I do not own Hetalia okay? I got a decent flow going with this so hopefully with work and school, I can get this updated much sooner for you. But it's getting to the time of year where I am VERY busy, so who knows. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
The next few days before Ivan's birthday were quiet. Both Alistor and Natalya had come in at various times to visit both the twins and Charlotte. At one of the visits, Natalya had asked if she was offending Katyusha by not visiting more often as she was aware of the fact she did spend more time with her brother and the twins rather than her sister and her daughter. "No, it does not bother me any. I know that the twins have had it rough before Vanya and Fredka adopted them. They also know of it somewhat. Maybe not as if they were older, but Toris and you being their favorite aunt and uncle is good enough."
"So you are bothered a little bit?" Natalya said rolling her eyes, knowing how her sister was.
"I never said that…." Katyusha said.
"Katyusha….big sister….I know you." Natalya rolled her eyes. "You never admit how you really feel about things."
"Fine." Katyusha sighed. "If you must insist I do feel a little jealous the twins like you and Toris more than Matvey and I. We took them to the skating rink a few weeks ago and it was a rather fun time. I love Charlotte dearly and she is beginning to crawl," Katyusha said as she pointed to Charlotte who was starting to crawl around the living room floor while Kumajiro walked around and keep an eye on the infant.
"And Kumajiro is good with Charlotte?" Natalya asked. "He's a rather big dog."
"Oh yes." Katyusha smiled. "The mailman came with some packages the other day and Kuma was very good keeping an eye on Charlotte and would even growl if he got too close to her." Natalya looked worried what that might mean. "Do not worry, Kuma is very well behaved and listens to Matvey and I when we say that Charlotte is safe. It's in the breed to be very well with children and families."
"That's good." Natalya said. "You said that Vanya and Fredka would be watching Charlotte while you and Matthew were at the New Year's show?" She asked.
"Yes." Katyusha smiled. "Fredka offered when he learned of how you were busy with Toris's best friend. I did not want to impose on you when you had company from such far away."
"Sure." Natalya said. "He can be something else alright." She said sipping the tea that Katyusha had provided. "And he pretty much demanded to be Toris's best man at the wedding."
"I'm so glad to hear you have a date. In June, my little sister." Katyusha smiled.
"We figured it would be the best weather for it and while I have not talked to Ms. Bonnefoy about it, I am sure we can get his parents a room at the bed and breakfast they obtained." Natalya reassured.
"I am glad you have such a good boss. You did not deserve what you had before." Katyusha said. "Uppppppppp" She began as she pulled Charlotte from a cloth that was on the end table that a lamp was sitting on that she was reaching for. "I swear no amount of baby proofing is ever enough."
"So what is Alfred planning for big brother's birthday?" Natalya asked. "He would never quite tell me straight up. Just that the twins are making him a birthday card and they planned a family dinner that wasn't Pizza Party Planet."
"Let me guess, that was where the twins wanted to take their papa for his birthday." Katyusha giggled at the idea of the twins holding a birthday party much like their own they had. It was an adorable sight and she knew that Ivan would put up with it for the children's sake but at the same time knew that it was Ivan's birthday and he would be the one who should choose.
"Yes." Natalya said. "He called me for ideas until he said he remembered something big brother said the other day. It was at this Nikita asked to speak with me and told me that they worked something out and had come up with an idea. She and Dimitri had wanted to take him to Pizza Party Planet but Alfred had talked them out of it."
"Oh dear." Katyusha giggled.
"She also kind of likes her grandfather's brother." Natalya said.
"Oh yeah, that Alistor." Katyusha said. "He surprised everyone at Christmas. Matvey told me that he was diagnosed with lung cancer and is going for chemotherapy in January."
"So that's the sickness Nikita told me about." Natalya said. "She said he taught her about golfing and kind of thinks his bagpipe playing is funny."
"So you have a competition for favorite relative?" Katyusha teased.
"I don't have anything to worry about there." Natalya said. "Besides, it's not important. It is a child."
"Oh sure. You love the fact that Nikita likes you." Katyusha smiled as Charlotte began to cry and she picked her up and gave her a bottle. "So when she likes another person you are going to feel insecure."
"I don't feel insecure about a man who wears a skirt. Seriously, he went to the pub with Alfred and Matthew's father in a kilt." Natalya said.
"It's okay to be a little worried." Katyusha persisted, knowing just how her sister was when a sensitive nerve was struck. "But tomorrow is New Year's Eve and the twins will get a visit from Ded Moroz and Snegurochka."
"Charlotte too." Natalya added.
"Of course, but she won't remember much about it yet. In a few years, it will be a very busy Christmas." Katyusha said. "And that's if you and Toris don't have any children by then."
At this Natalya blushed and looked away. "As if we could at this time. It would be irresponsible and madness to think to do something like that."
"Whatever you say." Katyusha replied. "I think your children would be adorable though." At this Natalya rolled her eyes.
"Ya like?" Alfred said as he parked the car outside a seafood restaurant. "The twins and I heard what you said with my uncle got that fish and chip thing at the family fun park and we decided this is for your birthday."
"I must say I am surprised." Ivan said. "And relieved by your driving."
"Hey, we have precious cargo in the back, you think I am going to drive like I am in NASCAR with that?" Alfred said. "Although it took a lot to not flip the bird at that guy who cut us off..." He said under his breath.
"What?" Ivan asked as he got Dimitri out of the booster seat.
"Nothing..." Alfred said, not wanting to say what he did out loud because last thing he wanted to do was to accidentally teach the twins how to flip people off. He couldn't lie that he wanted to pull that guy aside and give him a sucker punch while he could tell Ivan wanted to beat him with a lead pipe but that was a bad example to set for them while they were in the car and could learn bad things from them.
"I agree with your sentiments towards that careless driver we ran into and I fully thank you for showing our children the proper way to deal with that even if we both know some people would deserve more," Ivan paused trying to think of a way to say it without saying he would inflict physical harm on someone who may have harmed his family. "serious ways to learn their lesson."
"We made you a card Papa." Nikita said as she gave Ivan a card she drew and Dimitri gave him the one he drew. "It's your birthday. I wanted to go to Pizza Party Planet but Dad said that you might not like that as much and because you wouldn't tell him what you wanted we had to figure something out to surprise you."
"Why thank you very much." Ivan blushed. He knew that Alfred had always made his birthday a celebration, even if he never did so as much before he had met him. It was just another day to Ivan but Alfred had insisted they celebrate the day that as he put it. 'the coolest guy I love to the death' was born.
"Dad told us you like handmade things." Dimitri said. "He told us your favorite scarf was one Aunt Katyusha made you." He said as he poked at the old hand-knit thing that he always wore.
"Your dad is right." Ivan said.
"And I have a few more things that we picked out for you. One of them you've been missing for awhile." Alfred said. "Can't believe we didn't get one for you before this but well...here we are."
"Please don't tell me it is what I think it is?" Ivan asked, thinking it was some corny 'World's Greatest Dad' mug. They probably did get me one of those, and well, Fredka does complain a lot that I am near impossible to shop for sometimes, so after all that work he put in for Christmas,they may have run out of ideas. I guess that is what happens when your birthday is shortly after such a generous holiday. He thought as they headed inside.
"Well why would I tell you?" Alfred winked.
"It's a surprise." Nikita added.
"We'll have the gifts when we get home." Alfred said as Nikita nodded proudly.
"I helped pick it out." She added.
"I got this." Alfred said. "4 please and we need 2 booster seats if you have them."
"It's Papa's birthday." Dimitri said as he smiled at Ivan who blushed, not used to so much attention. I would have been fine at home with something small but that's not how Fredka is and well, the twins seem to still have plenty of holiday cheer and excitement left. That will be good for tomorrow but I am still not used to this. He thought as the hostess smiled.
"It is?" She smiled at Dimitri. grabbing menus and a basket of cheese and herb biscuits and motioned for them to follow. "Well I'll let the staff know so they can give him a special birthday dessert."
"And sing to him like they are over there?" Nikita pointed out.
"Sure." The hostess said as Ivan blushed redder and she found a small birthday hat and put it on him.
"You do not need to go to so much trouble..." Ivan blushed as Dimitri giggled.
"Yes we do Vanya." Alfred laughed.
"I will do the same for you come July." Ivan said with a pleasant seeming smile but Alfred could read the danger coming from it. "Everyone in the restaurant we pick out for you will know and sing for you as well."
Alfred hid his fear. Even after all these years together there were still moments where they tried to top each other like when they first met and he could tell that Ivan's embarrassment was getting to him but he was trying to keep his cool like Alfred with the driver. The twins wanted to celebrate their Papa's birthday so he was putting up with it much more than he would if this was just him and Alfred. I'll just deal with it when it happens. The twins like birthdays and with mine so close to Matt's Katyusha may want to do something like last year. He told himself knowing that Ivan would somehow find a way to embarrass him in return. "Here's your seat. I'll take your drink order if you'd like."
"Coke for me." Alfred said.
"A strawberry lemonade for the each of the twins and I guess a tea for me." Ivan said as he sat down by Alfred and across from Dimitri as Nikita sat down and looked at the salt, pepper and sugar on the table and at the biscuits in the center.
"I'm hungry..." She said reaching for one.
"You can have one right now." Alfred said, "they're to go with dinner."
"Oh they are unlimited." The waitress said. "I see we have a birthday today." She smiled.
"Papa's!" The twins said at the same time, Nikita dribbling the bite of biscuit she already had.
"Well Papa," She said with a smile knowing how to address parents when the twins were around. "Seems like your kids want you to have a very happy birthday."
"Well it's all for them, to make them happy." Ivan sighed as he put sugar in his tea. One thing he found often annoying was that he could never quite get the drink he wanted at a restaurant. Alfred was fine with glass after glass of coke but he was not. At home he could brew the tea the way he liked. With seafood he often liked having a glass of wine with it but he was saving that for later tonight when the twins were in bed and he knew that Alfred would have something a little more adult planned for his birthday, another thing he always did and Ivan would admit that he did like about Alfred's festive spirit. The only difference between this year and last on that is that now both of Fredka's legs are healed and we can't be quite as loud as we want to be. There were a few close calls that the twins nearly walked in on them, but having learned his lesson well from growing up with Francis and Arthur for fathers, Alfred would make sure the door was locked before they began so as to hopefully cut down on accidental intrusions. There were plenty of times they would hear "DADDY" or "PAPA" outside the door or the rattle of the knob or banging which would be their signal to jump into bed and cover up and act like the only thing they were doing was sleeping.
Nikita and Dimitri looked at the kid's menu, which was shaped like a fish with a curious face. Dimirti wasn't too fond of fish and did not like the nights they had fish sticks and while Nikita had her favorites, she didn't want to seem like she was scared as she remembered what Alfred had told her when they decided on the place that trying things that were new to them were fun. She didn't want to seem chicken so she placed her menu down and said. "The kid's shrimp" She pointed out.
"Good." The waitress noted. "And your brother."
"The chicken strips." He said as Alfred smiled that he was coming out of his shell. Ivan smiled too as they both were working on him to be a little more open to meeting new people.
"And their side will be mashed potatoes." Alfred said. "Don't worry I'm not getting the french fries either." He rolled his eyes as Ivan smiled. "Surf and turf with mashed potatoes and a salad."
"I guess the salmon and same sides for me." Ivan said as he handed back the menus.
"Let me know if you like this place. I don't think we've been here often and well, I could always get Matt and Katy to watch the kids. We do need to still have date nights after all Papa." He whispered with a kiss to Ivan's ear.
"Ewwwwwwwww." The twins replied.
"Oh you know how much I love your papa." Alfred said.
"Yeah but kissing is gross." Nikita said. "I've seen Grandpa and Grandpear kiss."
"I have too." Alfred said. "Never liked it myself."
"I think it is because they are your parents much like we are Nikita and Dimitri's parents." Ivan said as he nudged the hat to make sure it stood up. He took one of the biscuits and took a bite. "I guess what they say is true these are good."
"I mmphph-now" Alfred said as he swallowed.
"Daddy!" Nikita said. "You're making a piggy of yourself."
Alfred swallowed. "Sorry."
Ivan shook his head in disappointment. He knew that Alfred had gotten like this from time to time and while he loved him with all his heart, it was rather embarrassing to see him do that as an adult. "Being told about table manners by your own daughter." He said ruffling Alfred's hair. "Oink oink piggy."
"I know..." Alfred mumbled as he went back to sipping his coke. It's like Katyusha says, while Nikita and Dimitri are not our biological children, they do take after us. I see so much of Fredka's behavior in Nikita. And well, Katyusha swears that Dimitri reminds her of me as a young child, guess I will have to take her word for it as I don't remember it. She is my older sister after all. After a little while, the food was put out on the table and Ivan and Alfred watched as the twins took a bite. Nikita was excited as she never had shrimp before and took one in her hand and started to shake with excitement.
"Go ahead. Let me know how it tastes." Ivan said as Dimitri looked over and looked worried. Alfred looked worried at him as he looked worried. It was almost as if he could sense something other than he thought shrimp would be nasty and his sister was doing something gross. It was as if Dimitri's 'twin sense' as he joked they had was sensing something wrong with his sister. It was like times he could sense that Matthew was in trouble himself and as a twin himself Alfred could see it in action. Ivan looked over at Alfred and Dimitri then to Nikita who was starting to get hives where the shrimp had touched her hand and she looked faint and was having a hard time staying up.
"I got this." She said but each syllable was with a wheeze and shallow and fast. She took a bite anyway and Dimitri's eyes widened.
"This is like that time I had peanuts and I found out I was allergic." He said as he looked over at Ivan and Alfred who noticed it as well.
"I got her." Alfred said. "If it was the shrimp I hadn't touched mine yet. Call 911 Vanya" He ordered as he helped Nikita to the floor. "Don't fucking stare you bastards. This is none of your business." Alfred said as he looked at Nikita. "Keep your eyes on me, Papa's calling for help and you'll be fine in a moment."
"Can she use my medicine?" Dimirti asked. "That's what happens when I eat peanuts."
"Let me ask." Ivan ordered as he shuffled though the bag looking for it. "Yes, my daughter is having an allergic reaction and we think it may be anaphylaxis. Like my son's allergy to peanuts he has an epipen for. Can I use his to help her? She has had no known allergy before." Ivan said as he listened to the dispatcher. "Okay. It won't hurt? No? Good." He tossed Alfred the epipen and he caught it.
"Thanks. Ambulance coming?" Alfred said.
"Yes." Ivan replied.
"Okay. Good." Alfred said as he found a spot on Nikita's thigh. "Now this may hurt a little bit but you'll feel a lot better." He reassured her. "Stay awake."
"Yeah Niki. This really helps when something like this happens to me." Dimitri said as he climbed down and looked at his sister.
"Dadddddyyyyyyy..." She gasped as Alfred took the cap on and pressed down. Alfred looked on determined and Dimitri looked at his sister and took her hand.
"You should be feeling a little better soon." He reassured her.
"Being your sister's hero huh?" Alfred smiled. "Stay with me, just keep an eye on your brother and I." Alfred smiled as he saw some of the hives subside and her breather get a little deeper. "Good. Good." He sighed, his heart still racing. Looking up, he saw Ivan with the paramedics.
"Here she is." He said.
"Good." The paramedic said. "Poor thing. Did she have an epipen?"
"Yep." Dimitri said. "She had mine. I have a peanut allergy and the doctor gave me one."
"Yeah, had to use my son's. Nikita had no known allergies like that before today so the dispatch told my husband that it wouldn't hurt her to try and use it." Alfred said.
"So you're Nikita huh?" The paramedic asked as they helped her onto the gurney. "Is your daddy telling the truth?"
"Yes..." She moaned weakly.
"Normally she's really excitable." Ivan said. "This is quite a change in her behavior.
"Okay, hook up the IV we'll get the fluids going and let the hospital know to expect us. Have some epipen ready in the ambulance. How long ago did you give the first dose?" The paramedic asked Alfred.
"Rough guess, 10 minutes ago." He said holding the tube out.
"Okay, so it may wear off on the way to the hospital." The paramedic said. Nikita's eyes widened. "Yeah you may have this happen again but we can make you feel better before we go to the hospital." The paramedic then turned to Alfred and Ivan. "One of you can come with, in fact we strongly suggest it for the first time a child has anaphylaxis at her age. It's very scary."
"I will go." Alfred said. "Vanya, pack up what you can and make sure Dimitri is okay. I'll call when they say you can come by and visit. Shouldn't be too long."
"This is actually very routine sir." The paramedic reassured Ivan.
"Find something good for him." Alfred said. "Extra cookies or cakes or ice cream or whatever." Ivan nodded.
"He could tell something was off before any of us." Ivan said as he picked up Dimitri.
"Twin senses." Alfred smiled.
"We have to go sir." The paramedic said as Alfred kissed Ivan quickly and followed the paramedics.
"Well..." Ivan sighed as he looked at Dimitri worried who both looked as Alfred and Nikita were helped into the ambulance and headed to the hospital. "You may have saved your sister's life."
"But that makes a bad birthday." He told Ivan.
"As long as she is okay, then it is good again." He told Dimitri as he hugged him close. "My smart little man." He said hugging him. "They will be home before you know it." He said to calm down Dimitri but more to calm himself down.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. Yes the seafood restaurant is based off Red Lobster, kind of the hint with the biscuits. Kind of left you on a cliffhanger there. I actually have a good streak going so as long as time permits, I will update this sooner. Anyway, other than that remember to read, well you just did, and review. Ciao for now,
othrerealmwriter
aka
Realm.