This will be my final addition to this fic, a small domestic epilogue to bring you a glimpse of our couple's future. There won't be any angst or drama, just slice of life, fluff and domestic shenanigans. I hope you enjoy it~

I do not own Hetalia, I only own my own imagination.

18. Epilogue

"Isä! Isä, come quick!"

Tino looked up from his book at the young boy, who had just raced into the room. His fine dark blond hair was just as messy as always, and the eyes under the large dark eyebrows were a glimmering blue. They were filled with wonder that only young children possessed. Just the sight of the child made Tino smile fondly, and he put his book away without a second thought in order to give his full attention to his son.

"What's going on, Peter? Is something wrong?"

Peter halted beside the chair Tino was seated in and bounced eagerly on the balls of his feet. His generous eyebrows were furrowed in thought, as if he was contemplating whether he should tell his father what the thing he wanted to show him was. Eventually Peter just groaned impatiently, making Tino chuckle, and tugged on Tino's sleeve.

"Just come and look! Sven did something amazing!"

Tino raised his brows at this, now extremely curious. Sven was Peter's adoptive brother and best friend and very rarely did things that Peter would consider 'amazing'. Peter's perception of amazing concentrated around different kinds of machines, good (and often unhealthy) foods and his other father Berwald. Tino very much wanted to see what the amazing thing, that even earned Peter's admiration was.

"Well then, lead me to this amazing thing."

Tino answered, mirroring some of the boy's excitement. Peter grinned widely, grabbed Tino's hand and all but dragged the Finn out of the living room and towards his and Sven's shared bedroom. Peter basically slammed the room's door open, which Tino robotically reprimanded him for (Peter slamming door in excitement wasn't anything new). Sven, who had been inside, jumped at the sudden noise and sent his brother an annoyed glare. In his hands the ginger-haired boy had a palette and a paint brush, and before him Tino's easel. Tino blinked, surprised to see his son using the painting tools. Tino wasn't angry that the boy was using them without permission, rather he was happy Sven wanted to use them, but the boy had never expressed any interest in painting. Well, to be honest Sven rarely admitted he liked any of the things he liked. Like stylish clothes with frills, gold jewellery, apples and carrots. Tino loved both his sons to bits but Sven could be extremely frustrating in his bullheadedness and denial.

But as Tino focused his attention away from Sven and at the canvas on the easel Tino's surprise turned into amazement.

"Sven, did you really paint this?"

Tino asked, stepping closer to the easel. He put a gentle hand on Sven's head, Tino could feel his son fidget nervously.

"Y-Yeah. It's just a copy of your painting though…"

Sven muttered, half-heartedly trying to remove Tino's hand from his head. For a 6-year-old Sven was very particular about his hair. Tino didn't say anything, for a moment surprised yet again at Sven's self-deprecating words. Sven was also a surprisingly confident child; it was unusual for him to not hold at least little sureness at the quality of his work. And this work truly deserved praise. Tino, feeling the strong need to reassure his son, scooped the child up into his arms and pressed a kiss against Sven's cheek. This made both boys "Eeeeeeew" simultaneously and Tino laughed.

"Not that good? Sven, this is amazing! You were right, Peter, it's amazing!"

"I told you so, Sven!"

Sven was blushing at the praise and muttering weak protests, but overall looked pleased with himself. Sven hadn't admitted it, but he idolized Tino and trying out painting had been his way of trying to impress him. Sven didn't even try to wiggle out of Tino's arms, like he usually did, while the Finn took in the painting more thoroughly.

What Sven had done was recreate one of Tino's most known paintings in his own, rather unique but beautiful style. It was a scenery painting of the archipelago outside Matthias' childhood home, Tino had painted it soon after he and Berwald had arrived at the residence, and Tino had reunited with his family. The first few weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster, with everyone being ecstatic that Tino was alive, suspicious of Berwald and his intentions, still scared of the Russian government and a mix of other emotions stemming from stress. But Tino had poured all those emotions into painting, and the archipelago painting had been the result. In fact, it had been that painting that had gained Tino the prestige, that eventually allowed them to be able to buy this house just outside Copenhagen.

Tino was rather fond of the painting, and the original piece hung in their living room. Tino had made some copies for galleries but the original was the only one to hold all his raw emotions.

But Tino was beginning to like his son's version even more than his own. Instead of using the original natural colours Sven had used flagrant shades of all the least used colours currently found in Tino's collection of paints. Tino used mostly earthy colours, so shades that were too unnatural were often left untouched. The sky was a mix of purple and yellow, the islands were an explosion of red and green and the sea was blue and orange. Tino immediately noticed Sven had made a very good use of complementary colours, and Tino wasn't sure if it had been on purpose or not. Nevertheless, the colours didn't clash with each other even though they should've, and the whole piece was tied together by gentle brushes of white and black in tactical spots. Tino had never seen anything like this before, it reminded him of Lukas' style but at the same time it was completely different. It was breath-taking.

"Um…are you mad that I used your tools, isä?"

Tino was snapped out of his musings by Sven's voice, laced with uncertainty due to his father's prolonged silence. The boy was looking down at the floor, and Peter reached up and took his little brother's hand. Sven was the one out of them who always acted more mature despite being two years younger than Peter, but occasionally Tino was reminded that Sven indeed was the little brother. Tino smiled and pressed another kiss on Sven, this time his temple. The young boy didn't protest this time, comforted by the sign of affection.

"Of course not! If you want to paint, then I also want you to paint. Especially since you are so good at it. You have a gift, my darling."

Sven, no longer scared of punishment or anger, smiled proudly and even a bit smugly. Sven was quick to gain confidence in himself, which Tino thought would be a useful trait in the future. As long as it wouldn't overshadow the humility that Tino also knew Sven possessed. Hopefully.

"Why does Sven get your gift, isä? I want to be able to paint well too!"

Peter said from the floor, and Sven glared down at his brother, who was trying to steal his thunder. Tino grinned a bit and picked Peter up too, nuzzling their noses together. It was tough to carry a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old but Tino had gained plenty of both weight and muscle after arriving in Denmark 6 years earlier.

"Then you just have to practice. Besides, you have your own gift too! Didn't pappa praise your work just yesterday?"

Peter blinked and grinned, as if he had just remembered the incident Tino was talking about. Peter was very talented when it came to building and engineering, and just yesterday the boy had made a toy for himself from scrap metal and wood from Berwald's workshop. Peter liked to loiter there and watch his pappa work. The toy was a carriage, pulled by a wooden horse whittled by Berwald, and it even had moving parts and mechanisms. Both Tino and Berwald had been impressed by the skills of their son, who had absorbed all the praise he had been given like a sponge. Peter was a creature fuelled by the praise from his parents, so Tino was sure the boy's skills were going to improve by leaps and bounds.

"Oh! Speaking of pappa, we have to show this painting to him! He'll be so impressed!"

Tino said excitedly and put his sons down. Sven looked hesitant, he had been happy about Tino's praise because his isä knew about art, but what if pappa thought the painting was weird? Tino could see the hesitation on Sven's face and kneeled, giving Sven's hair a light ruffle.

"Don't worry, kulta pieni, pappa will love it just as much as I do. He also has a good eye for quality."

Tino smiled in a reassuring manner, stood back up and left to find Berwald. From the room he could hear Peter and Sven start bickering, which was a normal occurrence. They had done it from the very first day Tino and Berwald had encountered the pair and it only showed how close the boys were.

It had already been 3 years since Berwald and Tino had adopted Peter and Sven. Their meeting had been an unusual one and happened in Netherlands. Tino and Berwald had been accompanying Lukas and Matthias, who were visiting an old friend in Amsterdam by the name of Lars. And while walking the busy streets of the city a dirty, thin 5-year-old had attempted to mug Tino and Berwald in an alleyway with a rusty knife. The sight had broken both of their hearts, the boy had had a look in his eyes that made it clear he had seen unimaginable things. And behind him, hiding behind a pile of rubble, Tino and Berwald had seen an even younger boy, or more like a toddler, also dangerously thin and a constant look of fear on his face. Tino and Berwald, without hesitation, had taken the boys to their hotel, gave them baths and food and called in a doctor to check them. Tino and Berwald learned that the boys were named Peter and Sven, they had run away together from an orphanage that abused its residents. Neither spoke any Dutch. In fact, Sven couldn't speak at all and Peter only spoke simple English. Peter had named Sven after the Swedish man, who had left the young boy at the orphanage almost two years prior, and Peter had been named by his older brother who had unfortunately died when the boy was two.

Tino and Berwald hadn't had the intention to take these two orphans with them to Denmark, but after caring for them during their visit the men just couldn't let the children go. And here they were, three years later, and both children had all but transformed. Peter was as cheerful as Matthias and the horrors he had witnessed only plagued his deepest nightmares and Sven could talk even better than his older brother and was no longer afraid of anything (except dark, but that was a secret). And Tino and Berwald couldn't be prouder of their boys.

Tino made his way to the back of the house and knocked on the door, that lead to his partner's workshop. He heard a familiar grunt from inside and opened the door to the open space. It was filled with unfinished furniture and decorations, and the tall shelves were filled with wood, tools and even some metal parts. Berwald was currently working on a small table, and Tino could already tell it was going to be gorgeous. Berwald had started making furniture as a job after they had settled in Denmark, since it had always been his true passion. Berwald had only been working in construction before, because it had been what his father had wished for him before his death.

But now Tino could see that Berwald truly flourished in this workshop, among polished wood and tools and workbenches, and it made the Finn's heart swell with happiness for his gentle giant.

Tino walked over to his love and Berwald stopped working so he could give the Finn a kiss. Tino smiled against Berwald's lips, this simple gesture of affection would never fail to make him happy. Familiar butterflies danced in his abdomen, they had made it their home and were now a sign of Tino's ever-growing love towards Berwald.

"You simply must stop for a moment and come look what Sven made. I'll give you a hint; I think he has inherited my artistic skills~"

Tino said excitedly, smiling happily at Berwald. The Swede looked confused for a moment, he hadn't known that adopted children could inherit their parents' skills but didn't second-question his lover and put down his tools. He couldn't deny Tino's request when the Finn was clearly elated (it was really cute).

"'S that the onl' hint I'm going t' get?"

Berwald asked with an amused tone, and Tino took his hand and began to lead him through the house towards the boys' bedroom. Berwald was now also very curious about what Sven had done, Tino (and yes, Berwald as well) bragged about both their sons equally but Sven hadn't done anything particularly artistic before.

"I already exposed too much! It will be a surprise. I know you like those."

Tino chuckled, a hint of teasing in his voice, and Berwald smiled down at the Finn. He put his arm around Tino's waist and kept it there as the two of them arrived at the boys' bedroom. Inside Peter and Sven were still bickering, but stopped when their parents arrived. Peter made a face at the physical affection his pappa was showing towards his isä. Sven was too nervous to join in on his brother's shenanigans.

"Ew! Please warn me if you're going to kiss or something so I can cover my eyes!"

The boy exclaimed, very dramatically covering his eyes despite the lack of a warning. Berwald and Tino both laughed, and Berwald let go of Tino so he could scoop Peter into his arms. Tino went to stand by Sven, who was rolling his eyes at his older brother's childishness (even though he himself had acted similarly only few minutes ago).

"I'll do it wh'n ya least exp'ct it, you can't hide fr'm it."

Berwald said teasingly and gave Peter a small tickle, making the boy laugh in delight, and then lifted the boy so he sat on the Swede's shoulders. Then Berwald focused his attention on the easel and the painting on it, assuming that was what Tino had wanted to show him. Sven tried not to show how anxious he was, Berwald's opinion meant a lot to him, after all. Berwald's face was a lot harder to read and his sons still hadn't become as good at it as Tino. So, Tino was the only one who could instantly tell, that Berwald was very impressed by Sven's skills. Just like he had predicted.

"Th's is amaz'ng."

Berwald said, it was clear from his tone that his words were genuine. Sven's face split into another proud grin, and Peter very dramatically whispered "Told you" at his brother.

"Isn't it?! We must show it to everyone else too! I'm sure especially uncle Lukas will be incredibly impressed."

Tino emphasized Lukas' name, and Sven's eyes brightened at the statement. He was very attached to his uncle Lukas and the man was the only person Sven, besides himself, considered "cool". On Berwald's shoulders Peter's eyes brightened as well and he wiggled excitedly.

"Uncle Lukas? Does that mean uncle Matthias will come too?"

"Well of course, they're practically attached at the hip."

Tino chuckled, Peter in turn was very attached to his uncle Matthias. It was to be expected, the two shared quite the similar personalities, and Matthias had played a big role in Peter opening up after his very rough start in life.

"Yay! I'm going to show him my new carriage toy! Pappa, can you help me make real iron lining for the wheels, right now? Pleeeeeease?"

Peter used his best pleading eyes, which wasn't really necessary. Berwald rarely turned down an opportunity to spend time and bond with his sons.

"S're."

Berwald simply said, and Peter cheered.

"And Sven can paint it!"

Peter added excitedly, not giving his little brother much of a choice. Sven began to protest, but Peter had already climbed down from his pappa's shoulders and ran out of the room to fetch his toy (wherever it was). Berwald smiled apologetically and went after Peter to make sure the boy didn't turn the whole house inside out while searching. Tino chuckled, and only then noticed a paint smear on Sven's face. It went across his right cheek all the way to his nose. The shade was close to Sven's skin colour so Tino hadn't noticed it before.

"Sven honey, you have some paint there. Here, let me- "

Tino reached out, attempting to wipe the paint away, but Sven pushed his father's hand away with a shake of his head. Sven crossed his arms defiantly, his nearly turquoise eyes sparking.

"I don't want to clean it; it makes me look cooler."

Tino internally rolled his eyes, but let the boy keep the paint smear. It didn't harm anyone, and in Tino's opinion, it looked more cute than cool. Reminded Tino of his own childhood days and paint stains on every possible spot on his body. The smear looked kind of like a scar if one squinted their eyes, maybe that was why Sven thought it was cool.

"I hear you, Mr. Cool. Now let's go, so you can paint your brother's carriage."

Tino squeezed Sven and carried him out of the room. Before closing the door Tino glanced back at the painting on the easel and smiled happily. He had a feeling that his family's future was just as bright and flagrant as the image on that canvas.

Isä = Father in Finnish (I used a pretty formal word for "father", because the more informal words such as isi or iskä still weren't in use during this time period)

Pappa = Dad in Swedish

Kulta pieni = Little darling or little honey in Finnish. Basically an affectionate pet name usually used with children. If you use just the word "kulta" without "pieni" it can be used with both lovers and children.

In my opinion Sealand aka. Peter is a natural part of the SuFin pairing, and I honestly can't imagine them not adding him to the mix at least some point of their relationship. But I also very much enjoy it when Ladonia aka. Sven (this is a name I gave him; he doesn't have a canon name and I think Sven fits him nicely) is added to the mix. I love his personality and character design, and Ladonia's interactions with Sweden in canon are adorable. Sorry if it doesn't sit well with some of you, it's just my personal preference. You can't please everyone, right?

Okay, this is finally the actual end of Under the North Star. It was a long journey, but I was happy to take it. I will see you all in the future, whether you'll be reading my other fics (that are definitely coming, I'm writing a FrUk and PruCan currently) or revisiting this one. Farewell~