Here's part two! If you have any ideas on what should happen next let me know.

Chapter Eight

Norway let out a content sigh as he lay encircled in a cocoon of bliss. Plush pillows and silky sheets molded around his body. A cozy object was pressed against his back like a flaming hearth in the middle of winter. The Norwegian let out a whine when the wondrous sensation of warmth shifted away from its current position. He arched his spine and pressed it further towards the source of the heat. Norway crankily opened his eyes when the thing wiggled away yet again. He promptly froze when he saw what, or rather who the object was. The Norwegian couldn't decide whether to grin happily or melt in fear at his predicament.

Mathias and him were in the same bed. Spooning.

Norway frantically scrambled away from the snoozing man, nearly falling off the bed in the process. His senses shut down and had gone haywire. He could practically hear the alarm sirens blaring and spinning around in his head. Before he could do anything stupid, Norway tried to reign in his insane thoughts and attempt to compose his racing mind. After several failed attempts with no success, Norway decided he just about had enough of his uncontrolled brain. His desperation to contain his raging emotions left him with little choice. Time for Plan B.

With a loud thunk Norway slammed his head into the wooden headboard that held the mattress in place. He bounced back, mind reeling. Bad idea. Very very bad idea. The Norwegian let out a puff of air through clenched teeth as he rubbed the developing bruise that was now displayed in all its glory on his forehead. Oh joy, he had a matching set of purple bumps that marred his face. Hooray.

A drawn-out groan startled Norway from his sulking. Just his luck, he had a new bruise and now Mathias would wake up to make fun of it. On top of that, he was still laying in the same bed as him. The fate that would most certainly bring about his utter demise was sealed as Norway let out a sigh of resignation. It was too late to do anything his unfortunate situation now.

Mathias let out another grunt before lifting a limp arm to rub his still red-rimmed eyes. He sat up and surveyed the room before landing on Norway. The Dane blinked sluggishly and yawned before arranging his sleepy features into a scowl. Mathias half-heartedly glared at the smaller man before asking in the most aggressive manner he could manage while half asleep,

"Why are you in my bed?!"

"Well, you had a nightmare so…"

"Oh, right."

An awkward silence settled between the two like thick syrup. Both people were blushing heavily, each was severely embarrassed by the cumbersome ordeal that occurred last night. After a few tense minutes of discomposure, Mathias cleared his throat with a gruff cough.

"Thank you. Seriously, thanks for staying with me."

Norway allowed a smile to stretch across his face.

"It was no problem. I won't tell anyone, if that's what you want."

"Yeah that'd be good, thanks."

Glancing over at Mathias, Norway realized the Dane was still blushing profusely. Crying in front of your semi-enemy was not an ideal situation to anybody. Showing weakness could easily backfire and be used as blackmail. Fortunately, Norway had sworn he would never stoop to that level to achieve any means. He called out, forcing the Dane to look him in the eye.

"Hey."

Mathias grunted but retained his defensive barrier of silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

"You can trust me, I promise. I always found it easier to cope with when I talked to a good friend about my nightmares."

Norway refrained from mentioning that the good friend he would usually talk to was Denmark.

"Since when were we friends?"

Silence reigned over their heads in a looming cloud, yet the Norwegian refused to let it deter him.

"Since I woke and comforted you all night."

Mathias bristled, and Norway attempted to quickly backtrack onto safer ground.

"Not that it was a burden of course. I am honestly surprised that you didn't throw me out of your room when you woke up."

"Yeah well I feel like I should trust you, even if I don't know why."

Norway nodded jerkily, glad Mathias hadn't forgotten their whole relationship. He was flattered at the Dane's comment, even if it was half insult.

"It's okay if you don't want to."

"No, I might as well explain what I was dreaming about. Oddly enough, what you said made a smidgeon of sense."

Norway snorted and pivoted his body to face Mathias's hunched one. The Norwegian leaned back on a mountain of pillows, if he was going to stay seated he would make himself comfortable and at home. Mathias furrowed his brow and rubbed his thumb and forefinger along the bridge of his nose. With a shaky sigh, he began to hesitantly explain.

"I was dreaming that I was in a house. At first everything seemed ordinary, but then it the temperature started heating up and I could smell smoke. I don't know what or why, but I was trying to get upstairs to fetch something. I remember starting to sweat, everything was so realistic. I was having trouble breathing, and I could hardly see. I ran into a room that the fire hadn't touched yet. I grabbed a silver thing off of a nightstand— I don't know what it was."

The Dane drew a sharp breath and shuddered. The traumatic nightmare had clearly affected him more than a dream should. With a wide-eyed gasp, Norway came to the shocking conclusion that what Mathias was describing wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

"I ran back into the hallway except this time, there was no escape. The flames had covered the only exits. I tried to get to the stairs but before I could reach the railing a heavy beam fell and pushed me to the floor. It was still burning when it crushed my ribs. I remember screaming in pain, trying to call for help. As you could probably tell, no one came."

Guilt from that fateful day flooded Norway's senses in an overpowering tidal wave. All he could do was numbly listen to the rest of Mathias's description of his own personal hell.

"The last thing I remember before darkness was something colliding with my head. The agony felt so real, like I had experienced it before or something. You'd think that when I fell unconscious I would wake up, but instead the nightmare continued. Everything was blindingly painful and I felt like I was being drained of something important. Right after, you woke me up."

Norway nodded slowly and arranged his features in sympathetic expression. If there was one thing the Norwegian knew, it was that Denmark loathed pity. He confessed to Norway once that he despised feeling weak and indisposed. There was no way Norway would risk riling the Dane up and throwing away whatever trust he had placed in him with one pitiful glance. He nodded understandingly and placed a comforting hand on Mathias's shoulder. To his immense surprise, instead of pulling away, Mathias leaned in to the gesture. He cupped his own face in both hands and peered at Norway through laced fingers.

"That's not all."

Norway stared at him curiously. After a seconds pause he jerked his head, signaling for the taller man to continue.

"You were in my dream."

"…"

"I saw your face. You looked happy and were leading me up a hill. Right before we reached the peak you shook me awake."

Norway could remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a cherished memory of his, one that occurred during the viking era. Whenever he was upset, Norway would look back on that moment to comfort his mind.

(flashback)

For once in his short life, Norway felt ridiculously happy. The sky was a bright, gorgeous blue, like a certain someone's eyes. He breathed in the fresh, crisp air in lengthy drawn-out gulps. A sudden call made him spin around. Perfect, just the person he was looking for.

"Hiya Norge!"

"Hello Denmark."

Denmark leapt through the springy grass with boundless energy. One hand grasped a shining axe, which he haphazardly swung around. The Dane came to a halt once he had reached Norway's side.

"What'cha doing?"

"I was exploring the cliffs. Would you like to see?"

"Sure!"

Side by side they strolled, shoulders occasionally brushing as they stumbled along. They walked in compatible silence, silence two could only obtain by years of trusted friendship. Nearing the destination of their walk, Norway pulled ahead of the blue-eyed nation. He was eager to show-off his new place.

Denmark caught up with Norway in a matter of seconds, his longer legs held a huge advantage over Norway's shorter ones. He opened his mouth to make a stupid, yet endearing remark. Instead, he gaped with an awed expression.

"Oh, wow!"

They stood on a clifftop overlooking the sea. Minuscule longboats could be seen as tiny pinpricks in the distance. The sea breeze ruffled their hair and blew at their backs, pushing them further towards the edge.. The gulls called in lonesome tones, circling above in a lackadaisical manner. Norway grinned at the Dane's reaction.

"Norway, this is beautiful."

Denmark turned to the Norwegian with a serious gaze. He looked genuinely grateful and sincere as he gazed into Norway's eyes.

"Thank you for showing me this."

Norway gazed back, admiring the way Denmark's eyes sparkled in the sun. He smiled at the cheerful Dane and let out a content sigh.

"Norge, you know something?"

"What?"

"You're my best friend. Don't ever forget it."

(end flashback)

He felt tears prick his eyes as he recalled blushing heavily and murmuring the same right back at Denmark.

"Lukas, are you alright?"

Norway jolted out of his reverie at the tone of the Dane's voice. He looked up to see Mathias glancing worriedly at him. He wiped a sleeve across his eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

Mathias sighed and rubbed his neck with a sheepish look. With a start, Norway realized he was blushing.

"Yeah, I feel better now that I told you about it. I guess you were right. Thanks for listening to me."

"Sure, you're welcome. Stop being embarrassed."

Mathias chuckled at Norway's statement. He seemed more at ease when Norway was in his vicinity than before the nightmare had occurred. The Norwegian realized that this bonding moment could be just the thing to bring them closer together.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. If you don't mind I'd like to shower now."

"Right."

As Norway walked out of the room he couldn't help but wonder if their lull in fighting with each other would start up again. But then again, maybe their relationship could be salvaged after all.

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