Listen To Your Heart
I DO NOT OWN HETALIA AND THE PICTURE!
This fanfic is dedicated to my friend, nonchalant-turtle.
This situation seemed so familiar to Norway; he was enjoying this particular cold winter day by reading a book at home when his silence was interrupted by a cheery Denmark. The smaller male placed a bookmark in his current reading spot and closed the book, knowing that he wouldn't be able to concentrate once the Dane would start talking and entering his personal space. As Norway had predicted, once the taller nation had entered through the front door, the beautiful silence was broken.
"Nooooooooooorway! Let's go do something together!" The Dane shouted excitedly once he spotted Norway sitting in the living room. Although Norway was used to this annoying behaviour, he felt angrier than usual that his peaceful alone time was disrupted. He had been so busy with handling paperwork, attending meetings and checking on his brother that this had been his first quiet moment alone in at least a week. The smaller male had just wanted to relax and finish the book that had been laying lifeless on his living room table, just begging to be opened and for the pages to be flipped one by one. He was tired, irritated and the last thing he needed was a Dane barging into his house unannounced and getting on his nerves the way only Denmark could.
"Go away," Norway muttered, hoping that just once, the taller nation would listen to his words. Of course, his effort had been in vain and Denmark's only reaction was to smile even wider.
"Don't be like that, Nor. You know you love me and are honoured to be in my presence," Denmark rebuts cheekily. The taller man loved teasing the other nation and nothing was better than getting a reaction out of the usually stoic blonde. It made the butterflies in Denmark's stomach flutter when he knew that all those expressions were because of him and directed at only him. However, there was something about the expression currently on Norway's face that didn't give him the same fluttering feeling that usually surrounded him. Instead, the burning eyes, furrowed brows and tight lipped mouth were making him nervous. The smaller blonde had never reacted like this and the clenched fists that were shaking in fury made the other nation realise that something was different today. Denmark confirmed it when Norway slowly stood from his seat and took a few solid steps to face the taller nation, his eyes portraying utter loathing.
"Let me make this clear once and for all: I do not love you and I absolutely despise being in your presence. I wish you would just leave me alone and never come back. I've put up with you long enough and yet you still didn't get all the hints that I don't want to be around you. I wish I had never met such a dumb and annoying excuse of a nation."
Denmark was speechless for the first time in centuries. The smaller nation hadn't even shouted, but his voice had still sent shivers down the Dane's spine from fear. He had never witnessed Norway this furious and the disgust in those blue eyes finally made Denmark realise that he wasn't welcome here. The sudden realisation brought tears to his eyes and it took a lot of strength to keep them at bay. He had always thought that his teasing and continuous attempts at hanging out with the other nation had never bothered Norway. The taller nation always believed that the other was simply playing hard to get and trying to make Denmark work hard for Norway's attention. The utterly cold confession hurt the taller nation a lot more than he expected and as the words kept replaying in his head, the Dane hadn't even realised that some tears had rolled down his face.
"I-I see. I, uh, I just remembered that I...I have some paperwork I should be doing," Denmark said, trying hard to keep his voice steady and stop the pain from showing on his face. He quickly made his way to the door that he had only entered a few minutes ago and turned his back to the other nation, not wanting Norway to see the continuous waterfall of tears that he could no longer hold back. The blond left the house and drove away from the nation that caused him the current pain he felt. No matter how far he drove, his mind was still replaying Norway's words and Denmark wondered if he could ever recover from this one-sided love that he should have known would only ever end up hurting him.
-Listen To Your Heart-
It had already been a month since Norway's harsh confession and Denmark hadn't visited the smaller nation since. Actually, the shorter blond had only seen the Dutch during world meetings and even then, the Dane hadn't acknowledged the smaller nation, constantly chatting and laughing with America and Prussia.
Norway had thought that this sudden peace and uninterrupted quiet time would please him, but something in the back of his mind told him that he missed the usual interruptions. The taller nation always barged in uninvited, but Denmark's carefree and happy attitude had always lifted Norway's mood. He missed the way the Dane smiled at him, tried to make him laugh and give his undivided attention to the smaller nation. However, what he missed most was the nation's comforting presence.
He hadn't realised how much he actually had enjoyed Denmark being around. His presence was always uplifting (even if he was being annoying) and could change the Norwegian's mood without the shorter nation even realising it. Whilst the Dane was often cheery and loud, Norway appreciated the taller nation's effort to lighten the mood and make everyone comfortable. Denmark had given Norway and the other Nordics all the attention, care and love that the Dane had always hoped would be returned to him.
It made the shorter nation feel guilty, once he realised that he had upset Denmark when the other nation was only trying to make Norway feel happy, appreciated and like someone cared for him. The other Nordic nation had never asked for anything in return, except for the same affection and appreciation that he never received. The more Norway thought about this fact, the guiltier he felt and the more he wanted to apologise to the other nation. His heart was reminding him of how much he wanted to see Denmark's bright smile again and it was all the motivation the Norwegian needed to make his way to the Dane's house.
-Listen To Your Heart-
He didn't quite know why, but for some reason, Norway felt nervous as he stood in front of Denmark's house. All it took was a simple knock and he would be inside and apologising to the taller nation, but the Norwegian kept retreating his hand before it could knock and make Denmark aware of the smaller nation's presence. The nation was getting nervous and started to regret coming here, wondering if it was too late to go back and pretend he had never been here. However, before he could go through with this plan, a cough from behind snapped him out of his thoughts and when he turned around, he was faced with Denmark. Well, now it's definitely too late to go back, Norway thought, as he moved away from the door and let the Dane open it. The smaller blond followed the other nation inside and made sure to close the door again before he sat on one of the couches in the Dane's living room.
The atmosphere was tense and Norway felt more nervous than before. Denmark had always been the one to initiate a conversation between the two, as he smiled cheerfully and created a comfortable surrounding. However, the taller blonde hadn't said one word so far, showed no hint of a smile and Norway had never felt this awkward around Denmark before. He wasn't sure how to begin their conversation, considering how rude he had been the last time. Should he casually say hello? Should he apologise first?
Before the smaller nation could keep asking himself these questions, he noticed that the Dane had sat down on the opposite seat, arms folded, eyebrows furrowed and frown in place. The look made Norway want to curl up a little and hide from the strong gaze that pierced him. He missed that goofy smile that lit up a room and made him feel loved.
"Why are you here?" The Dane asked coldly, clearly wanting to make this conversation short and clear.
"I...um….I wanted to talk to you," Norway stuttered, not used to this cold Denmark and also unprepared as to how he should explain himself. Usually, Denmark was kind and forgiving, but he had never been insulted and hurt so terribly by another nation. The smaller blond was anxious that Denmark wouldn't accept his apology and continue to avoid him.
"Then talk," the taller nation said sternly.
"I...I want to apologise. I'm sorry about what I said to you last time," Norway said nervously. He felt like a little bit of weight had been lifted from his shoulders, now that he finally apologised. However, there was still a heavy weight remaining, as the shorter nation waited for Denmark's response.
Denmark let out a cold, sarcastic laugh that chilled Norway to the core. Not only did it mean that the Dane was still angry at him, but it was so different from the beautiful, cheerful laugh that usually came out of the nation's mouth. He wanted to hear that laugh that made anyone smile and instantly lift their mood and expressed Denmark's pure happiness and excitement.
"I can't forgive you this time, Norway. You went too far and hurt me more than anyone has before. It's been a month and my mind still repeats what you said to me," Denmark said, pain and hurt evident in his voice. Norway couldn't look at the Dane's face, already feeling guilty without seeing the sadness that would be in the other nation's eyes. He kept his eyes trained on the fists in his lap, trying to sort of his thoughts and find a response to Denmark's confession.
"I'm so sorry. You don't know how much I regret my words and I wish I could take them back."
"It wasn't just your words, Norway. I could see how genuine you were with what you said; you completely hated me and wanted me gone. You really meant it when you called me an excuse of a nation. Even if I forgave you, I don't think I could trust you or be the same around you ever again. I think it would be best if we only interact for the sake of our countries and no more." The firmness in the Dane's voice made Norway realise that this was the final decision and nothing the shorter nation could do or say would change Denmark's mind. For the first time in a while, Norway could feel tears building up,but he refused to let them escape until he was alone and no one would be able to witness him crying. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm as he spoke to Denmark again.
"I understand. We will keep our relationship purely professional," Norway said, trying to keep his voice from breaking or indicating that he was close to letting the tears flow. He stood up, still not making any attempt to look at Denmark and heading for the door. His heart was telling him to turn around and try talking to the Dane again, but the shorter nation listened to his head as he left Denmark's house. Listening to his heart had already failed him before and he didn't want to try again; he would only hurt someone else.
"To anyone who knows a writer, never underestimate the power of your encouragement." - Matthew Reilly