A/N Another little one-shot I had tucked away on my laptop. I may do a second part if anyone wants, otherwise it's complete. Enjoy!
Iceland sat in his designated chair at the conference, utterly bored. To his left, his brother matched his expression, although it was rather hard to tell with his generally disinterested look. Denmark was next to him, and appeared to be entertaining himself by playing hangman on the back of his notes, passing the paper back and forth between him and Norway.
His brother had apparently won, as he slid the paper back with a faintly triumphant smirk, making Denmark pout. He turned to Iceland, who stared back, unamused.
The chair to his right was empty. Sweden and Finland had left ages ago, deciding to start the weekend early. How Sweden had managed to leave unobtrusively given that he was one of the tallest of them all Iceland had no idea, but he was thoroughly envious. At least they had the excuse of having to get back to Ladonia and Sealand, who were, as usual, being looked after by Seborga along with the rest of the micronations.
Iceland had no such luck.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed softly with a text. Taking a quick glance up, he saw that the majority of nations were engrossed in their usual bickering. Not bothering to hide it, he opened the message, smiling when he saw the sender.
-HK: Hey babe. Tell me you're as bored as I am.
He felt his face flush. Praying that no-one would notice, he typed a reply.
-Ice: Are you kidding? I'm stuck watching my brother and his idiot play hangman, and Sve and Fin left hours ago. What's happening your side?
The conference table was generally arranged in order of family groups, meaning that Iceland, as one of the Nordic Five, was seated almost opposite to the Asians.
-HK: Lemme see.
-HK: Mei is looking at fashion sites on her phone. That dress is cute, she should totally get it.
-HK: Oh, man that is a wicked cosplay! Imma ask her to buy it for me.
-HK: She says already did. Sweet! I'm gonna have to buy her something back now. Fair warning, she's totally gonna get you something too, probably. Couple goals, amirite?
-HK: JK, love you.
-HK: Yong-Soo is asleep. Maybe. I'll poke him and check.
-HK: NVM Teach hit him.
Iceland smothered a giggle as he looked up and saw the older nation do exactly that.
-Ice: Your family is crazy.
-HK: So's yours.
-HK: Ooh, bad boy Kiku's got the DS out. He only does that when the meetings shot. Wanna go grab some food? My treat.
-Ice: Really? That would be amazing. I have to think of an excuse for Nor though.
-HK: Tell him you're dying. Of boredom.
-HK: and that if you don't move in like 5 minutes your knight in shining armour is going to walk over there and sweep you off his feet himself.
-Ice: OK OK I'M GOING. STOP.
-HK: I await your call, my princess.
-Ice: …..dork.
-HK: nerd.
-Ice: bitch.
-HK: jerk.
-Ice: idgit. Now seriously, give me one minute.
-HK: K.
He reached over and tugged his brother's sleeve, feeling slightly childish for doing so. At Norways' questioning glace, he muttered, 'headache. I need something to eat."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Norway asked.
Iceland shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I think I'll go back to my room, though. Not like anything is going to get done here," he observed.
Norway nodded. "All right. I'll come and check on you when we finish," he stated.
Iceland rolled his eyes. "NO. Honestly, I'm fine. I just need something to eat, then rest. You don't need to check up on me all the time. I'm not a kid," he complained. He gathered his bag and walked off, treading quietly. As he expected, his departure was hardly noticed, with the arguments from the Allies in full swing.
Hong Kong was waiting just outside the door. Seeing his boyfriend, he swung off from where he was leaning against the wall.
"You ready to go?" he asked.
Iceland nodded. "Just let me dump this in my room," he said, swinging the bag. "Are you alright to go in those clothes?"
The other nodded. "Yeah, all set," he confirmed.
"Ok. Give me a minute, then," Iceland ordered.
Hong Kong pouted. "Aw, no show?" he teased.
Iceland merely shot him a glance, trying to control his blush. "No," he refused.
His boyfriend grinned. "Worth a shot," he conceded.
Iceland rolled his eyes and walked off to his room. He only took a minute to trade the uncomfortable suit and dress shoes for his beloved brown jacket and cord skinny jeans, teamed with his favourite white boots. Checking the mirror, he adjusted his white tie, running a comb hurriedly through his hair. Grabbing his phone and wallet, he stashed them in his pockets and went out, making sure the door was locked.
"You ready?" he asked again.
Somehow, in the time he had taken to change, Hong Kong had managed to change into a completely different outfit. Instead of his usual tunic and pants, he wore a pair of tight black skinny jeans, a loose white shirt with a black waistcoat over the top, open to show the lining, and a pair of black heeled ankle boots. A thin grey tie slung around his neck completed the look, along with a little black hat perched on top of his silky hair.
Iceland took a long look at him, both admiring and suddenly ashamed of his own outfit.
Seeing his boyfriend's reaction, Hong Kong reached forward and grabbed his hand.
"Don't even say it. You look great, Ice," he reassured.
Iceland looked down at himself, abashed. His gaze was stuck firmly on the floor as they made their way out of the building hand-in-hand.
He tried to withdraw his hand once they were outside. Hong Kong stopped, feeling the tug. He turned to Iceland, seeing his worried expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Do you not wanna go out?"
Iceland shook his head. "No, I do," he assured. "It's just.." he trailed off, blushing.
Hong Kong couldn't help smirking. "What? This?" he held their joined hands up, swinging them.
"People are always gonna stare," he said. "Might as well give them something to stare at, right? You're not ashamed of us, are you?"
Iceland shook his head again, blushing furiously. "NO! Of course not. I'm just…not used to this, that's all," he confessed. He looked down at the ground again, trying to hide his face with his hair.
His efforts failed, a gentle finger on his jaw tilting his head up. Reluctantly, he complied, met with his boyfriend's dark, liquid gaze.
"You know I'll never make you do anything you don't want to, right?" he whispered.
Iceland nodded, lost in those dark eyes.
"Good." Hong Kong leaned in till their foreheads touched, then drew back suddenly, leaving Iceland flustered.
"So, are we gonna go or not? Cuz' I'm like, totally starving." With that, Hong Kong stepped forward, turning to look at him expectantly.
Rolling his eyes, Iceland followed. "You dork," he teased, affectionately. This time, though, he didn't object when Hong Kong held his hand out again, reaching out and taking it in his own.
Hong Kong led him into town, eventually stopping in front of a small restaurant. To Iceland's surprise, the glass display proclaimed it to be a mixed cuisine.
"You don't want Chinese?" he asked, confused.
The other grinned at him. "Here? You kidding? Teach would, like, actually kill me. Or get kicked out. Actually, there was one time he did. Did I not tell you? It was totally hilarious." He swung the door open, allowing Iceland to enter first.
A waitress was quick to come up to the two, a friendly smile etched on her face.
"Welcome! It is a table for two?" she asked.
Hong Kong stepped forward. "Yeah. I have a reservation, under Kirkland?"
The girl tapped something out on her tablet, then smiled. "That's great. If you'd like to follow me?"
She led them to the back of the restaurant, showing them to a small booth that had a screen to one side, giving privacy from the rest of the room.
"I'll be back in just a moment with menus. Can I get you anything to drink?" she offered.
They both shook their heads. "No, we're fine, thanks," Hong Kong said. The girl smiled again, nodding, and walked off.
Iceland waited until she was gone before turning to his boyfriend to demand an explanation.
Hong Kong held his arms up to stop him. "Don't look at me like that. This place is, like, totally amazing. I didn't know how busy it was gonna be, so I wanted to book it to make sure."
Iceland simply stared at him. "And did you specify a booth?" he inquired, not sure whether to be angry or amused.
The smirk on his boyfriends' face didn't help. "Yeah. Kinda. Problem?" he asked.
Iceland sighed. "You better not have spent too much on this. And I'm paying half," he warned.
It was Hong Kong's turn to sigh now. "What part of 'my treat' do you not get?" he quipped.
"But-"
"No buts. Let me, please? C'mon, I have to justify my budget somehow. Gotta spend the old man's money, right?" he joked.
Iceland gave him a cool glance. "Is that why you used his name for the reservation?" he asked archly.
Hong Kong shook his head. "Nah. Well, kind of. But using the Chinese version of my name just makes people confused. They can't say it right and it's just embarrassing. It just easier. Plus I get to see the look on their faces when they see the name and get me instead," he grinned.
Iceland smiled sidelong at him. "Yeah, because 'Leon' is just unpronounceable,' he joked.
"Oh, shut up. I'd like to see you try to speak mandarin. Actually, I totally would. I can teach you, if you want," he said.
"Oh yeah? Then you have to learn Icelandic," he shot back.
"Deal," Hong Kong said.
Iceland blinked in surprise. "Really?"
The other looked at him seriously. "Yeah. It'd be cool. I'll need it for when I come visit you. Same with you," he said solemnly.
Iceland blushed. "You really want to see my country?" he asked, surprised.
Hong Kong blinked at him, almost childishly. "Yeah. You've gotta come stay with me. I have like a ton of things I want you to see."
Iceland felt his blush deepening. Thankfully, he was saved from replying by the waitress returning with menus and a jug of water for them. After ordering drinks, they sat back, neither wanting to break the silence.
"I totally mean it, you know," Hong Kong finally said.
Iceland busied himself with straightening his cutlery, playing with the edge of the tablecloth. "I know," he mumbled. "Me too."
He looked up tentatively, blushing deeply when he saw Hong Kong looking at him.
"You wanna take the rest of the week off? We won't miss anything at the meeting, I promise," he assured.
Iceland thought about it. His brother would undoubtedly be mad, but then he was used to it. Besides, Iceland was over a thousand years old. He had just celebrated the first centenary of his independence. Surely he was entitled to a weekend away with his boyfriend?
A thought hit him. Grinning, he took his phone out, opening a new message.
Hong Kong looked at him curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked, wondering.
Iceland looked up and grinned at him. "Making sure we don't get chased," he replied.
-Ice: Hey, idiot Dane, are you doing anything this weekend?
-Dan: Noooooo, why?
-Dan: GASP. Is little Icey doing something scandalous with his not-so-secret bf?
-Ice:….shut up.
-Ice: …what if I was?
-Dan: Then, you would need a distraction.
-Ice: …
-Dan: Soooo, I would, maybe, do something like, say, invite your brother over for the weekend?
-Ice: I don't like where this is going, but keep talking.
-Dan: Kiddo, you want me to keep mum about your activities. I make no promises.
-Ice: You're gross. Maybe I should ask Sve and Fin instead.
-Dan: Kid, do you want me to distract your brother or not?
-Ice: ….
-Dan: I'll take that as a yes. So, deal then. You spend the weekend with your lover boy, and I'll make sure your brother is so busy forgetting his own name he forgets to come looking for you. Deal?
-Ice: …..
-Ice: I hate you, and you have mentally scarred me for life
-Ice: …..but yes.
-Ice: But literally never, ever, ever say that again.
-Dan: Aww, don't be like that, Icey. It's pretty fun, you know?
-Ice: SHUT UP.
-Dan: ;) :)
-Ice: I give up.
-Dan: :(
Emil ignored that, and turned his phone off, slipping it into his pocket with a disgusted look.
Hong Kong laughed at his expression. "Something wrong?" he asked jokingly.
Iceland shook his head, still disgusted. "Yes. Very. But at least we won't be caught. Probably," he concluded.
Hong Kong looked at him, bemused. "Ooooookay? Do I, like, want to know?" he wondered.
Iceland gave him a weighted look that spoke volumes.
"Ah. Right. I get you. Well, good to know their weekend is sorted, right?" he joked.
Iceland stared at him for a moment, stern. After a moment, however, he couldn't stop a giggle rising to his lips.
"You are a terrible person," he stuttered.
Hong Kong simply returned the stare, his face impassive. That only made Iceland giggle harder. The other smirked triumphantly, his lips twisting until he too joined in.
They managed to compose themselves enough to order their food, determinedly ignoring each other's gaze until the waitress had left. Once their laughter had died down, they settled into companionable silence, occasionally catching each other's eyes and smiling.
The food arrived quickly, and they dug in. One of the advantages to having a booth was the almost total privacy from other guests, allowing Iceland to give in to his boyfriend's indulgences and feed each other tidbits.
He got another shock when their plates were cleared away. The waitress left, saying she would return with the dessert menu. Instead, she returned bearing a tray, containing what was possibly the most extravagant sundae Iceland thought he had ever seen in his life.
He couldn't keep the surprise from his face when she set it down in front of him.
"I hope you enjoy it!" she exclaimed brightly, setting two spoons down for them.
Iceland waited until she was gone, then stared across accusingly.
"So, before you say anything, just try it," Hong Kong urged.
Not convinced, Iceland picked up the spoon and took a small scoop, wondering how on earth they were possibly going to finish it all.
He lifted the spoon to his mouth, still unconvinced. As soon as he tasted it, however, his eyes shot up to Hong Kong, his face incredulous.
"So, it's ok, then?" Hong Kong asked, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.
Iceland nodded, amazed. "What even is this?" he asked incredulously. "Its salty! But sweet! How?!"
Hong Kong smirked at him. "It's salted caramel. I thought you'd like it. I actually asked them to add a little bit more salt. Does it taste ok?" he asked.
"Yeah! It's really good!" Iceland enthused.
Hong Kong beamed at him, the gesture making his normally calm face radiant.
"I'm so glad you like it," he said quietly. He picked up his own spoon, taking a small mouthful.
Iceland's face turned crafty. He leaned forward, making Hong Kong instinctively mirror him. As he did so, Iceland lunged forward suddenly, his hand flying forward. He sat back quickly, his face alight with laughter as Hong Kong went cross-eyed, staring at the dab if ice-cream on the tip of his nose.
"You didn't," he said, his voice light with amusement.
Iceland's response was to take his phone out and snap a picture of him.
"Oh, you're on now," Hong Kong warned.
Iceland leaned back, trying to avoid him. The booth was designed for privacy, however, meaning that there was no room for him to escape Hong Kong's attack.
Instead of the daubing he was expecting, however, he felt a pair of ice-cold lips pressed to his cheek. His mouth opened in a little 'O' of surprise, stunned. He felt his face flush deeply as his boyfriend took the opportunity to take a selfie of them both, his lips still lightly grazing Iceland's cheek and his eyes turned to the camera teasingly.
He sat back just as suddenly, looking down at his phone with a small grin.
Iceland sat in shock. Slowly, he reached up and wiped the dab of ice-cream off his cheek, putting his finger in his mouth and sucking slowly.
Hong Kong looked up at that moment, his tanned skin flushing beautifully. Iceland took his hesitance as an opportunity.
"Hold still," he ordered. Hong Kong did so, his face utterly confused.
Laughing, Iceland took two chocolate chips from the sundae, along with a scoop of ice-cream on the spoon. Leaning forward, he smeared a small circle on either side of his boyfriend's face, then placed a chocolate chip on each.
"Now do me," he ordered, blushing when he realised what he'd said.
Arching an eyebrow, Hong Kong did so, still confused. His face turned to realisation as Iceland grabbed his phone from him, opening the camera and turning it to a familiar filter.
Now, along with the sweet face paint, they both sported bright pink cat ears and whiskers. He snapped the picture, adding a frame with a couple of hearts in the corner. Lastly, he opened the messages and sent the photo to his own phone, returning to his side of the booth with a satisfied expression.
Hong Kong stared at the picture on his phone for a good minute. He tapped the screen quickly, saving it as his background, then returned it to his pocket.
They ate the rest of it together, taking it in turns to feed each other. Iceland gave his share of the chocolate chips to Hong Kong, in turn being given the sides with more of the salty-sweet caramel.
To Iceland's surprise, they did finish it all, leaving only a few streaks of syrup along the edges of the glass. He sat back with a sigh, closing his eyes and smiling contentedly.
"So, good then?" he heard Hong Kong ask.
He opened his eyes to see the other smiling at him.
"Good," he confirmed. "Although, I'm pretty sure that must have had about a thousand calories. I'm not eating for a week," he declared. He shut his eyes again, still smiling.
"Oh, shut it," Hong Kong ordered, teasingly. "It won't make any difference to us. Besides, you'll work it off soon enough."
Iceland opened an eye and glanced at him, wondering. He arched an eyebrow. Whether feeling full from the food or the knowledge that they were alone, he asked boldly "in general, or do you have a specific plan for that?"
He burst out laughing as a brilliant blush spread across the other's tanned cheeks. Hong Kong opened his mouth to reply, but only managed a faint splutter of surprise.
"You, I, you.." he trailed off. Composing himself, he grinned. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked.
Iceland nodded. "Lead the way," he said.
They called the waitress over, thanking her for the meal and leaving a generous tip along with the bill.
They managed to keep from running out, holding hands and grinning at each other like children. Once outside, they walked along the street, still holding hands, ignoring the looks they got.
They wandered through the city, pointing out landmarks to each other. While this certainly wasn't the first time either of them had been here they rarely had much time for sightseeing, so they took their time simply wandering around, browsing the shops and generally allowing themselves to act like the teenagers they appeared to be.
They returned when the day began to draw towards dusk, agreeing to have dinner with their respective families before taking off for the weekend. Predictably, Iceland was subject to a barrage of questions from Norway, luckily able to wave him away with the excuse that he had taken a nap and woken up too late to return to the meeting.
He didn't miss Denmark's knowing smirk, but ignored him.
They both managed to keep attention away from themselves during dinner, retreating to their rooms as soon as they could get away.
-HK: You ready for tomorrow?
-Ice: Do I get to know where we're going?
-HK: Nope. What part of surprise do you not get?
-Ice: You're lucky I trust you.
-HK: anything else?
-Ice; …..
-Ice: you know what I mean.
-HK: Maybe I wanna hear you say it.
-Ice: …..
-Ice: okay. I love you, you dork.
-HK: Love you too, babe. Now go to sleep. We gotta get up early if we wanna sneak out.
-Ice: How early is 'early'?
-HK: I'll come wake you up. My princess needs a kiss of true love to awaken, right?
-Ice: Say that one more time and I will ban you from watching Disney movies for life.
-HK: Oh no. Date nights are ruined. No more horrible sweets for you.
-Ice: Take my salmiakki and I will end you.
-HK: You love me too much for that. I'll change your mind one day, you'll see.
-Ice: Oh really? Guess it's on then.
-Hk: You bet. Now go to sleep. Love you.
-Ice: Love you too.
Iceland set his phone down on the bedside table, unable to keep a small smile from his face. He could feel the excitement building inside him, the thrill of the forbidden rising up till he could hardly keep from grinning. Part of him was scared of being found out, but that just made it all the more exciting.
He would never be able to sleep at this rate. Picking up his phone again, he decided to read for a while, hoping that it would make him sleepy. After a while, however, he found himself simply staring at his home screen, seeing the picture they had taken just a few short hours ago.
Smiling, he set the phone back down, not bothering to set an alarm. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, eagerly awaiting the morning and the arrival of his prince to sweep him off his feet. This would be a weekend to remember.
More HongIce! Yay! I deliberately didn't mention which city they're in or where they're going. I have an idea, but you can imagine anywhere you want. Unless anyone wants a second part, in which case I am more than happy to oblige. Likewise with requests in general. I hope you enjoyed this, and any comments would be fantastic. Thanks for reading!