stay
Norway blearily opened one eye and then the other, fighting to keep them open even when the bright sunlight temporarily blinded him.
He let out a low sigh. How early was it? Very early judging by the light, the sun must have just come up. He was about to go back to sleep when a thought hit his barely awake mind.
He'd almost forgot. Today was the day.
Today was the day he'd leave Denmark's house.
The Norwegian lay in the position he was in for what seemed like hours, thinking things through and weighing the little options he had. Eventually though, he stretched out his bare legs and arms and resolved to get up. He had to after all, he was soon to be married to Sweden to signify the start of their union…
The Norwegian supposed he should be happy. He'd often complained about being under Denmark's rule and the fact he could never leave before had frustrated him. However, now that he was faced with the decision... He didn't want to go. By God, he didn't want to go. He wanted to stay here with Denmark and Iceland and play happy families like the oblivious fools they were. He wanted to wake up encaged in Denmark's arms everyday. He wanted to spend the day doing everything yet doing nothing at all and the broken promise of sanctuary this had given him hurt him the most.
But of course he had no choice. He was simply a puppet, the strings being pulled by his monarch or the country in control of him. The only thing he possessed on his body was his thoughts and the lack of control on his behalf sickened him.
Norway went to sit up but was stopped when a pair of toned arms tightened around his waist and he felt the hot air of a sigh against the back of his neck. Norway looked over his shoulder to see the still-sleeping face of Denmark, his naked body curled tightly against his Norwegian lovers. Norway let out a barely audible frustrated moan. It was so tempting to just stay here but he knew the consequences would be great.
Besides… He still had to tell the Dane and that was the part he dreaded most.
Perhaps... Perhaps if he could leave without waking the Dane it would save him the gutting feeling of saying goodbye. If he could detach himself from the clingy blond then maybe he could leave without there being a fuss, because he knew for a fact Denmark wouldn't let him go without a fight.
Slowly, cautiously, he moved Denmark's arms from around his middle and sat up, wincing when a sharp pain shot through his abdomen and lower back. He did his best to ignore the pain and focused on disentangling his legs from Denmark's and then moving away, barely making a sound as he slipped out from under the sheets and stood, shuddering when his bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. He searched around for clothes, a solemn expression on his face, pulling on whatever he found first and then fetching his packed bags from underneath the dresser. He adjusted his ruffles and slipped on his jacket and boots before swallowing thickly. He didn't dare look back at the Dane for fear he would never leave and instead reached for the doorknob.
"Nor?"
Norway froze.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Well, there went the plan of not waking up Denmark and slipping out quietly. His hand began to tremble as he glanced over his shoulder. Denmark was peering up at him, blue eyes wide and confused, hair untamed and messy and the sheets pooled at his waist.
"Where… Where are ya goin'?"
Norway forced his face to remain neutral and ignored the awful tugging at his heart as he turned around fully. "I'm leaving," he said, fighting to keep his voice even.
The crestfallen expression that crossed the Dane's face broke his heart. "Leaving? What? Why?"
So many questions… "I…" Norway began. "I… have to go. I'm… I'm marrying Sweden today."
"What?"
"Y… you heard me."
Norway turned again and went to open the door, but the abrupt sound of rustling and then hands slamming the door shut cut him off. He found himself gripped by his shoulders and spun round to face Denmark. The look in his eyes terrified Norway; they burned with an angry fire, fuelled by confusion and upset.
"No," Denmark stated firmly, almost desperately. "You're not going anywhere. You're mine not that bastard Sweden's!"
"I'm not an object," Norway hissed, pushing weakly against the Dane's exposed muscles. "I need to go. We're forming a union and-"
Before he could continue, he found himself ruthlessly shoved against the door and Denmark's mouth latch onto his, pressing his full nude body against the smaller males. Norway let out a squeak of surprise before pushing on Denmark's chest, but the other male was evidently stronger and larger than him.
"Denmark…" he gasped as Denmark's mouth left his and instead his lips attached to the Norwegian's neck, kissing over the bite marks and bruises left from the night before like broken and hopeful apologies for the pain. Nevertheless, Norway was beginning to panic. The Dane was a lot burlier than himself and he might end up doing something drastic. "Mathias, no!"
With that, he brought up his knee and harshly hit him in the abdomen, making the Dane let out a groan of pain and stumble back. Norway stood there panting, before he picked up his bags and opened the door again in case the Dane tried anything else. Before he exited, he looked back at the Dane, who had his head bowed. Droplets of water fell from his cheeks and splattered against the floor, his fists clenched at his sides.
"Mathias…" Norway began, his mind and pulse racing at the sudden adrenaline kick.
"Go." The sudden and harsh whisper from the Dane produced an awfully negative feeling in Norway's chest. "Just go, Lukas."
Norway swallowed, biting back his own tears and the strong urge to run to the Dane and hug him… But alas, he didn't. Instead he turned back around and stepped out, but before he closed the door he stole one last look at Denmark.
"I love you," he whispered. "So much more than you know."
And with that he closed the door. As he walked down the corridor, a sudden mournful cry made him start, followed by the dull thud of something connecting with the walls. The loud sound of sobs filled the air, most of them sounding like a strangled alternative of Norway's human name. It took all of Norway's willpower to keep putting one foot in front of the other and ignore the despaired cries coming from his and Denmark's bedroom.
However, a small voice stopped him as he was about to descend the stairs.
"Big brother?"
Oh no... He knew this part was going to be even worse than saying goodbye to Denmark. He turned his head to see the small form of Iceland standing in his bedroom doorway, looking at the Norwegian with his violet eyes. "Where are you going?"
Norway exhaled and dropped his bags again, kneeling in front of Iceland and wrapping his arms around his petite frame to hug him to his chest.
"Brother?" Iceland asked again, fear evident in his voice. He wrapped his small arms around Norway's chest in a small hug, like he was trying to keep Norway in place.
Norway pulled back and looked at him, brushing a stray bang out of his eyes. "Take care of big brother Den, alright?" Norway said gently. "I'll be back before you know it." He hated lying to Iceland, he wasn't sure when he would be back or if he would ever be back at all, but he couldn't bring himself to watch Iceland cry too. It was bad enough with his Danis lover.
"Where are you going?" Iceland repeated, frowning. Norway sighed and reached up, taking his cross pin out of his hair and sliding it into Emil's own. Oh, how much Iceland looked like him…
With that, he kissed Iceland's forehead and stood, ruffling his hair one last time. "Goodbye, Emil."
"Brother…?" Iceland asked weakly one last time as he watched Norway stoop to pick up his bags and walk away without even a glance back. "Big brother Lukas…?"
As Norway made his way down the staircase and then finally out the door, he let the tears burn his eyes and stain his pale, frost warmed cheeks. The tears dripped down in uncontrollable streams as he made his way to the awaiting carriage. With one last look up at the house, the carriage pulled away and left for Sweden.
All memories of the house seemed to fade the farther away he got; the comforting feeling of warmth from the fire and the chilly days where they played with Iceland in the snow…
And as Lukas lost sight of the house, he knew deep in his heart that leaving would be the biggest mistake of his life.
- END