Chapter Six - Silent Night (mostly)
So, I left you with a cliffhanger! Mean, huh? :) But here I am again, and we get to see the identity of the mysterious person/s at the door... (Ironically I'm writing this AN and I still haven't decided. I don't even know who's at the door...)
Mr/Ms Guest: Thank you very much for your review, I'm glad you're finding it funny! :D And I almost wish they had bought Russia a fluffy hat...
Also hello new follower, gal1075! *waves madly, scaring you immediately away*
Disclaimer? Oh, I don't own Hetalia. An awesome-as-Gilbert guy called Himaruya does... but you already knew that, didn't you.
13th December, 1963. The Evening
"Y-you?!"
"Ve-! Ciao, Raivis!"
"Wh-what the h-hell are y-you d-doing h-here? It-it's not Christmas y-yet."
Light dustings of snow had covered the path that would be submerged the next morning, but Latvia's eyes were fixed, frozen in place by the sight of five nations standing on Russia's doorstep... with... sheet music? And... stripy scarves?
"Vhat a velcome!" the nation who'd rung the bell said sarcastically, arms folded. (His scarf was rainbow, and matched Italy Veneziano's). "Ve come all zis vay, and... oh, never mind. Get Russia and the others, quickly, Lettland."
Latvia was not about to refuse his former boss, tearing into the house as fast as his short legs could carry him.
"Aw, Vest, you scared the poor unawesome little guy," Prussia said in a mock-sweet tone, poking Germany's shoulder. His scarf, if you were wondering, was an awesome black and yellow, and he'd tied it round his head like a schoolboy pretending to be a pirate. "Just like you alvays scare everyone avay from you!"
"Vill you, just zis once, stop talking? I have had enough of you tonight, bruder, completely and utterly enough!"
Austria gave an inflated despairing sigh, wheeling his piano forward. His scarf was a horrible green and beige, but seen as he'd dressed Feliciano as a girl for years, Roderich couldn't really say no when that nation asked him specially to wear it.
"Zis is awful, you said I would be showcasing my skills, you didn't say I would be playing the music of a schoolteacher in an assembly! HAULING my beautiful pianoforte! Do you know how stupidly simple zese -"
"SHUT UP, MUSIC BASTARD!" Romano yelled, his orange and red scarf flapping in the wind. "I don'ta wanna be here either! But I'm not-a leaving my brother with you three!"
"L-Lithuania! E-Estonia! M-Mr R-R-Russia!" Latvia almost screeched the names as he skidded through the hall in his socks and slid into the kitchen. Lithuania leapt out of his chair and was across the room in a heartbeat with a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Latvia! Are you all right? What is it, who is there? What have they done?"
Russia was glowing purple, but he looked concerned rather than angry. "Who has scared you, little Raivis? Mr. Pipe and I will go and say privet..."
"N-no, it-it's j-just a sh-shock, that's a-all. Th-the Italies, G-Germany, Pr-Prussia and Au-Austria are h-here..."
"What?!" Estonia and Russia jumped up too, heading to the door. Latvia, still being held by Lithuania, was starting to see the funny side.
"Y-you m-might want to g-get the Z-Zorki," he murmured, a small smile starting on his face. "I th-think th-they're carol s-singing."
Sure enough, as Estonia and Russia neared the door, Roderich started to thunder a tune on his piano (and for once it wasn't Chopin or Beethoven). His dissatisfied smirk showed how easy he found it, and as usual made Estonia slightly want to punch him.
"God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing ye dis-may!
For Jesus Christ thy saviour VAS born on Christmas day!..."
"Eduard, what is this?" Russia asked, eyeing them with a gravely worried and serious look on his face. "Are they trying to torture us to a slow death? Or has capitalism finally driven them mad?"
"O-OH tidings of comfort and jooooy." Austria slammed the keys violently at the last word, and Gilbert was badly off key, causing Estonia to flinch hard. He realised that all this was going to end in one of two ways: A) laughter, or B) far more likely violence.
"I d-don't know, Mr. R-Russia. I mean, Pru - East Germany - is communist t-too..."
They sang another verse, and Russia rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He wished they could leave him alone and not make such a din.
What came next, though, was truly shocking.
Romano began to sing "Jingle Bells" in a piercingly high Italian soprano, opera-style, and he was... really good. Like, really good. Good enough to bring a tear to Austria's musical eye. (If an eye can be musical, that is.)
The Eastern Europeans did not appreciate the beauty.
Lithuania and Latvia were back at the doorway by that point, Toris snapping rapid gleeful shots of the blushing South Italy. He couldn't wait to get the film developed. In fact, he was so preoccupied he didn't notice Russia's distress and mounting temper...
The song finished with Romano yelling at Austria for playing it wrong and thinking he knew it all, and the carol-singing nations moved swiftly on to Ludwig and Gilbert murdering "Silent Night" in German. Latvia took a go at taking pictures. Italy Veneziano shook a bucket beneath the Baltics' noses.
"W-What are you actually raising money for?" Lithuania bellowed over the din, which only made the Germanic brothers sing louder.
"For Prussia, so he can finally move out of Germany's house!" Veneziano hollered back, smiling broadly. "It was actually my idea! Even Germany went along with it!"
"Schlaaaaaf in himmlischer Ru-h!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!"
"Dieve, Italija, how many verses does this carol have?"
"Two more!" Italy said happily, oblivious to the look of horror on Lithuania's face.
A cold chill surrounded the nations, a flurry of stinging ice crystals hitting their faces in a whirlwind as Russia ultimately lost it. "THAT... IS... ENOUGH."
His bellow was so loud, the force of it slammed the piano lid down on Austria's fingers. "OW! IVAN! I'll be suing you!"
Russia shoved Estonia and Lithuania roughly aside (Latvia was already cringing and cowering behind them) and stormed up to a still singing - or bawling, depending how you put it - Ludwig, picking him up by his multicoloured scarf. "Do you think this is funny, West Germany?" he asked, very softly. He probably would have gone for Prussia, but Gilbert had had the sense to stop singing and take a few steps back.
"LUDDY!" North Italy wailed, but then ran for it. Romano followed suit, saying:
"I knew we shouldn't have come to the crazy vodka bastard's house!"
"No, Mr. Russia, I do not think zat zis is at all funny," Germany spluttered, keeping his cool quite well under the circumstances (although seeing his boyfriend run away hurt a lot.)
"Leave mein klein bruder alone, you unawesome bully!" Prussia started hitting Russia with Italy's dropped (and notably empty) bucket, though it made absolutely no impression. "Ve are raising money for a good cause!"
The Baltics were backing down the hall, seeing the thick purple and hearing the "kolkolkol" rumble in Russia's throat.
"Latvia, get to our room." Lithuania instructed quietly, pushing the boy towards the stairs and away from any harm a truly mad Russia could inflict on innocent bystanders. Raivis was all too glad to get away - he'd have a better vantage point from the bedroom window anyhow. "Esty, you go too."
The bespectacled nation shook his head. "We've got to help Ludwig."
Russia was holding his pipe across Germany's throat. "Do you know why we have built the Berlin Wall? To keep you two separated from me, so you can not pull these stupid stunts!"
Nodding violently, even Ludwig looked terrified. Part of Estonia felt pleased at this - it was revenge for the war and all the times Germany and Prussia had betrayed and hurt him during it - but most of him had let that go and wanted to help. After all, he did not want the USSR and Germany's relationship to get even worse... Things were bad enough with America...
"M-Mr R-Russia?" Lithuania worked up some courage and took some steps forward. "Y-Your d-dinner's getting very c-cold."
"It can wait," Russia growled at him, shaking Germany hard. "Do not interrupt me, Toris."
Lithuania gulped. "P-please put him d-down, M-Mr R-R-Russia. Or th-they might n-not come t-to y-your Christmas p-party, an-and -" - inspiration struck him - "Th-they will think Mr. America is b-best!"
It didn't work.
"Then they will be wrong," Russia said evenly, increasing the pressure on Germany's neck. "Please stop the talking, Toris; it is irritating me."
"FOR GOTT'S SAKE, VILL YOU LET HIM BREATHE? HE'S TURNING A NOT AWESOME BLUE!" Prussia resumed his bucket-hitting, this time with more vigour.
It looked like the scene was about to go from bad to worse, but then the music began.
Austria was back at the piano (sore fingers or not) and was playing as if his life - or Germany's - was on the line. He must have composed the piece himself, as it was nothing like anything they'd heard before. Enraptured, Russia flung Germany aside and began to walk towards Roderich as if he were in a dream. All the nations were, except Estonia, who felt the pull and shook himself out of it.
There was peace, and it was very still, as if the whole country was holding it's breath.
A tear ran down Lithuania's cheek.
When he had finished, Roderich sighed his special sigh again, smirked, and everyone went back to wanting to punch him.
"Make sure you still come for Christmas, da?" Russia smiled innocently, as if the last ten minutes had been completely wiped from his mind.
"Ja, no hard feelings," Germany muttered, his throat scratchy and hurting when he spoke. "Come on, bruder, let's get out of here. I have some cowardly Italians to yell at." He grabbed Prussia's arm before he could say something stupid, and they marched off.
"Oh, danke, Austria! Vhat vould we have done vithout you? You prevented Vorld Var Three, Austria!" Roderich grumbled in a high-pitched impression, pushing his piano down the front path and out of the tall gates. "'Vell done, Austria!' at least vould have been nice, but oh no, do I ever get any recognition..."
As the pianist's voice faded away, the three nations walked back inside, Russia relocking and bolting the door.
"I need a drink." he said finally, going to sit in the living room.
"Don't we all," Estonia muttered, grabbing the bottles.
So, they turned up! I started writing expecting it to be Sealand or Belarus, and then Italy appeared! I know Austria might be a bit more annoying than he is in canon, but I do (like Esty) always want to punch him in the face...
But he did save the day, so I'll give him a break.
I'm not going to do all the translations, as there are a good few and they're pretty obvious.
mein klein bruder - German, my little brother
Dieves - Lithuanian, oh God
Lettland - German, Latvia. There was a time in the war when Germany occupied the Baltic States, so that's why I've described him as a former boss. I don't think they liked him much - I'll have to write it...
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! - sleep in heavenly peace. Or really not, if the Beilschmidt's are singing it.
~Italy Veneziano made them all wear scarves. His and Germany's are matching rainbow colours. Coincidence? Somehow, I don't think so...
~Reasons why I think they all went carol singing (in case it's not clear):
-Germany is at the point of doing anything to get Prussia to move out, plus he loves Italy so he'll take part some of his crazy ideas
-Prussia wants to move out, and also likes Italy
-Austria thought he'd be able to show off his music skills
-Romano was being protective of Veneziano (as well, I think he secretly enjoyed it.)
~The Berlin Wall, built after the Second World War, split Russian-occupied East Germany and independent West Germany up...
~When Estonia slightly wants revenge, he's again referring to World War Two, when he thought he was going to be independent and then he wasn't and a lot of his people were killed (same for all the Baltics)... And America is the Cold War, of course.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE-EVE, PEOPLE (as my little sister keeps calling it.) See you tomorrow with Chapter Seven!