It was raining outside, drops of water pattering against the windows. On occasion, a clap of thunder could be heard in the distance. Tino sighed and leaned forward in his chair, cupping his chin in the palm of his hand. He had never liked the rain. It reminded him of one memory too many. The large mansion-style house he normally shared with his Nordic friends was empty, the lights dimmed and the halls quiet. Whenever the small Finnish man walked, his footsteps echoed off of the walls, as if searching for another soul in the large maze of the house.

Tino slowly rose from his chair, as if he was old and riddled with arthritis. Everything had been slower lately for him; the days, the nights, even the hours and minutes. Time wasn't letting him off so easily. Not after the little stunt he pulled. He walked closer to the window and stared at the rain. Even though it was made out of water, it was so different from the snow he was so used to. Even as a young boy, the difference between snow and rain confounded him. The rain was odd for him, even when he visited countries like England and America. Back in his home in Finland, rain was scarce.

But he wasn't in Finland anymore; he was in Sweden, the house situated just outside a pine forest, the city a short distance away. But the surroundings had never cheered Tino up. What made him happy was the people inside the home.

Emil, the small Icelandic with his pet puffin.

Lukas, his Norwegian adoptive brother who was quiet and reflective.

Mathias, the tall Dane who constantly pried for Lukas' attention.

And Berwald. The tall Swede who Tino cared for more than any human being on the planet. The way he glared at others...and Tino, who was admittedly scared at times. The way his lip twitched when he meant to smile, an action that only Tino could activate. He loved him. He had for a long time. He had just never admitted it to himself, much less the Swede. He could remember when they were small children, how they played together every day and looked out for each other. Then Berwald had grown up, pretty much leaving Tino in the dust. Leaving Tino behind. Like usual.

Now they were both adults, absorbed in the politics of his own country and others', always fretting about what was to happen next. Worrying for each other and the stress they were under. Being a nation representative was tough. At least they were allowed to live freely, unlike the leaders that ruled the countries. In recent years, the representatives were called upon and needed less and less. If the general public knew who they truly were, they'd need to fear for their safety.

Right now, no one knew where Tino was. He had simply left one day, in the night. He needed to think things through. He had been quite surprised when he had returned home to find the house empty. He surmised that they had forgotten about him. He wouldn't have blinked if they did; he had always been the one to be left behind. A strong dreamer, he drifted off into space often and lost sight of his surroundings. If it hadn't have been for Berwald, he probably would have left alone much earlier.

The memories of happier times echoed around him as he moved away from the window, passing through the living room like a ghost. He could pretty much envision Mathias on the couch staring at the television, a beer in one hand and the other around Lukas' shoulder. Lukas would be glaring at him, and Emil would be sitting in Lukas' lap.

Tino sighed and pressed two fingers to his temples. He wanted nothing more than to forget everything, to forget who he was and who everyone else was too. Even the one person who had stood by him forever; even he was gone. His heart hurt and he wanted it to stop.

Then, a miracle happened.

The front door opened.

Berwald stepped through the front door, his glasses covered and his hair sopping wet from the pouring rain. His shoulders were slumped and he was the most depressed Tino had ever seen. Tino could feel his face getting hot and his knees weakening as he stared at the man who held his heart.

Berwald walked right by Tino, who held completely still. For a moment, he thought he really was a ghost, but then realized the taller man couldn't see due to his glasses. He thought of bursting through the door and running as fast as he could, but he was torn, transfixed by Berwald. Had he gotten taller? Had he lost weight? Something was wrong with him...

Berwald stumbled over to the sink and wiped his glasses clean, before turning to see Tino standing in the living room. The towel fell out of his hand as he pointed at the Finn, his hand shaking. "Y-y-y'u. Y're a gh'st!"

"A...a ghost?" It was the first time Tino had spoken aloud in weeks, so he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I'm not a ghost...at least, I think I'm not."

Berwald shook his head, as if trying to convince himself otherwise. "N-nej...I foun' yer hat on th' groun'...y' can't be here in fron' 'f m'..."

"I am. I really am..." Tino held out a hand. "I'm back. Long time no see."

Tino was instantly enveloped in the tightest hug he had ever received. He could feel the Swede shaking as he held him close. "F-fin...y' came ba'...I-I can' believ'..." Tino looked up to see his protector crying. Never in his life had he seen him cry.

Berwald blinked as Tino pressed his lips to his, clinging onto him for dear life. He closed his eyes and returned the kiss with passion. Tino was getting wet from Berwald's soaked coat but neither of them seemed to care. Time seemed to stop for them both, the rain fading away into the distance as they focused solely on each other.

Tino pulled away breathlessly and smiled. "I missed you too, Su-san. Where have you been? I've been here for so long, I thought you forgot about me. Where are Lukas and the others?"

"G'ne." Berwald shrugged off his wet coat and hung it on the rack. "J'st m' now." He turned to Tino. "Where've y' been?..."

"Wandering. Thinking." He shrugged.

"Y' could've told m'!" Berwald shouted. When he saw tears spring up in the Finn's eyes, he sighed. "'M s'rry. 'M jus' glad y're back." They hugged again. "D'nt leav' again, 'k?"

"I won't." Tino looked up and smiled. "I love you, Su-san."

"I-I..." His face got red. "I l've y' too."