[fanfic] Little Sweet Nothings
Title: Little Sweet Nothings
Author/Artist: myself
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Canada/Ukraine + OC Saskatchewan
Genre: Family, Romance
Rating: G
Warnings: Possible fail!Canadian history
Summary: De-anoning from the kink meme; A fluffy family moment with Canada, Ukraine, and their daughter Saskatchewan.
Little Sweet Nothings
Sunlight was streaming in through the thin fabric of the room’s blinds, filling the space with a warm, soothing light. Stuffed animals and baby toys were strewn all over the rug in the center of the room, and he was careful not to step on any, particularly the noise making ones, as he strode across the floor.
Saskatchewan was lying on the rug, off to the side where the sunlight was coming in through the opening in the shades. She was curled up like a tiny kitten, her thumb in her mouth and tiny, barely-there blonde pigtails adorning either side of her head. Her baby skirt was being pushed up against the rug, revealing her little white diapers as she sleep, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Her father took care not to disturb her sleep as he lifted her up, smoothing her skirt and calm pink shirt and removing her thumb from her mouth as he carried her out of her room.
The human embodiment of Canada smiled; he loved all of his children unconditionally and equally, of course, but today was a special day for him and little Saskatchewan. Today they were getting a visit from someone very special to the tiny province, and to her father-
There was knock on the door, and Canada was in such an excited rush to get to it he very nearly tripped over a turned over edge of carpet (such a childish prank; Canada wondered if Ontario had set it for Quebec, or if it was the other way around). He hugged his child tighter to his chest in instinctive alarm, but luckily he’d managed to fix his footing and continue to the door.
When he looked into the peephole and saw Ukraine standing on the other side, his heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath and suddenly feeling very self-conscious, he slowly opened the door and was greeted by a pair of arms around his neck, and a body pressed against his on the side that was not occupied by the child.
“Matvey, oh I missed you.” Ukraine was saying, and Canada wrapped his free arm around her waist, returning the hug as best he could, a blush full on his face.
“I missed you too,” He confessed. “So much. And so did Sophia.” He cracked a smile when Ukraine let go of him, if only because of how quickly she had taken the child from his hold and pressed her to her bosom.
“I missed her too. I missed the both of you too much.” She answered, looking back at Canada with earnest turquoise eyes that made the Canadian blush again.
“Come inside, its cold out there.” He offered, and they did just that.
---------
Ukraine took a seat on the couch in Canada’s living room, able to make out the noises of playing children coming from upstairs as Canada returned from the kitchen with two steaming warm mugs of hot chocolate. He placed the mugs down on the coffee table before them, and sat down on the couch beside Ukraine. The blush had mostly faded from his cheeks, but on the inside there were still butterflies. Canada knew that if marriage had not been so hard (if not pretty much impossible) between nations, he would have asked Katya to marry him a long time ago. The thought brought the flush back to his face, but Ukraine didn’t notice.
“She’s grown so much in these two months.” Ukraine was still focused on the child slumbering in her arms, who had instinctively curled into her mother’s warmth.
“Yeah, she has.” He agreed, gaze falling to his daughter (and trying desperately to stay off of Ukraine’s bountiful tracks of land).
“I missed being here with you both. Really, if I could help it I would never have left.” She mused, a finger tracing down her daughter’s face, but her eyes looking up at Canada.
He smiled. “We missed you too. Sophia spent days saying nothing but your name.”
“Oh, well, I’m here now baby.” She cooed, hugging her daughter against her a little tighter. “I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”
Here, Canada laughed. “America came up for a visit while you were gone. She spent an hour trying to figure out which of us was her father.”
“Really?” Surprise was not the usual response to that comment, but then, Ukraine was one of those nations who seemed able to recognize Canada easily (something for which he was incredibly grateful), so she wouldn’t have understood people mixing them up.
“Yeah. Alfred had a good laugh at that; he really loved playing with her. It was his first time seeing her and Louise.” He continued, and Ukraine’s mind worked to attach a face with the name. ‘Louise…’ Soon she remembered a tiny blonde girl, with straight hair, vivid green eyes, and eyebrows that were a distinctive indication of-
She cut her train of thought right there, not wanting to think about the fathers of Canada’s many other children, and trying to keep the beginning feelings of jealousy suppressed.
“You silly little girl, your father is nothing like his brother!” She chided softly, and the girl only answered with a tiny snore. Both adults gave a little laugh, but Canada’s heart was soaring, having heard the words he’d been dying to hear for so long.
An instant passed in silence, before Ukraine pulled out the mini hair ties that had created two tiny little pigtails in the girl’s baby hair, and started to run her fingers through short, soft, curly blonde looks.
‘She obviously inherited her father’s beautiful hair.’ She mused, and something in her was fluttered with that observation, a sort of reassurance that this child was theirs together.
Suddenly, the child started to stir, and soon enough was blinking open wide turquoise eyes in fascination. It took her a moment of squirming and looking around to figure out where she was, but after a period of silent staring at Ukraine she blinked.
“мама” She gurgled, her voice slurred with sleep, and yet her excitement was obvious in it.
Ukraine lifted Saskatchewan from her lap and hugged her properly, whispering in her ear, “Так, Sofiya, it’s me. Good morning, baby.”
Saskatchewan threw her chubby baby arms around her mother’s neck.
“мама” She repeated, with something in her tone that sounded hurt, and that just about broke Ukraine’s heart. Hugging tightly, Katya wished that she could stay in this embrace forever.
“I know baby, I’m sorry. I missed you too.” Saskatchewan started to squirm in her mother’s hold, so Ukraine loosened her hug and simply sat the baby in her lap. Apparently, something serious was on Saskatchewan’s mind, as the child looked around the room with curious eyes, almost as if she was looking for something. Then, her gaze fell upon Canada, and she grinned again, proudly displaying her baby teeth.
“Papa!” She exclaimed, reaching her arms out to him. But when he tried to pick her up she squirmed in protest, not wanting to leave her mother’s lap. Instead she grabbed his sleeve and tugged hard on it.
“What is it, Sofiya?” Ukraine asked, while little Saskatchewan kept her hold on Canada’s shirt. Matthew shifted closer on the couch, his attention focused on his child. Suddenly then she seemed content, and let herself climb onto her father’s lap.
Canada and Ukraine were now pressed flush against one another. Instantly, heat climbed into both of their cheeks because of the contact. Saskatchewan simply cooed, sitting in her father’s lap and removing his glasses from his face. She played with them, then put them over her own eyes the way her father and uncle had them; Katya had to admit, it was so incredibly adorable.
Canada laughed for a moment, but gently worked his glasses off Saskatchewan’s face just after.
“Sorry Sophia, but if you wear these you might hurt your eyes. Understand?” He chided gently, and the baby girl looked up at him, obviously upset that the glasses had been taken from her while she was having fun with them.
Her face scrunched up, and the tip of her nose turned bright red very suddenly. Both parents instantly knew what was coming, and quickly Canada’s hugged his daughter in a failed attempt to prevent the inevitable.
And then it happened; Saskatchewan took in a breath and let out a loud, booming sob. Matthew, just a bit frantic even though he should have been used to this, started to rock her to try and quell her tears, but to no avail.
“Matvey, give her to me for a moment, please?” And of course Canada would comply, passing his crying daughter to the infant’s mother, who rocked her more gently and started to hum a soothing tune.
It worked. Being in Ukraine’s arms and hearing her voice made the child relax, and soon the glasses were forgotten.
Katya smiled as she wiped tears of her daughter’s face. “Are you cranky because you’re hungry, Sofiya?”
The child’s thumb was back in her mouth as she looked up curiously, so Canada and Ukraine decided that was a yes.
-----
The day continued on, and the family of three found themselves in Saskatchewan’s room not too long later, an empty bottle on the floor and the baby girl crawling around, chasing after a bright blue ball that used to belong to her older brother Quebec once upon a time.
Every time she got close enough to it, Canada or Ukraine would nudge it gently and send it across the rug again, and both watched as she shrieked with joy and darted after it each time, never tiring of the chase, matching proud smiles on their faces.
This game continued on for a while, until Saskatchewan started to tire and stopped giving chase to the ball, not because she wasn’t interested, but because she could no longer keep up. Seeing this, Katya grabbed the ball and handed it to her daughter, who promptly started to bounce it up and down the floor, once again becoming enthralled in the very simple action.
Canada was so caught up in watching his daughter, that he failed to notice that Ukraine had not returned to her spot, but had instead come to sit beside him. Again their thighs were touching, and Katya did not hesitate to place her hand in Matthew’s, in a movement so smooth and natural it almost seemed subconscious. And then she turned to look at him, her aqua eyes focused on his purple ones in a way that instantly made his stomach flutter. When she smiled, he blinked, and then she spoke.
“Matvey,” She started, and his hearts did flip-flops in his chest just at the way she said his name, heavily accented in smooth Ukrainian, and completely lyrical in his ears.
“Thank you so much for watching Sofiya. For taking her in a part of your nation; I am so grateful that you did this for us.”
Canada blinked again, this time in confusion. Is that what Katya really thought of this, that it was a generous act of charity that their daughter was his little Saskatchewan? He felt his heart drop a little with heaviness, realizing that Katya must have worried endlessly about this, during her pregnancy and even up to now. After all, she was in a tight spot, being a part of Russia, and could not at the time have raised their child at her home, as much as she wanted to.
But the question remained in Matthew’s mind, why hadn’t she shared this worry with him before?
The Canadian shook his head.
“Please don’t say things like that, Katya.” Here, a blush made itself known on Matthew’s face as he continued, “I love you, and Sophia, and I… I never once regretted having a child with you.” That bit had made his face even redder, and was said in a shaky, nervous tone, but it was also very honest, and it brought tiny little prickles to Ukraine’s eyes.
“Matvey…”
“A-and, I’m honored that you trust me to take care of Sophia, that you would leave her in my care. Thank you.” Matthew knew that a mother’s love was unrivaled, that not even a father’s love could compare, and so the fact that Katya would leave her child in his care, it blew his mind just to think about it.
“O-of course I trust you, Matvey.” Ukraine breathed, her moist, warm words fanning over Canada’s face; when had they gotten so close to each other? It hardly mattered anymore, because the gap between their faces continued to shrink until-
-They both ended up with a lapful of giggling baby. Saskatchewan, who had lost interest in the ball, had noticed her parents sitting in such a way that their knees were touching, and her infantile impulses had told her it was the perfect place to snuggle.
Canada was frozen for a moment, his heart beating in his throat as he realized how close he’d come to kissing Katya. For the first time since Sophia had been born, he almost regretted her curious, playful nature. Almost, but not quite.
“Why you little- come here, kid!” When he did finally return to his senses, he lifted her up off his knees and threw her up a few inches into the air, and she gave another joyful screech at the feeling of flight, too young too be afraid that she’d be hurt, so innocent that there was no doubt in her mind her father would catch her.
And he did catch her, after which he placed her in his lap and pushed up her shirt a bit, blowing raspberries directly onto her bare stomach and make her again shriek with laughter. Her face soon became bright, bright red, and Canada did not relent in his attack. To Ukraine, it looked as if he was trying to punish her by making her laugh to death, except Canada’s broad smile reassured her that their child was not about to die.
“P-papa!!” Saskatchewan managed to screech in between bouts of laughter, her tone heavy with pain; once he heard her cry, Canada finally relented, and the baby crawled over to her mother’s lap, wanting nothing to do with her father right then, even though she had enjoyed the tickling sensation. She snuggled into her mother, her face as red as a tomato, and her breaths heavy, a smile full on her face as she finally relaxed.
It wasn’t long before Sophia started to yawn, her tiny cherubic face relaxing in sleepiness. Turquoise eyes close slowly, before snapping right back open as the child started to resist the oncoming nap in favor of playing some more; Katya wouldn’t have it, though, and grabbed a bottle of warm milk from the table. Gently placing the nipple of the baby bottle in her daughter’s mouth (and realizing with a heavy heart that they should start weaning the girl soon, she already had so many of her baby teeth in), Katya watched as Sofiya took in the milk, her eyelids becoming heavier with each mouthful, until the baby had completely gone off to sleep. Smiling and wiping the dripping milk from Saskatchewan’s chin, Katya then changed her clothes and diaper, and put the child in her crib.
It was when Ukraine was pulling the covers over her child that Canada returned from checking on all of his children, making sure each one was tucked in properly, that Ontario and Quebec had done their jobs of watching the younger kids and making sure that everyone had eaten (and that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia had done their job of keeping the two older provinces from fighting all day), and that everything was alright in the house, a grueling task that had taken him over an hour to complete, with 10 other children to check on one by one.
Now the house was completely still, with even the teenaged children sleeping soundly in their rooms, and Matthew did what was (in his own mind) a very bold move, wrapping his arm around Katya’s waist and pulling her in closer to him with a flush.
“M-Matvey?” She stuttered, though Canada couldn’t tell if she was nervous or confused.
“Y-you… you’re welcome to stay the night, Katya.” He offered, trying hard not to look away from her honest, focused gaze. At that, her own cheeks adopted a pinkish hue, and her gaze fell to the floor.
“I-I couldn’t impose on you like that. I will go spend the night in a hotel, and be back tomorrow to take care of Sofiya-”
“Please?” Matthew had to stop and swallow his nerves before he could continue. “I want you to stay. W-with me… p-please?”
Ukraine looked up at him, her aqua eyes searching for his violet ones; when she finally found them, she looked at him for a long moment, and then her eyes closed and her face was overtaken by a smile.
“If that’s what you want, Matvey, of course I’ll stay with you!” She was so enthusiastic, so loving, it made Canada’s stomach flutter again, and his heart was pounding in his ears.
“T-thank you.” He managed, and Katya gave a small giggle before taking a step closer to him, placing a hand over his thumping heart and finally closing the gap between them. Her lips were sweet and soft; his were chapped and tasted of maple syrup. This time, there were no children present to stop them from kissing, or to stop Canada from running his fingers in her short hair, or to stop Ukraine from pressing her fingertips into his chest just so…
Soon enough, Matthew found himself wondering if Saskatchewan would terribly mind having a younger sibling.
End.
Notes:-“Canada wondered if Ontario had set it for Quebec, or if it was the other way around” - Ontario and Quebec aren’t known for getting along too well (especially not in the Hetalia world, not with England and France as respective fathers)
-Sofiya is (obviously) the Ukrainian/Russian version of ‘Sophia’. I opted to have Canada call her the English ‘Sophia’ and not the French ‘Sophie’ because Saskatchewan’s official language is English, not French. The name means ‘wisdom’ (and wasn’t chosen for a particular reason, other than both ‘Sophia/Sofiya’ and ‘Saskatchewan’ start with an ‘s’, and that there is a Ukrainian equilivant to the English).
-‘Louise…’ Soon she remembered a tiny blonde girl, with straight hair, vivid green eyes, and eyebrows that were a distinctive indication of-” Louise is the province of Alberta, founded on the same day as Saskatchewan (September 1, 1905 - so they’re about the same age here). Her name is a little more logical, as the province ‘Alberta’ was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. I made England her daddy because there are more English living their today than any other nationality (even more than there are Canadians…). Plus, Princess Louise Alberta was a British woman, so it made sense to me.
-“Так” - Ukrainian for ‘yes,’ but you all knew that!
- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick all became official provinces on the same day, July 1, 1867, so I made them all basically the same age. Since Ontario and Quebec are larger provinces, I gave them a very slight age advantage, making them physically the oldest of Canada’s kids.
-"with 10 other children to check on one by one." - According my my lovely source *coughwikipediacough*, at the time when I've set this fic, the very early 1900s, there are 11 provinces and terriories: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
I apologize for any butchering this American might have done to Canadian or Ukrainian history.
A/N: Props go out to my two readers on the meme who not only figured out my identity, but confirmed that they knew it was actually me and told me who they were without the use of usernames; tanya_tsuki and violetzewriter, you guys are so win.
This fic is dedicated to my Ukraine (roleplayer) who inspired the Ukraine in this fic, gothiclolitarei. I hope you all enjoyed it!!! <3
Author/Artist: myself
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Canada/Ukraine + OC Saskatchewan
Genre: Family, Romance
Rating: G
Warnings: Possible fail!Canadian history
Summary: De-anoning from the kink meme; A fluffy family moment with Canada, Ukraine, and their daughter Saskatchewan.
Little Sweet Nothings
Sunlight was streaming in through the thin fabric of the room’s blinds, filling the space with a warm, soothing light. Stuffed animals and baby toys were strewn all over the rug in the center of the room, and he was careful not to step on any, particularly the noise making ones, as he strode across the floor.
Saskatchewan was lying on the rug, off to the side where the sunlight was coming in through the opening in the shades. She was curled up like a tiny kitten, her thumb in her mouth and tiny, barely-there blonde pigtails adorning either side of her head. Her baby skirt was being pushed up against the rug, revealing her little white diapers as she sleep, blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Her father took care not to disturb her sleep as he lifted her up, smoothing her skirt and calm pink shirt and removing her thumb from her mouth as he carried her out of her room.
The human embodiment of Canada smiled; he loved all of his children unconditionally and equally, of course, but today was a special day for him and little Saskatchewan. Today they were getting a visit from someone very special to the tiny province, and to her father-
There was knock on the door, and Canada was in such an excited rush to get to it he very nearly tripped over a turned over edge of carpet (such a childish prank; Canada wondered if Ontario had set it for Quebec, or if it was the other way around). He hugged his child tighter to his chest in instinctive alarm, but luckily he’d managed to fix his footing and continue to the door.
When he looked into the peephole and saw Ukraine standing on the other side, his heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath and suddenly feeling very self-conscious, he slowly opened the door and was greeted by a pair of arms around his neck, and a body pressed against his on the side that was not occupied by the child.
“Matvey, oh I missed you.” Ukraine was saying, and Canada wrapped his free arm around her waist, returning the hug as best he could, a blush full on his face.
“I missed you too,” He confessed. “So much. And so did Sophia.” He cracked a smile when Ukraine let go of him, if only because of how quickly she had taken the child from his hold and pressed her to her bosom.
“I missed her too. I missed the both of you too much.” She answered, looking back at Canada with earnest turquoise eyes that made the Canadian blush again.
“Come inside, its cold out there.” He offered, and they did just that.
---------
Ukraine took a seat on the couch in Canada’s living room, able to make out the noises of playing children coming from upstairs as Canada returned from the kitchen with two steaming warm mugs of hot chocolate. He placed the mugs down on the coffee table before them, and sat down on the couch beside Ukraine. The blush had mostly faded from his cheeks, but on the inside there were still butterflies. Canada knew that if marriage had not been so hard (if not pretty much impossible) between nations, he would have asked Katya to marry him a long time ago. The thought brought the flush back to his face, but Ukraine didn’t notice.
“She’s grown so much in these two months.” Ukraine was still focused on the child slumbering in her arms, who had instinctively curled into her mother’s warmth.
“Yeah, she has.” He agreed, gaze falling to his daughter (and trying desperately to stay off of Ukraine’s bountiful tracks of land).
“I missed being here with you both. Really, if I could help it I would never have left.” She mused, a finger tracing down her daughter’s face, but her eyes looking up at Canada.
He smiled. “We missed you too. Sophia spent days saying nothing but your name.”
“Oh, well, I’m here now baby.” She cooed, hugging her daughter against her a little tighter. “I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”
Here, Canada laughed. “America came up for a visit while you were gone. She spent an hour trying to figure out which of us was her father.”
“Really?” Surprise was not the usual response to that comment, but then, Ukraine was one of those nations who seemed able to recognize Canada easily (something for which he was incredibly grateful), so she wouldn’t have understood people mixing them up.
“Yeah. Alfred had a good laugh at that; he really loved playing with her. It was his first time seeing her and Louise.” He continued, and Ukraine’s mind worked to attach a face with the name. ‘Louise…’ Soon she remembered a tiny blonde girl, with straight hair, vivid green eyes, and eyebrows that were a distinctive indication of-
She cut her train of thought right there, not wanting to think about the fathers of Canada’s many other children, and trying to keep the beginning feelings of jealousy suppressed.
“You silly little girl, your father is nothing like his brother!” She chided softly, and the girl only answered with a tiny snore. Both adults gave a little laugh, but Canada’s heart was soaring, having heard the words he’d been dying to hear for so long.
An instant passed in silence, before Ukraine pulled out the mini hair ties that had created two tiny little pigtails in the girl’s baby hair, and started to run her fingers through short, soft, curly blonde looks.
‘She obviously inherited her father’s beautiful hair.’ She mused, and something in her was fluttered with that observation, a sort of reassurance that this child was theirs together.
Suddenly, the child started to stir, and soon enough was blinking open wide turquoise eyes in fascination. It took her a moment of squirming and looking around to figure out where she was, but after a period of silent staring at Ukraine she blinked.
“мама” She gurgled, her voice slurred with sleep, and yet her excitement was obvious in it.
Ukraine lifted Saskatchewan from her lap and hugged her properly, whispering in her ear, “Так, Sofiya, it’s me. Good morning, baby.”
Saskatchewan threw her chubby baby arms around her mother’s neck.
“мама” She repeated, with something in her tone that sounded hurt, and that just about broke Ukraine’s heart. Hugging tightly, Katya wished that she could stay in this embrace forever.
“I know baby, I’m sorry. I missed you too.” Saskatchewan started to squirm in her mother’s hold, so Ukraine loosened her hug and simply sat the baby in her lap. Apparently, something serious was on Saskatchewan’s mind, as the child looked around the room with curious eyes, almost as if she was looking for something. Then, her gaze fell upon Canada, and she grinned again, proudly displaying her baby teeth.
“Papa!” She exclaimed, reaching her arms out to him. But when he tried to pick her up she squirmed in protest, not wanting to leave her mother’s lap. Instead she grabbed his sleeve and tugged hard on it.
“What is it, Sofiya?” Ukraine asked, while little Saskatchewan kept her hold on Canada’s shirt. Matthew shifted closer on the couch, his attention focused on his child. Suddenly then she seemed content, and let herself climb onto her father’s lap.
Canada and Ukraine were now pressed flush against one another. Instantly, heat climbed into both of their cheeks because of the contact. Saskatchewan simply cooed, sitting in her father’s lap and removing his glasses from his face. She played with them, then put them over her own eyes the way her father and uncle had them; Katya had to admit, it was so incredibly adorable.
Canada laughed for a moment, but gently worked his glasses off Saskatchewan’s face just after.
“Sorry Sophia, but if you wear these you might hurt your eyes. Understand?” He chided gently, and the baby girl looked up at him, obviously upset that the glasses had been taken from her while she was having fun with them.
Her face scrunched up, and the tip of her nose turned bright red very suddenly. Both parents instantly knew what was coming, and quickly Canada’s hugged his daughter in a failed attempt to prevent the inevitable.
And then it happened; Saskatchewan took in a breath and let out a loud, booming sob. Matthew, just a bit frantic even though he should have been used to this, started to rock her to try and quell her tears, but to no avail.
“Matvey, give her to me for a moment, please?” And of course Canada would comply, passing his crying daughter to the infant’s mother, who rocked her more gently and started to hum a soothing tune.
It worked. Being in Ukraine’s arms and hearing her voice made the child relax, and soon the glasses were forgotten.
Katya smiled as she wiped tears of her daughter’s face. “Are you cranky because you’re hungry, Sofiya?”
The child’s thumb was back in her mouth as she looked up curiously, so Canada and Ukraine decided that was a yes.
-----
The day continued on, and the family of three found themselves in Saskatchewan’s room not too long later, an empty bottle on the floor and the baby girl crawling around, chasing after a bright blue ball that used to belong to her older brother Quebec once upon a time.
Every time she got close enough to it, Canada or Ukraine would nudge it gently and send it across the rug again, and both watched as she shrieked with joy and darted after it each time, never tiring of the chase, matching proud smiles on their faces.
This game continued on for a while, until Saskatchewan started to tire and stopped giving chase to the ball, not because she wasn’t interested, but because she could no longer keep up. Seeing this, Katya grabbed the ball and handed it to her daughter, who promptly started to bounce it up and down the floor, once again becoming enthralled in the very simple action.
Canada was so caught up in watching his daughter, that he failed to notice that Ukraine had not returned to her spot, but had instead come to sit beside him. Again their thighs were touching, and Katya did not hesitate to place her hand in Matthew’s, in a movement so smooth and natural it almost seemed subconscious. And then she turned to look at him, her aqua eyes focused on his purple ones in a way that instantly made his stomach flutter. When she smiled, he blinked, and then she spoke.
“Matvey,” She started, and his hearts did flip-flops in his chest just at the way she said his name, heavily accented in smooth Ukrainian, and completely lyrical in his ears.
“Thank you so much for watching Sofiya. For taking her in a part of your nation; I am so grateful that you did this for us.”
Canada blinked again, this time in confusion. Is that what Katya really thought of this, that it was a generous act of charity that their daughter was his little Saskatchewan? He felt his heart drop a little with heaviness, realizing that Katya must have worried endlessly about this, during her pregnancy and even up to now. After all, she was in a tight spot, being a part of Russia, and could not at the time have raised their child at her home, as much as she wanted to.
But the question remained in Matthew’s mind, why hadn’t she shared this worry with him before?
The Canadian shook his head.
“Please don’t say things like that, Katya.” Here, a blush made itself known on Matthew’s face as he continued, “I love you, and Sophia, and I… I never once regretted having a child with you.” That bit had made his face even redder, and was said in a shaky, nervous tone, but it was also very honest, and it brought tiny little prickles to Ukraine’s eyes.
“Matvey…”
“A-and, I’m honored that you trust me to take care of Sophia, that you would leave her in my care. Thank you.” Matthew knew that a mother’s love was unrivaled, that not even a father’s love could compare, and so the fact that Katya would leave her child in his care, it blew his mind just to think about it.
“O-of course I trust you, Matvey.” Ukraine breathed, her moist, warm words fanning over Canada’s face; when had they gotten so close to each other? It hardly mattered anymore, because the gap between their faces continued to shrink until-
-They both ended up with a lapful of giggling baby. Saskatchewan, who had lost interest in the ball, had noticed her parents sitting in such a way that their knees were touching, and her infantile impulses had told her it was the perfect place to snuggle.
Canada was frozen for a moment, his heart beating in his throat as he realized how close he’d come to kissing Katya. For the first time since Sophia had been born, he almost regretted her curious, playful nature. Almost, but not quite.
“Why you little- come here, kid!” When he did finally return to his senses, he lifted her up off his knees and threw her up a few inches into the air, and she gave another joyful screech at the feeling of flight, too young too be afraid that she’d be hurt, so innocent that there was no doubt in her mind her father would catch her.
And he did catch her, after which he placed her in his lap and pushed up her shirt a bit, blowing raspberries directly onto her bare stomach and make her again shriek with laughter. Her face soon became bright, bright red, and Canada did not relent in his attack. To Ukraine, it looked as if he was trying to punish her by making her laugh to death, except Canada’s broad smile reassured her that their child was not about to die.
“P-papa!!” Saskatchewan managed to screech in between bouts of laughter, her tone heavy with pain; once he heard her cry, Canada finally relented, and the baby crawled over to her mother’s lap, wanting nothing to do with her father right then, even though she had enjoyed the tickling sensation. She snuggled into her mother, her face as red as a tomato, and her breaths heavy, a smile full on her face as she finally relaxed.
It wasn’t long before Sophia started to yawn, her tiny cherubic face relaxing in sleepiness. Turquoise eyes close slowly, before snapping right back open as the child started to resist the oncoming nap in favor of playing some more; Katya wouldn’t have it, though, and grabbed a bottle of warm milk from the table. Gently placing the nipple of the baby bottle in her daughter’s mouth (and realizing with a heavy heart that they should start weaning the girl soon, she already had so many of her baby teeth in), Katya watched as Sofiya took in the milk, her eyelids becoming heavier with each mouthful, until the baby had completely gone off to sleep. Smiling and wiping the dripping milk from Saskatchewan’s chin, Katya then changed her clothes and diaper, and put the child in her crib.
It was when Ukraine was pulling the covers over her child that Canada returned from checking on all of his children, making sure each one was tucked in properly, that Ontario and Quebec had done their jobs of watching the younger kids and making sure that everyone had eaten (and that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia had done their job of keeping the two older provinces from fighting all day), and that everything was alright in the house, a grueling task that had taken him over an hour to complete, with 10 other children to check on one by one.
Now the house was completely still, with even the teenaged children sleeping soundly in their rooms, and Matthew did what was (in his own mind) a very bold move, wrapping his arm around Katya’s waist and pulling her in closer to him with a flush.
“M-Matvey?” She stuttered, though Canada couldn’t tell if she was nervous or confused.
“Y-you… you’re welcome to stay the night, Katya.” He offered, trying hard not to look away from her honest, focused gaze. At that, her own cheeks adopted a pinkish hue, and her gaze fell to the floor.
“I-I couldn’t impose on you like that. I will go spend the night in a hotel, and be back tomorrow to take care of Sofiya-”
“Please?” Matthew had to stop and swallow his nerves before he could continue. “I want you to stay. W-with me… p-please?”
Ukraine looked up at him, her aqua eyes searching for his violet ones; when she finally found them, she looked at him for a long moment, and then her eyes closed and her face was overtaken by a smile.
“If that’s what you want, Matvey, of course I’ll stay with you!” She was so enthusiastic, so loving, it made Canada’s stomach flutter again, and his heart was pounding in his ears.
“T-thank you.” He managed, and Katya gave a small giggle before taking a step closer to him, placing a hand over his thumping heart and finally closing the gap between them. Her lips were sweet and soft; his were chapped and tasted of maple syrup. This time, there were no children present to stop them from kissing, or to stop Canada from running his fingers in her short hair, or to stop Ukraine from pressing her fingertips into his chest just so…
Soon enough, Matthew found himself wondering if Saskatchewan would terribly mind having a younger sibling.
End.
Notes:-“Canada wondered if Ontario had set it for Quebec, or if it was the other way around” - Ontario and Quebec aren’t known for getting along too well (especially not in the Hetalia world, not with England and France as respective fathers)
-Sofiya is (obviously) the Ukrainian/Russian version of ‘Sophia’. I opted to have Canada call her the English ‘Sophia’ and not the French ‘Sophie’ because Saskatchewan’s official language is English, not French. The name means ‘wisdom’ (and wasn’t chosen for a particular reason, other than both ‘Sophia/Sofiya’ and ‘Saskatchewan’ start with an ‘s’, and that there is a Ukrainian equilivant to the English).
-‘Louise…’ Soon she remembered a tiny blonde girl, with straight hair, vivid green eyes, and eyebrows that were a distinctive indication of-” Louise is the province of Alberta, founded on the same day as Saskatchewan (September 1, 1905 - so they’re about the same age here). Her name is a little more logical, as the province ‘Alberta’ was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. I made England her daddy because there are more English living their today than any other nationality (even more than there are Canadians…). Plus, Princess Louise Alberta was a British woman, so it made sense to me.
-“Так” - Ukrainian for ‘yes,’ but you all knew that!
- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick all became official provinces on the same day, July 1, 1867, so I made them all basically the same age. Since Ontario and Quebec are larger provinces, I gave them a very slight age advantage, making them physically the oldest of Canada’s kids.
-"with 10 other children to check on one by one." - According my my lovely source *coughwikipediacough*, at the time when I've set this fic, the very early 1900s, there are 11 provinces and terriories: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
I apologize for any butchering this American might have done to Canadian or Ukrainian history.
A/N: Props go out to my two readers on the meme who not only figured out my identity, but confirmed that they knew it was actually me and told me who they were without the use of usernames; tanya_tsuki and violetzewriter, you guys are so win.
This fic is dedicated to my Ukraine (roleplayer) who inspired the Ukraine in this fic, gothiclolitarei. I hope you all enjoyed it!!! <3