It's been awhile since I last updated this story; I've had some busy months! I appreciate the good things said about this so far, and I hope it will still be liked. I'm purely trying to go about how these characters would act, as well as being in accordance to historical accuracy for them, because I love this pair (together and individually). I hope you readers will continue to read along with it and hopefully enjoy it, too!
As you all read before, that whole scenario with Russia and Iceland getting beaten by him was a figment of Latvia's own imagination—a terrible nightmare. Apart of that scene was Latvia's blurted confession. He nearly told Iceland before in his dream, but, later on, he unintentionally shouted it to Russia in desperation. The reason why I mention this particular bit is because it will be spoken of again in the story, along with further insight of Latvia's dream/nightmare. After you read this chapter, you may ponder on more of Latvia's fears of the nightmare. He was alarmed to witness such a clear image of Iceland being brutalized, but there is more...
Anyway, as a continuation from that, Latvia woke up from the dream by means of a storm (literal and metaphoric meanings). He wants to call Iceland and hear him speak, just to know if he's okay (he's so startled; of course he's concerned). The story picks up from here. As the last title implied, this is only the beginning of the storm for Latvia and Iceland. 'Darkening clouds' formed and now the storm itself is 'beginning'...
Disclaimer: I do not own "Hetalia" or any of its personified nations.
Chapter 2
Storm's Beginning
After stumbling down his house's halls and stairs, through the sounds of the rolling storm outside, Latvia finally reached his nearest phone. Unfortunately, it happened to be in his personal library. Latvia couldn't help but shudder and shake more when he glanced at the floor, towards the very spot Iceland was beaten in his nightmare.
No! I don't want to think about that! Latvia hastily picked up his phone on the desk, putting it up to his ear and desperately maneuvering his shaking fingertips to press the correct buttons. Come on, come on! Pasteidzies! His legs were quivering far too much; he knew he couldn't keep himself up for much longer. Just as Latvia dialed the final number, his legs gave out and his knees hit the floor. He leaned his body up against the side of his desk, closing his eyes and curling into himself. Both of his shaking hands held the phone's receiver up to his ear, as he listened to the waiting ring resound within his ear. Please, Iceland, please pick up. I need to know you're all right!
The phone rang twice more before Latvia heard the wonderful, familiar voice he had been hoping to hear. "Hello?"
Latvia breathed a sigh of relief, trying to hold back sobbed breathes. "Paldies Dievam! Iceland!"
"Latvia?" Iceland was worried now, hearing Latvia's broken, fretting voice. Every ounce of sleepy desire within him had vanished. "Latvia, what's happened to you?"
"N-Nothing," Latvia replied, opening his eyes and stuttering, "I-I just n-needed to hear your voice. I-I…" Latvia was beginning to feel embarrassed. Of course he's okay. It was just a dream… but I'm so glad…
"Latvia, you're crying," Iceland said, his tone very concerned. "Please, what's wrong with you?"
He could hear the younger boy swallow on the other end of line and suck in a choked, shaky breath. "I-I… I… I-It's not anything, really-"
"Latvia, please!" Iceland cut in, revealing his anxiety, "Please, what's going on? Are you hurt? Injured? Please, tell me!"
Latvia paused, feeling even more embarrassed. He felt himself grow warm in the face, as his rattling body continued to tremor. I'm going to sound like an idiot for saying that I called because of a nightmare. He exhaled another shaky breath. I guess I have to tell him. "I-I… I had a nightmare."
He could hear Iceland breath out lightly. "That's all?"
"Y-Yeah… I-I just… just needed t-to know," he murmured.
Iceland paused, feeling his stomach drop. Needed to know? Needed to know what? "Latvia… What did you dream about?"
Now Latvia's stomach dropped. He could feel himself freeze and shudder, as the image of Iceland's mangled, bloody body flashed inside his mind. He flinched, and he took in an abrupt, sharp intake of air.
"Latvia!" Iceland spoke up, leaning into his phone's receiver, "What happened? I've never heard you like this before!" Hearing Latvia like this was scaring Iceland. That dream must have really been terrifying, for him to act like this.
"I-I…" Latvia was trying so hard to speak and tell Iceland what had happened, but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to say aloud what he had dreamt of. He was still rattled, and those images hurt him. They hurt him so much. I can't tell him, I can't. "I-I…" Latvia sighed shakily, "I'm sorry. I can't say it."
"Can't say it?" Iceland questioned, "Why not?"
"Hurts," Latvia replied, pulling his knees closer into his chest. "Hurts too much…" more tears fell from the corners of his eyes, and a soft, hiccupped whimper escaped his throat. Now he felt even more mortified than before. "I-I'm sorry, Iceland! M' so sorry! I sound l-like a sniveling w-wimp!"
"No, Latvia, don't say that," Iceland said, trying to calm the younger boy down with a soothing tone of voice, "You just need to relax."
Latvia nodded into the phone and took a deep, still quivering breath. He wiped the fresh tears from his eyes, though more kept falling. He was becoming frustrated with himself, because he couldn't control his tears. They just kept spilling over the brims of his eyes. Why won't they stop? They just keep coming out!
As Iceland waited for Latvia to speak again, he focused on the poor boy's pitiful sounds of distress. He could only guess that this nightmare Latvia had dreamt to have been completely petrifying. It made Iceland wonder if Latvia had dreamt of being back in the Soviet Union again, or something. He said he 'needed to know', though… Know what?
"M' sorry, Iceland," he heard Latvia apologize again, sniffling his words. "So, so sorry. I woke you up and everything!"
"No, no, don't worry about that, Latvia," Iceland assured him, glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 1:30… That means it's around 3:30, over there. "Don't apologize for this; I know you're scared and upset… You really can't tell me, Latvia?"
Latvia's head dropped a little, as he wiped away drying tears. "I-I don't think I can… Hurts…"
"I understand," Iceland replied, feeling uneasy from hearing Latvia say again how he was hurting from the nightmare. Iceland could hear and feel the pain in Latvia's soft, broken voice. "But, please, if you feel like you can tell me, then… then tell me. Just call me back and tell me, if you think you can." I'm worried about you, Latvia. Please don't hold it in for too long.
"I-I will," Latvia told him, still trying to rid himself of the shaking tenor in his voice. "I promise I will."
"Okay. Try to rest easy, all right?"
"I-I will."
Iceland nodded once into his phone. "Remember to call me back, if you can tell me."
Latvia nodded this time. "I p-promised I would… Iceland?"
"Yes?" Iceland was hoping that Latvia was going to tell him now, though he felt it wasn't likely.
"I-I just wanted… t-to thank you," Latvia said, his cheeks flushing. "I-I wanted to thank you… f-for listening to me."
Iceland's eyes softened in pity, from hearing Latvia's meek voice still stuttering over the line. He felt badly for him and wished that he could be over there with Latvia, right then. He wished that he knew what Latvia dreamt of, so he could better console him. He really didn't want for the phone call to end now, because of Latvia's intense stress. He really cared about him… "You're welcome. It's never a problem, Latvia."
Latvia allowed for himself to smile a little, and his heart finally began to settle a bit, feeling warmed from Iceland's gentle tone. "I-I'll call you soon… okay?"
"Okay," Iceland replied. "If you can, try to rest again. It might help."
"All right, I will… B-Bye, Iceland."
"Bye, Latvia."
With that, the call ended on both sides.
Latvia held the phone close to his chest, as he continued in trying to pull himself together. He felt embarrassed for sobbing and stuttering into Iceland's ear, and he felt bad that he caused Iceland to worry, but he felt so glad, too. He was so glad that he could hear Iceland's voice. His heart was already beginning to settle… He didn't think he could go back to sleep, especially with the thunder still rolling outside, but he felt so much better, now that he had heard Iceland's voice. For Latvia, that was all he needed… just to hear him speak… to know he was okay… Could I really tell you, Iceland? I know I can tell you anything, but… how would you react to what I've dreamt? Not just what happened to you, but… my confession… How would I tell you?
When Iceland hung up his phone, and placed it back into its holder beside his bed, he still kept his hand on it. He just sat there on his bed, his head turned towards the phone he had yet to let go of. He stared at it, as if waiting to hear it ring again. Latvia…
After a while, Iceland allowed for himself to let go of the phone, and he laid back down into his sheets. He turned his body towards the phone on his nightstand and lay on his side, still staring at it intently. Iceland didn't feel tired at all, anymore; he was too wound up in anxious thoughts to go back to sleep. What kind of nightmare had reduced Latvia to such a state of tears? It felt horrible to hear the younger boy cry, especially like that… Then he wondered, all of a sudden, What made Latvia call me, instead of Lithuania or Estonia, for something like this? Iceland's eyes narrowed in thought, He's so close to them. He told me that the three of them even shared a bed together, during the Soviet Union. I'm more than sure he's called on them before, then and after the Union, on nightmares or other issues he's had… so why call me? We are getting closer, but…
Iceland then thought of what Latvia had told him, that he needed to hear his voice and that he needed to know… But know what? What could he have… A thought suddenly hit him. Wait… Was I in his nightmare? Was that it? He knew Latvia cared for him very much, and Iceland, in return, truly cared for Latvia. Iceland knew, from every time he and Latvia met up together, that Latvia still considered their meetings as dates. Iceland still didn't have the heart to tell him that they weren't… but, then again he… No, no, Latvia's my friend! He's my friend! He's… He's…
Feeling a light blush creep into his face, Iceland thought back to what he originally was—Latvia's nightmare. How did I get so off in thought? He thought back to how horrified Latvia sounded over the phone and how much he was crying. He was so badly affected by it. Whatever it was, Iceland hoped that Latvia wouldn't dream it again… unless he had dreamt things like this particular nightmare, before.
Iceland then thought back to how Latvia lived before, during the Soviet Union. He was packaged together with Lithuania and Estonia. He worked with them, ate with them, slept beside them every night, for so long… Once they were free and independent, Latvia went back to living alone again. That had to have been a rough switch for him, even if he did have his freedom back. There was no one there to comfort him, when he needed it. Maybe that's another reason why it's taking Latvia longer to heal from the Union. He's free, yeah, but he doesn't have Lithuania or Estonia around as often as he did before. He's still recovering… and he's clung to me… I want to be there for him as much as I can.
Iceland's deeply focused stare cut from the phone to his alarm clock. His eyes widened. 5:52 a.m.? I've been thinking about Latvia and his nightmare for over four hours? It doesn't seem like I have…
Knowing that he was far beyond even trying to go to sleep, let alone feeling like it, Iceland sat up in his bed and drew back his blankets. I might as well go and take a shower… He looked back at the phone on his nightstand again, and his eyes thinned. As he got out of his bed, he took the cordless phone off of its holder and started off towards his bathroom. If Latvia were to call him back while he was taking his shower, Iceland would surely catch his call. He didn't want to miss Latvia's call; especially if he was going to tell him what his nightmare was about. Iceland's stomach was already in knots, thinking about it…
Warm cascades of water gently massaged the back of the Icelander's shoulders and head, as he ran the tips of his fingers through his silvery mass of hair. He leaned his head a little farther back, rinsing his hair of its conditioner, and then raised it again. He rubbed his eyes and then opened them, staring ahead at his shower's tiled wall.
Iceland breathed in and out deeply, his stomach twisting into more anxious knots. He was feeling more and more worried about Latvia with every passing minute. The way Latvia sounded over the phone, the things he said… It was all around frightening, to Iceland. It was frightening because it was a true breakdown. Iceland kept thinking of more and more possibilities as to what Latvia had dreamt of because he was so petrified. What did he dream about? Why couldn't he tell me?
He sighed and reached for the soap bar beside him. Before he could touch it, the sound of his phone rang out. Iceland jumped slightly, in an instant reflex to the noise, and he slipped. With wide eyes and a light gasp, Iceland grabbed hold of his shower curtain and slammed his other hand against the shower's wall, swiftly regaining his footing and heartbeat. Latvia!
Iceland quickly threw aside his shower curtain, hastily stumbled out of the bathtub, and grasped the cordless telephone resting on his sink, struggling to hold it securely within his slippery hands. His heart's pulse was sounding loudly within his ears. í öllum bænum! Finally, he was able to handle the still ringing phone in his hand. He pressed its button and held it up to his ear, pressing it up against his wet hair. "Y-Yes?"
"Iceland?"
Finland? Iceland began to feel a bit embarrassed now.
"Iceland," Finland repeated, his voice concerned, "you sound so out of breath! What's going on? Are you outside in the rain? I can hear water falling in the background; it's really loud."
"N-No, Finland, I'm not caught in a storm," Iceland told the older Nordic, "I… I was taking a shower."
"Oh, that makes sense," Finland replied, "but why do you sound like that?"
"O-Oh, I…" Iceland's face began to feel warm, "I was expecting a call from someone, and I didn't want to miss it during my shower."
"Aah, I get it, now," Finland responded, sounding upbeat. "I was wondering why. Are you waiting for a call from Latvia?"
Iceland's eyes rounded out and the heat within his cheeks intensified. He couldn't utter a word, besides a vague and delayed 'uh'. His brother, or any of the other Nordics, always assumed it was Latvia in various situations… and they were usually correct, much to his discomfort. Why… just why?
He listened to Finland merrily chuckle on the other line. "I suppose that's a 'yes', then? That's so cute!"
Iceland's lips pursed. This was another thing that made Iceland feel uncomfortable. The other Nordics were always saying 'How cute!' and other things like that, when it came to him and Latvia; not to mention the dreaded, 'Aww!'
"It's all right, Iceland, no need to be shy," Finland encouraged, "I won't impose. Anyway, the reason I called was because I got a whole bunch of licorice and salmiakki chocolate bars for you. I know how much you like them!"
Iceland internally perked up a little, at hearing that. "Really, you did? What for?"
"No reason," Finland responded. "I was thinking about you and thought I'd get some for you. They're your favorite treats, after all."
Iceland allowed for a tiny, half-smile to twitch onto his lips. That's nice… "Thanks, Finland."
"No problem! I thought I'd visit you in a few days, when I'm free from work, and give it to you then. Is that fine?"
"It is."
"Good!" Finland stimulated. "It's been awhile since I've seen you anyway, so a visit will be nice. Enjoy the rest of your shower, and I'll see you in a few days."
"All right. Bye, Finland."
"Goodbye, Iceland."
When the call ended, Iceland sighed and reached for a towel to dry off the dripping phone. He placed the phone into the towel and rubbed it dry.
"I can't believe I reacted like that," Iceland said aloud, placing the phone back onto the sink's counter and dropping the towel. "Slipping in the shower and jumping out of it like that? Really? That's not like me at all." He turned around and stepped back into the shower, warming his body with its water again. Not like me at all…
It was now nine o' clock in the morning, and Iceland still had yet to hear back from Latvia. He knew it was still early, but he couldn't help but feel nervous, deep inside. He kept replaying the sounds of Latvia's cries and sobbed words in his mind. Iceland kept thinking of how scared Latvia sounded and said how much he was hurting. What hurt him so badly in the nightmare to make him not be able to tell me? It really made Iceland worry to wonder what Latvia went through in that dream, what he felt and saw within it. It was eating away at his nerves, and he couldn't relax.
Iceland removed himself from his chair at his kitchen's table, unable to sit comfortably, and paced around the room, with Mr. Puffin watching him in silent fascination from atop the table.
This is crazy. I'm never like this! Iceland thought to himself, huffing a slightly shaky breath of air. I can't sleep, can't eat, can't situate myself; my blood pressure is all out of whack! Why do I feel like this? Latvia's face flashed into his mind, and he stopped pacing. Iceland felt a familiar, yet unfamiliar, feeling consume him all of a sudden. He had felt this winding feeling before, but now it was just… What is up with me?
His stomach constricted more and more, which made Iceland feel sicker and sicker within. These feelings, they were gnawing at him terribly! He just felt so much worry over Latvia, as if something bad was going to happen to him… This would be a bit rash, but he knew he couldn't just wait anymore.
"That's it," Iceland said aloud, as he turned around and headed for his stairs. He went straight up to his room and walked straight for his closet. Stooping down, he grabbed a small travel bag lying underneath his hanging jackets. Iceland threw some necessary articles of clothing into it and then headed for the bathroom. He seized his toothbrush, tossed it into the bag as well, and then began to charge back down the stairs. I'm going to Latvia's house. I'm going there, and I'll stay there, until I know what's going on with him. I feel like there's something really wrong, here.
Iceland stopped by the kitchen again, seeing his puffin eating off the plate he hadn't been able to touch before. "Mr. Puffin!"
The puffin gulped down the egg on the plate, and then looked over at Iceland. "Yeah?"
"I'll be back soon, all right?"
"Where'ya goin'?"
"I-I'll just be out for a while," Iceland responded, not really wanting to tell the mafia-mouthed puffin as to where he was going. Mr. Puffin, like his Nordic companions, also liked to tease him a bit for his and Latvia's close friendship.
Mr. Puffin hopped closer to the end of the table, towards his owner. "What, you goin' out with Latvia again?"
Iceland's heart skipped a beat and more heat inflamed his cheeks, once again. He could feel his entire body react in surprise. Seriously?
"Ah, ha!" the puffin declared, bouncing a little, "Your face doesn't lie!"
"I-It's not a date!" Iceland stammered, clutching his fists. "I got a call from Latvia early this morning, and he was really upset! I need to go check on him."
The bird hummed in response and hopped back around to the plate of food behind him. "Sure, okay. Whatever you say, lover boy."
Iceland groaned aloud. "But it isn't a date!"
Mr. Puffin dove back down into Iceland's abandoned plate, eating a little more off of it, and then raised his beak again. "You just gonna stand there, or what? Your boy's waitin'!"
Iceland's face twisted into an expression of irritation, and he huffed through his nose. "Whatever, just hold down the fort while I'm gone. You know how to get your food and answer the phone."
"Yeah, Yeah," the puffin mumbled, barely paying attention anymore.
Iceland's body stiffened, and he muttered, "Stupid bird," under his breath before walking straight for his front door.
Mr. Puffin listened to his owner's footsteps echo and then heard the front door open and shut. The puffin snickered to himself. "He has it for him, bad."
Iceland's so modest, isn't he? Aah, Mr. Puffin seems to know everything, ;)
Well, anyway, there you have chapter two: Iceland and Latvia spoke to one another, Latvia admitted he was afraid but wouldn't (couldn't) expand on details of his nightmare, and now Iceland is so concerned that he can't wait around anymore. He will go to Latvia himself and find out why he's so scared. Also, despite his great care for Latvia, there is another, stronger feeling developing inside Iceland. It's obvious as to what that stronger feeling towards Latvia is, but Iceland does not yet fully understand that feeling; he still questions what it is, though he surely knows deep inside his heart (It's like he subconsciously won't allow himself to admit it to himself or even allow himself to truly understand it. Iceland is a reserved person, after all, and probably never thought very much on a topic such as love before. Well, love for his brother and other companions, as well as his own nation, but you know what I mean. Different sense).
Oh, and isn't Finland just so cute and sweet? I just had to let him be the Nordic to call Iceland! Now, it would be obvious for Norway to check up on Iceland (I'm sure he would do it often enough anyway), but why not good ol' Finny? He loves Iceland too, just like the other Norsemen. Heh, imagine if Denmark had been the one to call Iceland. He so would have ripped on Iceland about Latvia, X)
Pasteidzies! - Hurry up! (Latvian)
Paldies Dievam! - Thank God! (Latvian)
í öllum bænum! - Come on! (Icelandic)
Oh, and as you all read in the chapter, the countries of Iceland and Latvia have a time zone difference of two hours, with Latvia's capital being ahead of Iceland's on the clock. Just a quick mention. ^^'
Thank you for reading! I hope the emotions and commentary of Iceland and Latvia felt realistic and was enjoyed, in full. I also hope you readers are looking forward to seeing more of this story. I'll keep doing my best! Next time, Iceland will arrive at Latvia's house... How long will it take for Latvia to open up, and what else will happen between him and Iceland and around them? The storm has only begun!
