In his arms (Norway x Iceland)

The silver-blonde boy crashed down the stairs in a bundle of yells and thuds, before landing upside down against a stone wall. "Nyaa… D…Denmark you are sooo… mmmm…DEAD!" He regained his composure and tried to roll over but a sharp pain in his leg ceased his efforts.

Norway glanced up from the book that he was half-heartedly reading, just in time to see the crash. He debated ignoring it but his curiosity took over, so he set his book down on the table and stood up to watch the unfolding scene closer.

Cursing under his breath the Icelandic boy shifted his weight from the pain. All he had wanted was to nip downstairs for a drink and, thanks to Denmark's inability to look where he was going, Iceland had managed to make it down the stairs much faster than he would have liked. "SORRY ICEY!" the Dane yelled and left it at that, "You will be…" he mumbled to himself. What a brilliant start to the day.

Norway smirked slightly, a rare occurrence for him; at least he wasn't the only one getting annoyed by the brain-dead Dane's antics. "Be polite now Icey," he sighed with a hint of sarcasm, "after all, you, are the one face-planting a carpet."

"Eh? Oh, Norge," Iceland huffed; of all the people-why him? He didn't want to seem weak in front of his 'brother' but in this case there really wasn't any other choice "whatever… Could you just be helping me up, please?"

"I could help you…" The Norwegian tapped his foot mockingly stroking his chin in thought "Buuuut~" he crouched down to the ground and bought his lips close to Iceland's ear "You have to-" He whispers into his ear.

"Whaaat!" gasped Iceland "of all the things, THAT! No way, not interested." Norway jumped up and turned on his heel, crossing his arms grumpily across his chest. "You used to do it all the time when you were younger you know, I didn't even have to force you." Really, Norway had expected that very reply but he refused to give up, "just do it, please, and I'll help you: just call me onii-chan-"

"Not a chance in hell Norge!" Iceland knew that wouldn't be the end of it but he reached out his hand anyway knowing that the Norwegian would have no choice.

Sighing Norway turned to grasp the other's hand and in no time had him back on his feet. "Maybe I just don't deserve that name nowadays…" Norge mumbled under his breath.

"Hey! I have better hearing than that you know." Iceland reviewed that last comment trying to work out if Norway was kidding or not, figuring out things like that just by looking at him was almost an impossibility. Noticing the pending silence Icey tried to fill it "I…It's just… I'm not a kid anymore: I would not call anyone that."

Norway had meant that but also enjoyed the awkward look on the Icelandic's face- it could even have been slightly cute. "I'll just make you say it another day," he sighed figuring his fun was over. Norge settled down on the couch to continue reading his boring book.

Iceland limped over to the couch. Having been put off from going back upstairs he awkwardly set himself down beside his 'brother' trying subtly to see the front of the book. Norway turned so that he could see; this was mostly because he was bored and his 'brother' never failed to amuse him. However this sudden change in attitude seemed to upset the other boy.

"I'll never understand you, you know?" Iceland half asked, half shouted "Everyone assumes do but who are they to make that assumption? They think I'm just like you but you're just so… Well a minute ago, you helped me up despite what you said, but then you walked off like I had upset you or something, but now it's like nothing ever happened!" Norway's eyes appeared momentarily over the top of his book "You didn't upset me, therefore nothing happened." Lies. He hated them but the truth was worse. He mock pouted and put on a silly voice "aww, does diddums expect me to start crying because you won't call me onii-chan?"

Iceland sweat-dropped "n…not really… that would be a first," he thought for a second "hey, I've never actually been seeing you cry before: that itself would be a feat…"

"Crying is a stupid waste of time, it only makes your eyes red and puffy," Norway couldn't actually remember the last time he had cried in front of somebody- he normally waited until he was alone. "Of course you cried loads when you were younger, Icey."

"Shut up!" Iceland felt an embarrassed blush creep up to his cheeks "I…I didn't! Did I?"

"Well, if I left you alone you would cry for me to come back and you would sob for hours after I came back…" Norway stared into space momentarily lost in his own memories.

Iceland watched as Norway stared catching a hint of something in his eyes, the merest glint of emotion perhaps "liar…" he mumbled but he knew it was all true. He could still remember that empty feeling whenever he was left alone, vulnerable, weak, scared. Left by his own brother, his brother…

"You know I'm not lying," Norway broke the silence "I used to be your whole world." But I'm not that anymore, he thought to himself. That rendered Iceland pretty much speechless, "whole world…" that brought up brutal memories of the dark times where he had to fend for himself, where he was alone. Part of that made him what he was today, I wonder if Norway worried about me, was I never truly stranded? He thought to himself. "Yes," Norway confirmed… Well that's what you said once anyway… 'Does onii-chan know that he is very important to me? Onii-chan is my whole world!'" He recited in a squeaky voice. "That was so many moons ago… You were so cute back then." He tried smile but it felt wrong on his face.

Iceland blushed again- this time at the embarrassment of being called 'cute', he didn't want to be cute; he wanted to be strong, to not get picked on all the time, he wanted anything but to be 'small and cute'. He thought the war would be a chance to prove that- however he was wrong. But of all the things he could have said: "hey! I did not talk like that!"

He's blushing, Norway thought- he knew Iceland would amuse him somehow "You might not talk like that now but you did, I remember it clearly: you spent the rest of the night crying in my arms until you fell asleep." Iceland blushed more yelling "you're just saying stuff like that on purpose!"

"I'm saying the truth, unless you're too obnoxious to want to hear it,"

"Oh come on oni- NORGE! N…Norge!"

"I'm at least glad that we're talking for once," added Norway "hold on, what did you nearly call me?" He mocked looking directly at Iceland.

"Err… How about I tell you something that even you don't know!" Swift change of subject.

"You're changing the topic, fine, tell me this something." Norway sighed.

Iceland took a deep breath "When my country went to war it felt like I was being torn apart, but when I had to take to the field myself… That was when I grew up. I couldn't bring myself to fall back onto my brother at a time like that. I felt like I needed to be by myself, to sort everything out on my own so that things could go back to normal.

But it never can be.

I was wrong and I regret it, I wanted to be by myself, but now I can't think of anything worse. I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I'm so selfish, I'm s…sorry." Iceland looked down amazed and surprised at what he had just said but tears stung his eyes despite what attempt he made to hold them back.

Norway then did something that even he didn't expect: he pulled Iceland into a tight embrace. "War is hard on everyone. You thought you could handle it on your own, you made a mistake and everyone does that- mine was letting you go. It isn't selfish, even if it was you'd still be an important person to me."

Memories flashed all at once through Iceland's mind, he could suddenly see the times where he would cry himself to sleep alone and scared. All these sad visions and memories were too much- Iceland broke down in tears while clinging desperately to Norway's shoulder, sobbing into his clothes. Norway had no idea what to say so he just held Iceland. He never knew that the past had such a large effect on Icey, but he did know that whatever happened he would be there for him.

Iceland was too caught up in his own tears to realise what he was doing; he couldn't move or say as much as a sentence. However he eventually mustered up the courage to say what he knew must be said- this whole time he never even knew why that word just couldn't escape his lips. It bought up the memories: but not anymore. "I'm s…sorry onii-c…chan, onii-chan onii-c…chan… chan…" And for the first time in hundreds of years, Iceland cried himself to sleep in Norway's arms.