Mary's Story (A Norway + OC Hetalia One-Shot)

Day 3

"How long do you have?"
We hadn't spoken until then, but had just sat on the hood of my car in silence. Now the sun was rising, though, and I didn't want to sit there any longer.
Norway didn't look at me but continued to stare into the distance.
"Norway?" I slowly reached out and put my hand on his leg. "Norway?"
"Five or six days, maybe, until I am all the vay turned," he whispered, almost inaudible. "Since I am a country, the transformation vill take longer to complete."
I nodded.
"Vhy did this happen to me?" he whispered, breaking his unwavering gaze and looking down at his hands. I stayed silent. His hands had become more metallic through the night, now covering the majority of his fingers and his palms.
"I thought... I... I vanted to live!" he said, and then he turned his eyes on me.
I took a deep breath, my breaking heart feeling heavy in my chest. I could only shake my head.
"I vanted to live, I vanted to do so many things..." he went on, his words rushed. Sweat was forming on his forehead. He stood up suddenly and began to pace.
"Norway-"
"I vanted to be vith you," he whirled around and faced me, and the pain on his face twisted my stomach. "I vanted to be vith you forever. Answer me this!" He ran to me and got down on his knees before me. Bile rose up in my throat.
"Norway, you're not thinking straight, you-"
"No, no! Yust listen!" he said, his eyes wide and slightly crazed. "If I had asked you to marry me, vould you have said yes?"
"Yes! Of course I would have!" I whispered, tears overflowing my eyes. "Of course I would have..."
Norway stared into my eyes. And then slowly, he hung his head. I put one hand over my mouth and closed my eyes, trying to stifle my sobs.
The silence was deathly.
Suddenly, Norway stood up. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me off the car. I stood up straight and looked into his eyes, just as he kissed me.
He kissed me. Of his own accord.
And that was how I knew everything was coming to an end.

*

An hour or so later, we decided to head into the nearby town to get some breakfast. Tieton was small enough to have not yet been affected by the virus, though it looked like most of the townspeople had evacuated anyway.
I drove into the parking lot of a small grocery store, glancing at Norway in the rearview mirror. He sat in the back seat, rummaging through his suitcase. He threw on a large green sweatshirt with the words University of Oslo on it, and then a beanie. He threw it on his head, covering the two small, metallic stubs that were beginning to grow there.
Norway was a Taurus.
I parked and then stepped out of the car. Norway followed suit, adjusting the long sleeves of the sweatshirt to cover his bronze hands.
We walked into the grocery store. I went straight to the bread aisle and Norway followed me. I picked out some bagels and then moved onto the next aisle, silently drowning in the deepness of my every thought and fear.
I didn't even notice when Norway left my side.
Not until there was a large crash and a womanly scream.
I jerked my head up.
"Norway?"
I ran toward the sound.
"Norway? Nor-?"
I skid to a stop. Norway was in the middle of the dairy aisle, sitting in a puddle of white cream. An entire shelf of milk had crashed onto the floor, but it didn't appear to be an accident.
Norway was eagerly drinking the calcium-filled liquid straight from the bottles.
"Norway!" I said again, before realizing there was a woman standing just opposite of me, watching him with wide eyes. He finished chugging one gallon of milk and quickly picked up another, the whiteness pouring down his chin and drenching his sweatshirt.
"Lukas!" I screamed, splashing through the spilled milk. He closed his eyes in enjoyment, but I grabbed his arm.
"Lukas, what are you doing?" I cried. Suddenly he choked and dropped the milk jug. He sputtered, and when he finally caught his breath, his eyes went wide.
"I... I..." he looked all around him, panic in his voice. "I am sorry, I don't know vhat came over me, I..."
"Shhh... it's okay, Lukas," I whispered, helping him stand. "It's okay..."
I looked at the lady across the hall.
"I will pay for it, I promise," I said, earnestly, reaching into my purse.
"Get out!" she exclaimed, staring straight at Lukas. I frowned.
"He-he didn't-"
"He must get out of my store!" she shouted in a distinctly Spanish accent. "I know what he is! Get out! Now!"
I sighed.
"Maybe... maybe you should go sit in the car while I deal with this," I whispered, giving him an apologetic glance.
Lukas didn't respond but quickly walked past the woman, who shrank away from him as he went by. And then he burst into a run, exiting the store without looking back.
"I... I only have a debit card," I said, pulling out my wallet. She led me to the cash-register, and I could only pray I would have enough in my bank account to pay for it all. I put the bag of things I had picked out on the conveyor belt, as well. I did end up paying a heck of a lot of money for the mess, but I was able to pay for it, so I didn't really care. I shut my eyes for a moment, but all I could see was Norway, chugging the milk as if his life depended on it.
I should've known he'd need calcium. I should've known that would be a side-affect of the virus.
As the woman bagged the food I had purchased, I said, "Um... I'm... I'm going to go get some more milk... Will you hold this stuff for me for a second? I'll be right back."
I turned to go back to the dairy aisle, but she said, "No."
I whirled back around the face the older woman.
"I am a costumer and I am going to pay for it," I snapped.
"No need," she said, gentler, handing me the bag of food. "Take what you need and go. Just go. Get out of my store and don't come back."
I took the bag from her and looked her in the eyes. She was sincere. My emotions muddled, I ran to the dairy aisle and grabbed as much milk and cheese as I could carry. And then, without a word to the owner, I walked out.
But before the automatic sliding doors shut behind me, I heard her say, "I am sorry for your loss."
I stopped and looked back at her.
"He's not lost yet."

*

I watched as Norway devoured all the food I had bought. I nibbled on a bagel, but I had lost my appetite.
He chugged all the milk and violently consumed the cheese and bread and everything else faster than was humanly possible. He left the uneatable plastic trash all over the grassy lot that we had returned to, and I tried to pick up what I could, but honestly, I was scared to go near him while he was in his eating frenzy.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, the food ran out.
Norway sat panting for a moment and licking his lips. The horns on his head and grown at least two inches.
He shook his head and frowned.
And then he looked at me for the first time since we'd arrived.
"I... I'm sorry, Mary," he whispered. "I... I'm not sure vhat came over me. This isn't... isn't how I vanted to spend my time, I yust..."
He looked at the trash surrounding him. I got down on my knees and crawled toward him.
"It's okay. I know you can't help it," I whispered.
"All this calcium... It's going to make me change faster," he said, his voice tight.
"I'm sorry, Norway..."
I reached out to grab his hand, but there was no hand to grab.
Just a bronze hoof.