17th of May is coming up, and I just had to write a fic about it. In case you didn't know, 17th of May is the national day of Norway (my home country). And thus; this fluffy little story is the result ^^ Hope you like it~!

oOo

Arthur stared in awe at the sight in front of him. He wasn't sure what he had expected when Johannes had invited him over for his birthday, but this certainly wasn't it. Norwegian flags had been raised both in the flag pole and by the porch, as well as decorations made by branches with freshly sprung, green leaves.

Really, he'd heard of balloons at birthdays, but... flags and leaves? Dressed in some nice, more formal clothes his mother had fished out of from who-knows-where in his wardrobe, he slowly continued his walk up to the porch, fiddling with the package he was holding.

Before he reached the front door, it opened, and for the second time that day, Arthur came to a stop, a stunned expression adorning his face.

Johannes was normally quite casual in his way of dress, wearing clothing that was practical for playing, just like any other seven-year-old boy would do. Today, however, he was certainly not dressed casually. In fact, Arthur couldn't remember ever seeing clothing like that before.

It was a mix of black, red and white fabric, complicated embroidery, silver, intricate buttons, and other elaborate details. The pants were old-fashioned, reaching his knees, where a pair of white stockings reached down to the shiny, black shoes. To put it simple, Arthur couldn't remember seeing a more amazing outfit, despite its oddity, and unfamiliarity.

"What are you wearing?" was the first, surprised words to leave his mouth, and the next moment he felt a bit stupid, standing there like a fish out of water. Johannes merely giggled at his expression, blue eyes twinkling with joy, and cheeks rosy.

"You don't like my bunad?" he asked.

"Bu-nad?" the young Englishman tasted the word, vaguely remembering Johannes talk about it earlier. Apparently, it was the national costume of Norway, and people wore it as formal wear, for weddings and such, for example. Today wasn't a wedding, though, nor was a birthday that formal... Perhaps they took birthdays more serious in Norway? What, with the flags and all...

"Yeah. I don't really like it. It looks ok, but it's itchy and it takes forever to put on..." the Norwegian smiled none-the-less, not dwelling at the negative sides of the clothing.

"You wear bunads for birthdays? I thought they were only for formal occasions... Oh, and it looks pretty nice, just unusual that's all.

"Usually we only wear it for today's birthday," Johannes smiled, and Arthur's eyes widened slightly.

"Your birthday is that important?" he asked, and felt a bit confused when Johannes suddenly giggled again.

"No, silly. Today's not only my birthday. It's Norge's birthday!"

Norway's birthday? Oh...! Suddenly, Arthur remembered what the other had told him about celebrations at the national day of his home-country. A blush touched his cheeks at this error, but soon after, he was laughing along with Johannes' contagious fit of giggles.

"Let's go inside!" Johannes grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him inside, where Arthur was met by the nice scent of Johannes' mother's homemade food. She had to be one of the best cooks in the entire universe, in Arthur's opinion. Even though he'd been there for dinner only a few times, it was always the kind of meal that made your stomach feel perfectly full, yet left your tongue wanting to taste more.

"Oh, I forgot! Arthur stopped, handing over the package in his hands. "Happy birthday!" Johannes took the package, smiling brightly.

"Thank you!" The two boys headed through to the living room, which was also decorated with flags. The TV was on, showing one of the Norwegian channels they had. Arthur stared in awe, as Johannes started unwrapping the package.

There were so many people and so much noise! Hordes of people, dressed in bunads or other nice clothes, were parading down the streets of some city. It looked like a gigantic train of people, waving their flags, smiling and waving at the camera as it zoomed in... Despite the fact that the weather was grey, and looked rather chilly, that didn't stop them from marching along to the upbeat corps music.

"That's from Stavanger. It's a city in Norway," Johannes smiled, pausing from the unwrapping for a moment when he noticed Arthur's wide eyes and slightly open mouth. "Every year, they film the parades in most of the large cities in Norway, sometimes interviewing people."

"That's... wow!" was the only thing Arthur could say, eyes practically glued to the TV screen, as what looked to be a reporter interviewed a couple of what looked to be five-year-olds. He couldn't understand a word they were saying, but they looked incredibly happy, red-cheeked and eating ice cream.

"Oh!" Johannes had finished unpacking the present, and was steadily beginning to look even happier than before, eyes practically shining as he looked at the items in hand. Arthur had wondered what to give his friend, and his mother had been the one with the idea that maybe he'd like a slice of Norway. Arthur's uncle had conveniently visited Norway on a business trip, and Arthur asked him to buy something typical Norwegian for Johannes.

"Brunost! Oh, and Freia chocolate! Where did you get this?"

Johannes could be a complicated person to buy gifts for, difficult to surprise and even more difficult to impress. This seemed to have hit the nail on the spot, though, despite the fact that both items were edible and would be gone within short time. Arthur had figured upon his uncle's suggestion, that it would be perfect – he knew his best friend missed Norway terribly at times.

"I flew over to Norway just to buy it, you better be thankful," Arthur joked, giggling as his friend caught him in a happy hug. That was a true sign it was the perfect gift, hugs weren't something Johannes gave around often.

"Thank you! It's been so long since I've eaten this!" Johannes paused, glancing towards the kitchen, where his parents were probably cooking dinner. "One bite won't hurt, I suppose..." an eager smile touched his lips as he opened the wrapping paper of the large bar of milk chocolate. Breaking off two pieces, he handed one of them to Arthur who took it curiously, having not tasted Norwegian chocolate before.

Johannes put the piece in his mouth, giving a blissful sigh at the familiar taste. Arthur glanced at his own piece, before taking a bite. It was a lot sweeter than the chocolate he was used to, and tasted less like cocoa and more like... he didn't know what. All he knew was that...

"It's delicious!" Savouring the sweet taste and the general un-healthiness of it – there was no way chocolate this light and sweet could be good for you – he smiled, finishing the rest of his piece in no time. And here he'd heard his uncle complain about the Norwegian chocolate, calling it "sugary, tasteless rubbish". Perhaps the sweetness was something adults didn't like, wanting everything to be so bloody healthy...

"Johannes, please don't tell me you are eating chocolate when we're about to have dinner?" Johannes gulped, turning to see his mother standing there, hands on hips. She looked stunning in her own bunad – the female version of it, and with a somewhat different design. Arthur and Johannes both saw through the strict-act, as a smile played at her lips.

"Um... want some?" Johannes grinned, breaking off a piece, and she chuckled, quickly snapping up the piece and popping it into her mouth.

"Mm, it's been much to long since I got a taste of this!" Both boys giggled at this, and Arthur scratched the previous thought from his head. It seemed not all adults would dislike the "sugary, tasteless rubbish" after all.

"Come along now, boys, dinner's ready!" she smiled, and they complied, heading off to the dining area of the kitchen, where Johannes father and little brother were already seated. Arthur was quite curious to the meal, which consisted of some sort of soup, with meat and meat balls, accompanied by potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. It smelled heavenly, and – upon taking the first tastes of it – tasted just as wonderful.

Dinner was a cheerful affaire, just like it normally was. The little family were in a lot of aspects quiet and calm, but at the same time there was a genuinely happy and peaceful atmosphere surrounding them. Arthur had long since come to enjoy being with them all, as they made him feel welcome. Almost like he was a part of their family. It sure wasn't as peaceful at dinner time at home, with several older brothers constantly bickering and arguing, and his parents trying to keep things in order.

Norwegians were also a very polite breed, it seemed. Whenever a meal was finished, they would say "Takk for maten", which literarily meant "Thanks for the food". It didn't matter who made the food, they would just thank each other, which made it seem like everyone had participated in the making of the meal in some way. Arthur liked that habit, because it seemed to come so naturally. It wasn't just a stiff, polite "thanks", just because manners called for it.

As they finished eating, Johannes and Arthur headed back to the living room, where the parades was still playing in the TV. People were gathered in front of a large building, where several people stood, waving in a manner that could only mean they were the royal family.

"That's our king," Johannes pointed to a balding, elderly and smiling man, "and our queen," he pointed to the lady by the king's side, who wore a rather beautiful outfit. She too was smiling, looking out on the many people below.

"I could have guessed that. Look at the way they are waving! So stiff... they must get tired after a while of doing that!" Arthur straightened his back, pretending to wave in a highly dignified, royal manner, as if he had hundreds of people looking up to him with awe and expectation.

"I know! If I were king, I don't think I'd want to wave like that," Johannes smiled, "I'd do like this..." he stood at Arthur's side, waving enthusiastically, and – Arthur began laughing at this – blowing kisses.

"You wouldn't!" he exclaimed between fits of laughter. The mere thought of it was hilarious; Johannes, ever the calm and quiet one, waving like an idiot from a balcony, blowing kisses out to the people that came to see him wave.

"Oh I would. It's important, I think, that you look like you're enjoying yourself. I'd fall asleep standing like that!" he feigned a dead serious expression, before the giggles broke through. "Ok, so maybe the kiss-blowing is a bit much," he admitted. "Would have been fun if the king did that, though, wouldn't it?"

Arthur had to agree fully on that, it would have been quite a sight. He couldn't imagine the calm-looking old man blowing energetic kisses out to the public, though.

"I actually miss the parades back in Norway," Johannes said thoughtfully after a while. "I used to think they were a bore, even though the mood was really great. And now I miss it... stupid, huh?"

An idea struck Arthur suddenly at the somewhat distant, sad expression on his friend's face.

"Then let's parade! You have flags, don't you?"

Johannes looked at him, incredulously, before a smile shone up on his face.

"You really want to? You're not Norwegian, though..."

"I'll pretend to be, just for today! We can go down to the ice cream parlour! You said you used to eat a lot of ice cream, right?"

It didn't take a lot to convince Johannes, and pretty soon they were armed with Norwegian flags and some sort of party-whistle that seemed to be popular on 17th of May. Upon seeing that they were going out, Henrik wanted to join them, and then they were outside, marching down the street.

It was Henrik that first began to sing, the normally shy boy taken by the moment as he waved his flag cheerfully. It was a Norwegian song, and Johannes soon sang along, teaching Arthur the chorus part, "Det er Norge, i rødt, hvitt og blått". That is Norway, in red, white and blue. Neither of the Norwegian boys knew the entire lyrics, so it didn't matter that Arthur didn't know. He whistled along at any rate, making a marching rhythm by clicking the tips of his two flags together, and stomping at the concrete with his shoes.

People popped their heads out of their doors and windows, eying them with smiling faces and curiosity, but the attention that might have made the boys uncomfortable any ordinary day, only cheered them on as they whistled and sang, and waved their flags.

It didn't matter that Arthur was as British as the ground they were marching on, nor did it matter that they didn't have a pair of royals waving stiffly from a balcony. All that mattered was the joy of marching along to their own tunes, celebrating two different birthdays in one.

"Hip Hip Hip!" Johannes called out, and the next moment, Henrik and Arthur both shouted out a chorus of "Hooray" – or "Hurra", as the Norwegians would say.

For some reason, Arthur knew he'd never look at the 17th of May the same way ever again, and he certainly wouldn't forget the first time he walked the streets of his home as a proud "Norwegian".

"Hip Hip Hip!"

"Hurra!"

oOo

First of all: Freia Milk chocolate is the best chocolate in the world! And sure, it might be a bit too sweet for many of those who prefer that dark, bitter sh*t they call chocolate a lot of other places in Europe (I mean no offense, that's just my opinion ^^)

I hope you learned something new about the wonderful day that is 17th of May. Yes, we do walk parades, waving flags and singing and stuff, and while it can be a bit boring at times, I just love it! The mood is wonderful, and people just seem more... well, more united as a nation ^^ Call me ridiculously patriotic, but I just love the symbolism behind the celebrations of the day. I won't go into boring details here, check out google or whatever if you're interested ;)

Bunad is beautiful formal wear, but just like Johannes said; they take forever to put on, and can be a general pain in the arse! Personally I much prefer a normal dress or something :3

Seeing the parades on the TV is part of the holiday, and really creates a good mood! (And I seriously would have loved to see King Harald waving and blowing kisses from the balcony!)

Brunost is brown cheese, and it's very, very good~! Especially on fresh-baked bread, with some butter and raspberry jam~ *w* Yummy~

And children (adults too, but children especially) eat ridiculous amounts of ice cream and popsicles on this day! It's sort of like an unwritten rule that children can eat a lot more ice cream than their parents would normally allow. Personally I'm not too fond of ice cream, though popsicles can be rather good on a warm spring/summer day ^^

Any questions you might have? Feel free to ask~

Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review telling me what you thought of it! That would make me very happy~ *w*

Hip Hip Hip HURRA!