Chapter Text
Sweden collapsed onto the ground, his legs unable to hold him any longer. He glanced around the room to see that Denmark was nowhere to be found, and Finland was probably still asleep. He figured the woman would be there any minute and he'd just have to pray that she didn't have a key to the apartment.
He felt like crying, and the tightness in his chest was making it impossible to breath. He was terrified and confused.
Faintly, through the static in his ears, he heard a door open. Finland stepped out of his bedroom and as soon as he saw Sweden leaning against the door, frightened, he immediately dropped to his knees beside him.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?" His voice was cracked with sleep but his eyes sparkled with concern.
"I- I ran into someone- almost- and- and he's looking for me and I can't go back and I-" Sweden choked, hiding his face in his hands as his emotions boiled over. He felt Finland place his hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"Don't worry, you're safe. I won't let him take you back," Finland reassured softly.
Sweden nodded and wiped his eyes. He trusted Finland, even if he was afraid. Taking a deep breath, he shakily tried to stand up again but nearly fell. Fortunately, Finland caught him on instinct and helped him up.
There was a harsh knock at the door. Sweden froze, assuming it was the angry woman. Thinking quickly, Finland opened the door to the closet beside the door and beckoned to it.
"Hide," He ordered quietly. "I'll take care of Estonia."
Sweden ducked into the dark closet and the door was closed, leaving him in what would be total darkness if not for the sliver of light coming in from under the door. It smelled like dust and fabric, but it wasn't really bad.
Outside, he heard faint voices. They were muffled by the door and it was impossible to make out what was being said. He caught snippets of what sounded like words, but it was hard to tell.
After a short eternity, the voices stopped, and Sweden heard the door close and Finland opened the closet.
"That was the landlady, Estonia. You're right, they are looking for you." His voice was nervous.
Sweden buried his face in his hands. "What am I going to do? They'll find me eventually."
"No, they wil not. If they want you they're going to have to fight through me and Denmark- and that girl had a death kick." Finland retorted, determined.
Their conversation was interrupted by another knock, this one much softer and disarming. Sweden froze up, nervous, but Finland didn't seem worried. He went back to the door and opened it to reveal a different girl- were they a girl? Their hair was short and white and they wore dark gray overalls with cute daisies on them. Their voice was non-portrayant of any gender whatsoever when they spoke as well.
"Hey," They waved, and a few bracelets on their wrist jingled. "Heard Estonia harping on about shit. Did she try and search your place?"
"No, thank goodness," Finland sighed. "You know how she feels about me. Denmark isn't here so maybe she felt a little less... threatened."
A chuckle. "Honestly! Anyway I just wanted to make sure you were okay. She's real pissed about Sweden being somewhere here. I can't believe she's trying to turn him in- he's clearly a runaway."
"I agree." Finland stepped aside to put Sweden in their line of vision. Nervously, he made eye contact and stepped closer to Finland as a sort of... comfort, almost.
"Nice to meet you," They smiled. "I'm Iceland. I know Finland from school and we're pretty close. Don't worry, you're safe. With me and Fin, I mean. Not necessarily this building." Iceland scanned the area behind them to see if anyone was within earshot before leaning in and whispering, "If you ask me, Estonia is a bitch who's more trouble than she's worth. All she wants is money and Finland's heart and if I were you I would definitely stay away from her at all costs."
Sweden nodded. "Don't worry, I will. She seems mean."
"She's not too bad, but yeah, she's kind of in a mood right now." Finland chimed in. He sighed. "I would never date her."
"I wouldn't either," Sweden agreed.
Iceland laughed and brushed a bit of dust from their shoulder. "I better go, but it was nice to meet you. Stay safe." They stuck their hand out and Sweden shook it, smiling slightly. "Nice to meet you too."
With that, Iceland turned and shut the door behind them, leaving Sweden and Finland alone once again.