I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE YOU GUYSSSS! School is eating my life.
I will tell you right now that most of this chapter was done while listening to random songs in Norwegian (There's this one song called Hjem til dæ I kept looping). I was also kinda multitasking by doing my English homework at the same time. Plus the fact that intentionally hurting one of my favorite characters is pretty hard to write through...
Special thanks, as always, goes to min kjære. You know who you are. Jeg elsker deg.
-Yuuki
Thud.
It was as if Iceland's heart had suddenly fallen through the floor, taking all of his confusion with it. Norway- his older brother, the one he'd always looked up to- had been raped. Taken advantage of. "How could anyone do that to you?" Iceland spluttered, his eyes wide. Norway looked right into his brother's eyes. Iceland wanted to do something- anything-to get rid of the uncharacteristic sorrow in those deep blue eyes that were staring so insistently into his.
Norway suddenly looked down at the ground, his face paling. Iceland, in turn, glared up at the ceiling. "Who did it?" he asked quietly. "I'll go after them and kill them, I swear." That made Norway look back up at him. "No!" he said, loud enough to make Iceland snap his gaze away from the ceiling and stare. "He... He'll go after you too, and I couldn't have that. I'd l-live the rest of life in guilt." Iceland sighed. "I suppose I understand... You're not going anywhere until you tell me who did it, though." Norway fidgeted a little, taking a deep breath and getting up to go close the door before sitting back on his bed and gazing so intently at Iceland that his face reddened slightly.
"You promise you won't tell anyone?"
"...Promise."
Another deep breath.
"Okay. It was..." Norway choked up a little, pausing and burying his head in his hands before looking back up, absolutely frightened. It was barely more than a whisper when it came out, but it made all the difference in the world.
"It was Denmark."
It was that moment when Iceland's heart shattered completely.
He clenched his fists. "Why... Why would he do that to you?" he blurted out, confused. Norway had always seemed so strong and emotionless, but Iceland had never known that he was broken deep down. Perhaps it was everyone had learned to accept that that's who he was, and he was always going to be that way. No one had ever bothered to ask, and now... "Calm down, lillebror," Norway whispered. "D-don't do anything rash, It's n-not his fault." Iceland scowled back at his brother. "There's no way it's not his fault," he growled. Norway shook his head. "N-no, listen," he whispered. "He was just... You know, drinking one day, and I was upset, and he asked me why I was sad, and... It got worse the more he drank, and he told me I was h-horrible for being sad over something, and eventually he told me he was going to t-teach me a lesson..." Norway's voice trailed off into an awkward silence.
"How was doing... thatsupposed to fix you?" Iceland asked. "What were you thinking about that made him do that?" Norway looked away, his face reddening. "It... It was supposed to fix me. It w-was supposed to g-get rid of my bad thoughts." Iceland frowned at him. "What thoughts?" he asked quietly. Norway didn't look up; instead, he stared at the floor, biting his lip. "Can't tell anyone," he breathed. "Especially not you..." Iceland sighed. "I suppose you've told me enough as it is," he replied, getting up. "Why don't you just go back to sleep? There's no one else at home, so you might as well if you're that tired."
Norway nodded slowly and was about to lay down to fall asleep when he realized his brother was actually leaving. "Hey, Ice?" he called. Iceland turned back around. "Yes?" he asked. Norway looked at the floor again. "Do... Do you mind just staying here with me?" he asked. "I... I don't want to be alone, you know..." Iceland nodded. "Yeah, sure, of course," he replied quietly, making his way to the window and shutting the blinds. "When is everyone coming back from... Wherever they went?" Norway asked shakily. Iceland shrugged. "Finland had said around 10," he said. Norway sighed in relief. That gave him time. "They just left without us?" Iceland nodded. "I didn't want to go, anyway. Who wants to go to the beach in the middle of November?" Norway cracked a smile at that. "Sealand, I suppose... well, 'night, then." Iceland was about to respond but his brother cut him off. "I know it's the middle of the day," Norway said quietly. "I can't really say good afternoon, can I?"
"Just shut it and sleep."
"Love you too."
Iceland lay down in Norway's bed and pulled the covers over his head. For whatever reason, he felt rather cold. He couldn't understand it; Norway's covers were so thick they generally made him sweat half to death. Perhaps it was the news that had just been uncovered... And then it hit him.
"Noregur? Are you asleep?"
"No way. What is it?"
Iceland took a deep breath and turned towards his brother. Even in the half-light, he could see Norway's dull blue eyes gazing intently at his own. "Do you remember how I used to sleep with you like this when we were little?" he asked. Norway gave a shaky little laugh. "Yeah, you were so adorable... I'd have my arms around you to protect you from the monsters in the closet." Iceland chuckled. "I remember that," he whispered. "It was so fun back then, with nothing to worry about..." He cringed suddenly and turned away, remembering something.
Norway was confused. "Hey, it's okay," he murmured, reaching out and pulling Iceland closer to him. "I'm better now, with you here..." Iceland shook his head. "I'm not thinking of your problems," he muttered, his face reddening slightly. Norway raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? You are too good to be having your own problems, lillebror. What's bugging you?" Iceland sighed. "I don't know how you'll take it," he replied.
"I don't know if there's anything I couldn't take."
"Well..."
"Yes...?"
"Ihaveacrushonyou."
It was blurted out so fast that Norway barely even heard it, but what he'd heard was enough. Iceland quickly turned back around and buried his face into the pillow, his heart beating so loud he swore Norway could hear it. "You... Wait, no, get back here!" He forced his brother to turn his direction. "Did you just..." confess?Iceland sighed. "Maybe I did... F-fine, I did. I have a crush on you, okay?" Norway bit his lip. He could barely believe his ears. Making sure Iceland's eyes were shut tight, he leaned forward, his own eyes fluttering shut, about to meet his brother's lips with his own, but-
You're horrible.
Norway cut off abruptly, turning over. "Goodnight," he said, his voice curt. Iceland sighed. "Goodnight," he replied. Great. He'd had to open his mouth once, and now his brother probably hated him. It was wrong, it was horrible, it made you a bad person, to be in love with your own brotherlike that.
Which made the fact that Norway was thinking the exact same thing even worse. He hadn't wanted to admit this to himself for the past few months, but now that Iceland felt the same way, wasn't it justified, at least somewhat? He waited until he heard his brother's soft snoring before turning over again. Tear tracks were visible on Iceland's face, making Norway's heart ache. "Well," he started, his voice barely audible, "I kinda have a crush on you too, lillebror." He gently brushed his lips against Iceland's before turning away and finally letting sleep come to him.
Iceland awoke a few hours later to find the other half of the bed empty.
He'd fallen asleep crying. It wasn't like him to do that, yes, but he couldn't stop himself.
Stop it stop it stop it you're horrible he hates you
With a sigh, Iceland ripped the blankets off of himself. So, maybe, for once, his thoughts were right. He hates you. Yeah, maybe, maybe not. He got up out of bed and threw open the door, checking the clock as he went. 5:07,it said. Not bad. He still had five hours to endure.
The smell of fresh bread hit his nose as he went down the stairs. Norway stood in the kitchen, casually leaning against the counter and flipping through some book written in Old Norse. He looked up as Iceland walked in. "Good, you're awake," he said. His voice was emotionless once again; no evidence of what had happened a few hours ago. The oven went off, and Norway turned towards it, opening the oven door and pulling out the bread and placing it on the counter before grabbing a bag of licorice and holding it out to his brother. "Here. I found it in the pantry, you can eat it while the bread cools down."
Iceland walked forward and took the bag from his brother. "Thanks," he muttered, opening the bag and sitting down at the table. Norway pulled open a drawer at random and took out a knife, slicing the freshly baked bread and trying to keep his eyes off of his brother. Nothing happened, he thought to himself. Ignore it.
"Hey, Noregur."
Shit.
"Yes, what is it?" Norway tried to keep his voice as straight as possible. Iceland looked down at the ground. "It sounds... Kind of childish, but... About what I said right before we fell asleep..." Oh, damn.Here it comes. "I wasn't kidding," Iceland went on. He was steering straight into dangerous waters, but he had to make sure. "But you didn't respond, so, I was wondering..." Norway finally looked over at him. "Wondering what?" he asked, genuinely worried now.
"Do you hate me?" Iceland blurted out. "For what I said?" Norway freezes in the middle of cutting his brother a slice of bread. Continuing to do so (albeit quite a bit slowly than before), he once again does not look up at Iceland. "What did you say?" he asks, his voice smooth. He places the slice of bread on a plate and walks over to Iceland, putting it on the table before getting himself a slice and sitting down.
Iceland hesitates. This is going nowhere. "You... You know what I said," he started, watching as his brother pushed a large piece of bread into his mouth. "I said I had a crush on you." Iceland blushed slightly and turned back towards his bread. Norway bit down hard on his bread, looking up at Iceland. So, ignoring it did not work,he thought. "How's your food?" he asked, quickly changing the subject. "I worked hard to make it, to make up for being bad and making you angry earlier." Iceland nearly dropped his bread. "You're ignoring my question," he muttered. "Now answer me, or I'll... I'll assume you hate me."
"I couldn't hate you. Never." In fact, I love you! I have loved you ever since we were little, and I have learned to hide it because of how wrong everyone says it is,Norway thought desperately."Never." Iceland sighed. "Good," he replied. "I was just making sure... You know, the others are going to come downstairs soon." Norway shook himself. "What? The others?" And then it hit him. "Oh, right. I'm stuck in this Nordic hellhole..."
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Would I lie to you, lillebror?"
He had hesitated for a split second before replying, and that made all the difference to Iceland. "You did hide what happened between you and Denmark until now... I was just... Sorry." Iceland got up and turned, going to put his plate in the sink. "Something just feels a bit off. You don't have to tell me, but, you know... I'm not making any of the senses right now." Norway chuckled. "It's fine."
He gets up from his chair to find himself face to face with his brother.
For once in their lives, neither of them say anything. There is no noise, no movement, no thought. Their minds are blank. Norway opens his mouth to say something, but Iceland is the first to speak. "...You should move," he says quietly. "I can't."
Norway smiles that odd smile of his, a mix of confusion and mirth. "Then I suppose we're stuck," he replies. "I can't seem to move either." He leans against the table, hitting it hard enough to cause his plate, which he had foolishly set on the edge, to fall to the floor and smash into pieces. Iceland flinches. "Wh-why not?" he stammers. Well, Norway thinks, Any direction I move I'll regret, either backwards or forwards is too much pain."W-well, I don't know why I couldn't before... Probably just surprised that you were there, but... Now there's bits of plate on the floor, and I'll step on them..."
He really does hate you.
Iceland takes a step back, wincing as he steps on a bit of plate. If Norway refuses to move, he supposes he'll have to. He steps backwards once more and this time his heel catches a piece of plate, causing his foot to slide out from under him, making Iceland fall backwards, slamming his head directly on the edge of the table. Norway reacted immediately, at his brother's side in a flash.
"Are you okay?" Of course that was the first thing out of Norway's mouth, he was so used to saying it that it came out of him almost subconsciously. Iceland groaned. He hadn't been expecting this; one second he was eating bread, the next second... Curious, he moved his hand to the back of head, pulling it back to see blood. "Well, shit," he mutters. Norway winces as he sees scarlet on his brother's hand. "Well, how badly does it hurt?" he asks, highly concerned.
Now that Iceland thinks about it, he can't feel a thing. "It doesn't... Even though it should... Where did the pain go?" he asks. In general he'd think that was a stupid question, but in this case, anything goes. If possible, it was Iceland's response that made Norway worry about a hundred times more. "That's not a good thing," he says quietly. He gets up and hurries back over to the kitchen, grabbing a spare towel and dampening it before rushing back to his brother's side, lifting Iceland's head ever so slightly and clamping it on the back of his head. "Do you think you need to go to the hospital?" Norway dreads asking that question; Iceland has hated hospitals since he was little. Over the course of more than a thousand years, the young nation has seen way too many people die from the sickness and war, especially citizens of his own country. As a result, hospitals are about the equivalent to hell in Iceland's mind.
Yet the silver haired boy shrugs weakly. "I dunno, should I?" he asks. He is highly confused, as anyone else would be had they experienced the same type of blunt trauma. Norway frowns. "I'm not exactly sure... Head wounds tend to bleed a lot, so it could be fine, but as it doesn't hurt..." He makes up his mind at last. "I'd rather not take any chances." After all, what would I do if you died? He picks Iceland up marriage style, keeping the cloth pressed firmly onto his wound. Norway heads to the garage door, kicking it open so hard it bounces off of the opposite wall; however Norway is too fast for it and is already next to his car in the time it takes for the door to slam shut again. He somehow manages to pull open the door to the back seat, laying Iceland down across it and hurriedly fastening all three seatbelts. "Hold on tight," Norway says, closing the door and heading to his own seat.
Iceland frowns slightly. "This is a car, right?" he mutters. "Why is everything so blurry?" Norway almost laughed but he stopped himself in time. "Right, it's official, I'm breaking the speed limit," he said, putting the key in the ignition and turning it before backing out of his driveway. "Just remember to stay awake."
"But I wanna take a nap."
In any other situation, Norway would have laughed at how childish Iceland sounded, but in this case, it hurt him. If only he'd been more careful... "No. You can not take a nap." Norway turns on to the main road, trying frantically to remember where the hospital was in the first place. "If you do, you might..." He couldn't say it. "Well, just... Don't sleep." Iceland groaned once more. "But I want to sleep... Fine, fine, have it your way, I'll stay awake." Why the hell does the hospital have to be so far away? "Why is it all so blurry?" Iceland asks, waving his hand in front of his face. He does not understand; it does not hurt, and he has forgotten that he is bleeding. Norway bites his lip and takes another turn. "W-well, you arebleeding all over my seat, after all," he replies, trying to keep his voice straight. "Just another 5 minutes until we reach the hospital. You can hold on until then, right?" He is again afraid of the answer, and even more afraid that his dear brother will not respond. Instead, Iceland pouts like the child he is and rolls his eyes, taking in the fuzzy world before replying. "Yeah, fine, I'll stay awake," he says quietly.
"Good. Three more minutes," Norway says, relieved. Iceland sighs, moving his unwounded foot to rest against the window. He is not wearing any shoes, but Norway has thought enough to bring his to the hospital with him. He drums his fingers on the wheel as he waits for a red light to fade to green, listening as Iceland smacks the same foot against the window repeatedly as if trying to regain feeling in it. "Hurry up, why don't you?" he mutters, irritated. Norway laughs under his breath. "Herregud, Iceland, we're already here..." He pulls into the parking lot and stops the engine with a sigh, pushing open the car door without even a thought to the fact that he went the entire seven minutes without a seatbelt on. Norway runs over to the back seat, unbuckling all three seatbelts and picking Iceland up like he did before and running into the hospital.
Thankfully, the first person he comes across is a nurse. She looks up at him with a frown, opening her mouth as if to speak, but Norway cuts her off.
"My little brother fell and smashed his head on the table, and stepped on a broken plate. He doesn't feel any pain at all and has blurred vision. Could somebody help me? He's lost quite a bit off blood..." His words tumble out of his mouth in a rush; he is not accustomed to panic. The Nurse takes one look at Iceland and purses her lips. "Emergency room," she says, her voice curt.
Iceland scowls sleepily. "I'm... It doesn't..." He struggles to get a coherent sentence out. Norway simply nods at the nurse before walking in the direction of the Emergency Wing. "Come on, Ice. I know it doesn't hurt, but they still need to check on you, okay?" He mutters, walking as fast as he can around stretchers and confused-looking doctors. Iceland pouts slightly. "Fine," he snaps softly. "I'm only doing it because you're making me." Norway smirks. "Really?" he asks, somewhat proud of himself. "Good boy." Nearly tripping over someone's foot, he stumbles on, his pride consumed in the previously mind-numbing panic. "Now, which room?"
The one in his arms feels like kicking him, but he is nowhere near the right angle to make it hurt. "Just pick a room and get it over with," he growls. Norway nods again, this time somewhat absentmindedly. He does not not Iceland to regain full consciousness; that means the younger nation freaking out and having a panic attack, if not a nervous breakdown. He rolls his eyes and turns right into room 366, in which there is another nurse cleaning up after the last patient.
Clearing his throat so that the nurse turns around, Norway begins to talk. "Okay, well, do you perchance know how to fix a large head wound that is causing no pain?" Alarmed, the nurse nods. "Just put him down there and I'll take care of it the best I can," she says softly, gesturing towards the bed in the middle of the room. Norway hurriedly places Iceland on said bed and watches as his little brother turns his sleep-hazed eyes to him as if he does not recognize the nurse is there. "Can I sleep now?" he asks, sounding both confused and impatient. Norway looks up at the nurse for confirmation, and she nods ever so slightly.
"Of course you can."
Iceland closes his eyes and the sleep comes in dark, violent waves of nothingness.
Again, I agologize for the late update. I've already started on the next chapter (that's from my girlfriend yelling at me to update this story in the first place). I still love all the pairings in this... I made my OTP canon... I told myself I wouldn't do that... Whoops... Whatever.
Until next time, I suppose.
