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

Chapter 43

    “I am sorry about my sudden departure,” Lukas said apologetically to the Shepherd family as they all crowded around the front door the on the afternoon of December 27th. “But I have some business to attend to and an important meeting on Monday, so I’m afraid I couldn’t have stayed longer even if I vanted to.” He took a deep breath and nodded to them. “But thank you all for your hospitality. This… this has been the most vonderful holiday season I’ve ever experienced. I cannot thank you enough. I vill miss this place.”
    Lukas adjusted his Seahawks beanie around his ears and then picked up his duffelbag, swinging it onto his shoulder. When he looked up, Isaac was before him.
    He stretched out his hand to him.
    Norway looked into his eyes and Isaac smiled as they shook his hand.
    “You’re a cool dude,” Isaac said. “We should hang out again sometime. Especially since you’re dating my sister and stuff. But hey, it’s totally great as long as you keep treating her right.” He winked at him and then released his hand.
    Norway nodded. And then Mrs. Shepherd stepped forward. Norway held out his hand, but then she pulled him into a hug.
    “Have a safe trip!” she said as they parted. He nodded, speechlessly, trying to regain his wits as he turned to Mr. Shepherd who stood next to her. He held out his hand and they shook.
    “You should come back next Christmas if you can, but hopefully we’ll see you sooner than that.” He smiled and Norway managed to smile back, nodding.
    Last but not least was Evangeline. Her sparkly headphones were around her neck, connecting to her iPod which was in her back pocket. He smiled down at her and she grinned back.
    “Thanks again,” she said, as if reading his mind. And then she hugged him around the waist. Norway patted her back.
    “You keep being good all year round and I’m sure Santa vill come again next year,” Norway said as they parted. Evangeline smirked and nodded.
    Mary opened the door, allowing the chilly winter air to flow into the warm house. She grabbed his suitcase for him and pulled it outside. Norway stepped after her, looking back into the house and waving.
    There came a chorus of goodbyes, and then the door was shut. Norway sighed, feeling a strange sort of heartache as he walked toward Mary’s car. She unlocked it and put his suitcase in the trunk. He threw in his duffelbag and then looked at her as she closed the door. Her usual smile was absent, and it saddened him further.
    If it vere up to me, I vould stay.
    They climbed in the car, and he could tell as soon as she started driving that silence would be most appreciated for a little while. So he stared out of the window and tried to ignore the fact that he was leaving to go to a World Meeting and, more importantly, that he was leaving Mary behind.

*

    “So, what kind of meeting is it that you have on Monday?” Mary asked as they waited for his flight to be called. Norway stared out of the window in silence, thinking over the question and how he should answer it.
    “Do you remember that professional international society that I told you about?” Norway began, slowly.
    “Yeah?”
    “They are holding a meeting and all members are required to attend.”
    “You never did explain to me exactly what that society was for,” she said. Norway looked back at her as she crossed her arms.
    “It’s for a great many purposes,” Norway said, mentally scrambling to find a way to describe what the countries did, “All of the members are people of influence, so we get together to brainstorm ideas to… make the world a better place.”
    Mary was quiet and Norway felt stupid. But how else was he supposed to explain?
    “So… it’s an elite,” she frowned. “But… does that mean you all work for the government, then? Or governments, I guess?” She looked at him. “Do you work for the government?”
    “Ahhh… sort of, yes. I have some influence in the government of Norway,” he replied, nodding.
    “For some reason I’m not surprised.”
    He shrugged.
    “So… you have my enrollment documents, right?” Mary said, changing the subject.
    “Ja.”
    “And you’ll make sure that I get into all the classes I need?”
    “Ja, I vill.”
    “And I’ll see you on January 10th when I come to register?”
    “Of course, Mary. I look forvard to it.”
    Mary relaxed slightly. She took a step closer to him and took one of his hands.
    “I’ll miss you.”
    “I’ll miss you, too,” he whispered, squeezing her hand.
    More than you know…
    “Hey, Norway!”
    Norway was tempted to turn and look, but he didn’t dare.
    “Norway! That’s Norway, isn’t it? Norway!!”
    He ignored the calls, trying to focus on Mary. But he was extremely distracted.
    By the fifth call, Mary released his hand and looked over his shoulder, frowning.
    “Are those people talking to you?” she asked.
    “Mm?” he said, finally allowing himself to look back.
    Walking toward them was a couple holding hands. The boy was tall, had dark indigo eyes, square glasses, and wavy, dirty blond hair. One hair was curlier than the rest and stuck out from the front of his head. A girl with straight, dark auburn hair and vibrant green eyes hung on his arm and waved to Norway with enthusiasm, a big smile on her face.
    Norway and Canada made eye contact for a moment, and Norway quickly looked away.
    “Ja, I guess so,” he mumbled to Mary.
    “Norway, what’re you—?” but then Canada elbowed Oregon in the arm and said something to her that Norway couldn’t hear. Her gaze went to Mary and then back to Norway, her mouth forming an ‘o’. But as they came up to them, she smiled again.
    “Hey… Lukas!” she said as they walked up to them, “What are you doing here?” She raised an eyebrow, and then glanced at Mary.
    “I could ask you that, too,” Lukas mumbled, shifting weight as he glanced at the two countries. “Shouldn’t you be in Canada? Or France by now?”
    “Sometimes we stay in Oregon. Alice misses her land, after all,” Canada said quietly with a smile.
    “And we’re on our way to France now, duh,” Alice said with a cocky grin. “That’s where you’re headed too, I assume? For the meeting?”
    Norway nodded, solemnly.
    “But what are you doing in America, Lukas?” Canada whispered.
    “Care to introduce me to your friends?” Mary asked with a smile, obviously not hearing Canada’s question.
    “Oh. Ja, okay,” Norway mumbled, glancing at her and then his ‘friends’. “Mary, this is Matthew Williams and his girlfriend, Alice.    “
    Oregon cleared her throat and Norway stared at her. She rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh, looking at Mary.
    “We’re actually married,” she corrected, turning her gaze on Norway next. “And we’ve been married for thirteen years. Get with the program, Norway!”
    “Wait, hold up,” Mary said, holding up her hands, “Thirteen years? How old are you two?”
    Alice glanced at Matthew, and then at Lukas.
    “They’re in their mid-thirties,” Norway saved smoothly, looking at Mary, and then glaring at Canada and Oregon. The message was clear.
    “Y-yeah!” Alice exclaimed with a nod.
    “Woah, you guys still look like you’re in your teens!” Mary said, looking the couple over again.
    “Merci,” Canada said with a slight bow.
    “Thank you,” Alice said with a big smile, looking up at her husband. “But Norway hasn’t finished introducing us yet! What was your name again?”’ She held out her hand in the casual, American way. Mary took it.
    “Mary. Mary Shepherd,” she replied, “It’s nice to meet you.” She released Alice’s hand and held her hand out to Matthew, who took it and shook.
    “And, I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve sparked my curiosity. Why do you keep calling him ‘Norway’?” Mary asked, nodding toward him. Lukas held back a wince. He was hoping she hadn’t noticed. Canada and Oregon stayed silent, glancing at Norway for help. When the silence wasn’t broken, Mary looked to him for an explanation.
    “Because,” Norway took a deep breath, “Because they’re apart of the society, too. That’s… that’s how they know me.”
    “What does that have to do with them calling you ‘Norway’?” Mary asked, putting one hand on her hip.
    Norway was silent for a moment, pulling together a spontaneous plan in his mind.
    “Vell…” Norway said, shifting weight, “It’s… complicated. But the society is called the… International… Young Faces Society. All of the members have features that make them look younger than they are, take us for example.” Mary raised her eyebrows and glanced at the three countries surrounding her. “Each member is a representative of a country, so ve tend to call each other by our country’s name. So, to introduce you less formally… Mary, this is Canada,” Canada nodded to her, a wide smile on his face, “And Oregon,” Alice was obviously struggling to hold in her giggles, but waved to Mary again.
    “O… kay,” Mary said with a short chuckle. “So… you’re the representative for Norway?”
    He nodded.
    “Huh. Okay, but… what does having youngish features have to do with making the world a better place? You told me it was an elite that works with the governments.”
    “You know history, Mary,” Norway said after a moment of silence. “You know face is important; you know that the messenger is sometimes just as important as the message.”
    “Hm. I guess so. At first it just sounds so… silly. No offense.”
    “None taken,” Canada whispered, but she didn’t hear.
    And then Norway’s flight was called.
    “Oh, that’s us!” Alice exclaimed, grabbing Matthew’s hand again.
    “It’s mine too,” Norway said in a low voice, turning toward Mary. She faced him, looking into his eyes.
    And then they hugged each other simultaneously. Norway closed his eyes and breathed in her smell.
    Two veeks. Two veeks. That’s not too long. But it seemed like an eternity from where he stood in the course of time.
    And then they parted. As they did, Mary slipped something into his hand. A folded piece of paper.
    “Bye, Lukas,” she said with a smile. “Have a good meeting.”
    “Bye, I’ll see you soon,” he said gently. He managed a small smile for her, and then took a step backwards, turning on his heel. Canada and Oregon were staring at them, but began to walk beside him as he passed. Norway glanced back as they made it to the gate. Mary waved at him. He waved back.
    “So, who was that?” Alice asked a little bit later as they boarded the plan. The two countries looked at him, and he knew what she was implying.
    “That vas Mary Shepherd,” he responded, unemotionally, looking ahead.
    Min edelsten.
    He found his seat, and thankfully it wasn’t next to Matthew and Alice, because they were in first class. Norway breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down next to the window. They probably would’ve pressed him for details, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for anyone else to know about their relationship yet.
    He buckled up, turned off his phone, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper Mary had handed him.
    He flipped it over a few times in his hands before unfolding it.
    At first he thought it was just a blank piece of paper, but then he found some messy cursive handwriting in the middle of it.
    “Dear Lukas,” it read, ”Sorry, I am not very good with goodbyes, so I thought I'd write out my farewell so I can do it correctly. Goodbye! Have a good trip! I am so grateful that I met you. You are absolutely amazing and being with you has revived my passion for life and my hope for the future. Thanks for everything. See you soon!
    Your devoted girlfriend,
    Mary Angel Shepherd”.
    Lukas looked out the window as the plane took off.

*

    The following scene is written by my friend and fellow writer BookBird1497, author of the “Home” trilogy here on Wattpad! Enjoy!

    Finally, they were directed to their first class seats and were able to sit down. The two of them had been on their feet for the majority of the day, what with handling the kids and then rushing to the airport. If only their alarm clock hadn't been broken the day before, then they wouldn't have been quite so frazzled.
    As she always did when flying first-class, Alice reclined her seat and let out a content sigh. Her tranquility only lasted for a second before she opened her green eyes and said her husband's name to get his attention.
    "Oui?" he replied with his gentle voice.
    "So, I just had a couple thoughts I wanted to say," she began. "First of all, didn't that seem kinda weird with Norway and Mary? Y'know, how they were hugging and it seemed really romantic and feelsy?"
    "Uhm, yeah, actually," he agreed. "I do see what you're saying because I thought it, too. Mary does seem very important to him, I think."
    "Do you think they're dating?" Alice asked Matthew, who adopted a pondering expression. "I mean, it's not too far out there of an idea, right?"
    "Well... I kinda know Norway, just a little bit, but I'm not sure he's really the type of person who would fall in love with a human." Because he was so often overlooked, the two of them felt confident that they weren't being overheard by anyone. It appeared that they were the only ones flying first class on this flight save for a pair of American businessmen on the far side of the cabin. They were busy on their electronic devices, anyway. "She definitely isn't a country; I could tell right away."
    "Yeah, me too..." She frowned contemplatively. "Do you think I was kinda too quick to say his country name in front of her? I hope I didn't ruin things between them, of whatever."
    "They looked alright to me when they were hugging," Matthew assured her. "And we all know you can be a bit rash sometimes, but that's natural. You are an American."
    She impishly stuck her tongue out at him for that. "Okay, okay. But the second thing that I was thinking was this: don't you think we should try to invite him up to first class with us? He's stuck in business back there!"
    Matthew smiled at his wife and took her hand in his just as the plane began to start its engines. They barely heard or felt the difference from where they sat together.
    "That would be a nice gesture, I think. I don't know if they'll allow it, though. He chose to pay for a business class seat in the first place, too."
    "Yeah, I guess you've got a point," she sighed, putting her seat back up so she could lean against his shoulder.
    In response to that, he leaned his own head on top of hers. "Lukas is a very private person, so we shouldn't bring anything up with him unless we're sure."
    "Awww..." Alice groaned. "But I was so ready to ask if Mary was his girlfriend or something! I mean, I knew just from looking at her that she's Oregonian!"
    "She is?" Matthew asked with surprise behind his glasses. "Huh... That's pretty cool, eh?"
    "Sure is, eh," she replied mischievously.
    "That's not how you use it," Canada reminded her with a playful nudge that made them both smile.