This chapter featuring Sweden with most of his vowels back! (Thanks again for the pointers.)

"Look here ya'll knuckleheads! I know it wasn't no weather balloon, it was a honky-tonky-badonkey-in' UFO! Even if it was a weather balloon, what the fanny-fried-okra was it doin' abducting Santa's sleigh in some kind of insane Star Trek tractor beam?

Ya'll gotta send out the American military and go find Santa, because I'm telling you that I looked out on Christmas Eve and there was Santa's sleigh being dragged along by a UFO! We gotta save Santa! What if the ones who abducted him were violent extraterrestrials? Or even worse, what if they were atheists?"

Finland sighed as he shut off the radio and shivered under a bushel of blankets in the corner of his office. Alright, so there had been a couple of negative repercussions to having America's spaceship pull the sleigh around a couple weeks ago. But they'd gotten the presents delivered, that was the important part.

At least they'd been able to stop America from causing massive amounts of property damage by crashing through windows like he had a few years back. It turns out the Magic 8 Ball's laser vision could also work as a laser pointer, so America spent the entire trip reverted to his chibi form and chasing the red dot of light in circles around the spaceship floor.

"I sure am glad my reindeer have finally recovered," Finland smiled "Although that veterinarian bill was really expensive. That's okay, I don't really need gas money. I mean home heating is way overrated, yah?" He shivered again and hugged the thin blankets closer.

Sweden was deeply distressed by this situation. Why did this form have to be so absolutely useless? If he was himself he could totally pay off Finland's heating bill for him like some sexy Swedish sugar daddy. Now all he could do was roll around and occasionally shoot the pipes with his laser vision to keep them from freezing.

Oh how Sweden wanted to do more! If only he could take the fiery love in his heart for Finland and use it to heat the house up...

...wait...

...maybe he could.

Sweden rolled over to Finland's side.

-Hold me.-

"What?"

-I know what 'm doing. Just hold me.-

"Umm, okay little friend! I guess that's fine." Finland picked the Magic 8 ball up and held it in his hands.

-Don't be afraid.-

"Eh-afraid? Wait, Magic 8 Ball, what are you-AIHH!" The Magic 8 Ball had suddenly been enveloped in turquoise flames.

-Won't burn ya.-

"AIHHH! Eh...aiheh..hey they don't burn..." Finland's anxiety left him as he brought the Magic 8 Ball closer to his face "This is really amazing!"

-Ya warmer now?-

"Yah! Much warmer, thanks little guy!" Finland clutched it closer to his chest and beamed "So ya can use laser vision AND you're a space heater?"

-I guess yah.-

"I've never had a friend that could do things like that!"

-Mmm...-

"Magic 8 Ball?"

-Yah?-

"What...I really hope this doesn't sound rude...what are ya?"

-...-

Why was it one of the stupid rules of this curse that Sweden couldn't tell him? Why did curses even have rules? Wasn't a curse by definition against the rules? How on earth was Sweden supposed to answer that?

-... 'm your friend.-

Finland smiled warmly at him "Yah, yah ya are," Finland gently tucked the small sphere into the blankets beside him.

"It feels like," Finland paused "Like I've known ya before...Like, I don't know, I must be crazy yah?"

-Mmm...- Who invented the rules for this curse? Sweden wanted to roll them flat and roast them.

"I'm sorry Magic 8 Ball. I guess my brain must still be defrosting. Here, let me put you on my head."

Sweden was very happy to find he was on Finland's mind.

Though if he ever encountered that curse-casting nimrod before he transformed back, he was going to make their next pool game the absolute worst they'd ever had.