Hetalia One Shots (All ships welcome!)

DenNor - He's not crazy

Viking au

Matthias' feet pounded on the ground as he pushed his body to the limits in an attempt to run away from the beast that was following him. It wasn't big like he'd expected a dragon to be if they even existed (which obviously they did exist, but he hadn't known that before ten minutes ago), it was only about the size of a horse. Despite that it wasn't massive, it was terrifying to look at with gnashing fangs and sharp claws, and the beast was terrifyingly fast. The only advantage that he had was that he was a distance away when it started chasing him.

He'd never believed Lukas any other time when he spoke about how the forest was filled with all sorts of creatures, most of which were shy and so didn't want to come out and talk to people. As much as he cared about the Norwegian, he was courting him after all, he had thought it was ridiculous how Lukas claimed magic existed - magic that humans could do at least, as he believed the gods could do magic - and that the creatures of myth were real. Yet here he was, being chased by one.

He clawed through his mind to remember any information that might help him, but he couldn't think of anything and continued to run as he turned to look behind him. He saw that the dragon was barely a few meters away and coming closer, but he didn't want to run any faster than he already was since he didn't want to get worn out so easily.

Why didn't he just use his axe and kill the beast? Well, he hadn't exactly been expecting to fight or be chased by anything and hadn't brought it along with him. It was resting upright beside his bed, and that was no use to him now.

He turned back to be looking where he was going, just in time to see the large tree root that his foot got caught on. He yelped as his ankle twisted and he fell to the ground, unable to escape since his foot wouldn't budge when he tried to pull it out of the ground. He shut his eyes tightly, whimpering as he wriggled his injured foot out from his boot in a last second attempt. He knew it was futile since the beast was so close, but he was going to fight until he died.

He froze when the impact didn't come and instead the beast stopped in its tracks, and a male voice spoke words in a language Matthias didn't understand. Though, he certainly recognised the voice, and as he looked up he recognised the male it belonged to.

As the dragon scurried off, clearly terrified, Matthias stared at Lukas, who grabbed his arm, freed him from the tree root and started pulling him along. "Come on, let's go before more of them come."

"Ack! There's more of those things?" Matthias said, yelping quietly because of the pain in his ankle as he stepped down heavier than he expected, but didn't stop walking.

"Yeah." Lukas shot him a sympathetic look at hearing the yelp, something that showed he was starting to open up more around Matthias as he wasn't someone who openly expressed his emotions much. The Norwegian thought for a moment and moved his hand to be holding the other male's.

Matthias blushed but continued limping, staying silent until Lukas seemed them far enough away that no more beasts would come for them. He got the Dane to sit down on a log as he knelt down, removing his boot and inspecting his ankle. It was swollen and already starting to bruise, but it would heal alright if he was careful. Still, Lukas knew it was best to try to brace it as best he could as they still had a bit of a walk to get back to the village.

After making sure Matthias wouldn't leave, he found a few sturdier sticks that had fallen, and using his dagger cut off a long strip of fabric from his tunic. With careful hands, Lukas made sure he securely braced his foot in the makeshift splint, being even more careful around the bruised area. Matthias wasn't exactly weak and could take pain, he knew that, but he didn't want to put him in pain.

Matthias on the other hand was captivated by Lukas. The way his expression and gaze was just that little bit softer. The way his hands moved so delicately when he was tending to him, hands that he knew weren't as soft as they appeared; his hands were surprisingly calloused, especially as he was the village doctor-in-training. There was so much more he could say, Lukas was simply the most wonderful person he'd met and he couldn't help but be drawn to him.

Of course, all moments have to end at some point, especially since it wasn't safe to stay outside all night armed only with Lukas' small dagger. It wasn't long before he was done, and after making Matthias could walk okay they began the trek back. Lukas held his hand again, and though he murmured something like 'it's easier to catch you if you fall' the Dane knew the reasoning was further than that.

Lukas hadn't been positive about the courting at first, he'd found Matthias annoying and a little bit daft. Their personalities seemed so different, and he couldn't see how the relationship could possibly work out. While being guys wasn't much of a problem, as there were a few other same gendered couples, Lukas hadn't expected that a guy would want him. Especially not his childhood best friend of all people.

Yet, as time went on, he found himself realising the feelings that had been there for a while. The Norwegian wasn't the best at understanding love, and hadn't known what it was he felt. The courting had opened his eyes, and while he had only just recently started agreeing to doing things with the other, Lukas knew that when the time came and he was properly proposed to he would say yes.

Anyway, it was a mostly silent walk back, but it was pleasant. Matthias didn't want to ask about what happened until later, since he figured Lukas would want privacy if he even wanted to tell him. The sun had started to set by the time they arrived home, and the villagers were meeting to eat dinner. Most of the meals were communal, they were a tight knit community and considered each other to be family most of the time. As they arrived, Emil ran over to them, his strange looking bird on his shoulder. "Where have you two been? And- Oh god, are you okay?"

The danish man didn't look too great. He had dirt on his clothes, along with some small tears on his tunic and trousers. The splint was bulky and hurried, and made the injury out to be worse than it actually was. Lukas didn't look too bad, but he looked scruffier than usual because of the missing cloth from his tunic that he used to make the splint. They both just shrugged at the question, but Lukas was the one to speak up. "Matthias had his first run in with a dragon. Quite the feisty thing it was, seemed to think he would make a good meal. Scurried right off when I told it to, of course, but my other friends were nearby and I think it could sense that."

Emil sighed and gestured for them to enter the village. "Father was looking for you, yours too Matthias. They started searching together, and I doubt they'll be happy. You know how they are with that sort of stuff. All crazy talk, they say."

"But he's not crazy, I've seen it with my own eyes," Matthias said, gently squeezing Lukas' hand and giving him a reassuring smile.

Lukas sighed and gently squeezed his hand in return, saying, "But they haven't seen it. They don't understand, neither did you until a few hours ago."

Matthias leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek, giving him a warm smile. "I know, and I'm sorry for not believing you sooner. But I promise that I'll be there for you, Lukas, no matter what happens. Let's go see our parents, yeah? It'll be better together."

"Okay. But Emil's coming too."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your big brother and I said so."

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A/N - not my best, I have to admit. To the requester, I hope you enjoy