Tasmania and her Territory
A Hetalia fanfiction
by Nelarun
I do not own Hetalia
A/N: Because poverty breeds... well poverty, Hao jiu bu jian Jie jie! Merry Christmas! ^_^
Australia sighed as he relaxed. Tomorrow was Christmas day and that was one of only two days each year that all of his kids gathered together... mostly peacefully. Not even bushfires or floods could keep them away from Christmas celebrations. They would gather on the beach in the morning, play around like kids before they headed back to his house and enjoyed a barbie with snags and prawns and steaks with plenty of softdrink (the kids insisted on Kirks so he had the fridge stocked with all the flavours) and beer (each state had a favourite so he told them to bring their own) and they would stand around having a good time in the Summer heat – Tasmania the only responsible one as she wore a large sun hat to keep from getting burned – and then they would crash inside for games of Squatter or Monopoly or, if Victoria got her way – console marathons. He grinned and looked up as the door opened, his dark skinned mother walked into the house, her rainbow serpent draped across her neck and arms as she walked in.
"Grandmother!" He leaped to his feet and gave her a warm embrace, the woman chuckled and returned it.
"Hello, Little One. Have you finished your shopping?"
He nodded eagerly and showed her through to the best seat in the house – his own of course and brought her a cuppa and some tim-tams – before he sat down, running his hands over the Rainbow Serpent and for one brief moment it was as though nothing had changed between them: they were in some cave somewhere waiting out the worst of the heat, Little One sitting beside Grandmother, the Serpent slithering over both their shoulders, Little One patting his head and then a knock sounded. He leaped to his feet and hurried to open the door.
"Are they here yet?" Canberra asked, the teenager slinking into the house.
"Is that why you knocked? And no, Vicky and Wales are still coming." Canberra breathed a sigh of relief and Australia sniggered slightly as his youngest child's predicament. Victoria and New South Wales had come to the realisation that Canberra was his own person now and needed guidance from neither of them but enjoyed teasing him to the point that he almost ran away when he saw them approaching him. Canberra was speaking politely to Grandmother as Australia handed him a Kirks ignoring his scowl as he realised that it wasn't beer in his hand. The door burst open and he heard Queensland and New South Wales walk in, Victoria storming behind them and South Australia trailing after her. Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales seemed to be arguing about something (honestly, Australia had given up on following their arguments) and didn't seem to realise that South Australia was even there. Usually Australia forgot about her too, but this time of year was Christmas! He ignored the others and pulled her into a hug. South Australia relaxed into her dad's arms and smiled. "Merry Christmas, dad."
"To you too, kid." Australia grinned and released her as Western Australia and Northern Territory pulled up and got out of the ute, grabbing bags before they hurried inside. "You two look hot?"
"My aircon blew half way to the Territories house," Western Australia cringed slightly as Northern Territory gave him a withering glare.
"Ah," Australia nodded. "Well Grandmother's inside. Drop your things and go pay your respects."
"Yes dad," both chorused with eye rolls and hurried past Australia, calling out greetings to their siblings as they did so. Australia sighed slightly. Now he had one more kid to wait for and he would sit and wait for her (God forbid that he not be there to greet her when she arrived). Australia heard Queensland call for lamingtons and felt his mouth start watering and was about to give up waiting (three hours late! What kind of person keeps someone waiting for three hours!) when a removalist truck appeared following Tasmania's little car. She parked and stepped out, setting a large white sun hat on her head, her tiger and devil hopping out of her car after her. He walked out to greet her, picking up her bag...bags from the boot of the car and eying the removalists with unease. "Sweetheart, I don't mean to pry but..?"
"Well I couldn't fit your present in the boot," Tasmania shrugged as she gave Australia another bag to carry in for her. Her siblings and Grandmother had come out to see what the commotion was and Canberra hurried forward to take some of the bags from Australia.
"You know we're only here for a week don't you, Tasmin?" Canberra asked as he felt his arms almost ripped out of their sockets. "What the hell do you have in here?"
"Language, Cranberry," Tasmania scolded as she directed the men who had hopped out of the truck to take the present into the house. "Now if Westy and Walesy could take out that atrocious white gum tea table, we'll put this in place."
She walked into the house and Australia couldn't even find it in him to be annoyed. Honestly, it wouldn't be right if Tasmania didn't believe that she was morally and socially superior to everyone else in the room.
Australia's feeling of happiness was gone. Hong Kong would tell him that he needed to reclaim his previous state of Zen, but Australia didn't think he even had that any more. He stared at the coffee table (tea table be damned) and then back to where Tasmania was sitting, calming drinking a cup of only the finest coffee, a small smirk playing at her lips, before he turned back to the table. This was... this was a joke? It had to be a joke! There was no way she was being serious with this! This was... Unbelievable! After everything he did for her! That little minx was going to get it! "So what do you think?" she asked him politely.
Australia glanced at the table once more. "I hate it!"
"Little One!" Grandmother scolded sharply and Australia turned pleading eyes onto the woman. "England and I taught you better manners than that!"
Australia glared at the table for a long moment. "While I admire the artistic talent used in the carving of the coffee table-"
"Tea table,"
"- I find the actual subject matter distasteful. However as it is impolite to refuse a gift, I know the perfect place for it."
"You're absolutely right," Tasmania stood, setting her coffee on the 'tea table' and dragged it a foot to the left. "Now it's in the centre of the room." The kids sniggered at his expression.
"That wasn't what I meant," Australia grumbled.
"I know, father. Now what do you really think?" There was a slight malicious glint in her eyes and Australia sighed and really studied the table. A carved piece of wood depicting Tasmania and her 'territory.'
"Why am I so small?" he asked in a plaintive whine and Wales and Westy started laughing while Australia turned on him. "Not like that! Look at me! She's carved me tiny! I should be six times that size! And why is she so big!"
Tasmania cuffed him over the head and sniffed as she sat down, picking up her coffee once more.
"Not like that!" Australia whined. "And where the hell do you get off calling me your territory!"
Tasmania smirked and settled in to listen to the comments of her siblings, smiling as her father dropped down beside her, handing her a cool drink. "Well played, kid. Well played."
A/N: Jiejie! It didn't come out quite like I was hoping for, but I think it's still good. ^_^. Merry Christmas. Please give our (Mum's, Corthis' and mine) love to your family and to your lovely man and his family! I shall attempt to come your way in February!