In Unexpected Places (2/4)
anonymous
May 23 2009, 03:00:41 UTC
Lithuania seemed to lose his nerve for a moment before blurting out, “I love you, Belarus. I-I have for a very long time, and I-”
“Stop.”
“No, I won't! I...I know you think you love Russia, but-”
“I don't think I love him, I do! And we would already be together if you weren't always getting in our way-”
“Listen to yourself! He won't love you, not like I do, he doesn't know how. He's insane and cruel and he doesn't want to be with you, you deserve better than-”
Ukraine saw a flash of metal and heard a pained hiss from Lithuania. There was a frigid silence as she slowly lowered her knife.
“How dare you say such a thing?” she snarled at him. “My brother loves me, and he is ten times...no, a hundred times the man you are!”
Belarus turned away and walked angrily out of the room, leaving Lithuania rooted to the spot. Ukraine held her breath, feeling her heart ache with sympathy. She should have just stayed put and waited for him to leave, but she couldn't just ignore him now...he was such a sweet boy. She had always been struck by that, how kind he was, how easily he forgave people. She couldn't leave him to suffer alone now.
Gathering up her courage, she stepped out from her hiding place and cleared her throat awkwardly. He jumped slightly in surprise and spun around to face her.
“I'm sorry,” she began, fidgeting under his gaze. “I-I was already here, and then you two started talking and I couldn't just interrupt...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen.”
“It's alright,” he said softly, dropping his eyes to the ground. He was holding his right hand gingerly in his left, and she could see a little blood dripping from between his fingers.
“Is your hand okay?” she asked, walking over to him.
Gingerly, let go of his wounded hand and straightened his fingers out to examine the palm.
“It's bleeding a lot, but it's really not that deep,” he assured her. “I'll just go clean this up-”
“Please,” she interpreted, taking his bleeding hand gently in her own. “Let me.”
His eyes widened slightly, and she felt her face get warm. Why did she say that? Because he looked so sad? Because she seemed naturally inclined to fuss over people? Maybe it was because she had grown quite fond of him over the years they had lived under the same roof. Maybe it was all those things.
“I-I'm pretty good at first aid, actually,” she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes and unwilling to let go of his hand. “And y-you'd probably have a hard time bandaging this with only one hand. S-so, let me help, okay? Just...just sit still for a minute, I'll go find a bandage.”
In Unexpected Places (3/4)
anonymous
May 23 2009, 03:04:26 UTC
It was perhaps a lucky thing they were in the storage room; she didn't have to go far to find what she needed. Lithuania had obediently taken a seat on a sofa that wasn't piled with junk with Ukraine scanned the heaps of unorganized mess. Before long she found a compression bandage and an unopened bottle of water.
“Do you have a handkerchief or anything?” she asked as she sat down beside him and opened the bottle.
“I believe so,” he said, digging around in his pockets until he found a clean square of cloth and passed it to her.
“A-alright, I think I've got what I need. Can I see your hand, please?” she asked. He held his hand out to her and she steadied it awkwardly in her own, trying not to think about how warm it was. Slowly, carefully, she poured a little of the water over his palm before mopping both water and blood away with the handkerchief.
“Sorry, does that hurt?” she asked when he flinched slightly.
“Not much, it's fine,” he said softly. She nodded and continued to clean the cut. He was right, it wasn't very deep. She worked slowly, trying to draw the process out as long as she could to avoid having to say anything. She didn't have much experience comforting someone with a broken heart and wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to him now.
“I'm sorry,” he said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. Her hand jerked and she nearly spilled the water all over them both.
“For....for what?” she asked, putting the bottle safely on the floor.
“For what I said about Russia. That he was...insane and...I hope you aren't angry.”
“Of course not,” she said firmly, unrolling the bandage in her hands. “He's my brother, but I know he can be a little...difficult sometimes. You don't need to apologize for something you blurted out in the heat of the moment.”
He sighed heavily and his head drooped forward. “I-I tried to rehearse what I was going to say to her, but I forgot all of it and just starting babbling. But I guess I don't need to tell you that,” he said with a strained laugh. “You already heard me make an ass of myself.”
She started winding the bandage tightly around his hand and chewed her lower lip while trying to find the right words.
“I doesn't matter,” she said at last. “You could have done everything right and she still would have turned you down. She won't even consider being with anyone but Russia.”
In Unexpected Places (4/4)
anonymous
May 23 2009, 03:07:37 UTC
“I thought I could change her mind,” he whispered, so softly she barely heard him.
“I know. I've tried to make her give up on him too. So has Russia, for that matter. It never does any good. She doesn't give up on anything once she starts.”
“I admire that, her strong will. It's one of her best traits.” His frail, forced smile was painful to look at, so she dropped her eyes back to his hand.
“I'm sorry,” she said helplessly. “I'm sorry she hurt you, really I am.” She finished wrapping the bandage, and was startled when she looked up and saw his eyes had filled with tears. He stared at some invisible point in front of him, blinking furiously before jerking his hand back from her and standing up quickly.
“Excuse me, I-I need a minute...I...” he choked, turning away from her. For a split second she considered leaving him alone; it was bad enough she had seen his humiliating failure earlier, he probably didn't want her to watch him go to pieces now. Instead she grabbed his wrist and dragged him back down beside her. Before he had a chance to move away or protest, she pulled him into a tight hug.
“It's alright,” she murmured into his hair. They were such cliché, empty words, but they seemed to work as he slowly melted into her embrace. He never made a sound as they sat there together, alone in that strange room cluttered with mess and memories; he just leaned against her and shook slightly.
After a few minutes he pulled away from her, bowing his head so that his hair fell forward and hid his face from view. He reached into his pocket before remembering that the handkerchief he was looking for was already covered in blood, and wiped his face on his sleeve instead.
“S-sorry about that,” he said in a faintly trembling voice, still refusing to look her in the eye. “I'm not usually so...”
“Don't worry about it,” she insisted. “You don't...you don't have to hide anything. Not around me.” It was just as well he wasn't looking at her; her face was on fire. “I-I just hate to see you so sad. I couldn't leave you alone.”
He reached over and rested his uninjured hand over her smaller hands, which were twisting together nervously in her lap.
“Thank you,” he said kindly. For the first time all day he truly smiled at her, a real, sincere smile. It made something warm flutter in Ukraine's stomach, and suddenly her day didn't seem so terrible anymore.
“Stop.”
“No, I won't! I...I know you think you love Russia, but-”
“I don't think I love him, I do! And we would already be together if you weren't always getting in our way-”
“Listen to yourself! He won't love you, not like I do, he doesn't know how. He's insane and cruel and he doesn't want to be with you, you deserve better than-”
Ukraine saw a flash of metal and heard a pained hiss from Lithuania. There was a frigid silence as she slowly lowered her knife.
“How dare you say such a thing?” she snarled at him. “My brother loves me, and he is ten times...no, a hundred times the man you are!”
Belarus turned away and walked angrily out of the room, leaving Lithuania rooted to the spot. Ukraine held her breath, feeling her heart ache with sympathy. She should have just stayed put and waited for him to leave, but she couldn't just ignore him now...he was such a sweet boy. She had always been struck by that, how kind he was, how easily he forgave people. She couldn't leave him to suffer alone now.
Gathering up her courage, she stepped out from her hiding place and cleared her throat awkwardly. He jumped slightly in surprise and spun around to face her.
“I'm sorry,” she began, fidgeting under his gaze. “I-I was already here, and then you two started talking and I couldn't just interrupt...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen.”
“It's alright,” he said softly, dropping his eyes to the ground. He was holding his right hand gingerly in his left, and she could see a little blood dripping from between his fingers.
“Is your hand okay?” she asked, walking over to him.
Gingerly, let go of his wounded hand and straightened his fingers out to examine the palm.
“It's bleeding a lot, but it's really not that deep,” he assured her. “I'll just go clean this up-”
“Please,” she interpreted, taking his bleeding hand gently in her own. “Let me.”
His eyes widened slightly, and she felt her face get warm. Why did she say that? Because he looked so sad? Because she seemed naturally inclined to fuss over people? Maybe it was because she had grown quite fond of him over the years they had lived under the same roof. Maybe it was all those things.
“I-I'm pretty good at first aid, actually,” she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes and unwilling to let go of his hand. “And y-you'd probably have a hard time bandaging this with only one hand. S-so, let me help, okay? Just...just sit still for a minute, I'll go find a bandage.”
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“Do you have a handkerchief or anything?” she asked as she sat down beside him and opened the bottle.
“I believe so,” he said, digging around in his pockets until he found a clean square of cloth and passed it to her.
“A-alright, I think I've got what I need. Can I see your hand, please?” she asked. He held his hand out to her and she steadied it awkwardly in her own, trying not to think about how warm it was. Slowly, carefully, she poured a little of the water over his palm before mopping both water and blood away with the handkerchief.
“Sorry, does that hurt?” she asked when he flinched slightly.
“Not much, it's fine,” he said softly. She nodded and continued to clean the cut. He was right, it wasn't very deep. She worked slowly, trying to draw the process out as long as she could to avoid having to say anything. She didn't have much experience comforting someone with a broken heart and wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to him now.
“I'm sorry,” he said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. Her hand jerked and she nearly spilled the water all over them both.
“For....for what?” she asked, putting the bottle safely on the floor.
“For what I said about Russia. That he was...insane and...I hope you aren't angry.”
“Of course not,” she said firmly, unrolling the bandage in her hands. “He's my brother, but I know he can be a little...difficult sometimes. You don't need to apologize for something you blurted out in the heat of the moment.”
He sighed heavily and his head drooped forward. “I-I tried to rehearse what I was going to say to her, but I forgot all of it and just starting babbling. But I guess I don't need to tell you that,” he said with a strained laugh. “You already heard me make an ass of myself.”
She started winding the bandage tightly around his hand and chewed her lower lip while trying to find the right words.
“I doesn't matter,” she said at last. “You could have done everything right and she still would have turned you down. She won't even consider being with anyone but Russia.”
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“I know. I've tried to make her give up on him too. So has Russia, for that matter. It never does any good. She doesn't give up on anything once she starts.”
“I admire that, her strong will. It's one of her best traits.” His frail, forced smile was painful to look at, so she dropped her eyes back to his hand.
“I'm sorry,” she said helplessly. “I'm sorry she hurt you, really I am.” She finished wrapping the bandage, and was startled when she looked up and saw his eyes had filled with tears. He stared at some invisible point in front of him, blinking furiously before jerking his hand back from her and standing up quickly.
“Excuse me, I-I need a minute...I...” he choked, turning away from her. For a split second she considered leaving him alone; it was bad enough she had seen his humiliating failure earlier, he probably didn't want her to watch him go to pieces now. Instead she grabbed his wrist and dragged him back down beside her. Before he had a chance to move away or protest, she pulled him into a tight hug.
“It's alright,” she murmured into his hair. They were such cliché, empty words, but they seemed to work as he slowly melted into her embrace. He never made a sound as they sat there together, alone in that strange room cluttered with mess and memories; he just leaned against her and shook slightly.
After a few minutes he pulled away from her, bowing his head so that his hair fell forward and hid his face from view. He reached into his pocket before remembering that the handkerchief he was looking for was already covered in blood, and wiped his face on his sleeve instead.
“S-sorry about that,” he said in a faintly trembling voice, still refusing to look her in the eye. “I'm not usually so...”
“Don't worry about it,” she insisted. “You don't...you don't have to hide anything. Not around me.” It was just as well he wasn't looking at her; her face was on fire. “I-I just hate to see you so sad. I couldn't leave you alone.”
He reached over and rested his uninjured hand over her smaller hands, which were twisting together nervously in her lap.
“Thank you,” he said kindly. For the first time all day he truly smiled at her, a real, sincere smile. It made something warm flutter in Ukraine's stomach, and suddenly her day didn't seem so terrible anymore.
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I wanna give Liet a hug more than ever now, too. Poor guy. And Ukraine was just so nice, and... and~ This was just way too sweet!
Thanks for the fill, anon! And no, it was not fail. OP's fluff-cravings have been satiated. ^^
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