Partners In Crime (lietpol/Poliet)

Chapter 20

Toris was walking home from school when he felt his breath catch haltingly in the back of his throat.

His palms grew thick. His chest tightened. The Lithuanian had taken a back alleyway behind the school as a shortcut.

Francis was there. The Frenchman crouched by the wall, smoking (probably something illegal). But most alarmingly of all, Francis was fingering a short dagger, gazing into its shiny blade.

Toris took a few steps back. It was true that Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio hadn't retained their popularity in Highschool, but Toris never thought Francis would go as far as to take drugs.

Francis glanced up and noticed Toris watching him. The Lithuanian would've turned and ran, but his legs felt like lead.

Francis laughed drily at the fear written on Toris's face. "Go ahead, run away," Francis challenged. "Tell someone what I'm doing. Get me arrested. I don't care."

Toris's gaze lingered on the knife Francis was twirling in his fingers. The Frenchman held it up, raising his eyebrows. "Afraid of this? I won't stab you if you run."

Toris swallowed. He forced his lips to form words. Francis had always been a bully, but now he was so different than the middleschool Francis he'd come to know. Something had really changed Francis. "W-why are you doing this?"

"Because life sucks, that's way. And if you can't see that, you're clearly an idiot. Actually, you especially are an idiot. I know you're still fawning over that stupid Pole of yours. What was his name? Phillip?"

"Feliks," Toris corrected. "And yes, I'm still waiting for him. I love him."

"No you don't."

Toris opened his mouth to object, but Francis continued. "You might now, but not forever. Love is temparary. And waiting for someone who is clearly not waiting for you is nothing short of fucking stupid."

"Francis, I know you might have different preferences than everyone else, but that's okay-"

"What? Are you calling me gay? Where'd you get that idea from?"

Toris blinked. "Toni."

Francis laughed. "Well that's not a very nice rumor for Toni to spread, now is it? Kind of ironic too, considering that Toni is gay." Francis tsked dismissively. "Whatever. Toni's an idiot, too. He's so sappy, always going on about true love or whatever other B.S he talks about."

Toris took a deep breath. He wanted to ask how Francis knew about losing touch with Feliks, or why Francis, who once never shut up about love, was now saying that love and attraction were pointless. Or why the Frenchman was alone in an alleyway taking drugs, or why he was so hostile. Instead, Toris asked a more general question.

"Francis... What happened to you?"

Francis narrowed his eyes. "You want to know what happened to me? Do you? Fine. Come. Sit next to me. It's 'Story Time With Francis.'"

Toris felt uncomfortable. Francis intimidated him. Still, Toris didn't think he had a choice. He slowly made his way over to Francis and crouched next to the Frenchman.

Francis cleared his throat. "Why is love stupid? Well my younger cousin made me realize that. Her name was Joan." Francis sighed. He appeared to be lost in the memory. His composer changed. Francis seemed to be talking to himself more than to Toris.

"She and I were best friends. Joan absolutely adored me. She made me promise that I would marry her when we got older and that we could live Happily Ever After.

"I promised her all those things. I loved her so much. Not in a romantic way; she was my first cousin after all, but I loved her as if she were my own child.

"She was such a big dreamer. She'd always talk about how, when she got married, she would ride a unicorn down the aisle and sign the marriage forms in fairy dust. I guess you could say she spent a long time with a bushy-browed neighbor of mine... Anyway, I always played along with her wedding fantasies. She was so happy and always laughing. She loved everything about life. Never once did I see her frown.

"So, one day, my family and Joan's family were going shopping together. Joan and I strayed from our parents a little bit because we were young and stupid and we thought it would be funny if we hid from our parents.

"We went down an alleyway. Kind of like this one... I suddenly started to get the feeling Joan and I were being followed. I kept thinking I was hearing footsteps and seeing shadows. So I started walking faster. I wanted to get of there as soon as possible.

"Eventually a group of about five men surrounded us. I knew exactly what was happening. I had some money and my phone in my pocket and I was going to give it to them but then Joan..." Francis shook his head.

"She was so little. She didn't understand what was going on. She just saw a group of bullies, and she's always been told to stand up to bullies... She started yelling at them about how it wasn't nice to take people's money and how she was going to tell on them if they didn't stop. I tried to get her to cut it out, but she didn't understand. She tried to protect me.

"I don't think the muggers even noticed Joan until she made herself apparent like that. I guess they saw as an opportunity... for a little fun.

"I was willing to stand idly and give up my money and my phone, but Joan? Hell no. I started going fucking berserk, jumping on them and trying to punch them and kick them. I even managed to bite one of them until he bled." Francis stopped and blew a smoke ring.

Toris was dumbfounded, but curious. "W-what happened?"

Francis glared. "What do you think?" The Frenchman rolled up one sleeve, revealing a deep, ugly scare on the the back of his shoulder. The wound was a sickly gray-purple, cutting cut a small indent into Francis's shoulder blade. It was welted and swollen. It must've hurt like hell. "See that?" Francis asked. "Stab wound." Toris couldn't think of anything to say.

Francis continued his soliloquy, "I was lying on the floor, in too much pain too move, and I could do nothing but watch. I watched them knock Joan out, strip her down, and take her away. And I couldn't do anything about it, and it was all my fault because I was the one that put her in harms way in the first place. I couldn't do anything but watch and pray that it wasn't actually happening. But it was.

"As soon as they left I just started screaming my head off. I think I passed out a couple times, I don't know. Eventually someone heard me and called the police and an ambulance.

"I issued a police case, but the muggers were never found. I can only assume that Joan is dead by now.

"And you know what? When she died, I realized something. All her dreams of a happily ever after? Bull shit. The world doesn't owe us anything.

"Think about it. All the happy brides and grooms, so sure that they want to live the rest of their lives together. A couple of years and maybe a few kids later, they get divorced. Why? Because love doesn't last. The couples that live to grow old together probably either are willing to be unhappy with their spouse, or married for convenience instead of love in the first place. Love doesn't last."

Love doesn't last...

Toris couldn't say anything. Everything Francis had said, it made so much sense.

Love doesn't last.

A/N: Please hit that like button if you enjoyed! Sorry for this dark chapter. I wanted to give our antagonists some more depth. Ugh this is killing me I have like three chapters ready but I'm going to torture all of us and release them once a day and just spend like 2 million years editing \0/

QOTD Favorite Hetalia ship?

Well I absolutely adore Lietpol (obviously) but my favorite is probably tied between Lietpol and Pruhun. I'm thinking of doing a Prucan/Pruhun/Aushun sequel to this in Highschool AU after I finish this book (it's almost finished. Still a few chapters left though).