A Small Present
A young Chibitalia was excited tonight after all those months of waiting. Tonight was Christmas! He couldn't wait to see the man named Santa Claus, the one Elizabeta talked about the nights before and he hoped he was a good boy this year and Santa would give him some presents! Elizabeta said Chibitalia was good this whole year, but deep down Chibitalia felt guilty about the one time where he took some food from the kitchens a few months back. Chibitalia was so hungry and he just wanted something to eat and the lady forgave him so Santa Claus had to forgive him, right?
Trying to put off the negative thoughts aside, Chibitalia wandered around his new home's living room and, after exploring the large room's decorations and getting pretty bored about it, he went back to the chimney and sat in front of it, gazing at it with curiosity and innocence. Then he remembered Elizabeta's story about how Santa Claus goes around good children's homes by using their chimney... Oh no, he thought in horror, how is Santa going to come into my home? I have to do something before Santa comes and gives my presents!
How could he fix this? He stood up abruptly, looking around to see if there was anything he could use to stop the fire burning brilliantly inside. Out of nowhere a thought came and he exclaimed happily, running off to get what he needed outside the mansion. Meanwhile, a boy called Holy Roman Empire wandered tiredly into the living room after having some trouble sleeping. Training was rather rough today. He felt his body contracted in pain but H.R.E managed somehow to walk in and notice the decorations.
The large tree was done nicely in his opinion. The decorations at their decade looked pretty, attractively placed with its sparkles and a golden star on the top. H.R.E smiled to himself, feeling nostalgic from his younger years when he celebrated Christmas. Although not the same anymore with everyone doing their own business, he still remembered those good times. Just then, he heard the door open behind him and looked over to see his one true love, Chibitalia.
Chibitalia stopped dead in his tracks when he saw H.R.E standing by the large tree nearly covering the corner of the room and almost dropped the bucket of water. Holding it firmly in his hands, he stood between going inside the room and outside the hallway.
Chibitalia would run away and not look back; this boy would run after him and declare his part in being in H.R.E's nation.
"Chibitalia!"
Shaking delicately, he had no idea what to do this time. He felt trapped and had no idea what to do now.
"U-uh…"
"Why are you carrying that inside the house?" he asked in confusion, racing awkwardly over and standing clumsily near him.
Chibitalia felt his heart thump in discomfort for H.R.E's closeness to him. He could feel his presence so closely; Chibitalia had no idea what to make of this unseen predicament for he couldn't run away this time. What was he to do?
"Here, let me take it for you," H.R.E said, his hands reaching timidly for the bucket.
"I-I got it," Chibitalia said, pulling himself away and stare at him with shyness.
"I must insist, you-"
Out of nowhere, Chibitalia quickly maneuvered a run, made a curve to past H.R.E and headed toward the fireplace. Before H.R.E could do anything, Chibitalia threw all his might from the bucket and a great flood of water splashed into the fireplace, burning out the fire and leaving a complete darkness surrounding the while room.
"What have you done?"
"I didn't mean it!" Chibitalia confronted unhappily. The dark was the worst, he couldn't stand it! "I thought if I get rid of the fire, Santa Claus would come and not get hurt by the fire and I really wanted to see him well and not on fire and...and I was scared for a moment because I thought I was a bad child this year despite doing my best-"
"Where are you? I can't see anything here!"
Chibitalia remained where he was, his small body shivering in the darkness. It was horrible. Chibitalia hated the dark; no matter how many times he slept in Elizabeta's arms at night after terrible nights or how covered his body was from blankets, Chibitalia felt frightful of the night's shadow. With hands touching the air, he looked for a way to touch something solid so he could get out of here and find a light.
Meanwhile, H.R.E was doing the same and tried to find Chibitalia. He secretly knew Chibitalia's fear of the dark from Elizabeta and thought of this as a perfect opportunity to become close. Just thinking about it made him nervous. H.R.E remembered not too long ago reading fiction romances for advice on how to possibly woo lovely ladies, but he felt too shy to read the 'adult parts' and often skipped to the (hopelessly) romantic parts.
H.R.E gave himself courage in his heart, hoping it would be enough to salvage this moment with Chibitalia, but if only he could see!
Thump!
"Ow!"
"Holy Rome," Chibitalia called out nervously. "Are you all right, I heard a-"
"I am fine," he replied quickly, feeling his knee as he bumped on something sharp. "Just stay where you are, I'll-!"
CRASH!
"What was that?" a voice from outside said, confused while footsteps followed the voice.
The next thing the two knew, a woman's silhouette with light behind her back opened the door and gasped at the sight of H.R.E on the floor, holding his knee in an awkward position whilst Chibitalia, for some reason, had a bucket on his head.
"My goodness," Elizabeta came back, sighing to herself, after taking the bucket outside and coming back with a towel for Chibitalia's hair. As she dried Chibitalia's hair, she continued speaking, "I leave the two of you alone for a couple of minutes and the next thing I know you nearly hurt yourself just to see Santa and you-" Elizabeta looked up to see H.R.E cleaning the floor with a mop. "...I have no idea what the two of you were thinking, hiding in the dark like that."
Once Elizabeta finished drying Chibitalia's hair, all matted and dry, she took the towel away and went away to find a chair nearby to sit. After sitting herself down, she stared for a moment and Chibitalia who expressed worry across his face while H.R.E looked reverently ready to protect Chibitalia and take the blame.
But instead, she said, "Well, I guess you two are young and have wild imaginations. I'll be right back. Stay here and try not to destroy anything." With that, she got up from the comfy chair and exited out the living room, leaving the two alone.
While Elizabeta left to do her business, Chibitalia and H.R.E were left to their own separate areas; Chibitalia nearby the Christmas tree and H.R.E near the fire place which was lit once again. As Chibitalia watched the flames from afar flicker like waving red hair blown by faraway winds, he worried dearly about poor Santa Claus coming to his house, not knowing the fireplace had its wood renewed with fire. He paid no attention to H.R.E whose face twinge with guilt for not stepping in sooner to protect Chibitalia and hopelessness for being a romantic without skill. H.R.E could just feel the disappointment he wrought for failing to woo Chibitalia behind him. What was he supposed to do? He was only twelve years old!
Then, out of nowhere, Chibitalia began to splutter noises of sobs and broke out into a painful cry he tried desperately to hold back. He hadn't an inkling of what to say to Santa when he came down with fire flaming all over him, or how many sorry-s he would have to repeat over and over. And the thought of Santa getting angry at him, saying he would not get any presents this year for that one mistake, made Chibitalia hug himself in horror and sorrow.
But thankfully he had someone close by who walked quickly over to, patted his back and grew anxious to do whatever it took to make Chibitalia smile again. H.R.E watched over Chibitalia whilst he cried streams of tears down upon his pinkish cheeks; snot dripped out of his nostrils and H.R.E took out a handkerchief (for emergencies) and carefully passed it to Chibitalia out of anxiousness. Chibitalia looked up at H.R.E and, for the first time, did not feel like running away from him. He wondered at first why he was not holding him close in a hug like he would do so oddly, he puzzled at the idea that this was a different H.R.E who took his form in some bizarre magical way. Yet instead he gave a silent thanks with a nod, took the handkerchief from him and blew his nose, causing a loud blow which resembled like a trumpet.
"Are you all right now?" H.R.E asked quietly, taking the now snotty handkerchief away and shoved it absentmindedly into his pocket.
Chibitalia nodded, "Yes, I am. Thank you so much."
H.R.E and Chibitalia stared into each other's eyes, seemingly not wishing to look away, but Chibitalia blinked and glanced down, blushing in shyness.
"Um, just before," he confessed to H.R.E, "I was trying to help Santa Claus…"
"I remember you saying that, and I was confused,"
"Elizabeta said in her story Santa Claus comes down the chimney, and I worried because he would be coming in our house on fire. And I thought I wasn't a good child this year because I made silly mistakes and I won't get any Christmas gifts…"
"No, no," H.R.E said with a gentle tone. "That's not true. Just because you threw water in the fireplace doesn't make you a bad person. I think Santa would be smart enough to look inside the chimney before going in, so you don't have to panic over Santa catching fire."
Chibitalia gave him a soft smile and cheered happily, "Yay, I'm so glad! I was so scared a few minutes ago but now I'm better because of you."
"Ah, look at that," Elizabeta said, watching the two children bond so sweetly.
"What am I supposed to see?" Roderich asked, bewildered.
"True love!"
"…Aren't they rather, well, young to know what love is?"
Elizabeta waved a hand passively, "That's not true! Look how sweet they are, I think they're holding hands! I'm going to try to throw a mistletoe at them."
"Don't throw a mistletoe at them,"
"I'm gonna do it!"
"Eliza, don't-"
However, Elizabeta threw the plant across the living room and, luckily, hit H.R.E's head which toppled between the youngsters. Elizabeta and Roderich hid behind the living room doors and peeked between the cracks as H.R.E blabbered something incoherent within their range. However, Chibitalia gave off a soft giggle, leaned over to H.R.E's face and pecked his lips. H.R.E's head backed away in shock and the next thing anyone knew, he got up abruptly and raced out the living room where Roderich and Elizabeta were hiding and watched as the young boy ran down the hallway and disappeared.
Elizabeta took this chance to casually go in, acting confused as to why H.R.E ran off like that. Roderich followed in pursuit.
"My, Chibi, whatever gotten into him?" Elizabeta asked, holding a small chuckle. Roderich eyed her particularly for a certain reason.
Chibitalia only grinned, "I gave him a present!"