Thanks so much for the reviews! Sorry for the wait; work is keeping both of us incredibly busy.

Note: Since it's been a few chapters since we mentioned this, a tonttu is a fairy/elf creature who protects and cares for the home.

Chapter Summary: Finland goes to Norway for advice, unaware that his friend is no longer what he seems.

Ch. 15: The First to Fall

October 31, 4:00 PM

Finland has no idea where he's going. His only thought is escape. His heart is broken, his marriage shattered, and the last person he wants to talk to is waiting for him to come home. Despair is heavy in his heart, and he can't go to Poland for answers. What if it's him Sweden's been seeing? Instead, he finds himself at his neighbor's door, hoping Norway is home.

The knock catches Norway as he's ransacking his own desk, trying to catch up with current events and decide what game would be the most fun. It seems the fun may have come to him. Schooling his expression, he answers the door and looks over his visitor. He barely recognizes the nation for a moment. Could this really be Finland, the sweet little blonde that Sweden kept so close? Look at him now, all flushed and angry, and from what he's read in Lukas' memories, quite capable of handling himself. It's hard not to smile. "What?"

"I…Bernie..." Finland doesn't want to say it any more than he wants to believe it. The earring, the shifty way Sweden was acting the past few days... And he hadn't even denied the affair, had he? Storming past Norway, he throws himself into the nearest chair, breaking down into heavy sobs.

Well, that's not what Norway was hoping for. But there's always something to be gleaned from a nation in tears. Norway shuts the door and goes to pat his shoulder, adopting a sympathetic look. "What about Bernie? Is he sick?" How delicious. It's been too long since he spread a plague - though that backfired. Nearly killed this one's body and wiped out anyone who still believed in him at all.

"He's - He's a..." Finland hiccups, face in his hands as he cries his eyes out, barely able to breathe. "Filthy, lying, cheating, manwhore!"

Norway blinks, then grins wide. Ruining relationships is another favored past time. "Is he now? Well, what did you expect? He's got the viking blood. Eventually he was going to get bored."

"But I- we..." Oh God, why is he protesting? It's clearly true. "I thought we were different," Finland says, clutching at his hair. "I don't even know what I'm going to do now! We're married, I work for the UN, I can't even go to war with him like I want to!"

"Why not?" asks Norway, then realizes that's probably a suspicious response. "Why not get revenge, I mean. Make him pay. You could sleep with someone else." He trails his hand from Finland's shoulder to his neck, rubbing gently.

"But I don't want to," says Finland, voice broken and hitched. "I love him. I love the cheating bastard." He doesn't even notice Norway's attempts at flirtation when he bursts into tears again.

Norway rolls his eyes. "Love is stupid and human. You haven't always been together, after all. You've been with others, too." He rakes his nails through Lukas' mind, forcing his way through the memories until he uncovers something useful. "Estonia, was it? Lying together while Denmark had his way with the rest of us. Such cowardice. And later, even after you'd been with Sweden for so long, there was Russia. How cruel of you, to give in to the one who took you from him."

Finland grits his teeth, shaking as he whispers, "That was different. This is different. It's not politics, we're together. We're married." He shoves Norway away, pushing up from the chair and pacing toward the next room. "I love him. He betrayed me. He is betraying me."

Norway follows him and leans against the doorway, arms crossed. "That's life. You of all people should be used to it. The question now is what do you want to do about it? If you don't want it to happen again, teach him a lesson. You have guns now, don't you? Shoot him in the ass; that ought to work."

"I'm not shooting him!" Finland cries out, hating himself immediately as he says it. Yes, he's weak. Yes, he's stupid. But he loves Sweden, loves him more than life itself, and the thought of hurting him at all makes him sick. "What's wrong with you, Luk?"

Norway smiles. "Nothing at all. I feel better than I have in a long time, actually. However, this is about you. You're quite right; shooting him isn't very creative." He taps his chin, letting the wheels turn. "Wolves are always a popular option. Or...huh. There's something..."

Once again he forces his way through Lukas' mind, dragging out more information on this particular pair. He starts suddenly, coming across a sudden image of hulking green Sweden and a pointy-eared Finland. "Really now? Them too?"

Finland watches Norway's face. Something in his eyes, in the way his lips are curling, unsettles him badly. Something's wrong. "Lukas, what is wrong with you?" he asks softly, examining the man's odd look, trying to dissect it, because he swears he's seen it before. Somewhere long ago, he knows it.

Norway frowns. Finland is catching on, and that won't due at all. Of course, he really should have anticipated this much. Finland would know who he really is, if he looked hard enough. Thankfully, he stumbled upon the prison cells in the basement while exploring the house earlier. He really does wonder what kinds of things Lukas has been up to that require a dungeon, but he'll enjoy those memories later. "Perhaps you can help me. There's something downstairs, and, well...you're good with this sort of thing."

Frowning harder, Finland follows Norway down the steps, half-wondering how long it's been since he's heard him use the word 'perhaps'. He tries to wipe his eyes as they walk, but that makes it a little harder to see. "Does it involve polishing? I could use a good polish right now."

"Not quite," Norway replies. Lukas is stirring now, getting ready to fight. Oh, so he doesn't like locking away his little friend? He could do so much worse. This is only the beginning of their game, a defensive move. Norway pauses a moment and waits for Finland to get closer.

Raising his eyebrows at the sight of the basement, Finland reaches up to turn on a light. "Are those jail cells?" He's starting to get a really bad feeling. "Umm... Luk, you were there when I talked to Ludwig about this. You know secret jails really don't fly with the UN."

As soon as Finland is within reach, Norway grabs him by the back of the shirt and throws him into one of the cells. He slams the door behind him and locks it, laughing at the look of shock on Finland's face and the scrapes on his hands and knees. "Here's the thing, Tino. I don't really care about the rules; they've never applied to me."

Gasping with shock, Finland grabs hold of the cell bars and shakes them, trying to get out. "Lukas!" He yells, shaking the bars until he realizes they're caked in years of dirt and grime. He pulls away from them with disgust. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Making things interesting!" Norway laughs. "I was called to help, so help I will! Don't worry, I'll take care of Berwald for you. Perhaps if I lock him in with you, you two can make up."

"Luk!" Finland huffs as the other nation walks away. The door upstairs slams shut, and he's left hugging himself as he looks around the dimly lit cell. It is absolutely filthy to the eyes of a tonttu, despite the efforts Denmark and Norway put in to cleaning it earlier. Finland strips off his shirt, curling part of it in his fingers and ripping it in half, then into quarters. It's not an awful cell. In fact, there's a bed that looks almost comfortable, a dresser, and a chair. Everything's covered in animal hair and dust, however, and he starts using his shirt's remnants to wipe it all away. He's good at cleaning. When he's cleaning, he doesn't have to think.