Author's Notes:
HIYA! OMG! I FINALLY DID IT! THIS HAS BEEN OING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW!
Anyway, Christmas is a time to spend with loved ones and if you haven't notice the general mood of the Nordic Family then I'll be frank.
Denmark thinks the four hate him, he can't say sorry due to some quirks in his noggin. The four love him to death but are afraid that the big brother they once loved his dead and this new Denmark's just a shadow of the old one.
This is fairly funny and touching though. Denmark's the glue for the four of them so ever since shit happened...the four have kinda decided to part ways.
I think the four are funny...and Big brother's a little lonely...
GCJakey's Note:
Timeline: ***A.D.~1000~1200~1500
This will contain flashbacks and here are the dates used, sort of. Merry Christmas! We have new ideas coming up! Be ready, happy holidays.
Warnings: shouting! Sve, Annoyed! Norway, Annoying! Finland, and Mature! Iceland
Heat I'd not ours!
COMMENT SUGGEST FAVE FOLLOW
The Chaotic Bro-ness of the Nordic Four
There were four men sitting around a luxurious table in a luxurious dining hall in Lukas' swanky manor in. The gigantic arch window framed a Snow White scenery with ash-black trees.
Sweden was seated three chairs away from Finland who was not going anywhere near Norway who was trying to get close to Iceland who wasn't going to let him.
"Can we please start this meeting already!?" Iceland shouted, the sound echoing all over the huge room as he tried to keep a distance of five chairs from his biological brother who kept on coming closer.
"Alright." Sweden stood up. "I want us to buy a present for big brother, an anonymous one."
"Why anonymous?" Finland asked. The tall swede immediately turned his head to the side blushing like crazy. Things were still very awkward between them.
"Isn't it obvious?" Norway interjected, his gloved hand covering his little brother's mouth while the other arm was wrapped around his mid-section. "If he doesn't like it then he won't have to lie how much he loves it."
"Gmmhhh pmmmthnnn." Just then Iceland tried covering the hand covering his mouth with slobber only to come in contact with leather, forgetting that it was gloved.
"GOTCHA." Smirked the more built Norwegian.
"So...what would it be then?" Sweden sounded like the head of the family which didn't set well to the control-freak, Norway.
"...I'm the one in-charge here..." He dropped Emil and assumed his seat. "...so any suggestions?"
Berwald almost fell on the floor. "THE FUCK!? That was what I was say-"
~*SOoooOoOoOOO TELL ME WHAT YA WANT, WHAT YA REALLY REALLY WANT*~
The fucking Spice Girls song played like a dying cat accompanied by pigs having sex. The shitty music was coming from Waldy's phone.
The tallest man in the room looked like he saw someone get murdered. He cleared his throat and answered the phone.
"H-hallå?" He greeted softly and then his eyes bulged out.
"Hey, sweetie, want anything for lunch?" His beloved Australian mate cheered through the phone, thankfully it wasn't on speaker.
"Oh hey, AUSTRALIA, I can't meet up right NOW." He turned to his back and gritted his teeth while silently screaming.
"Oh...you're with them...?"
"MMM-HMM!" Sweden shook his head stiff and slow.
"Excuse me for ruining it for you, I mean, I woke up and you were already leaving and you have the nerve to get angry at me? Guess what? Why don't you make your own lunch? I'll be hanging with Z. KNIFE. KITTY. ZOMBIE." The phone clicked and Sweden tried to regain composure.
"So why did he want to meet up?" Finland came one chair closer.
"Nothing, he got bored with New Zealand and pressed on every contact he had." Berwald lied coyly, but inside he was very sad. He had to make it up to him later. His lover's grammar on Wald-code was a little bad...but, still the threatening message was definitely clear.
"Mall." Iceland answered. "We have to go to the mall then!"
The older three looked at each other and agreed silently.
A lumbering bear stalked around a snowy forest, it woke up way before spring and he was hungry. It looked ahead, seeing trees and bushes circle around a clearing. It heard giggles...very youthful...very innocent...very vulnerable.
Looking through the bushes, it saw a small child, barely even three, playing and prancing in the snow. The child continuously filled his hands with snow and threw it up, twirling as the white powder fell back to the ground.
His bright blue eyes were shining and his light cream hair was wild and sticking out in all directions.
The perfect prey.
It jumped out of the bushes and immediately ran for the innocent child that looked like he was going to sneeze. His cute nostrils started to flare, mouth open and eyes squint.
"A-a-ha-ha-CHOOOOOOOOOOO!" The particles turned into a flurry of snow and liquid nitrogen. The carnivore was frozen into solid ice.
The baby boy looked up innocently at the bear statue, sniffling some snot that ran down his nose. He rubbed some on his white robe before resuming on making snow and icicles everywhere.
Then he felt a familiar presence, he giggled. There were five wolves, almost as big as men, behind him. They looked a lot different though, for one thing, they weren't really that solid, their bodies were made of a very dark teal fog and they had cold blue eyes. The one in the middle came closer and nuzzled its wet nose on his chubby cheeks.
"Wait...I stiww have to get some squiwwews..." He still had some trouble with r's and l's. He dug into the thick blanket of snow, pulling out some of the squirrels he hunted a week ago.
"One...two...thwee...fouw...I think wittwe bwothew wouwd wike this!" He smiled, throwing the dead rodents over his small shoulder before climbing up one of the wolves.
"Go on...we stiww need to feed him." He ate his own words as he tried to pronounce each word clearly. The canines obeyed their little master as they trotted off deeper into the woods.
They stopped at a shady clearing; the trees about twenty feet away broke the bright morning sun. The cave he entered was small and lit by a meager orange flame.
"Wittwe bwothew!" He called out as he set up sharpened twigs and skewered their breakfast. He also pulled out some bird eggs he got earlier when he climbed up a tree. The small freckled ovals were tossed near the flames while he skinned the furry squirrels with a crude make shift knife of stone.
Baby noises and uncoordinated footsteps caught his attention. He looked behind him and saw his baby brother, trying to walk to him. His hair was almost white and there was this cute curl floating out of nowhere. His eyes were a very deep shade of blue with small hints of dark purple and black.
"Wow, somebody is twying to walk!" The older child dropped everything as he waited for his baby brother to walk towards him. The baby almost did, but fell softly on his butt, making him cry loudly.
"Don't wowwy, you'ww get the hang of it in no time." He smiled as he picked up his adopted brother who was only a bit smaller than him. He rub his back and patted it until he stopped crying.
"B-b..bwow!" The baby said out of the blue, surprising the kindergartner.
"What?" He asked again, not wanting to have heard wrong.
"B-BWOW!" The baby repeated, giggling and showing his toothless mouth.
"That's it! I am bwow! Big bwow!" He hugged the baby tightly before setting him back down.
"I stiww have to make bweakfast! It'ww be dewicious!" Big brother grinned, patting on baby bror's soft locks.
'BWOW!' His baby voice echoed. It took Lukas a while to come out of his trance. He shook his head, looking around. He found the three younger nations heatedly arguing about what print shirt Denmark would like.
Norway hid his smile and looked back at what brought him to flashback.
There was a very young boy in his thick jumper and coat holding the hand of his baby sister who had just learned to walk.
It reminded him of times that were so simple it could've gotten boring. During winters, they were stormed in their cave, Denmark barricading the entrance with ice while he kept the fire growing. Those days, it was him, Norway and five giant wolves that could only travel a few feet away from the Dane. That was one reason big brother always made sure he only did quick rounds hunting, no one would be protecting Norway...until Troll came along.
It was very weird how much he could retain such early memories. However, he must admit it wasn't as clear as he would have hoped for.
"Are you okay, Lu?" Tino looked worried while holding a sweater with reindeer knitted on it.
"Ja." He diverted his eyes away from the children and headed to the branded clothes store, leaving Finland alone.
"It really hurts!" He heard a small girl cry, who had some scrapes on her knees and elbows.
"I told you that it wasn't a good idea to roller skate in the middle of November." Scolded a teenager with moppy black hair and green eyes.
"I'm sorry, big brother..." The brunette girl was starting to sob loudly.
"It's alright..." Her big brother lifted her above his shoulder. "Let's get some ice cream!" He smiled genuinely as they walked pass Finland.
Tino couldn't help but smile sadly as his violet eyes followed the duo until he lost sight of them because of the buzzing crowd. He too, returned to the store only to be greeted by the three attacking each other with vicious words.
~*after an undetermined number of centuries*~
Baby brother was no longer little, he was like twelve. He was second in charge over the three youngsters that big brother has adopted through the years when he was away. He was baptized under the Christian faith and was named Lukas and was the representation of Norway.
He looked around their small cottage, grumbling about how much he hated chores. He was more of the one to boss the younger ones around, if it wasn't for that tattletale Berwald, who loved to do anything that would make him big brother's favorite.
'Sad to say, but I am big brother's favorite! HANDS DOWN!' Lukas thought smugly as he cleaned the aged wooden floor.
Thin young legs came to view as he scrubbed the floor. He looked up seeing his younger Finnish brother wearing skirt with a pouty face.
"What now, Tino?" The teen became very irritated as he got up to his knees.
"It really...really hurts!" He complained as he tugged on his skirt. "I don't like wearing skirts!"
"You have to wait a week for the swelling to go down. It's just how circumcision works, live with it!" Norway was definitely not the one who was sensitive to topics like this.
"Why did big brother ever leave you in charge!?" Finland shouted before bolting in a weird waddle.
"YOU LITTLE BRA-" Before the l'east-favorite' brother could even dump the cold dirty water form the bucket over the Finnish boy's head, the heavy door swung open with a very loud crash.
"BIG BROTHER IS HOME!" The voice of Berwald was always very loud when he announced big brother's arrival.
"Ya don't have to shout it, Waldy, ya need to sleep...from the looks of it, ya've been working really hard the past few months." Big brother sounded very concerned with that soft smile of his, oblivious to the fact that Sweden has not helped in any of the chores since his departure and has been camping outside until now. But, neither of the three who were sleeping inside would ever tell on him. They'll all get 'disciplined' and plus, even if the four seldomly saw eye to eye, they had each other's backs.
"I will be fine, bror! I feel a lot better now that you are here!" The Swedish twelve year-old was hugging the shorter Dane rather too affectionately, which disturbed the Norwegian watching from a distance while Matthias remained oblivious.
"Ya've grown so tall, Waldy!" The stronger Matthias pulled in the Swede for a soft noogie. The action made Berwald laugh.
The sound of home escaped effortlessly from big brother's mouth-watering lips.
"I've been training really hard too!" Sweden pulled away and removed his shirt with no shame, keeping his indifferent face.
"Packing on some muscle, I see..." The older boy squeezed the fairly toned shoulder, making the younger boy wince silently.
"J-Ja..." Sweden laughed nervously.
Just then, his clear blue eyes directed towards Lukas who was cleaning horribly. He smiled acknowledgingly, making Norway blush and scrub more furiously.
Denmark removed his thick bear fur coat, his satchel, his axe, and gloves before crouching in front of the slimmer Norwegian.
"Hej, Lu, I hope that you were able to control them." The strong hand helped the lankier boy up.
"There ya go!" Denmark chuckled, washing all of Norway's aggravations.
Lukas felt himself space out, examining his adoptive brother's body.
His face was the most handsome among all of the boys in any village across Nordic territory. His white teeth were perfectly aligned. His light blonde nest complimented his backlit blue eyes and fair skin. Speaking of skin, his flimsy red shirt had a very loose collar, revealing the trained body of the fourteen year-old. His pants were reasonably tight, secured by a black sash and tucked into expertly made boots.
Then Lukas noticed that he had blood-dirtied cloth wrapped around his chest and arms and a small limp when he walked.
"Are you okay, bror?" He asked only to be replied by a hum of affirmation and a warm smile.
"Why do you alway have to lie? I'm not blind, you know?" Norway got irritated, crossing his arms and glaring to emphasize his feelings.
"But I'm not...all four of ya are here. " Denmark rubbed both of the other's arms reassuringly. "Safe. Well fed. And healthy." He brought his lips to the other's forehead. Norway could not react to it. It was like it petrified him in place.
Sweden looked on, his jaw hitting the floor and eyes completely vacant of color.
"Isoveli!" Tino waddled back, hugging Matthias by the waist. The bigger hands made their way to the silky hair of the Finnish lad.
"How are you?" Finland asked, eyes lighting up like stars.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. How about you?" Denmark asked politely, noticing the man-skirt, as he called it, that Tino was wearing.
"M-my pipi hurts so much! And Lu didn't do anything!" Tino whined like the little brat he was to Lukas' eyes.
"I'm pretty sure that he tried his best...do ya want me to do something?" He knelt down to Finland's eye-level.
"I need your hand on pipi!" He said, raising his skirt, to the horror of the two teen boys. Just then, a shrill cry muffled their gasps of horror.
"Emil's awake~" Chimed Matthias who was about to go check on him when Tino stopped him. "No."
"I'll check on him." Sweden volunteered and went to the nursery.
"Now, what did ya want again, Tino?" He asked, probably making sure that he heard it right.
"You're hand on pipi." Finland sounded very demanding.
"Alright..." Denmark sighed, rolling his right sleeve. He turned his hand on, frost developing immediately, coloration turning into slight blue, and ice cracks and foggy patterns stamped on the skin. Tino's eyes were so transfixed on the hand as it got closer.
"But..." Big brother pulled his hand away, much to Finland's disappointment. Matthias winked at Lukas before continuing. "Ya have to do Lu's chores for a month!"
"What!? NO!" Tino let the skirt fall down and sulked.
"Okay then..." Matthias stood up and walked away slowly, knowing that the Finnish boy wouldn't be able to keep this up.
"F-fine!" Tino pulled his skirt up again, much to Lukas' horror AGAIN, whilst Matthias didn't seem to be bothered at all.
Denmark has washed crap from all their asses, got barfed on by them, and gave them all thorough baths...so what the hell would make him irk seeing...a CENSORED THING between Finny's legs?
"Oh yeah..." Relief washed over Tino's face, the cold hand...was..."OH...yeah...it feels so too, big brother!"
"Now ya can't have my hand all day, I have work to do and I don't want that to become a small piece of ice." Denmark grinned as he patted the youngster's head with his free in frosted hand.
Sweden came back with baby Emil in his arms and placed himself beside Norway. Both Scandinavians looked mortified while little Emil seemed detached.
Finland had a weird flushed smile on his face that was too creepy to look at.
"...lucky bastard..." Norway muttered to Sweden's ear who nodded curtly in reply.
Sweden decided to pull away from the three, wandering the building in his own in an almost aimless fashion. Jett wasn't calling him back or anything...so yeah, it kinda suck.
The only thing that kept his mind off his 'Lover from Down-Under' was searching the perfect gift for big brother.
He was in front of an art supply store...Denmark really liked to draw when they were younger. However, he didn't know for sure if he still liked those sort of things.
"Stop being so negative, damn it!" He cursed to himself. After taking a huge intake of breath, he entered the quaint shop.
The store was surprisingly big; it had lots of canvases neatly arranged by size and even color. He looked between the shelves and so numerous types of paper. Then there were inking pens, calligraphy pens, markers, pencils, sketch pads, brushes, pastels, and everything else that an artist of any media would need.
"I-I love you, Marianne! Would you please go out with me?" He heard the breaking voice of a teenager, who (Sweden presumes) just got his Adam's apple.
"You're a sweet guy Josh..." There was a girl probably the same age as the young boy kneeling on one knee, his blonde hair swept back and face dirtied by acne.
"I don't feel the same way, I mean I love you as a friend...but..." She twirled her bleached and pinked hair, looking very embarrassed while the boy looked devastated. "I cannot tell you if my feelings will stay the same...why don't we eat at the food court, talk things over before anything else." She smiled, extending her hand.
"O-of course." The flustered boy accepted the hand and went on their way, running.
The Swede smiled softly, brows also softening, giving him a genuinely calm and even teary expression.
'Still remember...' He muttered, grabbing some metallic paints that looked ingesting enough to buy.
Berwald was now fourteen, towering even Matthias in terms of height. Most people actually thought he was the eldest, probably because he usually wore a blank expression.
He has trained his body with the sole purpose of getting big brother to become attracted to him. He has suffered from battle scars and some sickness along the way but it was worth it. He felt like he had so much energy and the way his body was starting to form, he couldn't be any prouder.
The Puberty gods were definitely on his side. His once very lanky body was starting to pack on some muscles, he probably looked like a Viking already.
"You're going to b'mine big brother!" He said to himself loudly, flexing his young muscles.
"Oh, Sve...how did ya get so big!?" He tried mimicking his big brother's beautiful voice.
"We'll you know *smug sniff*...*nose rub*...you know...train...eating raw eggs...protein to get this awesome abs!" He ran his hands down his abs.
"SVE!" His room's door swung open, emitting a very loud sound.
It was Denmark, eyes wide in shock. His body was a little bigger...making him look wider and shorter than he actually was. The young-looking nation came towards his taller younger brother.
Sweden looked mortified, covering his body with his hands and of course it did nothing at all.
"What was that all about?" Matthias asked, though he didn't look angry.
"W-what're you talking about?! I-I wasn't doing anything!" Berwald defended himself pathetically.
"Ya were talking to the mirror..." The Dane crossed his arms, foot tapping impatiently.
"I told you I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING!" The Swede shouted right in front of his adoptive brother.
He was about to run away when a strong hand encased his wrist. He looked at Denmark bravely with teary eyes. He has never felt so embarrassed in his whole life.
"L-let me go!" He started crying, looking at Denmark's saddened face. He couldn't take it anymore, he just wanted to run.
"Bed." Denmark ordered.
"W-what?" Sweden blushed.
Was it finally happening? No! Everything's going so fast! He couldn't just give himself to Denmark but he wanted to. But maybe he might disappoint him, he has never done this! He was a virgin!
"Bed. Now." Matthias reiterated, his eyes were dead-serious.
Berwald walked silently to bed.
It was a bad idea to not do what big brother said. Sure, he was nice but he made sure that everybody knew that he was in-charge of them and that if they do something wrong, they will be punished accordingly. But even after that, he was still nice...he made them food...he tucked them in...he told stories...sang songs...he was like two parents in one. So the least he could do was cooperate.
He sat down obediently, his older brother seating right next to him.
"So...do ya love me...like…more than a brother, Waldy?" He asked, eyes were full of concern and sympathy.
"J-Ja..." Berwald could no longer hold back the tears. He rubbed his eyes non-stop, sobbing and breathing unevenly. He started coughing.
"Now don't be like that..." Matthias hugged him tightly, his hand stroking the smaller back. He continues hushing him, gently swaying him as Sweden clutched on him desperately.
"D-do you love me t-that way?" Sve asked between sobs, his heart already breaking.
Denmark looked at him sadly, making it very obvious.
"Is it because I'm a boy?" The Swede tried to pull away, but Denmark wouldn't let him.
"It's not because of that...I'm yer big brother..." He whispered tenderly but Sweden started shouting.
"Why would that matter!? We aren't really related, nothing's wrong." The younger Scandinavian did not want to let go, crushing the other as hard as he could.
"I've been the one who has been taking care of you four. I got barfed on by you, particularly you. I've was he wiped shit clean off yer asses. I've given ya baths and I've even cleaned...yer...ya know...I thought ya what to do whether having those nocturnal emissions...my point...I see ya as a brother..." Denmark admitted sadly, crushing the other even more.
"I can't have that kind of love right now, I'm too busy taking care of ya guys, supporting us. Then there's the stuffs boss is making me do. I have no time to start feeling those. All that matters to me now is taking care of ya, always has been…always will be." He pulled away.
"Why? That is-isn't a good re-reason!" Sweden shouted angrily.
"There are too many things that're happening. Ya can tell me that yer growing up but until you beat the crap out of me..." Denmark stood up.
"Ya four are under my watch, yer my responsibility. I went away for a few months before and shit happened...I will not let that happen again. If ya want to force yerself on me...I will not stop ya, but ya can't force me to start feeling whatever yer feeling." He kneeled on one knee, caressing Sweden's cheeks.
"But I didn't say that things won't start happening to my heart." Matthias grinned. "I'm not saying that I love ya that way, but I won't be someone that's close-minded and presumptuous."
Berwald smiled, suddenly feeling whole. His eyes lit up and he stopped shaking.
The older nation came in for a small kiss on his forehead. "I'll call ya when dinner's ready..." His rough hand making its way on top of the younger nation's head.
"I-I'll help you!" Sweden stood up, putting his discarded shirt on.
"Tak, bror." The shorter boy smiled before both made their way out of the room.
Three hundred years after that fateful day, his king wanted out of the union. He was forced to fight his beloved brother. He didn't want to...but if he didn't, he would not have been able to hinder his men from torturing his big brother's battered body. For the Swedes, they did not see a seventeen-year old boy with bruises blooming everywhere but an abomination to the human race.
His king called Denmark a monster, but it wasn't his brother that was the monster. The Dane knew that his king had crossed the line, but countries were supposed to fight for their sakes, no questions asked.
Through it all...Matthias never stopped smiling; he was there when Berwald was afraid of going to war against him. He snuck out just to give him food to eat and tips on the battlefield.
In spite of the pain, Denmark still fought. He dragged his heavy feet to give him a good clean fight. Whether Sweden was excelling or not, the Dane continued to cheer him on even if he was the one he was forced to fight against.
When Matthias finally fell, he smiled proudly at his younger brother...tears streaming down. Sweden felt his own eyes water.
'Ya did good...ya did g...' He could still hear his brother's strained voice.
The most horrible thing was that he was not the one who made sure his brother would return home safely to his place...no, Sweden got pulled away from his unconscious brother by his own men. When Berwald tried to fight, he was knocked out cold, leaving the Dane vulnerable.
From what he had heard, Matthias went home by himself, hungry, tired, dehydrated and all his king did was punish him for losing the war...why were people always horrible to his brother?
Why couldn't any of them be the ones who took the heat? If it meant that Denmark would not have been treated so badly, they would surrender on the stop, anything to ensure his safety…
"I told you! THIS IS WHAT BIG BROTHER WANTS!" Sweden showed them the bag full of tubes of paint, brushes, sketch pads, pastels and other coloring materials. He bought one of each brand...well, the ones he could afford anyway.
"HELL NO! THESE ARE THE THINGS HE NEEDS!" Norway and Finland, though they usually argued, always teamed up to take down the competition. They had luxury bath items, a silk robe, fluffy bunny slippers, scented candles, premium briefs, leopard-print thongs, sleeveless undershirts, and those cut off shirts that look a lot like a sports bra.
"Why the hell would he need a sports bra!?" Sweden asked angrily, running his hand painfully down his face in irritation.
"Becau-" Norway raised a finger before looking at the taller man confusingly. "Sports bra? Lemme see that!" He grabbed the huge bag from Finland.
He rummaged through it, desperately searching for the things he bought and the things he asked Tino to buy. He threw all the contents on the floor, not wanting to give up the search.
"Where the hell are the pants I picked out or the flannels I asked you to buy or the ties or hats or scarves?! My collection's ruined, I PLANNED OF EVERYTHING...he would've looked so fly! Why the fuck did you buy all this!?" Lukas threw the disgusting thong away, looking a n girly at Finland.
"He needs some moisturizer, you know stuff to make him look...younger, more refreshed, FABULOUS! And the 'bra' is for holding up his awesome pecs!" Tino defended himself calmly and rather confidently.
"We don't need bras (I think)! You maxed out my credit card for stuff YOU WANT!" Norway was now red in anger, throwing everything he could get a hold on.
"He will LIKE THIS! I mean, just imagine him enjoying the awesome loofah we bought or how the placenta soap would do wonders for his rough hands...or how free his butt will feel with the thongs!" Finland rambled with stars in his eyes.
"DISGUSTING." The Scandinavians commented.
"At least I'm thinking of how this'll do him good for the long run!" Finland's eyes turned white and his teeth were now razor sharp.
"Would you three knock it off; if you're going to rip each other's throats out for this then why bother? It'll just stink up the gift." Iceland interfered, his face cross like always.
"...anyway, I found the perfect present already if you don't want it then fine, I'll still give it to him." Emil rolled his eyes and walked away, the three silently following.
Emil was moping around the woods, rubbing his tear-stung eyes with his small hands. It felt like nobody liked him. He tried to get at least one of his brother's attention. But Denmark was abroad, Norway was busy with paperwork, Sweden was starting to look scary, and Finland was not interested.
His eyes wandered around the darkness around him, the only things visible were the lake and the trees that were hit by the brilliant moonlight. He was glad that he brought a torch before running away.
The torch was all for him, yessir-y! No one would try to get it since his all alone.
He was alone...of course he was, he was literally miles away from his family, geographically speaking. Maybe that had something to do with how distant he was to his brothers.
"I hate you!" He said to himself angrily. "I hate all of you!"
"Now why are ya saying that?" He heard an all too familiar voice coming from behind.
"N-nothing, big brother!" He stood up, blushing. "Why're you home?"
"The tour went faster than expected!" Denmark laughed warmly as he picked up the sulking boy.
"Now tell me what's going on?" He asked with his bright smile that easily melted Emil's heart.
"I-I don't think people like me..." Iceland admitted, tears stinging his eyes again.
"Well, I like ya!" The older boy hugged him tightly.
"Besides you..." The grade-schooler's mouth started to quiver and then the waterworks began.
"Now don't cry...don't cry..." Denmark hummed a small lullaby, silencing the young boy enough to make him sniffle instead.
Denmark crouched down, eye-level with Emil. He grinned making Iceland giggle.
"Why don't I show something to ya?" The Dane asked softly. "Now close yer eyes!"
Emil did. He heard a soft and shrill 'cling' and the sound of ice cracking softly. He felt cool wisps of air meet his face and even small flecks of snow touch his full cheeks.
"Now, open 'em!"
When his amethyst eyes were open, his brother was holding a glass rabbit made out of a strange blue aura with swirls of white crystals and dots of snow continuously circling inside its glass-like hide.
His eyes lit up like stars in the night sky, he reached for the rabbit, feeling the cool air surrounding it...but it was a good cool feeling, unexplainably comforting.
"I-I never knew you could do that!" He hugged the bunny as he looked at Denmark.
"Oh, just a little practice takes ya where ya want to be!" The Dane smiled. The rabbit started dashing through the air, leaving a dainty trail of snow in its wake. Iceland twirled as the rabbit remained above him, prancing about.
Strings of sparkling white crystal-like snow were shooting out of his brother's hands. The curled up and around until the Dane let go, leaving the strong trail to get blown by the soft wind.
Just before the small crystals were allowed to disperse completely, they were forced into a big round all, circling the rabbit. The small powder started to pop in small sparkles of strong blue.
Matthias started waving his hands like he was a band leader, without the stick. The curtain of snow swished around then it swirled going up like a cone, each glistened more than the precious stars in the sky. Finally, they were free from their makers hold, falling softly to the ground.
"Why can't there be flowers in the winter?" His young mind wondered.
Denmark smirked, his mind already formulating something awesome.
The snow stopped in mid-air. They swirled around Iceland who started to shiver a little. Once more, it became a flowing carpet before slumping all over the path.
The little bunny started to examine the clump, going nearer and sniffing it as if it were a real living thing. Suddenly something sprouted from the clump, making the bunny scamper off.
"Yer not goin' anywhere, min ven." Giggled Matthias who waved his hands once more.
The rodent stretched into a bigger mass, growing antlers and cloven hooves.
"It's a deer!" Iceland cheered as the deer froze the surface of the lake once its hooves met the water, sparks of electric blue and white flying gracefully around it.
It was starting to look like the perfect winter wonderland. He looked around the bushes and trees that were starting to frost. More ice animals started to approach quietly.
The clump of snow was now a cone full of lush and picturesque flowers made of thin shits of ice. They glowed blue and by the light of the moon, glistened like gems with other soft hues as well.
The one deer turned into a hundred small ones, maybe just a size of a rat. They pranced unanimously around Emil, greeting him to a small breeze before flying off to the moon and exploding back to small snowflakes. Everything reverted back to soft snow.
"I want more!" Iceland demanded, urging his brother to use his ice powers again.
"Sure..." Denmark smiled in reply. He picked Emil up and placed his legs over his shoulder so that Iceland's head and hands were resting on his messy head. "Eat yer vegetables and I'll put on a show!"
"What!? That's disgusting!" Iceland felt repulsed, sticking his tongue out.
"Oh well...it was worth a shot!" Denmark smiled anyway as they went on their way back to their home.
The four had just sent the gift via courier...all they wanted to do now was sleep it off.
They were fairly miserable.
Sweden had wasted a huge sum of money on art materials.
Finland had clothes that were TOO big for him.
Norway was left with a rejected credit card.
Iceland, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile.
He walked to the gigantic living area, not bad considering that his brother's just a cafe owner. He looked at the thirty-foot tall tree, decorated lavishly with antique decorations that Norway has collected through the years.
Emil bent down as something caught his eyes. There were gifts…Odd.
"Hey guys, I think Santa came early this year…" He muttered loud enough to get the four's attention.
"Hva?" Norway pushed the youngest away, reaching for the boxes like a hoarder.
"…Norway…" He had to drag the large and heavy box wrapped in newspaper in a rather creative and clean manner. It had a ribbon with his flag's colors.
"…Sweden…" There were two smaller and lighter boxes for him, the ribbon also containing his flag's colors.
"…Finland…" He was handed a box that was obviously some sort of dress…
"…Emil…" All four were perplexed. Lukas handed his younger brother a small box fit only for jewelry.
"I'll open it in my room, if you don't mind…" The youngest grabbed his small box; annoyed at the stares he was being given.
He was going up to his room in a flash; he locked the door shut and slid down the floor, exhaling deeply.
He looked at his box, not really that jealous about getting such a small gift.
He opened it slowly and then, a huge gust of wind busted out, blowing directly on his face hard. His gums were exposed and his hair was blown upwards.
Snow started to cover the room, seemingly coming from above. A cute old train made of ice and that familiar blue aura escaped, its cold fumes churning out more snow as it circled around.
There was one snowflake that was inches large, its crystal form was very very obvious and beautiful. It was like the perfect snowflake, it was like looking through a microscope without the apparatus.
Ice started forming on the edges of the room, arranged in plates, giving them a slight pinecone-like appearance.
Little people started to skate in mid-air and light started coming out of the pinecones. A huge marching band poured out of the small red box as well as carriages and sleighs, all pulled by very small horses.
His bed was covered in beautiful slopes of snow then smoothening down into a frozen 'lake' and then forming a castle of ice. Blue sparks started going out everywhere, almost blinding him in a pseudo-fireworks spectacle.
*KNOCK*KNOCK*
"Hvað?" He shouted, watching as everything started to melt and shrivel into nothing.
"Are you okay…" It was Sweden.
"Já." He answered, again annoyed by the fact that people kept on ruining moments for him.
"Just worried…I mean, we know how you can get sometimes…" Norway was also there.
"I told that I'm fine! Trust me." He shouted.
"Okay…we were just making sure *No need to be such a drama queen*" Finland reassured.
Iceland sighed after hearing the three walk away.
He looked around, trying to inspect if the show was still going to continue.
He heard a cute sneeze. Emil looked down his bed and the same small blue bunny from before. He smiled but before he could hold it, it dissolved…leaving a small key.
"Now what were you made to open?" He inspected the silver key, it was old and rusty and then his mind flashed.
There was only one thing in this whole mansion that could be old enough to have been partnered with this key and it just so happened to be in his room.
Iceland away from where it usually lay. His violet eyes looked down the floor, seeing the small keyhole.
It was worth a shot. He knelt down and after some fight with the key, the small compartment opened.
He fanned away the cobwebs and saw a something wrapped with brown velvet. It was secured with an old necklace with a rather large opal on it.
There was an old note…
1899
'Dear Emil,
Big Bro here…about time I gave this to you. I hope you got the key and didn't pry the floor open. (P.S. I am fully aware that I hid it in Lu's house.)
Don't tell the others, please…I'm not ready…long story.
Keep an eye on them and yourself. I'll be watching too, of course XD.
I gave each of them…something like this, though I wanted to give yours a secret and it'll remain a secret, right?
BURN AT ONCE. Love you.'
For the first time in years, his eyes started to water. The main question that plagued him was finally answered. He was full of questions, though. He wanted answers, but he had to trust his big brother. He had reasons to do this…he always did.
"You sly…sly hound…" He whispered to himself.
'Berwald's right…'
Emil sucked his tears and cleared his throat. He unwrapped his gift and saw a dagger, still looking brand-new. It looked like golden-bronze, his purple eyes reflecting perfectly on its shiny surface. It had his initials and it had the perfect leather handle.
It had something written in very old Germanic which made him grin. His youthful hands gripped on the handle tightly.
The dagger was not the best present ever. It was the date the note was written on that made this the best present ever.
Denmark just came back from delivering his little brothers' gifts.
He took off his favorite trench coat, gloves, and scarf. He kicked off his boots and peeled his sweater off. He was wearing an ordinary dark blue shirt underneath.
He went straight for the kitchen and cranked up the heater.
Sure he had ice powers, but when they were shut off, he was pretty susceptible to the cold.
Matthias was pretty sure that Lu, Waldy, and Tino won't know that he was their Secret Santa…they were the types that were so sharp when it came to disputes concerning their countries, like political fires ore war…but they were completely dull when it came to family and their human lives.
Big brother had to admit though, they were getting their…they were starting to find the balance. Thanks to him, of course, but he didn't mind not receiving a simple thank you or a curt glance that acknowledged his existence in their lives. (Well, that's what he kept telling himself)
Emil was different. He was a little awkward and behaviorally antisocial. He didn't want you to not notice him but he didn't want you to stalk him. There had to be balanced. So, it was very easy for the youngest to find the balance of both of his lives.
The Dane made some instant coffee. He started to wander he was too upfront with his gift for Iceland. It was probably guilt that made him do it. He felt guiltier for making Emil lose him at a very 'young' age than guilty for all the years of mistreatment he has done to them while he was still ill.
Honestly, the other three weren't as persistent with Icy as he had hoped. They immediately backed away when the teen said no…but in truth, he was trying to say yes. You'd think that they would've learned a thing or two being the ones solely responsible for him for the past five hundred years.
*DING*DONG*
His icy blue eyes fluttered, bringing him back to reality with a lukewarm mug of coffee in hand.
*DING*DONG*
He darted to the door, not wanting to keep the person outside waiting. He opened the door slightly, bringing out only half of his body.
"Ja?" He greeted with a warm smile.
"Mr. Køhler?" A fairly chubby man, with full rosy cheeks and a genuine smile asked for confirmation.
"Ja…That's me!" The nation opened the door wider, his smile widening as well.
"Delivery." The delivery man notified, handing him a sizable box and papers to sign.
"From whom, min ven?" He asked while signing the papers with his free hand.
"Secret Santa, I'm afraid…" The youthful Santa chuckled.
"Tak, anyway…Happy Holidays." Denmark grinned, extending his large hand for a firm and warm handshake.
"Happy holidays as well, Mr. Køhler." The other tipped the visor of his cap and headed back to his van.
The nation closed the doors and was honestly unable to control himself and opened his present like it was the first present he has ever received (He has never gotten a present from a secret Santa before…).
Denmark struggled to get it out of the box, so much so that he had to cut one face of the box carefully instead. He got to cutting, silent as a small knife sliced through the cardboard.
"…W-wow…" Denmark was left speechless.
It was a huge piece of glass centerpiece. Two doves danced in flight, enveloped in two curtains of water. The water turned into graceful rearing horses, going around into a hoop. Then, a huge swan sprung up from the loop, its wings opened fully. The detailing was exquisite and everything was obviously antique and born from years of hard labor.
"S-SHIT! OH…shit…" He felt bothered with the fact the piece was probably more expensive than his fridge and oven combined…plus his sofa…and TV…
Should he sell this? Or donate this? Or…give it away?
"NEJ!" He grinned, clutching on the base of the awesome…thing. Then, he carefully placed the huge centerpiece on the middle of his dinner table.
"…I should probably sell it for the orphanage though…" Matthias smiled, scratching the back of his head. Guilt has taken him hostage…
"Tak, anyway…" He thanked the anonymous person out loud. Being alone in one house kinda made him speak out loud most of the time…
'Merry Christmas…I guess…'
EXTRA: The Other Presents
The other three also locked themselves in their rooms; just to make sure it wasn't a humiliating gift or too awesome a gift that the others would get jealous.
Finland was still moping from their shopping trip. How would the clothes fit him now? Furthermore, all the care products he bought were not needed; they were made for the virgin-to-skincare-product percentage of the world.
His eyes suddenly flashed with the gift he had gotten from the Secret Santa…kinda ironic since he was 'Santa' himself.
He ripped the wrapper mercilessly, opening the soft white box and rummaging through the packaging paper.
His eyes twinkled. Hands trembling, he pulled the soft…silky…powder pink…frilly…bunny-print…ROBE, he has wanted for soOoOOooOooo long! Just then, he noticed that there were more, all in different colors and patterns…and there were also fuzzy bunny slippers…perfumes from France…body butter…from France…Hell, everything a 'woman' wanted for 'her' personal bath tub moment was there… even bath bubbles and loofa…and rock-spongy things…
"BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" He squealed, rubbing his nose on the glass perfume bottles he has received.
(A/N: I have obviously ruined Finland's perfect image…)
Norway frantically opened his and to his excitement it was a new espresso machine. It was also from a premium brand that like makes only two hundred fifty machines per year. He dare not bore the price tag.
It was extravagant, but also needed.
He closed his eyes, relishing the years he had spent using the espresso machine in his café…memories that were too good to forget.
'Lucia…' Lukas murmured his 'dead' friend's name before she was sold as scrap.
… Like that one time when a woman who was just asking for some decaf found herself gripping on the piston and giving birth and he was the one who delivered the cute little twins.
…Or when an elderly man recited his new wedding vows, giving his elderly wife a ring from the hot cup of espresso he ordered.
…Or a young couple, sharing their first frappucino.
…Or the nights that he'd experiment with…his body…Lucia, pushing him to his limits…before, his sweet Natalia, of course.
'Nej! Not Lucia! She's FINE!' Lukas could hear his own voice, screaming as Lucia was taken away…Natalia and Troll were holding him back.
'It is just an ESPRESSO machine!'
'LUCIA'S NOT SOME SORT OF MACHINE!'
"…Vanessa…" he muttered, placing his hand on the golden plating. "…Welcome, Vanessa…" Lukas smiled.
(A/N: Vanessa's the new espresso machine…Yeah…)
The well-built Swede was lying on his back on the soft mattress. He didn't better taking off his shoes.
Sweden looked at his inbox. He has not received even one single letter from J…he was definitely getting worried.
(A/N: If you are new 'J' is Australia)
"And he says I'm the oversensitive one…" He grumbled, flipped to his stomach and hugged a pillow, mouth covered by the soft fluffy thing.
Waldy shook his head, he was definitely going to stay the night and J was not going to reply anytime soon. He might as well open the present he got.
Silence was observed as he kept his eyes on his phone and not on the hands that were tearing the newspaper. It took him a while to realize that there was no more paper to tear.
His annoyed expression vanished when he saw what was hiding under the paper. It was as if a heavenly light shone from above.
"Mega Club-M1X V.8.4: Apoca-beats!" Sweden read the CD's container. Was he dreaming? Or was this real life? WAS HE LITERALLY HOLDING THE BEST-EST MUSIC EDITING SOFTWARE IN THE WORLD? Like the ultimate software?
This would boost up his synthesizer back home…This could totally help him when he was hosting the biggest gigs known to man, he has already been asked to attend a couple (a lot).
His eyes returned to the box and he also saw some sweaters and nice shirts. Shockingly, there was a shirt with Australia's flag with his. And then, there was an identical one that was smaller (probably J's size). Then there were 'those' kinds of toys, which he was shamefully thankful for.
'Only three people know that I'm with J…' he thought for a moment…but he knew America and Canada well enough, they wouldn't go to this much trouble…from how Norway's present sounded as it was dragged away, it was heavy metal…precious metal. They weren't the types to give extravagant gifts…or did they have a change of style this season?
Or maybe it was Russia; he was always kind of a giver. He remembered the tall youngster giving him a bust for his birthday…two busts actually…It was eerily life-like. Sometimes he felt like they were watching him.
Berwald looked back at his phone and still no reply. Maybe it was just the bad reception…
He stood up, lumbering like the giant he was. He raised his muscled arm as he kept on forcing the idea that his full bars were not full enough.
"I am sorry…J, just please pick up…just F*CKING pick up…" Berwald cursed softly, getting more and more anxious by the second.
"I can do a lot better, mate…" He heard that all too familiar voice from behind him.
He turned around and saw his lover in all his unnecessary winter gear.
"J, w-what are you doing here?" Sweden asked confusingly. Just a moment ago, he was hoping this was going to happen.
"Came to see ya…I mean, I left my phone at your place…and…" Australia looked away.
"And you thought it would be better for me to say sorry to you in person." Sweden finished the other's sentence and came in for a big hug.
"Sorry, J…I was just…" Berwald couldn't finish his apologies; the exotic lips were already covering his.
"You know…we could get caught any moment…" Jett chuckled softly to his taller wife's chest.
"Locked the doors." Hummed the Swede.
"They could hear us…" the Australian chimed.
"Sound-proof…Lu made 'em that way…" Waldy answered.
"Now you're practically beggin' for me!" J smiled smugly, causing his lover to roll his eyes.
"Nope. Just answered your questions." He smiled tenderly. J instinctually stood on his toes and came in for a kiss.
"Your smile is the best gift for me any year…" Australia stroked the back of Sweden's head.
"So no Bahamas this year?" The Swede cocked one brow.
"Of course we're still going." The shorter man muttered.
"You know what I want this Christmas?" Sweden asked.
"What?" Australia sat on his bed, patting his lap. "Why don't you seat here?"
The taller European complied. He sat on the other's lap and swung his huge arms around the other's neck.
"I want us to play some Invisible PDA…" The Swede whispered.
"Care to explain?" Australia smiled, hugging the other tighter.
"Basically, you and me will hold hands and kiss and hug in public…but when we see people we know…we have to act like buddies…they CANNOT know about us…" He explained.
"We've been playing that for nine years…" Jett interjected.
"But this time, the one caught in the act'll be the one to tell EVERYBODY…" Berwald smirked, causing the other to suddenly feel reluctant. "Even big brother…"
'Well, that won't be a problem…' Australia thought to himself, remembering that was the one who 'hooked' them up in the first place.
"Deal." The Australian answered, extending his arm.
Instead, he was pushed down to the bed by the bigger man, crashing their lips together. "Ja, ja, ja." The other smirked again before diving for a kiss.
"I have a lot of new toys…and I'm ready to use all of 'em at once…" Sweden whispered, sending shivers down Australia's spine.
"And I'll be happy enough to shove all those kinky things in you…" Their innocent kiss turned less and less innocent by the second.