The Lion of the North

Independent APH Sweden roleplay blog. Credit to artists of any pictures used.

[nord-norge]

She shakily breathes out, then tries to smile at him. It’s painful and it probably doesn’t look like much of one, but she’s trying and she ought to get credit for that. “Okay. Okay.” 

It’s still difficult and she still has a hard time to keep from crying, which makes her feel like she’s weak and pathetic and hopeless, but he’s here and he’s made a promise and at least he seems to be trying. His touch is comforting, and so it’s at least easy enough to rest her head on him, though not hiding her face anymore, because he’s already seen the pain her expression holds, there’s none of it left to hide now. 

“I’ll trust you to keep your word on this,” this time, but if it happens again… She’s not sure if she’ll be able to trust him at all, with anything at all. She already fears that he will break her heart, that is too much on its own. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

He still held her tight, placing a few more kisses on her scalp. It meant a lot to him to get a second chance, to show her that he was serious about not repeating his mistake. Everything between them had been fine, or at least, much more stable. He would not deny that it was completely his fault that she had become so upset, though it did not stop him from cursing himself over being so stupid.

“I hate being the cause of your worries, but I don’t want to continue to be. I will keep my word, I never want to hurt you, Norveig.” He knew that continuing to speak would only lead to him rambling the same words over and over, no matter how much he meant them. Instead he kept his arms around her while moving to lie down on the bed with her, and pulled the blankets up. Berwald kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheek, any part of her head he could without having to disturb her too much. He wasn’t quite sure how he would gain her full trust again, but he would do anything to figure it out quickly to be able to reassure her and comfort her.

[nord-norge]

He has sworn to not do this again and she needs to believe that. She knows the words he is speaking now, she hears them better this time, she desperately needs to hear them better this time, she needs to be reassured that he’s there to stay this time. So when he kisses her face over and over, different places each time, she shifts just enough that the cheek kiss becomes one on the mouth. 

For most of all… She wants to forget that it happened, she wishes to forget that he’d disappeared on her and forgotten about her. If he’s done it once, he may do it twice, and she can’t think about that, even if he did promise otherwise. She’d trusted him before, right? So the only difference now was that he’d outright said that he wouldn’t do it. Actions speak louder than words. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

His eyes had closed while he tried to sift through all of his self-loathing for the moment to come up with a solution. It would have to be damn good for her to feel secure again about their relationship. The Swede brushed through her hair, pecking her forehead once.

"I'm such an idiot. I can be so stupid sometimes and then I wonder why you even gave me the honour of being with you in the first place." There were no intentions of letting go of her any time soon, his arms tight around her. He hoped so badly she would trust him because the last thing he wanted was to lose her.

[nord-norge]

With a roll of her eyes, she sat down on the bed, just beside him, “Yes, I promise and yes, I will definitely keep it later, if you’ll just get up right now and get ready. You know you have somewhere to be, so the sooner you get that done, the sooner you can come back and crawl into bed with me. Okay?”

[sverigeofthenorth]

He sighed heavily and looked up at her, reaching to put his arm around her waist. He was quiet for a few moments until he hummed, “or, I could have you here now and not have to move at all.” With that, he pulled her onto the bed more and held onto her with both arms, keeping her close to his own body.

[nord-norge]

“Berwald, come on,” Norveig tries to coach, having given her own sigh at being pulled down onto the bed and then being held there. “As nice as this is, we’ve got to get up. I have things to do, you have places to be. But I really do promise that I’ll stay in bed with you later, we can even just lay here and talk or whatever. Just get up.”

[sverigeofthenorth]

He lied still for a few more moments, wishing she wasn't right. Though he mustered the momentum to roll and prop himself up to kiss her cheek, "really don't wanna go but I suppose if I can come back to this, it'll be worth it." Even with those words, he kept his arm around her for a moment before he began to grumble as he sat up, feeling too tired to be able to deal with the day up until being back in bed.

[plasmalogical]

lets start wearing cloaks and swords again. its time

[lucasthatsme]

@sverigeofthenorth

“Are you sure?” He quickly grabbed the covers and yanked them off him, dragging them out of the room. That would not do the trick, Lucas knew that, but he knew what would. It would be impossible for him not to wake from this. He had taken a bucket and filled it halfway up with water. Ice cold water. It would be impossible for him not to wake up from that.

“You gotta do, what you gotta do” he mumbled to himself. This was going to be fun! And he was possibly the worst son ever for this, but hadn’t Berwald woken him up in awful ways, oh so many times before? He returned to Berwalds bedroom and poured the water on his back and his head, before quickly leaving the room.

[sverigeofthenorth]

He sound that he emitted once the cold water hit was a mixture between a yelp of surprise and one in response to pain. It did wake him up, and he definitely wasn't happy, shown when he slowly stood up, shivering and completely soaked. The regular glare that he wore when frustrated had now been magnified by many, many times and once he got Lucas, there would not be a fun punishment waiting for him.

[nord-norge]

“Don’t forget me again,” her words plead with him and she, for once, can’t find it in herself to care about the fact that she is pleading with someone despite her promise to herself that she’d never to any such thing ever again when doing so had only gotten her disappointment and a broken heart over and over again. “Don’t leave me again.” 

Don’t make her believe he’d left her again. Don’t make her fear that he no longer wants anything to do with her. Don’t make her worry that he’ll be the next Nikolai, who now only briefly thinks about her and only in the capacity of work or about their country in general. 

If she has to show her face, show her unshed tears, to ensure that this won’t happen again without it being the end of them being a couple, well, she’s doing it right now, just to be on the safe side. So that he can see how much it hurts her and know that if it happens like this again, they’ll break apart. And it’ll be his fault. 

She doesn’t know if she’d be able to give him a third chance on this. Not without it being an emergency or something along those lines. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

His stomach turned when he heard those words, it was painful to hear her ask that of him since it made him feel like he had cheated or something else along those lines. Though, really he deserved to hear them, he had hurt her, badly. She had every right to curse at him for being so utterly stupid. He had forgotten about her, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. He had.

“I won’t,” he whispered. “I won’t forget you again and I won’t leave you.” It was a hesitant movement, only because he was afraid she wouldn’t want his touch, but he still cupped her face with one hand. “If I do go on any of my own breaks away in the future, I will go to you. I will tell you I’ll be going. If I can’t give you a specific amount of time that I’ll be gone, I’ll give a rough estimate. I’ll find some way for us to communicate without me having to bring a phone or anything like that.”

“This isn’t going to happen again, I swear.”

[nord-norge]

She shakily breathes out, then tries to smile at him. It’s painful and it probably doesn’t look like much of one, but she’s trying and she ought to get credit for that. “Okay. Okay.” 

It’s still difficult and she still has a hard time to keep from crying, which makes her feel like she’s weak and pathetic and hopeless, but he’s here and he’s made a promise and at least he seems to be trying. His touch is comforting, and so it’s at least easy enough to rest her head on him, though not hiding her face anymore, because he’s already seen the pain her expression holds, there’s none of it left to hide now. 

“I’ll trust you to keep your word on this,” this time, but if it happens again… She’s not sure if she’ll be able to trust him at all, with anything at all. She already fears that he will break her heart, that is too much on its own. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

He still held her tight, placing a few more kisses on her scalp. It meant a lot to him to get a second chance, to show her that he was serious about not repeating his mistake. Everything between them had been fine, or at least, much more stable. He would not deny that it was completely his fault that she had become so upset, though it did not stop him from cursing himself over being so stupid.

"I hate being the cause of your worries, but I don't want to continue to be. I will keep my word, I never want to hurt you, Norveig." He knew that continuing to speak would only lead to him rambling the same words over and over, no matter how much he meant them. Instead he kept his arms around her while moving to lie down on the bed with her, and pulled the blankets up. Berwald kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheek, any part of her head he could without having to disturb her too much. He wasn't quite sure how he would gain her full trust again, but he would do anything to figure it out quickly to be able to reassure her and comfort her.

[suomi-soturi-blog]

| Viking AU |

[sverigeofthenorth]

It didn’t matter to him how angry or hurt the Finn felt, if he felt like striking out he would have to run the risk of being killed, unless Berwald was feeling quite generous. The taller man was much too used to dealing with situations of taking other’s lives or taking them away from their home to care about their emotions at this point.

He glanced at the leader of their group once he got a response from Tino, receiving a silent nod which he knew confirmed that Berwald would be keeping him.

“Stayin’ with me when this is done then.” There was no room for argument, unless, again, he wanted to risk dying. He would not be asking if he wanted to stay, it was now a decision that could in no way be made by the shorter male, despite it changing every aspect of his life.

[haranonaka-deactivated20230604]

Hetalia Historical Clothing Week 2016

day 3 : a character from the Nordics

[nerds-are-cool]

if you’re struggling for AU ideas take a look-see at this list i wrote for my friend who dubbed it “better than the 10 commandments" 

1)     Coffee shop AU

i)       Barista and person who has a ridiculous coffee order

ii)      I’m worried about your coffee dependency

iii)     you accidentally poured boiling hot coffee over me so you’re responsible for taking me to A&E

iv)     you give me a different fake name every time you come into starbucks and I just want to know your real name bc ur cute but here I am scrawling “batman” onto your stupid cappuccino

2)      Flower shop AU

i)       You buy a weird amount of flowers and I’m concerned as to why

ii)      I’m allergic to flowers but I work in a flower shop – you’re a customer who’s very confused as to why I’d do that

iii)     (this is also a good way to incorporate flower meanings eg, buying certain colours/types for person to represent feelings etc.)

3)      Library AU

i)       You’re overdue on this book and I want it so I’m tracking u the fuck down

ii)      I work in the library and I’m a little concerned for your health bc you never stop studying

iii)     The library’s pretty empty save for you and me and OH that couple making out loudly in the shelves somewhere

4)      Awful first time meeting

i)       I accidentally punched you in the face when I was too overexcited about something

ii)      I thought you were my friend who’s just done something awful to me (read: cut my hair while I slept, dyed all of my clothes pink, etc. etc.) because you look similar from behind so I stormed up to you and shoved you from behind while calling you an asshole

iii)     You get the gist to this one

iv)     Oooh when you told me your name I thought you were joking because it’s fucking awful and I made a joke about it and things got awkward real fucking fast (perfect for a Hannibal au just saying)

5)      Weird places to meet/awkward meetings in general

i)       We live in the same block of flats but haven’t ever talked and Sunday morning we were both doing the walk of shame and had to stand in the lift together

ii)      “okay I know that being in the woods at 2am is a weird thing to be doing but my friend called me and- wait, why are you in the woods at 2am, fuck I’m going to die aren’t I?”

iii)     A personal favourite of mine – first day at a new job and oh fuck my boss is the person I drunkenly hooked up with last weekend/night

iv)     We keep accidentally running into each other I’m not a stalker I swear

v)      You live across from me in our apartments and we smile when we see each other but we don’t really know each other and oh you’re the stripper at my friend’s stag do/hen night fuck this is really uncomfortable

vi)     “My shower’s broken but I’ve got a date tonight could I possibly use your shower please?” “Oh sure (neighbour that I’ve been crushing on for the past six months) of course you can use my shower to get ready for your date (fuck fuck fuck)”

6)      Friends to romance – pining and all that wonderful shit

i)       You’ve got a date tonight and you asked for advice on what to wear but I’m so in love with you and damn you look good in the outfit I picked out for you

ii)      I really like you but you’re my best friend’s ex

iii)     You’ve liked me for ages and were really obvious about it and I didn’t like all the attention but now you’re over me I really miss it and fuck I think I like you too?

iv)     Somewhere along the way of getting into bar fights together, staying up all night with movie marathons, other friendship things, I’ve fallen in love with you but oh my god this could ruin EVERYTHING

v)      Friends with benefits oh wait I like you

7)      FAKE DATING HOLY SHIT I LIVE FOR THIS

i)       It’s my highschool reunion and I need a hot date so I can rub it in the faces of the people who hated me

ii)      My homophobic parents are coming to visit will you pretend to date me as an extra “fuck you”?

iii)     There’s a person who won’t stop bugging me will you pretend to be my partner so that they’ll fuck off?

iv)     I told my sister I have a boyfriend so she’d stop trying to set me up with people but now she’s coming to visit and I’m in too deep I need a fake boyf ASAP

8)      Soulmate aus

i)       The first words your true love(s) will say to you are tattooed on you and why the fuck are their first words something really ridiculous like ‘I’ll pay you a tenner to punch me in the face’ or ‘quick what’s your favourite animal’ or ‘fucking shit hell holy fuck wow oh my god jesus h Christ fuck me’ etc. or even worse a really ridiculous song lyric like  the opening lines of uptown funk or a high school musical song or smthing did you have to serenade me the first time you saw me asshole?

ii)      You get an ‘impression’ of your soulmate when you turn 18 or something but all I got was a strong smell of bananas or an overwhelming feeling that Thatcher was a good prime minister or an image in my mind of a fucking unicorn

iii)     The more ridiculous the better actually

iv)     Something like whenever your soulmate sings a duet you can’t help but join in and my fucking soulmate is in a goddamn band but I can’t sing for shit

v)      Or maybe something like soulmates always sneeze at the same time and I cant be sure but me and this kid in my French class just sneezed at the same time are we soulmates or was it a coincidence (proceed w character trying to make themselves sneeze around said person to see what’s what)

9)      Alternate universes for real

i)       Mermaids

ii)      Siren and asexual pirate who doesn’t understand why all his crew are losing their shit that person has a nice voice sure but what the fuck is happening

iii)     Hogwarts

iv)     We live in a world where the greek gods are real and you went and got yourself cursed and now I have to go on a fucking quest to sort this shit out why do I love you again?

v)      Pacific rim au (either they’re drift compatible or one of them is a ranger and the other stresses constantly bc what if they die yes I have read a fic like this no I didn’t come up with this one but it’s fucking good) (also if you haven’t seen that film go watch it now)

vi)     Literally any movie or book universe you like tbh just go for it

10)   Other aus that I like

i)       I wanted to go on the ferris wheel but there has to be two people to a cart come on random person let’s go oh wait are we stuck at the top? Fuck

ii)      We work in the same office and you have a goddamn squeaky chair and you wONT FUCKING STOP SQUEAKING IT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT ANNOYS ME

iii)     Our mutual friend set us up on a blind date and I thought I’d hate it but you’re actually… kind of funny? But because I expected to hate it in no way am I going to let you change my mind just because you’re gorgeous and funny and intelligent oh no my friend is not winning this

iv)     It started to snow and I’m the only one of our friends who would go outside with you – I soon found out why none of the others would go out in the snow with you (this works best if they’re new friends who don’t know each other all that well) when you shoved a handful of snow down my back and declared snow war

v)      It’s nowhere near Christmas it’s literally still November would you calm down about Christmas wait no why are you getting the tree out no stop please stop (if you do this pre-relationship you can have the grouchy one secretly finding the other’s excitement endearing and falling in love with them actually that works for established relationship too)

vi)     Current partner got a new job in America (or other country far away) and we’re getting by on skype calls and emails but it’s not easy and then I met someone new (can be poly or can be finding the OTP person)

vii)   You want us both to get in shape and I hate working out/running but your ass looks really good in shorts oh the things I do for my friends and their nice asses

viii)  Carrying on from 10.vii. you’ve caught me checking you out in what I thought was a subtle way too many times and now you’re calling me out on it what do I do???

ix)     You’re an actor/other famous person that I really admire and I just saw you in the street and as I was debating whether or not to say hi you came up to me and started flirting what do I do??

x)      You were waving at your friend behind me but I got confused and waved back at you and now I’m dying of embarrassment but you think it’s cute

xi)     I sat down in the wrong class and I’m panicking but don’t want to get up and leave because the class has started and you think it’s hilarious and shut up you dumb fuck you don’t know me aahhh

xii)   I’m a waiter at this wedding and you’re a drunk guest who will not stop hitting on me please I’m trying to work no I can’t dance with you omg let me find you some water

xiii)  Our best friends are that awful ‘cute’ couple that make-out in public and call each other “sweetie” and “sugar” and “babe” and god they’re awful let’s talk about how awful they are – develops into “shit we’re the awful couple now”

xiv)  You pissed me off in class so I threw a book at your head and now I’m in detention and jesus fuck I hate you so much and the teacher made me apologise and wait you’re cuter up close and the way you talk is kind of nice actually oh fuck no

Okay I could go on forever but this is over 1,500 words of auing already I have too many ideas christ

send me some to @theskyis-forever

[imaginehetalians]

sweden is super scared of heights and finland teases him about it because he’s tall - Admin Hannah

[nord-norge]

He had come back into the house as quietly as he could, present now wrapped and decorated, held behind his back. A soft hello said so as not to scare her and he moved to stand behind the couch to press a kiss to her cheek. "Happy birthday, beloved."

Jumping slightly anyway, she turns wide eyes at him, then slowly nods at his congratulating, mumbling a soft, “thank you,” in return, still mulling over her conversation with Lucas. It hadn’t been a pretty one and it bothers her more than she wants to admit, so she’s not as cheery as she would have been before that in telling him “welcome back.”

[sverigeofthenorth]

He easily noticed that she still wasn't cheerful but he pinned that to being the continued result of what had happened with them so he wouldn't bother her about it unless she showed signs of really being upset. Though his hand twisted around to hold the wrapped and boxed present in front of them both, carefully not to drop it.

Underneath the cardboard, there stood a wooden, three-dimensional sculpture of her cat, though, he had sewn a collar to go around the neck of the cat. At the front of the fabric collar there was a metallic tag that resembled a locket in the way that it could be opened to reveal two small but clear photographs of the two of them together. It was an idea he had kept especially for her for quite some time, and he was admittedly a bit nervous about her opinion on it.

"This, is for you, y'can open it up now if you want."

[nord-norge]

If it hadn’t been for her needing to stay close, she wouldn’t have appreciated being carried around like a child, but she doesn’t even think about it before wrapping her legs around him, so he can carry her more easily and they can settle down somewhere where she won’t have to let go until absolutely necessary. 

That is the only part of her that does not regret saying no to coffee and entertainment that would bring his attention away from her long enough for her to fix back on that mask that hid her love for him. 

She can try, since he still can’t see her face, but she knows he will notice if he is by her side. He’s not stupid, no matter how much she may have teased him that he is, before. He knows her, she allowed  him to get to know her, and that had been the mistake that got her into this mess. 

At least for now he was letting her hide, even if it might just be because he needed to move her before he pulls her apart or whatever it is that he’s going to end up doing once they’re out of the public eye and in a more private setting. Her heart beats in anticipation of that fear and she’s sure that the whole neighborhood can hear it, even if that should be impossible. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

He took his time with getting up the stairs and to his room, not wanting to hit either of them against any wall or furnitues. While holding her with one arm, his hand moved to take her shoes off, since it was the only necessary thing to do. After that he lifted the blanket away enough to sit down on the bed.

It was then he paused in getting settled, and kissed the top of her head some amount of times and he held her tight. The thought of losing her that had haunted him before suddenly seemed much too close to feel secure. It genuinely scared him. As vulnerable as she felt, he shared some of that fragility. Berwald had opened himself up more to her than he had to anyone in so long.

“I don’t want to lose you, Norveig, at all.” His voice had become much more hushed, “I really want to stay with you.”

He didn’t expect any answer back, and he hadn’t even thought the words properly before they were spoken. They were true, nonetheless, but he couldn’t seem to help leaving himself so exposed emotionally with her.

[nord-norge]

“Don’t forget me again,” her words plead with him and she, for once, can’t find it in herself to care about the fact that she is pleading with someone despite her promise to herself that she’d never to any such thing ever again when doing so had only gotten her disappointment and a broken heart over and over again. “Don’t leave me again.” 

Don’t make her believe he’d left her again. Don’t make her fear that he no longer wants anything to do with her. Don’t make her worry that he’ll be the next Nikolai, who now only briefly thinks about her and only in the capacity of work or about their country in general. 

If she has to show her face, show her unshed tears, to ensure that this won’t happen again without it being the end of them being a couple, well, she’s doing it right now, just to be on the safe side. So that he can see how much it hurts her and know that if it happens like this again, they’ll break apart. And it’ll be his fault. 

She doesn’t know if she’d be able to give him a third chance on this. Not without it being an emergency or something along those lines. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

His stomach turned when he heard those words, it was painful to hear her ask that of him since it made him feel like he had cheated or something else along those lines. Though, really he deserved to hear them, he had hurt her, badly. She had every right to curse at him for being so utterly stupid. He had forgotten about her, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He had.

"I won't," he whispered. "I won't forget you again and I won't leave you." It was a hesitant movement, only because he was afraid she wouldn't want his touch, but he still cupped her face with one hand. "If I do go on any of my own breaks away in the future, I will go to you. I will tell you I'll be going. If I can't give you a specific anount of time that I'll be gone, I'll give a rough estimate. I'll find some way for us to communicate without me having to bring a phone or anything like that."

"This isn't going to happen again, I swear."

[nashmallow]

Just kiss me already!

She was taken aback by the suddeness of that statement, her cheeks heating up gradually as silence suddenly took over.

“…w-what?” she eventually asked, breaking the silence that had set in. Its not like she ever thought about kissing the handsome Swede, nooooooo …who was she kidding, she thought about it all the time!

[sverigeofthenorth]

Usually acting so spontaneously would be the last thing the Swede would do, but it seemed that this situation was different. His gaze moved between each of Katyusha’s eyes and he gave a low, impatient huff of breath.

To begin with, he had thought his own feelings had made him imagine that the woman liked him in return. With time Berwald came to the realisation that that being true had a very high probability. Though, he decided now to act, and he leaned down, holding her shoulder gently with one hand and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

[nashmallow]

Part of her was very surprised, though not scared in the slightest. In fact, for a second she thought she was dreaming. Did Berwald really kiss her? It was so unlike him to be so bold. But feeling his lips on hers, and his hands warm on her, there was no way this could be a dream.

Eventually, her eyes closed and her small hand reached up to touch his face as she kissed him back, moving her lips sweetly against his.

[sverigeofthenorth]

When she did not respond, quite an amount of fear sunk in, thinking perhaps he had jumped to a conclusion, that Katyusha did not actually share his feelings. He was going to expect rejection or possibly, if he had angered her, some form of retaliation that would not be as nice as a kiss.

It was just before he was going to break the kiss that he felt her return it. The slight panic he had worked himself up into dissolved and he moved his focus to drawing out the kiss a bit longer.

[nashmallow]

When she finally ran out of breath she gently pulled back, lingering close to him as she did her best to catch it. Her face was still very close to his, and her hand had found a resting place on the crook of his neck. Blue eyes searched his past his glasses, holding a mixture of bewilderment, euphoria, and bliss. Her eyes blinked rapidly, as if trying to prevent themselves from staring at him completely wide.

What had just happened? Did she– Did they– Did that kiss just happen?! It was so surprising! And part of her was glad it finally happened.

[sverigeofthenorth]

The surprise at his own actions only occurred after the kiss and he was almost made speechless by the fact that he acted on such a thought without having first considered all the possible consequences. But it seemed that perhaps he hadn't made a mistake.

She had kissed him back, which meant she had wanted the kiss to happen, right? Meaning he had actually been correct in thinking that she returned his feelings. Either that or he was a really, really good kisser and the opportunity was too good to pass up, though that thought was quickly cast aside so he could wet his lips quickly.

"That... you kissed-- you kissed me back..."

[nord-norge]

“…No coffee,” she mumbles against him, unwilling to let him go if she can get away with not doing so. She doesn’t want him to leave her again and just disappear. It seems unreasonable to think it will now that he’s entertaining her as a guest, but her mind is being rather unreasonable anyway. “Just you.” 

Those words spoken probably reveal a lot more than she’s willing to, if she thinks about it, but luckily she doesn’t. She’s just trying to keep it together, feeling silly for being so hurt about something so normal. She’s not his keeper, he’s allowed to travel and whatever. 

She’s just… Too vulnerable to think about anything but herself. Selfish. She shouldn’t be trying to hold him back from what he needs and wants to do. 

But she also can’t find it in herself to let go of him right now. She needs him, she loves him, and having admitted to that much so that  he knows it makes it a lot more difficult to pretend otherwise. He has the power to make or break her right now, and she’s not sure which option she’s expecting. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

“Alright, just me.” He felt completely willing to give up as much time as needed to comfort her. He didn’t really care if she would be in that state for days or even weeks, it would be his job to protect her and show to her that he fully meant it when he said he loved her.

“I’m going to pick you up, alright? So you can keep holding on.” His arms slipped under hers to carefully pick her up so that the option of wrapping her legs around his midsection was available. Norveig felt so fragile in his arms, so he knew from the moment he lifted her to keep her head close to him so that she wouldn’t have to expose her face involuntarily.

Maybe he was being a bit too careful, but he wanted to take care of her, to give her that time to be delicate even if she didn’t want to be. He was also going to use that time to prove to her that he wouldn’t take advantage of her more fragile state.

Once she was settled with how he held her up, he slowly moved inside to close the door and head upstairs. Since she had admitted to only wanting him he was under the assumption that she wouldn’t want there to be any distractions such as a television so he had picked the idea of lying down upstairs.

[nord-norge]

If it hadn’t been for her needing to stay close, she wouldn’t have appreciated being carried around like a child, but she doesn’t even think about it before wrapping her legs around him, so he can carry her more easily and they can settle down somewhere where she won’t have to let go until absolutely necessary. 

That is the only part of her that does not regret saying no to coffee and entertainment that would bring his attention away from her long enough for her to fix back on that mask that hid her love for him. 

She can try, since he still can’t see her face, but she knows he will notice if he is by her side. He’s not stupid, no matter how much she may have teased him that he is, before. He knows her, she allowed  him to get to know her, and that had been the mistake that got her into this mess. 

At least for now he was letting her hide, even if it might just be because he needed to move her before he pulls her apart or whatever it is that he’s going to end up doing once they’re out of the public eye and in a more private setting. Her heart beats in anticipation of that fear and she’s sure that the whole neighborhood can hear it, even if that should be impossible. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

He took his time with getting up the stairs and to his room, not wanting to hit either of them against any wall or furnitues. While holding her with one arm, his hand moved to take her shoes off, since it was the only necessary thing to do. After that he lifted the blanket away enough to sit down on the bed.

It was then he paused in getting settled, and kissed the top of her head some amount of times and he held her tight. The thought of losing her that had haunted him before suddenly seemed much too close to feel secure. It genuinely scared him. As vulnerable as she felt, he shared some of that fragility. Berwald had opened himself up more to her than he had to anyone in so long.

"I don't want to lose you, Norveig, at all." His voice had become much more hushed, "I really want to stay with you."

He didn't expect any answer back, and he hadn't even thought the words properly before they were spoken. They were true, nonetheless, but he couldn't seem to help leaving himself so exposed emotionally with her.

[nord-norge]

“You’re going to have to eventually, isn’t it better to just get up before you regret not having done so? You can always go back to bed later on, I’ll even join you if it’ll get you up right now…”

[sverigeofthenorth]

The last comment was what persuaded his head to lift enough to look at her, albeit from the very corner of his eye. He could barely even make out her silhouette without his glasses but he still considered the offer for a few moments.

“Do you promise? And if you do– you will definitely keep that promise later?”

[nord-norge]

With a roll of her eyes, she sat down on the bed, just beside him, “Yes, I promise and yes, I will definitely keep it later, if you’ll just get up right now and get ready. You know you have somewhere to be, so the sooner you get that done, the sooner you can come back and crawl into bed with me. Okay?”

[sverigeofthenorth]

He sighed heavily and looked up at her, reaching to put his arm around her waist. He was quiet for a few moments until he hummed, "or, I could have you here now and not have to move at all." With that, he pulled her onto the bed more and held onto her with both arms, keeping her close to his own body.

[nord-norge]

It is a difficulty to continue breathing calmly, when all she wants to do is cry a little bit, get him to admit they’re just not going to last and that there is no point in dragging it out, and then leave and get so drunk she doesn’t remember why she went to get drunk at all. 

She’d been worried, so worried, but she hadn’t wanted to disturb him if he was just that busy, what if he hadn’t wanted to hear from her? And she hadn’t wanted to know he’d ignore her calls and texts, even the three she’d finally eventually sent had been because the first had been a mistake, a drunken mistake that was and still is the truth, but one she regrets because it’s made her more vulnerable. 

Norveig doesn’t speak a word in return, because she’s already said what she could manage to get out, and it’s too terrifying to admit that she can’t forgive him yet if he might decide that it’s just not enough and that she should understand this. 

But if she says nothing, he’ll make a big deal out of it, won’t he? Nodding a little will have to do, he’ll feel it after all. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

Even if he has said all that he can for the moment, he still held onto her, keeping her close to him. Berwald hadn’t cared about anyone as much as he did for the Norwegian in a long time. Their relationship may not last, but to ask of them both to be together for however long they would exist, it would be an understatement to say it would be a lot to ask.

However, that did not change that he wanted to be with Norveig for as long as he was welcome. It would hurt when it comes to the end for them being together, but he didn’t want it to stop them from being with one another in the present. Berwald didn’t want a stupid mistake he made such as that to bring the relationship to an end.

He acknowledged that she had made herself vulnerable to him when he read the text. He also knew then that she would be in fear of getting hurt while vulnerable, so it was then his place to expel that fear.

“Hey,” he whispered, placing a kiss on her head. “We’ll go inside, I’ll make you a coffee. We don’t have go talk about this anymore for the moment if you don’t want to.” Which he already knew she wouldn’t, “and we can watch a movie or just something on tv– even lie down for a while and do nothing if you would prefer, whatever will make you feel better, okay?”

[nord-norge]

“…No coffee,” she mumbles against him, unwilling to let him go if she can get away with not doing so. She doesn’t want him to leave her again and just disappear. It seems unreasonable to think it will now that he’s entertaining her as a guest, but her mind is being rather unreasonable anyway. “Just you.” 

Those words spoken probably reveal a lot more than she’s willing to, if she thinks about it, but luckily she doesn’t. She’s just trying to keep it together, feeling silly for being so hurt about something so normal. She’s not his keeper, he’s allowed to travel and whatever. 

She’s just… Too vulnerable to think about anything but herself. Selfish. She shouldn’t be trying to hold him back from what he needs and wants to do. 

But she also can’t find it in herself to let go of him right now. She needs him, she loves him, and having admitted to that much so that  he knows it makes it a lot more difficult to pretend otherwise. He has the power to make or break her right now, and she’s not sure which option she’s expecting. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

"Alright, just me." He felt completely willing to give up as much time as needed to comfort her. He didn't really care if she would be in that state for days or even weeks, it would be his job to protect her and show to her that he fully meant it when he said he loved her.

"I'm going to pick you up, alright? So you can keep holding on." His arms slipped under hers to carefully pick her up so that the option of wrapping her legs around his midsection was available. Norveig felt so fragile in his arms, so he knew from the moment he lifted her to keep her head close to him so that she wouldn't have to expose her face involuntarily.

Maybe he was being a bit too careful, but he wanted to take care of her, to give her that time to be delicate even if she didn't want to be. He was also going to use that time to prove to her that he wouldn't take advantage of her more fragile state.

Once she was settled with how he held her up, he slowly moved inside to close the door and head upstairs. Since she had admitted to only wanting him he was under the assumption that she wouldn't want there to be any distractions such as a television so he had picked the idea of lying down upstairs.

[suomi-soturi-blog]

| Viking AU |

Tino smiled softly as he walked outside his cabin, looking at the think blankets of snow that covered the ground. He hummed a quiet tune as he made his way into his village. He helped his people as much as he could, gathering more wood for fires and helping repair snow-damaged houses. He had began working in the morning and now it was nigh noon- one could of course tell my the shade of the clouds that hung overhead. But he thought it was high time for a break! So he began to walk off into the forest, knowing these woods like the back of his hand. Tino smiled as he looked around him at the leafless trees and the birds who sang in them. It would be spring soon and he longed for it to be warm again. All was well, until suddenly he heard the crackle of branches behind him. Something stirred deep in his belly and he rested his hand on the knife that rested against his belt, turning around carefully to see who or what was behind him. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

The Swede’s footsteps ceased when one of the men behind him had caused sound and he became still. He was not in charge of the party, though was given the task of taking down anyone he could with stealth. Even with the size of his body Berwald could move silently, having trained himself in the exact manner of how to thread so as not to make any noise. Though, once he noticed the much smaller man which he stood behind was turning, Berwald moved to hold his own knife to the other’s throat. There wasn’t enough pressure to make an incision, but enough to threaten more to come if he resisted.

[suomi-soturi-blog]

The Finn froze as he felt the cold metal of a sharpened blade turn into the warm skin of his throat. Every muscle in his body tense as fear turned his veins to ice. He let out a shaky breath and tilted his head back so there would be less skin against the blade. “O-Ota, älä satuta minua-” he murmured in his mother tongue. He clenched his teeth for a moment as he felt the blade just barely push forward into his skin. Tino’s idea of drawing his dagger and plunging it backwards into his attacker was now becoming less and less of a good idea. If he even moved or breathed, he knew the blade would only cut him more, so he stayed still and waited for something to happen, quaking softly in fear. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

His eyes were sharp and piercing and his whole appearance had a dangerous aura, though the snow that hadn’t melted in his hair or on his shoulders almost softened the vicious manner he held. Even so, it did not change the fact that Berwald would be ready to push the knife farther and in enough to be lethal. He waited for any indication from the party’s leader to act without having to take his eyes off the Finnish man. There was no chance of letting him get away, Berwald took many things far more seriously than other men he knew, but he was a better warrior for it. It was after a few more seconds of waiting in the silence that surrounded them that another of the raiders demanded to know who the young man was.

[suomi-soturi-blog]

He swallowed thickly and lifted his head some. Their language was strange and odd to him, but he had heard it before. And by the sounds of it, someone wanted his name- or at least he thought they did anyhow. Tino glared some and squeezed his eyes shut before responding. “M-My name…Is Tino  Väinämöinen-” he choked out, hot tears pricking his eyes. The Finn could sense the rage and power in the man behind him- the one with the knife to his throat- the way he had not wavered once and breathed like an angered bull…It scared Tino witless. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

The leader stood next to Berwald then and gave a nod which he could see from the corner of his vision. Without hesitation, he grabbed the knife from the Finn’s belt and passed it back to another man. He lowered the knife but simultaneously grabbed Tino by the shoulder so as to prevent him from running. His grip was strong, not one that could easily be escaped from, even with the use of only one hand. Berwald looked over at the leader before his gruff voice was directed to Tino, “yer staying with us. Won’t hurt y'unless ye try attack or run.”

[suomi-soturi-blog]

Tino clenched his teeth some as his knife was taken away, but only succeeded in glaring. He gasped for air as the blade was taken away from his throat, shivering some as he folded in on himself. The Finn turned around and looked up to the direction of the voice speaking to him. If he was scared before- he was petrified now. A fresh set of tears stung his eyes as he made a quiet whimper. This man was not only a giant, but a terrifying one at that! His face was hard and angry and Tino knew that even if he did put up a fight, he would not last long…The Finn shuddered for a moment, eyes sticking to the ground and trying to blink away his tears. “Wh-What do you want of me?” he asked brokenly. 

[sverigeofthenorth]

Of course he knew how intimidating he looked, even if it was not natural of his appearance he would have to look that way in front of enemies or on foreign ground. Showing a threatening image was only helped by his expression, the Swede was usually mistaken for being in a horrendous mood, even if the case were the exact opposite. Though, he simply ignored Tino’s question, in honesty, he didn’t know what they would do with him so it was best to pretend the question had never been asked. Instead he pushed the Finn forward once they began to move, slowly letting go of his shoulder. Berwald still kept a tight grip on his knife, his eyes alternating from focusing on Tino and the surroundings as both were to be watched. The point of his knife remained close to the smaller man’s back, the threat constant so as to deter any formulation of an escape plan.

[suomi-soturi-blog]

The Finn clenched his fists, taking deep and steady breaths. Honestly- he had never been more terrified in his life. Whether these men were to beat him or murder him or- Gods above he shuddered to think what else they could force him to do…Tino winced as he felt the blade against his back, nails digging into his palms so hard they were beginning to cut into his skin. He took uneven breaths as he kept his head down. The Finn reached up and grasped the pendent around his neck, beginning to murmur prayers in his native tongue, trying to soothe himself, but to no avail. Tino was so nervous he almost walked faster than the - terrifying - man behind him. He tried to be brave, straightening his back and weakly squaring his shoulders but still keeping his head down….his entire life would change now…

[sverigeofthenorth]

His eyes had narrowed once he heard the Finn praying, though he wasn't quite sure what exactly he had been doing because of the difference in language. Berwald had been ready to give a shove to his shoulder and demand he be quiet until the young man stopped before he had the chance to move. The Swede looked at his current leader, silently questioning if they would be keeping Tino prisoner or if he would simply be killed, though from the look he received he grunted out,

"What skills d'ye have? What can y'do?"

[nashmallow]

Just kiss me already!

She was taken aback by the suddeness of that statement, her cheeks heating up gradually as silence suddenly took over.

“…w-what?” she eventually asked, breaking the silence that had set in. Its not like she ever thought about kissing the handsome Swede, nooooooo …who was she kidding, she thought about it all the time!

[sverigeofthenorth]

Usually acting so spontaneously would be the last thing the Swede would do, but it seemed that this situation was different. His gaze moved between each of Katyusha’s eyes and he gave a low, impatient huff of breath.

To begin with, he had thought his own feelings had made him imagine that the woman liked him in return. With time Berwald came to the realisation that that being true had a very high probability. Though, he decided now to act, and he leaned down, holding her shoulder gently with one hand and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

[nashmallow]

Part of her was very surprised, though not scared in the slightest. In fact, for a second she thought she was dreaming. Did Berwald really kiss her? It was so unlike him to be so bold. But feeling his lips on hers, and his hands warm on her, there was no way this could be a dream.

Eventually, her eyes closed and her small hand reached up to touch his face as she kissed him back, moving her lips sweetly against his.

[sverigeofthenorth]

When she did not respond, quite an amount of fear sunk in, thinking perhaps he had jumped to a conclusion, that Katyusha did not actually share his feelings. He was going to expect rejection or possibly, if he had angered her, some form of retaliation that would not be as nice as a kiss.

It was just before he was going to break the kiss that he felt her return it. The slight panic he had worked himself up into dissolved and he moved his focus to drawing out the kiss a bit longer.