Chapter Thirteen
Norway's head met the mattress as the object he was leaning on suddenly gave way to air. He jerked upward, already preparing a barrage of insults ready to hurl at the offending object (whether it be animate or not), only to realize there wasn't a figure in sight. The Norwegian peered cluelessly around the hotel room with obvious confusion. It wasn't until he heard a groan stemming from a spot on the floor that he realized where his headrest had went. Norway smirked as he scooted to the edge of the bed, already guessing what had happened.
Norway barely managed to prevent the painful collision of Mathias's head to his nose when the man pushed himself from the floor. Both men were streaming curses as they assessed their rather ridiculous situation. As Their obscene words petered out, Mathias's awkward and embarrassed gaze met Norway's in a silent gesture of gratitude for not laughing at his plight. The Norwegian nodded in recognition and slowly inched off the bed into a standing position. At the sight of the Dane's inquiring scrutiny, he swept his hand across the room to indicate the vacant and crumpled suitcases that lay strewn across the floor.
"We're leaving today, start packing." Mathias groaned at the dreaded words and flopped back onto the floor. He grumbled indiscernible refusals into the short bristles of the carpet while Norway moved sluggishly around the hotel room, collecting random articles and tossing them into the bag. When the Norwegian realized that the Dane hadn't budged from his sprawled position on the floor, he sighed and trudged over to deliver a sharp kick to the man's calf. Mathias yelped and sprung up, rubbing his leg and growling while Norway smirked and pointed towards the suitcases. Mathias scowled but nonetheless shuffled towards the dresser that sheltered all of his clothes.
After 30 minutes of drawn-out packing, Norway had managed to shove everything in his suitcase and after much argument, had gotten Mathias to do the same. They lugged their bags through the lobby and to the valet man who retrieved Norway's car with a tired sigh. The Norwegian had just started the car when Mathias jolted upward and leapt out the passenger door, yelling profanities at the top of his lungs. Norway jumped out of the car and barely halted the shaken valet from calling the police at the Dane's antics. He spent the next few minutes explaining that Mathias had an unstable mind and was under medical watch, hence the startling behavior. All of his hard work consoling the poor men went to waste when the Dane sprinted out of the building with a giant viking axe waving haphazardly behind him. Norway grimaced at the valet and quickly stepped into the car, not even attempting to create a story to cover up the axe.
The trip back to the house was easily what one could consider abnormal. For the majority of the ride Mathias napped peacefully, trying to make up for lost sleeping hours while Norway tried his hardest to concentrate on the road and not on the snoozing Dane next to him. When Mathias woke up, the two played an hazardous game of I-Spy that involved nearly driving into trees, other cars, and many curses being hurled at them by other drivers. To be fair, Norway did his fair share of flipping off other people as well.
The two were thoroughly exhausted by the time the car pulled up the lengthy driveway and into the spacious garage. Mathias stumbled out and grabbed their bags and axe while Norway focused on unlocking the door. They plodded into the house with heavy steps, not even bothering to bid each other goodnight before disappearing into their own respective rooms.
Leaving his bag in the hands of Mathias, Norway shut his door and collapsed onto his plush mattress. He groaned and inched his way under the sheets, somehow managing to do so without sitting up. The minute his head hit the pillow the Norwegian was fast asleep, mind already far, far away.
Mathias however, was not so lucky. His nap in the car left him tossing and turning, unable to find sleep no matter which way he positioned his body. With a huffy sigh, the Dane gave up on the prospect of rest and exited his room with the intent to use up his unwanted energy exploring the house. He wandered the area, opening and closing the doors that lined the halls. Several of the rooms were normal-looking, others left Mathias scratching his head in bewildered confusion. The rooms decorated with Swedish, Icelandic, and Finish objects and flags were three such spaces.
At the end of the hallway, Mathias came across a worn down, insignificant door that he had never noticed before. He hesitantly opened the door, which gave way to a rather small coat closet. Immediately Mathias noticed that his trench coat was one of the articles hanging in the confined space. 'Lukas must have put it there.' he mused. The Dane shut the door and was about to continue on his way when he had a sudden thought. He snatched the coat off of the hanger and ventured back to his room where he slipped the coat on.
The minute the black fabric touched his skin Mathias was enveloped in a comfortable cocoon of bliss. He fell back onto his bed with a sleepy smile and shoved his hands into the dark pockets. The Dane wiggled his fingers, shut his eyes, and was on his way to sleep when he felt his thumb brush something cold.
Mathias sat up and grabbed the metal object between his fingers curiously. He drew his hand out of the pocket and stared blankly at the cross that rested in his palm. 'How did I never notice this?' he wondered. The Dane flipped the cross over, examining it on all sides for a possible engraving of ownership. He found no clue about who the cross belonged too, and settled for staring at it analytically. The small clip yielded no secrets, and with tired eyes Mathias placed it on the nightstand. The Dane laid down, shut his eyes and fell asleep, all the while dreaming of grassy meadows, viking ships, and a shining metal cross.
Norway lay sprawled on the couch, cup of coffee in one hand and book in the other. He had been awake for a few hours now and the sun was already high in the sky. The Norwegian didn't have the heart to wake the tall Dane, so instead he opted to recline in the living room until the man decided to venture down.
After three extra cups of coffee, Norway caught the sound of footfalls approaching from the staircase. Mathias plodded into the room and yawned, mussing his hair tiredly. The Dane was wearing sweatpants, a shirt, and oddly enough his trench coat. Norway nodded a greeting and turned back to his book.
"Lukas, do ya know what this is?" Norway glanced up, already preparing a sarcastic remark about the obliviousness of Danish people until he glimpsed the object that lay in Mathias's hand. The Norwegian's world promptly skidded to a halt as his vision tunneled, zeroing in on the metal cross that Mathias held. His muscles went lax and coffee cup fell, fragmenting into hundreds of sharp ceramic pieces. White noise filled his ears, drowning out the worried inquiries being directed his way.
"Where did you find that.", Norway whispered. Mathias frowned, he hadn't suspected such a negative reaction to a hair clip. He tossed the cross at the smaller man where it landed with a thump on his lap. The Norwegian made no move to pick it up, selecting instead to stare at it with a blank expression.
"It was in one of the pockets of my coat. I don't know how I didn't notice it." Mathias laughed nervously, internally praying that Lukas would use the opportunity to insult his perceptive skills. Unfortunately, the man on the couch seemed to be in another world.
Norway hesitantly inched his hand closer to the clip until his index finger brushed the cool metal of the clip. He cupped it in his hands and brought it to eye level, where he studied it with a wide range of emotions, varying from pain to anger.
This cross was the reason Denmark had run back into the burning house. This cross was the reason Denmark had been injured and lucky to be alive. It was because of the clip that the Denmark he knew and loved was gone.
A lone tear dripped off the Norwegian's cheek as he studied the cross intently. The wetness of the salty drop brought him back to awareness, and he turned his gaze from the object to the confused Dane.
"I need some time alone." Mathias's brow furrowed at the statement and he started forward.
"I don't think that's a—" He was cut off by the quiet, pleading words that were whispered by the man in front of him.
"Please." The Dane nodded slowly, promising himself that he would check on the emotionally unstable man soon. He reluctantly disappeared up the stairs, leaving the Norwegian alone on the couch.
The moment Mathias heard the unmistakeable sound of crackling did he know something was wrong. He dashed down the stairs and rushed into the living room, mentally cursing himself for leaving the Norwegian alone.
Lukas stood sullenly in front of the fireplace, staring into it's wavering flames. The blankets lay in an abandoned pile on the floor, spilt coffee unattended as well. The Dane cautiously approached the man, studying his face for any sign of emotion. He traced the Norwegian's gaze to the fire, not to the fire itself but to a glinting object that was propped against a piece of wood.
Mathias's eyes widened as he realized that the cross he had found had been placed in the fire, and was now well on its way to becoming a molten pool of metal. The Dane ran a hand through his already messy hair and hissed through clenched teeth.
"Lukas, what the hell?!" The Norwegian startled and blinked, as if coming out of a trance. He turned sluggishly towards Mathias and stared at him with a pained expression.
"I was just doing what should have been done a long time ago."
He turned back to the blaze, refusing to elaborate on his cryptic answer. Mathias stared at him for a few lengthy minutes before turning to stare at the fire as well.
The two of them stood soaking up the warmth, staring as the clip gradually melted down until it had settled at the bottom of the ash tray. Even after the cross had liquefied and Mathias had walked off, Norway stayed and gazed at the dying embers.
He didn't move from that position for hours, instead opting to reminisce on when his life hadn't felt so empty and filled with pain. He remembered when Denmark was cheerful and happy, back before the dreaded house fire. Norway surfed through the bitter-sweet memories, and for a single second he felt peace. He knew the feeling wouldn't last, but as far as the Norwegian was concerned, a second of tranquility was enough to keep him going. Even if the rest of his life was filled with devastation, Norway would live on and treasure that second, as long as it contained the one he loved. As long as it contained Denmark's smiling face, he would continue to fight until the end.
That ending was complete BS wasn't it. It was pretty bad, sorry. PLEASE review constructive criticism, or ideas for what's to come.