A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! So, yeah! We're about 3/4 through this fic omg yay :) Anyways, school's starting, but I don't think it'll affect my updating schedule. I have a smaller list of fics to rotate through now :p
Side note: I think a lot of you guys got excited for oversea trips I intended to skim over in a time skip. BUT, I can always write them in bonus epilogue shorts if you guys are up for it. I'll bring it up again when the time comes.
So yeah, I'm not the only one recognizing the drop of activity in the fandom. There's an event on tumblr running from September 3rd- 9th. It's called the HetaliaExtravaganza2k17. It intends to revive activity and celebrate artists and writers. I'm participating, and I highly recommend that you guys too. The prompts are super fun! Remember the FAN in fanfiction y'all.
Recommendations!
#1. "Fire Ball Outfit" by "ChocolateTurnip" A modern AusHun circus multi-chapter (Human AU). It's a fantastic murder mystery and is nearly completed. Overall, very well plotted and written. The characterization is godly. It always keeps you on your toes.
#2. "Red on White" by "December Writing Dragon" A brief, RusAme multi-chapter (Human AU). Angst is angst. I don't know, it really tickled at the heartstrings. What would you do if your beloved got hit by a car? I'm really living for the heroic symbolism it portrayed.
#3. "The Nefarious Mathilda Jones" by "missycanucks" A mob/mafia multi-chapter (Human AU). It explores criminal activity between three criminal gangs, and how a wanted fugitive *Mathilda* messes with them all. What's more, it's fun to read how the police are constantly duped – the one time I'll ever side with the bad guys ;p This is an amazing thriller to read! Weekly updates are on Thursdays!
#4. "Spellcaster, Secretkeeper (1 of 4)" by "Quizicalcoatl" A FrUk war + magical nations AU. England has a solution to end the war, but at what cost? His life?
#5. "Ghost Stories" by "everythingisdragons" A sad one-shot where Alfred grows up seeing a ghost that looks like him, but not quite. *sobs* (Human AU).
Thanks again for the recommendations! Keep sending them! (With the amount I have, I'll continue recs on my tumblr once this story is done, but that won't be for quite a bit. I still review every rec btw). Have a great day/ night!
-Ella
We Wish You a Merry Scary Christmas:
Alfred's POV (December 25th)
After the café's Christmas party, the next few days passed by in a blur. Yours truly was surrounded by couples, and not to be a downer yo, but it made me feel hella lonely.
Christmas morning (today) was cool and all, as I got to spend the first part with my little bro, exchanging presents. He had gotten me a lot of fast food gift cards, while I had somehow managed to get him a signed hockey stick from eBay. It all worked out though, because we were both super happy.
Not to brag or anything, but it was totally better than Gilbert's gift, which was just a recording of him covering several Hamilton songs. Mattie didn't seem to think so, but my pride as a hero wasn't having any of it.
As you can probably guess, the second half of Christmas morning was spent being an awkward third wheel. At least I had little dude Aaron (short for Aaron fur sir) to keep me company. It was still pretty lonely, and having Christmas dinner surrounded by three couples wasn't something I looked forward to.
I hadn't dated anyone in a while, and I wouldn't mind doing so again. I never let my heart get broken because I treated every relationship as something to learn from, regardless if it was a fling, one-night stand, or a full-fledged commitment to another person. I suppose you can say that I liked being close to people; being alone made me feel uncomfortable because I didn't know what to do with myself.
That's why the holidays this year sort of sucked for me. I was the bigger person and decided to let Mattie have his space. I took lots of walks on campus, bringing Aaron along with me. The pupper attracted a lot of girls, and I had received several numbers in return. I needed interaction, but for some reason, seeing and talking to these strangers did nothing for me. I wasn't stimulated. I was just as bored as I was before.
So, when I got a text from Natalia, asking me to check up on Ivan, I practically leapt at the opportunity, agreeing right away. Ivan, annoying as hell and smug as he may be, never left me bored. Even if we were arguing, getting in each other's faces, Ivan brought about a thrill I masochistically sought out.
Similarly, if I wasn't making him angry, I enjoyed making him smile. We were rivals, which meant that only I could make him feel irritated. Lately, he's been really distant with me, and hasn't been coming to the café often. Normally, I would blame this on exams, but something deep down told me that Ivan was dealing with something, something that was making him morose and less energetic and happier than usual.
Believe me, I've tried getting through to him, but we weren't close like that. I've told him that he could talk to me if he wanted to, but so far, he hasn't taken me up on that offer. I couldn't force him to talk if he didn't want to, you know? All I could do was visit him, and if he accepted, give him some well-needed company.
Natalia had informed me that he hadn't left his apartment since the party. Her and her older sister were getting worried, but since he wasn't answering his phone – or door – they thought it would be best if someone else checked up on him.
I didn't mind doing this at all, as I had already promised Natalia to look after Ivan. Also, getting on that chick's bad side would be an inevitable death wish.
It was no trouble either, as our dorm buildings were next to each other. Besides, Mattie and Gilbert were being obnoxiously clingy back at our own apartment. There weren't that many places for me to go; I didn't have many single friends left. Ivan was the only one I could think of.
A big part of me wished to spend the day with him, to get away from couple life and to just hang out with someone. It's not like Ivan and I haven't hung out before too. When I was a freshman, we used to go out drinking, a lot. We did a bit of that at the beginning of this school year too, but that had stopped later into the semester…
Ivan was scaring me. He had never been this quiet and reserved. Ivan was always trying to make friends, even if he ended up terrifying most people with his big stature and crushing hugs. He used to be so social. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change that.
Truth is, I genuinely cared about this dude… I missed seeing him, yelling at him…anything to do with him I missed.
I wanted to cheer him up.
My plan was to get him to spend an afternoon with me. We didn't even have to talk about anything... or at all. I just needed to know that he was okay, and if I could make him smile, then that would be an awesome bonus.
Since it was too cold to walk Aaron, I had tucked him underneath my winter coat, letting his head pop out of the collar. The zipper supported him well enough, and surprisingly, he behaved himself by not moving or squirming too much – he really was like a canine version of Mattie, patient, calm, and obedient.
In my other hand, I held a bouquet of sunflowers. Ivan and I weren't close like… ya know, but it was a well-known fact that he adored these things. It was more like a peace offering, to bring a smile to his face.
He had never let me into his apartment before…
Still, no one should be alone on Christmas.
It would be a pretty miserable way to spend the day.
After muttering myself a quick pep talk, I finally mustered the courage to knock on his door. I swallowed heavily as I heard the sound of heavy footsteps walk towards the door; it was opened by a slight crack.
Ivan's head popped out into the hallway. His face was pale, the cheeks sunken as if he hadn't gotten much sleep lately. He was wearing heavy clothing as per usual, including his favourite white scarf, a grey v-neck sweater, and black jeans. The articles hugged his physique in all the right ways, proving that he was in fact big-boned and not just overweight like the entire campus had rumoured him out to be.
He usually wore that large tan trench coat everywhere, so it was odd to seeing him like this. When his violet eyes met my gaze, they switched from dread – presumably because of Natalia's easier visits, which he had likely anticipated – to wonder and curiosity, and finally to this strange sort of longing and sadness that I still couldn't quite wrap my head around.
There was something wrong with Ivan; I just didn't know what it was. The problem was that I didn't want to push him too far. He reminded me of a cornered animal with the guarded expression on his face. I had to get him to trust me before he opened up to me, that is, if he even wanted to.
"Merry Christmas, Ivan!" I greeted merrily, jittery in my movements as I thrust the bouquet forward. My cheeks suddenly felt warm. God, what was I thinking? He was obviously going to interpret this as me being weird. Why was it that with him I had a problem being straight-forward? What made him so damn special?
"A-Alfred?" Ivan stammered, raising a brow as he accepted the bouquet from me. "What are you doing here? The flowers are lovely, thank you, but this is weird even for you, little one," he trailed off with a mumble.
"Just enjoy them, will ya? I walked through a freezing cold blizzard to get here!" I puffed out my cheeks. Like, hello? Look at me dude! I have a puppy stuffed in my jacket! If he would just open the door more…
Ivan sighed, giving me a weary look as he reciprocated my gesture. He still looked so hesitant; it was unnerving. "Merry Christmas. I'm afraid I didn't get you a gift; we celebrate the holiday much later in my country… I also didn't know I meant that much to you. This was very considerate, even if your walk through this so-called blizzard was perhaps two minutes at most."
Aggressive as always, that smug, ungrateful bastard!
"Uh, no!" I exploded. "I had to walk to the flower shop, thank you very much. I don't care if you didn't get me a present. This is all on me; we never agreed on anything. Now are you going to open up that door or what?"
"Why?" Ivan said, an incredulous look on his face.
"Because it's Christmas dude, and no one should spend it alone," I replied without missing a beat. "I didn't come here all this way for nothing. Besides, I have one last surprise."
"Again, this is a very nice gesture, Alfred, but I can't repay you. You don't under-" Before Ivan could shut the door, Aaron let out an irritated bark. He was probably getting hot now that we were indoors. Whatever it was that was bothering him, he just saved my ass.
"What was that?" Ivan asked, his voice raising an octave. Some excitement lingered in his voice.
"Open the door and you'll find out," I snorted.
Rolling his eyes, Ivan opened the door, muttering something about how annoying I could be despite the endearing moment. Yadda, yadda, you get the point.
When Ivan saw Aaron lying in my coat, his violet eyes widened into saucers. "Is he from the café? Oh! That's right," he exclaimed. "Your brother is taking care of this one. He told me that last week at hockey practice. He's gotten so big; what are you feeding him?"
"I'm feeding him kibble like I'm supposed to! Stop implying things!" I snarled, gritting my teeth. Okay, so maybe I fed him the occasional hamburger, but it wasn't going to kill him! "I'll ask you this again, Commie. Are you going to let us into your apartment or what? I got you flowers, and I brought a puppy. If that isn't going to bribe ya I don't know what will!"
Ivan reached out to let Aaron sniff his hand. "Bribe? What are you trying to bribe me with?"
"Geez, I'd like to have one conversation where you're not interrogating me. Oh, and just so you know, the bribe is to…it's to let me spend time with you…" I admitted, biting my lip.
Ivan's cheeks became dusted with pink. "Do you really want to spend time with me, that bad?"
"Of course, I do!" I snapped. "I miss my drinking buddy. Remember all the stupid shit we used to do? We haven't hung out in so long; I want to fix that."
Ivan finally allowed a smile to grace his face. "Fine," he relented, placing the bouquet of flowers on a table near the door. "You may come in. I don't know why you would want to spend today with me of all people, but I can't let something this cute leave on my watch."
Silence.
"I was talking about the dog, Alfred," Ivan snickered, taking Aaron from me as I shrugged off my coat and shoes with slumped shoulders.
"Oh," I muttered.
After putting the flowers in a vase on the kitchen table, Ivan led me into the living room, cradling a very happy Aaron in his large arms.
The apartment was meant for two people, but rumour has it that no one's lasted being Ivan's roommate for more than two weeks. Maybe it was the fact that the air in here was frigid. It was also freakishly neat; minimalist even. It was just tables and furniture, there was nothing used to decorate the space with.
I hadn't been to his apartment in months, likely since the beginning of the school year. Nothing had changed.
Ivan sat us down on the leather couch in the living room, scratching Aaron's ears as the pupper happily laid in his lap.
Unsure of what to say, but still wanting to end the silence, I blurted. "See! He likes you!"
My voice rang off the walls, causing all three of us to flinch.
Ivan fondly cupped Aaron's snout. "I don't know why," he murmured. "Pets usually don't like me."
"How come?" I asked.
Ivan paused to think. Either way, I just happy that I was getting him to speak more. Our conversations lately had always been cut short with him finding some excuse to leave. Even though it hurt my pride, I recognized that the puppy was likely the only reason he was letting me stay here.
"I don't know," Ivan responded. "All I can remember is my big sister not letting me have hamsters. They would always flinch away from me when I pressed my face close to their cage. I used to poke them with markers, hah, and then they would bite my fingers. They were so chubby, like this one," he teased, poking Aaron's belly that was totally not fat, just a bit husky, okay?!
I deadpanned. Sometimes, I wondered if he even realized his cruelty, unintentional as it might be.
"Uh, yeah, it's a total wonder why those hamsters didn't like you," I said, my eyes widening. This guy could be such a psycho sometimes, honestly.
"So, what do we do now? Drink?" Ivan proposed.
I shivered, rubbing my arms. I hadn't even bothered to take off my bomber jacket, which I had worn underneath as a second layer. If I didn't know any better, I would have suspected that he hadn't turned on the heat.
"Nah," I shook my head. "Not on Christmas. We can save that for New Years. How about we order some take-out and like, uh, I don't know, watch some movies?"
"Horror movies?" Ivan perked up, knowing that I hated watching anything paranormal.
Sighing, I nodded my head. I knew him just as well as he knew me. It's why I had brought over several horror movies despite my severe aversion to them. Well, I wouldn't say aversion. I liked watching them, just not alone.
"Yeah dude, I brought a ton. Enough to last us all day."
"Okay, but I'm a little short on money," Ivan trailed off sadly, seeking comfort by bringing Aaron closer to his chest. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you either. I can't afford much these days."
"Ah, don't worry about it!" I exclaimed. "I get it, we're all on a strict college budget. It's cool, really. I actually won a few coupons back at the café, so our meals are already paid for. Really, buddy, I planned this all the way through. All you have to do is sit back and relax."
"Sit back and relax, huh?" Ivan chuckled. The sound of it caused warmth to spread across my chest. He was smiling again, thank God. "I'll be finding that hard to do with the garbage you're about to force down my throat, not to mention having to deal with you shrieking like a little girl at every poorly executed jump scare."
"Hey!" I protested. "I frighten easily, all right?!"
"Da, I know. I just don't understand why."
"Tell me something," I growled. "If there was a ghost in this very apartment right now, what would you do?"
"Pretend you're a female virgin and sacrifice you," Ivan smirked. "We can skip the virgin part if they get curious."
"Haha, very funny," I said dryly. "But, really, what would you do?"
"Hmmm, I would probably grab a weapon from the kitchen, like a pipe!" Ivan concluded.
"Wrong!" I bellowed, causing both Aaron and Ivan to flinch. "You're right about the kitchen part, though. Ghosts can't be beaten with fists or physical weapons. You need to make a ring of salt and hold a bible or something. I would know. I googled this shit."
"Why am I not surprised?" Ivan sighed.
"Dude, if the world ever got overrun with ghosts, you'd be the last person I'd ever want to be paired up with," I groaned.
"You watched Ghostbusters recently, didn't you?"
"N-no!"
I abruptly stood up from the couch, ignoring Ivan's smug glare as I ordered from the campus's McDonalds. Seriously, these guys had it right. They should have delivery everywhere, not just at select places.
While Ivan made us something warm to drink in the kitchen, I played with Aaron, throwing a sock ball back and forth in the living room. The pupper was getting antsy. If I wanted to have a movie marathon I needed to tucker him out so that he would be sleeping the whole time.
By the time the delivery guy got here, Aaron was already fast asleep and I had half a mug of cocoa in my system.
Obviously, as a waiter myself, I wasn't an asshole and gave the delivery guy a tip.
Ivan looked guilty about me paying, but I waved it off, since back at the café he was the best tipper out of the regulars. I was only returning the favor.
We were now sitting on the floor, in front of the coffee table in the living room. Aaron took one whiff of the food and was awake in an instant, pawing my thigh as be begged for me to feed him. I gave him the occasional fry, but I didn't want to give Ivan proof that I was making the pupper husky.
Meanwhile, said Russian held up his Big Mac in disbelief, inspecting it from all angles in the air. "There is grease in the bun, how is that even possible?"
"Just eat it, man. You won't regret it."
Instead of eating the burger, Ivan went on to inspecting his fries. When he began to squirt the ketchup packet onto the fries instead of individually dipping them, that's when I had to step in.
"Woah! Woah! Woah!" I shouted. "No! You have to dip them!"
"What?" Ivan deadpanned, irritated by how loud I was being.
"Look," I said, scooting over. "You mix the ketchup with mayonnaise and then you dip each fry."
After watching my demonstration, Ivan miraculously mimicked me. He licked his lips, sighing pleasantly. "Oh, this is pretty good. There's a lot of salt, though."
"If you already know the food is bad for you, don't let it ruin your enjoyment," I chided, taking a massive bite out of my burger. And no, I didn't feel Aaron clawing my thigh for the fiftieth time.
But Ivan sure did; he gave Aaron his burger without me realizing it. "Eat, furry friend. Your heart is young, it'll survive the extra cholesterol," he whispered.
When we were finished eating, I crumpled my wrappers into a ball, placing them in the brown paper bag the food came in. "Do ya have any soda?" I asked.
"No, I'm not addicted to sugar, unlike you," Ivan retorted.
"S-says the guy who had more marshmallows in his drink than hot cocoa!" I spluttered.
Ivan blushed. "I like how fluffy they are… They kind of remind me of you when I poke your cheeks."
"HEY!"
Ivan laughed, refusing to take back his insult.
I pretended to ignore him as he grabbed a stack of napkins and began to clean the coffee table. When he proceeded to poke my cheek, that's when I drew the last straw. "What am I? An animal to you?"
"Da, a piggy," Ivan responded.
"Hmmph!"
"Alfred?"
"What?"
"You have ketchup on your face."
"Oh."
Reluctantly, I turned around to grab a napkin, only to falter when Ivan reached over to dab at my cheek.
"Why is your face red?"
"My face isn't red, you stupid Commie. I'm just cold."
"Oh, sorry…" Ivan's expression fell.
"It's okay. The buildings here have really poor heating…"
Hopefully, Ivan would take the bait and accept my excuse for him.
He did, not saying another word about the topic.
Sighing, we both fell against the back of the couch, still sitting on the ground.
"Man, I'm exhausted."
"It's because of the food you eat," Ivan retorted. "I feel tired too. It weighs you down, makes you sleepy. How do you eat this everyday? Doesn't it get hard to balance school and work?"
"Nah, if I keep drinking Mountain Dew every hour I stay awake."
"You worry me, Alfred. You won't make it past fifty years old if you keep it up like this."
"Speaking of which," I intervened, albeit not very smoothly. I didn't like talking about my weight, period. "Are you doing all right lately? I've barely seen you. Did exams go well?"
Ivan remained silent.
"Ivan," I started, lowering my voice. "I want you to know that you can tell me anything. I won't force you, but I'll be there for you if you need me. Like now."
Ivan turned to look at me, violet orbs that were before filled with teasing now reflecting stress. He seemed lonely, his shoulders sagging along with his smile.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Now go on, at your own pace of course!" I added in with a stammer. "I won't judge or tell anyone. This is between me and you, buddy."
The reassuring smile I gave must have done it for him.
"I'm just stressed…"
I nodded my head, urging for him to continue.
I had never gotten this far before.
"My family… we've never really had it easy. Our parents died when we were little. Katyusha… she was only eighteen when she became Natalia and I's guardian. Since I'm older now, I feel like I should be helping out more. But Kat is insistent that I finish my education first. She's an administration worker here, so our tuition is mainly paid for. Still, I can't help but feel like I'm a burden.
"As a man, society tells me it's my duty to provide. But how am I going to provide if I have a useless degree in poetry? I've always been told to do what I want; to follow my dreams. But what if my dreams are not what I need? What if my dreams are selfish? What if I'm not good enough? I want my sisters to not have to worry about money. And even if it means giving up what I like, I'd be more than happy to make this sacrifice for them. I've been thinking about this for a while now, of starting over and picking a new degree, one that would eventually give me the salary I need to prevent Natalia from going into debt and to put Kat into retirement, where she can finally have the relaxation she deserves after so many years of hard work.
"I just…I'm guilty, Alfred. There's no other way of putting it. I… don't know what to do. I've even considered dropping out to work full-time."
"Ivan?"
"Da?"
"You're being stupid."
"W-what?"
"You heard me. You're being stupid," I repeated. "That Kat you mentioned raised you to believe in yourself. She wants you to be happy, and to do what you want to do. Do you really think she'd want you to be miserable with your job? There are plenty of possibilities out there to do with your degree, some conventional, some not. The point is, it doesn't matter. Y'all seem to be doing fine now, and wanting to repay your sister is good and all, but I don't think she'd want you to feel like you owe her. You're family; family makes sacrifices for each other.
"Focus on yourself first, get your degree, and then find a job. If you really put in the effort to build yourself a platform, then I'm sure you'll be able to make a great living. I've been to your poetry events, you have talent, but you lack confidence in yourself. Keep working hard, and the success will come when you least expect it. At least, that's what my Pops told me. Your sisters love you, Ivan. They only want you to be happy."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do," I retorted stubbornly.
I glared at Ivan, forcing him to look me in the eyes. When he looked away, I knew that I had won the argument.
"I see your point, it's just hard to change the way you think, especially after so many years."
"I get that," I nodded my head. "The first step is recognizing these thoughts. If you catch yourself in the act, then you'll be able to flag them better and prepare yourself for the next time."
"You sound like you speak from experience," Ivan remarked.
"Yeah," I admitted sheepishly. "There was once a time where I was afraid of my family rejecting me for my bisexuality. And then Mattie of all people braves it out by telling our parents that he's gay. Their acceptance encouraged me to stop feeling ashamed of myself and to come out as well. It's been a rough road, but I figured if I treated people the way I wanted to be treated, I would, for the most part, attract kind, accepting people like myself.
"I do suffer from depression from time to time. It's nothing to worry about now, though. I got over it and got help."
"That's good. Hearing that gives me a lot of hope," Ivan whispered. "I've always looked up to you. You're just so, happy. I've always wondered what it would feel like to not have to worry about things constantly, to not be so…anxious all the time. I want to make friends, but I guess I come off too strong."
"Well, you don't come off too strong on me!" I declared, taking my cue to liven the mood in the room. I was supposed to be cheering him up, after all. "I like ya, buddy. I already told you that. Being happy, it's subjective. You've just gotta learn how to appreciate the small things, and eventually they'll matter a lot more than they did before. Now how about we settle down, like friends, and watch a shit ton of movies together? How does that sound?"
Ivan reached out his hand, his fingers ghosting my cheek before he let them rest on my shoulder. His expression was determined despite the uncertainty in his voice. "I like that idea."
The remainder of the afternoon was spent watching horror movies. I may or may not have borrowed Ivan's trench coat to hide behind. It was because I was cold, okay?
Also, I totally didn't have an unhealthy amount of popcorn… or shift closer and closer to Ivan with each passing movie.
We didn't even realize that it was nighttime until I received a text from Mattie. He was asking where I was, since we had a dinner to go to over at Ludwig's apartment.
Now that I had someone to spend Christmas with, I declined at the last-minute, choosing instead to watch several more movies with Ivan until midnight. I was tired of being the odd one out, pun not intended but graciously taken.
Time flied by when I was with Ivan. He cracked smug remarks to make watching the horror and gore easier for me to withstand. I found myself smiling and laughing a lot more than I usually did during these type of movies.
When it was time for me to leave, I was surprised to find that Ivan looked disappointed. Either way, I promised to come over if he ever wanted me to, as we still had a good two weeks to kill before classes started up again.
I even let him keep Aaron for the night – I had never seen the guy look so happy.
The next day, Natalia came by to return the pupper, a disbelieving look on her face. Aaron looked absolutely petrified; I honestly couldn't blame him.
"Jones," Natalia growled, handing a shaking ball of fur to me. "I don't know what you did, or how you did it, but thank you. I've never seen him smile this much before."
I patted Aaron's back. "What can I say? A hero's charm always prevails," I grinned, suppressing a relieved sigh.
Natalia rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're holding that…thing right now. Otherwise, I'd punch you in the throat."
I swallowed heavily. "Good to know."
…
Matthew's POV:
Christmas, as always, was such a pleasant day. The moods were high, there was snow outside, and I had had several mugs of maple syrup-filled coffee this morning, that is, after exchanging presents with Alfred and Gilbert.
Let's just say that despite how family-oriented this holiday was, when you're young and in a relationship, three becomes a crowd after a while. Alfred hasn't shown any hints of liking Gilbert, only talking to him when it was absolutely necessary, albeit in a clipped, stiff tone. Hence, the simple beer mug present he had given to Gilbert for Christmas.
Gilbert was no different though, I was done defending my idiot boyfriend, or partner in crime as he liked me to refer to him as. He had gotten Alfred a massive chocolate bar from a sweets shop on campus – I believe it was owned by one of Francis's cousins if I'm not mistaken.
Anyways, the two seemed to be getting along well enough. Gilbert had no real reason to protest to his beer mug, and Alfred had already eaten the whole chocolate bar in one go.
Now, I know what you're all probably wondering: Matthew, you intelligent, shy Casanova, what did you get Gilbert for Christmas? – Fight me (don't actually, pls), sass runs in the family –
Well, friends, since we went with the Hamilton theme this year, as Gilbert had recorded several covers for me as his present, I had gotten Roderich to do me a solid. I was already on the Austrian's good side for being such a 'devoted' worker, so it really wasn't too much of a problem to ask for his help.
Because Roderich was travelling across Europe for his tours, he had been able to get a signed autograph of Lin Manuel-Miranda for me. I could never repay him for the favor, but something told me that Roderich was doing this mostly for Gilbert. Despite how much they fought when they weren't drunk, they were still good friends having gone to the same international boarding school since they were in middle school.
All in all, everything worked out, and that's all that really mattered.
After cleaning up the mess of gift wrap and calming down Aaron – as he had barked at the vacuum cleaner like his life depended on it – I sat on the living room couch with Gilbert, letting him wrap an arm around my shoulders.
Arthur had knitted all three of us red Christmas jumpers to wear, although Alfred wasn't wearing his. He looked like he was dressed to go somewhere, constantly checking his phone in between throwing a sock ball for Aaron to chase after.
Aaron was happily running back and forth across the apartment, happy to get his stubby, clumsy legs moving after sitting for so long.
The serene silence in the room was beginning to become unnerving. I loved Alfred, I really did, but I just wish that maybe, just maybe, he would choose to read to the atmosphere for once and give Gil and I a couple of hours to ourselves.
When Alfred stood up from his previous cross-legged position on the floor, I raised a brow, trying not to sound too excited. Obviously, I didn't want Alfred to feel like he wasn't wanted, as we were invited to a dinner tonight, but again, some time alone would be nice.
Okay, yes, I felt guilty for wanting him gone, but I deserved it, didn't I?
"Going somewhere?" I asked Alfred as he began to layer himself up in preparation for the cold weather outside.
"Yeah," Alfred answered. "I thought I would get out of your guys' hair for a bit and give you two some space," he paused to leer at Gilbert in warning. Something about his expression told me that he wasn't leaving just for us. "I got somewhere else to be. I'll be taking Aaron too if ya don't mind. The pupper hasn't been out since early this morning anyway."
"That's a great idea!" Gilbert blurted out, only to give a surprised oomph when I elbowed him in the stomach.
"Could you be a little more subtle?" I growled under my breath before returning my gaze to Alfred. "It's nearly -40 out," I sighed. "Aaron shouldn't be outside for long; his fur is short, it's not meant for this weather."
"Nah, it's alright," Alfred countered, waving his hand at me in reassurance. "I'll tuck the little dude in my jacket. Besides, I'm going to be indoors for most of the time."
"Oh?" I asked. Alfred didn't take the hint. He was being really secretive lately, but only when I felt like there was something truly wrong would I intervene. We had a twin bond like that. I didn't sense anything that was immediately troubling with him, so I decided to let him have his privacy.
"By all means then," I smiled. "Enjoy yourself. And remember that we're having dinner at Ludwig's tonight."
Alfred rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom," he laughed, before bending over to pat the pantlegs of his jeans. "Come on, Aaron. Wanna go for a walk? You do, yes you do," he cooed in his motherese voice.
Aaron stopped wagging his tail, his paws clicking against the wooden floor as he padded up to me. He looked up, as if asking for permission. I reached down to scratch his ears. "Go on," I reassured the puppy. "Uncle Al will take good care of you. Go," I cooed again. "Have fun."
He's just like me: patient, loyal and obedient.
"Your vati loves you!" Gilbert snickered, fondly batting Aaron's backside, giving him a gentle push. "Don't do anything too reckless."
I gave Gilbert a look that communicated the universal expression for 'like you're the one to talk'.
Aaron snorted before turning on his heels and happily running into Alfred's arms.
"I wonder what he's up to," I whispered, aiming a pensive glance at Alfred's back.
"Who cares, let him be," Gilbert shook his head, not fooling me in the slightest. He was getting way too mischievous in his tone for me not to be suspicious.
"Bye," Alfred called over his shoulder, Aaron neatly tucked in the front folds of his jacket. "I'll be back soon."
"Take all the time you need!" Gilbert called out.
Alfred glared at Gilbert one last time before leaving the apartment with a grand slam of the door. "That jerk's just lucky I haven't kicked him out yet!" he swore, his voice muffled by the walls between us.
"I swear, if he looks at Mattie like that again, I'll- I'll – ARF! – Aaron barked – Yeah, good idea, buddy. I like what you're thinking…"
The rest of Alfred's cussing was thankfully droned out.
I didn't have to look at Gilbert to know that he would be smirking wickedly. I still looked at him anyway, deadpanning almost immediately.
"Why am I regretting this already?" I groaned. "What are you up to, mister?" I scolded. "You're beginning to worry me with that evil look on your face."
Gilbert stood up from the couch, unwrapping the arm he had around me. My whole right side became cold again.
"Are you kidding me, Mattie? Aren't you happy?! We finally get to be alone! Oh Gott, I thought he'd never leave. Uh, not that I wanted him to, nope, not at all," Gilbert faltered when I narrowed my eyes at him. "Anyway, let's do something fun."
This wasn't a suggestion.
Gilbert was already running over to the kitchen, where his phone was resting on the counter, charging.
"Your fun usually results in us being banned from somewhere," I retorted. "Forgive me for being suspicious, or afraid – actually both," I stammered, "but I'm still not liking how you're acting. Seriously, you're cackling like an evil super villain."
Gilbert grabbed his phone, holding it up to the air like a trophy, crimson eyes flashing. "We have the whole apartment to ourselves; you know what that means?"
"What?" I sighed, grabbing my forehead to ease my oncoming headache. Too bad Gilbert was a headache personified.
"We get to have a rap battle!" Gilbert declared.
"A…what?"
"You, me, rap battle, now. We're doing this, no objections."
I paled. He couldn't be serious. "We already listened to all the songs, Gil. And you know how I feel about singing in front of people! It makes me nervous… I stammer and can barely raise my voice. It's just so nerve-wracking!"
Gilbert wasn't fazed at all by my protests. He had an infuriating talent for always getting his way. "Hush, my dear maple liebling. I'll be the only one hearing you, so you don't have to worry; we're rapping not singing may I remind you. This is going to be so much fun, promise! I'll even let you be Hamilton. You don't have to be perfect. The point of this is to goof off as much as possible, a hilarious clusterfuck if you will – with my adorable boyfriend, of course."
I pointedly looked away from Gilbert's puppy eyes.
"Please, Matthew?"
"No."
"Bitte?"
"Non!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
"I said no, you– ack!"
Suddenly, I was hoisted onto my feet. With the hand that wasn't holding his phone, Gilbert grabbed my wrist.
"Gil, I'm still not doing this!" I struggled, blushing furiously.
Gilbert bent down to peck my forehead, sending shivers up my spine. "Too bad, the music's already playing. If you want to lose, that's fine by me," he teased.
I jolted, freeing myself from Gilbert's grip. That asshole! He knew exactly how to tease out my competitive side, deeply hidden as it was.
I stood, paralyzed with both fear and determination as I faced my boyfriend, just like we were in a wrestling match.
"Wait!" I called out, prompting Gilbert to give me a confused stare as he paused the song.
"What?"
I ran over to the light switch. At the very least, if he was going to do this, he had to do it right. "You need proper lighting."
Gilbert smirked, acknowledging that he was already beginning to win me over.
I turned off the lights, waiting until he had started up the song again before I began to flicker them on and off, pretending they were stage lights.
"You better watch how it's done, son," Gilbert provoked, earning himself an irritated eye twitch from me.
I didn't say anything, as Gilbert had already pressed play again.
"[Washington] Ladies and gentlemen, you coulda been anywhere in the world tonight, but you're here with us in New York City. Are you ready for a cabinet meeting?"
(Imaginary crowd cheering; Gilbert joins in with an unnecessary cackle and wheeze.)
"The issue on the table: Secretary Hamilton's plan to assume state debt and establish a national bank. Secretary Jefferson [Gilbert] you have the floor, sir."
Gilbert acted as if he were accepting the phone – aka, the mic – from an imaginary George Washington. I continued to flicker the lights, grinning and shaking my head at his idiocy.
Puffing up his chest, Gilbert belted out the lyrics like he owned them, glaring at me as I was his rival in this, after all.
[Gilbert as Jefferson]: "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We fought for these ideals; we shouldn't settle for less. These are wise words, enterprising men quote 'em. Don't act surprised you guys cuz I wrote em'
"OWW!" Gilbert paused to glare snidely at me.
"But Hamilton [Matthew] forgets! His plan would have the government assume state's debts. Now, place your bets as to who that benefits, the very seat of government where Hamilton sits."
"NOT TRUE!" I called out, signalling my fate; I was taking part in this whether I liked it or not. I couldn't back out now.
Gilbert continued to parade about the living room, standing on the couch and dancing across the coffee table, waving his hands with an air of overexaggerated arrogance – far more than his usual person, which was saying a lot.
Eventually, he got to the end of his spiel, huffing and puffing as we switched places. It was his turn to be the lights person.
"You can still back out," Gilbert panted, handing me the phone as Washington introduced Hamilton into the rap battle. "It's not too late to be a pussy."
"Like hell I will," I growled.
Gilbert raised his eyebrows in praise. "Atta boy," he commended, but I ignored him.
"Secretary Hamilton, your response?"
I took a deep breath.
"[Matthew as Hamilton] Thomas [Gilbert] that was a real nice declaration. Welcome to the present, we're running a real nation. Would you like to join us, or stay mellow doin' whatever the hell it is you do in Monticello? If we assume the debts, the union gets a new line of credit, a financial diuretic; how do you not get it? If we're aggressive and competitive, the union gets a boost. You'd rather give it a sedative? A civics lesson from a slaver. Hey neighbor, your debts are paid cuz you don't pay for labor.
"'We plant seeds in the south we create.' Yeah keep ranting, we know who's really doing the planting!"
"[Crowd jeers] OHHHHHHH!"
Next thing I knew, I lost myself in the song, occasionally jabbing fingers at a laughing Gilbert to emphasize our rivalry.
Like Gilbert, I was standing on top of the coffee table to deliver my last line. It was unfortunate that I only possessed a sense of balance when I was on ice. "Hey turn around, we'll see where my shoe fits…Ah!"
I stumbled.
Having spotted the potential of this catastrophe, Gilbert rushed forward, catching me before I could injure myself too badly.
We fell on the floor in a messy tangle of limbs. I was on top of Gilbert; he had broken the fall, having smacked his head lightly. He seemed okay though, judging by the wide smile on his face.
I bent down to kiss him just in case, ignoring the remnants of the song that continued to blast from his phone. "You okay?" I asked, giggling.
God, we were such dorks. We had just had a historical rap battle on Christmas day in hand-knitted jumpers. It couldn't get any worse – or should I say better?– than that.
"Yup, couldn't be any better," Gilbert reciprocated the kiss, nuzzling his nose against mine.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't finish. I kinda suck like that… half-ass things, I mean," I explained in a rambling tone.
"LALALA!" Gilbert bellowed. "I can't hear you over the awesomeness of what just happened!"
He then lowered his voice. "You were amazing, babe."
I blushed. "If you say so, bub."
I sighed, grabbing his hand to help him onto his feet. "Come on, it's my turn to choose something for us to do."
"Oh, and what is that?" Gilbert mused.
"Something I'm actually good at; skating."
The look of horror on Gilbert's face was enough to make my entire week.
…
Lovino's POV (December 26th)
Reading glasses perched on my nose, with a Spaniard's head resting in my lap, an ungrateful melodramatic furbag curled up in a ball at my feet, and a laptop close by, I did some online shopping.
We were all still full from last night's dinner, lying in bed.
It was a lazy afternoon. Antonio was napping on and off while I purchased things and absently ran my hands through his hair. The bastard could use some new shirts; he always wore the same thing. He needed more color in his wardrobe, something other than reds or yellows.
Antonio turned to look up at me, batting his lashes. In a slow, languid motion, he closed my laptop, causing me to splutter with anger. "Excuse you!" I reprimanded him. "I was getting you clothes, you ungrateful bastard!"
"Shhh!" Antonio pressed a hand over my mouth, squishing my lips together with thin fingers. "It's time to cuddle now. You've shopped enough."
"Fine," I relented, taking off my glasses. I rubbed at my tired eyes. "I think I need a nap too."
"Good, I'm glad you realize that," Antonio smiled sleepily. "C'mere, you grump."
"OOMHPH!" I gasped when Antonio scuttled upwards, wrapping an arm around my body before pressing me close to his chest.
"Ugh, this isn't working," I groaned.
We shifted positions. I yelped. "Ahahaha!" I giggled without much of a choice over the matter. I don't know when or how, but Jowltito was now part of our cuddling party; his whiskers and wet nose were tickling my collarbone and neck. "Tito, stop it, you cute fucker. I can't sleep with you panting and slobbering all over me."
We shifted positions again, still a tangle of limbs, but it was the best we could manage.
I didn't remember falling asleep.
…
Feliciano crept into Lovino's bedroom, one finger over his lips as he beckoned Ludwig forward. "Oh!" he cooed in a quiet whisper. "Nonno is going to love this."
Feliciano proceeded to snap a picture of the cuddling pyramid of limbs and fur currently snoring away in blissful peace.
Ludwig furrowed his brows. "Does your grandfather not know about Antonio?" he said, poking his head into the room, only to blush for the lack of privacy.
"No, no, he does," Feliciano replied, shameless. "They speak on the phone, but Nonno doesn't know what he looks like. Lovi's very possessive and shy of his amore," he fondly remarked.
"You might want to reconsider sending him that photo then," Ludwig tried to scold Feliciano, but was unable to, not when his lover gave him that pout where it was literally impossible to say no.
"Fine," Ludwig sighed. "Do what you want, just don't get me involved."
RIP Feliciano – Chapters 1-15
To be continued…