Inspired by the songs "heart" and "Sleepless" of the wonderful Baths, a.k.a. Will Wiesenfeld.
He stood facing the vast expanse of blue-green sea, a swirling void almost in mimicry of the something that, as of late, had wretched and racketed deep down inside the cavity of his chest.
When she spotted the drenched, navy overcoat-clad figure, she jumped off the bicycle and ran. (The relentless rain had come quite suddenly. Hence her lack of an umbrella, and her being on a bicycle in the first place). She slowed down once she was within a couple metre's distance of him, the left of his profile facing her. Several steps later and her hand was reached out gingerly towards him, hovering before his arm, the concern never once leaving her eyes.
She called to him gently, finally placing her hand on his sleeved arm. He turned his head towards her, gaze averted downwards at first, but it soon met hers.
Eyes. His eyes, though somewhat concealed behind the raindrop-frosted glasses, were noticeably red. Liechtenstein couldn't tell whether this was due to the natural slight acidity of rainwater (How long has he been out here?) or because he was crying. She had never seen him cry before.
His eyes fell again, fell like glass shattering against the cement that lay beneath their booted feet. How those oft-resilient, icy orbs revealed now such humanesque fragility…
"Oh, Sweden…" She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She could feel his gloved hands rest on her back, returning the embrace. They stood there for some time, in the comfort of unspoken support, and the rain continued to fall. Another day they might have lightheartedly joked about such fitting pathetic fallacy, to help lift the weight of their uneasiness. But no, not today. Not when greater things were amiss.
After a while, she lifted her head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There will be a way… it will be alright, Sweden". He nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth twitched, an attempt at a smile. He pulled her close and let the feeling linger before he spoke.
"Thank you, Liechtenstein."
A/N: I was debating whether or not to post this. It wasn't written in context with any real life event, but was more a means for me to explore the interaction between these two. I purposely wanted to portray a more emotional/vulnerable side of Sweden, but I don't know whether that may have resulted in him being out of character. I know it's really, really short but comments of any nature are appreciated.