#aph crew au

[randokatz]

"Irene's beauty can not be matched"

[gareleia]

THE KNITTING SAGA BUT ODY PULLS A BRUCE WAYNE

update: my co-writer friend FINALLY got a tumblr account, so I can tag them now!!

previously: part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

okay, bear with me for a moment. odysseus' perspective in all of this would be fascinating. and you know what is also fascinating? the way we can do whatever we want in this AU. so we can and will keep baby Astyanax alive.

to start with, Ody doesn't kill the baby. obviously. the reason is that, while he's having his fascinating little soliloquy about the morality of child murder in JAM, some terrified nursemaid that had been hiding somewhere in the room (I imagine her behind a conveniently shaped vase) picks up a dagger and stabs him in the shoulder from behind.

obviously she fails to do the deed, and he quickly and almost automatically kills her. but he's still stabbed. non-lethally, but enough to greatly hinder him.

Ody decides to go back to his people to get first aid. he can't bring himself to kill the baby, but he also can't just leave it there for others to find, because there's no telling if the remaining Trojans would rescue the boy, or if the Greeks would take him as a prisoner/slave or adopt/lose him somewhere where Odysseus can't ensure Zeus' prophecy won't come true. so Ody takes the baby with him.

the soldiers are,,, not impressed.

Eurylochus, looking at the infant: so, uh. what do you have here, captain? Odysseus, avoiding eye contact at all costs: a smoothie-

Eurylochus in particular is beside himself thinking about the implications. but overall people are too happy about finally going back home to really make much of a fuss about it, so it's fine (for now).

anyways Odysseus is still on edge about the baby's (and everyone else's) safety, so at first he tries to bring the boy with him everywhere. but his injured shoulder doesn't allow him to actually carry the kid too much. so that job falls to Eurylochus.

Eurylochus is soooo enthusiastic about the prospect, especially when the infant starts biting his chest, trying to nurse.

the baby: h o n g r y eurylochus: ARGH! GET YOUR GODS' DAMNED KID, BRO! odysseus: it don't bite eurylochus: YES IT DO

Odysseus prohibits everyone from using the baby's real name, both to keep its origins a secret from potential enemies, and to avoid getting attached to it (in case he actually decides he wants to kill it). so Eurylochus nicknames the baby Aphe, from greek "αφαιμάσσω", which means "to leech". because the damn brat keeps biting him.

eventually he and Poletes get into a heavy debate about whether or not it's mean to call a baby a bloodsucker, and Ody, who'd been having a crisis of faith, steps in and settles it for good.

from this point on, Astyanax the Prince of Troy is officially dead. and Odysseus is bringing home his infant son Aphemachus the Prince of Ithaca. etymology is somewhere along the lines of: afaimasso (to leech) + machos (war) = Aphemachus (the blood-sucking war; the war that sucked our blood)

Eurylochus is the one who Aphemachus had gotten attached to the most, due to all the carrying (and the biggest boo). He cries all the time when they're apart, and only Poletes seems to somehow be able to distract the boy, so they end up watching him in shifts.

aphemachus: *wailing in the dead of night* eurylochus, groaning: poletes, your leech is awake. poletes, also groaning: until the sun is up it's your leech.

Odysseus at the same time is still having doubts, so he doesn't trust himself to be too close to the baby.

those thoughts will haunt him for years, and will eventually play a huge role in their relationship, even after Ody starts forcing himself to spend time with his new son to forge a bond that would hopefully stop Aphemachus from destroying Ithaca.

Aphemachus indirectly saves Poletes' life. because when they reach the cyclops' island, Poletes stays behind with the majority of the soldiers to look after the baby. as a result Polyphemus doesn't kill him.

the downside is, Polyphemus almost gets a drop on Odysseus, and in an effort to push him away from danger Eurylochus gets severely injured. his right shoulder never quite recovers, and very deep down he blames Odysseus for needing help in the first place, because not freezing up in battle is the first and most important lesson they were taught as children, and then Ody went and froze up anyway.

sidenote, in Mutiny later on Odysseus will intentionally aim for said shoulder, exploiting the weakness that Eurylochus will have been very put out by and insecure about. just to add to the overall drama.

what none of them know yet, is that Odysseus had royally pissed off Zeus by ignoring his 'friendly advice' of infanticide. so much so, in fact, that Zeus tasks Ares with ensuring that Aphemachus grows up to destroy Ithaca.

as a result, poor kid grows up with the voice of bloodthirsty God of War in his head, constantly trying to convince him that everyone secretly hates and wants to kill him, that he's been stolen from Troy for nefarious purposes, and that it's his duty to avenge his REAL family. so, basically, your standard run-of-the-mill gods-induced paranoid schizophrenia.

odysseus: so, what do you want for dinner? ares: YOUR HEAD ON A SPIKE aphemachus: a bagel ares: NOOO aphemachus: two bagels

as you can guess, the poor boy's mental health is... Not Great™. he grows up a difficult kid, sensitive, too smart for his own god, prone to angry outbursts. think a cross between Damian Wayne and Jason Todd. he's also very paranoid, and remember that Odysseus still has doubts? Aphemachus can sense that, and that scares and angers him more, which makes him lash out, to which Odysseus also tries to keep his distance even more. he doesn't have much experience at actual hands-on parenting, and it doesn't help that he's not sure if he has a right to act as a father to the boy he had indirectly orphaned and directly almost killed.

poletes, exasperated: aphe, dear, we've talked about this. you know violence is never the answer, right? aphemachus: right. aphemachus: violence is the question, and the answer is YES-

so the most consistent positive influence Aphemachus has in his life are Eurylochus, Polites, Perimedes and Elpenor - until the latter dies and Perimedes decides to stay away.

Eurylochus is the stone-faced stern mother hen. he's the one that makes lists upon lists in his head of what the baby, and later toddler, needs. he enforces bed time, makes him eat as healthy as possible on the ship, etc. as such, his status as 'favorite' is quickly revoked once the kid grows old enough to complain.

the new favorite is Poletes, who spoils Aphe rotten and has a hard time saying no to anything. he's the fun uncle who's always down to play games.

Perimedes and Elpenor are like semi-responsible older brothers, who teach him about all kinds of stuff. Perimedes is the type to give Aphe lots of different chores to keep him occupied, and Elpenor, in contrast, tends to whisk the kid away to get him to relax and unwind. he also likes to teach Aphe about stars and constellations. meanwhile Peri 100% had handed toddler Aphe a knife as a prank to test everyone's situational awareness (think Stabby the Roomba), and got shit from everyone.

eurylochus: let me see what you have! aphe: a knife! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ eurylochus, going through all stages of grief simultaneously: NO!

Ares, while he detests lying and 'cheating', doesn't want to wait until Aphe grows up to make him wreak havoc. so instead he starts trying to trick the kid into accidentally causing bloodshed. and most of the time he targets Polites, because the peace-loving fool is an affront to everything Ares stands for.

this results in Aphe often running in between someone's legs at most unfortunate times, spilling liquid where people walk frequently, hiding fish hooks in food as a 'joke'…

it comes to a head with a contraption born out of every inch of cunning Ares possesses (not much), all Aphe's wild child imagination and many of Perimedes' trap-making lessions. it's a glorious thing, straight out of something between Home Alone and the Final Destination series.

Nobody ever really catches him, blaming the near-accidents on pure bad luck. Poletes never once notices that something is amiss, thinking he's just clumsy. the only reason he's still alive is because Elpenor is somehow always there to run interference.

Elpenor is the only one to suspect Aphe, but, since he's a dumbass alcoholic, nobody believes him, even his boyfriend Perimedes. Ares gets fed up with this and starts making Aphe target Eple instead, but before anything could really be done Ruthlessness happens, and they come to stay with Circe.

elpenor: I fear no man aphe: (✿◠‿◠) elpenor: but this thing… this thing scares me

it's only after Elpenor's untimely death that Perimedes starts to take his concerns seriously, but it's too little, too late. it's actually an honest to gods accident that Aphe has nothing to do with, but Peri had sat through so much paranoid, drunken rambling from Elpe that it just clicks to him. he blames Aphe, and, despite not voicing his concerns (because nobody would believe him either), he makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't want anything to do with Aphe anymore, to the boy's dismay.

finally, a few important notes on continuity:

in this AU the journey is a bit slower-paced than in canon, so instead of Act 1 happening almost at once after they left Troy, in the Knitting Saga after the Polyhemus fiasco, pissed off Poseidon decides to torture them first before the execution, so they are lost at sea for a couple years in between Remember Them and Storm, before Poseidon gets bored and decides to kill them for good. then they spend a year with Circe as she cooks up a way to send them into the Underworld, in the meantime hoping that Poseidon cools down somehow. then the Underworld and the Thunder Sagas happen a couple months apart, and then Ody (and Aphemachus, who is kept alive by the gods purposefully, so he has a chance to grow up and destroy Ithaca) spend 5 years with Calypso, and then another year trying to get to Ithaca.

Telegonus still exists in this AU, despite not being the son of Odysseus and Circe. instead, he is the unwanted son of Circe and some unnamed sailor from that first batch that she had taken pity upon and let her guard around. because of being born a demigod and living on a magical island his aging is a bit wonky, but he appears to be around 12-15 years old. he's a charming, confident, precocious child, who takes after his mother in personality and approaches. him and Odysseus get really close in the time that the crew stays on Aeaea, because Telegonus is not (as far as Ody knows, at least) prophecized to harm Ithaca and Odysseus desperately misses Telemachus; while Telegonus just imprints on the first dad-shaped adult he sees. Aphe is sad and desperately jealous.

aphemachus: d-daddy??|･ω･) odysseus: do I look like- ಠ益ಠ telegonus: you are my dad! you're my dad! boogie-woogie-woogie! (~˘▾˘)~ odysseus: awww!! yes!! what a good boy!!(✿◠‿◠) aphemachus: ಠ_ಠ

fun fact, Ody considers leaving Aphe on Calypso's island. Aphe, who's like 8-9 at the time, almost expects him to do so. only on the morning of their departure do they have a heart-to-heart about how Ody was a shitty, emotionally unavailable father, and how Aphe only ever wanted to be loved.

fun fact 2, telegonus will make another appearance later ٩(๑･ิᴗ･ิ)۶

[ifindus]

Op person here!

DEN SHOULD BE THE CAPTAIN I SAY‼️‼️‼️

since in Hetalia he’s considered and claimed to be the Nordic leader and none of them said anything against it. Norway should be the right hand man

(i’m also consumed by pirates (Pirate!England and France + OP)

Hope you still have this account! I had a sudden inspiration for some pirates again and you are absolutely correct in that Denmark would be the captain in a Nordics pirate crew ✨ Norway is obviously the first mate AND the best sailor out of them 😌

I have a fic about pirate!England and France 👀 the sequel to it is still in my drafts at 50.000 words 🙈

[rosesandalfazemas]

He compartido 1195 publicaciones este 2022

¡Son 1195 más que en 2021!

165 publicaciones originales (14 %)

1030 reblogueos (86 %)

Estos son los blogs que más he reblogueado:

@kaimaciel

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He etiquetado 452 publicaciones en 2022

#hetalia: 310 publicaciones

#engport: 143 publicaciones

#aph portugal: 115 publicaciones

#aph england: 69 publicaciones

#porteng: 61 publicaciones

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#fanfiction: 38 publicaciones

#latin hetalia: 35 publicaciones

#hwsengland: 35 publicaciones

Longest Tag: 80 characters

#doodling because it's midnight and this is the only moment i can do this at home

Mis publicaciones más populares este 2022:

5

I’m a little bit tired and thinking very hard about port x nyo England at the moment and so, even though I’ve yet to see Van Helsing (2004), I do think that scene where Dracula dips a woman in front of a mirror and she’s the only one who shows up in this room full of people has major engport vibes 👀

You should watch it, it's a good movie :D. If I tell you I'm roleplaying Vampire!Port with @greengreekeyes25 and one of his brides is Arthur, maybe you would think it's a coincidence. But there're not coincidences in the world, just fate.

Happy Samhain ;)

Ps. The other brides are Francis - who has Scotland as his lover/child, and Ana (Belgium), who has Antonio as her slave; and Abel is Van Helsing.

56 notas. Fecha de publicación: 31 de octubre de 2022

4

Rarepair Hetalia Week - DAY VI - Mermaids n' Pirates

Almost last work for @hwsrarepairweek2022! - This is the first time I do this kind of AU, so while I was drawing it, that line came up and then I had the idea of a context for this:

Iberia is a Mermaid Queen, ruler of the Mediterranean area. She has two children who are the inheriters of the kingdom. It is said there is a whole country-like under the seas made of pure gold and pearls. Of course this makes marines and pirates to navigate there, but there are legends of being devoured and the ships always dissapeared.

Our ambitious Arthur goes to adventure to find treasures with his crew, but their destiny is the same as everyone else. Fortunately for him, the princes weren't hunting for her mother or for them (yes, human meat is a delicatessen), and one of them rescued him and put him in land. The mermen have never been seeing by humans, and then Kirkland, after a couple of months, went to look for him once again. Since it seemed an accident - or the human is a total dork - Portugal rescues him again and then this scene happens.

Nop, t's not a fic, just the idea came out alone so, I shared it with you!

Thanks to @geocore who let me use their desing of sea-creature Portugal, as they imagine him from the myths. I applied it for a merman and it fits perfectly so, welcome to my new visual headcanon my friend )?

Hope you like it, and take care~

57 notas. Fecha de publicación: 25 de junio de 2022

3

Finally I could do the cover for my fic, La Perla y El Rubi~

Hope you like it!

63 notas. Fecha de publicación: 17 de julio de 2022

2

Everyone in the fandom jokes that Arthur has a flat ass but it would really funny if he didn’t and it would drive Port crazy

Descúbrela

66 notas. Fecha de publicación: 26 de noviembre de 2022

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[vattenkokare]

Три танкиста but theres only two and one not even in the picture

pretend like strv103 was a ww2 tank

[ask-steampunk-america]

// There's an overwhelming amount of people begging me to NOT kill off "Canada", but as I stated earlier, my plans are to do without "Canada" completely if there isn't any progression in the blog's weird main story. Then again, I would change my mind if the story moved in a direction to include him in? Everyone I've shown so far occupy the setting of the blog through work or living (with the exception of any of the pirate characters I've shown).

That said, here's a few short facts that I have more or less told by now:

"Canada" is Arnold's lost (older/younger/twin) sibling

Arnold can't recall his brother's face or name

New guy Axel (Spain) was involved in the apparent kidnapping of the boys

Arnold hasn't mentioned anything about finding his brother or any other family members

Ask questions about it if yall really wanna know! Of course, it may change the tone of the blog, but I've taken the time to plan out several character backgrounds just so there is more to them besides just, "I'm an alternate universe [country name]." I sincerely love my blog and I hope that everyone will love and care for it as much as I do. (;￣ー￣A

[meemoze]

Among Us is the big thing now, so I’ll just through my contribution in now 

Mini crewmates are cinnamon rolls and must be protected 

[lesbians4garrothromeave]

Okay so hear me out here right?

A Little Mermaid AU, like mermaid tales, but Aph is a fucking pirate captain and Garroth, Zane and Vylad are mermaids.

Like I really want to write out this fic about Vylad being unhappy with his whole underwater mermaid thing for reasons and going to Lucinda, getting turned into a human and joining Aph’s crew. Including like the whole “not-alone-buddy” dynamic we COULD HAVE HAD from pdh but on a pirate ship??

Also like a rivalry between their crew and the shadow knights. 

Also I really want there to be a split plot between that and the remaining Ro’Meave bros looking for their brother with like, a lot of bonding.

I’m calling it Finding Vylad if I ever start writing it and like I want to write it. so. bad. Like I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind for over a week and I’ve been writing character descriptions n shit but I don’t know how to start acutally writing iittttt.

[her-warriors-lost-to-the-shadows]

Ages (Redone)*

*I decided to redo the list of everyone's ages cause I just didn't feel like they were right, the way I originally had them, so I'm redoing them. Now the Ages are here mainly for you to see the age gap between characters and stuff, and I did not count the fact that Aph, Emmalyn, Kenmur, Laurance, Garroth, Aaron, Katelyn, and Zane (and anyone else who went to the Irene dimension if I forgot them), were gone 15 years (15 minutes), so basically, their ages are what it'd be if they hadn't gone. And yes, Travis is the youngest of the main crew since he was around like 5-8 during season one and seems like a young adult season two, so that's why he's kinda younger than the rest of the characters. And this time, I'm not including their ages depending on seasons. This is set as if it's past season 3, quite a few years so thats why they're so old. Again, this is mot the exact ages for the AU, but a reference of how old everyone is compared to everyone else.*

Vylad: 44

Laurance: 49

Zenix: 46

Sasha: 48

Gene: 54

Aaron: 54

Aphmau: 50

Dante: 51

Garroth: 54

Zane: 50

Katelyn: 52

Kawaii-chan: 50

Travis: 31

Lucinda: 57

Emmalyn: 49

Kenmur:50

Nicole: 53

Dmitri: 15

Nekoette-tan: 15

Brendan: 52

Kiki: 49

Leona: 22

Malachi: 29

Levin: 27

Cadenza: 49

[yandere-romanticaa]

Flames of passion.

Pirate! AU

Yandere! APH Spain.

The salty air of the sea was almost entierly blocked thanks to the disgusting smell of smoke. The once clear blue sky was now filled with terrible smoke, and the usually merry townsfolk were now all running and screaming for their lives. Wicked laughter and cries of terror ran through the thick air as the (h/c)ette ran from her house, her family. She cried and cried, feeling so angry at herself for leaving her own mother in the fire. Even now, the voice of her mother rang through her mind as she screamed at her to run, to run far, far away and to never come back.

"They are pirates (y/n), they show no mercy! I beg of you, just go! Live out your life my darling!!"

A loud sob left her mouth as she continued to run, all the while looking at the place she used to call home. Her friends and neighbours were all being slaughtered and there was nothing that she could do. The once wounderful and colourful shops that stood by the end of her street were nothing more but mere ashes now. Her mind was in a daze, she just couldn't believe that this was happening. What did these pirates want?! This town had nothing to offer! Almost no nobles lived here, and the town wasn't very rich either. The pirates just appeared out of thin air, swords and guns ready. "Find the treasure!" they shouted.

"Find the most beautiful treasure in all of the seven seas!!"

The young maiden had no clue about what treasure they were talking about. These pirates were clearly delusional-! She continued to run as fast as her legs would carry her, but before she knew she had collided on to a firm back. Her vision was blurry due to the tears that ran down her cheeks, but the only thing she was able to make out was red.

The man in front of her turned his back, and the moment his green gaze had landed on (y/n), he shouted at his men to stop. With his hand raised high in the air, the men stopped whatever they were doing and stared at their captain, eagerly waiting for his next order. His gaze softened when he saw that the (h/c) beauty was shaking beneath him. A small but hungry smile framed his sun kissed skin as he lowered himself down to her level. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he had finally found her! His sweet love, she was right in front of him! Oh this was so perfect, he felt as though he was in a dream. He lost count of how many sleepless nights he had because of his angel but he knew that it would all be worth it in the end. He could hardly contain himself as he gingerly took a lock of her soft (h/c) hair. Antonio lightly traced it with his gloved fingers, completely ingulfed in his own little fantasy. He didn't even notice that (y/n)'s eyes were now open and they contained nothing more then pure and utter rage.

Almost by instinct, the girl screamed at him, sharply bitting his hand in the process. Antonio pulled away quickly, slightly taken by surprise. His men grew wary as they approached the enraged girl, all of their weapons in hand. Antonio took off his black leather glove off his fingers, lightly tracing the fresh wound. Crimson blood stained his smooth skin, but his reaction wasn't the one she expected it to be. She thought that the pirate captain would be furious with her, that he was just going to just shoot her in the head and be done with it. Instead, he slightly tilted his chin upwards and he started to laugh.

His entire crew was dumbfounded, (y/n) even more so. Her eyes never once broke eye contact with his though, but by now she was beyond terrified.

What was this man going to do with her...?

Still laughing, his bloody fingers traced small circles against her soft cheeks, almost as he was toying with her. His green gaze shone with determination, hunger. The wolfish grin on his face was too much for (y/n) to handle, all she wanted to do was to run, scream, anything! But no matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't. She was frozen in her tracks, stuck in the embrace of this pirate. He moved closer to her, his lips now brushing against her ear. He blew right beside it, sending shivers down her spine. She kept on shaking as the pirate spoke:

"Mi corazón, do you know what I am searching for right at this very moment...?"

His voice was soft, too soft to belong to a benevolent pirate like him. Furrowing her brow, (y/n) simply answered "Treasure." He let out a half hearted laugh, amused by her answer.

"Not all that glimmers is gold my dear..."

...what on Earth was he talking about? This man was clearly out of his mind! The pirate's grip tightened around the girl, his lips locking on to hers in to a deep, needy kiss. She could sense the raw passion the Spaniard was putting in to the kiss, so much so that it was completely suffocating. She closed her eyes in a vain attempt to wake up from his hellish nightmare. She cried and prayed the the mighty Lord to just end this torture already. But alas, her prayers went unheard as she was still in the Spaniards embrace. He had the look of an obsessed, lovestruck fool that was far too gone in his own desires. He kissed her once more, gently licking a single tear on her left cheek in the process.

"(y/n), you are the treasure I was seeking! You have enchanted me the moment we met and ever since that day I could never forget you. My mind and heart would not allow me to rest, not until we were reunited once again. I kept calling you my treasure and it somehow turned in to a fullblown rumour! Even that British bastard is looking for my treasure now, completely unaware that my treasure is a person and not a mere object...!"

The flames around the pair seemed to intensify with each passing second, but those were the least of (y/n)'s worries now. Her mind was a mess and she had no idea what to even think of this situation. At the moment, the temptation of throwing herself in to the fire was pretty high, but she was most likely just going to drown in the flames of his own passion anyway...

[ask-nightmare-matthew-blog]

I cleared out the inbox, so feel free to ask this Nightmare bringer!

[randokatz]

I think I'm gonna have 2 improvise 4 Noi screaming in the next AU part cuz uh...

[wavemaker9]

Here’s 2 things I want to touch on and make into 1 big topic re gta au: 

1, if i’m pulling toni to be separate from aph too, i don’t have to give a fuck about how the relationship between portugal and spain works as countries and can give him and whatever-port’s-human-name-will-be wahtever relay I wanna give them. So maybe port as the right hand man for toni as well. I was thinking toni not having anyone who he trusted in the city but i like him having one person. Them not being blood, but met when they were young and first in the city, two newly moved kids from europe trying to get used to life in los santos, slowly starting to trust each other and work together as they eventually fell into crime together, as they dug and clawed for any coin they could get until eventually it all paid off. Toni’s ambition and charm causing him to take the lead a little more, but port always having his back and vice versa, with port even often joking (or reassuring, depending on context) that he’ll be there to take over whenever toni’s gone (when the joke first started, toni joked back to ask ‘and what do you think is gonna happen to me exactly? You think anyone in this city has a chance at killing me?’ and port ‘oh, no, no, of course not. I’m just waiting for when your head gets so big it finally crushes your body. that’ll happen way before someone kills you’). 2, i’d suggested that toni started to have a crush on cami for a while there, but once he realized, he backed out both of fear of getting attached + of putting her in danger somehow as well, and so withdrew until she stopped showing interest in him as well. Instead, i like him actually entertaining the idea of pursuing the relationship, even at the risk of backing out of the crime business to do it even if just for a little while. 

like toni lowkey flatters a lot, it’s what he does. it’s not obvious, he’s not being super clear about it, but the subtlty makes it so that automatically flattering people gives you a nice small bonus to most relationships had. so it starts out like that as well, toni complimenting the shop when he comes in, the food and how delicious the last item he got was, or even when he feels like flustering her just a bit, cami herself. but after a little bit, it feels more natural. he’s not saving the things to fill space in a conversation, or to win a little favor in advance for the next time he needs it. he really does think that chalk drawing is very cute, he really did love that new batch of chocolates she made, he really does think that new dress she’s wearing brings out her eyes in the best way. and taht’s the first realization, that he actually is interested in her, even if he doesn’t pick up just yet that it’s more romantic than normal. at that point he starts to throw out a couple more flirts when they talk, he buys two tickets for something they talked about a month or so ago and plays as if someone else cancelled and she wouldn’t be interested in going to this thing would she? he’ll even make it worth while by buying her dinner as well! he starts to bring little gifts, flowers, his efforts really pick up without him even realizing. normally he’s totally fine with sleeping with a couple dif people at the same time, but finds he’s less open to other relationships when he starts to hook up more with cami. he spends time with her and his whole day, his whole view of the city feels like it brightens. he kisses her and it’s like sparks light up along his lips. he sleeps with her and finds himself much less interested in his own needs, far more focused on making sure she’s satisfied. 

and all of this kind of piles into realization 2, which is that he genuinely just wants to see her happy. specifically no strings attached. this isn’t a ‘make them happy so i get something out of it down the line’ sort of thing, he just genuinely sees cami as this light in the dark of los santos, and he could stop talking to her tomorrow and he’d still want to at least know that every day she was better off than how she’d started. which is probably weird for him??? i don’t know if that’s happened at least since he was young. again, i mentioned him not really fully processing gil and francis as friends because he gets something out of their relationship business-wise and it’s kind of foolish to actually befriend your business partners. port’s the closest, but they feel more like brothers than friends, and it’d take a lot more to betray family, especially one that has helped and continues to help as much as he has. outside of her presence, cami doesn’t get much for toni that he couldn’t get elsewhere. he could find anyone to sleep with if he just cared about sex, he knows a few other good bakers and chefs in the town who could probably whip him up a batch of some tasty treat with the right amount of persuasion. she doesn’t have a lot of money, not many connections in town, and if anything he’s actually /losing/ things because of her, considering that time before where he spent money to help her with robbery repair costs + spent resources having some of the toros watch the area to keep hostile gangs away from her store. if this isn’t new for him, it’s old enough where it oughta be new, and a part of him says immediately to back out, that this is foolish, that this is how you die in this city. making connections when you’ve got a target on your back like he does. but then a part of him also points out that he could always just... get rid of the target. people want him dead for power, for money, sure, but if that wasn’t his anymore, no one’d have a reason to come after him /or/ her. it’s at least an idea he doesn’t immediately discard. 

and as more time passes, he considers it more and more, until he finally brings the idea up to port, asking if port’s still planning to take over for toni after toni’s no longer running things. as always, port jokes about how yes yes when you finally die i’ll make sure the toros live on and forget you so they can look up to me, no worries, no worries, haha. toni offering what if this happened before he died though? what if it was actually a lot sooner than port thought? port laughing off the idea, asking if toni is bullshitting him, until he realizes toni /isn’t/ bullshitting him, hold on what the fuck. he’s quickly trying to question what he’s talking about, is he ill, is someone making him say that, blink once for yes, twice for no. toni laughs and waves off the pseudo-faux concern, insisting it’s just a thought, just something he’s been rolling around in his head lately. Port asking what on earth could make toni consider that, since he’s been giving everything he had to get to be where he is since they first met. toni’s ignored every religious insistence that crime is a sin not to be involved with, so what on earth could get him to consider actually stopping. toni hesitates before vaguely admitting, “There’s this woman” and port laughing hard, declaring bullshit again but once again more convinced by toni /not/ chuckling and smiling and waving it off as nothing to worry about. port asking “Did this woman threaten to kill you????” like what the fuck, and toni having to vaguely talk about how he’s been sort of head over heels lately, though not going into details on who it is. Port teases him for being lovesick, that he’d throw everything away for a romance that will fall apart in another week or two, but toni dismisses the prediction, as well as any concrete decision here. he’s still just considering, he just feels it would be better to retire if he did want to pursue anything more. besides, he can’t really complain retiring at his age. ludwig’s already running gil’s crew and he bets francis will have someone new soon enough as well. what if it’s time for the second stringers(or whatever) to have a chance at the gold. port rejects the idea of being called a second stringer, but ultimately agrees of course he’d take things over if toni wanted to retire, though he disagrees that toni should do it just for one person. finally he asks what toni’d even do if he retired from crime, with toni considering before prolly saying as a dramatic irony thing about cami, ‘y’know, i was considering taking up baking.’

and that idea stays in his head for a little while longer. if anything it grows stronger as he continues to fall for cami. i think he genuinely 100% considers a fantasy of dropping all this, moving to the north of the town where it’s a little safer, and just living his life with cami. it’s a period where he probably starts to mellow out just a little in the violence department as well. but it deosn’t last especially long, when a realization hits toni. i’m not sure how to get this through to him; i was originally suggesting some other higher up in the town being attacked, osmeone who got out of the game a year or so ago at least, but instead, i think i like cami’s shop being broken into again, the first time since that time toni offered helping with that. and this time it’s not just that they made a mess while looking for valuable shit to take. this was aggressive, this was violent for violence, this was a message. i think cami was hurt a little, with toros members in the area who moved in to attack the other gang when they made a move also suffering some injuries. as soon as toni finds out, he comes over to try and help, apologizing in a way that cami thinks is in a very ‘i’m sorry that this happened to you’ but is truly just toni taking this as his fault. and it kind of clicks that like, oh, no, he was wrong. he thought money and power would be the only major issues someone’d want to kill him, but he temporarily forgot about revenge and all that jazz. 

and it takes a day or so to process everything before something snaps in toni and he just kinda realizes oh this was a mistake, i’ve made a mistake, what a fucking fool i am. i think he makes a show of force to the rival gang, but only in a way that toni feels won’t put camille in danger. he starts to pull back, eventually making up some excuse to ask that htey just be friends instead if that would be alright, though wanting very much to make it clear that he did like what they had, he did like her, it’s just not working out with him where he is right now and work’s been /so/ bussy and stress lately, she knows how it is, though. he hopes she’ll understand. when he breaks the news he won’t be retiring after all, what was he even thinking, the toros are the only home and family he needs, he says through a tone that port raises and eyebrow at. port teasingly upset at first, it was supposed to be his crew, soon, damnit): though ultimately yeah, he’s glad, wouldn’t have wanted to do this without the two of them working together. then it’s not too long after that that cami meets cian. and toni has to learn to be cool with him instead

[scarlettlillies]

Hetalia Moon AU- The Dimensional Door: Act 3

Previous Chapter: II Next Chapter: IV Beginning: I

What better way to start off the new year than with a new chapter!

I’m sorry that this took so long! Work was not very forgiving in 2017. This chapter was finished almost two weeks ago but I was always finding stuff to change or update. I took some inspiration from the second Sailor Moon movie for this chapter’s monster. I always loved the Snow Dancers and thought they were really pretty when I first saw the film as a kid!

A lot of stuff takes place in this chapter. Most importantly, a mysterious figure arrives to help with the battle and Raivis learns to accept his new duty as a guardian. 

I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been leaving nice comments about the story these last few months. I know this story caters to a niche group but your words have been a huge help in pushing me to keep going. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Also, a special thanks goes out to @melveres, @irenesart, and @castleoflight who helped me with Estonian and Latvian translations needed for this fic! Much appreciated to all three of you! <3

Name Legend: APH Estonia: Eduard APH Latvia: Raivis APH Lithuania: Tolys APH Poland: Feliks APH Finland: Timo APH Sweden: Björn

Just as he predicted, Tolys was already gone by the time he had gotten up.

He overslept quite a bit. He normally didn't sleep in till ten-thirty but last night's events were justifiable. He stayed up late, chatting up a storm with Timo on the other end. Aside from his anxious worrying over Eduard's “disappearance”, he and Björn had a nice night together and mused over their lives through dinner and a movie. Eduard too talked about his night with the others; how Tolys cooked them up a meal and how he championed over Feliks through video games.

But at no point did he ever bring up that event. He didn't know how Timo would handle it, and it certainly wasn't appropriate to say so casually over the phone. Therefore he left the topic off the table.

Dressed in yesterday's clothes, his glasses were slightly slanted as he walked down the stairs and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He could hear Feliks chatting up a storm about the adorable dogs at Tolys's placement. When he had made his way into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Raivis at the table eating a bowl of cereal—who also wore yesterday's clothes, had droopy eyes, and a bad case of bed hair.

“You're up.”

Raivis looked up at him for a brief moment before turning away and looking rather gloomy. “Yeah...” he replied in a soft and unenthusiastic tone. It was obvious that Raivis was still distraught from last night. When Eduard spoke with Timo the previous night, they had agreed to meet for lunch. He thought extending the offer to Raivis seemed wise and he knew that Timo wouldn't mind. The two knew each other on a familiar level and Timo had a knack for looking out for him as a brotherly figure. The decision seemed so obvious to him.

“Listen, I'm going to meet Timo for lunch at that new restaurant that opened up around where we live. You should join us.”

“No thanks,” Raivis replied flatly. Eduard's expression quickly went sour.

“Raivis, you can't stay inside all weekend and not do anything.”

“Who said I don't have stuff to do? I doubt Timo would want me there anyway.”

“That isn't true and you know that.”

Eduard was quickly getting tired of Raivis's excuses. He was quick to fold his arms and turned to his friend across the table. He was determined to get this boy out of the house. “Feliks? A little help?”

Feliks was unusually quiet as the conversation unfolded but he appeared in a daze. He wasn't too sure what Eduard really wanted him to say or add. “Raivis, you should go with him. Lunch with Timo sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could go too. I'm so jealous!”

Raivis continued to ignore the two men as he swirled his spoon in what little was left of his cereal. He had made up his mind—he was not interested in being social; he'd rather sleep the day away. He wanted to escape and forget the events of yesterday. It does not exist. The monster? A bad dream. The brooch? He bought it at a flea market downtown. It did nothing and merely a piece of jewelry. End of story.

Eduard and Feliks exchanged worried glances. Even after his parents had passed away, Raivis was visibly upset but he never acted in the manner than he was now: lifeless and detached. To their surprise, he got up and ran out of the room and could hear him emitting some quiet sobs. Their calls went unanswered; the sounds of stomping feet and a slamming door were all what the two men heard. The room went quiet and neither of them spoke for some time.

“You should probably go,” Feliks said as he finally broke the silence.

“I understand,” he replied. He quickly retreated upstairs to grab his stuff. As he passed Raivis's room on his way out, he was tempted to knock on his door but as his fist hung close to the wooden entrance, Eduard grew hesitant and merely sighed and walked away. Feliks was cleaning up in the kitchen and joined him in the main entry way when he heard Eduard getting ready to leave.

“Here,” Feliks said as he handed him a medium-sized blueberry muffin. “You're probably starving.”

Eduard chuckled as he kindly took it, “Just a little. Thanks,” he said before taking a large bite.

“I'll have a chat with Raivis when he's calmed down. I'll totally keep ya in the loop about everything.”

Eduard was quick to scoff the muffin down within only a few seconds as Feliks spoke. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I'll let Timo know you said hi.” Eduard replied with a stuffed mouth.

“Please! And tell him I miss him a lot and that he needs to pick up his damn phone and call me!!” Feliks pouted. Eduard got a kick out of Feliks's comment and give the man a friendly wave. He had already dashed out the door and was almost off the property.

“I'll do that! Take care!” Eduard replied before he took his leave towards home. Though the air was crisp, the sun was warm against his skin and it made the walk back pleasant. His hands were a little cool so he left them inside his coat pockets. Things appeared to be quiet in the neighbourhood as there were few kids out; mostly joggers and dog walkers taking in the nice weather. Despite what happened yesterday, Eduard chose to cross through the park. If he was lucky, he could make it back to the main road and grab a quick bus leading to his apartment. He was cautious as he walked around and the place appeared deserted. But further up ahead, parts of the park were taped off to the public as police officers were on the scene surveying the damage done to the area. A small news crew and their van were present as well and the reporter was interviewing one of the officers.

Eduard took a moment to watch the officers work. It felt awkward knowing the police would never be able to solve the mystery of what took place that evening. It was a secret he was now forced to carry with him for the rest of his days. No one but their own can know. Thinking about it made Eduard uncomfortable so he chose to keep on moving towards home.

In the end, he didn't make the bus as he hoped, thus creating a longer walk back, but he had music to keep him company—and to help him escape reality for just a little bit.

Timo wasn't at the apartment when Eduard had arrived. He remembered that he was taking Björn home and that they were going to meet at the restaurant for noon. Eduard was cutting it close after grabbing a quick glance of the time on the stove. He had no time for a shower and instead grabbed a fresh set of clothes and sprayed a tiny bit of cologne on both sides of his neck. His outfit wasn't much different as before, only he had lacked a tie underneath his grey v-neck sweater and sported dark blue jeans. He made sure to grab the essentials: his wallet, his phone, but mostly importantly his brooch. He was a little hesitant taking it with him but he could no longer be too careful and needed to be prepared at every moment. From his balcony window, he could see the skies were quickly greying over as if a storm were about to brew.

Better grab that coat and umbrella too, he thought to himself.

“That's odd, we weren't supposed to get rain today. So much for that sunny weekend that weather guy was chanting about.”

He was quick to leave the apartment complex and something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A young boy was leaning against the concrete walls next to the glass doors, dressed in a burgundy hoodie designed with a school logo, baggy blue pants, and red and white sneakers. The boy looked up at him and Eduard appeared surprised.

“Raivis?”

For the first time in what Eduard felt like an eternity, Raivis gave him one of his little trademark shy smiles. “Is the offer still on?”

Eduard's expression quickly changed as he gave Raivis a warm grin. “Of course, let's go.”

The two men walked together closely as they headed closer towards the city's main core. Eduard felt his phone buzzing in his coat pocket. Feliks had sent him a distressing text message asking him if he had seen or heard from Raivis. Eduard shot him a disappointed glare but kept quiet as he responded with a quick message.

He's fine. He's walking with me to the restaurant. I'm guessing he snuck out without you knowing? I'll have a talk with him later.

“Who are you texting?”

“Timo,” he lied. “Just letting him know that we're on our way.”

The downtown core was busy and buzzing with people. Despite the bad weather approaching, everyone seemed to be in a cheerful mood. They turned the corner and up ahead, Eduard had spotted Timo in the distance. Eduard unknowingly startled some of the people walking past them as he shouted out to him. Timo returned it with a wave and began running towards them.

“And here I was thinking I'd be late. It's good to see you,” Eduard said cheerfully.

“Sorry, I didn't think it'd take this long to get here,” Timo laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Björn was showing me some of his new design projects and I lost track of time.”

“Projects?” Raivis questioned.

“Björn attends at the local art school west of the city.” Eduard explained. “He designs all sorts of things: furniture, clothing, crafts—you name it. Whatever you have in mind, he can make it happen. Right Timo?”

Timo nodded in agreement and his attention quickly diverted to Raivis. With big and bright violet eyes, he couldn't contain his excitement at the sight of the younger boy.

“Ah! You even brought Raivis along too! I'm so glad you could join us!”

“It's nice to see you again Timo,” he replied nervously, but with a smile. “But did you not know I was coming? Eduard told me he just texted you.”

Eduard went wide-eyed as he felt anxiety pool into his stomach. He was caught within his own lie.

“A text?” Timo blinked. “I didn't get any text messages from Eduard today.”

Timo looked towards Eduard and it appeared he was trying to send a signal to go along with it; mouthing words 'Go along with it'. It took him a moment but he got the message loud and clear and quickly changed his tune.

“Oh!! You know what? I did hear from Eduard earlier. I was in such a rush that I just completely forgot!”

Raivis stared at Timo oddly with a raised brow. He wasn't buying the charade and it left the two men feeling awkward about the situation.

“Err... how about we head inside? Raivis, you first.”

Timo generously held the door open for them to enter. Raivis walked inside first and just as Eduard was about to follow, Timo grabbed his arm gently and tugged him back.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Trust me, it's a long story.”

The three men were lucky to get a window seat with a nice view of the downtown. To their surprise, the restaurant served a lunch buffet and they decided to ignore the menus and eat their hearts out on whatever they could grab. It offered a massive variety of pizzas, pastas, salads, and meat dishes. By the time they had returned, their soft drinks had been delivered and their plates were overflowing with food.

None of the men hid their delight as they openly praised the food. Timo was in love as he happily munched on his meal, even stealing food off the plates of his friends, while Eduard was a slow eater and took his time enjoying the flavours. Raivis however was eating so fast that they were worried he would choke on something.

“Raivis slow down!” Timo said. “The food's not going anywhere. Gosh, you must have been hungry.”

“He wasn't feeling that great yesterday so he skipped out on dinner.”

“Oh! Speaking of yesterday, did you guys hear the news about what took place in the park?”

Eduard and Raivis froze for a moment but carried on as they knew nothing about the incident, “Yeah, I walked passed the scene on my way back home. The whole area was cordoned off to the public. There were lots of officers there on the scene with a news crew and everything. I wonder what happened?”

“I don't know but I was hearing online that a monster showed up and destroyed the place! Some people claimed they took pictures and videos on their phones but when they tried to retrieve them, the files were supposedly corrupted,” Timo explained before pausing to grab a sip of his soda. “I'm not sure if I believe that or not. But regardless, I'm glad no one was killed.”

Eduard felt some relief knowing that there wasn't any evidence taken from the battle. It was one thing to grabs shots of the monster but knowing if someone caught them transforming was an unsettling thought. He looked over to Raivis and he appeared uncomfortable with the topic at hand. He was notiblaly losing the colour in his face.

“Raivis,” Eduard called out and the younger man looked up towards him, “Timo wanted to know how you were doing.”

Raivis stared at him with a confused expression. Timo was next to chime in.

“Yes! It's been ages since I last saw you so he updated me on how you were last night when we were chatting. You're a senior now aren't you?”

“Oh... yeah, that's right. It's my last year of high school.” he replied shyly. He colour returned to his face and his cheeks turned to a light shade of pink. He had a hard time looking at Timo as his eyes darted everywhere but him. “I'm in the highest levels of all my classes. Oh! And I'm a tutor for some of the students in the younger grades! It's so much fun!”

The conversation change did wonders for Raivis as he quickly became a chatter box and was back to cheerful self. Eduard enjoyed watching the two of them chat as loud laughter erupted and smiles were all around. Raivis was happy to tell him everything about his life and Timo was happy to listen. Eduard had only hoped Raivis would not slip and tell him about their new identities.

The group had gone back for seconds. And then thirds. And fourths. Well, Timo and Raivis did. Eduard was done by his third plate and had barely placed anything on it. He was comfortably enjoying his black coffee while the other two were slouching in their seats.

“That was so good...”

“We are definitely coming back here.” Timo said as he rubbed his belly. The waitress was quick to arrive at their table to collect their plates and offer the dessert menu. Raivis groaned while Timo politely declined as they made it obvious that they were overstuffed. “Just a coffee for me, no milk, cream, or sugar.”

“I'll take a coffee too. Just a little bit of milk in mine.”

The waitress grabbed their plates and left with a smile and they patiently waited for their drinks. Eduard's attention was more focused on the outside. He watched the people and vehicles passed. Even one bus had stopped to drop off passengers. He eventually found himself getting lost within the dark and ominous clouds above. He was surprised that the storm hadn't started in the time since they had gotten here. They had been at the restaurant for nearly an hour and a half.

“Hey look! It's snowing!” Timo said.

His voice snapped Eduard out of his thoughts and noticed that Timo was right; a gentle snow was falling on the city. As much as Timo and Raivis enjoyed the sight, this didn't sit well with him, “But it's not cold enough to snow... not even close.”

Suddenly something massive flew passed them on the other side of the glass and startled Eduard enough that he stood up in his seat. The people outside stopped in their tracks as they struggled to understand what was taking place. Up in the skies, a hole opened in the sky and a feminine figure with long curly hair came forth and danced amongst the clouds. Their whole body and clothing was pure white; their hair went down to their feet and was dressed in a royal gown dating back to the early 1800s. They appeared human in nearly every aspect. It quickly descended downwards and using its arms, large patches of snow fell and anything it landed on turned to ice. Several patches landed on cars, streetlights, and worst of all, people. Loud screams were heard as people panicked and struggled to find safety. The mood inside the restaurant was largely divided. Some customers were frightened, others were bewildered, while a few daredevils were getting close to the windows or heading outside to grab shots of the turmoil taking place in the streets.

“What's happening?!” Timo cried in terror. The monster suddenly morphed in front of the restaurant window were the three of them were standing. Using its arms, it threw a mixture of snow and ice and shattered all the windows. Eduard was quick to push Raivis away as they jumped back. Timo did the same but slipped and landed on his back. Eduard was desperate to reach out and help him but a massive ice wall formed in front of Timo and blocked Eduard off. He was nearly hit and was startled enough that he lost balance and fell off his feet.

“Timo!!” he shouted as he struggled to get up. Eduard couldn't see him on the other side, only his own reflection. His hands could barely touch it and getting too close was enough to make him shiver. His frantic calls to him proved to be futile as they went unanswered. Quiet sobs were all that Eduard could hear from behind him and his attention quickly turned to Raivis. He was lying on the floor, crying into his arm. Eduard reached out to help him but his gestures were met with resistance as Raivis pushed him away with such fury.

“Don't touch me!!”

Eduard was surprised by Raivis's sudden outburst, “What is your problem?!”

Raivis ignored the question. Instead he went into hysteria as tears flowed down his face.“I shouldn't have come. I tricked myself into believing everything would be alright. But nothing is fine, people are dying and Timo is probably one of them too—”

Eduard cut him off as he pulled Raivis into a hug and rubbed his back, “Shh... don't say that,” he whispered. “Timo is not dead. He's just stuck behind a frozen wall. I'm sure he's fine.”

He bit his lip. He wasn't so sure if that was true or not, especially since he never responded to his constant calls; but anything to relax an anxious Raivis.

“Raivis, I know you're scared but we're the only ones who can fix this. We don't have a choice in this anymore.”

“But I'm not strong enough,” Raivis hiccuped. A wet spot from where Raivis's tears were landing was growing in size on Eduard's shoulder.

“That's not true and you know that.”

Eduard sighed heavily. There was no use getting through him and he was losing precious time. He broke the hug and placed his hands on Raivis's shoulders.

“Raivis,” he said calmly, “I won't force you to fight. But someone has to go and stop them.”

“Raivis's eyes went wide, “You're not suggesting—?”

Eduard nodded.

“You can't do that! If you go alone, you'll die.”

Raivis's eyes swelled up with tears once more but Eduard used his fingers and brushed them away off his cheek.

“More people will die if neither of us step in. I'll only be alone for a little while. I don't know if Tolys can come to our aid but Feliks for sure will come. Try to get in contact with them if you can.”

Eduard stood up to his feet and looked out to the chaos unfolding in the streets. The whole city had turned into a frozen wasteland. People, buildings, the flora, the vehicles—nothing was off limits from the mercy of the ice monster flying high in the skies. With a determined expression, he knew what he had to do. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his brooch. Lifting it into the air, he called out a phrase in his native Estonian:

“Eesti kristalli jõud, transformeeri mind!”

A bright light full of magical power surrounded him and seconds later, the light faded, revealing a new but familiar face. He was no longer Eduard Tamm but the mysterious guardian, Sailor Estonia.

“Please be careful Eduard.”

He clutched his metal staff tightly. He can't promise him he will, but for Raivis's comfort, he turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile.

“I will.”

Eduard took off into the streets. He was careful wherever he stepped as any wrong move would cause him to slip and injure himself. He didn't need that going into an important battle like this. Passing the frozen figures gave him a drive that he had never felt before. A sense of duty came upon him; the fate of the city rested in his hands.

The snow creature was busy trying to find its next batch of targets when Eduard had arrived on the scene. It was quickly alerted to his presence and wasted no time in forming an attack. It flew closer towards Eduard and used its arms to launch a barrage of snow and ice but he was quick to dodge. The spot he was formally in quickly turned into ice. Eduard was ready to attack back but further in the distance, he caught a small glimpse of a frightened young child, possibly no more than five, peeking from behind a frozen car. He held back; if his attack missed, it was likely he could harm or kill the child. He could never live with himself had something like that happened.

But Eduard was quick to come up with a plan and chose to lure it away from the area. The creature took the bait and followed him, while launching a consistent attack of snow. Eduard came close several times to being hit but survived every time. He lurked the creature back to near where the restaurant was (though still far enough that Raivis was in no danger in being injured) and he was ready to fight. After dodging another attack, he launched himself into the air and used his height and speed to physically assault the creature with his staff. It cried in pain as the force was strong enough to throw it into the ground. When Eduard landed back onto the ground, he used his staff to launch his own attack. The amber on top of his staff glowed and began changing colour from orange to blue as it charged power. He pointed the staff towards the creature and shouted, “Estonia Binary Beam!” A beam of light shot out of the orb towards the creature, but flew away as the beam hit an abandoned building and caused an explosion. Eduard growled in frustration but continued onward. The two battled it out as they appeared to be equally matched. Each time an attack was launched, the other would dodge.

Eduard thought he was gaining the upper-hand when the monster abruptly pulled back and retreated. It performed an elegant dance in the air and twirled gracefully when suddenly there were two, and then three and four. Before Eduard had knew it, there were dozens of copies of the snow creature and he was completely out-numbered. The nerves had returned and he was beginning to lose hope for himself but continued to trek through with another attack. He wishfully hoped that reinforcements were arriving soon.

Feliks... Tolys... Raivis... anyone! I need help. I can't do this alone!

Raivis watched the battle unfold as he hid behind the edge of the wall and was looking out through the shattered window. His brooch was in his hands and he clutched it close to his chest. Raivis felt so helpless as he waited for Feliks to arrive on the scene. What could he do? He wasn't strong like they were. They were brave with powerful attacks. He was easily frightened and attacked with feathers. He believed he would only be in the way if he were to go out to fight.

But an explosion coming from the nearby wall of ice Raivis startled him as a cloud of smoke covered the room. A cloaked figure emerged from the smoke with the sound of heels clicking against the title floor and became louder with each step. As the figure grew closer, Raivis trembled as he scooted back.

The figure had stopped. Their face was covered by the cloak and it was impossible for Raivis to see who the mysterious individual was.

“There's no need to be frighten,” the figure said in a masculine voice. The person bore a thick accent that felt familiar to him but Raivis couldn't pinpoint where he recognized the voice from. Staring at the brooch from under Raivis's hand, the figure spoke in a rather soft and gentle tone, as if they were parental guardian to the young man.

“How come you're not fighting with Eduard? He can't face this battle alone.”

Raivis was surprised to know that the figure knew about him and Eduard's alter-egos.

“H-how did you know—?” Did they see them earlier arguing? Or when Eduard had transformed? Either way, the truth was out. Raivis turned his head and looked on into the frozen city landscape. He appeared gloomy as he watched Eduard beginning to struggle. The monster had made so many copies of itself that it became impossible for Eduard to fend for himself. He was doing his best to dodge the attacks but it was becoming obvious that he was running out of steam. His own attacks proved to be useless; each attack would simply bring forth a new copy to replace the old one. Eduard was stuck in a never-ending cycle. He needed help and he needed it immediately.

Despite the dire situation, Raivis would not budge.

“He needs your help,” the figure said.

“There's nothing I can do for him. Eduard is a thousand times stronger than I am. I'd only get in the way.”

“Is that really what you believe of yourself?”

There was no response.

“Raivis, I know a lot about about you. I know who you are, and what happened to your family. You are so lucky to have friends like Eduard, Tolys, and Feliks—friends that come to your aid in dire times of need. I know you're scared and your fears of losing them are legitimate. But you can't run away forever.”

A quiet sniffle was heard.

“You've come a long way and you can only go up from here. I want to see you reach your potential, both in battle and as a person.”

“Who are you?” Raivis asked in between sobs. He slowly turned back to face the cloaked individual. His eyes were red and puffy and used his fingers to wipe away the wetness off his face. He felt nervous to be around them and was uncomfortable at the fact all he could see was their lips underneath the hood.

“A friend,” they said with a smile. They held out their hand to Raivis, to which there was some hesitation but he grabbed a hold and the boy was lifted up to his feet. He noticed their hand was covered in a white glove, one that looked and felt like the ones he and his friends wore as guardians. Raivis wondered if the cloaked figure was just like them.

That's... no, they couldn't be? Could they?

“I'm here to help but I can't do this alone. I need your help too.”

Raivis nodded nervously.

“You are so much stronger than you think you are. I will help you fight and I will always be there for you and everyone else for future battles.”

Using both of their hands, the figure took the hand of which Raivis was using to hold his brooch. One hand rested underneath while the other rested on top and covered the brooch. The figure's hands felt warm and comforting against his cold and shaky ones. He felt strangely calm as his body slowly relaxed. His mind felt a little more clearer and the tears had ceased.

“Let's go and help Eduard. He needs us. It's okay to transform in front of me but I will turn away if you want me to.”

Raivis pulled his hand away and wiped away the wetness on his eyes and cheeks. He's done crying and he's ready to fight. The figure was delighted to see Raivis bursting with strength and eagerness.

“It's okay. You don't have to look away.”

Raivis took his brooch and raised it in the air. “Latvijas kristāl, pārvērt mani!” he called out as light formed around him. In mere seconds, he had transformed into the guardian, Sailor Latvia. He looked out towards the battle still ensuing. To say he was nervous was an understatement. But he knew he had to be strong; not only for himself but to Eduard and for everyone else. A hand was felt on his shoulder, coming from the mysterious figure behind him. “Let's go. I'll be right behind you.”

Raivis nodded in agreement and the two ran jumped from one of the shattered windows and into the streets. Eduard was growing exhausted from the battle and took a wrong step, slipping on a patch of ice and falling on his back. He hit the back of his head against the ground and yelped from the sheer amount of pain. He was so focused on the pain that he never heard his staff hit the ground or Raivis's alarming calls.

“Eduard! It's okay, I'm here now!”

Raivis did his best to stand tall with confidence but his shivers were visible to everyone around him, and it wasn't just because the temperature was below freezing. True to their word, the figure had followed him into battle and it did its best to keep Raivis's morale up.

“Don't be scared Latvia! I'm right here next to you.”

Raivis turned to his left and sure enough, the figure was right by his side. He was comforted by its presence, despite not knowing just who this individual was. One of the clones came charging down from the sky and Raivis received the go-ahead to attack.

“Go for it!” the figure yelled.

Raivis got into position and two white feathers came forth in his hands. They glowed a bright light and he shouted “Latvia Feather Strike!” before launching them straight at the monster. They flew like boomerangs but it proved to be ineffective when the feathers froze when they came into contact of the creature's icy attack. It quickly left Raivis troubled and fumbling. “That was my only attack!”

Eduard's head was still throbbing but he pulled all of his energy into pushing himself up. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and was met face to face with the cloaked figure who helped him by giving him a boost.

“Thank you, but who are you?” Eduard asked in a rough voice.

“A friend,” they smiled before turning back to Raivis. “You need to use a stronger attack!”

“I don't have any other attacks!!”  he cried out. He felt like crying once again as fear overtook him. “I can't do this! I really can't!”

“Concentrate! Pool all of your strength into your chest. You'll understand once you do it.”

Raivis didn't fully understand what this was supposed to accomplish but he did as he was told. He shut his eyes and relaxed his body and mind. He had reached a point where all sound seemed to vanish.

And then he felt it—a growing spot of warmth in his chest. He could then feel and hear the wind pick up around him. Even Eduard and the figure noticed it as well and on in admiration. No longer was Raivis going to cry and run away anymore. Yes, he can do it. He always could, just as they said. The words became clearer in his mind and knew just what to do. Using his arms, he controlled the wind around him. His eyes flew open and commanded his attack straight towards one of the clones.

“Latvia Ace Hurricane!”

From the palm of his hands, large and powerful gusts of wind came flying towards the monster and destroyed it on impact. The force was so strong that it took out several other clones in the process and the original lost control of its balance in the air, crashing into a brick building and onto the ground. Raivis had no time to celebrate his victory when he suddenly felt light-headed and collapsed.

“Latvia!” They both cried out. The cloaked figure was faster than Eduard was when they rushed over the smaller man. They were relived that he was just fine and merely exhausted from using that much power.

“I did it, didn't I?” Raivis smiled weakly. The two nodded with big smiles.

“Yes you did,” the figure said. Eduard was quick to chime in. “We knew you could do it.”

He turned his head up towards the rest of the clones in the sky. They quietly faded away, leaving only the original left. It was still alive and used what energy it had left to fly back up in the air. It tried to intimate them with a loud shriek that forced the three to cover their ears.

The figure growled and rose to its feet, surprising both Eduard and Raivis.

“That's enough!”

In a flash, the cloak was ripped off and tossed into the air. Their identity was revealed to both Eduard and Raivis and they two men gasped at the sight. Dressed in a sailor uniform that was just like theirs, most of the costume including the collar and shorts was white while the front and back bows were a light blue. They donned a brooch that was shaped and designed like the Finnish flag. Their boots and gloves were white with light blue trims. With the short blond hair, violet eyes, and round face, Eduard had a strong feeling that he knew them from somewhere but couldn't place it no matter how hard he tried.

“I-I knew it...” Raivis replied as he thought back to that moment they held hands back at the restaurant. He knew the gloves could have only belong to another guardian like them.

“I am the Guardian of the Arctic, Nation of a Thousand Lakes: Sailor Finland! I thrive in these conditions and you're no match for me. You're finished.”

From thin air, Finland grabbed a rifle that looked fairly standard looking but the handle was beautifully designed with the symbol of the Nordic Cross. He pointed the gun with precise aim and yelled, “Frigid Assault!” and a loud explosion erupted from the gun. A massive ball of snow and ice flew at rapid speed. It had no time to react and another explosion took place upon impact. The monster was completely destroyed and the battle was over.

“You did it! That was amazing!” Raivis cheered. Finland turned back to the group and gave them both a big smile while flashing a victory sign. The scenery was slowing returning to normal as the ice disappeared in batches. Finland urged them to retreat so they wouldn't be seen. Eduard and Raivis agreed and the three of them headed back to the restaurant, only this time they took advantage of their high jumping abilities and took refuge on the rooftop, hiding behind the giant restaurant logo. Everything had returned to what it once was and while the masses were baffled for a brief moment, they continued on as if nothing had ever occurred.

“It seems no one remembers what happened,” Raivis said.

“Good. It's better that way,” Eduard replied. Finland nodded in agreement. Raivis sheepishly walked over to the man and called Finland's name to grab their attention. “Um, thank you for earlier,” Raivis blushed. “Because of you, I was able to help Eduard and believe in myself a little more.”

Finland gave Raivis a warm smile, “No need to thank me, you did all the work. Always remember: there's no such thing as a “weak guardian”. You're stronger than you look and you're never alone, even when it feels like it.”

Finland gave him a wink and Raivis nodded with a silly grin. His cheeks remained red as he admired Finland internally. He was ecstatic that the mysterious figure who gave him a confidence booster was a guardian just like them; and a strong one too!

“Thank you for all you've done for him. I'm truly grateful. Without you two, I would have been done for!” Eduard said.

“Anything for a friend. I'm just glad we got to you just in time!”

There was that word again: 'friend'. That was twice now that he heard them say that. It bothered Eduard deeply that this guardian seemed to act on a familiar level with the two of them yet he knew nothing about them or where they came from. He didn't want to be rude but asking would be the only way to comfort his mind.

“Forgive me for asking, and please don't take this the wrong way, but you seem to know more about us than we do of you. Have we met before?”

Finland looked at Eduard rather perplexed by the question, as if he had asked them whether or not water was wet. However, they broke into soft laughter soon after.

“I always wondered if others could recognize us through our transformations but I guess you just answered that for me!”

Finland affectionately took Eduard's hands and squeezed them tightly with a warm stare.

“Eduard, it's me, Timo.”

[flyingsassysaddles]

The Pirate’s Mermaid

Notes: Finally done! It took me a long while (writer’s block’s a pain in the butt) but I managed to write the creepy mermaid spuk fic you’ve always wanted! Requested by @ask-aph-cupcakes (sorry it took me so long ;-;)

Summary: The Verde Esmerelda has docked upon the pirate-infested Granger City and the esteemed pirates Antonio and Ludwig have set off to the Blushing Raven, a familiar tavern where they meet up with an old friend, Francis.  However, Ludwig tells the group that he had received a mysterious offer from a Dutch smuggler he knows, something to do with magic.  Said smuggler soon shows up and drags them over to their shop, and the sight that greets them is something they would never have imagined in their wildest dreams. Pirate/Creepy Mermaid AU, most likely a one shot. Request.

___

   The ship rocked back and forth in the rotten bay, sulking away from the crumbling docks and filthy men who gazed at it in wonder. The Verde Esmeralda, in all of its royal glory, shimmered in the musky water of Granger Bay, its graceful bow glaring down at the greasy sea rats that walked beneath it, flapping its elegant sails in protest of sitting in the disheveled bay that the nest of pirates offered.

A plank was lowered with a thud, and a gaggle of men skipped of the grumpy ship in favor of the barrels of wine that awaited them in the underground bars of Granger City. An elegantly dressed man waited behind them, still gazing at the city of filth that festered below him, shifting his chestnut hair behind his ears every once in awhile and pulling his drab hat down to shield his olive eyes from the setting sun. The lone pirate sat there in silence for a couple moments before a blond haired man marched up beside him and rolled his eyes at the daydreaming young man before him.

“Antonio, you have to stop gazing into the sunset every time we come to this godforsaken city. You’ll go blind and then I’ll have to deal with the captain alone.” He furrowed his brows further as Antonio continued to study the city below them and ignoring his blond friend. “Antonio, I know you can hear me.”

“Ludwig, you’re no fun,” declared the elegant pirate as he pushed himself off the rail and strutted down the plank, apparently finished with the deep thoughts he had tossed around and choosing to join the rest of the crew down at the bars. Ludwig hurried after him, shifting his long sword out of the way as he jogged down the Verde Esmeralda and joined his friend down at the rotting planks that led the way to the stone city.

“Why do they never fix these stupid planks!” Ludwig roared, lurching out of a hole his boot had smashed into the wooden dock. “This is a pirate town for God’s sake, why is it always so rundown?!”

“I think the town is too lazy to fix it, especially since this is the back end,” Antonio mused, skipping over the gaping holes and happily jumping on the solid ground. Ludwig grumbled after him, sneaking one last look at the lonely Verde Esmeralda and heading instinctively towards the bar the crew always went to when they stopped by Granger City. The duo absent-mindedly walked down twisting streets and moldy alleys, feet only speeding up when passing particularly rowdy buildings and silent men who walked with the pace of death in their eyes. They were almost halfway to the Blushing Raven, the tiny inn that always hosted their smashing parties and drunk tears, when Ludwig broke the silence that dominated the narrow dirt ridden street they were strolling through.

“You know the smuggler I was telling you about?” he asked, continuing after catching a glimpse of Antonio’s nodding head. “He got new goods, or as I believed he said, a ‘catch’ this time. Said it’d be something I’m interested in.”

“Well? What is it?” Antonio puzzled, hopping over a greasy puddle and dusting down his now dirty clothing with a sigh.

“That’s what’s odd about it. He didn’t say. Said I should meet him at the Blushing Raven and then he’d show me.”

“Sounds like a scam,” the brown-haired man advised, then looking in confusion as Ludwig shook his head.

“The way he wrote the letter it didn’t seem like he was trying to scam me. He seemed awfully serious about it. You know how the Dutchman is, always trying to sell people things. But it really sounded like he got a real deal. Besides, I’ve known Govert forever, he would never cheat me, well, not for a low price,” he added.

“What nice friends you have.” Antonio rolled his eyes, before perking up at the sight of the Blushing Raven that glimmered like a safe haven in front of them, already filled with the cheers of drunk sailors. The two raced into the tavern, the warm light beaming warmly into their empty stomachs as they bursted into the building to gulp down barrels of sour liquor. They quickly joined their usual table, and Antonio lit up when he caught sight of one of his more friendly acquaintances.

“Mon cher, you must sit,” the Frenchmen worried, pulling Antonio down onto a creaky chair and signaling a begrudging waitress to come over to their table.

“Helpful as always, Francis,” Ludwig grunted, kicking out his own chair as Francis continued fussing over Antonio.

“Oh you poor thing, you are filthy! Let me buy you a drink, Bella, some give my friend Antoine some rum, won’t you dear?” He motioned the blond waitress closer, and the woman came towards them with a sigh, no longer being able to avoid the Frenchmen who have given her nothing but trouble during the weeks he had stayed in the tavern.

“What is it this time Francis?” Bella snapped, already mentally rubbing her temples as she slammed the bottles of liquor on the table and shot an annoyed frown at the unaffected Frenchman, who eagerly grabbed another bottle and shot a wink at the irritated waitress. “I have at least 13 hungry and drunk sailors to feed, I don’t have time for your games.”

“Bella, my sweet giver of love, mon cher-”

“No more free drinks Francis.”

“Oh, why must you be so cruel?”

“I gotta quota is why. Oh, Antonio, I didn’t see you there!” Bella finally acknowledged the other two pirates at the table, one snickering, another jabbing an elbow into his companion's side. “Oh, and Ludwig too! You’ve finally come back to Granger City, I see. Welcome home boys!” She patted Antonio on the back and nodded to Ludwig, before picking up her tray and giving another glowing smile to her new customers. “Feel free to order anything you like! For you, it’s on the house!” Francis perked up and opened his mouth to ask a question when Bella added dryly, “And only for Antonio and Ludwig, Francis. No more free drinks for you.”

“Oh, how cruel you are! When you fall for me, I will make sure to use this as a shield from your attempts, you enchanting-”

“I mean it, Francis. You can’t flatter me like last time,” the Belgian said, though Antonio noted with a smile that there was a hint of red in her cheeks and a certain lightness to her step as she stomped away to serve more of his fellow pirates that howled and jeered in the humble inn.

Francis sighed and turned to Antonio, saying, “Well old friend, what brings you to Granger City? You don’t usually stop by.”

“I could say the same,” Ludwig said with raised eyebrows. “Why are you in Granger City, Francis? Shouldn’t you be in that port city you like so much? I thought you quit pirating.”

“Well, you know how it is, once you have the Royal Guard on your tail, they never let you go. Those men kept following me around,” Francis waved his hand in the air, “And then they caught me, we had a, how do you say, a conversation of sorts, and now I steal for them again.”

“Tale as old as time,” Antonio muttered dryly, sipping the low-quality rum in front of him and grimacing. “How’d they catch you?”

Francis was dead silent for a minute, staring at his glass almost unseeing and jolting out of his daze when Ludwig silently nudged him a bit. “Oh, you know. The way they usually do. Let us change the topic, non?”

Ludwig jumped at the chance to liberate the depressed Frenchmen from the gruesome topic and leaned into the table, pausing for a moment as the two men focused on the German and his serious face. “Francis, you know of Govert Achter, ja?”

Francis nodded, furrowing his brows in confusion as Ludwig leaned in even more to shield their conversation from the drunk men around them. “Oui, I know of him. He is the Dutch smuggler, non?”

“Ja. Have you seen him recently?”

“Yes, actually. He has been wandering around town selling his wares like he usually is. Why?”

“Well, he has an item he thinks I should have,” the German whispered, and Francis furrowed his brows even more. “AND! He said it had something to do with...magic!”

“Magic?” Francis leaned in, glancing around them to see if anyone was listening. “Are you sure? The crown has made that illegal years ago.”

“Yes I’m sure,” Ludwig nodded proudly, apparently satisfied that he had told his big secret, leaning back a shooting a rare smile. “And he said that-”

“Excuse me, Ludwig,” a cheerful voice chirped, and the trio whipped around to find Bella smiling back at them, tray in hand and placing bottles of rum on the loud table next to them. “Someone is calling for you in the front!”

Ludwig shot Antonio a look as if asking for his old friend to come with him with a simple flick of his eyebrows, and receiving a nod in return as they both stood up. The German shot Francis the same look but got a shrug in return as he said, “Sorry Ludwig, I simply cannot afford that kind of trouble right now. I’m barely passing by the Royal guard now, and I imagine they will not be too keen to see me deal with magic.”

The German nodded his understanding and patted him on the back as he passed, and Antonio whispered to the Frenchman as he walked past, “I’ll make sure to get you some magic potions if I see any.”

“You do that Antoine,” Francis chuckled before giving a half-hearted wave and going back to his drink as the two of them disappeared under the jeers and howls of the drunken sailors and their dancing forms.

The two pirates dodged their way to the front desk, ducking overthrown buckets of food and jumping over passed out sailors with all the wealth on their bones already stripped off their sleeping forms. As they passed the last table to the front, both men caught sight of the harsh frowning man in front of them, fingers impatiently tapping the desk as the Dutchman ran his left hand through his long hair. His green eyes lit up when he saw the approaching pirates before twisting into irritation as the two walked slowly over. The scars on the man’s face exaggerated themselves as the man scowled deeper, grabbing Ludwig by the arm and dragging him out of the Blushing Raven, ignoring both Antonio’s and Ludwig’s cries of alarm. Govert finally let the German go when they passed a dark alley near the inn and looked at them dully as they expressed how exactly pissed off they were.

“What the snoggers is wrong with you?!” Antonio spat as he rushed over to Ludwig, who was brushing off his pants that were filthy from being dragged from the tavern. The Dutchman rolled his eyes and motioned them into a squatted and pressed store to their right, huddled in between a pawn shop and a whore house. The duo grumpily followed him into the shop, dragging their feet and shooting nervous looks at one another. Was this really such a good idea after all?

Govert opened the door and walked into his small shop, and both pirates stopped dead at the array of trinkets, gadgets, charms, and an infinite amount of other items Antonio couldn’t describe if he had a million years. The roof had displayed thousands upon thousands of stars, galaxies, and specks of light that shimmered with the movement of a being so ancient one couldn’t count their age with the breath still left in on their tongue. It seemed to move, with planets and supernovas slowly shifting around, and as the dark sapphire of the blue abyss stared back at him, Ludwig nudged his attention to the left wall, where a rack of cold, empty weapons glared in the soft light emanating from various orbs around the room. Daggers and swords and slingshots and bows and axes and maces and whips and-

“Hey, you all done admiring my stuff?” Govert grunted, tearing both of their eyes from the particular and foreign objects that littered the room and forcing them back on his harsh face. “I don’t have all day, and I got an item to sell.”

“Alright, Govert, what is it?” Ludwig sighed, and they walked past the empty-looking tank to their right and watched Govert slowly walk behind the counter and pull something out. A small match sprung to life as a newly lit lavender fire burned happily in front of them and the Dutchman moved past the duo and cautiously stepped to the tank they had thought was empty.

Govert was about to put the lavender fire near the tank before he jerked his head over to the pirates and scowled, “I want you to know, I ain’t accepting anything less than 5 golds for these things. Very hard to get, very expensive. I’ll give you a break, Ludwig, as we have been, how do you say, acquaintances for a while, but I want my money’s worth on these two.”

“These...two?” Antonio cocked his head in slight confusion before it was shoved aside as the Dutchman threw the match into the tank and jerked back to where they stood. The weirdest thing Antonio had ever seen was starting to take place in that tank, as the happy purple flame the smuggler had put in there continued to burn in whatever pitch black liquid was in that thing, only that the edges of the liquid that touched the flame turned white and started to peel back, becoming colorless and allowing the duo to see the rocks and storage traps that had been placed inside. Soon enough, all of the black liquid was gone, and the flame gleefully poofed out of existence, the match falling to the bottom and disintegrating. The men didn’t even take note of this, however, because their eyes were stuck on two creatures that were slowly starting to wake up in the tank. There, in Govert’s smuggling shop, in his tank, were two mermaids.

Well mermen, specifically. And they didn’t look like any of the mermen Antonio had ever heard of. The mermen of fantasies and legends spoke of huge, handsome beasts, humming with magic and drowning all those in their domain. The reality was a lot less, impressive, to say the least. For starters, the two things that were in there were extremely small, measuring about two of Antonio’s hand spans maybe, and that was being a bit generous. Long teeth hung from their lips, like one of those tusks he had seen so long ago during Market Day, and more razors could be seen slicing remains of food when they opened their scaled mouths, imitating the mythical beast of old in their snarls and rings of sound that resonated through the air when those teeth clashed. Fish scales dug into their bodies, and instead of arms, frog-like hands and webby skeleton limbs sticking out of their body awkwardly like they weren’t used to staying still like they were now as they were waking up. The tails were surprisingly delicate though, at least on the smaller one, with different shades and tones flashing among every strand and scale in the feathery limb, giving only a glimpse of the strong, unbreakable tail underneath. The taller one was more plain and green, but the smaller one sparkled every bright color known to mankind, and then some, painstaking attention to detail written on its scales.

The mermen started to wake up more rapidly, jerking their odd fins and flapping their tails almost groggily and the plain green one looked the brown-haired pirate in the eye, and it was only then that Antonio found out their strangest trait. They had no eyes. They were bleak and colorless, the only change in shade being the darkness wound the frame of their pasty eyelids and the soulless dot in the middle that stared emptily at the two humans, and Antonio could have sworn that he saw those obsidian eyes twist into an expression of anger on that strange, scowling green one.  

They immediately found each other, the rainbow one bolting over to the side of the tank that hosted the green creature, which seemed to grow more irritated by the second. As the smaller merman his behind his courageous counterpart, the merman he was hiding against opened its mouth as if to say something, and a high pitched noise shattered the air, shaking the glass orbs on the walls and the strange trinkets on the floor. Ludwig and Govert covered their ears and groaned in pain at the high pitch, but Antonio sat there entranced, finding that high frequency rumbling to be strangely beautiful.

“Stop that racket, you stupid fish!” Govert roared, stomping over to the tank and slapping the glass, making the mermen dash over to the corner behind one of the rocks and hiding them from sight as the humans started to recover from their shock and that blasted scream.

“What was that?” Ludwig breathed, staring at the tank unbelievingly and ignoring Govert’s rolled eyes.

“Those are mermen, in the flesh. A bit underwhelming at first, but they have a hell of a bite. I think they can talk too, but not in any language I can understand,” Govert responded, brushing off his pants with cleverly hidden shaking hands and walking over to the counter. “The black stuff is to keep ‘em asleep, cause when they’re awake, all they do is scream and break stuff with some kind of magic. Special fire activates the black stuff, and boom, screaming mermen. Found ‘em off the coast of one of the Skull islands. Got caught by a fisherman who didn’t know any better, and now they’re mine, though maybe not for much longer.” Govert studied them with a calculating eye, before saying, “So boys, what’ll it be?”

Ludwig was still staring at the tank, not listening what so ever.  He turned over to Govert and said, “What?”

“How much are you going to pay for ‘em? I have a heck of a long list of potential buyers, but I let you take the first look at the goods, Ludwig, so keep it short and simple.”  

Antonio stepped closer to the glass, blocking out the banter that immediately started going on between the two blondes and lightly tapping the glass with a single finger. He waited for something to happen, and soon enough, the green merman hobbled out from behind the rock and stared at the pirate with those strange eyes. It swam closer as Antonio stood as still as he could, before finally floating in front of the Spaniard and reflecting the same fascinated look the human was giving it. The man mouthed a “Hello,” at the creature, and it stared at him for a while before mimicking the action, scaled face twisting into an emotion Antonio couldn’t read. He held his breath as it slowly moved its webbed claws towards him before the two creatures almost seemed to touch hands, and this time an emotion the Spaniard could read was on its face. Help me.   

“How about 50 dinak for them? I’ll throw in a free raid if I can convince the captain.” Ludwig’s voice finally broke through the trance Antonio found himself before he jerked around to the Dutchman with an erratic look in his eyes.

“I’ll buy him.”

“What?” Govert stared at him in confusion and looked over at the German, who shrugged. “What do you mean you’ll buy them.”

“I’ll buy him. Both of them. With my own money. Here, I have it right now.” The Spaniard lurched his hands into his pockets and brought out a sagging, moth-eaten looking pouch, only for gold light to glint out as he spilled the pouch contents on the table. “I have 30 dinak with me right now, and I have more on the ship. That’s enough for them, right?”

Govert stared in shock at the gold in the counter before he ripped that expression off his face and settled comfortably into business mode. “Each of ‘em cost 25 dinak or no deal.”

Antonio’s jaw dropped before he snapped it shut again and the crazy glint in his eyes outshone the feeling of caution his brain was screaming at him. “Alright, 25 dinak for the green one.”

Now it was Govert’s time to gape as the Spaniard started counting his gold and handing 25 pieces near the Dutchman’s hand. Wasn't he even going to barter? He cast a look to Ludwig who just shrugged and took out his own money. “Um, alright then.”

The green mermaid watched with his pale eyes as money exchanged hands, flicking his decorated tail closer to the strange barrier and letting his teeth slide further down as he stared at the brown-haired man. His magic crackled through his body, and he was waiting for something, anything, to happen. One mistake, and he could drown all these disgusting things that had taken him away from his home. He watched the one who had trapped him step closer to the tank with a strange metal glowing in his hands. Odd.

Govert knocked on the cage, letting the 50 dinaks slide into his pocket as he threw another flame into the tank, this one happily burning a bright blue, and jumped back as the water twisted and curled back into a gruesome black. After a few moments, he walked over and grabbed a net. “You sure you want both of ‘em?”

Ludwig nodded, his pouch of money feeling strange after paying his 25 dinak, and watched as Govert reached into the inky tank, wading his hand through the nasty stuff until it felt the hard scales of the mermen. The rainbow monster was pulled out first, luxurious scales looking dull in the soft light the magic items around the dim shop glowed, and the feather-like tail now was now a tired mop of mush in the cold air. It was asleep, barely breathing in the foreign air and faintly sighing in relief when it was gently placed in a sphere bowl. “One down, one to go,” Govert grunted, and he reached down in the tank, trying to brush up against the light feathered tail or jagged scales of the merman when his hand jolted to a stop. A green whiff of magic snaked out of the water and drifted towards the Dutchman, who stood there frozen in fear and another alluring emotion he couldn't name. The green smoke grew, and the inky black water turned the darkest emerald and twisted away so a glowing creature could be seen in the dark. It floated up, reaching for the Dutchman and teeth flashing in the light when its prey was shoved away from the tank.

Ludwig slammed the man on the floor, and the trance that had taken hold of the cold smuggler shattered, to the frustration of the magical creature in the corner and to the relief of the pirates in the room.

“You okay?” Ludwig breathed, and Govert nodded numbly, still staring at the green light and mouth slightly open. “I think the rainbow one is just fine.”

“No, let me try.” Antonio confidently walked over to the tank, hand on his sword out of reflex and staring the jade mermaid in its pearly eyes. The two other men gaped at him, Govert’s eyes stilled glazed with shock and Ludwig’s dumbfounded face growing even more extreme as the man stood a mere foot from the tank.

Before any of his companions could shout out,  he plunged his arm into the water, breath-stopping and a shallow gasp being drawn out of him when the frigid water made its pinpricks of cold known. He waded his arm through the water, searching for that glowing demon, and his hand brushed against a smooth scale. It was gone before Antonio's mind could register the delicate touch and he waded his arm around again, and this time, a sharp surface dug into his skin and he jerked his hand out of the water, before shakily lowering it back in and holding his breath again. A green smoke was still floating around the tank, and it seemed to mix with the water until Antonio could see two bright eyes staring back at him, not the pitless white of the mermen, but two emerald eyes, human eyes, that glared at him with suspicion and demanded an answer for this treatment. Antonio stared entranced, before a small, soft portion of his mind spoke back to those green eyes in the smoke, saying that he meant no harm, he was trying to free them, they could trust him, and the green eyes blinked in response, studying the human and picking apart his thoughts bit by bit, before a desperate look flooded over them and the emerald eyes disappeared, though not before blinking at the man in acceptance one final time. The green smoke flooded his vision, and the world swayed beneath his feet as he stumbled back, hand somehow gone from the water, and tripped over his feet and slammed onto the floor. His head hit a hard surface, some sort of trinket of Govert’s, he remembered thinking, before the world faded to black.

Ludwig and Govert were still gaping at the Spaniard, looking from the hazing green smoke to the now unconscious man on the floor.

“What the living devil below was that?!” Ludwig raised his eyebrows in surprise at Govert’s unusual use of strong language, before shrugging and dragging the man up.

“I think he was talking to it.”

“What the snogger was there to talk to?! It’s a FISH! What was with that hocus pocus magic green smoke shit?!” Govert exploded, snarling at the tank and throwing his hand in the air in defeat, apparently recovered from his touch with the hand of death. “How am I supposed to sell these things when they can make glowing smoke pop out of nowhere and scream to kingdom come?! The crazy magician market is only so deep!” Govert stormed over to the desk and scowled, digging through a metal plated cabinet in behind the worn desk and plopping down a huge pile of papers. He then proceeded to dig into them, before dragging out a short piece of blue paper and turning his frow even harsher.

“Why are you so upset, Govert? Don’t they usually do that?” Ludwig asked as he knelt down to study his fellow pirate, rolling his eyes when he saw the knocked out man and throwing him hastily over his shoulder.

“No that’s not what they ‘usually’ do! The fishermen and the mermaid-hunters said they were complacent! Stupid! Almost magicless unless a special procedure is applied to their scales! Not some weird smoke thing popping out from their freakish eyes! I got scammed! Scammed I say!” The smuggler was absolutely livid, shoving aside his pile of papers and flipping through an old book that seemed to have popped out of nowhere. “SEE! Says they’re stupid and harmless creatures who can sell for a rich cost because of their rarity! Not whatever THOSE things are! I’m going to track down the Portuguese bastard and throw him to the fishes along with the rest of his stubborn crew!” The enraged smuggler carried on with his rant, using his explosive anger to hide his shaking hands that were still cowering from that, that thing, and slammed the book closed.

“Govert, if you want, we can give them back for study-” Ludwig started to offer hesitantly before being violently interrupted by a furious and shaking Govert.  

“NO! No, I refuse to have those MONSTERS in my shop! I can sell anything, but I refuse to sell things that almost killed me!” the wild man screamed, a crazy glint in his eye as he shoved them out of his shop. “GO! Go and take those demons with you! That thing almost killed me, and I will NOT have it in my sight anymore!” He bolted over to his desk, grabbed the bowl where he had put the first merman, and almost threw it at the stunned German. He then threw another match into the tank, this one yellow, which shattered the glass with a crackling boom and poured the water all over the floor. The green merman quickly woke up, gasping for breath in the open air and eyes glassy as the Dutchmen yanked it off the floor by the tail and threw it into the bowl as well.

“G-Govert, your shop-”

“I don’t give a damn about whatever that magic voodoo will do to my floors, just GET OUT!” The shaking Dutchman shoved him out of the squat shop and slam the door so hard the walls rattled, leaving a shocked German in the cold, covered in magic water vapor, an unconscious pirate slung over the other’s shoulder, and two extremely confused mermaids swimming in a small glass bowl that was already starting to shake with the combined power of their magic.

“Well, that went well,” Ludwig remarked dryly to open air, shifting Antonio on his shoulder and starting down the narrow alleyway back to the Blushing Raven. On second thought, the German concluded, perhaps taking two extremely magical and confused creatures into a confined space with tons of other humans around was not the best idea. He shifted his course and headed back to the ship, taking a left here and jumping over a small, sort of pointless fence there, before ending up on the slippery dark stones of the dock.

The waves rumbled into the rotten docks, causing a crunch here or there, though Ludwig tried to block the murmurs of disrepair below him as he took a deep breath and stepped out onto the sinking wood, pirate over the shoulder and all. He hastily jogged over the sagging planks and stopped desperately next to the place a plank was usually lowered when they docked, the tide causing the wood to shudder and quake beneath him.   

“AYE, ANYBODY UP THERE?!” Ludwig listened hard in the cold night air for a reply, before a squeaky voice answered him.

“I’m here, yes I am, and I’m guarding the ship, like the captain said I should, yes sir!” A bundle of blond hair poking out of the side of the railway and light blue eyes along with the most hideous eyebrows stared back at him in wonder. “Aye, why you out so late, old Kraut?”

“Peter, lower the planks!”

“Why?”

“Because I need to get on!”

“Why?”

“To not beat your head in, that’s why! Let me in!”

“Alright fine, no need to be all shouty,” the cabin boy pouted, and Ludwig swore to himself that he would make the captain throw the brat overboard at the nearest opportunity. “Why is the Spaniard on ya shoulder, old Kraut!”

“LET ME IN!”

“Alright, alright!” Peter pushed one of the buttons that activated the magic plank, lowering it and making it thud on the rotten wood. Ludwig jumped onto it, running back onto the ship and sighing in relief to have the ocean under his feet again. There we go, safe and sound, he sighed internally, and walked over to his cabin, adjusting the falling Spaniard on his shoulder every couple of seconds and bursting the door open with his foot.

“There we go, home sweet home, Antonio,” the German grunted before plopping the man off his shoulder and onto the bottom bunk where he slept. “I think the bed bugs missed you!”

The pirate groaned in response, slowly crawling his way out of the pit of unconsciousness, and Ludwig threw himself down on the creaky chair in the corner, grimly looking around the cramped room and sighing.

“Well Antonio, we messed up yet again. We are 50 dinak poorer, Francis most likely thinks we’re dead, Govert will never talk to me again, and now we have to mermen who hate our guts and cause magic smoke that helps them eat people. What a great day, don’t you think?”

Antonio groaned again, burying his head underneath his arms and croaking, “I think I have brain damage.”

“I know you have brain damage,” Ludwig snorted back. “What are we going to do with these magical fish?”

“Keep ‘em?”

“Throw them overboard more likely. What did that smoke do to you anyway?”

“I saw a pair of beautiful eyes that could read my brain.”

“Alright, you’re staying on the bed for at least 3 more days,” Ludwig sighed, placing the bowl on the nailed-down table and studying the half petrified-half furious magical creatures in the corner. Silence reigned between them as the ship creaking, rocking back in forth in the filthy bay and groaning her wooden walls in protest, when Antonio spoke, a dazed look in his eyes and his voice filled with the still moment of disbelief.     

“Should we name ‘em?”

“Not yet,” Ludwig replied tiredly.

“Oh. I thought we could name the green one Arthur.”

“Like I said, a little too early for that.”

“And the rainbow one Feliciano,” he added.

“You are getting way too attached to these all-powerful fish of the deep caught by one of your Portuguese enemies.”

“I thought he got them from a fisherman?”

“Me too, but that’s what he said. Lied to us, maybe.”

“Ugh, this conversation hurts my brain. Talk to you in the morning, Ludwig.” Antonio turned over on his cot so his backed face the German, who sighed and stared at the mermen some more. The rainbow merman almost seemed to give him a hesitant wave, before the small creature was slapped down by the green one. Ludwig gave a rare smile in response and looked at the ceiling with a sigh. Tomorrow they had to come up with a plan on what to do with these bastards, though they haven’t done anything destructive yet, strangely. At least they had that going for them. The German sat up and walked over to his own cot, giving one last look to the eyeless small mermen, before lying down and praying they didn’t try to blow anything up while he was asleep.

Yes, tomorrow really was going to be an interesting day, wasn’t it?   

[fan-writers-support-blog]

Recommendation

I've just started reading this Hetalia fanfic called The Conjuring, based on the 2013 film, and it's quite scary! (but good as well :D) The main characters are the FACE family, as well as Australia, Hong Kong and Seychelles. 

The Conjuring (APH FACE Family, Australia, Hong Kong & Seychelles)

Author: Prunormis

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: "The Conjuring" (2013) AU The Bonnefoy family, Francis (France), Arthur (England) and their adopted kids (Hong Kong, Canada, America, Australia, Seychelles) move into their new home. But soon they have to discover that something supernatural haunts them. They get professional help from Mathias (Denmark) and Lukas (Norway) Normann and their crew (Sweden & Finland).

Give it a review to support the author, and always support content creators! :D

-Mod Eleanor