITHUANIA! MR. RUSSIA WANTS YOU!' Gilbert tried again, this time Lithuania appeared almost instantly.

'Yes Mr. Russia.' He said, shaking. He was already scared that he had accidentally ignored Russia but Prussia was standing there covered in blood too yet he was smiling, making him more afraid.

'Get my shittest camera for me and bring it to my office with a brand new roll of shitty film.' Ivan ordered before starting to walk towards the office with Gilbert's help.

'Yes sir.' Lithuania said before running off.

Once they got in the office Ivan was relieved it had been left as it was other than a massive wooden board covering the broken window.

'Good this will work.' Ivan said relieved as he allowed himself to slide onto the floor so he could sit down.

'Mein gott, we really made a mess didn't we? I am going to need to clean this up.' Gilbert sighed.

'Let's just be grateful it's still here, we will take advantage of it to make it look real.' Ivan said, catching his breath still from the walk.

'Come here.' Ivan sighed, grabbing his pipe.

'Okay.' Gilbert said anxiously, kneeling before the Russian.

'I will only hit your face as it is all that will be seen. It shouldn't be too much harder than I normally hit you when you are being annoying but I will have to do it a few times to make it look as bad as possible.' Ivan assured.

'I am the almighty Prussia, a few hits won't kill me so let's do this!' Gilbert said, trying to hype himself up.

Ivan just nodded and began hitting him with the pipe. It hurt but Gilbert gritted through it as it would hurt less than whatever Ivan's Boss would do to him.

'That should do, we will wait for them to darken and then take the photos.' Ivan sighed sadly.

Just then a knock came from the door and it creaked open.

'Mr. Russia, sorry it took a while I struggled to find the film.' Lithuania explained as he walked in and handed Ivan the camera.

'It has a fresh film in it, da?' Ivan asked as he wound it up.

'Yes I made sure of it.' Lithuania nodded.

'Good. You may go.' Ivan nodded.

Lithuania wasted no time in leaving the room, not really wanting to get anymore involved in whatever the two of them were up to more than he was.

Once the marks had begun to darken, Ivan instructed Gilbert on how and where to lie before he shakily stood over him and took the photos. Gilbert just lay there with his eyes shut trying to look as unconscious as possible.

As soon as he was sure he had enough Ivan allowed his knees to give way and for him to crumble to the floor.

'This better work or we are both fucked.' Ivan laughed sadly.

'It should work, if not we could always just kill him.' Gilbert smirked, getting up and pulling the Russian into a hug.

'Who is the naïve one now, da?' Ivan sighed, pushing his face into the Prussian's shoulder.

'Still you.' Gilbert mocked.

'Why is it still me?' Ivan pouted.

'Because I am the Awesome Prussia and you are my naïve and slightly creepy favourite pet.' Gilbert said lovingly, petting the Russian's hair.

'You are the pet, da.' Ivan argued.

'Uh no.' Gilbert laughed.

'You are annoying.' Ivan sighed.

'You love me really.' Gilbert smirked.

Thankfully the men came and took the film and nothing about it was ever mentioned again. Their lie had been believed but both of them were more careful now about what they said over the phone. They had gotten too complacent and it had almost cost them both dearly.