A/N: Wow… longest chapter yet. I know I've only done one game per chapter, but as my best friend is fond of saying "the chapter breaks where it breaks." I also encourage responsible drinking habits for those who are of an appropriate age.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I don't own Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagan. All I own is the Norwegian fans encouraging my love of crack pairings…
Norway awoke the next day agitated at Denmark more so than usual. It wasn't Italy's fault, Norway felt bad for the other nation since he had no idea if Italy was going to tease him more. He'd have to go apologize to Italy after his match with Germany, but for right now he had a match to focus on. He pulled on his pants and sighed, somehow he missed Denmark teasing him over them, the way he in turn would become angered, and make some snide remark. The Nordic picked up his other pair and hung them up examining the argyle pattern. When was it that he had ever missed Denmark's taunting, blunt, ignorant, and rather charming personality? He sighed and stroked the pants, then his fist clenched, charming? When the hell had Denmark ever been charming? He picked up the broom and left the room bee lining for the stairs.
He descended determined, and walked the mile to the curling hall with a pensive look on his face. He entered the changing room and pulled out his broom. He entered the hall to the bagpipes and cheers, but he didn't feel enthusiastic. If anything it made him feel worse. Norway felt nauseated when he saw Denmark, not at all looking like his normal upbeat self. He looked like he hadn't slept that night, maybe even a hangover with his eyes red and still looking like he might cry at any minute. The Nordic thought he might be sick, but he shook it off long enough to shake hands with Germany and Prussia. Somewhere behind him Norway heard his fans and maybe even Italy's voice too.
"I'm sorry for what I did to Italy," Norway muttered to Germany before sliding down to join a very disgruntled looking Prussia.
"The awesome me's so not happy with you Norway!" Prussia snapped while Gilbird angrily puffed up on his head. "D'ya know what I had to do to get Denmark to calm down last night?"
Norway didn't reply for fear of something completely inappropriate for the setting. But something rattled him at the back of his brain, and it threw his game off. The only reason his mind had even wandered past the gutter was through the results of his actions. It was this laps in concentration that allowed Prussia a moment to power up. He pulled a pair of very pointy orange sunglasses that by all rights and laws of physics shouldn't have fit in his pocket. A large orange glow surrounded him and Gilbird also hopped up onto his head, wearing a miniature duplicate of his sunglasses.
He hoisted his broom into the air, "This broom is the one that will carry the awesome me to victory! You have wronged one of my precious friend's and that is one thing the awesome me cannot let stand!" His battle aura expanded and background music that sounded suspiciously like it was saying 'row row fight da powah' filled the air. A blue jacket with red flames on the cuffs and hem appeared on his back. "IT'S TIME TO TAKE THIS BEYOND THE IMPOSSIBLE!"
Norway cocked an eyebrow unimpressed, feeling distinctly that he had watched this in an anime before. So the formerly independent nation fancied himself Kamina? If he wasn't so depressed, the Nordic was sure he'd be laughing. Instead he watched Prussia head down to the far hack while his battle aura left after images of himself. Norway examined the cluster in the house. He had a stone mere inches from the button inside the center circle, Germany also had one just a few centimeters further away from the button than the Nordic's. This shot would require a delicate hand and finesse to pull off. It was a shot typically handed over to the skip, and for the German team the skip was Prussia. Unfortunately this was not a shonen anime series, so Prussia's shot infused with his battle spirit energy came tearing down the ice leaving flames for a few moments as it careened towards the house. The shot missed the cluster all together and instead hit the far wall leaving a large crack in the edge of the ring and floor.
Prussia fell flat on his face; his battle aura and coat disappeared while his sunglasses fell off. Gilbird stroked his head with a wing reassuringly. "How did that not work...?" He mumbled. Norway shrugged slightly while Germany face palmed at his older brother's stupidity. Said brother picked himself off of the ice and stumbled over to the corner of the arena. He sat down and pouted in silence. Germany waved in his alternate from the bench and took the skip position for Prussia.
With Prussia's over the top exhibition finished, the match proceeded in peace. Norway was down four to three but made several key shots to tie it four to four heading into the last end. He had hammer and a chance to end without an extra round. He slid over to the far hack from his spot in the house. Germany smiled at him, "I know you didn't mean to get Italy involved or upset. So don't worry, we're still friends."
Norway nodded and managed a small smile at the larger nation. He slid forward and knocked out the closest German stone, moving a trio of his into a tight cluster within the house. Sure enough he ended up winning seven to four. After his match he didn't stick around but instead followed Germany to the locker room where Italy was waiting for them. Norway bowed his head, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you yesterday."
"It's okay Norway!" Italy smiled and gave him a hug before firmly taking Germany's hand. "See you later ve~!"
"Bye," Norway muttered before heading to his locker room. He packed up and walked back to the hotel, collapsing on the bed in annoyance. He felt miserable at seeing the condition Denmark was in. But why should he care? He didn't care, or so Norway told himself on his way to get lunch. He waited for room service to arrive and he ate in his room. The TV was showing the highlights of the snowboarding competition. It sure looked like Finland was enjoying himself on the slopes. He sighed and slammed his hand into the bed. He grabbed a book from the nightstand and began to read.
A few hours later Norway changed into his freshly laundered pants and walked back to the arena with his gear. He set everything down and headed out for another match, this time against Switzerland. Beyond the handshakes and wishes of good luck the two nations stood at the house silently. Up in the stands however, Tenoh faced her brother "Why weren't you at breakfast this morning Darnell?"
"I couldn't help it," he shrugged. "Ethan didn't tell me where we were supposed to be meeting up. So I ate here at the hotel with a nice young man."
Tenoh pointed a finger at him, "cheating on Ethan?"
"No, he just looked depressed and forlorn so I decided to help him out. We talked about what was wrong over pancakes with maple syrup. I didn't realize our language was so similar to this world's language called 'French' I believe. Anyway I agreed to help him get the girl he likes to notice him. I also sort of told him we'd all pitch in too. I said we'd meet up here." Darnell smiled brightly.
"So he's going to be joining us?" Tenoh asked watching Switzerland nudge Norway's stone out of the two-foot circle. "Come on pants! Pants, pants, pants!"
"No, he's out there right now. According to him, his crush is the little sister of the Swiss skip." Darnell pointed out while clapping as Norway knocked out Switzerland's shot.
Tenoh's mismatched eyes widened, "D, the Swiss skip is Switzerland. His little sister is Lichtenstein... what'd this guy say his name was?"
He smiled, "he said his name was Canada, though he said I could call him Matthew." He pointed to the far end of the sheet at a lanky haired blond with one long idiot curl sliding down the ice.
His sister just about slugged him, "you agreed to help out with an international romance? If we screw up then the world could explode! Wars would start! Switzerland's really overly protective of his sister! He'll be after your blood, tanned hide, and head to mount as a trophy! AND YOU AGREED TO HELP?"
The teen nodded, "yeah. I figured since we're from what you called a 'parallel dimension' we could escape without repercussions. He seemed really desperate since he said no one really remembers or notices him. They see him for a few minutes then forget about him. I can't stand to see anyone so miserable! Please help?"
Tenoh almost rammed her head through the railing of the stands. "Fine... be it on your head and don't expect me to bail you out if things go south."
Darnell grinned, "naturally." He turned his attention back to the match, "do your best Mr. Norway!"
Switzerland glared up at the stands where the Norwegian fans were plotting on how to introduce Lichtenstein and Canada. He frowned, "I don't like your fans, I keep feeling like their planning on doing something dreadful."
Norway shrugged; he hadn't the heart to talk to them since yesterday's incident. "I assure you they're just a harmless bunch of kids."
That didn't seem to convince the neutral nation in the least. Norway felt sick to his stomach when he glanced over two sheets to where Denmark was sullenly in combat with England. Earlier he'd gone into battle against America, the Nordic suspected Denmark only won because neither had any sleep. Or at least that was his suspicions based on the fact the two members of the Awesome Trio not competing had fallen asleep on one another in exhaustion. Even though the trio was annoying he had no real grudge against them for trying to help Denmark. When he beat Switzerland seven to four, he couldn't help but glance over at the score between Denmark and England. His friend had lost six to nine; the Nordic was heartbroken to see Denmark just about break into tears when he shook the other nation's hand.
"Hey, are you in there Norway?" Switzerland pulled the Nordic out of his trance.
"Y-Yeah," Norway muttered with a sniff.
The two nations shook hands until a shout behind him caught both nations' attention. "Lichtenstein!" Switzerland shouted concerned. She'd tripped and fallen into a rowdy fan not too far from the Norway fan section.
"C'mon," the man announced, clearly drunk.
"I told you to leave me alone!" She shouted at him angrily.
Switzerland ran off, with Norway hot on his heels. He knew the other nation would be mad that he'd helped since it would technically break the whole 'true neutral' thing. But his bosses had drilled helping someone in danger into Norway's head over the centuries. They ran through the locker rooms and up the stairs arriving a few minutes later up in the stands. They pushed passed the crowd exiting the arena to where the man and Lichtenstein had been. To both nations surprise the whole front row had jumped up to the nation's defense.
Tenoh was holding the man by the collar, sunglasses pulled over her eyes. "If you ever try anything like this again..." she leaned in and whispered into his ear. As soon as she let go, the man bolted past the two nations and out of the room, as though the very hounds of hell were hot on his heels. Norway ascended the steps a little ways assured that things were in order. He glanced back down as he walked along towards the stairs.
"Lichtenstein," Switzerland pulled his sister into a tight hug. He looked up at the group, "thank you for saving my sister."
Tenoh stepped forward, "Mr. Switzerland... sir..." he swallowed, "my friend... um... he has a crush on your sister and wants to ask her on a date if it's okay by you!"
Switzerland's eyes narrowed and he stood up to his full height, "what friend is this?"
"My friend Matthew, I mean Canada!" The human announced, praying she wouldn't be shot.
Lichtenstein's face turned beat red, "Canada?" She smiled and let out a little giggle, the way people do when they find out that their crush is reciprocated. Switzerland fell silent, mouth slightly agape in shock.
Norway blinked, Canada liked Lichtenstein? He sighed, even the man most people couldn't see had a more successful love life than he did. The Nordic went back down to the locker room and retrieved his stuff. He walked back to the hotel hanging his head. He felt in need of alcohol desperately. And there was only one nation to go see when one of them needed alcohol. Twenty minutes later, Norway wandered over to the branch of Belgium's bar in Canada. She always set up shop during multi-day international events as a place for nations to get away from the chaos of life. He pushed open the door with his head and sat down at the bar.
Belgium welcomed him with a smile, "Evening Nils, what can I get you?" She asked while polishing a glass. It was a rule at her bar that along with the coat their nation names were left at the door. Here everyone was just a person looking for a drink, some food and good company.
"Evening Belle," he mumbled and sighed, "I'll start with two shots of akevitt. Strongest brew you've got."
Belgium walked over to the wall of alcohol while Norway looked around. The bar was mostly empty with all of the other nations off competing in one event or another. The TV played the hockey match between Belarus and Russia, though it looked more like Belarus and Russia skating around. It was almost enough to make one feel bad for the guy. He tore his eyes away from the screen to find Switzerland two seats over, his face lightly pink. "I hate you Nils... your damn fans ruined my day."
Norway blinked, he felt somewhat relieved someone besides Denmark was as disgusted with him as he was. "Sorry to hear that Vash. What happened?"
"My sister... wanted... wanted you hear to go on a date with Matthew! I don't even remember what the man looks like and she wants to go on a date with him?" Switzerland's head collapsed against the bar. He twitched and held up his hand weakly. "Shot of whatever Nils is having." The ordinarily stingy nation seemed to be in such shock that his penny pinching seemed to go out the window along with his trigger-happy irritability.
Belgium pored a third shot and set all three in front of the patron. "Vash I should warn you, beer before liquor couldn't be sicker, liquor before beer head in the clear."
He waved her off, "I know, but I don't want to induce forced vomiting... I'm a horrible brother... why me...?"
Norway sighed and took a sip of his drink, top shelf as always from Belgium. "Say Belle, can you give me some advice?"
"I'm all ears," she smiled and set down the bottle of akevitt.
"I kind of messed up," he confessed watching Vash sobbing on the bar chugging whatever was left in his beer bottle before moving on to his akevitt. "I was a party yesterday that some of my fans were putting on. Nice party actually, just like they promised with just good friends and good food. Feliciano and Ludwig were there too so Feli and I got to talking." He paused and took a sip. "He said I was in love with Danma and I denied it. Then we went to the buffet and he started to open up his mouth." Norway ran a hand through his hair smoothing out a few hairs that had come loose from his clip. "I cut him off by denying I had ever liked Danma. Guess who was standing behind me when I said it? He and the rest of the Awesome Trio showed up with alcohol at least to some degree uninvited." He clutched his head tears stinging his eyes.
Belgium watched the hockey game for a moment in thought. "How do you feel about Danma?"
Norway could feel his face going red, and it wasn't from the alcohol. "I... I... I don't know..." he knocked back the rest of his first shot and all of his second in short succession. "Dammit... I don't know!"
The bartending nation smiled, "I'm not sure what to tell you at the moment."
Switzerland fished through his pockets; the ordinarily stingy man put some cash on the table. "Have a drink on me Belle..." He almost looked like he'd sobered up until his head dropped back down.
Belgium smiled and put the money in the register before poring herself a shot of akevitt. She took a sip, "Nils, I think you might want to talk to either Feli or Berwald. Tino and Ludwig would also be good options. Vash, might I recommend trying to be supportive of your sister and Matthew." She smiled at both of them.
Norway nodded weakly, "right, another shot for me and one for you Belle." He set the cash on the bar.
Akevitt was a quite strong drink with a forty percent alcohol content. For a few minutes the Nordic felt his head buzzing rowdily, he saw Switzerland put more money on the table buying another shot. Half an hour and two more shots for the boys with a beer for Belgium and it was bar closing time. When the three nations walked out, Switzerland could barely stand and had to be supported by Belgium while she locked up. Norway and Belgium each draped one of their drinking companion's arms across their shoulders. The Nordic didn't feel great but he could hold his liquor, not to mention Switzerland had arrived before him, who knew how much he had to drink. They pulled him into the elevator and frowned, neither of them bothered to ask the now unconscious nation what room he was staying in.
Belgium pushed a button; "I'll take him back to my room for the night. He'll need a strong cure if he's going to get over this hangover to compete tomorrow." They pulled him down the hall to her room. She slid the key card through the slot before opening the door. They set Switzerland down on the bed, pulling the covers over him. "Good night Nils, I'll let you know how he is tomorrow."
"Thanks, and good night Belle," Norway sighed and walked back to the elevator eager to go to sleep.
A/N: Yes Prussia is channeling Kamina. I keep wondering what would happen if Prussia ever got to pilot Gurren Lagan, other than the universe exploding from too much Spiral energy. I have no idea where these pairings came from… All I know is I was eating a slice of cheesecake when it happened. So please stay turned for some one shot action with Lichtenstein x Canada and potential Switzerland x Belgium. As to the pairing I talked about last A/N here it is: Chocobo Chick x Gilbird.
