Author's Note: Well, it's best to come clean right now. I am not good with schedules. My life is pretty messed up right now, for reasons I'd rather not get into, but this will start updating once a week from now on. I'm bummed too, but I can't find inspiration like before. (Give me prompts, if you'd like.) I'm also a bit paranoid about the quality of this work, so I'll be revamping previous chapters a bit after I return from a 7 week (forced) vacation. You'll most likely get a nice update on Sunday (Not tomorrow, next Sunday). Still, I love you all and I love reading your reviews. YOU guys are amazing, not the fic.

Staring outside the window was an easy way to find a quick distraction. Perhaps not a very entertaining distraction, but watching the wind rustle the trees and bushes was much easier than trying to have a conversation with Belgium. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. A strange feeling in his gut told him to just stay where he was, but an even stranger feeling in his chest made him want to go talk to her. He thought about every possible situation that could have caused it. Fatigue, stomachache, heartburn...and the other option. He didn't even want to consider the last option, so he just ruled it out as heartburn. Even if he hadn't eaten anything to cause it. Truthfully, he found the last option to be very frighting for various reasons. If it were to be true, it would mean he somehow developed feelings for someone he barely even knew. Someone who had tackled him in a public place just to prove a point. But she was also someone who had manage to have a conversation with him that was longer than the usual "Hello" and "Yeah. Good to see ya too." He wasn't a child anymore, he wasn't supposed to get crushes or get flustered over the mere thought of it.

Sighing, he got up and walked over to the living room to sit on the couch. He could hear Belgium singing in the shower, but ignored it as he picked up a random book on bird migration patterns he didn't even remember purchasing. Even if he didn't ignore it, he didn't understand what she was singing about anyways. She was probably singing something in Dutch or French. The book proved to be a good enough distraction to keep him entertained for a few minutes before she came out in clothing that was definitely not well suited for the local weather.

He kept his eyes glued to the book, but lowered it down when he realized she was coming. "I need to talk to you abou-" He started to say before he got a good look at her. His own mind started to imitate Mr. Puffin's teasing tone, almost as if the bird was still next to him. "Super funtimes, super funtimes." He didn't even get why his mind strayed to that thought immediately. It's not like a red t-shirt and shorts warranted that much attention.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked with a cheerful tone before sitting down next to him.

Mr. Puffin's voice echoed louder and louder, messing up his thought process. "About volcanoes." He replied, completely forgetting what he originally wanted to say.

Her smile faded and was replaced with a befuddled look. "…Volcanoes?" She asked in confusion.

"Yes, would you like to take a tour of the island?" He said, trying to make it sound as natural as possible.

"I'd love to!" She shouted in glee.

"…Good…" Iceland muttered, his ears still ringing from the shout.

"I'm sorry, is something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking." He lied. "Not about you, though."

Belgium nodded slowly and smiled. "About?"

"…Hot…" He started to say before his eyes started to trail off elsewhere. He caught his breath before saying something silly and forced an extremely awkward smile. "…springs." He finished in a weak effort to not sound stupid.

"Hot springs? Oh, I'd love to go! She sang. "If we can, of course."

"We can go tomorrow." He sighed as he turned his head away. "I guess that's what we'll do for the next few days. It's not like there's a lot to do inside the house, really..." A short silence followed, but was interrupted by Belgium.

"Do you want the jacket back?" She asked in an attempt to get him talking again.

"You can keep it if you want." He said quickly.

"If you need it back, it's alright with me. I have a coat." She said. "I don't want you to get cold. I can go get it right now." She added sweetly.

"I have a lot of them." He answered. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Alright..."

Minutes passed without a sound. Belgium looked over to him a few times, only to find him staring at a nearby lamp. The silence was starting to turn agonizing, but she didn't know how to end it without making him uncomfortable. She got closer to him, but he turned his attention to the fridge. He must have been avoiding eye-contact. She bit her lip and leaned forward, picking her words carefully.

"Soooooo…Your puffin is quite the talker…" She said shyly. Iceland turned around quickly, and Belgium's smile returned. "He said some pretty interesting things, no?" She chuckled.

He turned away again and sighed. "Ignore him."

"Soooo…" She started to say again before he got up.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked as he opened the fridge.

"Don't worry; I ate before I came here." She said. Secretly, Iceland was relieved. He didn't have a lot of food in his fridge anyways. Just some licorice, some leftover food from the previous week, a few cans of coke and bottles upon bottles of brennivin.

"…So, did you enjoy the shower?" He asked before starting to look inside the fridge.

Belgium smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did. It was kind of cold, though. I should have asked you about that."

He seemed to ignore her answer as he pulled out two cans of coke. "Do you want a drink?"

"Yes, please."

"Here." He muttered as he gave her the drink and sat down next to her to drink his own.

"So…do you have a girlfriend..?" She asked casually.

The question made him almost spit out his drink and choke, but he was able to control himself enough to swallow before he put the drink down. "What!" He shouted, obviously very startled by the fact she would even ask that sort of question.

"I'm sorry, that was a personal question and I shouldn't have asked it!" She exclaimed to get him to calm down. "Really sorry!"

"No, it's fine." He said in low voice.

"So…you do. It's that Seychelles girl isn't it?" Belgium accused. "I knew it meant something when she said she was visiting other islands..."

Iceland shook his head. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. And…who's she?"

"Ah? She's uh…a person." Belgium said with a smile, trying to hide her mistake. "And how can you not have a girlfriend? A guy that's so ha-" Before she could finish the sentence, she realized what she almost said and stopped talking.

"I'm ha?" He asked, expecting her to elaborate.

"It's Dutch." She lied.

"Dutch for what?" He asked, making Belgium think of a million possible scenarios where her answer made a little bit of sense.

"…Intelligent." She lied again.

"Thanks, I guess…" Iceland said, not giving it much importance.

"So, any exes?" She asked, trying to get him to talk more about it, only to cause him to stare at the floor. "So that's a no…It's nothing to worry about. Plenty of people don't date others!"

"Yeah." He muttered now slightly peeved.

"Are you honestly saying you've never dated anyone? I expected that you…you know." She said with a small smile.

"I know what?"

"That you would have had some girlfriends…or boyfriends, I don't judge."

"Why did you expect that?" He grunted. "Because I'm ha?"

"Yes, you're very ha." She laughed.

"It doesn't really mean 'intelligent', does it?" He asked with a serious face.

"It does!" She exclaimed defensively before realizing he wasn't buying it at all. "Okay, maybe it doesn't..."

"Then what does it mean? Cold? Withdrawn?" He asked, expecting it to be some form of insult or a synonym for anti-social.

"I actually meant to say that you were handsome…" She explained in a low voice. "Not movie-star handsome, but still."

The comment left him speechless, and he only uttered a short "oh" before Belgium felt the need to poke him so he didn't shut down completely.

"Does it bother you that I find you handsome?" She asked, not even noticing how close they had gotten at that point.

"No, it's fine. You're handsome too." He said quickly to try and end the subject.

"…Did you just call me handsome? I'm a girl, Iceland." She giggled.

"Girls can be handsome." He countered quickly, causing her to giggle some more. "Fine, you're very pretty." He said before sighing.

"Oh. You think I'm not just pretty, but very pretty?" She teased. "Why thank you!"

"No, it's just that as an acquaintance…" He started to explain. "We don't even know each other and..."

"Acquaintance?" She repeated to make sense of what was happening. "So we're not even friends? Why am I at your house then? Do you just let random strangers in your house..?"

"Can we change the subject?" He pleaded to end the conversation once and for all.

"Just when it's getting interesting?" She asked with a pout. Admittedly, he found it annoying at first, but after a few seconds of staring at her, she started to look more adorable than anything.

"I don't want to talk about it." He grumbled.

"You never want to talk about anything!" Belgium protested.

"How about the EU?" He suggested. Literally anything was better than the previous subject.

Belgium's eyes brightened and her voice became sweeter to the point that it would be nauseating for anyone who saw the scene without proper context. "Interested?"

He muttered a low "kinda" before scooting away from her.

"…Should I take that as a yes?" Belgium asked, getting closer and closer.

"A maybe." He said as he started to become slightly uncomfortable with her proximity.

"A maybe that could be a yes?" She asked, slowly starting to morph her signature cat smile.

"That could also be a no." He answered, trying to mask his nervousness behind a stoic facade.

"...You'll come around." She sang happily. "I know you will."

Iceland slowly realized that the conversation was not just about the EU. Her tone was starting to delve into actual flirting for a conversation that was supposed to just be 'between friends.' "What makes you think that?" He asked quickly, trying to make sure his suspicions were correct.

She looked at the floor for a few seconds before smiling lightly. "Your eyes." She whispered before looking over to him. "You have beautiful eyes. You know that, right?" She added as she got closer to his face, making him panic and causing him to almost fall off the couch.

"I just remembered I haven't taken a shower!" He said quickly before making a mad dash to the bathroom. She leaned back and sighed, wondering how to get through with him without ruining everything. A loud thud could be heard as he shut the door behind him, followed by frantic shuffling to open it again to get his clothing. It was a funny sight that made her smile, but she wished he'd stop being so paranoid and opened up a bit. "One of these days he'll come around." Belgium thought to herself before closing her eyes and falling asleep again.