[December 14th] Prompt #1
Author: harusamemosuke
Title: Clara
Characters: Russia/America, Ukraine, Belarus
Genre: AU/Dreamfic/Ivan needs to stop eating leftover borsch before bedtime
Rating/Warnings: General Winter appears. Grab a blanket
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and an unexpected visitor brings a gift
December 14: The Nutcracker
He awakes to find it is Christmas eve in the Winter Palace, and does not question the gilded decorations and thousands of lights. He stands under the branches of the tree and breathes in the pine scent - a tradition imported from Germany. But this thought is only a wisp, and he skips away on tiny feet, called by the sound of laughing children. Their cries echo to the ceiling as adults whisper and glide across the room.
His sisters are there, dear Yeketerina in a forest green velvet gown, and Natalia in a cranberry red dress with white lace. He gallops away quickly enough, as the other boys pull him into a game of blind man's bluff. He trips over his own scarf, so long it trails behind him like a double tail. He rises to the sound of soft laughter over dear clumsy Vanya, and he finds he does not mind.
The laughter dissolves as a hush grows over the crowd. He feels goosebumps rise on his flesh, and shivers in the growing chill. The crowd parts. The sound of heavy boots echo across the marble floor, heavy with frost and ice. The children have fled to their parents, leaving Vanya alone to face the visitor.
Vanya wills himself not to back away as General Winter stops in front of him, to not flinch as the old man (spirit) reaches out and cups his face. He looks up into his eyes of ice, and forces himself to maintain the gaze, even as he feels frost forming on his cheek.
For a long moment, there is nothing, and then the old General withdraws his hand to within his cloak. The removal of the icy limb does not bring relief to Vanya, only unfocused terror. One cannot hope to guess the whims and fancies of a spirit.
Thus his surprise when a box is held out to him, the ribbon covered delicately in ice crystals. With shaking hands he receives it, and looks up at the General despite himself. He stumbles for words.
"I-I do not understand"
His answer is silence, and a short, almost soft kiss to his forehead before the General walks away, throwing the doors open to the chilly winter night and leaving. The conversation slowly resumes as a manservant runs to shut the large doors.
There is still the lingering chill left by the unexpected guest, but Vanya's attention soon turns to the package in his hands. Filled with childish curiosity, and encouraged by the other children (who had returned), he opens it, carefully undoing the ribbon before ripping open the paper. The box lid is lifted, and for a moment, the children fall silent.
The Czar, filled with curiosity himself, asks what the gift is.
"It's a nutcracker," one of the boys answers (rather cheekily). The children murmur in disappointment, and drift away, trying to guess their own presents. His sisters come to his side, and Yeketerina examines the wooden nutcracker.
"He's quite handsome," she offers, wondering herself about the meaning of the gift.
Vanya carefully lifts the nutcracker out of the box and cradles it in the crook of his arm, entranced. He carefully strokes the wheat blonde hair, and examines the bright red and blue of the uniform. He admires the blue eyes that remind him distantly of summer days, and whispers absently, "Da, he is."
Note: So, uh, one, it's still the 14th in Hawaii, and two, this drabble, while messed up, is nothing compared to the other one I considered writing. Which involved Alfred as Clara, England as the Nutcracker Prince, and Russia making an appearance as the peacock from the Arabian dance (SHUT UP it's my favorite!). Needless to say Alfred ditched Arthur to go be with Ivan. But I figured that story was too cracktastic, so you got this instead. :D
Title: Clara
Characters: Russia/America, Ukraine, Belarus
Genre: AU/Dreamfic/Ivan needs to stop eating leftover borsch before bedtime
Rating/Warnings: General Winter appears. Grab a blanket
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and an unexpected visitor brings a gift
December 14: The Nutcracker
He awakes to find it is Christmas eve in the Winter Palace, and does not question the gilded decorations and thousands of lights. He stands under the branches of the tree and breathes in the pine scent - a tradition imported from Germany. But this thought is only a wisp, and he skips away on tiny feet, called by the sound of laughing children. Their cries echo to the ceiling as adults whisper and glide across the room.
His sisters are there, dear Yeketerina in a forest green velvet gown, and Natalia in a cranberry red dress with white lace. He gallops away quickly enough, as the other boys pull him into a game of blind man's bluff. He trips over his own scarf, so long it trails behind him like a double tail. He rises to the sound of soft laughter over dear clumsy Vanya, and he finds he does not mind.
The laughter dissolves as a hush grows over the crowd. He feels goosebumps rise on his flesh, and shivers in the growing chill. The crowd parts. The sound of heavy boots echo across the marble floor, heavy with frost and ice. The children have fled to their parents, leaving Vanya alone to face the visitor.
Vanya wills himself not to back away as General Winter stops in front of him, to not flinch as the old man (spirit) reaches out and cups his face. He looks up into his eyes of ice, and forces himself to maintain the gaze, even as he feels frost forming on his cheek.
For a long moment, there is nothing, and then the old General withdraws his hand to within his cloak. The removal of the icy limb does not bring relief to Vanya, only unfocused terror. One cannot hope to guess the whims and fancies of a spirit.
Thus his surprise when a box is held out to him, the ribbon covered delicately in ice crystals. With shaking hands he receives it, and looks up at the General despite himself. He stumbles for words.
"I-I do not understand"
His answer is silence, and a short, almost soft kiss to his forehead before the General walks away, throwing the doors open to the chilly winter night and leaving. The conversation slowly resumes as a manservant runs to shut the large doors.
There is still the lingering chill left by the unexpected guest, but Vanya's attention soon turns to the package in his hands. Filled with childish curiosity, and encouraged by the other children (who had returned), he opens it, carefully undoing the ribbon before ripping open the paper. The box lid is lifted, and for a moment, the children fall silent.
The Czar, filled with curiosity himself, asks what the gift is.
"It's a nutcracker," one of the boys answers (rather cheekily). The children murmur in disappointment, and drift away, trying to guess their own presents. His sisters come to his side, and Yeketerina examines the wooden nutcracker.
"He's quite handsome," she offers, wondering herself about the meaning of the gift.
Vanya carefully lifts the nutcracker out of the box and cradles it in the crook of his arm, entranced. He carefully strokes the wheat blonde hair, and examines the bright red and blue of the uniform. He admires the blue eyes that remind him distantly of summer days, and whispers absently, "Da, he is."
Note: So, uh, one, it's still the 14th in Hawaii, and two, this drabble, while messed up, is nothing compared to the other one I considered writing. Which involved Alfred as Clara, England as the Nutcracker Prince, and Russia making an appearance as the peacock from the Arabian dance (SHUT UP it's my favorite!). Needless to say Alfred ditched Arthur to go be with Ivan. But I figured that story was too cracktastic, so you got this instead. :D