Lithuania took a look at the corridor before closing the door well and putting the turntable to work. Elvis started singing, just in low voice, just in case Russia was lurking around. Estonia got the bottle of vodka from under the bed and the packages they had been hiding carefully.
"Happy birthday, Latvia."
"Happy birthday."
Lithuania's was very small. When he opened it, Latvia saw that was due to it being an amber pendant with the shape of a tear.
"I made it myself in my free time. It's amber from our place. So you have something from there and you don't feel so homesick."
"Gee, thanks!" Latvia smiled, putting it on immediately. "Truth is I could use it: when I'm nervous I need to have something in my hands...Hey, I like that mane."
"Didn't Russia scold you for that change of image?" Estonia asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after drinking from the bottle. He didn't usually drink much but what the heck, this was a special occasion.
"I've been having it this way all of my life" Lithuania answered, touching his hair. "During the Medieval times I braided it and all. Russia doesn't care. He's so immersed in his space race against America I could show up at work dressed like a clown and he wouldn't notice."
"If he's distracted, that's good for us" Latvia opened Estonia's present and he explained to him. "A very warm sweater."
"Thank you so much, Estonia" Latvia told him.
He left the gifts on his bed and took a chocolate bar from under the pillow.
"I know it isn't much, but at least we can have a little whim."
A bar for three wasn't much, but it was quality chocolate, so it was a real pleasure. When was the last time they tasted chocolate? It must have been decades before, since they didn't speak for a while, they just tasted the chocolate with great pleasure.
"When this is over, we have to go on a picnic. I know a very sunny place" Estonia commented.
'That is, if this is ever over' Latvia thought but kept it to himself. He didn't want to ruin the good atmosphere. It was his birthday. He wanted to have at least one peaceful night.
Also, bigger empires had fallen, didn't they? The Soviet Union would fall too, sooner or later.
"I say we run away, we jump the fences and go to the West" the youngest said. "Who cares, Russia's already making our lives impossible."
Lithuania laughed.
"Fine for me" he said, approaching the bottle of vodka to his lips.
