Sealand wondered what death would feel like. He knew that it wouldn't really matter, since no one really knew that he existed anyway, but he couldn't help it. Staring down from the top of The Shard in England, he wondered if he even could die. His entire population was on vacation, so it wasn't like anyone would get hurt. Besides; they could all live in England. At least the older nation would feel a little bit of guilt if Sealand died in his country. Well, that's what the smaller hoped. A last bit of revenge on England would at least let him be remembered in death.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way that his heart was pounding. He knew that it wasn't real; that his entire existence was just a fluke. He had been told it enough times, by England and his siblings and whoever else deemed him worthy of a few scathing words. The only one who had let him any peace was Latvia, but even the Baltic nation would get over him. Still, he had left a phone call explaining everything, just in case. Sealand wanted Latvia to know that nothing at all was his fault. He knew that his disappearance wouldn't be noticed even if he did hope that it would.

He took a shaky step forward, teetering precariously. For some reason, there was no railing. Then again, no one was ever allowed up that high, probably for that exact reason. Oh, well. Maybe they'd add some sort of safety precaution after what he was going to do… Probably not. England didn't care enough.

Sealand looked down and was struck by just how high up he was. The people looked like ants, the cars tiny metallic bugs glinting in the fading sunlight. It was almost pretty. A sad smile crossed his face; at least the last thing he saw would be somewhat enjoyable.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the pounding of the footsteps behind him. He took that last step, letting himself lean into the empty air and toppled over. The air rushed in his ears, and the first real smile he had had in a long time lifted his lips. He fell forward, eyes closed, and suddenly there were arms around him, strong but thin, and someone was yelling his name in a choked voice.

Sealand's eyes opened in shock to find teary blue eyes and a pale, lightly freckled face. Latvia. He didn't know how the Baltic had gotten there so fast… But he didn't care. The realization of what he had just done finally hit him; he had been numb for days, since he had started planning. His eyes filled with tears and he buried his head in the crook of Latvia's neck, his body wracked with jagged sobs that felt like they were being torn from his soul. Latvia gently led him away from the edge and held him tightly. Sealand felt tiny, despite the fact that the Baltic was only about two inches taller than himself. He sobbed into the other's chest, his arms wrapped around his waist as his small hands gripped the back of Latvia's shirt tightly. Sealand cried until he couldn't feel his cheek and his throat was raw and his eyes were puffy and crusted.

Latvia gently wiped away the tears from the younger nation's face, worry darkening his eyes.

"Why?" that one whispered word, filled with broken fear and pain, almost reduced Sealand to tears again. He didn't know how to explain the neglect and the pain and the sadness and the harsh words and his desperate need for love. How could he? He didn't know how to sum something like that up.

Luckily, Latvia didn't seem to expect an answer. He simply pressed a gentle kiss to Sealand's head and brought him back into his arms.

"It's alright, Peter. I'm here. You're safe."

Sealand nuzzled his face into the crook of Latvia's neck, his breathing still uneven. The sound of his human name on the other's tongue felt intimate and safe, pressing the words even deeper.

"Thank you… Thank you so much…" Sealand whispered, his arms tightening further around the other country.

"It's alright, Sealand. You're going to be okay."

"I know, Raivis. I know."