100 Days of NorIce

Prompt 97- Innocence


INNOCENCE (noun): 1. A freedom from guilt or sin through being unacquainted with evil: blamelessness.
2. Chastity.
3. Freedom from legal guilt of a particular crime or offense.
4. (a) Freedom from guile or cunning: simplicity.
(b) Lack of worldly experience or sophistication.
5. Lack of knowledge: ignorance.


"Noregur?"

Norway had been awake the moment some soft taps had echoed on his bedroom door. He sat up in his large bed and ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it back so that the fringe which he kept pinned back with his cross barrette in the daytime wasn't in his face. His clock read 2:16 a.m. After giving no reply, the door had opened slightly, dragging on the soft carpet, and allowing his younger brother's face to peek around the dark wood.

Norway clambered out of bed and crossed the room, opening the door fully to reveal Iceland standing outside in just pyjama bottoms, the dim shadows splaying across his lithe chest. Externally, Norway showed to reaction to this, acting as if it was normal for a half-naked younger brother to show up outside his bedroom door in the early hours of the morning.

Internally, his deep blue eyes, like the treacherous depths of the seas he used to sail over, were mapping out his clueless brother's chest in an almost desperate way. It made a warm fire burst to life inside his chest at the same time as a roll of disgust ran through his mind. He shouldn't be thinking of his younger brother in this way.

But he just couldn't help it.

"Noregur?"

"Is something the matter, lillebror?" Norway had purposefully added lillebror onto the end of his question, in a sort of vain hope that it would quench the fire inside his chest. Instead, it seemed to make it roar harder. Norway had heard that forbidden love was the most desirable of them all, and it seemed that that statement was not wrong, for this taboo feeling from one brother to another just seemed so…intoxicating.

"I-I just had a bad dream…" It must have killed Iceland's pride to say that, let alone seek out comfort from another person. He was always so determined to prove that he could make it on his own. "Can-can I sleep with you tonight?"

Norway inhaled sharply. Iceland did not mean it like that, he reminded himself firmly. "Come on in." he said, moving aside so Iceland could step into his room.

The silver haired nation moved to the bed while Norway shut the door, both clambering in to escape the cool air of the house and get back into the warm confines of the bed. Norway lay down again, firmly keeping his mind from wandering to the acute awareness he had of Iceland being just centimetres from him, in his bed, and half naked, and so trusting-

Iceland snuggled into Norway's side, already half-asleep.

The flame in Norway's chest became a raging bonfire. His breath hitched and his skin-especially where Iceland was- tingled, alive with the sensation of his younger brother so close to him. "Góða nótt." Iceland sleepily mumbled into Norway's chest, unaware of his older brother's reaction to his warm breath blowing across his skin.

Damn it. Norway cursed as he too settled down to get back to sleep, although this endeavour was probably in vain, he would never be able to sleep with Iceland so close. Iceland was just so…innocent. So clueless of the danger he could be in by simply being so close to Norway. His natural shy nature endeared him to those who got to know him, and his hidden passionate side was attractive, too.

Norway knew that he was a possessive person. There were times when he had to restrain himself from physically pulling Iceland away from whoever he was talking to at that time, or push down the feeling to lock Iceland away somewhere that no one could ever hurt him and throw away the key. Or even just letting Iceland leave his house after a visit could try him.

Norway had long been able to disguise this sick forbidden love as being an over-protective older brother, but he just didn't know how long the façade would last before he slipped up. Before he did something he would never be able to undo.

Iceland shuffled in his sleep, his partly open lips coming to rest on Norway's lean chest muscles, and splayed fingers over his older brother's stomach. Norway swallowed heavily, and looked away.

He cursed Iceland's innocence.


Hey there again! Yes...this is yet more angst. I'm really sorry that it isn't longer, but I couldn't find a way to make it so. But don't worry, all those people who are sick of angst, I do have a more lighthearted one coming up soon (and then more angst after it...but hey, you can't have it all).

A thank-you to StorfenglegurStelpa for taking the time to review as well as favouriting and putting my story on alert, summer164 for reviewing, favouriting and alerting, JustMakeLeftTurns for reviewing, favouriting and alerting- as well as MelzHeartz and OtakuFujoshi for both favouriting and alerting and Harrison642 for putting 100 Days of NorIce on story alert.

The idea for 'Innocence' is that Norway is trying to come to terms with the fact that he is in love with his younger brother and Iceland is both completely oblivious and really not helping him by being unintentionally rather seductive. Iceland is 'innocent', he has never gone to war, still has his chastity (in my headcanon of this AU anyway) and has a very possessive ex-Viking brother who both desperately wants to protect that innocence and curses it. Remember, this is just one AU, Iceland might not be so innocent in others (AKA things have happened to him to make him have a fairly pessimistic view of the world). This AU is in my mind very close to canon but I made Iceland more clueless than he is in canon because it fitted this prompt.

Possessive!Norway is so fun to write...

Read and Review, please!

~Variegata~