i tried my best to not do fluff this chapter but it kind of creeped up on me and ran off with my nose OK don't judge me
i'm actually an angsty writer i swear insurance guaranteed
as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
Christmas Day came bright and early, with even his usually (mostly) grounded maid coming to wake him up, broom in hand.
When he asked what the occasion was, Anna looked up from her hurried dusting then practically shouted in his ear that it was Christmas Day – what was he thinking, still slouching in bed?
"I've heard that the rest of the Elite are already awake and that's why I had to shock you up…that and I wanted to finish dusting before the day's celebrations began. You do understand that, do you?" she said, thrusting her arm clutching the broom outward. "That's it, all done. Now, do you need me to dress you or do you want to do it yourself?"
Quickly assessing his situation that she was holding a potentially very dangerous broom and that he had practically no way of defending himself, and taking into account that his friends could be waiting, spurred him into action.
"Thank Fates for that," Anna grinned to herself as he ran into the door and she followed, kicking the door shut firmly with her heel. "Shame we can't wear red and green today. I would have loved to dress him in something and mentioned a tomato."
Fortunately though, when Anna had scrambled him out of the door and into the dining hall, there was only Emma and Alfonso speaking to the several butlers that were presumably taking their order.
"Go on, Sir Arthur," she said. "If the royal family comes in and you're not in there, there could be trouble."
"Please celebrate today, Anna," he said in return, straightening his jacket and turning to face him. "I don't want to come back to see you cleaning my freezing windows like two days before."
"But what if they're dirty?" she complained, but it was full of mirth as her feet were already leading her away. "Look, I'll check the mail for you, but that's all I'll do. Promise!"
"I'm holding you onto that!" Arthur smiled, waving cheerfully. Pausing for a moment, he rummaged inside his pocket to find the letter but only came up short to his shock, before he quickly realized who exactly it was behind it.
"Anna!"
His maid chuckled to herself before stuffing the folded up note inside the waist of her apron.
"Jordan, dear? Would you mind putting this into Prince Alfred's stocking for me?" she asked cheerfully, stopping a maid with brown plaits tucked under her cap. "You know. A favour for one of the Elite boys I'm looking after?"
"Ehehe," she grinned, tucking it under her arm and deftly taking out her serving plate. "On it, Anna!"
Yao snapped the lid of his port shut as all three of the Elite sat down and began to order their breakfasts. For once, Matthew was late, but Alfred had sat down meekly in front of him. But of course, this was a guise to go stuff his fingers inside of his Christmas stockings and holler, probably. Yao had tried to correct the twins' (mostly Alfred) royal behaviour to the best of his ability once the king and queen had died, but it had bore no fruit since he had become soft on them (and the crown prince under any circumstance, save food, would agree) and simply wouldn't let them be constricted under the royal conditions that had destroyed their mother.
But what gives, if you are thinking about their mother's murder, Yao thought harshly to himself. It's Christmas Day, after all. There shouldn't be anything pulling them – or you – down.
However, it was that thought above everything else that made him open the lid of the port for one more time. Clubs had always been cold, but bitterly so even at Christmastime. Naturally, there had been no note from Ivan as he was probably lying low from the fallout that had been his early departure from the Deciding process. How he wished to at least send a Merry Christmas, and talk about his sunflowers that must have drooped during the punishing season…
"Hey, Yao!" The Jack almost jumped at Alfred's voice. "Are you okay? You were kinda staring, you know, at the port for a few minutes without doing anything."
"Ah. My apologies, Alfred," Yao said, shaking out his ponytail. He had tied it up in a red band today, and fastened up his blue collar to shield himself from the cold and had gone back to his long sleeves. "I was thinking about the situation in Diamonds. King Francis recently contacted me about a lack of amplifier fodder metals there. It was probably something to do with the recent Joker thefts – especially at the border, the leader was using one. I have yet to notify them, though…"
"Yao," Alfred said, leaning over a little on the table. "It's Christmas. You know what, Matthew and I'll go talk to Francis ourselves today. He's just like our big brother!"
"Alfred, boy, he's eight years your senior but acts like he's blooming fifty, which he's not. And there was a possibility that the Joker Gilbert might be at home turf…" Yao said seriously, but fought a smile. "Very well. If that's what you want to do for Christmas, so be it. I hope it doesn't end in a state visit right after…"
"Why not?" Alfred grinned, sounding excited. "You're always saying that it could help with our prince stuff. And Matthew's probably gonna like it! And Gilbert's cool with us, right?"
"Well, we'll have to see. Oh, good morning, Matthew."
"Good morning, Yao, Alfred. What's this I hear about Diamonds, eh?"
And with that, breakfast started.
The rest of the day was essentially filled with festivities. Maids and butlers, except for breakfast and some small meals amongst the Elite, ceased work for the day and held a large party in the servants' quarters which they readily invited the royals and the Elite too. Alfonso seemed ready to sprint there as soon as they had announced it, but Emma and Alfred seemed to have their reserves, as well as Matthew.
"I'm sorry," Emma said, fidgeting a little as she talked with the Jack. "I want to maybe call my family to see how they're doing today – is that fine, Your Highness?"
"I don't see an issue with that," Yao said warmly, turning to the butler next to him. "But maybe he might…"
"Oh no, it's not an issue at all." she said, nodding. "I understand, milady. Christmas is a time for family as it is for friends. Please come whenever you see fit."
"And then, what about you boys?" Yao asked, tipping his head to one side. "You're usually very excited about Christmas."
"Oh, uh…" Alfred mumbled, now visibly torn, but Matthew quickly stepped in with a nervous smile on his face.
"Jack Yao, please don't take this the wrong way," he said. "But for Christmas, we think that you should take a break. We'll see what we can do even for Diamonds. Please…and, um, I believe Prince Alfred could use the experience."
"Ah…" the Jack seemed faintly embarrassed in front of the Elite, but quickly picked up his appearance. "Very well, then. If you two insist. But about the trip, we'll…have to discuss that a little more in tandem later."
There was an awkward pause before Alfred piped up, very much in his usual fashion.
"So does that mean we get to open our stockings before tomorrow?"
Sometimes, Yao postulated as he sighed in exasperation, the only reason Alfred got away with such things was simply because of his charisma. And being with that since his childhood, it was a little difficult to deflect.
"Matt," Alfred said a little while later, as the two brothers sat inside of the port room waiting for the Diamonds to connect. "Are you okay? You're a little quiet today."
"Hmm? No, it's nothing special," Matthew said, his tone uncertain. "Just…Mother and Father. I miss them."
"Is it just because of Christmas?"
"Yeah." he said wryly. "You just remind me a lot about Mother. You know. She'd get all excited about the presents too…"
Alfred swallowed tightly, subconsciously running his fingers over each other in succession. He turned a little away from his twin, the glint of the port reflecting off his glasses in a small moment of silence.
"I'm sorry, Mattie." he said quietly, and in a heartbeat he had shaken his head, violet eyes looking frustrated.
"Alfred, it's not your fault that you resemble Mother in ways that I never would. I was just thinking after all. I mean, if it was the same situation for me then you'd be upset all the time. I just supposed that it was the right time to talk about it, being Christmas and everything. The butler was right – it's a time for family as well as friends…"
That's true, Alfred thought internally. Whereas he resembled more of their mom, he could see their dad in Matthew more than anything – the nervous tics, the violet eyes, the careful curiosity, the shyness. But even if he did look more like his mom – the tan that stayed for the whole year, the cheerful laughter, the playful spirit, there was still something he couldn't do. He couldn't be as nearly perfect as she was, holding herself up until the end.
"I miss Mom, too," Alfred said, his voice a little choked up but he continued nonetheless. "And Dad. He'd just be in his study a lot but come out when Mom pulled him and Yao out of it and we'd open presents together. I…I, uh, was hoping to do the same this year, before we could be pulled off to Diamonds."
"Then let's make the most of it," Matthew said, offering a wry smile. "It is Christmas after all, brother."
So it was with a tinge of relief as the familiar chrome yellow that signified the Diamonds blipped onto the screen that Alfred knew that this year would be the same old Christmas, just like they liked it.
Even such a complicated process like a Deciding wouldn't change that…
"Oh mon dieu! You boys don't seem like a Jack of Spades," came the accented voice of King Francis of Diamonds. "What can I do for you this fine Christmas day?"
"Francis!" Alfred called, his expression cheerful. "You still seem like forty."
"Ah, you wound me, but you have not changed as well, chou," he laughed in his own flamboyant fashion, but took a minute to pause. "And is that dear Matthew? Comm-"
"Francis," Matthew said, a little quieter but still as enthusiastic. After all, he and Francis shared a bond as mentor and mentee from his childhood. "Alfred doesn't understand the language of the Diamonds. I suppose it would make sense to just use common English…and I'm doing well, if you're asking me about that."
"Of course, of course!" Francis smiled, leaning a little further into the camera. "He should come over like you did, instead of Hearts. They're much too modern to keep the old languages."
They shared a laugh, Matthew knocking against Alfred's shoulder in a teasing show of affection. "Also, the magic I picked up there was wonderful. But no matter – Jack Yao sent us to help with the amplifier crisis you've reported on."
The tone of the conversation quickly turned serious, singed with the impending issue that was more important than friendships and playful mentors.
"We had a rebel…encounter a few days ago," Matthew said haltingly. "It didn't end in any sort of disaster and we managed to negotiate, but the leader of the group had a nullifier on them. We still don't know exactly where they got it from, but since then we have had sufficient evidence from before that it might have come from your kingdom. They must have pillaged it while they were along your shared borders with Hearts."
"Did they say anything about it coming from Diamonds? If so. This is very grave indeed."
"The Jack Yao did make a severe remark about it being from Diamonds, but they did not respond nor deny," Matthew spoke. "If there is someone that can confirm whether there was a trace of Joker magic near the pile of empty amplifiers, we could surely confirm this."
"Are you by chance referring to your Joker Katya?" Francis questioned.
"On-only assuming that you'd need a state visit," Matthew said quickly. "Since Prince Alfred is currently undergoing a Deciding, well…"
"That does not exactly mean that he should neglect his duties," he mused. "But yes, I do understand. However, I'm not sure if Gilbert is ready as we were discussing letting him go to Hearts for Christmas. I'm sure King Ludwig would appreciate the favour…"
"Then let us host him," Matthew said as calmly as he could, but internally his heart was racing. He…he would get to see Gilbert again! "Hearts never has had any qualms about letting visitors from other kingdoms rest before coming to ours, and we share an alliance. This will only further your favour with them, Francis."
"Right – does dear Yao know about this?" he asked.
"We'll tell him right now." Alfred said. "We'll have lots of space to host just another Joker. Maybe he can swap gos – uh, advice with Katya over the amplifier thing while he's here."
"Hm. That sounds like a good proposition, and you two have always been good friends with him," Francis said thoughtfully, stroking his bearded chin. "All right then, I'll ask about Gilbert's thoughts on this. Although…I was also thinking of transporting the bulk of the nullifiers to come examine, now you've brought up the presence of both the Jokers."
"Isn't Gilbert OK?" Alfred wondered out loud.
"If you were to ship over the nullifiers…I suppose that would take the heat off your country for a while."
"For Lili's sake," Francis said tersely, speaking of his daughter. "I don't exactly feel secure that those rebels might have come in and taken some of those that have been tainted with amplifying her life. Perhaps after examination, they should be destroyed. But both Jokers would be the most secure way."
"Good point," Matthew said. "I'll make sure to notify Jack Yao about this – and I'll ask about when the Hearts coronation will take place. Since it might be a bit hush, we're not sure if we'd be invited…"
"Right, thank you two!" came the flamboyant result. "Can't wait to say hello to Yao again."
"Please say hello to Gilbert for the both of us." Matthew said, and couldn't fight the rush of warmth that spread in his stomach at the thought of the Joker coming back to him.
So much that he almost forgot to tell Yao about it and had to wait awkwardly to let Alfred tell him then only remember to discuss it with Katya. But no matter!
With this possibility of their reunion, he wished his older twin a good night and fell into a dreamless sleep.
I'm not gonna be sleeping normally tonight, he thought internally as he turned the paper, stained blue, over in his hands.
Night had fallen on Spades, and as he looked out against the atmosphere of his kingdom underneath, there was not a centimeter that hadn't been covered with bright, festive lights. It was what he loved the most about Christmas – one day that everyone could forget about their troubles, and instead enjoy themselves.
They used to host a Christmas party and invite families from all over the country as best as they could, but since he was having a Deciding this year, it was called off. Alfred had tried to do something to compensate, but alas, he had absolutely no time to even draft something or write. He sighed a little – the people might be a little disappointed, but with his love life splashed out for them to enjoy on television he knew that they wouldn't be too bitter.
"Arthur, huh?" he said to himself, flicking his wrist up to look at where he would have put an address. But no, it was simply his name written in careful handwriting: Alfred.
He had found it in his stocking – Yao had complained the moment he had plucked it from the top of the carefully knitted item and so he had quickly stuffed it into his breastpocket and made a run for it into his room, making sure his maid or Yao weren't there to jumpscare him before closing the door and fishing it out, making a beeline for the balcony.
24th of December
Dear Alfred,
It's cold tonight, as usual. It being Christmas Eve, I'd be concerned if it wasn't snowing or freezing at all…
But no matter. You see, before the cooking session we had today, I did tell you that I had written something for your Christmas present. Unfortunately, after our encounter in the hall, I stomped back to my room, face stained crimson, and tore up the note I wrote for you. Because it just didn't seem right.
You are too terribly confusing, really, crown prince. One moment you're all smooth and subtle, someone who can make me flush in a heartbeat, but the next you're an absolute dork, with a smile like a cherub's and an even sweeter heart that everyone adores.
Erk. I can't believe I actually wrote that. Forget I ever said that. Scratch it off the page, if I will…
Alfred noted, with a small smile, that he didn't anyway.
Nevertheless.
I wrote this letter not to ridicule you, even though it might sound like it. You know what I'm like. But suffice to say…I do think that we should leave all the denial and bickering to when we finally meet. I'm afraid that I'll have too much to say in counter, but what I want to say is that I've finally realized what it is to be here.
You know how close I am with my family – I always, always, from the first day, thought I would be spending Christmas and the New Years at home with no strings attached. And alas, here we are – you, kissing me a happy Christmas as you walk away, my heart in your hands, and my soul irrevocably filled with something that means that I cannot look away from your retreating figure as a thief that has taken the one thing I thought would be something I would guard until my dying day – my heart.
I want to wait until it's the right time to say those three words. We never say it between us – but I can only hope that you feel them. I say them as best as I can, with every brush of our fingertips and every look we share, I do my best. And I can sense that you do it as well – all the kisses we've shared, the way you try your best for me.
Alfred, I cannot put these feelings into actions the way you do – for Christmas and the New Year, I just can't hold you in my arms and hope in vain that it tells you how much you mean to me in my life. Because we both know that you speak much more with hands and gestures rather than words.
Footsteps clattered loudly amidst the brightly lit colours and the Christmas cheer permeating the castle, vibrating off the walls.
But, at least, I can trust myself to at least write something that isn't completely hopeless. Suffice to say – this is the best I can do. I understand if you find it stupid, but…consider that a punishment for what you've done to me these past few months – I've become someone who believes in this abstract idea of love.
Perhaps you might think it is in those huge scale things you do for me? The Halloween party, the nights we spent talking in the gardens…but for me, it is those little things. The way you make me laugh at the silliest things, the way you look at me when you think I'm not watching – I am, most of the time – the way I know you are such a large part of my life that I can't imagine life without you.
So instead of silly presents or songs, I decided that I wanted to give you this letter, this gift of honesty. This is for those stolen moments behind the staircases. This is for the outhouse in the gardens; this is for the days I spent thinking about you. This is for the boy who stole my heart and kept it, above all.
With all my heart-
"Arthur." he said, panting as he laid a hand on his bedroom door.
He whipped around, hair still messy and a towel wrapped around his neck as Alfred burst through the door, his face flushed.
"Alfred? What's-" he said, but then caught sight of the two pieces of paper between his hand and turned scarlet. "Wha-wait! You idiot, you were supposed to leave them for tomorrow! They call it Boxing Day for some reason, y-you idiot, aargh, why did it have to be like this, oh Fates-"
Alfred ran up to him, wrapping him in an unabashed hug and lifting him above his head, blue eyes glossing over with tears as their eyes met.
"Your writing has gotta stop being so nice," he mumbled, his throat getting a little choked. "I'm not acting manly at all."
"Pfft," Arthur snorted, but looked away bashfully as Alfred let him down. "It wasn't that lovely, for sure. At least compared to what you've done for me these past few months."
"Hey, as a royal kid I can throw as many of those as I want," Alfred said, touching Arthur's face softly and brushing back a strand of his hair behind his ears. "But this…it's all mine, right?"
Arthur nodded, muttering an 'of course' under his breath, but his stomach flitted with butterflies at Alfred's elation. Naturally, he had poured as many thoughts as he could in one letter written all alone, but for him to love it so much…
"It's not a one time thing." he affirmed, entwining Alfred's hand with his own.
"It came from you, and that's all I need," Alfred said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck cutely. "But…just one thing, Artie."
"It's Arthur," he half heartedly complained, but moved to stand so close to the other boy that their noses were touching. "But what is it?"
"I was gonna ask you for a kiss, but it looks like ya got the memo," Alfred grinned sheepishly, and Arthur could only internally curse himself for falling in love with the dorkiest person on the planet.
"You are going to be the death of me, dearest," Arthur said breathlessly before they met, his arms fumbling around his waist to support him and falling into the same small, secure position that Alfred and Alfred alone could give him.
Until, of course, Anna came through the door and squealed so loud that she would have woken up half the palace if it wasn't Christmas season.
Mon dieu means ' (oh) my god' in french. i know this because my french teacher uses this phrase eight times per lesson - and since swiss and liech do use french as well, i think the older countries, like diamonds and clubs, would retain another language other than hearts and spades, the more 'modern' countries.
replies
shooketh - i am concerned at the amount of earthquakes that seem to happen where you're at
russia says hello (? i think?) - alfred just probably jumped into the love ball at his own accord when he saw that arthur was the trainer pfft.
pastaaddict - more realistic expectations for S/O's incoming, i promise
vivadragnire - i think they might instigate a permanent ban from the kitchen. and i see what you're getting at lmao
n kukurichan - you've hacked my computer again - how do you do it? it's amazing haha. and yes, we'll be getting insight into how emma and alfonso are doing in the next few chapters, definitely. (and omg yes they are, i thought it was kind of a small detail but you got it! and for your brother i have like 134 tanks of holy water on standby so)
hearthorse11 - i'll message them if you want to fite them irl. and what scene - i have no memory :')
reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!