I wrote this for Finland's Independence Day. Nations belong to themselves, and Hetalia belongs to Mr. Himaruya. Human names are used, and there is a list at the bottom to tell you which nation is who. I wrote this from pure enjoyment and as a writing exercise. I hope you enjoy. Please leave constructive feedback. Thank you.

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Walking down the steps into the front hallway, Tino felt nothing but warm cheer throughout his home. It was almost Christmas. The freshly cut evergreen was standing in the family room, decorated from top to bottom with strings of lights and garland and homemade ornaments. Some presents, newly wrapped, already took their home under the tree, eagerly awaiting the twenty-fifth to be opened. Garland with some extra ornaments and lights ran through almost every hallway; every room holding a small star, every door bearing a wreath. It was truly a wonderful time of year. Today, though, was even more cheerful than the others. Except for Christmas, today was Tino's favorite day, for today was his birthday.*

Tino loved his birthday, since it was usually the only day he saw all of his friends together, that did not involve a mandatory meeting with stuffy suits and no time to have fun. He loved seeing Eduard come out of his shell, daring Ludwig to have a drinking contest – one the man always lost, and was very hung over the next day from. He enjoyed watching Mikkel and Lukas tease poor Emil, pushing the young nation over to him with a small present. Emil would never admit it, but each year he would hand-make Tino's gift. However, Tino did not mind, and did not care, if Emil would ever tell him this. He thought it was adorable how the boy was so shy about the fact.

Tino was torn away from his thoughts when the doorbell rang. He ran over, making sure his gloves and hat were on. Opening the door with one hand, he grabbed his coat with another.

"I'm almost ready!" He smiled.

He only received a small "hmm" sound, confirming that the tall man heard him. Berwald stood outside, calm and patient, as Tino slipped on and buttoned up his heavy winter coat. Tino always liked that about him. So calm, no matter what the situation . . . unless him and Mikkel were fighting . . . but that rarely happened these days.

As he walked onto the porch, closing the door behind him, he looked up into the night sky. The stars sparkled with joy and glee, their happiness spreading over the land.

Tino smiled, feeling warmth in his heart, "I love it so much. I love this time of year."

Berwald looked up, an ever so tiny smile forming on his lips, "Hmm."

Tino looked over at his friend. He had always enjoyed Berwald's presence – after a few short years of constantly jumping whenever the man would move towards him out of pure cautious anxiety. After he had learned how to read the man, though, Tino did not even notice how he sometimes scared others. Berwald was a humble one, in his own way.

"Thank you."

Tino jumped a little, coming out of his thoughts once again, "huh?"

"Thank you," Berwald spoke again, taking his eyes away from the sky, "for being a good friend."

Tino barely noticed when Berwald slipped something into his hand, until it was already there. He looked down to see a square package wrapped in holiday paper, a big blue bow on top. He glanced up at the man, receiving a small nod. Tino carefully unwrapped and opened it, revealing a mug decorated with eight embossed reindeer pulling a sleigh. He smiled when he saw a small embossed red-painted figure near the handle.

"Thank–" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that his friend had already started walking towards the car.

"We don't want to keep them waiting," Berwald opened the driver's side door.

"Hey wait!" Tino ran to catch up. Sticking the mug back inside its case, he opened the passenger side door and slipped inside.

He smiled, holding the mug in his lap. He knew Berwald hated feeling embarrassed.

As they drove away, going to the party at his favorite restaurant, he prayed he and all his friends would have a safe, fun time together. It was one of his greatest treasures.

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*December 6 – In 1917 on this date, Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire.

**If you don't know, here are the nations that correspond to the more unfamiliar human names: Finland=Tino, Sweden=Berwald, Estonia=Eduard, Denmark=Mikkel*, Norway=Lukas*, Iceland=Emil* (note, the names with the * after them are only ones that Himaruya have suggested for these characters, they are not official or canon.)