"Shhhh... Don't cry, Sve. I'm here for you."
"Hey! What the hell did I just tell you?"
"Stop crying you fucking piece of shit!"
Smack!
...
"It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Denmark's here. Don't worry. It's okay."
"Now, now, now, Sve. I said it was okay. Don't give me that expression."
"I'll patch you right up. You'll be good as new."
"I said not to worry about it!"
Those hands. Sometimes, they were gentle. Others, they hurt. But Sweden didn't mind. He understood. At one point, he didn't, but now it made perfect sense to him:
Sometimes their owner was happy.
Those were his favorite times. Denmark would caress his face. Hug him. Hold him. He'd be the loving man Sweden knew he could be. All smiles and energy, silly jokes in attempts to make both of them laugh. He'd bring icecream among other treats. Games. Puzzles. Warm blankets and joyful memories.
Sometimes their owner was sad.
Denmark would come, tear-filled eyes and longing fingers. He was still sweet and gentle, but there was always a guilt that hung in the air. Sweden could never bring himself to enjoy the tender touches that were given when Denmark was sad. He'd cry. He'd whimper. Sweden didn't think it suited the cheerful man. He'd always do his best to respond and make him happy again. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it made things worse.
Sometimes, it made their owner mad.
Flying fists and feet followed by frightening words. Harsh and cruel everywhere. All the joys he'd been given were revoked and he usually had a few marks to deal with after that. Black eyes, broken bones, cuts, scrapes, bruises, bite marks, scratches... Friction burn. It was horrible. He often cried during these times.
Underneath it all, he understood Denmark. He understood being left alone and clinging desperately onto the one thing that hadn't yet faded. The others? They were gone. Gone. Left and never coming back. Maybe if Sweden had gone with them, he wouldn't have come back either. He wouldn't have gotten the chance to understand. But staying with Denmark for this long... He could sympathize. It was scary. Being alone was terrifying.
There were reasons. Staying helped him understand. It was all Denmark could do. Everything and everyone was slipping from his fingers. Sweden- Denmark was so afraid he'd leave. He knew this. That was why, in order to help soothe the Dane, he agreed to be locked here. Sympathy. He wanted to calm the other down. No- He'd never leave those bittersweet hands, but if it was what helped... He could put up with it. He put up with worse. He understood the fear, the sorrow, the anger.
So, he didn't mind the rough treatment. A few times in just as many days wasn't too bad, right? Denmark had good reasons, right? It was okay since Denmark was always sorry after, right?
Right?