I FEEL THE SUDDEN NEED TO WRITE SAD DRAMA. I just saw some fanart of Hetalia for the song "Love The Way You Lie" and I got this pang in my stomach. That pang is known as my lust for drama. Iiiii have no idea what I'm doing yet, I'll tell you when I figure it out…

I GOT IT! WHOO, LITHUANIAxRUSSIA FTW! Haha, this is the first time I've written for this pairing (Even though I LOOOOVE it). I kinda stole a line from a Doujin that inspired me, so I'll link HERE (.com/?qh=§ion=&q=pls+teach+me+hetalia#/d2183dk ) Isn't it funny how most of my stories are yaoi/shonen-ai/boy love and I don't like any of the above? XD YOU READY? Mkay! ADI!

~Otaku ;D

Toris didn't know what he was doing in the halls that night. He couldn't sleep, and sitting in the bed with his brothers just discouraged him. Walking through the Soviet Manor at night was frightening. It was scary how everything was so silent. There was no sweet laughter or shouts from Ivan. There were no screams from the other Baltics, shaking in fear. Belarus was not commanding her brother to marry her, and Ukraine wasn't being a crybaby. You couldn't even her … uh… bust, the house was so still.

So Liet had no idea where he was planning to go. He just wandered the halls, unsure of whether to go back to his room or leave the house. But then again, if Russia knew that he had left in the middle of the night, he might be punished. He decided to continue on his quiet stroll, wandering past rooms and every now and then, dragging his hands across the doors. He knew all of everyone's rooms, but he wasn't sure what was behind those other doors. What could Ivan Braginski be hiding from him…?

And that was when he heard the strange muffled sound.

Liet, being the oldest of his brothers and having taken care of many people, knew crying when he heard it. But who was that? Everyone's voice changed a bit when they teared up, but he didn't recognize this sound at all. It surely wasn't Eduard, or Raivis for that matter. Natalia wasn't likely to have anything to cry about, and if Ukraine ever cried… to put it simply, everyone would notice. As for Ivan… what would he cry about? Even if he didn't know who it was, it was definitely crying. The sobs were ragged and uneven. There were gasps in between of someone trying to stop the tears. There was even an occasional thump! Of something being thrown or hit. It didn't matter who it was, as was compulsive for him, Toris Laurinaitis would help. He instinctively opened the door, and his mouth dropped at what he saw.

Ivan Braginski sat on the bed in a room Toris was not familiar with. His elbows were planted at his knees, his head in his hands. Tears splattered his tan coat and made his leather gloves shine in the moonlight. As he noticed someone standing in the door, he looked up quickly. There stood Toris, his servant and… quite possibly the closest thing he had to a friend. But even so, he tried to hide his tears, blinking them back and wiping at them with the back of a gloved hand. But the evidence was still there. What could Toris possibly want this early in the morning? Everything was silent for a while, but even if Russia was someone to be frightened of, Lithuania could not change himself. He rushed forward to Ivan, taking out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.

Ivan was mortified. He didn't move a muscle, purely out of shock. Whether Toris noticed this or not, he didn't know. Even if he had, he continued to wipe Ivan's tears away. Once he finished he looked down at Ivan's gloves and quickly removed them. Ivan Braginski was a man that didn't like being seen crying. Or at least, that's what he guessed from the second room and the attempts to mask that he had been bawling. The gloves would just remind him. Then Toris put a hand in Ivan's hair saying, "A-are you okay?" Because only after he had done all this did he realize that he actually… did it.

Ivan stared at Toris, unsure of what to say. Instead he just nodded. That was good enough for Lithuania. He was prepared to leave, heck; he would run if Ivan got into one of his moods. But he couldn't because just as he turned to get out of there, Ivan grabbed his arm.

It was strange to feel Ivan's hands. He had always worn those rough gloves. Whenever he touched Lithuania, he felt the sting of leather. Ivan noticed this too. He hadn't remembered the last time he touched somebody with his hands. Those gloves, his coat? They were all like a shield. While they didn't prevent any bodily harm, they were like a way to keep others away from his emotions. And this proved it. That one little touch he had given Toris was all it took for his heart to melt. It was strange to feel the warmth of someone else's body. And Toris'… his body had a strange warmth. Not a natural body heat but a feeling of kindness and love underneath. For the second time that day, Toris Laurinaitis had shocked Ivan Braginski.

"M-Mr. Braginski! I'm sorry!" Liet apologized.

Ivan blinked out of the trance he was in. Those blue eyes were hypnotizing. "Sorry for what..?"

"Ah… uh… for barging in like that! I had no business storming in here…" Toris kept rambling, trying to stall whatever punishment would come to him.

"Toris, what are you doing up at this hour?" Ivan asked quizzically. Toris realized why he hadn't recognized that voice through the door. Ivan was using his more mature tone instead of that sugary sweet one he used during the day.

"I just… I- I uh… couldn't sleep." Toris sputtered out,

"And why did you come here?" Ivan had no clue that his questions were starting to sound demanding. He scared Toris enough to make him stop shaking, his eyes were as wide as plates.

"I-I-I-I d-didn't mean to really c-come here, I j-just… Walked-d-d down here and h-heard you is all."

"You heard me. Did you… really..?" Toris had noticed the change in attitude. At the word 'heard' Ivan's face had softened. His eyes seemed a bit glazed and even possibly frightened but Ivan was still holding Toris' arm as he thought.

"I… heard you." Toris kept looking into those eyes. They usually only had two sides, immaturity and happiness or anger and ferocity. But this time… they were something else. That fear was there, as was a sense of almost relief, but looking deeper… Toris thought that there was something he felt more than saw. And it was sadness. A deep sadness mixed with depression and loneliness that drew him in. He and Ivan might not have been any closer than he and his brothers, but Liet didn't want Ivan to feel that way anymore.

And when his eyes welled with tears, Toris couldn't help himself. As soon as he saw the wetness mixed with his violet pools of misery, Toris turned to Ivan and wrapped his arms around him. It was, although he probably wouldn't admit to it, the kind of hug you would give to one of your fellow soldiers after he saw one of his close friends fall. It was a hug designed to make someone feel better, tough and hard, but full of welcoming and something that spoke without words saying "Don't worry. Everything will be okay, I'm right here."

Three times in a row had Toris Laurinaitis left Ivan Braginski shocked and at a loss for words. Liet tried to prepare himself for whatever his boss would say. He braced himself for an attack, he tried to come up with all the answers he could possibly imagine…

"Toris, tell me you hate me."

Liet was not prepared for that one. Did Mr. Braginski really want to be told that someone hated him? Toris considered. What he did know was that Ivan wanted to be told the truth. Did Liet hate him? He had never considered it. Yes he was scared, yes he did feel that Ivan took advantage of him but hadn't his supposed 'best friend' done the same thing? It was called a damaging friend. Was Ivan just a damaging friend that did more… damage than usual? After time, he conducted an answer.

"If I told you I hated you, I would be lying." Toris mumbled, still holding tightly to the taller man's tan coat. "And I know how much you hate liars."

"Even though I lie all the time…" Ivan laughed into Toris' shoulder, finally hugging him back. He didn't ever want to have to let go. He wanted to know the feeling of a human again… and he wanted to always be able to feel it… but did that mean he would always let people float to his heart this easily? Or was this just that charm and likability that Alfred had mentioned about him? Whatever it was, Ivan loved it.

He heard me. Ivan thought. It reminded him of a distant lover he had once had. Wang Yao. He had told the man everything… But the lure to them becoming 'friends' was what he had told them. How whenever someone had a problem, others would always rush to their aide, someone would always help… But when Ivan was in trouble, when he needed someone at his side, no one heard his pain. No one listened, or they didn't care enough to make amends. They would do anything to stop him, to get in his way but… Where were the people who cared about him?

He was right here, in this room, hugging him and helping Ivan swallow back his tears.

"Mr. Braginski, you never told me. Are you alright?" Toris asked, sounding troubled by the thought of Ivan being upset.

"I'm just fine Laurinaitis. It's best not to ask me about what was wrong… and by the way, you are aware you don't have to call me Mr. Braginski, correct?" Ivan was changing the topic, but it wasn't on purpose. He looked up just in time to see the blush cross Toris face. Did he always turn red like that? Ivan had never noticed such things. He was probably just easily embarrassed.

"Uhm… of course, I-Ivan." Liet didn't notice that his face was turning the color of one of Feliciano's tomatoes. The little stumble over his name made Ivan smile as he pulled away.

Liet wiped at his eyes and yawned, feeling a little tired. Ivan looked down at him with a confused face. He had forgotten how late it was. Putting a hand on Toris' shoulder, he shook him a bit, that same look on his face.

"Toris, are you tired..?" he asked, rubbing his own eyes. Toris nodded, yawning.

Toris' yawn is cute. Ivan thought. He made a mental note of this, something he would do more often with the Baltics from now on. Wrapping an arm around the smaller man, Ivan leaned Toris over onto his shoulder, hiding his face for fear of his own blush showing. Liet, on the other hand, was the shade of a beet.

Even so, he couldn't deny that he was tired. Within a few minutes, Toris fell asleep, curled up next to Ivan's hulking figure with one arm around his waist, the other clutching Ivan's rough, shielding gloves.

And this time, instead of leaving before Liet woke, Ivan held onto him tightly, reaching for that feeling of love that he had wanted for so long.