Hello there, you awesome people! This is my first Fanfiction ever, so I'd be grateful if you'd go easy on me!:3 Feel free to leave a review and correct any spelling and grammar mistakes (as Word can't process everything now, can it?) and generally enjoy this story!:'D
Just a little helpful note for the story; 'Thoughts are written like this', "Speech is written like this", and Flashbacks are written like this. ¿Sí?
DISCLAIMER: *sigh* I unfortunately don't own the awesomeness that is Hetalia otherwise-
Prussia: Kesesesese! Otherwise the AWESOME ME would be in it ALL THE TIME!
Me: Yes, thank you for your input Gilbert, now, ON WITH THE STORY! ~ ;3 ( ̢ô̡ ̮ ̢ô̡ ) ( o̿ ̭ o̿ )
Chapter 1
It was 7 o'clock in the morning over at Finland's house, and everything was hectic. Various items of clothing were strewn all over his floor, his kettle was whistling downstairs in the kitchen signalling that the water for his morning cup of coffee was ready, and Finland himself was in the bathroom, scrubbing up for the undoubtedly busy day that was to come. After stepping out of the shower and brushing his teeth, he made his way down the stairs of the modern, snug little house, clad in nothing but boxers imprinted with the Finnish flag.
He entered the kitchen (after effectively tripping over Hanatamago, his dog) to tend to the noisy appliance on the stove. He let out a sigh whilst preparing the coffee, his eyes trained on the calendar on the wall in front of him. The date read '24th December', and was circled in red biro to show the importance of the day. You see, it was Finland's job as a country to deliver presents to children and sometimes adults all over the world on the night of Christmas Eve. Yes, he was, in other words, Santa Claus. It's not that Finland hated Christmas or giving presents to others, quite the contrary actually. He loved the Holiday, with the joyful atmosphere and the happy faces and all the singing, and he also loved giving to others, knowing that he'd made someone happy. It was just that the rounds on the sleigh took a long time, and the weather wasn't always good. He loved the cold (he is Finland, duh), but there is a time when it gets too much, and one can have enough of it. And that's what tended to happen whilst he travelled up in the clouds every December. He can't say he was too delighted with the prospect of snow-filled boots, numb fingers and toes, and a high chance of catching a cold, but he'd do it again this year, nethertheless. After all, it's only ONE night a year, correct? How hard could it be?
Purple orbs pulled away from the calendar and glanced at the clock on the microwave. He jumped violently, almost spilling boiling coffee on his exposed torso. When did it get to be 7:39 in the morning? He figured that he must've stayed in the shower longer than necessary. And with that thought, he quickly gulped down the remaining drops of the energy-giving liquid and raced to his room, frantically trying to sort out the piles of clothes on the carpet to find something decent to wear. He'd promised Norway he'd go over at 8 o'clock for a chat before he set to work preparing the sleigh for the rest of the day. Now he was going to be late, and Lukas didn't like to be kept waiting. He jammed on a pair of light blue jeans and pulled on a white blouse before skidding into the bathroom for one last check of the hair. He yanked a brush through the silky blonde hair and made sure the parting was right. Then he took the stairs two at a time, said goodbye to Hanatamago (who replied with a hearty 'woof'), grabbed his car keys on the kitchen counter and ran out of the door.
Tino blinked as his face was met with a gust of icy air. He shivered as he pulled his jacket (which he grabbed on his way out) closer to his body. He unlocked the car door quickly, and was soon reversing out of his driveway with practised ease. As he sped down town, he began to think about the last time he'd seen Norway.
~Le Flashback~
"Lukas, Emil, I'm back!~" Tino sung, as he placed the grocery shopping on the carpeted floor of Norway's hallway. "Ah, there you are, we were beginning to think Russia had gotten hold of you". Lukas' voice floated in from the lounge, cold and emotionless. But Tino took no notice, as that was just the way Lukas was. It would actually be strange if he showed any emotion. Finland let out a giggle at Norway's statement. "Silly! I can look after myself thank you!". He made his way into the room, and plopped himself down on the sofa next to a reading Lukas. Said person lowered his book and gazed over at the happy Finn. He replied with a small 'humph' just as Iceland trudged through the living space, acknowledging Tino with a curt nod of the head before entering the kitchen, most likely looking for a snack. After a few minutes silence (albeit the rustling of various food stuffs being opened by Emil in the kitchen), Finland began to feel a bit uncomfortable. He'd gotten a call earlier that day from the man sitting next to him, telling him to come over as he wanted some company aside from the 'idiot' Denmark and his little brother. Now there he was, and he'd no idea what to do to pass the time. As he opened his mouth to break the uneasy silence, he was cut off by Norway. "So, how've you been recently?". Finland stared in surprise at the man, before remembering his manners and replied with a short but steady "Good, thanks." Norway hummed, signalling the end of the conversation. Wow, things were getting awkward, and Finland could feel himself getting bothered. He needed to say something! But yet again, he was cut off by the stoic neighbouring country beside him. "Have you seen much of Sweden lately?" Finland could feel the heat rising to his cheeks at the mention of the name. Little did the others know, he had a bit of a crush on the tall, scary looking country. Well, 'a bit of a crush' was an understatement. He really, REALLY liked Sweden, but he wasn't going to admit that anytime soon. He forced the blood from his face and slowly shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. Norway peered over his book, wondering why Finland wasn't speaking. He caught the shake of the head, but that wasn't the only thing interesting. A blush was very much noticeable on the little Finn's face, and Norway couldn't help but smirk at the reaction Tino had to the seemingly innocent question of Sweden's whereabouts. His hunch was correct then. He had noticed Tino's secret crush for Berwald for a while now, even though the Finn tried desperately to hide it. Even Matthias had caught on, and that was saying something. But both never said anything to Sweden, respecting their fellow Nordic's feelings for the other. The smirk went unnoticed by Finland, as he stared off into a random corner of the room, trying to calm his buzzing thoughts down. 'Stop blushing face! What if Norway notices?! Oh god, what if he knows? Perhaps he does? And has also told Denmark?! Wait! Stop thinking so lowly of your friends Tino! He wouldn't do that, would he?! AHHH! IfDenmarkknowshe'llcertainlytellSwedenandthen mylifewillbeoveeer!JUST STOP THINKING, BRAIN!' The rest of Finland's visit went relatively smoothly, with only the few minor hiccups with a drunk Matthias being dropped off naked by a pissed England (also partially naked), and Lukas having to tell off Emil for eating all the fish. Good times.
~End of Le flashback~
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Tino hoped that this visit wouldn't be like the last one. He was rather disturbed by it, to say the least, and he certainly wasn't in the mood for Matthias' annoying behaviour. He pulled up into Norway's drive moments later, and was relieved that Denmark's car wasn't on the gravel.
He got out of his little Blue Lupo, and walked to the front door, where he rang the doorbell once. Suddenly the door was flung open (luckily it was hinged to be opened inside, otherwise the door would've smacked Finland right in the face), and to Tino's great displeasure, Matthias was standing there. Finland blinked, trying to process the fact that not only had the door been opened at lightning speed, but also that DENMARK was there. Bollocks. Finland could feel his partially good mood fading. It wasn't that Finland hated Denmark, he was just rather noisy and hard to get along with at times, and even though Finland had had a good sleep the previous night (something one must have when going to be delivering presents the next evening), he knew he's be tired when he got home. He greeted Denmark politely before letting himself in.
Once he'd taken off his shoes, he sped off into the lounge, knowing that Norway would be in there and would save him from the beer-drinking excuse of a country. But surprisingly, it was empty. Except from Mr Puffin, who was settled down on a cushion on one of the sofas. Tino frowned. "Where's Lukas?" he enquired slowly, not really too keen on conversing with the loud-mouthed animal. Said creature opened an eye lazily and nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen. Finland thanked the puffin and padded across to the room in mention. He was met with the sight of Emil eating cereal at the table and Lukas at the other end of the room, preparing a cup of coffee. Emil greeted with a nod before becoming absorbed in this half empty bowl. Lukas heard his approach and turned, a steaming mug clutched in his right hand.
"Morning you two!" Tino began, smiling at the two brothers, "You enjoying your Christmas so far?". Norway raised an eyebrow. "Yes, thank you, we are. How's yours been? You almost ready for tonight?" Finland nodded enthusiastically. "Almost! Just a few things here and there, and then I'll be good to go!"
Lukas nodded to show his attention, and took a sip coffee. "How are you doing it this year then?" he asked. "Are you starting with Russia and making your way round?"
"Yep! I always start with Russia! Its…It's just better to get him out of the way first, kyllä [yes]?" Finland replied. He had a logical way of giving children their presents, and seeing as Russia is the closest (and scariest) country to him, it only made sense to drop off their load first. It wasn't a secret that he was terrified of the big nation, and he would be lying if he said he didn't give a big sigh of relief every year once he'd finished his job in that particular area of the world.
"So I take it that means that you'll be stopping at Sweden's place last?" Norway challenged, trying to make the question seem innocent, but in reality, he just wanted to see his friend's reaction.
Finland's heart began to pound. He could feel the blood rush to his face, and he tried to think rationally. "Y-yes. I s-s-suppose so." He managed. "B-but it's n-not a big deal r-right? I mean, h-he's usually l-l-last, s-so h-he'll be f-fine, right? H-he just l-lives closest t-to me, and r-really, I-it only m-makes sense…"
Norway couldn't help a silent snicker as he watched the Finn struggle to speak his reasoning. The fierce blush was back again, and he noticed how the boys violet eyes widened at the mention of the Swede. He was enjoying the scene until Denmark entered the kitchen, whistling an annoying tune. Norway felt his eye twitch as their eyes locked, and for a moment, he forgot about the matters at hand.
"Ha-ha! Finny-boy, your face is all red and stuff, are you having a seizure or somethin'?" Matthias' voice cut through the air like a sharp blade, and left Lukas' ears ringing with the sheer annoyingness of it.
"A-ah! Umm…n-n-no! I'm f-fine a-and good a-and…y-yes!" with a squeak, Finland rushed out of the room.
Norway sighed. Why did Denmark have to be so forceful with his ways? He could've approached the situation with care, but NO. Never mind, he'd go after the Finn in a minute. Just let him cool his head down.
Matthias saw cold dark blue eyes studying him, and gave Lukas a shrug. "What? That wasn't my fault. What were you guys talking about anyway?" The Dane walked around the table and sat on the counter beside Lukas. Emil slipped out of the kitchen whilst he had the chance. "It's really none of your business, now, is it?" Lukas replied, his voice bitter.
Matthias took no notice and smirked. "Alright, but I think I have a pretty good idea of the conversation anyway. Were you teasing little Finny about his lover again?" he chuckled.
"Hmm? Eavesdropping again, Denmark? And they're not lovers you idiot." Lukas looked down into his cup of coffee, watching how the surface rippled with the slightest gentle sway.
"Not at all, I'm just a good guesser, and yes, they are lovers…technically " Matthias chipped. Lukas rolled his eyes. The Dane glanced at Lukas, and saw him staring into his cup of- wait, was that coffee?
"Uhh, Norge…" he began uneasily (which is unusual for him).
"Yes? What?" Lukas asked, tearing his eyes away from the beverage to stare at the spikey-haired man next to him.
"What are you doing drinking coffee? You know what happens to you when you drink that stuff…" he enquired slowly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. It's just a drink." Norway huffed. Why does everyone say that to him? So what if it gives him a boost? That's what coffee was meant to do. And anyway, who was Denmark to lecture him?
"...Right…" And with that, Denmark ripped the mug out of Norway's grip, and poured it down the sink. Norway just sat there in surprise for a moment before the other's actions began to register in his mind.
"What the HELL Denmark? That was my coffee!" He shouted. Yes, shouted. He was angry now. He tried to reach over Denmark to get the kettle and pour himself another cup, but Matthias gripped his wrist.
"I'm only saving you from future humiliation" Matthias sniggered as he watched Lukas' attempts to escape the wrist lock he held him in. Soon enough, the thrashing began to cease, as Lukas began to get tired. He hadn't had enough coffee to strengthen him for the day, and now his efforts were going to waste.
"You bastard…" Lukas muttered. He gave up trying to get free and allowed Matthias to pull him onto his lap. Drained, Lukas snuggled into the broad chest of the Dane and began to drift off, but not before he felt a pair of lips on his own and a distant whisper of words he couldn't make out through the haze of sleep.
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Finland rushed out of the kitchen and into the bathroom just down the hallway. Once inside, he locked the door and sank onto the cool tiles of the floor. He curled his knees up to his chest and tried to stop his heart beating to frantically.
'Why does this always happen? Every time someone says his name…m-my heart…' The boy squeezed his eyes shut trying to sort out his muddled thoughts, but they were a big jumble. The only thing he could think about was the Swede who entered his thoughts every single day. He imagined the feel of Berwald's arms around him, holding him close, away from danger… The feel of his breath, tickling his skin…the way he would whisper his name lovingly-'
-Ack! Finland shook his head violently, that could-WOULD never happen. What would Sweden do if he knew his feelings? Would he accept them but carry on with daily life, or would he hate Finland? Ignore him all the time? Or would he…maybe, like him back?
No. Finland was certain the tall Scandinavian country didn't like him back, at least not in the way he liked him. Tears of pain escaped his closed eyelids, and dribbled down his face. How long would this feeling last? He didn't know if he could live without Berwald…he wanted him so badly… But he knew that he was alone in these feelings. And that no matter how hard he wished, his fantasy would never come true.
With that depressing thought he scrambled to his feet and washed his face with a flannel and tap water. He glanced up at the mirror above the sink. His reflection looked a mess. His cheeks were tinged a furious red, his lavender eyes swollen from crying, his lips were puffy and red from subconscious anxious gnawing and his hair was dishevelled and messy. Why would Sweden want him? And then there was his body… Finland believed that he was chubby, with a gently rounded face and girly hips. He swallowed thickly and turned the tap off. He had things to do, and staying here wasn't going to help.
He unlocked the door and stepped out and bumped accidently into Matthias carrying a sleeping Lukas bridal style. He looked at Denmark quizzically.
"Lukas wore himself out, you know what he's like on coffee. Are you off then?" The Dane spoke softly, obviously trying hard not to wake the sleeping Norwegian in his arms.
Tino nodded. The sooner he was home, the better. He needed to think.
Matthias smiled gently. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was out of hand. Drive carefully". And with that, the tall country continued to carry his love to the bedroom.
Finland was in awe at the display of kindness, but then turned on his heel too and collected his coat and shoes before driving off. Emil was completely forgotten in the drama, but he liked it that way.
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Finland gave a sigh of gratitude when he stepped into his house, the familiar scent invading his mind and calming his overwhelming thoughts. Hanatamago barked happily, glad to see her owner after an hour of solitude. Tino knelt down and petted the soft white fur of her head before deciding to get going with the preparations of the sleigh and reindeer for later. He went out the back door and crossed the frost field to get to the stables where his herd of reindeer lived. He spent a few good hours washing, grooming, feeding and simply chatting to them.
Around late lunchtime, he went back to the house, made himself a snack of Kuoritettu Sipulikietto before going to his garage where the sleigh was situated. He spent all afternoon polishing, making adaptions and finally, loading the presents onto the magical vehicle.
At 7:30pm, he ran inside for a big meal before retrieving the Santa costume from his spacious closet and putting it on. He also wore a good couple of layers of socks (around 7 or 8 pairs?) to keep his toes warm throughout the night. He now had an hour and a bit to spare, so, with a content smile, he made himself a warm cup of hot chocolate, and sat on his couch, watching various programmes. Halfway through watching 'The Snowman and his Dog', he realised he had to go. He leapt off the couch, turned the T.V off and ran back to the stables to collect the reindeer. In less than five minutes, the Finn was sitting on the front seat of the sleigh, and was ready to go.
With a hearty call to his eight reindeer, he felt the frosty wind bite his nose and slap his cheeks as they travelled across the field with great speed. Then, suddenly, the ground disappeared. Finland giggled as zero gravity took effect on his stomach. That was his favourite part.
They climbed higher and higher into the night sky, the clouds dispersing with every gallop the herd took. Soon, they were met with a beautiful sight. The night sky was clear, and millions of stars sprinkled across the black carpet give a little light. The moon was astounding. The ivory base glowing gave the clouds below a silvery, magical look. But that wasn't all. The Northern lights were on full display up there. The ribbon of dancing, moving colours made the country's eyes widen in wonder. They too, like the moonlight, reflected on the clouds. Finland could never have been more proud of his country and the things in it. Smiling in delight, he watched them ripple across, from horizon to horizon. But all too soon, he had to bid them farewell as he left the country of Finland behind him.
First stop: Russia.
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Finland took a deep breath as he crossed the border of Russia. To say he felt intimidated was an understatement of MASSIVE proportions. In fact, Tino was positive he could feel the eyes of Russia watching him, even above layers of clouds, and quite frankly, he felt like shitting himself. But then again, he felt the exact same way every year. He stopped at Murmansk first, and then quickly made his way around the massive country, hesitating at Moscow to give the country himself a present. He carefully landed on the mansions roof, and reached behind him for the presents. Then, he tip-toed over to where the closest chimney was (there were loads) and jumped down it. He seriously hoped that Russia was asleep or in any other part of the building, just not one of the many lounges.
Finland landed rather gracefully on the floor of the fireplace, which comes with over a century of practise. Surprisingly, there was no soot to accompany him on this way down. He realised that Russia probably made Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania clean these chimneys every day. He let out a sigh of sadness. He wished he could help those guys sometimes, but he didn't want to get involved with Russia any more than he had to.
He quickly scrambled out of the ridiculously clean fireplace and looked around him. Yep, this was a good call, no Russia or any country in sight. He smiled a bit before remembering why he was here and stuffed a present down various stockings. At least Russia let the three Baltic States have stockings. Then the floor above his head began creaking with footsteps, and Finland didn't want to wait to see who they belonged to.
He made his way up and out of the chimney in record time. He mounted his sleigh and they took off, unto another country.
Three hours later, Finland found himself entering the U.S.A. He groaned, it was a pretty big country, and unlike Russia, most of the last WAS inhabited by people. Anyhow, there was no time for dawdling. He stopped at California first, then Nevada. Then Arizona, etc. Halfway through the country, he found himself at the self-proclaimed 'Hero's' house. America's house, like many of the large, rich nations, was huge. Massive. Ginormous. You get the idea. He swiftly scampered down, again, one of the many choices of chimney and found himself in America's Bathroom, much to Tino's horror. He was blushing in embarrassment as he carefully sneaked out of the door and around the house, trying to find the living room. The last thing the poor Finn wanted was to wake the worlds Superpower and have him screaming either about how there was a burglar in his house or 'yay, it's SANTAAAA~. '
He was truly lost, and getting rather annoyed. Why the hell did some nations bother having a huge house? And how did America of all people find his way around? Grumbling under his breath, Tino trudged around the hallways, looking out for anything that might help. He was wasting time, but he knew that if he didn't deliver America's present, he'd certainly hear about it in the next world meeting. Finland stopped suddenly in his tracks. There was a noise coming from one of the closed doors on his left. Did he waken America? Oh crap, what if he-
"Ah!~ A-America…ah…p-please! I need you now!"
Wait. WHAT? Was that England's voice he could hear? What the heck was England doing here at this hour? And what was he talking about-
"Shhh…Just be patient babe…ah…I need to-AH-prepare you f-first…" another voice rang out through the hallway.
"B-but…Mmmph"
Were they? They were…Finland blushed and ran. He didn't want to think about what they were doing back there but his mind wouldn't register. Luckily, he found the stockings (plural because England was there too), and was able to deliver the presents and escape the house in less than a few minutes. Finland never wanted to be in the position again. How could he face those two in meetings from now on?
He drove away with haste and soon found himself in Europe, the last continent on the list. He smiled, soon he could go home and have a well-deserved sleep. His feet and fingers were numb, despite the amounts of socks and gloves applied, and he was certain his nose had frostbite. He still managed to deliver presents, even with a few strange and embarrassing encounters at these houses: Spain, France (naturally), Germany, Prussia (he didn't want to think about how he persuaded Austria to come over), Greece, and last of all, Denmark.
By the time he'd dropped off the last of the presents in Norway, he felt disturbed, scared, embarrassed, worried and strange. The last emotion was stirring in his gut, but he didn't know why it was there. Then he remembered. Sweden was next. Once again, he could feel heat steadily rising to his cheeks, but it was welcomed as it warmed them up and no one was there to see it.
He felt a shiver go down his spine as he crossed over the border line of Norway to Sweden. He deliberately avoided Sweden's house, and got every other persons house done. But once he had delivered the last present in Kalmar, there was no going back. He had to go to Berwald's house, whether he liked it or not. He'd done in previous years, so he could do it now.
He hastily made his way to Stockholm, wanting to get it over once and for all, and quietly landed on Berwald's roof. Sweden's house wasn't a ridiculous size, unlike many other houses he'd stopped by tonight in the country. Instead, it was a modest sized house, much like his own. It was modern and pretty, and it only had one chimney. Good. He took great care in treading across the slippery, snow-covered roof. There had been quite a few accidents tonight, nothing serious, but that could change if he wasn't careful. Once he made it to the chimney, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Now, he just had to climb down the chimn- Finland felt his foot slip on the snow, and he was soon enveloped in darkness as he fell backwards down the chimney. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his eyes widened with surprise.
It felt like years, falling all the way down that chimney, but it soon came to a painful end, as Tino's back made contact with the hard metal of the fireplace gate. A pained groan escaped the boy's mouth upon contact, and he continued to roll, knocking over the gate, until he came to a stop on the hard, wooden floor of Sweden's lounge.
Once he came to a stop, Finland let out another groan as he felt tremendous amounts of pain shooting up his spine and left arm and leg, from the awkward fall. His chest was heaving as his lungs tried to get over the shock of the fall and take in air to keep their host alive. He could feel blood gushing out from wounds all over his body, and an especially nasty one on his cheek and forehead. His vision began to blacken around the edges, and tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes. He could just hear the faint but frantic footsteps of someone coming down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. He let out a soft whimper when he saw two feet come to a halt in front of his head through his hazed vision, then everything went black.
O_O…Oh dear! Poor Finland! I hate being mean, but that is just the way life is, non? Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the story!:3 Please read and review mon petit amis! It will get me to update quicker!~~~
Oh, and I'd like to apologise if I got some of the States in America wrong! I have no idea what states are where seeing as I'm not American, same with Russia and Sweden.
P.S If you have any requests for stories that you'd like me to write, just ask in a review and I'll see what I can do, ¿Sí?
P.P.S Try your hardest not to flame, but do give me your honest opinion, oui? Fantastic.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! :3
-TheSpanishBanana