AN: Denmark = Andersen
Lukas = Norway)

It wasn't like most mornings.

Andersen woke up to an empty bed. Usually on his days off, he would wake up first and make Lukas coffee, and sometimes he would add in a little extra flavor to surprise his late-waking husband. Then he would either try to pester Lukas awake, usually by peppering him with kisses, or make him breakfast. On the off-chance his spouse dragged himself out of bed first, he would return the favor, though Andersen would never admit that he'd play possum some mornings to get Lukas to make him bacon. In his opinion, Lukas knew how to make the absolute best bacon.

Andersen shook himself out of his dreamy thoughts of bacon, shuffled out of bed, and plodded out to the kitchen. The only thing that greeted him was his red and white cycling skin suit draped over one of the chairs and a neatly written note:

You're going to want to wear this today. Directions are on your bike. Your lunch is in the fridge.
-Lukas

He quickly ate a light breakfast, then went to slip on his cycling gear and grabbed his lunch before going out to inspect his bike. There was a folded piece of paper attached to his already-filled water bottle.

The paper was a map that showed the route he was supposed to take, complete with spots he would be able to rest, with the last stop indicated with a small house. Andersen carefully traced the line with his finger a few times, and he noticed how it wound around the fjord not far from Lukas's home. He gave a smile each time he saw the one marked 'lunch' middle of the line. Puzzled about what Lukas had in mind, he eagerly pedaled off and hoped he'd soon find out.

It really wasn't like most mornings.

Andersen arrived at his first stop about an hour and a half later, which was considerably longer than he had anticipated. He studied the map again, only to realize that there wasn't anything on the map that indicated scale.

"Of course he doesn't want me to know how long I'll be cycling… Should've guessed," he muttered peevishly under his breath. It made sense, though; Lukas was all-or-nothing when it came to surprises. As much as that frustrated Andersen, he also knew that he loved his husband's surprises. Lukas could be such a terrible tease and definitely wasn't a stranger to making Andersen work for something.
The sun slowly crawled overhead as Andersen continued his (what he chose to call) 'epic quest'. Though the route was long and winding, it was also beautiful. It mostly provided stunning overlooks of the blue water and the green slopes that were becoming more mottled as they changed over for fall.

Each stop was familiar to him; they were places they had gone for various outings over the past seasons. Most, from what he recalled, were ones that he had picked out so he could sketch or paint ideas while Lukas had chosen to simply read or watch him work. He fondly remembered the place where he stopped and ate lunch; it was a favorite spot of his husband's to have picnics. His other half would always finish his meal and then lay down in the sun to nap. Andersen chuckled at the various times he had fallen asleep next to him, only to ruin the moment by panicking when he felt a spider crawl over him. Or that one time he had been woken up by a curious fawn trying to eat his hair. Lukas had been awake the whole time and hadn't moved an inch, having decided to simply watch the rare moment. He had later commented that the entire situation had been 'beautiful', which had made the other blush and sputter indignantly and correct him, saying that 'men aren't supposed to be beautiful!'

Distracted by thoughts of fond memories, time passed quickly. The trees grew thicker and taller as he went. Just as the sun dipped behind the fjord's western rim, Andersen approached a fork in the path. He glanced at the map, which indicated that he needed to go left to reach his destination. At the faint smell of wood smoke, he hurried along, full of thoughts of a warm fire.
Soon, he stumbled upon a break in the trees and found an old, homely cabin. After he stashed his bike, he hurried up to the door, which had another hand-written note:

Gone fishing. See note on fireplace mantel. Wood's on the left side.
-Lukas

Andersen didn't hesitate. He opened the door, scurried inside out of the cold, and swiftly shut the door behind him. His face fell into a pout when he saw the faint glow of a bed of embers in the dim light. Andersen muttered to himself about how sorry Lukas would be if he froze to death as he carefully made his way around a heap of something on the floor. He cautiously reached to the left of the stone fireplace mantel and smiled when he felt the wood. After he set a split log on the embers, he waited a moment for it crackle back to life before he added another. The light slowly brightened, allowing him to look around.

The first thing Andersen saw was the note from Lukas. He grabbed it and read it quickly.

There's something much more comfortable for you to change into on the right side of the mantel. Read the back of this note after you're done.
-Lukas

He set the note back down before he reached down to the right, eager to wear something, anything other than skin-tight lycra. His hands found something made of soft cloth, and he pulled it up and unfolded it to see what it was.

It was a simple cotton tunic and some trousers.

Andersen quickly stripped and pulled on what Lukas had left for him. The clothing felt warm, probably from being close to the fire, which made him give a small sigh of contentment. He hummed to himself as he scooped the note back up and read the other side.
I bet you're rather confused right now, but there is a very good reason I had you come out all this way. I'll be more than happy to tell you when I'm back with dinner; you can't have a celebration without food, you know. Just make yourself comfortable and relax. I shouldn't be too much longer.
-Lukas

"Celebration?" Andersen murmured as he scanned the note again as he looked for any clues about what Lukas was talking about. Maybe it was a riddle? Lukas was rather fond of riddles, but there didn't seem to be any deeper meaning behind the words. Come to think of it, none of the notes he left gave any indication that any of it was a riddle. They had all been very short and to the point. He racked his brain for a moment and tried to think of anything that would be cause for celebration, but didn't come up with anything.

Well, if Lukas was going to tell him, he figured the only thing left to do was the relaxing part. It really sounded good after a long day of cycling, but where was he supposed to relax? He remembered the pile he had seen and turned around to look at it. It was a moderately sized heap of furs that reminded him of the makeshift beds they used to sleep on way back when both were younger countries. He sat down curiously; sure enough, he heard the familiar crunch and rustle of dried grasses from beneath the pelts. After a small bit of adjusting, Andersen had himself cozily snuggled down with a large fur draped over him.

The atmosphere in the cabin reminded him of a time long gone, a time of raids and exploration. Though Lukas himself had gone out on his fair share of raids, he had also liked to be able to help his people with the art of healing. Andersen chuckled at the memories he had of Lukas patching him up after some of his exploits, complete with the small lectures he would give him about not being such an idiot. He nestled down into the furs. Perfectly comfortable and content, he breathed in deep through his nose, giving a sleepy smile as he smelled dried sweet grass and lavender coming from the bedding.

Lukas had always been thoughtful like that.