Author: Cyhirae
Edited: Lumineux

Disclaimer: Hetalia, the characters and the songs referenced are not mine or Lumineux's; they belong to their respective creators. We just borrowed them for this dark little story.

Papers rustled like leaves as they slid from Norway's fingers to scatter across Denmark's desk. The Dane blinked and looked up in some consternation as the shorter nation glared down at him, as he let the last of those papers drift where ever they happened to land.

"Norge, what's wrong? Those papers, they're-"

"A bad joke." Norway's voice wasn't as calm as he by and large looked; it was tight and somewhat shaking as he stepped back, shaking his head. "What do you think you're doing, Danmark?"

"What do I- keeping you alive- what do you think I've been trying to do all along?" The Dane began to gather up the scattered papers, trying to put them back in order. The pages already in his hand were quickly snatched away, however, and held up by Norway loosely.

"By doing this? By making me a city; not even a city-state?" Fingers curled to crinkle the papers further; then he tossed them on the desk and began to stride away. "I refuse. My people have no leader so I will make the call. We never will have one if this goes through."

"Now what are you going on about? You'll have autonomy-"

"Semi-Autonomy; in the end it is your boss who will have the final say and that I have to answer to." Again. It was starting to look like Denmark-Norway again in all ways; ultimately he would have no say in the decisions that truly mattered. "We can govern ourselves, Danmark. I will take it as being on loan until we can afford to buy it or move elsewhere, as something we are renting or leasing; but we are not going to become a part of you."

The Dane was visibly taken back by the words and the tone underlying the ever present 'calm'; there wasn't just anger in it, rare as that was to hear out of Norway as well. There was frustration but more importantly- there was some kind of fear lurking behind all of the words. What could he have possibly done to earn that?

"I am not a house pet and neither are my people; we are recovering and we can look after ourselves. Why do you always have to overdo it? You said you wanted to keep me alive; you have. I'm alive; I'm recovering and so are they."

He paused at the door and looked back as he heard paper shuffling; crinkled and abused as they were, Denmark quietly gathered them back up. The pages were still unsigned. He had offered them up to Norway as an assurance that everything was going to be fine before they asked the Norwegians to take a vote on them in lieu of having an actual leader to speak for them.

And this was the thanks he was getting?

"Norge, will you listen to yourself? You have people but that's it! You have no government, no means of income- nothing! It's a miracle you're even surviving!"

"There was a time that was all we needed; have you forgotten that? I am open to renegotiation, Danmark; but I am not accepting that-"

Denmark's hand closed on Norway's wrist and hauled him back into the room, then caught his shoulder with his other hand and shoved him firmly against the wall to keep Norway pinned. Violet eyes glared back at Denmark with more life than they had shown in the past several weeks; a sight the Dane would have been grateful for if it hadn't been under these circumstances.

""Let go, Danmark!"

"I haven't forgotten; I also know that was a damned long time ago! The world isn't like that anymore; if you go out there like this-"

"I know what I need to do; you're the one who can't see past his own behavior-" Norway snapped back, eyes narrowed.

"My behavior? Do you have any idea what I've been going through for the past several years every time I looked at that damned ash cloud hanging in the north sky?" Denmark glared in frustration down at the smaller nation.

"Look at how you're acting now if you want an example of your 'behavior'! You did what you wanted to do; I can do the rest!"

"Damn it, Norge! Every time we sent a transmission over there trying to get someone to respond, I was right there- every damned time nothing came back. I thought you were dead, and I still talked my boss into sending a search team over!"

"I know that; and I am not ungrateful for it! But you never know when to stop helping, Danmark."

"You probably would be dead by now if I hadn't!" Anger sharpened Denmark's tone as he shifted his grip against the other's struggles.

"I will not let this be like it was centuries ago; it will not be easy but we will last! You have helped us get through the worst of it; now let us go- let me go."

Norway brought his knee up hard against Denmark's stomach, knocking the breath out of the other as he shoved him back. The taller nation staggered back as he tried to get his breath back; Norway took the chance then to stride for the door. As far as he was concerned, the argument was over.

"Th-the worst of it?" Denmark forced that out between gasps, then took a single deep breath and bounded after Norway. He caught the other by the shoulder this time and all but threw him into the desk, then caught the back of his neck and put a knee to his back to keep him pinned. He forced the smaller nation to look to the left, where a map of Europe was displayed; a map every bit as tattered as the continent itself was now, from all the hand-drawn in corrections and changes that had been done over the years. "You think you've already been through the worst of it, just because you're not up there? Look at that map, Norge! The 'worst' is just starting! If you go out there now, even as just a city-state, you're nothing but a target- and you think you can survive that? Where's your military? Who's going to defend you when raiders come, or armies? That damned attitude is what got you into this state! Always trying to-"

The rant broke off as he looked downward from that map himself…Norway's eyes were closed to the sight of the map in a grimace of pain as he struggled to keep air in his lungs against the other's weight. The sickness had not fully backed away; it wouldn't for some time as his people continued to cope with the effects- but it had been easy to forget with Norway acting more like himself for a few moments.

It had been easy to forget just how frail he still was and could very well be from now on. Denmark eased himself back from the other, forcing that grip to loosen as he took a deep, calming breath. He had to remember that; Norway was still ill, still recovering from it all. He had been saying similar things when he had first found him, if less coherently.

He had to be patient with Norway; plainly his ability to reason was still less than whole. Denmark stepped closer again, this time to help the other up as he began to cough viciously after a slightly too deep and ragged a breath.

"Damn it.. Norge, I'm sorry." He ignored the other's attempts to shove him away as the coughing continued; he simply gathered him up as he had back in those ruins and carried him back to the room set aside for him. It was plain enough the other nation still wanted to protest; Denmark felt a twinge of guilty gratitude to the illness that kept him choked silent so he couldn't.

The situation had them all frayed. He couldn't ask Norway to be reasonable when he was in such straits. Denmark settled him on the bed, then sat down beside him, rubbing the other's back to try to help the coughs ease off. Finally they devolved to shuddering gasps and Denmark stood, brushing his hand against the other's hair.

"…Just give me a chance, Norge. You need me right now; you can't even defend yourself." A fact painfully proven only a moment ago; once a kick like that would have left Denmark on the floor, not just getting his breath back. "I'll make everything work for the best; you don't have to keep pushing me away."

No response rose from the other nation. Denmark sighed and leaned closer, frowning to see the eyes half lidded and vague; he had gotten carried away. He scolded himself quietly as he straightened again, then shrugged his coat off to cover Norway with in place of the blankets he laid on.

"I need to go; they will be taking the vote soon. Just..rest, Norge. It will all work out, I promise it will. Give me this chance to prove it to you." That said, Denmark waited for a reply; again none came. He sighed and walked out the door, shaking his head.

This required patience and understanding. If he kept blowing up at Norway every time his sickness got the better of him and made him unreasonable, then he wouldn't blame the other at all for being afraid. They were going to have to work together to get him through this; once he was a little steadier, Norway would understand that.

But until then, patience and understanding also meant knowing what risks not to take. As he closed the door behind him, he turned back to it and twisted the outside lock; the sound of a deadbolt shooting home filled the hall.

"It's for your own good, Norge; please understand that."