Warnings: Characters may or may not be out of character, depending on who it is. County and human names are used. There will be homosexual relationships at some point as well as some characters having more than one partner at a time. There might be mentions of child abuse/neglect.
Disclaimer: If I owned Hetalia, Italy would be holding the world together.
Summary: In a world where small changes in history have made a significant change in the present, most are shocked to learn of facts about certain nations they would rather not have known. With secret alliances and feigned feelings, the world skyrocketed into chaos. Through all of this, a certain nation began a third world war. Will they realize his true purpose? Or will their envy and hatred cloud their judgement? "When have you ever looked beyond what you see?"
The blizzard was stronger than ever before.
A small child cuddled into himself as a particularly chilly wind blew through the field. He pulled his white jacket tighter around his shivering body. Snow covered his short hair. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to fight off the chills racking his tiny body. Vaguely, he recalled a time when he was not alone in the middle of this harsh winter. His sisters would comfort him as they waited for the cold, harsh winter to pass. A rueful smile crept along his lips as he remembered their nice words and sweet promises.
They left me… after promising that they would always be with me… they left… no wonder… I am truly dangerous to have around after all…
He opened his eyes and looked at the dark sky. It seemed to be as dreary as his own emotions. "-hearing things! It's all just a trick of the wind!" someone shouted from afar. They sounded truly irritated. A deafening silence enshrouded the area. Even the harsh winds had stopped blowing. "… I'm sure I heard someone crying… Eduard, you heard it, too… Right?" he wondered how someone could sound unsure yet determined at the same time. "Che… Go on ahead and freeze to death for all I care! I'm heading home!" the sound of fading footsteps echoed in the sudden silence. "Tsk… He doesn't have even an ounce of patience. Let's hurry. No one should be left alone in this kind of weather." The voice sounded stern, with a hint of worry. The child whimpered without noticing.
"Eduard! Over here!" the person sounded so close, yet he was drifting away already. He felt something soft and small on his head. Sleepy blue eyes looked at the cause of the sudden warmth he felt. His eyes met with concerned green ones. The boy before him gave a relieved smile, seemingly not minding the snow on his brown hair. "Hey, why are you out here?" he asked in a soft voice. The child in the snow blinked slowly as he tried to comprehend his situation. His face scrunched up with a frown as the question registered in his tired mind. His blue eyes showed his confusion as snow began to fall once more. He was anticipating the cold flakes to fall on his beige hair once again, but they did not.
He looked up and saw another child standing behind the brown haired boy. His eyes locked with shocked blue ones. The other boy's right hand held an umbrella over the three of them. His left hand adjusted his glasses. "Where do you live? We can walk you back if we know." He had said in a stern voice. The child looked at them in confusion, not fully understanding. "Toris, you talk to him. You're better at these things than I am, at least." The blonde said dismissively, eyes never leaving the still shivering child. "Ehe… What Eduard here means to say is that it is not exactly safe for anyone to be out here for a prolonged amount of time. If we know where you live, we can take you home." The soft voice sounded so welcoming, he could not help the tears now glistening in his blue eyes.
"… Here…" he had mumbled without thinking. The confused looks of the two newcomers made him blush and stutter. "I li-live here…" he repeated his words, pointing at the area behind him. "My house is… somewhere around there…" he felt embarrassed for forgetting, even if for a short amount of time. The two children looked at each other before the soft-spoken one asked, "Do you live with anyone?" "нет (No)." He answered with a sad smile. "My sisters used to stay with me, but they eventually moved out…" He added. His companions looked at each other again, before nodding at the same time. "You are Russia, correct?" the blonde asked with a knowing look.
"да(Yes). I am. Feel free to call me Ivan if you want…""My name is Estonia, but my friends call me Eduard." "And I'm Lithuania. Just 'Toris' would do. If you want, you can come spend winter at our place." The brunette said with a small smile. He was shocked at the statement. They've barely just met and they were asking him to spend months at their place?!
"I… I'll endanger you somehow…" he said softly. "Nonsense! You will be in danger if you are alone!" The brunette answered in a concerned tone. "We don't mind. Our family won't mind either. No, wait… they would probably hurry to our place to squeal at and cuddle with you…!" the blonde had an irritated look on his face, though it was short lived as he sighed softly. "Oh well…" Ivan suddenly found himself being lifted into a warm embrace. The brunette smiled at him again, before carrying him. "We are not leaving you alone, teisė (right)?" the blonde looked at him before looking at Ivan and nodding. "Eks (Yes). Definitely not."
Toris opened the rich mahogany door for them. The interior of the house was elegant, to say the least. The walls were white, with curved streaks of gold gracefully dancing at the top. The brunette walked inside and went to their dining room. Once there, he took of his green, military like, jacket and simply hung it over a chair. Eduard sighed at his brother's habit before pulling Ivan inside their warm home. He put his brown jacket on the hanger they had by the door, before helping Ivan with the boy's own jacket. By the time they entered the dining room, Toris was already setting up three mugs of fresh, hot chocolate on the table. Ivan hesitantly sat between his two companions, unsure of what to do.
"Don't be scared. Tai neima (It won't bite)." Toris said, sipping at his own cup. Ivan slowly drank his share. He looked outside the window situated to his left and he saw the pale moon watching over them from afar. Glancing about, his blue eyes landed on the grandfather clock on the right side of the room. It read eleven thirty. Practically midnight, yet they went to find him…! As Ivan pondered on the 'why's and 'how's, Eduard noticed him glancing at the clock. The blonde took a peek himself and almost gasped at the time. "It's getting late. We should call this a day, ei (no)?" he gave Toris a pointed look while subtly gesturing between the clock and Ivan, whose eyes were barely staying open. "We should." The brunette agreed, taking the three cups and cleaning up.
Ivan tried to stifle a yawn as he began to nod off. Someone helped him stand and get upstairs to a guest room. He was unsure who helped him, mind drifting off into a dream, but he was able to mumble a soft "доброй ночи (Good night)" before sleep completely took him. Eduard pulled the fluffy white blanket over him and whispered a soft "head ööd (Good night)" before walking outside. "Labos nakties (Good night)." Lithuania greeted him before walking to his own room, yawning as he opened the door. "Is Ivan-chan asleep?" the blonde nodded. "Head ööd, Toris." He said before heading to his room to rest.
Tomorrow would be hectic.
"Sveiki (Hello)?" Toris answered the phone, small hands holding it up to his right ear. "Feliks? Dzień dobry (Good morning)." He greeted as he sat on his bed. The door to his room opened a tiny bit as Ivan shyly peeked inside. "Taip (Yes). We're doing fine." He said before greeting his new friend with a smile. Toris gestured for him to come closer. "We've made a new friend recently." The silence on the other end made him somewhat giddy inside. "Co (What)?! Naprawdę (Really)?!" he had to pull the phone away from his poor ears, lest he lost his hearing. "Is he cute? Shy? Would he like us…?"
Ivan's brows furrowed at the loud voice. A pink blush dusted his cheeks as he heard what the speaker was saying. "Feliks…" the brunette said with a sigh. "I'm, like, telling the others! We have to, like, celebrate! See you, like, really soon!" the call was abruptly ended. Toris blinked slowly as it dawned on him. He hid his face behind his palms. "Eduard! Everyone's coming over today!" Ivan was even more confused, since his companions did not seem to mind as much as they let on.
Eduard and Toris were busy in the kitchen so Ivan was stuck with nothing else to do. The sound of a knock resounded within the almost empty hallway. Taking one look at his new friends (he still can't believe they would want to be his friends), he decided to answer the door for them. "Chào bạn (Hello)." In the doorway stood a girl. Her deep green eyes looked him over before she smiled and squealed. She promptly tackled him to the ground. "Dễ thương (Cute)!" she cried out. Eduard chose that moment to walk out the kitchen.
"Mei! Get off him!" he shouted, tugging on the sleeve of her red kimono. She let him drag her into the kitchen. Ivan stood in the doorway, eyes wide with confusion, as Eduard went over to him. The blonde sighed. He closed the door, before saying, "That was Vietnam. We call her Mei. Don't mind her clinginess. She just likes cute and fluffy… Ah…! I mean… Kuh… Never mind." An awkward silence enveloped them. Eduard seemed to take interest on the golden patterns of the wall. A light pink hue dusted his cheeks.
Another series of knocking resounded in the hallway. Ivan went to answer, but his blonde friend was fast! Eduard held the door open for the newcomer. "Feliks… Would it surprise you if I said you're not the first to arrive?" green eyes looked shocked as the newcomer stood frozen in place. "*sigh* You'll ruin the red of your coat if you stay in the snow for long." True to his words, snow had begun piling on the newcomer's blonde hair and red coat. Eduard's words seemed effective in gaining the boy's attention. "Where's your new friend?" he asked, head tilted to the right.
Eduard gestured towards Ivan who stood behind him, clutching onto his pale yellow shirt, seemingly hiding. "Ivan-kun, this is Poland." He said, meeting eyes with Ivan. At the timid nod, he looked at their new guest. "Poland-""He's not calling me that! My name's Feliks!" "*sigh* Feliks," he gestured to the boy hiding behind him, "Ivan-kun. He's shy." Feliks came closer, closing the door behind him. He silently studied the new addition to their group for a few minutes.
"Isn't he Rosja (Russia)?" Eduard nodded. "Ładny (Pretty)!" Feliks declared and promptly jumped on Ivan. "I can't wait to get to know you!" he exclaimed before dashing off to the kitchen. "Mei! How dare you come, like, before me?!" "We visit each other all the time, remember? I was on my way already when you called to tell me." "*sigh* White really should not be worn in the kitchen…" Toris slowly walked into the hall, a smudge of tomato sauce was visible on his shirt. "I'll just go change!" he told them as he began to climb the stairs.
The front door opened rather loudly. "The great Preußen (Prussia) has arrived!" "Bonne douleur (Good grief)… Sorry about that." Russia slowly blinked his eyes as another pair of boys stood by the door. A bird sat atop the white hair of the one who'd shouted. His right foot was raised, and his red eyes scanned the room. The other boy sighed as he shook his head. His left hand combed through wavy blonde hair while his other hand held a red book. "He couldn't wait for an answer…" the blonde's blue eyes looked at them in apology. "*sigh* It's fine. It's just Gibert." Mumbled Estonia as he tried to push Russia in front of his two friends.
"The loud one's Prussia, also known as Gibert. The blonde's France or… Francis, stop giving me that look. You can't always be there to apologize for him, and you know it." the blonde haired boy standing outside gave a huff. "Can we get in now? All this snow can't possibly be good for mon manteau (my coat)!"
Ten minutes into breakfast, the sound of the door opening seemingly echoed in the comfortable silence. Three children walked into the dining room. "Buon giorno (Good morning)~" Greeted the child in the middle of the small group. His brown eyes looked to his right, almost urging his look alike to greet them. "Buon giorno…" was the mumbled reply. "Buenos días (Good morning)!" the third child greeted, his green eyes shining with excitement.
"Fratello (Brother)~ We can eat now~" the child at the middle pulled his look alike over to the table. "Gah! I'm not hungry!" the one in question protested. "Haha~ Lovi~ You didn't want to leave the food, though~" the green eyed boy teased. "Sta 'zitto (Shut up)! Sei fastidioso (You are annoying)!" was the only reply. "Guys~ Stop fighting~"