Updating! It's only going to be my last day of exams tomorrow, but somehow I managed to throw this together! I hope you like it…
Most people have deferred from canon to say that Norway wants Iceland to call him big bror instead of onii-chan or anko. I understand, it does make more sense, but we're just going to assume that those words are in Norweigian or something for this story, 'cause I like onii-chan better than big bror.
And yes, I've also got an OC here. You'll meet her soon. She's not exactly a minor character, but I hope you won't mind there being a non-canon character in this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia - Axis Powers.
I didn't really have a choice. I was weak, hurt, and completely dependant on them. I wasn't sure whether Italy —Vene— would really honour his promise. I didn't know if he would really just let me go once I healed, and if he would really allow me to heal at all here, if I had said no.
Even so, I hadn't really been thinking when I agreed. As I said, Vena had caught me off-guard by calling me anko.
A part of me noted that I did owe him, after all, he had gotten me out of that dark cell. And he had treated me relatively better than any of my brothers had in the years I had known them (save for possibly Iceland since he was the only one that never teased my curl before).
Then again, Vena could've healed me. I didn't know it at that point, but he could've healed me with a single touch. That was one of his special powers as the Heir of Rome. He didn't, though, he let me heal slowly and painfully so as to keep me vulnerable and dependant on them.
I didn't know this, though, I didn't realize this until much, much later.
Vena didn't start me on teaching Canada straightaway.
He said I had to heal a bit more. His siblings were the ones that brought food and water most of the time.
That was what he meant by there being three Italies. He had a slightly older brother, Romano, who looked a lot like him aside from having darker hair, brown eyes, and a different curl. He didn't talk a whole lot, but he wasn't half-bad. Romano represented South Italy, so I suppose Vena must've represented North Italy.
Bianca was their younger sister, Central Italy. She was a nice little girl, maybe nine or ten years old. Bianca bore a stronger relationship to Romano in looks than she did with Vene, though her long hair was pretty much black.
I didn't leave my room for those good few days, but neither did I feel trapped. The window was left unlocked, and as far as I know, so was the door. I didn't feel free, exactly, but I can't say I had a bad start of my stay there.
Vena came in a few times. He didn't scare me like he did on that first day, maybe because it was already confirmed that I was staying.
Perhaps it was because of this that made me all the more comfortable there, and less afraid of being on Italian land.
I subconsciously noted that having three Italies of course made their nation even stronger, having three times the invulnerability.
It was nice there. Eventually though, I lost interest in daydreaming like I was usually able to do for hours on, and began to long for something to do. And that was coincidentally when Vena decided that I would start teaching Canada soon.
I admit, I was nervous. Even back home, I had a short temper when it came to teaching people, and that was with my little brother, Iceland, whom I actually like.
When the time came, I was sitting with my legs over the side of my bed clutching a thin stack of Norwegian magic in one arm. After briefly looking through their collection of British sorcery books, I had asked Vena if he had anything closer to my native land, and he had somehow been able to provide me with volumes that seemed like they could be my private editions.
The door opened, and a young boy who couldn't have been more than eight approached cautiously. I blinked. He didn't look like what I expected. I had begun to think of him as some twisted cross between what I remembered of France and England, and he was, in a sense, but the resemblance wasn't great.
He had blond hair, the large round eyes were there too, as was the slightly upturned button nose, but that was where the similarities ended.
His hair was more honey-blond than their canary-blond. Like mine, I noted.
He had violet eyes. That was his most striking feature. Bright, beautiful violet eyes. They looked like small glassed pools of intricate potion. Pure, crystalline innocence that neither mine nor Iceland's indigo orbs had every projected.
"H-hi," he stammered. I realized I might've been gawking, but even so I couldn't stop because his voice was so childish… Iceland had never been like that. I'd never heard anything like that before.
"Oh, hi!" I suddenly blurted, realizing that my silence was making him uncomfortable. "Uh, Canada, right?" I asked, purely because I couldn't think of anything different to say.
"Yeah, you're Norway?" he asked curiously.
I nodded, setting the books down on the bedspread. "I'll be staying here awhile to teach you magic."
Canada had been staring rather intently at me. Now, he asked, "Can I call you onii-chan?"
That threw me off. Nearly frozen with shock, I stared at the boy's round curious eyes and stammered, "Uh, s-sure."
He squealed in delight, and threw his arms around my neck, young eyes shining with happiness to match the joyful grin spread across his face.
I froze, not used to the casual touch.
Iceland never did that. Iceland never showed that much affection.
Staring down at the kid hugging me, so innocent and sincere, I slowly wrapped my arms around him too.
Canada snuggled into me. "Onii-chan," he repeated happily.
Needless to say I really couldn't hate him after that.
Lessons with Canada started out smoothly then, sort of. The kid was probably going to make my brain overload from extreme cuteness. You'd think that a viking should be immune to kawaii, but not getting exposed to that level of adorableness in the past just made me all the more disadvantaged.
Canada called me onii-chan, just like that.
I spent years trying to get Iceland to call me onii-chan. I'm not quite sure what his reasoning was, but he would always refuse. He still does.
Canada called me onii-chan. Canada hugged me.
The Nordics didn't particularly like to be all that touchy-feely, at least not back then. Iceland never gave me more than a smile, in fact, I can't actually remember the last time I saw him smile.
Canada called me onii-chan. Canada hugged me. Canada had the most adorable smile ever (because Iceland hasn't smiled at me for so long that I've forgotten how he had looked like with that twinkle in his eyes and the quirk of his upturned lips)
Usually, I would've tensed when I was hugged. But I didn't, not when Canada did it. I had been more shocked than uncomfortable, or maybe surprised would be a better way to say it.
Canada had called me onii-chan, and I like it.
It didn't occur to me at any point in those days that Canada might not have chosen that particular word completely by coincidence. After all, I'm quite sure that Vena knew exactly what he was doing when he called me anko.
I don't particularly care, though.
Canada called me onii-chan.
And I liked it.
He also happened to have the cutest bambi eyes.
Canada eyed the magic books set beside us on the bed.
"You like them?" I asked. It was sort of a ridiculous question, he hadn't even gotten the chance to go past the front cover yet.
He nodded. "I can't tell what it says though… what language is that?" he asked curiously.
I smiled at him and picked up the topmost volume. "Well, it's in Norwegian, I honestly don't know that much about British sorcery."
"Oh," he said, and his smile dilated a bit, as if he was a disappointed. I wondered what I did wrong, and almost asked him, when he said, "Um, I don't know Norwegian."
I thought that was it. I wasn't but I didn't know that…
I patted his head like I usually did with Iceland. "Yes, I know that, Canada. There's a way to translate this using magic that I was going to show you so we can change it to English."
Canada's eyes lit up happily again before he drooped back down once more.
"I can't read English either," he mumbled. I blinked. As a Nordic, I'm not the right person to judge, but Canada sounded like he was speaking perfect English.
He blushed and looked down. "I… I'm still learning. But it's hard. I… I can do Italian," he hesitated. "…Or French."
It wasn't completely odd, I supposed. Actually, it made sense. Canada had been raised by France (or so I gathered) and of course Vena would've wanted to teach him Italian before anything else.
After a slight pause, I allowed a small smile. "That's okay, Canada, we can use Italian," I told him, sensing that he was somehow uncomfortable with the idea of doing it in French, "I, um, don't know Italian though."
He brightened up immediately. "It's okay! I can teach you Italian while you teach me magic!"
Canada had this talent of making me stop and just stare at him in a state of less dramatic shock, or perhaps simply surprise.
Canada's smile faltered slightly when I didn't respond so I quickly gave him a reassuring nod. "That sounds nice, Canada."
Delighted, Canada watched eagerly as I hovered my hand over the book and began the spell.
Something went wrong.
Don't use magic, Vena had told me.
Teach him, but don't use magic, Vena had told me.
Be patient with him, and don't use magic, Vena had told me.
It appears…
I didn't listen.
I'm pretty sure I could hear Canada yelling, or screaming, or crying, I couldn't quite tell.
Or maybe it was me. Maybe I was the one yelling or screaming or crying, but I don't think so. Not to say it didn't hurt, it did, but maybe I didn't want to alarm Canada any more than he already was. Don't show too much weakness, that had been my policy on dealing with Iceland, perhaps I was using it right then.
When the world stopped going black, it was probably because Vena was there now, feeding me water again. Or, at least, the liquid that I had once thought was water but really wasn't.
I blinked my eyes and managed to cough a little. Vena moved the cup away for about a second, then Canada slammed into me crying, "Onii-chan! You're okay!"
It took me another second to collect my bearings and fully register everything, then I hugged the adorable thing back, and I really didn't feel like letting go.
Especially when I felt Vena put his hand on my shoulder and say softly, "Now, what did I say about using magic?"