Turvallinen ja Vakaa
A/N: Finally! I got around to writing this! Sorry you had to wait so long! But on the bright side, this chapter is pretty lengthy compared to the rest of the story so enjoy!
Chapter 8
Gray: Part Four
Dark. Cold. Silent. Those were the only words Tino could use to describe this night. He had spent hours tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He would try to, but then something would happen and he would be wide awake once more. The silence was killing him slowly, and the crisp late-night weather transversed shiver-worthy drafts about the room. He hated being up this late. Everyone was fast asleep but him, and it was eerily quiet. Sweden's breathing was so soft he could barely hear it, and there was no point in listening for anyone else, because they all had bedrooms, and slept behind closed doors upstairs. It made him feel lonely and paranoid.
He curled himself into a ball, hugging his body, and trying to bury himself further beneath the bedcovers, pulling them all the way up to his nose. He was very cold, and he could feel goosebumps adorning his body. He tried to scoot closer to Sweden, but only enough to warm him up a bit, and not even close to touching him. He had the tendency to be a wild sleeper, especially when he dreamed. He didn't want to get to close to a point that he could accidentally kick or hit his friend. Just the mere thought of causing him pain was horrible enough. His fear of causing pain to anyone had heightened extremely since the symptoms had started to come back. He was so afraid that he would hurt someone, and if he did he knew he would never be able to allow himself to live it down.
He sighed. His brain was such a mess of blurred, confusing, paranoid thoughts.
He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. He was so exhausted. And after several minutes, he did drift off into a disturbed slumber.
-xXx-
What is this? Where am I? Is this reality? All the lines are blurred...I cannot tell. Is this a dream? It feels like a dream. A very vivid dream...
He sat up, exhausted in the dark, the temperature sending chills throughout his whole being. It was hard for his tired eyes to see anything. He was also confused. Should he not have been woken by the buglar? Or...? This didn't look like the bunks at all, nor did it feel like it. Because it wasn't.
He looked at the time; it was a 4:30 AM, and pitch dark outside.
He tried to go back to sleep...but he felt so mentally disturbed he knew that an attempt to fall asleep would be folly and useless. So he settled on a different thing to pass the time.
He swung his legs over the side of the mattress, sock-clad feet touching the cold ground. He bent forward and reached under the bed, feeling for something. When his hands did not meet the cool, slick touch, he began to frantically feel around for it. Where is it? Why isn't it here!? I need it! He got down on the ground and lifted the covers and the bedskirt and continued to feel around for it. He even went insofar as to scoot his torso partially underneath it, and he continued to frantically feel and search for it. Panicking. It wasn't there! He tried to process the information in his foggy brain. Where else could it be if it wasn't under his bed?
He tried to remember.
Suddenly, his mind traveled briefly back to the other day.
"I just wanna put it away for ye, I promise."
He slowly released his grip.
The Dane smiled and then patted him on the shoulder, then, he turned him around and led him back to the living room.
The closet. That was where it was. Slipping into his slippers, the small Fin grabbed his robe from the bedpost, grabbed the jeans and wool sweater he had worn today, and went into the bathroom to quickly change. Then, he quietly crept out of the room. He tried not to make so much as a sound as he went down the carpeted hallway. He opened the hall closet and stepped onto some boxes, reaching up to the very top, blindly meeting the familiar cool, slick material. Satisfied, he took the gun in both hands from the top of the closet, as well as the rounds he knew were beside it. Carefully, he climbed down and closed the closet. He walked back into the main room, and sat down on the sofa, clicking the lamp on beside it to its lowest setting. In the dim light he loaded the rounds into the weapon. He briefly aimed, but didn't fire. Then, he got up and made his way towards the back door. He slipped into his boots and went out into the family's large backyard into the crisp, chilly night air. Frost had formed on the ground, he could feel the firm, slippery, cold material.
They had a couple acres of land, and lived in a sleepy forested area that wasn't too far from town. The backyard had a few trees around it, and lots of green foliage, along with plenty of open space. Sweden's workshop was a short walk through the trees, across a small, winding path.
He found a perfect spot behind some bushes on a tiny sloped piece of land just before the circle of trees. The trees were perfect for targets. Mindlessly, gun in hand, he walked down the short path to Sweden's workshop, returning with red paint and a brush. He painted targets on some of the trees. Then, he walked swiftly, quietly back behind the bushes he had chosen. He got low to the ground, set up the gun, cocked it, aimed, and fired.
The scene vanished around him and he was back on the snowy battlefield once more, and he was not afraid to down any enemy soldier that dared cross his path.
-xXx-
Mathias woke a start, lurching up from his pillows and looking around his dark room. Something had woken him from his slumber and brought him back to the cold reality of the world. He listened.
BANG! Click, clatter. BANG! Click, clatter. The sound echoed and reverberated from outside. BANG! Several times it was heard. It was close by. He knew the sound all too well. Gun shots. Not just any gun either; a sniper. It seemed to rattle the house.
Oh no.
Nerves and shock...fear...sprung instantly through his core. He frantically scrambled out of bed and almost tripped on the floor trying to exit his room. The shots continued. He opened the door to Norway's room, not even bothering to knock.
The adolescent was still asleep. He turned every once in awhile, eliciting soft, sleepy sounds as he moved. Denmark ran to his bed side and started to shake him vigorously. The shots continued.
"Norge! Norge!" he said in a whisper yell, "Norge, do you hear that!? Wake up!" the Norwegian only turned on his side and didn't stir.
Denmark let out an exasperated huff and climbed onto the bed, lifting practically lifting the other off his pillow. He shook him by the shoulders.
"Norge! Norge! Get up! Something is wrong!"
Norway woke with a start, "Wh-wh-Dan!?" he pushed him off the bed, and the tall man fell backwards and crashed hard to the floor with a THUMP!
He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, "Oww d**it." He opened his eyes and looked up. Norway clicked the lamp on and glared at his friend. He was sitting up in bed with tired eyes and tousled hair, the fringe he usually had clipped back whisping over his eye.
"What the h**l are you doing in here!?" Norway snipped, "Do you know what time it is!?"
"I'm sorry...but I heard something! And it's not good."
"I didn't hear anything."
"Because you were sleeping like a baby." Denmark replied, "But I heard! It woke me."
"What did you hear that is so terrible you had to disturb my sleep about it?"
BANG!
Norway seemed to turn pale.
"That." Denmark said.
"A gun shot?"
Denmark nodded, "And it's close by."
BANG!
"What on earth? Why? Who is dumb enough to fire a gun off in the middle of the night!?"
"Exactly my point. Something is wrong. This isn't normal."
In an instant, both of them were up and out the door. Norway crossed the hall and opened the door. Iceland was sitting up.
"What the H**L is happening!?" he exclaimed.
"Someone is firing a gun outside." Norway said. He made his way over to his brother's bed. He pulled him into a hug, much to the younger brother's distaste and chagrin.
"Mm- no stop it Nor! Let go! Don't do that!" The Icelandic teen's voice was muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in his brother's chest. He tried to protest.
"It's okay, you don't have to be scared."
"I'm...not...!"
BANG! Click-clatter. Rattle. Shake. It was like thunder.
"You're shaking, little brother."
"Let go of me, Nor!" Iceland finally pushed away.
"Come on guys!" Denmark exclaimed, "We have to get downstairs to meet Tino and Berwald." They all left Iceland's room as more gun shots rattled the house.
"MUMMY!"
A child's cry filled the hall as they made their way to the landing of the stairs, and a small body crashed into the tall Dane.
He looked down. Sealand was crying and shaking.
BANG! Click-clatter. Rattle. Shake.
"Eeek!" He covered his head and curled into a ball. He continued to cry.
Denmark got down to his level.
"Hey kiddo, it's okay. We're all here. I'll take ye to yer parents."
Sealand looked up with his watery blue eyes. "Uncle Den." He buried his face into the man's well-built chest. Denmark gathered him in his arms and they continued down the stairs.
The gun shots continued to reverberate around them. Each time they did, Denmark felt Sealand's small body tense up and he felt him wince.
-xXx-
They met Sweden in the main room. The tension and fear in the room was so thick they could have cut it with a knife.
"Ber!? Where's Tino?" Denmark asked.
"I dunno." Sweden replied, trying to hide the shaking nerves in his voice, "I w'ke wh'n I h'rd the shots an' 'e w'sn't in bed."
There was an eerie block of ear-splitting silence.
Then the gun went off again.
Suddenly Denmark remembered something.
"Oh no! S**t!"
He handed Peter to Berwald before running down the hall and turning on the light, practically forcing open the closet door. He reached up and looked around frantically.
"IT'S NOT THERE!" panic was prominent in his voice.
The rest of the family had joined him.
"What's not?" Iceland asked.
"Tino's gun. And the rounds are gone too!"
"So is Tino..." Nor said quietly.
An unanimous shudder...a lurch of fear traveled throughout the quintet.
"Mummy? What's wrong with Mummy?" Sealand raised his head from Berwald's chest. No one answered him. The three oldest members in the house who were present at the moment exchanged knowing, nervous glances.
"What's wrong? What's going on!?" Iceland exclaimed.
Berwald set Sealand on the ground beside Iceland.
"Emil, stay in the house with Peter." Lukas said.
"Don't leave under any circumstances." Mathias ordered.
"Wha-? Where are you going!?" Iceland shot back.
"Outside." Lukas replied.
"Wha-? What do you mean outside!? You can't go out there! It's dangerous!"
"We have to." Mathias said.
"Stay here." The oldest three started down the hall and made their way to the back door.
"No! You can't just leave me here without an explanation! I'm part of this family too! I deserve to know!"
"It doesn't concern you." Mathias replied, "You're still a kid. These adult problems don't need to involve you. This is not the time to talk about this. We'll tell you when we see fit."
"A kid!? I am almost seventeen! And it does concern me!"
"We're trying to protect you." Denmark replied.
"I don't need protec-"
"Emil, enough!" All gazes snapped to Norway. They had never heard him snap before. Especially not at Iceland. The teen's shocked expression met with his brother's.
"Child or not you are still one of the youngest members of this family! You are to respect your older family members and do what Denmark says."
"What? Nor-"
"I am not debating this anymore. We are trying to protect you and if this is how we see fit to do it then by the gods we will!" Norway replied. Despite the fact that he was glaring, his eyes were slightly misty.
"Fine..." Iceland glared into his older brother's blue orbs. Then he stepped aside and took Peter by the arm, "Come on. We're going to the couch." He led the younger boy down the hall and the others stared after him before heading cautiously to the back door.
-xXx-
Sweden, Denmark, and Norway made their way into the yard. The gunshots were much louder out here: ear piercing. They were slinking about the house and behind the brush and trees, low to the ground, Sweden in the lead. He willed the others to stay as silent as possible.
The gunshots grew louder.
Denmark accidentally broke a twig and rustled the bushes.
"Shh!" Norway hissed.
"Sorry..."
They continued to creep along.
The gunshots stopped again, followed by the clicking. Sweden held his hand out, willing them to stop. They were hidden behind some foliage and a large tree.
"Right there." Sweden pointed up to a collection of rustling bushes on a small slope. It was hard to see in the dark, but they glimpsed movement and the form of someone...or something. The figure was speaking lowly to themselves in a different language that wasn't English.
"Is that..." Norway began will realization.
Sweden replied with a sad, "Mmm."
"Tino wha-" A hand slapped over Denmark's mouth.
"Shh!" Norway exclaimed.
"No sudden move. No sudden sound." Sweden commanded quietly, "If he sees you he will not hesitate to shoot you."
"W**t the h**l's the matter with him!?"
"Get down!" Sweden exclaimed. They covered their heads and curled up as Tino fired another few rounds. The shots were almost overpowering to their ears.
"How are we gonna stop him!?" Denmark asked, "He's gonna wake the neighbors!"
"He probably already did." Norway said.
"L've it t' me."
They heard Tino try to reload the weapon. "D**it!" he hissed, "I'm out of rounds!" They heard rustling as he carefully concealed his weapon and started to make his way into the open.
"St'y h're." With that last command, Sweden prepared himself.
"Berwald NO!" Denmark exclaimed.
-xXx-
The Swede jumped out of the bushes and tackled Finland to the ground. He covered the smaller man's mouth to silence his cry, and they rolled a bit out of the thorny bushes and landed in the open space around the trees. A short wrestling match commenced, but was quickly finished when Sweden, the much larger of the two, had Finland down.
He held him by the wrists, body weight pinned against the other.
"T'no! T'no! Can ye' hear me!? T'no!" The eyes that had previously been blank and in a trance returned to normal.
"B-Berwald...?"
"Oh thank gods..." A small smile ghosted his lips.
"B-Berwald?" Tino sat up and looked around, "Wh-what's going on why am I out here-Ber?"
The Swede's usual cold expression saddened, "Ye were...doin' t'rg't practice."
"Wh-what...oh no! Oh no! It happened again...how could...No! Not again! Not again!" he started to panic, "No...no..nononono...how could I have...I was actually firing my gun...God please no!" He started to panic and tears started to stream down his face.
"T'no! T'no...s'okay!" Berwald pulled the smaller into a tight hug. Tino froze before tightening to a death grip on the fabric Berwald's clothing. He started weeping once more, "Ye didn't h'rt nob'dy."
Another rustle and Lukas and Mathias were rushing towards them. Berwald glared and motioned for them to go away. Norway nodded before grabbing Denmark by the wrist and leading him inside.
-xXx-
Finally, Tino started to calm down and he drew away from Berwald. However, the calm was short lived with the sound of sirens approaching. Tino began to panic again. Berwald grabbed him by the arm and about dragged him back to the house, "B'ck ins'de."
-xXx-
The entire family was gathered inside when at last they entered again, with Tino hanging his head behind Berwald.
"Tino!" Mathias started to run up to the smaller form, "Are ye okay!?" He tried to go in for a hug, but Tino stepped backwards and held out a hand to stop him.
"No...please...I'm not in the mood for a hug right now...I'm sorry..."
"Oh..." Denmark awkwardly stepped back and went back and sat down on the couch.
"Are you...okay?" Iceland asked from the couch. Sealand was sleeping in his lap.
Tino smiled, but everyone knew it was forced. "I'll be fine. I just...I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"Arf!" Hanatomago scampered up to him and pawed at his leg, stubby tail going haywire.
He looked down, "Hi sweetie." he said. He bent down to pick her up off the ground. She licked his face. He chuckled before making his way to the armchair with her. Sweden joined everyone else in the main room, standing beside the chair. Some tension was ceased for a short while. That was until the sirens started screaming again...and then abruptly stopped. Tino looked up from the chair, fear and nerves clawing their way up again.
They heard a ring at the door.
"I'll get it." Norway said. He was the calmest at the moment.
He opened the front door.
"Good morning, officers." he said.
"Good morning." one began sternly, "We got a call from your neighbors. They said they heard gunshots coming from this property. Is this true?"
"Uhhh...y-yes sir. It was a bit of late night target practice is all." Norway said.
"So I see. Well it gave the neighbors quite the fright. It is far too late to be shooting a gun off."
Norway nodded.
The family listened to the conversation at the door, tensions rising, and Tino's nerves bubbling up again. Sweden gently lay a hand on Finland's shoulder before going towards the entryway.
"I'll t'ke it fr'm h're." Sweden said. He took Norway's place at the door, and the small-statured cops shrunk back a bit. Norway nodded before going back into the living room.
"Yes, th're w's a gun b'ing used. I w's doin' l'te night t'rg't practice, l'ke 'e said. W' h've a b'g yard y'know."
"Even so, you should not have been shooting off a gun in the middle of the night, even if it was on your own property." he took out a search warrant, "We would like to see the gun used, as well as the bullets, and legal paperwork authorizing the ownership of the weapon."
"Mmm. I w'll go get th'm. If ye wait here." He closed the door and went into the backyard, gathering the weapon and ammunition, as well as the paperwork from the safe in their closet. He ignored the looks of the other family members.
-xXx-
The cops spent several pain-staking minutes going through everything, before looking back up at the Swede.
"May we please see the field you were doing your "target practice"."
"Mmm." He led them through the house towards the backyard.
As they passed the main room, Tino turned his head away, guilt eating at his chest. Berwald had taken the blame!? Why!? What if he gets in trouble!?
-xXx-
After several tense moments, Sweden returned with the cops from the yard, and escorted them towards the door.
"There was no law broken here. However, next time, as common courtesy, refrain from shooting guns at four-thirty in the morning."
"Y'ss'r."
"Have a good night now."
"Ye too."
With that, the cops turned and started down the steps back to their car. Sweden closed and locked the door behind them. He turned and went back into the main room.
"S't'k'n care of." He sat down on the couch beside Denmark.
"Thank gods!" Denmark let out an exasperated sigh, "I thought they'd never leave."
"Everyone's okay now, I assume." Norway said.
"I think so," Denmark replied, "Tino? Tino?"
The small blonde was covering his face with his hands.
"I'm sorry..." he said, "I'm sorry..." he looked up at his assembled family members with his teary gaze, "I'm sorry I had to put you all through this! I worried you...I woke you up in the middle of the night and scared you all...I'm sorry! All because of my...my..."
He was cut off when his entire family surrounded him in a group hug. It lasted for a while before everyone drew away.
"Yer fine Tino." Mathias reassured.
"Yeah." Iceland agreed.
"We're just glad you're okay." Norway stated simply.
"Mmm." Sweden agreed.
"Whatever it is that's bothering ye'," Denmark started, "We'll help ye through it. Even if we don't know what it is. You don't even have to tell us either. But we're here for ye. That's what it means to be a family."
Finland forced a small smile...but deep down...he was anything but joyful.
A/N: How was that for a climax? That's one of like four or five. So enjoy and stay tuned! Thank you again for reading!