I Will Be Your Knight

Chapter 13

"Left," you tell Ivan. "Now a little to the right. No, left again."

Ivan and the Baltics struggle to move the large pine tree in the designated corner for it. You had waited until the last minute to put the Christmas tree up, so now it's Christmas Eve, and the five of you are running around trying to get everything set up. The four men working on the tree manage to secure the tree in the holder so it's straight. 

You look at the tall tree, very impressed. You we're surprised that they could find such a large tree in such short notice. It probably cost a small fortune.

"Can we decorate it now?" Ravis asks excitedly. This is the happiest you've ever seen him. He always seems like such a nervous kid.

"Da," Ivan answers, putting a hand on Ravis's head. This causes him to start shaking nervously. "Would you like me to throw you to the top of the tree so you can put the star on?"

"N-no thank you, M-Mr. Russia." 

Ivan chuckles. "I was only joking."

Suddenly you hear the timer go off from the kitchen. "The ham!" You and Toris take off for Ivan's kitchen to check on the food. The two of you have been designated the chefs for Christmas dinner. 

When you return, you see most of the bottom half of the tree has been decorated with glass orbs, tinsel, lights, angel figurines, and a large amount of sunflower shaped ornaments.

"Mr. Russia, I suggest saving some of those for the rest of the tree too," Eduard says to Ivan. You notice Ivan has a box labeled 'подсолнухи', which you assume means sunflowers, that he's pulling ornaments out of and hanging on the tree.

"Not to worry Eduard," Ivan tells the blonde, who is nervously adjusting his glasses. "I have a whole second box." 

Sure enough, he digs out another box full of sunflower ornaments from the pile of decorations. Estonia just stares at it with his mouth slightly ajar. He looks dumbfounded, and his eye twitches.

"M-Mr. Russia!" Ravis calls from his place on a ladder. It seems that he's the the poor soul that's been forced to climb the ladder to decorate the top half of the tree. "I can't get the lights any higher."

"Try using this, da?" Ivan pulls out his faucet pipe from seemingly nowhere, and holds it up to Latvia. Ravis stares at the pipe in horror. Eduard also tenses up at the appearance of the pipe. 

You decide to step in before things get too uncomfortable. "Here, Ravis. Let me do it."

The shortest of the three Baltics scurries down from the ladder and joins Eduard on the opposite side of the tree. You climb up the ladder and begin wrapping the strand of lights around the tree. When you finish, you reach down for the star that Toris hands up to you. You didn't notice him come back from the kitchen until now. 

"Be careful Miss (y/n)," he warns.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys that you don't have to call me 'Miss'?" you say as you climb to the top step of the ladder, and try to attach the star to the top of the tree. 

You're still about a foot short, so you move to the very top of the ladder. You know that technically you shouldn't stand on that part, but what could happen? You lean toward the tree and just barely manage to set the star on top. You climb down the ladder halfway, and then jump off the other half  into Ivan's waiting arms.

"Good job, sunflower."

"Thank you, Mr. Knight," you say back as he kisses your forehead. "Let's finish the rest of the tree."

The rest of the day goes by in a blur. The Baltics are also staying at Ivan's house during the break, so the five of you spent the rest of the day together. Dinner was served not long after the tree was finished, and afterwards everyone sat by the fire sipping eggnog. The rest of the evening was spent watching Christmas specials on tv while eating the large assortment of cookies, cakes, and pies you had baked. Ivan was the only one who touched the fruitcake.