AN: The following chapter contains mentions of death, war, and self harm. Viewer discretion is advised.

They stared at each other for what felt like days. Norway, with the teenager's journal in his hand, and Iceland, visibly shaking and lips trembling. The latter's face painted, what was it, fear? Rage? The elder couldn't tell.

"I-"

"How did you even get in here?"

Norway opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by his brother.

"It was that spare key, wasn't it? I knew I should have changed the lock." Iceland's voice cracked as he finished his sentence. The man allowed his younger brother to yank the journal from his hands.

"And what are you doing with this? Is this what you do on your days off, you break into my home and go through my stuff?" He flipped through the pages of his book. Norway noticed how tight the teen's grip was on the cover.

"Calm down, Ice."

"How much of this have you read?" The man had never seen his brother this upset. Was it really that monstrous of an issue? He was ready to excuse it as hormones, as Denmark would have, but something told him otherwise.

"You know what? I don't care!" Iceland threw the book at him. Norway let out a shocked gasp despite catching it cleanly. "Go read the rest of it. That's the lowest you can go, Nor."

He released a distressed sound that reminded his brother of a growl.

"I have groceries to put away." The teenager whipped himself out of the room. Norway concluded he would never have made it as a warrior. Many things seemed to annoy him, but Norway had never witnessed legitimate anger out of him. The man had to admit that he had been scared for a moment. He considered calling out to him, but what could he give as an excuse? 'I'm sorry for breaking into your bedroom and reading your diary, Ice. How can I make it up to you?' Pathetic.

At the same time, what did he have to apologize for? Iceland was keeping secrets from him. He had a whole world hidden from his family. Talking to strangers online, having crushes, relentless honesty; there wasn't a single excuse he could give for being so secretive. If he wanted Norway to read the rest of his diary, then dammit he was going to! The older nation skipped to the next month of writing.

August 10,

I visited my brother today. Sure, it was for business on behalf of our bosses, but it was still nice to see him again. We had coffee and pastries. Not much work was actually done about trading, though. I think sometimes I just need to be reminded that maybe he really does care about me as much as he says he does.

Last night was bad. So bad, I had to wear a sweater again. It was uncomfortable with the heat, but Nor only made it worse. "Why do you always wear long sleeves? Aren't you hot in that?" God, why can't he mind his business? They ended up healing before I got to his house anyways. At least he didn't pester me about it for too long. He'd kill me if he knew.

Norway whispered the last line to himself. His anger cooled and turned into worry. It was no secret that nations healed at a faster rate than humans. Had Iceland gotten hurt? Was his government shaky? He refused to believe his brother could have been harming himself. A sudden crashing noise came from the kitchen; Iceland was still upset.

August 13,

Some of us met at Gold's house. He isn't used to hosting, but it didn't matter much after we started drinking. I don't know how that happened, haha. I just remember him pulling out an almost-empty jug from under his couch and suggesting we finish it. Vodka tastes better with good people, I think (not like I've had it before that). Gold pulled out some weird board game. I don't think any of us were capable of playing it (for me personally it was because I can't read anything outside of English and Icelandic). Gold just had too much and got giggly.

Blue doesn't drink. She took a sip and gave one of those, 'Do I have to?' looks, so I offered to drink hers for her. I must have already been tipsy. I hope I didn't do anything too embarrassing; I'm sure they would have told me if I did. Needless to say, I won't be drinking for a while. My head hurts.

Blue also mentioned something about wanting to escape the heat. She asked about my weather, and I suggested she visit my house. Am I stupid? Probably! Sober me would never do that. 'Hey girl who looks cute with her hair clipped back, would you like to come over?' Is that weird?

Iceland never drank with the Nordics. He would refuse to even serve alcohol, let alone consume it. Norway thought he was just a prude, but drinking with friends? Inviting girls over to his house? Maybe he wasn't as introverted as he lead them to believe.

August 22,

Do bruises heal quickly? I haven't been banged up in a while so I can't remember. I bought a coffee from a barista with a huge hickey on her neck and it got me thinking about...life? I guess? I wonder how different mine would be now if I was like the other Nordics. You know, a fighter. One time I had a playful wrestling match with Fin and he almost crushed me. Nor threw a cup at Den once and he caught it with one hand. I guess there are some upsides to being immortal.

Sometimes I want to ask them all if they ever get tired of living like this. Sure, if we were regular citizens we would grow old and die, but we're all going to die one day. A meteor could hit us at any time and we'd all die together. Where would I be if that happened? Would I be at home with my puffin? Would I be with my brother? My friends? Or would it hit suddenly while we're all sleeping? To think that some of our coworkers could be behind all of our deaths too...ugh I don't want to think about this right now. Doesn't anybody realize that we're all human too? We're nations first, but we're as fragile as mortals. I tried talking about this with the chat but none of them were understanding what I was saying. It's like they all enjoy their roles. I'm sure my brother and the others have thought about it. How couldn't they? Living with hundreds of years of bloodshed must be tiring.

August 24,

The whole "miraculous healing" thing is helpful. My arms are starting to look a little bumpy, though. I need to pick up a new habit. I kind of wish I had a cooler reason to heal, like a decapitation or something.

A soft thud came from down the hall. Norway knew his younger brother's cycle of being upset; show annoyance, blow off steam with loud noises, calm down once he's had time to himself. He would come back collected once everything was put away, the elder assured himself.

The man pictured Iceland's scar-covered arms. He hoped his brother wasn't hurting himself because of him, but he was afraid that he had nothing to do with it at the same time. Was that even possible? Norway flipped through more pages. A few one-liners met him; it was nice that his newfound friends were now part of his routine. September was unsatisfactory, leading him to October.

October 8,

I asked Red for advice on asking Blue on a date. He kind of gave me a hard time about it. At first he was all, "I didn't make that group chat for you to date people in it," but then he gave me 'permission' to do it. That guy makes me anxious sometimes, I swear he's possessive over me. His tips were kind of shitty (I'm not going to paint myself as some macho guy just to ask someone out-what would I have to do after, change my identity?). I think I'll just be myself, whatever that is.

Later-

I did it! I asked Blue on a date and she said yes! I was nervous for nothing! I don't think she even noticed how awkward I sounded through the phone. I'm meeting her on Saturday. We haven't decided on a place yet, probably somewhere halfway between us. I wonder if she's as nervous as I am?

October 10,

Estonia is at the Nordic meeting house for some reason. God he's annoying. Use your own internet, you bowl-cut freak.

The man took a moment to chuckle into his sleeve. The last thing he wanted was for his already upset brother to hear him laughing.

October 13,

Just came back from my date with Blue! She's so ahhhhhhhhhh! We went to this French restaurant tucked away in an alley, in case anyone spotted us. Mainland seafood isn't too bad, but I still prefer mine over anyone else's. Afterwards we took a walk on the beach and talked about our homes. If hers really is anything like France's then I really need to visit. I taught her some Icelandic words, too. Well, tried to; I'll admit it's kind of hard to learn.

It started raining, so we ran back to my hotel. Unfortunately it was a 5 minute jog and we were drenched after. I invited her inside, but she insisted it was too late (we separated around 22:00, so I get it). She said she was going to stay over a friend's house. I offered to grab a complimentary umbrella to walk her there, but all she did was hug me and leave. She texted me while I was in the shower to say she had a nice time, so I guess that's something. God, now I'm more nervous about the possibility of a second date than I was about having the first one.

Norway took the opportunity to search his phone messages. He went to October 13 and read the text exchange he had with Iceland.

What are you up to today?

Bro: I'm busy. All day.

I made cranberry bread, you want any?

Bro: I'll pick it up tomorrow.

His brother had definitely picked up a loaf of bread he made the next day, but he didn't mention anything about a date, nor did he say he stayed in a hotel the night before. Before he could find a reading or a second meetup, he identified Iceland's figure in the doorframe. His coat had been removed, his fuming expression replaced with a raised brow.

"How far are you now?"

"You know, if you didn't want anyone to read it you wouldn't have written it all in English," Norway rose to his feet and took a step forward.

Iceland threw his shoulders back. Sweden was teaching him too much about asserting dominance. "What, I can't practice my English? I never gave you permission to come in and read it."

The elder gently placed the journal onto the teen's bed before leaning in close to the other's face. The teen shrunk, his eyes glistening as he was forced to look at his brother. "Don't stare at me like that!"

"I'm always here for you."

Iceland backed into the hallway, only for his brother to move with him. Norway never needed to discipline him. He behaved appropriately growing up, and even if help was necessary, he had the other Nordics to back him up. Now, he was thinking of the next step to take for the first time in their lives.

"I'm not mad at you." The Norwegian remained stoic in his approach.

"Why don't you just mind your business?" Iceland pushed himself into the corner behind him. "Can't I have something to myself for once? This is why I don't tell you anything. It's like none of you understand me-"

"Yes we do."

Norway surprised himself with his sudden exclamation. He still kept his gaze on his brother, who in return placed his eyes on his sock-covered feet.

The elder took a moment to compare their faces. Iceland's eyes and mouth were identical, but he lacked the crooked nose Norway had. His face was round and childish, it was true, though a jawline could be seen forming. He was still a kid.

"Ice, I've seen my own guts come out of me. I've been trapped in the snow for days without help. Fighting, bloodshed, constantly being on edge, I've wanted to die too."

The teenager continued staring at the ground. Then, he began to shake. A sound escaped his mouth, and he broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry, I-"

Norway wasn't finished. "I saw Den get decapitated, and I had to keep his head on his body to make sure he didn't die. Do you know why I did that?"

Iceland wiped his nose with his sleeve and met his eyes. It broke his brother's heart to see him cry, but he had to get his point across.

The younger nation rubbed his pink face. "Because we stick together."

It was a common catchphrase the Nordics used. As they grew older and overcame their resentments, they had realized that they were a family unit. Families bonded together through thick and thin. Jealousy, secrets, and envy weren't allowed.

With how distraught Iceland was, Norway wrapped his brother into a hug before he even knew what he was doing. They remained embraced for what felt like hours. Norway only loosened his grip once he heard Iceland's sniffles die down.

The man let go of him and reentered the bedroom. He retrieved the journal and turned to face his brother. An eerie chill still lingered in the air.

"We're going to talk about everything in here." Norway placed the book in the slender hands of the owner. "But first, coffee," he stated, working his way to the kitchen and beckoning the teenager to follow.