Merry Christmas everyone! I decided to partake in the Christmas spirit and write a themed Hetalia fic with my OTP, USUK. This year, I challenged myself to write three Christmas themed one-shots for each fandom I like (fandoms being Hetalia, Durarara, and South Park) and I got them all finished just in time! So I'm posting this one first, as a Christmas gift to my readers. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy!
Stille Nacht
A Christmas Hetalia fic
Arthur grumbled to himself as he rushed to Alfred's house. The git had invited him last minute to his home so they could spend Christmas together. Arthur, like the gentleman he was, accepted. After all, he couldn't be rude towards another country inviting him over, no matter how last minute it was or how much bloody paperwork he had to get done. He had to be polite and gentlemanly, even towards the country that annoyed him the most.
So, the British nation had booked a plane to New York and was now pulling himself through shin-deep snow to get to Alfred's door. He plopped his suitcase on the American's doorstep with a sigh, dusting his pants off.
"Really, is it that difficult to get a few bloody snow-plows through here…?" he grumbled as he knocked on Alfred's door.
Arthur rolled his eyes as he heard footsteps thundering through the house and he assumed Alfred was racing to the door. The git had probably forgotten that Arthur was coming and locked himself in the basement to play video games with his freaky alien friend.
Now, you may be thinking that Arthur didn't really enjoy Alfred's company. In truth, he didn't mind having Alfred around. He preferred being surrounded by quiet, intelligent countries like Kiku and Ludwig, but there was something about Alfred that just kept Arthur around, something like static cling.
Arthur's thoughts then went to why he had accepted Alfred's invitation. Sure, he had accepted partly because he wished to be a gentleman but in truth, he usually spent Christmas alone. His brothers never contacted him during a holiday meant for family and Peter was usually with Tino and Berwald for the holidays. He had always told people that he didn't mind being by himself but when he was by himself, with a book and a cup of earl grey as he watched the snow fall silently, he felt a painful tug in his chest. There were times when he felt the childish notion to ask old St. Nick for some company but he knew, deep down, that he would always be alone.
The Briton was snapped out of his thoughts when the door was thrown open. Alfred rushed out, his blonde hair ruffled and his cow-lick as stubborn as ever. He grabbed Arthur's bags and threw them inside, grabbing Arthur's shoulders and steering him towards his car.
"A-Alfred…!" Arthur gasped as he was pushed back into the snow. "What the bloody hell? What are you doing?"
"Sorry, Artie! No time to chit-chat!" the American said, his tone urgent as he threw open the passenger's seat of his car. "Get in." He sighed when Arthur only blinked in response. "Come on, Arthur. Just get in the car. We're almost late…"
"Late for what?" Arthur asked as he slid into the passenger's seat.
"You'll see," Alfred grinned as he shut Arthur's door and rushed over to the driver's side, hopping in and starting the car.
"Alfred, I don't see the point behind this…"
"Shh!" Alfred said, pressing a finger to his lips. "Just wait until we get there!" He drove out of the driveway, focusing on getting where, well, wherever the hell he wanted to go.
"Really, Alfred," Arthur sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What is the meaning of this? Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," Alfred winked at him and returned his gaze to the road.
Arthur sighed, furrowing his bushy brows as he reclined in his seat. He knew how this was going to go; he wouldn't be able to get a thing out of Alfred's lips once the young man was set on keeping something to himself. All he had to do was wait and see…
…
"We're here!" Alfred declared as he pulled into a parking space.
"Finally…" Arthur grumbled. "Now will you tell me what this is about?"
"Not yet!" Alfred snickered, jumping out of the car and running over to open Arthur's door. "Come on! We have no time to waste!"
"Fine…" Arthur sighed and unbuckled his seat-belt, slipping out of the car to stand next to the excited American who was bouncing up and down beside him. "Don't get too excited, you git. You'll slip, crack your head open, and I'll have to take you to the hospital."
"Okay," Alfred chuckled, willing himself to calm down and grabbed Arthur's hand. "Follow me! I'll show you what we're doing."
Arthur felt his cheeks burn and looked away, trying not to focus on how well Alfred's hand fit with his. Eventually, the younger nation stopped and pointed ahead.
"There! That's it!" he smiled, making Arthur look up.
"A… an ice skating rink?" Arthur questioned, watching as multiple people spun around the icy surface.
"Yep!" America smiled at the other blonde, his smile almost blinding. He paused, studying Arthur's expression. "What? Don't you know how to skate?"
"G-git! Of course I know how to skate!" Arthur spat, turning a deep red again.
Alfred smiled. He knew by now that if Arthur reacted in that way, it meant the complete opposite. He touched the other nation's hand and led him to the rink. "It's okay if you don't know how. I'll help."
Arthur flushed but nodded and let Alfred drag him along. He let the American lace up his skates for him and even let him help with balancing as they slowly made their way around the rink. The British nation was a bit wobbly at first but the American held on tightly to his waist, making sure that Arthur stayed on his feet.
"It's okay," he whispered in Arthur's ear. "I won't let you fall."
Arthur felt himself flush again and he wondered why in the world Alfred made him feel like this. He didn't hate the other nation even though things had been tense since the Revolution. For a while, he couldn't stand to be around Alfred. Once World War II rolled around, things between them became better and Arthur found that he was beginning to like him more. And recently, he noted that he was feeling something towards Alfred but he couldn't tell exactly what it was.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Alfred exclaimed suddenly, almost losing his grip on Arthur. The other blonde slipped around until Alfred's arm was safely around his waist again. "Sorry." Alfred smiled and then looked around. "There's a reason why we're here. I organized a little scavenger hunt. I hid a few things around this area and you'll have to find them before we head back home. You game?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. Of course. Of course Alfred would plan such a childish thing. But what choice did he have? And getting off the damned ice rink wouldn't be too bad either. "Yes, Alfred, I am 'game'… whatever the hell that means…"
"Great!" Alfred exclaimed and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Here's the first clue. Let's get off the rink and you can get started."
"Fine, fine…" Arthur sighed, wobbling more as they left the rink. He was relieved to get off that cursed contraption; damn thing would be the death of him…
"Hey, I'm going to grab a bite," Alfred said. "Get started on that clue!"
The American ran off, leaving an exhausted Arthur behind him. The Briton shook his head and looked at the paper.
Arthur focused on the messy hand-writing on the paper. "'At 2:00, go to McDonalds and order a bacon cheeseburger. The clue to the next object will be on the wrapper.'" Arthur wrinkled his nose. McDonalds? Eeew… He glanced at his watch. 1:50.
…
1:50?
He jumped up and looked around for the nearest McDonalds. He had to get there as fast as possible! He spotted one and took off, going as fast as his legs could carry him. As Arthur ran off, Alfred came back to watch with his hotdog, a knowing smile on his face.
"Have fun, Artie…" he smiled and took a bite of his hotdog.
Arthur burst in messily through the doors of the fast-food restaurant, getting strange looks from people enjoying their heart-attack inducing food. The Briton took a deep breath and walked to the counter, clue in hand.
"Good afternoon, sir," the cashier, "Randy", greeted, his voice monotone and his expression bored. "What can I get you for today?"
"A bacon cheeseburger," Arthur sighed, shuddering of the thought of such greasy and disgusting… He swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn't vomit.
"Just the burger?"
"Yes." It would probably be all I could stand…
"Super-sized?"
"NO."
"…Are you from around here?"
Arthur shot the young man a withering glare. "No."
"Australia?"
"Britain, actually," the country growled through his teeth. How dare he!
"Oh, okay…" Randy muttered. "That'll be twenty dollars."
"Twenty?" Arthur gasped and then dug around in his pockets, fishing out a twenty dollar bill. "Here."
"Thank you and please come again," Randy sighed, handing Arthur his food tray.
The Briton took it and looked at the wrapper, hoping to find the next clue. Indeed, it was there, scrawled messily on the corner of the wrapper.
"Great! You got here on time!" the note read. "Next, you'll have to find the following object… I spy something pink and usually hunted for during a spring holiday! Good luck!"
Arthur blinked at the wrapper and began to think it over. What the hell did that mean? He looked at the clue again. Pink and from a spring holiday… He tried to think of a holiday that incorporated pink. Valentine's Day was one but that was in the winter. He thought again. Easter? He looked at the clue once more. 'Hunted for during a spring holiday…' That was it! It was an Easter egg! The Briton rolled his eyes; finding a bright pink Easter egg would be so easy in the snow.
He pushed himself off of his seat and ran for the exit, heading back to the ice rink. He would have this thing done with in no time!
…
Alfred smiled to himself as he saw Arthur run out of the McDonald's. He felt a little bad for sending the other nation on a wild-goose chase but there was no other way. With a sigh, the American reclined against the bench he was sitting on. He had really wanted someone to be with him during Christmas and the first person he thought of was Arthur. Usually, it would be family, like his brother Matthew, but Arthur seemed to hold a special place in his heart.
Alfred chuckled as he watched Arthur look around frantically for the pink egg, his search coming up dry. The American didn't make the search easy, of course; the egg was buried underneath the very bench his was sitting on. After all, he had to keep Arthur occupied as long as possible.
His cell phone rang in his pocket and he fished it out, answering it quickly.
"Hello? Oh hi, Mattie!" Alfred greeted his shy brother. "How's it going?" There was a pause as his brother responded and the American snickered. "Yeah, he's still looking." Matthew said something else and Alfred nodded. "I think we'll take about twenty minutes. Will that be enough time?" Another response. "Good. That'll be just fine. Tell everyone else to get ready. Thanks, Mattie. See ya soon."
He hung up just as Arthur approached him, obviously fuming.
"Alright, you git, where is it?" the Briton growled.
"Where's what?" Alfred asked innocently.
"The damned egg!" Arthur snapped, stomping his foot. "Where the bloody hell is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alfred sighed, moving his foot close to the area where the egg was buried.
"I'm not playing games, Alfred," Arthur growled. "Where is the bloody thing?"
"Take a wild guess," Alfred smirked, glancing down at snow.
Arthur flicked his eyes to the mound of snow near Alfred's foot and bent down, digging up the pink egg. He smirked at Alfred, proud of his tiny victory, and opening the plastic item. Out came a rolled up piece of paper and Arthur unrolled it, looking for the next clue.
He glared at Alfred but got up and searched regardless. The American smiled to himself as the other stalked off. Arthur really was cute when he was mad…
…
Arthur growled to himself as he continued his search. He had been searching for what seemed like hours and he felt like he was just going in circles. Every clue led to something ridiculous and childish. He rolled his eyes; sometimes he just couldn't stand Alfred.
But, of course, there were those times where he could. There were times where he felt like Alfred was his only friend in the world. And then there were those times where Alfred would annoy him to the ends of the earth.
For example, the blasted git had embarrassed him at the last world meeting over a sprig of bloody mistletoe. Apparently, someone (Hungary) thought it would be funny if they hung some mistletoe up in the doorway of the conference room and, as expected, Arthur had gotten stuck right under it. And guess what? Alfred was right there with him.
Oh joy.
So, being the childish man he was, Alfred had tried to convince him that it was Christmas law that people kiss under mistletoe. Of course, Arthur protested against the so-called "law" and said such a thing was childish and completely thoughtless. He left Alfred behind in the dust, trying to mask the blush that had spread across his cheeks. He was always too proud to admit his feelings… maybe that's what got him into this mess in the first place.
As he thought it over, something caught his eye. He leapt forward and grabbed an abandoned blue scarf, finding a note tied to it. Arthur smiled a smug smile; finally, the last clue! He unrolled the paper and read it slowly…
"Next clue: What's in my pocket?"
"ALFRED!"
Alfred looked up as Arthur stormed back, holding the note in front of his face.
"The hell is this?" Arthur demanded. "Alfred, why in the world are you making a reference to 'The Hobbit?'"
"Hey, I read too," Alfred shrugged. "And you have to guess what's in my pocket. You get it right and we leave."
Arthur glared at him. "I hate you."
"Ah, ah, ah!" Alfred smirked, wagging a finger. "That's not a guess! Try again!"
"Another bloody clue?" Arthur guessed.
"No."
"Your hand?"
Alfred took his hand out of his pocket. "Aside from that."
"…It's not something dirty, is it?"
"I'm not that twisted, Arthur," Alfred chuckled. "Guess again."
"Bloody hell… I don't know!" Arthur growled. "I just want to go back home!"
"Here's a hint," Alfred smiled. "What do we need to get back home?"
"A… car…?"
"Yeah but that's not what's in my pocket~"
Arthur put his face in his hands. "Your fucking keys…"
"Correct!" Alfred cheered and grabbed Arthur's hand. "Time to go home!"
"W-wait!" Arthur cried as Alfred led him to his car. "What was that all for?"
"You'll see," Alfred winked before they got into the car. "You'll see."
…
Arthur sighed as they finally pulled into Alfred's driveway. His day wasn't going as he thought it would be; he was so tired and he wanted nothing more than to wring Alfred's neck. He would have preferred staying at the house and enjoying a cup of tea and a book without even being bothered by that damned American…
But if he was doing that, he would be alone again… like every year.
"Artie, are you okay?" Alfred frowned as they got out.
"It's nothing, Alfred," Arthur sighed as he walked towards the door. "I'm just tired."
"You're not mad at the whole scavenger hunt thing, are you?" Alfred asked, walking up to Arthur and placing an arm around his shoulders.
"N-no…" Arthur muttered, not even trying to remove the American's arm. "Well, a little… But not too much."
"I'm sorry if I wore you out," Alfred sighed, holding Arthur close to him as they got to the doorstep. "But trust me, once you see what's behind this door, you'll be thanking me."
"Alfred, I have no idea what you're doing," Arthur sighed. "But please, can't we just…?"
"Surprise!" Alfred yelled, throwing the door open.
"Merry Christmas, Arthur!" a chorus of voices rang out and Arthur felt his eyes widen.
Inside was every country that he knew, all smiling warmly at him. Alfred led him inside as he looked around in surprise, still astonished by the sight of everyone being there.
"Wh-what is all of this?" he asked, looking at all of them in surprise. "Why…? How…?"
"I know you spend Christmas all by yourself each year," Alfred sighed, his arm still around Arthur's shoulders. "So I decided to put a party together just for you. I invited just about the entire world here so that I could make your Christmas the best you've ever had."
"I… I don't know what to say…" Arthur choked out, looking around at the faces. Everyone was there. Everyone. Did they all care so much? He felt tears springing to his eyes and rubbed them, smiling up at the other countries. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gilbert yelled out from the back. "Let's get this party started!"
Everyone let out a cheer in agreement and the party filed into the kitchen, dining room, and living room, grabbing food and striking up conversations with people they knew. Before Arthur could make a move, Alfred took him by the arm and dragged him into the hallway, standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Do you like it?" Alfred asked, smiling down at Arthur.
"Yes, I do!" Arthur smiled, looking up gratefully at Alfred. "They… they're all here… for me?"
"Of course," Alfred nodded. "Why else would they be here?"
"Thank you…" Arthur whispered, embracing Alfred suddenly. "This means so much to me. I… I could never, ever thank you enough for this."
Alfred blinked once and then his face softened into a smile. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and held the other close. He looked up at the ceiling, spying a sprig of mistletoe.
"Mistletoe…" he mused. "Curious little plant, isn't it?"
"You know…" Arthur said, looking up at the sprig. "It's deadly if you eat it."
"But a kiss is deadlier… if you mean it," Alfred said, a sly smile working its way onto his face.
Arthur turned startled eyes on the American, his face turning a deep red. Alfred only smiled and placed a hand on the back of Arthur's neck, leaning in close. His lips ghosted over Arthur's for a split second, making the other man shudder, and then captured Arthur's lips in his own. The kiss was small, sweet, and chaste, yet nothing could have felt better. Arthur felt like his heart would explode in his chest from beating so fast. So this was what he felt towards Alfred; all along, it was there but he never noticed it. How come he never noticed it?
Alfred pulled away, smiling slightly at Arthur. "You know, that was the kiss you owed me a couple of weeks ago."
Something clicked in Arthur's mind and he glared at the American. "R-really? Is that what this is about? Is that why you arranged all of this? Just for one little kiss?"
"Partly," Alfred admitted sheepishly. "But I also wanted to make the best Christmas for you. And I did. And admit it, you liked the kiss."
"A… a little bit…" Arthur stuttered, his face flushing again.
"You know, Arthur, that's the best gift I could give you," Alfred smiled. "And I knew you would like it."
Arthur buried his face in Alfred's shirt and mumbled something into the fabric.
"What?"
"I said, 'I love you', you git…" Arthur snorted, avoiding eye contact with Alfred.
The American's lips stretched into a broad smile and he kissed Arthur's forehead tenderly. "I love you too."
Before anyone could say anything else, Feliciano bounded into the room with a bright smile.
"We're going to sing Christmas carols, ve!" the Italian chirped. "Are you two going to come along?"
"Sure!" Alfred smiled and turned to his newly-appointed boyfriend. "Want to come, Artie?"
"I don't see why not," Arthur sighed. "Are we staying inside?"
"Just in the living room," Alfred smiled. "Come on, let's go!"
The three rushed into the living room where everyone was crowded around the piano, Roderich sitting on the bench. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and proceeded to speak.
"I'm sure everyone knows this song," he said. "But first, anyone who knows it in its original language is welcome to sing along with me at the start."
Everyone nodded and the Austrian smiled, beginning to play the first notes of the song on the piano delicately. Arthur smiled as he recognized the song; of course Roderich would pick it, it was one of the Austrian's favorites.
"Stille nacht, heilige nacht," the Austrian began, singing in German. "Alles schläft, einsam wacht…"
Soon enough, Ludwig, Gilbert, Vash, and Lili joined in, their voices harmonizing with Roderich's as they sang. "Nur das traute hochheilige Paar, holder Knabe im lockigen Haar. Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh, schlaf in himmlischer Ruh…"
And then, as if on cue, every other country joined in, this time switching to English.
"Silent night, holy night…" the voices rang out in unison. "All is calm, all in bright." Arthur took Alfred's hand as the voices grew louder and louder, holding his love close. "Round yon Virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild." Arthur joined in, smiling up at Alfred. "Sleep in heavenly peace…"
"Sleep in heavenly peace."
The singing continued as Arthur leaned against Alfred, his smile bright and heavenly. Alfred smiled down at him and Arthur returned the expression, his eyes sparkling like the lights on Alfred's tree.
"Merry Christmas, Alfred," Arthur whispered with a small smile.
"Merry Christmas, Arthur," Alfred whispered back, kissing Arthur on the forehead.
Sleep in heavenly peace…
The End
So this fanfic, is named after the carol "Stille Nacht" or "Silent Night" which originated in Austria. "Stille Nacht" was written by Franz Gruber, the Austrian headmaster, and Joseph Mohr, a priest. From what I heard, Gruber had to write a guitar melody for Mohr's lyrics due to the church's organ being broken and the priest wanted music to be a part of their Christmas service. The carol was written and then translated into English, becoming the carol we all know so well. The German version is just lovely and I first heard the German version on a Muppets Christmas special CD in which the song starts in German and then switches to English after the story of Gruber and Mohr is told. It's truly a lovely song and I felt the need to incorporate it into Hetalia.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
~White Crow 10