A/N: A long one shot featuring my two favorite Nordics, Norway and Denmark. Just for having it clear, Nora is Fem! Norway.

Aage and his sister Vibeka stared at their grandfather with expecting eyes. Mathias scratched his chin. Why did he love Nora? they had asked. Not a question a man would expect from his eight-year-old grandchildren. At least Mathias didn't expect it. Lovise had stopped by her parent's house and asked if they could take care of the kids while she attended a meeting on her job. Mathias had been happy to oblige, immediately taking the children to their living room and taking seat on his armchair, while they spread on the carpet, and then proceeded to tell them his usual fantastic stories about the Viking Era and the King of Northern Europe, which he knew they enjoyed. Lovise had shaken her head at her father's enthusiasm and just kissed her mother goodbye before leaving, unnoticed to the kids, who were absorbed by their grandfather's stories.

Nora stayed in the room a little longer, smiling inwardly at the interest the kids showed to the adventures of the King of Northern Europe (which was Mathias himself), before standing and heading to kitchen, to finish the meal she was cooking. Once she was out of sight, Aage, always curious and thoughtful, cut his grandfather in the middle of his story to ask him if he loved their grandmother. Mathias was taken aback by this sudden question, and then, recovered from the shock of being interrupted, he answered with a grin and a definitive yes. Then Vibeka, his cheerful and helplessly romantic granddaughter, had asked why.

Mathias couldn't hide his surprise at the sudden turn the conversation had taken, and he himself started wondering. Why did he love Nora? He wasn't even sure there was an answer for that.

It had started when they were little children. The five Nordics (Mathias, Nora, Berwald, Tina and Emil) had been friends almost since birth, and had always thought of themselves as siblings (though the only real siblings were Nora and Emil). Despite their little differences (okay, their huge differences) they always managed to be friends and stay together, in good and bad times. But Mathias had always had a thing for Nora.

When kids, the five of them played together, mostly Mathias, since he had always been the loudest and most cheerful. He would enjoy himself chasing Tina around the park, having a race with Emil through the neighborhood and even getting Berwald into a 'no blinking' competition, though he always lost against his Swedish friend. But he couldn't get to Nora, who sat alone at the swings, watching her friends have fun. No matter how hard he tried or how much he begged, he couldn't make her stand up and join them in their games, so he just sat by her side, watching Berwald console Tina after she had scrapped her knee and Emil building a sandcastle a few feet away. It wasn't easy for the Dane to stay quiet and still for so much time, for no time at all actually, so he kept cheering and babbling about nonsense, laughing at his own bad jokes and punching Nora playfully in the arm. The Norwegian girl did not appreciate having her personal space invaded and her peaceful quiet environment turned into a loud commotion. However, she couldn't help but enjoy the company of the Dane, even if she wouldn't admit it. Mathias, being the oblivious kid he was, didn't notice her shifting uncomfortably on the swing, but on the brief silences, he found himself staring at her blonde waves, falling loose over her small shoulders, often covered by a navy blue dress that reached below her knees and that matched her eyes.

When they were on their last years of elementary school and when they started junior high, the five maintained together but they started to make new friends as well, everyone except Nora, who preferred to keep herself to herself. Even Berwald, who was much quieter and serious than her (and rather intimidating), managed to set a friendship with some guys of his study groups. And despite having lots of other friends, Mathias always liked to hang with Nora, who started pushing him away and using for him derogatory nicknames and other insults. But Mathias didn't care. He just liked to be around her. It was a strange feeling he got when he was with the Norwegian, a somewhat pleasant sensation in his stomach, what made him resist and even ignore all the offensive comments directed to his person, the coldness which with she treated him and her constant lack of words, which derived in several silences between them, or as much of a silence as it could be with him around. Some students thought it was rather boring to be with the Norwegian, some thought Mathias was being a masochist, standing by her when she didn't want him to. But however it was, Mathias never found it boring or uncomfortable to be with Nora.

But unbeknownst to the Dane, Nora did find it uncomfortable to be with him. Not only because he was loud, not only because he was obnoxious, not only because he was a fool, though those were good reasons. But mostly, she didn't want to be with him because she got a weird sensation whenever he was around. Whenever he laughed, or smiled, or touched her, she got that awful stirring in her stomach. Unlike the oblivious Dane, Nora knew well what the feeling was for, but she was too stubborn to admit she'd fallen for him. She tried to blame the puberty, disturbing her peaceful life and mixing her always clear emotions. And while she wouldn't break her friendship with the Dane or with the other Nordics just because of the damn hormones, she would at least try to be the coldest possible with him.

When Mathias and Berwald, the eldest of the five, reached high school, things got a lot different in the Nordic quintet. Tina and Berwald, whom had had an obvious attraction to each other since childhood, became an official couple just a few weeks after the classes started. With Emil still being on elementary, this new bond left Nora and Mathias alone at their respective schools, which forced them both to spend more time together than what she considered healthy. Mathias on the other hand, was more than happy to be with her, and soon, Nora was as well, though she wouldn't show it. They became closer friends, going almost everywhere together, which increased when Nora as well reached high school. Nora didn't change her stoic and quiet personality, but she opened herself a little more; Mathias didn't stop being loud and irritable, but he learned to listen.

She never stopped pushing him away entirely either, but the more she did it the more he grew attached to her.

By the time Mathias and Berwald were Seniors, Tina and Nora were Juniors, and Emil, the youngest, was a Freshman, they found themselves together again at all times. Tina and Berwald were the cutest couple at school, according to the girls, and the weirdest pair of folks ever, according to the guys. Because while Tina was smiley and nice, Berwald was serious and scary looking, but either way, those two seemed deeply in love. Emil, though he was almost as quiet and serious as his sister (almost), was the most coveted single guy among his female classmates. Mathias, cheerful, funny and talkative, with an undeniable attractive, was one of the most popular guys at school, especially with the girls. And Nora, always Nora, had become a dazzlingly beautiful girl. She'd let her wavy blond hair grow, until it fell loose almost to her waist; her light, clear skin shone with joviality and her dark blue eyes were so captivating that Mathias soon found it hard to look directly in them.

But her changes not only were noticed by Mathias, but by almost all the guys of the school. The Norwegian girl was the dream of almost every guy and the envy of almost every girl. But as 'popular' as she was, her ways didn't change a bit. Her emotionless, stoic aura intimidated almost in the way Berwald's did, reason why the guys who liked her couldn't get themselves to talk to her, much less ask her out. And the few ones who had the guts to, coincided in having been rejected in the coldest way they had ever been.

This made Mathias jealous to no end. Even if Nora didn't pay any attention to her admirers, just seeing so many guys surrounding her like flies bothered him, and if he ran into Nora being asked out by a guy he would grab her by the arm and drag her with him. She would simply sigh and walk along. This, on the other side, made Mathias' fang girls jealous to no end. It was obvious to them that he liked the Norwegian, and it made them wonder what did she have that they didn't, but mostly, why Mathias liked a girl so weird as her.

By the end of the school year, with Mathias and Berwald's graduation close, the Nordics grew restless. The former just babbled about how exited he was and how big he felt, while the later just examined the situation quietly. As a result of these reflections, he proposed to Tina. He had been accepted in a prestigious medicine university back at his country, while Tina would be staying in the W Academy for another year. This long separation was too much for Berwald, who loved Tina with all his heart, and to make things easier he decided to ensure their relationship. Tina squealed and cried when he proposed, and accepted right away. And though the ring he gave her was just a promise ring, she felt as if they were already married. Their friends' engagement made Mathias think about him and Nora. He didn't even know why she crossed his mind whenever he thought about it, but he just let it go.

As the graduation day drew closer, Nora wanted to get Mathias a present. She had already bought Berwald's, a book she'd heard him say he wanted, but she didn't have the slightest clue of what to give the Dane. She'd gone to her brother for advice, but he'd just shrugged and argued that he didn't understand their friend as to know what he would like for his graduation. At the same time, Mathias wanted to get Nora a present, nothing fancy, just something for her to remember him when he was gone. He didn't know why he wanted so badly for her to remember him. Maybe because it was Nora who he talked about. He, also, went to Emil for advice as in what to give her. What he got from the Icelandic boy was a snort, a smack on the head, much like the ones Nora gave him, and an exasperated lecture about stop fooling around and just going for his sister. At first, Mathias didn't understand what he meant, but at the threatening of another smack he forced his brain into the comprehension of his words. And that's when everything made 'click' in his mind.

Why he insisted on being with her, why he enjoyed her company so much, why his blood boiled every time he saw her with another guy, why he found her indifference so attractive, why he shrugged off all of her insults…..he liked Nora. No, he didn't like her. He was in love with Nora.

The sudden realization of his feelings was a lot for him to process, and the Danish chatterbox was for once speechless. After several minutes of enjoyable silence, in Emil's opinion, Mathias burst out asking what was he supposed to do now. Rolling his eyes, Emil told him he needed to confess to his sister, and with that he kicked the Dane out of his room. The next few days weren't easy for him. In his mind he went through a million ways of confessing his feelings. Flowers, chocolates, kisses, dinners….he thought of everything, and yet nothing seemed to suit him and Nora. Their relationship was much simpler than all that. They were friends. They understood each other without words and, at the end, they were always there for each other. At a moment, the typical thought of ruining their friendship did cross Mathias' mind, but he said 'Screw it!' and went on with his plans.

The day of the graduation there was a nice ceremony. Both Mathias and Berwald got their diplomas and threw their caps on the air along with their generation partners. After the hugs, pictures and congratulations, they could make their way to their girls. Tina embraced Berwald tightly while he blushed and returned the hug. Nora congratulated them both and gave them their presents. Berwald thanked her amiably for his gift while Mathias mumbled excitedly about his. At the end, she used the weaving lessons she had taken when she was little and made him a scarf with the Danish flag, with a matching hat and mittens. He gave her a bone crushing hug. After some complaints from her about her personal space and her need of air he let her go. He met Emil's eyes, which gave him a knowing look, and asked Nora if she could go with him somewhere more private. The girl shrugged and Mathias took her to the back of the school, to the grass field they used to sit at for lunch. He cleared his throat and tried to say something nice before what he had planned, but it all came out in stutters. Nora crossed her arms, waiting. He just sighed and, from his pocket, he took out a small box and a letter and gave them to her. He told her to open the letter first and she did. It was a letter he'd written the night before. After discarding all the cheesy things Tina had suggested him to write he had ended with scarce five lines, just saying how much of a friend she was to him and that he loved her, plain like that.

He watched while she read. Her always serene expression turned to surprise. She opened the blue velvet box to find a navy blue ring with a small stone in the center, shaped like a star. In the back of the lid was written, with black marker 'Would you be my girlfriend?' She looked up to him.

"Would you, Nor?" was all he said. His smile was not the usual cocky grin he wore, but a rather tender, sweet smile. Nora needed several glances to the ring and then back to him to realize what he had said.

"I-I..." her fighting for words gave Mathias confidence and he grabbed the ring, lifting one of her hands and slipping it onto her middle finger. Seeing that she didn't stop him, he took courage and leaned down until their noses were touching. He smirked at the pinky color that crept up to her cheeks and could feel his own face becoming warmer, despite the cold wind that had suddenly started blowing. She stared at him with wide eyes. The tickling in her stomach now spread to all the corners of her body, and it went mad when she felt his warm lips touching hers. At first she didn't know what to do, just standing there with her eyes opened, but then slowly she started closing them and returning his kiss. This made him smile, and he put his arms around her small waist, holding her close to him. She hesitantly raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, running her fingers through his messy golden locks. The need of air made them pull apart, reluctantly. Mathias looked down at her and was surprised to see a soft smile had formed in her mouth. He realized with shock that it was the very first time he saw her smile, at least a smile directed to him.

Since that day they became an official couple as well, earning some frowns from Berwald, blank stares from Emil and a lot of little 'Awwws' from Tina. A week later both guys had to leave, Berwald to Sweden and Mathias to Denmark, for a superior business school he would attend to. Emil, Nora and Tina took them to the airport. Tina and Berwald disappeared almost as soon as they arrived and Emil shrugged and took seat on the waiting room. Nora and Mathias were left to talk and (though denied by Nora) cuddle against each other before a voice on the speakers announced Mathias' flight. He kissed her one last time before boarding the plane. Berwald left minutes later. During the year they were separated Mathias mailed Nora almost every day, asking her how she was and saying how much he missed her. Nora would roll her eyes in annoyance when she opened her mail and found almost five messages of the same day, though she would read and answer each one of them.

Nora and Tina graduated from high school and both Mathias and Berwald attended, since they were on vacation. Tina would go to a university in Finland to study psychology and Nora was going back to Norway for the Norwegian Faculty of Sciences. That night he took her to dine at a nice restaurant and asked her what she thought of marriage. She answered that they weren't ready and that she would like a few years of labor life before settling down. Though he whined childishly, earning a smack on the he head, he ended agreeing that it was too soon. Again they separated, and they kept in touch by mail and the occasional video or phone call, since Mathias argued that he needed to see her or hear her voice. They tried to see each other on their vacations and on every chance they got, and when it happened, Mathias would run up to Nora and embrace her while spinning with her, before placing her down and kissing her with need. The Norwegian girl just shook her head and kissed him back.

In that way the years passed. Tina was in the middle of her practice year, working as an assistant at different hospitals, attending to occasional psychology conferences and going with a psychologist herself; Berwald was half-way with his career, having finished with the basic subjects and starting with his specialization in neurology, while he worked at nights as an assistant in urgencies; Mathias graduated with a degree in Business Administration and had already gotten a job as sales manager of a small company, working twelve hours a day, ten counting his lunch break; Nora was for her last semester, working on her thesis about Darwin's evolution theory, with a part time job as waitress in a café, and planning with some of her partners to open a clinic laboratory; and Emil had just started his second year at an architecture school in Iceland.

With so much going on in their lives, the Nordics hardly ever found time to get together like before. Tina couldn't leave her practices, Berwald had a lot to study, Mathias was too busy working, Nora needed to end her thesis as soon as possible and Emil was just too far away to visit. Nothing changed between Tina and Berwald, but Nora and Mathias' relation grew somewhat colder. Without being able to see each other, both engulfed by their respective occupations and with no time to contact, things started to get chill. However, when the company where Mathias worked merged with some other groups and went from national to transnational, he got a dozen assistants and sub managers just for himself, which, if gave him much more work, also gave him more free time, just when Nora had a year graduated and was working on the recently created 'Livet Lab', which had been a complete success and was already giving her and all her partners considerable profits.

With his new work situation, Mathias often gave himself the time of visiting Nora, who complained that, unlike him, she had plenty of work to do being the lab's first half year. But that didn't stop him from popping in the lab now and then to greet her and, soon, becoming friends with all of Nora's partners, who complimented her on having quite a nice and funny boyfriend. She would look up from the results sheets she was examining and roll her eyes at the comment.

Soon, Tina and Berwald formally engaged and married, reuniting the Nordics for the first time in years. It was during the wedding after-party that Mathias proposed to Nora, arguing that he loved her so much that every day of wait stabbed daggers at his heart, that they had both grown professionally and as persons enough to start a life together, and (slipping away from the speech Berwald had written for him) that it had just been too much time separated and he wanted to hug her badly. Smiling slightly at the last part, the Norwegian girl nodded her head as Mathias cheered loudly, slipping the golden wedding band onto her finger and carrying her bridal-style around the place, earning some puzzled looks from the guests and the usual smack in the head from Nora.

They married shortly after, in a small celebration, despite Mathias' complaints, to which attended the other Nordics, Mathias' friends, work partners and bosses and Nora's partners and some costumers that were already fond of the quiet Norwegian woman. Being now officially husband and wife, they had a lot of matters to attend. First of all was the matter of where they were going to live, but Mathias quickly solved that issue. Not wanting Nora to leave her newly started business, he asked for his transference to the branch office at Norway. He had half as many assistants, half as much free time and quite less salary, but while he could be with Nora it was okay for him. Nora didn't say it aloud, but she was very grateful for it. Second was the matter of the house. Nora's apartment was much smaller than Mathias', which made things difficult when trying to fit two persons in it. Luckily, Mathias was still deciding what to do with his apartment back at Denmark, so he started renting it to make extra money, and soon, they were able to buy a bigger one.

Many more issues popped in their way as they got used to their life as a married couple, but they would always find a way to solve them together. That, also, changed their ways with each other. Instead of rolling her eyes or shrugging whenever Mathias got home complaining, she would ask what was wrong and listen him rant about his bosses or some unfair deal for the next twenty minutes. She would also make dinner for him when he arrived late and try to put up with his childish jokes, though it still annoyed her. In the same way, Mathias would do his best to restrain himself for Nora's sake, as well as respecting her personal space when he sensed that she did not want to be bothered, mostly when she was doing some work she'd had to take home or just reading in the living room. However, he'd make up for it. At night, when they finished eating, he would hug her and kissed her head repeatedly, mumbling something about loving her so much and sometimes, carrying her bridal-style to their room.

But still, he felt they needed something else. After a lot of begging, groveling and some of his best puppy eyes, Nora finally agreed that a child wasn't such a bad idea, but she asked him for at least another year. Mathias happily said that he would wait as long as he needed to. And indeed, two years later Nora gave birth to their daughter, Lovise Kǿhler-Bondevik. She was this pretty little girl with ash-blond hair, big gray eyes and light skin. Nora resulted to be a very good mother. When it was about her baby, she was sweet and caring, talking to her with so much affection and so much kindness in her eyes that Mathias often pouted and said that he was a baby as well. Nora would roll her eyes at him and take her attention back to Lovise, who was giggling, apparently amused by her parents' relation. Mathias was also a good father, a very good father actually. Maybe he was clueless at making baby foods and changing diapers, but he was the nicest and funniest dad any kid could ever have.

Lovise grew finely into a nice little girl, and the space in their small home was never a matter. However, when Lovise was eight years old Nora and Mathias had another baby, this time a baby boy, who they named Stian, and things got a bit difficult. But with some help from Emil, who was now a well renowned architect, they got quite a nice house built in an agreeable neighborhood, with enough space for the now family-of-four; and all for a really good price.

And the years passed. Lovise turned into a beautiful young woman while Stian became a handsome teen boy, who looked so much like his father it was scary. During her college years, studying the same career her father had, Lovise met an attractive Swedish guy named Hemming, who happened to be no other than Tina and Berwald's son, who was traveling around the world after finishing his career of English literature. Soon, too soon for Nora's liking, Lovise and Hemming got engaged and married. Mathias argued he was not ready to let his little girl go, and he spent the wedding ceremony and party mumbling things about it seeming yesterday that she was born and whining at the thought of never being able to attempt to change her diapers again. On the other side, he looked forward to see them as a couple, for he found them to be a quite strange one. His daughter was just like Nora, quiet and serene, and Hemming was like a younger version of Berwald, as serious and somewhat scary as his friend. But at imagining them together, he started to grin excitedly, just to sink again on his 'depression'. Nora and Stian just watched him, the first shaking her head at her husband's childishness and the later covering his face, rather embarrassed by his father's behavior.

Not even four months had passed when the couple went to dine with Lovise's parents and announced that she was pregnant. Mathias immediately grinned madly and squeezed her daughter in a hug, patting his son-in-law on the back, unconsciously, with a tremendous amount of strength, which made the young man wince in pain. Nora congratulated them both and kissed her daughter on the cheek while Stian just asked if it wasn't a bit soon, earning a glare from his mother.

Lovise and Hemming had twins, a boy and a girl named Aage and Vibeka. Aage looked a lot like his mother, with the same blond hair and gray eyes, while Vibeka had auburn hair and deep blue eyes that resembled her father's. Mathias loved those kids. Every time Lovise and Hemming had something important to do and couldn't take the kids with them, Mathias was the first in volunteer to watch them. Aage and Vibeka were very fond of their grandfather, always looking up to his funny ways and his clever advice…

"Bedstefar!" both siblings said at the same time.

"What?" Mathias asked innocently as he raised his hands. "Come on, don't you love your old man?" he asked. They laughed and nodded.

"But you told us the story of your life, bedstefar. You never answered the question" Vibeka complained.

"Yes, yes, we know what's next. Uncle Stian went to England to his weird school of baviation…"

"Don't you mean 'aviation' buddy?"

"Whatever! He went…there, and then he met aunt Elise and …."

"Her dad scares me" Vibeka commented. Mathias laughed.

"Well yeah, Artie was always a weird guy."

"Whatever!" the kid snapped, flushed from being interrupted twice "What I'm saying Vi, is that bedstefar never told us why he loves bestemor."

"Yes, tell us!" Vibeka urged.

"Time to eat!" a voice called. Seconds later Nora appeared in the living room.

"Kids, time to eat" she said.

"Aw but bedstefar was..."

"Stories can wait until later, now you have to eat."

"But-"

Nora gave her grandchildren a stern look.

"Yes bestemor" both kids said and headed to wash their hands. Mathias raised from his armchair.

"I don't know what you were telling them but they seemed pretty interested" she told him. He looked at her, slowly taking her hand and lifting it up to his lips, rubbing gently her fingers and caressing the golden wedding band and the navy blue ring that adorned them. She frowned, making him smile.

No matter how much they insisted, no matter how many times they asked him, he would never be able to give an answer. Why he loved Nora? Well, why shouldn't he love her? It wasn't something he could get to explain with words. He loved her just for being who she was, for being Nora Bondevik. His wife, and the love of his life, Nora Kǿhler-Bondevik.

A/N: And I gotta say, I liked it :P Really. Recently I've been reading a lot of fluffy Denmark x Norway stories and I got this idea and started writing right away. In here they are not nations but mere humans (mere awesome humans, mind you xD). Actually, Lovise is one of the names I found for Fem! Norway, but I liked Nora better so I used Lovise for their daughter :P

Anyway, this was my first actual fluff (or semi fluff) so tell me how I did. Criticism welcome (constructive criticism please ).

Thanks for reading! See you! ;)

Translations:

Bedstefar-Grandfather (Danish)

Bestemor-Grandmother (Norwegian)

Livet-Life (Norwegian)

PS: Since I don't know Norwegian or Danish I used Google Translate :P Feel free to correct if needed

PS2: How many of you noticed my little 'Iggy' reference? Yeah I know it was not very clear but it was there! Tell me if you could figure his role in all this :P