Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, Himaruya does!
AllyHWarner requested this over on deviantART. This is also my first actual het fic.~
As always, reviews = love. They keep me writing. (Also, I encourage you guys to review and let me know how I did with this! I'm rather nervous about it.)
Enjoy?~

Tromsø

"Why did you want to come to Norway all of a sudden? It makes no sense to me… it is almost as if you decided to do this overnight."

From his perch in the car beside possibly his closest friend, Heracles watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's a surprise," he stated simply, gaze returning to the window of the tiny cab.

Sakura's mouth twitched uncertainly, though after a long moment she nodded. "Well then, can you tell me how close we are to our destination if you will not tell me where we are going?" An endearing accent ornamented her speech, something that Heracles had found especially cute but of course had never told her.

"Impatient today? That's unlike you, Sakura…"

Sakura sighed; Heracles could picture her expression at that moment, brows drawn together in light frustration (though she'd never admit it). "Please, you must understand why I ask so many questions. Would you not feel the same if I had come to your home and whisked you right out of the door, only revealing to you that we should go on vacation in Norway and that today was perfect for just that occasion? Not paying any mind to the cleaning that had to be done today…"

The Mediterranean man shifted to face Sakura directly, one sienna brow quirked though his expression remained neutral. "Are you trying to say that you'd rather stay home and clean instead of coming with me on a trip to Norway?"

"N-No, you misunderstand—"

The rocky voice of the forgotten cabbie interjected then, just before the car jolted to a stop. "We've arrived."

"Ah, thanks," Heracles half-whispered as he rummaged through a pocket of the khaki jacket that he wore, pulling out a rolled-up wad of bills and handing it to the cabbie. "Don't worry about making change."

The cabbie's initial surprise, directly followed by delight hung tangibly in the air as the two removed themselves from the car; Heracles trotted around to Sakura's side, almost automatically reaching out and clutching her hand, slightly tanned fingers threading through flawless porcelain. "We have to walk for a little bit. Are you cold?" At the answering shake of Sakura's head, he continued. "We will be staying out after dark… please tell me if you get cold at any time, okay?"

"Yes, of course… why are we staying out after sunset?" Chocolate drop eyes remained locked on the back of Heracles's head, an infinitesimal smile ghosting across rosebud lips at the first glimpse of the distinctive strand of split hair that stuck up at all times, curled in opposite directions at its ends.

"I thought I've told you already, Sakura. It's a surprise." A breathy chuckle resonated in Heracles's throat as he began to pace toward what appeared to be the center of an open field, peridot eyes scrutinizing the darkening edge of the fiery horizon, hot with orange and embellished with lavender streaks. A matter of minutes.

His brisk pace ground to a halt as they approached a well-placed woolen knit blanket spread out along short, wheat-hued grass. Without relinquishing his hold on Sakura's hand he crumpled into a sitting position upon the blanket, knowing that his friend would soon follow.

And that she did: she mimicked Heracles, removing her hand from his as she lay back against the blanket, hands smoothing down the cherry blossom kimono that she wore. "Wait… we are in Tromso, right?" Her gaze drifted away from the sky and back over to Heracles, who had stuck his arm behind him to lean back.

"Yes… we have to be careful. Even though it isn't yet winter, it still gets really chilly…"

"If you wanted to come to Norway to sightsee for a trip… why did we come to Tromso? Why not the capital of Oslo instead? Something about that seems a bit off to me, honestly." Her gloved left hand moved to rest on the blanket beside her, her right still buffering her stomach.

Something about the way Heracles looked at her then, the way that he held his head and gazed down upon her coaxed rouge into pale cheeks. Waning rays of sunlight filtered through the emerald of his irises, setting them ablaze before the sun dipped underneath the mountains to the west. "Would it make sense to you if I told you that I had already been to Oslo before?" An enigmatic smile upturned the corners of his mouth.

"Yes, I guess it would," she replied thoughtfully, eyes shifting to watch the sky plummet through shades and colors, hues of midnight permeating the natural ceiling from the edges of the world.

Though she couldn't exactly discern when, Heracles's right hand had found her vacant left upon the blanket and had once again replaced his fingers against hers—she could have sworn then that the sun had disappeared into his hands from the warmth that they exuded. It definitely took her mind off of the wintery nip of nighttime that embellished gentle breezes. She found herself sidling closer and closer to Heracles, until her shoulder nudged the side of his thigh; ever the while he watched her with a content smile present on his face. She couldn't distinctly recall him smiling so much in the years that she had known him.

And it was then that verdant fire ignited the sky.

Heracles's smile expanded as Sakura sat up beside him, fathomless dark eyes bulging as calm light radiated against the obsidian sky overhead in vertical waves. The color glittered in her eyes as she turned her attention to her friend after what felt like eons, a knowing look adorning her expression. "This is why you brought me to Tromso on such short notice."

"You're half right. This is only part of it, love."

Before she could properly react, the unassuming rose tingeing crimson in her cheeks, Heracles curled his free arm around her narrow shoulders and leant in close, pausing for about a fraction of a second before he claimed her lips, verdigris eyes fluttering to half-mast. He felt all of the muscles in her body freeze up, astonishment at such forwardness kindling her pointed features before she relaxed into him, her grip tightening on his hand, heart thrumming faster than the beat of hummingbird wings. He pulled away after a bit, though he didn't move anywhere from her, foreheads pressed against one another's. "Sakura, how long have we known each other?"

She shrugged, unsure at first if she could speak without stammering. "Years… over a decade, Heracles."

"What is today's date?"

One arched brow piqued, though she decided inwardly not to question it. After all, where had her questions gotten her up to this point, besides roundabout answers? "The twenty-second of February."

Heracles's smile turned almost sheepish, mimicking an expression that he would've worn as a teenager. "Well… twelve years ago now, to the day, we met. We've known each other for twelve long years, Sakura… I want to know more of you. I want to spend more time with you, to understand completely the wonderful person that you are… Saku, I want to be with you. More than just friends."

Whatever possible response that Sakura had thought up to her friend's declaration had been kidnapped out of her mind, rendered silent by his last statement.

"Sakura…"

At that moment she knew what he was going to say. She knew to expect three simple words, because she had been raised to expect this, childhood littered with overzealously romantic Disney movies. But despite this expectation, something else dawned on her, something novel: she knew that she loved the man in front of her, whose forehead was glued to her own at that particular stitch in time. Of this she was certain. And she knew that she dearly wanted him to love her as much as she did him.

And he did.

"I love you."

She answered him with a simple peck on his lips, a smile larger and more exuberant than Heracles had ever seen illuminating her expression, sparking a dimple at the corner of her mouth.

"I love you too."

Fin.