Safe Harbor

Platonic AusLiech Oneshot

The rain, it was the rain that caused the disturbance in her mind.

Rain, or it was more the sheer amount of water that fell from the sky that disturbed her. It was a rarity among storms, ones that may be talked about for the next few weeks. A torrent of water blocked anything from being seen from her window, not that the darkness didn't already hinder this picture of the outside world. Rain was supposed to be peaceful and calming, supposed to be a sound that many could fall asleep with because of its soothing nature. Why was it then that she lay wide awake, among the sea of pillows and blankets that she had fallen asleep with? Why was it that her eyes held a look of terror as she listened to the rain fall?

Agonizing hours passed but the pounding against the roof, against everything did not let up even a little. What God wished to cause her this much misery by allowing this to happen to her? She confessed her sins many a time, and truly hoped that the good in her outshined the bad, the dark, and the evil that lay inside. Why is it only a few minutes seem to stretch longer than she thought possible?

Time seemed to distort under the pressure of the water.

Eventually, she couldn't handle the screaming in her mind anymore, the screaming that was once only whispers telling her to find safety, telling her to hide. She quickly sat up, clutching the loose ribbon on her nightgown, a poor substitute for the braids that she donned once upon a time.

She walked briskly through the silent halls, not a step out of place, not a moment of doubt that perhaps safety was merely a concept and not the reality she hoped for, no – that would go against all the lessons she had been taught. Even now she did not forget them. Where she found herself was not unexpected within itself, as it had happened far too many times than either of them would have liked to admit, but all the same brought a small jolt of surprise to her. When had the last time been that she had ended up in front of his door, hoping for a safe harbour to spend the night in?

"Vati?" Her voice was small against the pounding of the rain, and later she would feel guilty for using such an informal term to describe him, especially with their distance as of late. She felt like a little girl again, a little girl in a world that only wished to harm her, one that didn't need another struggling to survive.

When he appears after a few moments, he is rubbing sleep of his eyes and there's a look of slight irritation on his face, an emotion that was most often found there. "What is it you want Elise?" His words were quick to appear, as if this was an almost instinctive reaction for him.

"I-I can't sleep Vati…" she bowed her head, almost as if she was ashamed to be admitting to such a weakness. Her voice did not increase in volume, it was more likely that it shrank as if she was afraid to be too loud, her lessons were a part of her now it seemed. "It's – it's the rain. It's much too loud."

A flash of lightning illuminated the man for a split second, highlighting all the wrong things about the man, the awkward yet sophisticated pose he held himself in for one. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself, didn't seem to know how to deal with her. For a second she felt that maybe he couldn't help her, that he would turn her away.

He lets out a light sigh, almost as if he was irritated with her answer but it is the small smile on his face that keeps her a little calmer. Rejection, while it seemed inevitable at first was now only a possibility in her mind, but not the only outcome. "Come now, no need to be scared."

His gesture to invite her to him is still small, but it's enough of a sign. He's rather quick to wrap his arms around her, rubbing soothing circles on her back – although everything he does is a tad awkward and stiff, like he was long out of practice. It's comforting for the girl though, that at least he's trying to make an effort, as difficult as it is for him.

He doesn't let go of her once, even when reaching out to pull the blankets over them. He kept her safely in his arms, tucked into his chest and in turn she only hugged him to keep herself there as he moved around, trying to get them both comfortable. After a few moments though a calm settled over the room again – or at least it would have if not for the rain pounding against the window and roof alike.

He murmured soothing words to her, never really staying on one solid topic. Eventually all she can hear is the murmurs and all of a sudden the sounds of the pounding rain is gone. All of a sudden only he mattered in this world, the terrifying storm didn't matter to her anymore. He made sure to overcome that, and overcome that he did. Soon enough she can't help but feel herself drifting off in his arms.

She would hope that this would not be forgotten, that perhaps he would be the father he was being now outside of the bedroom.

Wow am I actually alive on this account again? This wasn't a request per say but more an assignment I had for school, and I chose Austria and Liechtenstein as my two main characters! And if you couldn't tell I've fallen in love with this platonic relationship, as well as Liechtenstein herself. Expect many more Liechtenstein based stories from me in the future.