Warnings: Sex, death, injury, depressed! sweden, Christmas feels, bad language, gays and lots of great sad things.
((the day of the incident))
"Will y'marry me, Tino?"
One of the most important questions I'll ever ask.
I am answered with Silence.
Sigh.
Of course the mirror won't answer me.
I turn away from the reflective glass, blush on face, ring in hand. Half an hour of practising. Can I do this? Yes...
Yes. I just need a practise.
"Tino, would'ya like t' maybe... m'rry me?"
Is the ring good enough? I got it specially. Silver, just the right size, and engraved into the inside is 'I love and' and 'I love you.' I have a matching one.
It has to be perfect for him.
Now all I need is the confidence to ask him.
"W'll y'marry-"
"Berwald? Who are you talking to?"
The sound of fluffy pink slippers padding up carpeted stairs alerts me of Tino coming, and I jump so much I nearly drop the ring. Swiftly pocketing it, I snatch up my phone from the bed and lift it's cold surface to my ear just as Finland enters the room.
"Swe?" his head pops round the door, closer followed by his jumper-clad body, Hanatamago nipping playfully at his cushioned slippers. My breath catches, just like every time I see him; I knew I was in love at first sight.
Hanatamago pads swiftly into the room, and Tino jumps to here him back out.
"Hanatamago! Bad girl! You know you're not allowed in here!" He shuts the door behind him as he enters, closing Hanatamago outside.
I drop my hand down, taking the phone away from my face. I place it gently onto the bed, and walk slowly towards Tino, my heavy feet making the old floorboards scream in strain. My Finnish lover's hazel eyes look expectantly up at me as I approach him.
"W's j'st on the ph'n with m'boss." I explain.
"Oh, ok." he smiles, warm and welcoming, in a way that's just too cute; perfection was never so perfect. Almost uncontrollably, my arms wrap around Finland and pull him towards my body in a tight hug. He gasps lightly, body tense, but I slowly stoke his hair and he rests his head on me. Just the way it should be.
"You know... Sealand and Ladonia are both at school..." smiles Tino, blush taking over his pale face as he leads me towards the bed. It takes all I have got in me to not attack him with kisses and hugs. He sits cross-legged on the soft cream sheets, bringing me down to sit next to him as he takes my big, calloused hands in his small, cold fingers.
He always has cold hands.
Icy little fingers with soft, frozen skin and frosty, bitten nails. I've done everything I can to get then warm. Constantly holding them in my own hands, massages, well-lit fires, specially made gloves and many more things. It feels wrong, somehow. How can such a warm person have such freezing hands? It's a mystery, and I won't rest until I've solved it. Still, his hands are cold, and he claims they always will be.
"If you wanted to, we could..." We've done this so many times before. So why does he get all awkward? He knows my body and I know his. And there is nothing, nothing I could ever to do hurt. Even if I tried... I could never harm Tino.
I pull him towards me and our lips meet, and he squeaks quietly out of shock as his hands fly up, clasping onto my face like he's going to fall away.
Like I'd ever let him go.
He's quick to allow me access to his mouth, my tongue eager to explore even though I've tasted his cavern of teeth many times before. His mouth always tastes like home cooking, and hot chocolate, and Christmas pudding; just how he should taste. And then his hands are wondering, lingering on my shoulders, my chest, my stomach. His cold fingers undo my shirt buttons one by one, as my kisses travel down his chin, onto his neck and eventually his shoulders. I suck on the spot on his collarbone that I know is sensitive to touch, and his whole body shivers and shakes with moans that I know he'll only let me hear.
Gasping for air, he pushes me backwards so that I'm lying on my back on the bed. He straddles me, hand gently brushing the love bite that I left on his neck, smiling nervously down on me.I let his icicle fingers roam on my chest, shivering at his cold touches as I slowly pull his jumper up over his head.
As he guides my hands towards his crotch, I hear a scuffling at the door. My heads jerks in the direction of the noise as my fingers disappear down his pants, but as I crane my neck to take a closer look, Tino grabs my face and kisses me, pressing his lips hungrily against mine as if I'm the only food left in the whole world. As we break apart for breath, I turn towards the door once more, intent on finding out what's making that noise. Tino is oblivious, not noticing the sound at all apparently as he unzips his trousers and pulls them off his pale legs.
"Swe?" he climbs onto my lap, taking my head in his hands and turning it to face him. "I'm ready."
"Mm." What is that noise? Not knowing is killing me; I'd someone watching us? That sounds a lot like something a certain Dane would do...
"Swe? W-what's wrong?" he follows my gaze to the door, the scratching noise present as ever. His eyes widen.
"That noise... Oh!" He jumps off me, scurrying quickly to the door in only his underwear.
"Wait-" I say as his hand grabs onto the door knob, turning it, opening the door to reveal...
"Hanatamago! Oh, you naughty girl."
The dog.
It was our dog.
Tino's arms close around the fluffy white pet, bringing him over to the bed where I'm still lying, shirt undone.
"She needs a walk." Tino concludes, grabbing his trousers up off the floor and running a hand through his messy hair.
"Mm..." I mutter, slightly disappointed. No, more than that. I love my Tino, and I want him to feel my love.
"Sorry, Berwald." he smiles apologetically, kissing my cheek with his chapped lips. "We can do it later, I promise. I'm going to take Hana for her walk. Won't be long!"
He takes his coat from the wardrobe, pulling it over his jumper as he stuffs his feet into winter boots, holding the dog leash in his mouth as he clumsily multitasks. I do up my shirt and grab my winter jacket too.
"'m comin' too."
I go to straighten his woolly hat, adjusting the soft knit with my big fingers, but I can't help myself from pulling his chin up and kissing him one last time, before we leave.
"Let's go, shall we?" says Tino, face flushed and smiling from the kiss.
"Mm."
Lets go and stay together forever.
((25th of December))
From miles above, the country of Denmark looks quite different. It's just starting to snow, and the white flakes are falling upon the twinkling lights of Copenhagen, and I know that by the morning it will be a winter wonderland.
I rub my gloved hands together to try and get some feeling into my freezing fingers as I look into the back of the flying sleigh to check on the children.
"Y'kay?" I ask. Sealand looks up, his blue eyes glowing from the green illuminated numbers on the watch he has on his wrist.
"It's Christmas Day!" he grins, holding up his watch to show the screen reading 12:00 AM. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"
"God Jul" grumbles Ladonia, rubbing his eyes and sticking out his tongue.
"God Jul" I say in return. Finland turns his head, hands still on the reins of the sleigh, hair flying in the cold wind.
"God Jul!" he cries, smile bright and cheeks rosy, "God Jul, everyone!"
Sealand pouts and crosses his arms.
"It's not fair! I can't speak Swedish. You shouldn't speak Swedish without me!"
"It's not my fault I'm Swedish." retorts Ladonia.
"Well it's not my fault you're all Swedish either!"
"But Papa isn't Swedish. He's from Finland."
Sealand looks up at Finland.
"How do you say Merry Christmas in Finish?"
Tino rubs his eyes and smiles.
"We would say Hyvää Joulua."
"Hvyää Joulua." repeats Peter.
Tino turns back to face the front of the sleigh, Santa hat and scarf flapping in the wind.
"It's a great night for it!" he says, looking down upon the land below us.
"Mm." I nod.
"And less than half the countries left to deliver presents to! Next stop: Iceland!"
Sealand's head pops up over the back of our seats.
"Iceland! Do you think we'll see Emil?"
Tino shrugs.
"He's probably asleep, Peter."
"But Emil gets to stay up late! He told me that he stays up late to talk to Hong Kong, who's his boyfriend. I know he has a boyfriend because I asked him, and he said maybe, which means yes."
"Ok, ok. Stop rambling Peter." Finland laughs, "Although I might have to tell Norway about this."
"Hm." I look at him, and I know that this is where he's meant to be. For the most stressful time of the year for him, he is undoubtedly happy. It's so perfect I can't help myself but smile at him.
"Not long and we'll be home." he says to me, smiling tiredly.
"Ja." he leans over and kisses me gently, cold chapped lips brushing mine. "God Jul."
"Eww! Ladonia, they're kissing again!" squeals Peter, and Finland laughs.
((a few hours later))
A quiet click sounds as I turn the key in the lock of our wooden door, opening it as quietly as is possible with shivering hands. Sealand zooms past me, speeding down the corridor in his winter boots with his scarf flying behind him. He bursts through the doorway into the living room and gasps loudly, giggling in delight.
"He came! He came! Santa came!"
Finland walks into the corridor, closing the door behind him, wearily smiling as he picked up a sleepy Ladonia from the floor.
"Someone's excited." he yearns. Ladonia looks up, rubbing his eyes and taking off his hat slowly.
"Did we get presents...?" he mumbles. Peter, right on cue, comes bouncing back into the hallway.
"Can we open our presents now? Pleease?" he begs.
"Peter, it's seven in the morning." says Tino kindly. "You've been awake all night. Maybe you should go to bed now and open them when you wake up later?"
Sealand pouts, but yawns all the same. "But Papa, I want to open my- yawn- presents."
"Come on, you." Tino takes his hand and leads him up the stairs, quietly telling him to be quiet because the neighbours are asleep.
The young micronations fall asleep almost as soon as they lie down, Peter still muttering about presents as he closes his eyes.
"Ugh." Finland flops down onto the bed next to me, not even bothering to remove his Santa suit as he buries his face in the sheets.
"Y'ok?" I ask.
"Wake me up on boxing day." is his muffled reply.
I chuckle and stoke his hair lightly, flicking out the light and pulling the white covers over us like a fresh layer of snow.
A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so short and feels filled. Also, sorry for all the Christmas. At the time of writing, it's Christmas eve, so i'm feeling rather festive.
Anyway, thanks for reading.
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