Finland sighed happily as he loaded his sleigh with bags upon bags of presents. It was finally Christmas-his time, his holiday. He was Santa after all, it was his job to spread spirit and cheer in this cold season. Behind him, Russia stumbled a bit under the bags he was carrying, finally placing them next to their cousins on the sleigh. He smiled.
"I think that's the last of them, da?"
Finland smiled in return. In reality, he had no elves or cutesy woodland creatures, only himself. Which made Christmas Eve a BIG production.
"Yes, I think so. Thank you for helping!"
He had noticed that Ivan had been acting strangely friendly lately, though nobody was sure why. Ivan had made a great effort to talk to him lately, despite their countries not being particularly friendly in the past. He had taken this to be a good sign, eventually learning to really appreciate the Russian's company. When he had learned the man was planning to spend Christmas alone, he couldn't help but invite him over- even if it was just for packing presents and hot cocoa.
"It's no trouble, I wasn't doing anything anyways? Those bags are too heavy for you to move all of them. You are good company anyways."
Tino blushed.
"T-thanks!" he stuttered. "You are too. Well, since we finished early, would you like to go sledding? There's a good hill nearby that hardly anyone ever goes to."
Ivan nodded.
"That sounds fun. If you want to start your deliveries though, I will leave. I don't want to hold you up."
Tino shook his head.
"No, you aren't holding me up. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with you, that's why I invited you. Wait here, I'll go get the sled." he said, jumping from his spot on the sleigh lightfootedly, scampering off onto the snow filled path.
Russia leaned against the sleigh, burrowing his head into his scarf to block out the cold. Whenever he was with Finland, he didn't mind the cold as much- it was as if the air instantly warmed when the man walked in. It melted his cold heart and made him feel a rare happiness. He smiled despite himself, this was the best Christmas he had in years.
A few minutes later, Finland returned with the sled as promised, leading him a mile or so through the snow before reaching the top of a rather steep hill.
"Sorry it's such a long walk. I thought about putting in ski lifts, but I figured it would ruin the natural beauty of this place. Go ahead, get on."
Russia did as he was told, sitting down on the front and grabbing the reins.
"Are you sure you can push the sled off? I am heavy."
Finland laughed.
"Of course, I'm far stronger than I look."
This proved to be an understatement as Tino gave the sled such a strong shove he had to jump to make it on. He overshot a bit, faceplanting in the middle of Ivan's back. They both to flew off and rolled through the snow, laughing as the snowflakes coated their blonde hair. They came to a stop at the foot of the hill, on their backs and unable to contain their childish excitement.
"Much better than normal sledding, da?"
Finland grinned ear to ear.
"Much."
Russia smiled warmly in return. Not his usual fake smile, but a real one. To be honest, Finland was touched. It was such a rare sight that he had never imagined it happening. His heart skipped a beat. All of a sudden, he found himself reaching out to tough Ivan's round face, almost as if in a trance. Amethyst eyes stared back at him in an unreadable expression, a strange combination of questioning,anticipation, and , Finland closed the gap between them, gently placing his lips on Russia's rough ones, lingering for a moment. He backed away slightly, their warm breath leaving clouds in the cold Finnish winter air, noses almost touching.
"You don't have to be alone anymore."
A frozen tear slid down Russia's cheek. He wrapped his long arms around Finland in an affectionate hug, holding him tightly.
"Thank you."