A Waltz in the Dark (Norway + OC Hetalia fanfiction)

Chapter 19

Norway slowly walked down the hall, feeling his already shaky confidence slipping way all together. Mary wasn’t in the music room where he’d left her.
    But that had been two hours ago.
    Vhat do I say? He wondered. How vill I explain? Maybe I should turn in for the night.
    But that would be irresponsible. She was his guest. He couldn’t just leave her. He had to find her and apologize. He still wasn’t sure what had come over him, but for the past few hours he had been attacked with flashback after flashback. His ghost decided it was the perfect time to pounce, apparently. How was he supposed to explain that to Mary?
    He walked down the stairs and saw Karen standing at the bottom. She turned around and when she saw him, she scowled and crossed her arms.
    “Where have you been?” she said when he stood in front of her. Norway dropped his gaze to the ground.
    “Vhere is Mary?” he asked, ignoring the question.
    “She’s in the observatory,” Karen said, “But where have you been, Bondevik? You shouldn’t have left her by herself in a strange place far from home! How would you feel if you were her?”
    “I know, I know,” Norway said, turning away and walking down the hall. He felt guilty enough. It wasn’t like he wanted to leave her alone— but he couldn’t have stayed. So why did he feel so selfish and ashamed? He was powerless to the will of the ghost, so it wasn’t his fault, was it?
    He slowed his pace when he reached the end of the hall. One of the doors to the observatory room was cracked open. He pushed it open, intending to sneak in, but the door squeaked loudly. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw Mary sitting on the couch in the very center of the room, her back to him. She didn’t acknowledge his presence in any way but just stared upward. He slowly went around and sat on the opposite end of the long couch. He looked up, but he saw her look at him in the corner of his eyes.
    There weren’t any Northern Lights yet. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the time. It was a little bit past eleven.
    “You don’t have to sit so far away.”
    He looked at her. She smiled, but he still hesitated.
    “I’m not going to pepper spray you for acting like a normal human being,” she laughed. And then she patted the cushion next to her. Norway stood, and then hesitated for another moment. He finally walked toward her, silently sitting in the spot she designated. She didn’t say anything but lifted her eyes to study the sky again.
    Norway, however, was busy studying the huge, fuzzy Norwegian flag that covered her lap and legs.
    “Is that a blanket?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in surprise. She looked down, and then at him.
    “Yeah, I know,” she said, chuckling nervously, “A bit obsessive, huh?”
    “Yust a little.”
    And then they watched the sky in silence.
    “Where did you go?” she asked quietly.
    “I’m sorry,” was his reply.
    “Another flashback?”
    “Ja.”
    “You know, I specialize in mental therapy if you feel like you need to talk about it…”
    “Nei, takk,” he said, the words clipped. They sat in silence for awhile longer. Norway squirmed, knowing he should break it.    “Tell me about yourself,” he said quietly, leaning back on the couch.
    “What do you want to know?” she asked.
    “You’re from America,” he said, “Vhich state?”
    “Oregon.”
    He nodded.
    “Do you happen to know a lady called Alice Villiams?”
    Mary frowned thoughtfully.
    “I don’t think so. Why?”
    “I vas yust vondering. Tell me about your family.”
    She was quiet for a minute.
    “I am the second-born of four children in a family of six. I have three sisters and one brother. My childhood was perfect, compared to some. My parents are still together and I had all of the best opportunities growing up…” she paused. “I decided to become a mental therapist so I could help those who didn’t have such a perfect family life, and just to help people in general. I tend to have this… hero complex, I guess. I want to save the world, and my way of doing that is by helping the individuals. “ She sighed and adjusted her position, and Norway couldn’t help but smirk at her hero complex. She definitely was American. “But anyway, that’s my family. Practically perfect in every way. What about you?”
    She looked at him, meeting his gaze.
    “Me?” he said.
    “Yeah. Tell me about your family.”
    Norway took a deep breath, trying not to let the sigh that followed sound too agitated.
    “I have a brother.”
    There was silence.
    “A brother,” Mary repeated, nodding, “No… parents?”
    “Nei.”
    She was quiet for a minute.
    “What’s his name?”
    “Emil.”
    Norway folded his hands together.
    “I also have three really, really annoying cousins.”
    “Good. So you’re not alone.”
    He looked at her and she bit her lip.
    “I’m sorry, I—“
    “It’s all right,” he said, looking back up. “I vould like to say that my brother and I are close, but it vould be a lie. He lives in Iceland and ve don’t see each other very often.”
    “Oh. What about your cousins?”
    He lowered his head, rubbing his sore neck. What on earth should he tell her about them?
    He sighed and rubbed his nose.
    “They vere… eh… vell, abusive vhen I vas younger,” he said quietly. “So I’m not very attached to them either.”
    “So… what you’re trying to tell me is that… you are alone,” Mary whispered.
    “I think I’m better off that way,” he said, firmly, hoping she’d drop the subject.
    “I don’t think you are,” she replied, looking at him. He frowned, glancing at her.
    “I’m sorry, but…” she looked down at her hands, “I can’t help it. I know you have PTSD, okay?”
    Norway blinked, and then looked down at his lap.
    “PTSD?” he repeated.
    “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” she whispered.
    “I know vhat it is, I yust…” he shook his head and looked up again. Things just couldn’t get better, could they?
    “Well, do you know that being alone just makes it worse?” she said.
    He didn’t reply.
    “The first step to recovery is finding people you can trust,” she said,
    He sighed, closing his eyes.
    “But ‘finding people’ is not that simple,” he murmured. She touched the back of his hand.
    “I know it’s not. Believe me, I know.”
    He didn’t look at her even though he wanted to.
    “Have you tried to contact your brother?” she asked. Norway shifted, not comfortable with the direction their conversation was taking.
    “Ja, but he doesn’t like to talk to me,”
    “Do you know why?”
    “I have an idea.”
    “Have you tried to work it out?”
    “I’d rather not talk about him right now,” Norway said.
    “Okay then,” Mary said, inhaling deeply. “Then… let me ask you a question, Professor.” He tilted his head to look at her. She kept her eyes on the stars, and they shone in her eyes. “What is your biggest fear?”
    That was the last thing he expected.
    “Vhy do you vant to know?” he said in a low voice.
    “I’m a psychologist. I’m interested in how people process mentally.”
    But there was more to it than that and he knew it.
    “I did not invited you to my home for a mental assessment,” he said, stiffly, “And have no interest in sharing my fears, but thank you for the offer.”
    “Okay… okay, I’m sorry,” Mary said. And then she pulled her hand off of his. He hadn’t realized she had left it there. She chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just got carried away, and… well, I’m sorry, but… just know that I’m here for you, Professor Bondevik.”
    “I don’t vant a mental therapist,” he stated.
    “No, silly,” Mary laughed, gently. “I meant as a friend.”
    “O-oh.”
    As a friend? Is it possible ve could be friends? I’m yust her Professor.
    He looked at her.
    Let’s change that.
    “You can call me Lukas,” he said quietly.
    “Takk, Lukas,” she replied.
     Norway adjusted his position again, glancing at Mary from the corner of his eye as he did so. She seemed perfectly content to stare upwards in silence, but Norway couldn’t help but feel slightly abashed by their entire conversation. He had told her more than he meant to, even though what he told her was minimal.
    He thought about her last question. Vhat am I afraid of?
    “Fire,” he said after thinking about it for a minute.
    “Hm?”
    “I’ve alvays been afraid of fire.”
    “Really?”
    “Ja.”
    “I’m scared of water,” she said, as if she had been thinking about it, too. “You know, drowning and stuff.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah. I took a plane here, if you were wondering.”
    He looked up, staring at the sky intently. There weren’t any signs of the aurora borealis. He scowled. Tonight, of all nights, vhen someone actually vants to see them, they don’t come. He looked at Mary, who’s eyes stared faithfully upward. I don’t know that they von’t. Perhaps in a few hours.
    
    
    
*

    Mary began to yawn at about 2 AM. They had sat in silence for the past hour, but before that they had discussed astronomy, stories, and traveling.
    In other words, they had talked about her dreams.
    What had ended the conversation was when she had asked him, “What about you?”
    “Vhat do you mean?” he had said, confused.
    “What are your passions? Hopes? Dreams?”
    “I don’t have dreams,” he had replied, bluntly, “Not like you.”
    “There must be something,” she had said, hopefully, “Don’t you want to, I don’t know, see the world, maybe?”
    “I have seen the vorld and everything it has to offer. That is no dream.”
    “Then… what are you going to do?”
    They had been silent since.
    But now Norway’s eyes were drooping, and it seemed Mary was getting tired, too.
    She moaned, stretching and crossing her legs.
    “Man, what I wouldn’t do for a Mountain Dew right now,” she sighed. Norway frowned. Mary looked at him.
    “Why is it illegal in Norway, anyway?” she asked, crossing her arms.
    “Because it’s so unhealthy for you!” he exclaimed. “It has chemicals that nobody should ever consume. Bromine, for instance, is poisonous and has hospitalized many consumers. It’s.. It’s detestable, more detestable than alcohol in my sight. Vhy vould you ever vant to risk your health by drinking something like Mountain Dew?”
    He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release his frustration as he did so.
    “You know what?” Mary said, uncrossing her arms. “I think I’ll give up Mountain Dew forever just because I’ve never heard you speak so zealously outside of the lecture hall.”
    Norway glanced at her but quickly looked away.
    “I can make us some coffee, though, if you vant,” he offered.
    “Yeah… that’d be nice.”
    He stood.
    “I’ll be back, then,” he said, turning toward the doors.
    “Okay.”
    He walked through the dark halls until he made it to the kitchen. He grounded some fresh coffee beans and then began to boil water. All the while, he was contemplating their predicament. It was very unlikely that the Northern Lights were coming out that night. I have been through too much for her not to see them. He tapped his fingers on the counter.
    There was still one more option.
    He rubbed his neck, turning and beginning to pace.
    I can’t. I can’t use magic. It has only ever pushed people avay. He walked a little faster. But Mary is different. She sees through magic. Maybe she vould understand… He shook his head. It’s not like I’m revealing it to her. I’m just going to make sure her trip here vasn’t in vain. This is her only chance to see the Northern Lights, after all… Unless I have her over again.
    He exited the kitchen, running quietly up the stairs and to his bedroom. His eyes landed on a scroll in a glass case on top of his bookshelf. He walked up to the bookshelf and opened the glass box, delicately removing the scroll from it’s place.    Norway sighed deeply. He had been waiting a long time to cast this spell.
    A long, long time.
    Was now really the time? He would only be able to do it once.
    “I have vaited all this time for a special occasion,” he whispered. He thought of Mary, who still waited patiently for the lights. “I think this is as special as it gets.”
    He opened the scroll, fingers trembling. Before he could second-guess himself, he read the Old Norse runes aloud. As he spoke, the air around him began to vibrate. He saw blue and yellow sparks in the corner of his eyes and the runes on the scroll began to glow silver. He focused on the words he was speaking, trying to shove away the pleasure he felt from using magic.
    Finally, the spell was cast.
    The scroll disintegrated into a pile of dust at his feet.
    He gasped for breath, his heart battering against his ribcage. Norway turned and ran from the chamber as fast as he could, but all of his energy was zapped from him and he had to catch himself on the doorframe when his legs nearly gave out. His adrenaline was the only thing that kept him moving.
    He was so excited, he nearly forgot the coffee.
    Norway made the drinks in a rush and quickly headed back to the observatory. But he was forced to walk so he wouldn’t spill the coffee. As he went down the long hallway, his limbs became weaker. He felt like his legs would collapse beneath him again, but he forced himself onward. He had waited thousands of years to use that spell, and he wasn’t about to miss it.
    He walked into the observatory, which was flooded with brilliant light.
    “Lukas,” Mary said, her voice full of awe, excitement, love. He looked up. Above him, brilliant waves of green and pink light rippled across the starry sky. The edges of the green flickered blue sometimes, and every once in awhile they saw a streak of yellow.
    The cold numbed his feet. Norway took a deep breath as he opened his eyes for the first time. His gaze was immediately drawn upward.
    Norway smiled.
    It was just like he remembered it.