Love

Hi Guys! I finally had time to post a new story. For those of you reading my other fic, I plan to update that today. I hope you like this new story and feel free to leave a review. Until next time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.

Lithuania jerked awake to the sound of the door closing. He tried to press himself deeper into the corner of his cell. Footsteps approached, but instead of the thud of Russia's boots, it was a cold click of high-heels. Candlelight flickered as the person approached his tiny cell. The faint, the light burned Lithuania's eyes, it was so dark in his master's cell. When Lithuania finally grew adjusted to the flame, he found himself looking up at Belarus' face.

The female nation looked down at the Baltic, her lip instinctually curled into a snarl. "Pathetic." She spat out. Lithuania flinched into the bars but otherwise did not acknowledge his long-time tormentor. "You are pathetic Litva. You know that right? Look at you, chained to a wall, chained up in a cell, clothed only in dirty old rags and covered in blood and your own waste. It's disgusting-you're disgusting. Just think, you use to be so great-a king of Europe. And now, you're just a stupid little slave to the greatest nation there ever was. You're being punished like the bad little boy you are."

Belarus laughed, her high-pitched giggles stung Lithuania more than the lashings on his back.

"Did you come here just to mock me, Miss Belarus?" he croaked out. Belarus didn't answer but opened the cell door. Lithuania, curled into a tighter ball, desperate to escape whatever abuse the woman was going to give him. "Oh собака." She cooed. Lithuania finally looked up at her. Though her voice was mocking, her face was a perfect porcelain mast. Smooth, beautiful, but expressionless. "As much as I love seeing you like this, I won't hurt you." She bent down and sat a tray next to her. On it was the candle, a bowl, and a glass of water. Unconsciously Lithuania licked his lips and stared longingly at the water. "You can have it when I am done," Belarus told him harshly.

Without warning, a damp cloth attacked Lithuania's face. He started and tried to wiggle away. But his chains kept him in place, as did Belarus' fist full of his hair.

"Do not be skittish." She growled. "I find it very annoying." Lithuania obediently froze and Belarus wiped his face. "You're not very handsome." She said bluntly. "You have a delicate nose, like a girl's. Your hair is an ugly color, and it's too long. It gets matted to easily." She dragged her finger through a tangle to emphasize her point. "You're too skinny also. You should behave so Big Brother doesn't always have to starve you. That hurts him. If you would behave, he wouldn't be upset. I want him to be happy all the time. He is too wonderful to be anything but. And if he were happy, maybe he would marry me. But you always stand in the way. He likes you better. And I don't know why. You cry at the drop of a hat, you can't do anything right, and you-"

"Why are you helping me, Miss?" Lithuania groaned, changing the conversation to anything besides why he was ugly. Or pathetic. He already knew these things, there was no need for a reminder. He whimpered when the cloth touched his back. Belarus was far from gentle, but this was the first kind touch he had felt in days.

"I am helping…" Belarus faltered. "I am helping because…I owe you a debt. You took care of me when I was hurt during the time of the Grand Duchy." She let out a laugh. "I use to love you then. You were so interesting and handsome. And you always let me do fun things. You ran barefoot through a flower field with me once. My sister scolded me for having dirty feet." Her voice took on a dream-like quality, she was talking not to Lithuania anymore, but herself.

" I enjoyed having you as a part of my household. You really a vital asset. I don't know what I would have done without you. I thought you were quite cute. Almost my little sister but not. And now, you have grown into such a beautiful-ow!" he broke off when Belarus pressed her finger into a barely formed scab.

"Shut up!" she shrieked. "Shut up! I hated the Duchy, собака! I hated it. And then I learned to hate you! You kept me from Big Brother! I was merely a part of you! A disposable land filled with disposable people!"

"I never thought of you like that!"

"Shut up! I was nothing, nothing собака-no one cared about me, they only cared about you!" Belarus stopped panting. She haughtily lifted her head. "But now look at me. Far above you. And with my dear, sweet brother at last."

Lithuania forced himself to breathe calmly. During her rant, Belarus clawed at his back, reopening barely healed skin.

"Miss Belarus, I am so sorry that the duchy was not what you wanted. Yet without you, the Teutonic Knights would have killed me long before Poland ever came along." Each word was a struggle to get out, Lithuania was in so much pain. "I'm sorry I could never make it up to you. Please, please forgive me and let me try. Please?"

"No"

"P-please?"

"No. Remember your place, my собака."

"Yes, Miss. I am sorry."

In silence, Belarus finished cleaning. It didn't do much, but some of the blood did come off. She rose to leave when Lithuania let out a whine.

"Oh yes. Your water." Her voice was dull, but she watched in morbid fascination as Lithuania drank from the glass she held to his lips greedily. He drank quickly and sloppily, water trickling from the corners of his mouth and down his neck.

All to soon it was gone. As she made her way to the stairs Lithuania called out.

"Miss! Wait, please!

"What do you want now собака?"

"To say thank you. For helping me, and being so kind to me. Even though I wronged you."

Belarus turned on her heel and marched up the stairs without a word-leaving Lithuania alone in the dark again.

A few days later, Lithuania's punishment was over. Russia carried him out of the cell, and place him in the bathtub. Trying to be gentle, the icy nation started to clean the mess that was Lithuania. As he cleaned, Russia spoke happily to the Baltic. "My little Litvuska has learned his lesson, da?

"Y-yes sir." Lithuania stuttered out, trembling slightly.

"And he will not be misbehaving again, da?

"N-no, sir. O-of course n-not s-sir."

"Good boy!" Russia chirped, patting Lithuania on the head. "You're all clean." He wrapped the smaller nation in a towel. "Off to bed with you. Tomorrow I will put you back to work."

Lithuania scrambled up the stairs, pressing himself against the wall, and holding his towel tightly when Belarus came down.

"Good evening Miss!" He smiled happily at her, grin never faltering, even when she stomped on his foot.

Upstairs, he met his brother's in their room.

"Lithy!" Latvia cried. "You're okay." He wrapped his thin arms around Lithuania's waist. "I was so worried for you. I missed you so much."

"Latvia get off him." Estonia snapped. "You're probably hurting him." He cast a worried glance at his older brother, whose face was slightly pale from pain.

Lithuania stubbornly shook his head and hugged Latvia back. "It's okay Est. It doesn't hurt at all." He buried his face in Latvia's soft blond curls. "I missed you both so much."

Estonia moved closer to Lithuania, who grabbed the bespectacled nation and pulled him into the hug.

"Lithuania! We might hurt you farther." He cried, feeling distraught, but safe in his brother's arms.

"Don't care." Lithuania mumbled around Latvia's hair.

The three stayed in the embrace for a moment, before Lithuania pulled away. He smiled, it was a painful smile. "We better get some sleep while we can." He said. The three slipped into their pajamas, Latvia and Estonia turning away when Lithuania removed his towel to get into his night-clothes. The brunette was very self-conscious and very ashamed of his scares.

Before climbing into bed Estonia spoke, "Lithuania?"

"Hmm?"

"You sleep in the middle tonight."

"But-"

"No objections. You deserve to be the warmest tonight, and both Latvia and I already decided we wanted you in the middle."

"We really missed you." Latvia chimed in.

Lithuania flashed them a grateful look and climbed in. "Thanks."

It took a few minutes for everyone to get settled, but eventually, it was worked out. Lithuania lay in pained stillness on his stomach. Suddenly, he gasped.

"What!" Estonia and Latvia yelped.

"I forgot to tell you something wonderful."

"Tell me." Latvia scooted a few inches closer.

"Okay, but you must promise not to tell anyone."

"Deal," Latvia whispered.

Estonia rolled his eyes. "Who are we going to tell Lithuania? The wall? A bird?" Lithuania flinched slightly but continued on.

"I think…now I'm not completely sure… but I'm pretty positive…but I, uh…I'm in love with Miss Belarus!"

"Are you out of your mind?" came a hiss at the same time as a wail of "Lithuania!"

"That girl is meaner than her brother and she hates you. And that's who you have decided you're going to love?"

"Estonia…" Lithuania started only to be interrupted by Latvia. "Please, Lithuania, don't be mad, but…that is a very stupid and dangerous idea. I-I don't want you to get hurt even more!"

"But…she was kind to me," Lithuania said softly.

"Explain," Estonia said angrily.

Lithuania shrank away from him slightly.

"I love her for many reasons. She is so beautiful. Her long hair, her piercing eyes. Her cute nose. And she is more intelligent than I could ever hope to be. And she is a fighter, always has been one." He let out a small chuckle, thinking of the days of the Duchy. "And, even though she hates me and sees me as lower than dirt, she… she was kind to me. When I was locked in the cell, Miss Belarus came to me, like an angel. She gave me a drink and touched me. I thought I would lose my mind from loneliness, but she saved me. Miss Belarus is the only one to ever disobey Russia and help me."

"Lith, I- "

"Oh, I don't want you to come. Never! It would kill me to see one of you hurt because of me. But she came. That's why I love her. She showed me kindness."

His brothers lay in silence, not knowing what to say. Eventually, the fell asleep. Lithuania was close behind. Though he knew Belarus would never love him, in his dreams, it would be different.