Here is one of my submissions for the Whale Pair Fest on LiveJournal, and you should check out the other submissions!
The prompt for this was language.
Rule #1 of living with Denmark: never tell him a secret. Rule #2: always keep your door locked at night. Unfortunately for Iceland, he had forgotten both of these rules.
Apparently the Dane had heard him muttering in his sleep the night before, so he had slipped into Iceland's room to listen better. Iceland had been dreaming about Norway and must have said his name in his sleep. Surprised, Denmark had shaken him awake and asked why he would be dreaming about his brother.
"Miss 'im," Iceland had mumbled in his half-awake state.
"Well, he's stopping by tomorrow to visit," Denmark had said.
Iceland woke up in the morning with a very bad feeling. He walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast and found Denmark sitting at the table, smiling at him widely. His unease grew.
"What the hell are you smiling about, idiot?" he spat.
"You were dreaming about Norge last night," his keeper answered, smiling wider. "I just think it's adorable."
"Whatever." Iceland rolled his eyes and made himself a bowl of oatmeal. He kept his face blank, hoping Denmark wouldn't notice his embarrassment.
"Do you remember that he's coming over to visit today?"
"Uh huh."
"I bet he'll be happy to hear how much you miss him." Iceland froze, his face flushing. He whirled around to glare at the Dane.
"You wouldn't," he hissed. Denmark assessed his reaction and nodded knowingly.
"Why wouldn't I? It's perfectly natural for you to miss your brother. Unless you miss him in another way…"
"Sh-shut up," Iceland mumbled.
"So you do miss him more…"
"Don't you dare say another word!" Iceland walked closer to where Denmark was sitting.
"Woah there, kid," said the Dane, holding his hands in front of him. "I won't say anything to Norge, but you've gotta do something in turn for me."
"And what would that be?" asked the Icelander through gritted teeth. Denmark smiled again.
"You have to speak in Danish for the rest of the day. Only in Danish."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I am not speaking your stupid language, especially to Noregur."
"Aw, come on, Icy! It'll be fun! Besides, you don't have much of a choice."
"Skít, fine, have it your way." Iceland's unease grew even more. Sure, he could speak Danish, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. And to speak it to his brother, who still held a grudge for being forced to speak it himself…But if he didn't, Denmark would tell him how Iceland really felt.
"Good." The Dane smiled happily. "Starting now, du taler dansk!"
Norway arrived shortly after lunch. Iceland decided to speak as minimally as possible. He knew his brother would be suspicious of his choice of language and probably demand an explanation. Denmark was having too much fun talking to his colony in his own language, and it annoyed Iceland to no end.
"Han er her!" said the Dane when they heard Norway's knock. "Hej!" he said, throwing open the door and wrapping his friend in a tight hug. "Long time, no see."
"Uh, hei…" Norway said quietly as he tried to wriggle out of Denmark's arms. He finally got free and walked over to Iceland, who was standing silently across the room. "Hei, Island," he said, pulled the younger into a hug.
"Hej, Nore…Norge," Iceland mumbled, hoping his brother wouldn't hear him. He did.
"What did you say?" he asked, pulling back to look into violet eyes.
"Hej." Norway gave him a long stare before releasing him.
"So, how have you two been?" he asked casually, sitting on the couch.
"We've been alright," answered Denmark, sitting down next to him. Iceland was glad for once that his caretaker liked to answer for him. "How're you and Sverige?"
"He's fine; I'm fine. I just kinda hoped I would have my independence by now."
"Well, don't give up!"
"You're awfully quiet, Island." Norway's cold stare cut through him, and he shuddered. "Is something wrong?"
"N-nej."
"Sidde med os, Island," Denmark said, smirking. Following orders, Iceland sat with them on the couch. However, he sat on the other side of Denmark instead of next to his brother. Of course, Norway noticed. He leaned forward to look at him.
"How is it living with this idiot, lillebror?"
"G-god."
"Are you…speaking Danish?"
"Ja…"
Norway looked angrily at Denmark. "This is your doing, I'm assuming?"
"He's choosing to speak it; I'm not forcing him or anything," Denmark replied shrugging. "Isn't that right, Island?" Iceland swallowed hard and nodded slowly. Technically, he was choosing to speak Danish. Technically, he didn't want his brother to find out that he liked him.
Norway's face went blank, but Iceland could see his lips purse ever so slightly, signaling that he was disappointed. His heart sank.
"Nore-Norge," he began, but stopped when he realized he had no idea what to say. His brother stared into his own lap, refusing to look him in the eye.
Iceland stood up and walked quietly out of the room with clenched fists and a deep frown on his face. He slumped to the ground in the hallway and buried his face in his hands. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell Norway how he felt. It had to be better than feeling like a traitor, right?
"—to 'im…"
Iceland looked up at the sound of Norway's voice in the living room. He strained his ears to hear him.
"Whad'ya say, Nor?" Denmark asked.
"What did you do to him," came the flat, quiet response.
"I don't know what you mean…"
"What did you do to my lillebror?"
"I-I didn't do anything to him!" Denmark was right to be nervous. Norway sounded positively murderous. Iceland wondered if he should intervene in some way.
"The Ice I knew would never willingly speak your stupid language. So tell me. What. Did. You. Do. To. Him." There was a crash, and Iceland immediately stood up and ran back into the living room.
"Storebror!" he shouted, pronouncing it in Norwegian. Norway turned around, the shadow of a smirk crossing his lips.
"Ja, lillebror?" The crash had come from the coffee table. Norway had probably knocked it over from standing up too fast. Iceland breathed a sigh of relief until he saw Denmark's expectant face.
"Skít," he muttered, looking down at his feet. It was time to tell the truth. "Dan and I made a deal that if I spoke Danish for the rest of the day, he wouldn't tell you how much I missed you."
Norway's eyebrows rose slightly, and he turned to Denmark. "Bror, out." Denmark hurried out the front door and closed it behind him, leaving the two brothers alone. Iceland had never felt so vulnerable.
Norway slowly approached him and placed his hands on his younger brother's shoulders then he smiled. "I missed you, too, lillebror."
Iceland wanted to close his eyes and breathe in the scent of his brother. He wanted to smile as he was lost in the smell of the salty sea and pine trees. He wanted to rest his head on the other man's shoulder and be held, like when he was little.
He wanted to, but an annoying voice in the back of his mind told him he needed to clarify.
"Noregur, I missed you a lot," he said carefully.
"Me too, Island."
"More than I should have…"
"Says who? Are there rules for how much one person is allowed to miss another?"
"There are rules for how much a person should care for his brother."
That got the Norwegian's attention. His deep indigo eyes stared deeply into Iceland's violet eyes.
"Island, do you…love me? In a non-brotherly way?"
Iceland broke eye contact with his brother, unable to answer him directly. That was answer enough for Norway. His hands remained in place, but he said nothing for several moments. That was also answer enough for Iceland. He shrugged off the cold hands keeping him on the spot and turned to walk out of the room.
"Is, I'm not done talking to you," Norway said quietly.
"There's nothing left to say," Iceland muttered, walking away. Suddenly, he was grabbed and pulled into a tight hug. "N-Nore?"
"Jeg elsker deg også, Island."
Iceland took a moment to enjoy the forest and ocean smells before realizing what his brother had just said. He clung to Norway and buried his face in the older man's shoulder.
"Ég elska þig. Ég elska þig, Noregur," he whispered. "But you're going to leave again."
"I'll come back for you. When I'm independent again, I'll come back for you."
Iceland hugged his brother tighter and allowed himself to smile. He knew it wasn't going to happen. Even if Denmark was willing to let him go, there was no way his boss would give Iceland back to Norway. But for now, it was a nice dream.