Hello everyone ouo thank for you the reviews and follows/faves! I am a bit slow since I have to recall what transpired in the ship so I apologize. Please tell me if I accidentally let things drag on too long as it might be a recurring thing for me when I write. I'm open to opinions to make this story nice for you :3

Im also sorry for any mistakes i overlooked. I sometimes read my chapters again after publishing them and if i notice any errors i correct them as soon as possible.

Again, I do not own the following:

- Hetalia characters and their names

- Princess Cruises and their ships including amenities/facilities/events/items


Chapter 2: Stop assuming things!

Tino dragged his trolley along the carpeted hallway, stopping ever so often to look at the framed scenic photos on the wall given by previous passengers on their cruise. He counted the room numbers until he finally found his stateroom, smiling at the small paper nameplate underneath the room number and thought how useful that would be if ever he would need to find someone.

He inserted his key card into the slot and slowly pushed the door open, his eyes immediately gone to stare at the balcony window. In mild haste, he left the key card into the room's power slot and closed the door before leaving his small trolley by the closet and running to the balcony.

It took a moment to figure out how the latch works but he managed to drag the balcony door open, stepping out and leaning on the railing to look out at the glistening sea. There were two lounge chairs and a small table if ever he was lazy to go to the dining areas and just order room service to eat there while enjoying the view. Windmills slowly spun with the wind and he had to squint to see the long bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden on the far end of the horizon.

He only stayed in Denmark for two days, taking the first to join in a free walking tour led by an enthusiastic Dane who kept emphasizing their love for hygge and explaining to tourists if they truly were the happiest country on earth when they had to deal with a 65% tax.

The second day was to finish his sightseeing list after it rained halfway through their tour and soiled his chances of a good photo at Nyhavn and to take a nice walk around Copenhagen, bacon wrapped hotdog in hand, to see the Little Mermaid and the Gefion Fountain among many icons. He ended his day waiting inside Tivoli Gardens until 23.00 just for the fountain show and the park lights. And maybe stare transfixed at the interior buildings and the occasional peacock.

To be honest he was giddy, being on a cruise on his own. He breathed in the crisp Scandinavian air and allowed himself a few moments to enjoy the wind ruffling his hair before heading back inside, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

The stateroom was bigger than he expected though still cramped but since he was alone it wasn't that bad. There is a queen sized bed with a side desk and lamp for each side, a small sofa, a coffee table and another desk where the phone and refrigerator is placed. He had an open wardrobe to himself with a lot of hangers at his disposal and a shelved closet with a big enough safe to store his valuables. He did wonder about why there was a ladder stored there which he guessed was for the hidden extra beds on the ceiling; the room could house 4 people max.

The bathroom was a bit small but he was used to it. The shower dial was something he was familiar with and therefore he didn't have to worry about burning himself again by blindly tinkering with the temperature dial. What he liked second from the balcony is wide flat screen TV that not only have a selection of informative videos about his cruise but also plenty of free movies to choose from including recently released movies, mostly American ones. "The Maze Runner" is showing tonight in Tino's opinion.

A soft knock came from the door and Tino went to answer it, peering through the peephole. A crew member passed by pushing something large but he was too far off to recognize what it was. He opened it and smiled when he saw his bags, carefully pulling them inside. He heard rumors of luggage coming in late at night but at least his arrived early. There was little space to open his bag and he had to rearrange some of the furniture so that he could lower it to the floor. He brought out a few necessities like a change of clothes, toiletries and his formal wear to avoid creasing it any further.

After locking his trolley for later, he turned his attention to the papers on the table. The "Princess Patter" listed all the events on the ship by the hour every day. With it, passengers can see which events they want to attend and plan their schedules. Some facilities were time dependent and only open on certain days of the cruise. Tino grabbed a pen and immediately went through his choices, plopping himself on the bed as he contemplated.

There wasn't much to do since it was embarkation day and he found that he only encircled two things: the sail away party and the water fountain show. His stomach however, had other plans, growling loudly throughout the quiet room. He laughed to himself, cupping it in embarrassment; might as well do his best to satisfy his hunger.

Grabbing his wallet, a small digital camera and his key card, he set out for the rather large buffet setting he heard so much about.


"Deck 16, Lido"

Tino stopped outside the elevator and scanned his map. It was tricky to remember where everything was. He was near the front of the ship and he had to walk all the way to the aft to get to the buffet. He tightened his coat and ventured outside, passing by the pools and lounge chairs. He made a mental note of his surroundings; especially the food stalls and the ice cream stall where he could have sworn he saw a popcorn maker.

The Horizon Court and Horizon Bistro are two different restaurants that combine into a large buffet area every breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is also the place where a hell lot of passengers go to eat and tables fill up fast. Tino removed his coat and cautiously moved around the dining area. Apparently everyone else thought eating at this time was a good idea. He frowned, looking around for an empty seat.

Someone tapped his shoulder and he spun around to meet a kind face. "..Hello would you want some help find a table sir?" he asked, smiling as he balanced a tray of drinks on his hand.

By the way he was dressed he must be a waiter. Regardless, Tino returned the smile and nodded. "..That would be great, thanks!"

The blond smiled and asked him to follow him, weaving around the crowd. He spotted a group leaving a 6-seater table and gestured for him to be seated while cleaning up the table. "..Are you with someone? You may have to share this table if you're not." He explained.

"..I'm cruising alone so that's really fine with me um… Eduard." The fin replied, looking at his name tag to know his name and where he came from.

"…Alright. Do you want me to fetch you any drink, sir? You can avail of our beverage package if you want." suggested Eduard.

Tino stared at him. "What is your beverage package?" he asked with curiosity.

Eduard smiled and brought out a thin form and laid it out on the table so that he could read it too. "Basically you can choose which beverage package you want to buy. Water, iced tea, lemonade, hot chocolate and our teas are for free but if you want cocktails, soft drinks, wine and alcoholic beverage then you have to pay a small amount. But, if you do, your package is good for the whole cruise. We have different tiers for that depending on what you're after."

Tino browsed through the paper. "No thank you. I'm not that into those kinds of drinks anyway. Water would be fine."

"A cup of water coming right up. Oh and someone would be seating next to you. My friend Toris would bring them over. Please excuse me." Eduard kept the paper and proceeded to get his order as another waiter, presumably Toris, lead a pair of brunettes over to his table.

"Excuse me sir, would it be alright to share your table with these two gentlemen?" the Lithuanian asked.

Tino nodded and the pair was seated next to him and they too were offered the beverage package.

"Is beer included?" one of them asked with a crisp Australian drawl, reading the form with high interest.

"That would be the all-inclusive beverage package, sir." replied Toris. "You will be paying for each individual per package."

"Can't you go a week and a half without beer?" the other retorted.

Tino couldn't help but listen in but faced the window. The other brunette's accent was similar to the Australian's but not exactly the same. A New Zealander perhaps.

"Oi don't ya come asking me for grog if you suddenly want some, Kiwi. Besides, I'm paying for mine. Toris did say each." He shot back, writing their stateroom number and his name on the form.

Toris then stuck a colored sticker on his cruise card. "The payment will appear in your stateroom account. And if Mr. Walters would want to avail a package then you can ask any of the waiters around."

The two nodded in understanding, giving them their respective drinks. The Australian gave his friend a look and the other rolled his eyes, waving his hand and telling him to go already. He grinned then got up heading straight to the buffet. The Kiwi sighed and turned to Tino, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for Jett. He's a handful. Do you want to go on ahead? I can watch the table for us." He offered.

Tino chuckled. "It's fine. And thank you. My name Is Tino Väinämöinen." he said, bringing his hand out to shake the other's.

"I can't help but wonder how your last name is spelled. I'm Steven Walters. That drongo who can't resist beer is Jett Kirkland." said Steven, shaking his hand in return.

Tino laughed along and then stood just as Eduard returned with his cup of water, taking the time to thank him before heading to check out the food. It seemed a lot but they serve the same thing at the other end. But it was still a lot of food though. He got a bowl and started making a simple salad, throwing in some shredded chicken, sliced egg, cherry tomatoes and dressing.

He toured the displays while picking out which ones he would try before heading back to the table to put down the bowl first and taking a moment to meet Jett who was at their table while Steven got his own food.

Tino liked plating his food, or at least make sure the food doesn't pile up on top of each other so he makes space for everything he gets. He was on his way to get some newly replenished grilled salmon when someone else got there first, taking the tongs and getting a piece for himself. He turned to Tino and immediately the Fin paled, staring up at those familiar blue framed eyes again.

"Seriously?!" his mind screeched as he stood frozen in place.

The other blond stared back at him with intensity and neither of them were talking. Tino felt his hands tremble and so did his plate, swallowing nervously.

"…um… do you want some salmon?" the blond asked.

His voice was incredibly deep but Tino could tell he was Swedish by experience. It was then he noticed that the Swede was already holding out the tongs to him.

Tino failed to respond, his words stuck to his throat. The Swede grunted and merely grabbed a slice of Salmon and placed it neatly on his plate before placing the tongs back. "Try adding lemon… they have some by the beverage station…" he added before moving along.

He let out a shaky breath after he lost sight of him in the crowd, legs buckling slightly. "Must he always be like that?!" he whined in his head but was quick to scold himself. He shouldn't be one to judge since he barely knew the guy. Sighing, he went through the last few rows and stopped by the beverage station to pick up some slices of lemon before returning to their table where he heard Steven reminding (scolding) Jett to put the paper napkin on his lap using a very threatening fork.


Lunch was enjoyable with Steven and Jett, though the pair went ahead to freshen up; agreeing to meet up somewhere in the ship and exchanging stateroom numbers. He still had time to explore some of the ship's interior before the party begins. Tino wore his coat and bade farewell to Eduard as he made his way out of the restaurant and down one floor.

The ship's intercom announced that nearly everyone was on board and they will conduct a safety drill, requesting all passengers to pick up their "snazzy orange life jackets" provided in their staterooms and head down to their respective muster stations by 17.00.

His lunch was prolonged by his new acquaintances, and perhaps a dessert or two that Eduard insisted him of trying, saving Tino the effort of looking for something to do to pass time and he wasn't one to do that in the casino. He returned to his room instead to grab his life jacket and proceeded to his muster station by the art gallery an hour early using the stairs as an exercise.

Well he thought he was early; several people were already present and hogged the few chairs there. He approached the crew staff and had his key card, or passenger card, scanned before finding a place inside. He paused mid-step, tilting his head towards a tall man on the far left corner. He was busy looking at the oil paintings but he can easily tell the blond hair and the glasses… and his stocky build maybe… since he just it mere hours ago.

"There are 4,000 people on this ship how is this possible?!…" his mind screeched, nervously moving to the other end.

He still can't put a finger on why he was so bothered by the other, throwing a few glances at his direction but it seems as if he had moved on to another section he couldn't see. He decided to focus on the paintings which would soon be for sale to all passengers. Everyone else was painfully slow, not pertaining to age but more on actually taking the time for the practice drill. They were already 20 minutes past the call time and his legs were starting to complain.

Tino spotted his not-so-favorite Swede turning his life jacket around nearby. He was moving it around somewhat, earning the Fin's attention. With a few adjustments, he positioned the rectangular jacket on the floor and sat on it. Presto! a rather durable makeshift chair. Tino blinked, feeling the stuffing in the life jacket. It felt like big pieces of Styrofoam or something light but compact. He looked at him again and the guy was already teaching a kid how to fix his own life jacket so that he could sit down too.

Tino eventually tried it out himself, glancing ever so often to see if he positioned his own life jacket right and sat down. It was much more comfortable than just sitting on the carpet, the neck support giving him a small back support. "..Pretty clever..." he thought and hugged his knees to himself as they waited for it to start.


They ended up extending for an hour, passengers leaving their stations in a bad mood while others didn't really care as long as they got it done. Tino suddenly felt tired after waiting for so long but he did tell Steven and Jett that he would meet them at the party, retreating to his stateroom to return his life jacket before heading one floor up to the Sun Deck on the 17th floor.

There was loud party music blaring through the speakers but there were very few people outside. He sighed, frowning. Perhaps it was too much to hope for a sail away party, leaning on the railing as the ship blew its horn three times and slowly began to float out of the port. In the other cruise ship he was on the party was massive and although he was not actively partying it was still enjoyable. He doesn't blame the older passengers but he hoped the party would've given him an energy boost.

"…why are you following me?" a deep voice spoke and Tino jumped, jerking his head in the direction it came from.

The Swede was there, hands in his coat pockets and a scarf around his neck. It was colder now than when he boarded. Tino scoffed, crossing his arms. "..E-Excuse me but I wasn't following you! I'm here for the sail away party… though it seems like a bust since no one really came out."

The other raised an eyebrow at him. "…Of course not… it's too chilly out here for old people. The venue is downstairs at The Piazza. They mentioned that in the Patter. You're late and it probably started by now."

Tino stared at him before patting his pockets. Damn he left his copy back in his stateroom. He groaned. Might as well trust his information since that explains the near empty deck. "…Great… I don't even have the energy to attend anymore."

The Swede shrugged. "…you were also staring at me at the buffet and back at the muster station. Do you need anything from me? I am sure we haven't met before…"

Tino turned red. "S-Stop assuming that I'm following you!"

"Excuse me!"

They both turned to a young man a few feet away with a tripod and a video camera, waving at them and signaling them to smile. Tino gave him an awkward smile at first, barely noticing the nametag on his chest then saw the Swede waving but not really smiling. His eyes widened at the realization and frantically waved his arms at him, which the cameraman thought was funny and should include it in the video.

"W-wait! It's not what you think!"

The camera man grinned at them and gave them a thumb's up of approval before picking up his equipment and moving on to find more passengers to film, capturing a short footage of eager teens next.

"So… what is it that you don't want him to think?" the Swede asked, looking at the sulking Fin next to him.

Tino just let out a weird groaning sound and getting up, pouting a bit. "..Look sir…"

"Berwald… my name is Berwald."

"Berwald? Wow that was unexpected…" he thought. "Um…right. Look, Berwald… I'm sorry if I seem like some creepy stalker to you right now but I'd want to let you know we just happen to be in the same place at that moment and nothing else. Yes, I don't know you and no, I don't need anything from you. Okay?"

Berwald looked at him. He slowly reached for his lanyard and quickly scanned it, earning a sound of protest from its owner.

"Okay, Tino. And just to clear up my side, I wasn't following you either in case you were wondering. But I'm glad we cleared this up." He replied, pointing to his passenger card. "You just missed your priority seating though. Best to eat early at the buffet if you don't want to have trouble finding seats." He gave him a final nod as a farewell before leaving the flustering Tino on his own to look at his passenger card.

"So that's why there was a name of a restaurant, time and table number…" he thought, looking up and running to the staircase where Berwald went.

"H-Hey wait, Berwald! T-Thank you for telling me that!" he called out, watching the fleeting figure raise a hand in acknowledgement before going through the sliding doors and out of his sight.

Tino smiled a bit then craned his head skywards. It was around 18.30 but the sun has only start to set in Denmark. Tomorrow they will arrive in Oslo, Norway where he would go on his first tour. He leaned on the railing, soaking in every single detail he can get of Denmark's skyline. It was quite close to where he lived but he really had no reason to return after the trip.

He was thankful that Berwald wasn't that scary after being able to talk to him, or so he would like to believe. He was still taller and his eyes were always intimidating but then again maybe he could overlook that for now. The ship blew its horn again and small sail boats had gone out to "ferry" the large cruise ship out to the open sea. He stayed there until Denmark and its windmills were mere specks on the horizon, cupping his hands and blowing into them for warmth. It was about time to head back in.

"…wait… did he just assume that I thought he was following me?" he told himself out loud.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?!"


Vocabulary list:

1. hygge – this happy feeling of contentment that all Danes love. It's pronounced something close to "hooge." It's my current favorite word right now.

2. Nyhavn – One of Copenhagen's iconic landmarks (like the Little Mermaid and the Gefion Fountain) with brightly painted houses chock full of restaurants, boats and tourists.

Notes:

1. "Deck 5, Plaza" – if you guys are wondering what this is, this is actually the mechanical voice in the elevators. A woman's voice announces the floor and its name every time o u o

2. "words in italics" - if you guys haven't realized it will be thoughts but i will make sure to be clear on that :)