Disclaimer: Hetalia and its characters do not belong to me or Da Yuu-May - unfortunately - they belong to their respective creator/owner.
Author Note: Here is the companion fic to "The Nordics and I". It might make more sense to read that first since I don't really care to make this stand by itself. Please note that this isn't a sequel, just a companion fic. First off is Sweden because he is Da Yuu-May's favorite! Enjoy and leave feedback!

Chapter 1:

Nothing to Worry About

Berwald Oxenstierna – country personification of Sweden and "Papa Berwald/Sweden" to adopted son Peter Kirkland (or Sealand) – watched, concerned, as his son excused himself early from yet another family dinner. He continued to watch until the boy turned the corner to his own room and disappeared from sight. Closing his eyes, he released a worried sigh and placed his spoon back down into his soup, no longer hungry. A spoon tapped against glass loudly to get his attention and he looked up to see his "wife", Finland.

Finland smiled optimistically. "I'm sure it's nothing, Berwald. I've read where children at this stage worry about a lot of things that are actually very small. He's probably just worried about a video game or something. Do you think?"

Sweden tilted his head in thought. No, something told him that it was more than that. …But Finland had always known more about the behavior of children. And his wife was usually right in most things. So he nodded. "Ja."

Satisfied, Finland began to eat again. He followed suit.

"And, also," the other nation began, "he's probably feeling like hanging out with his parents is not cool anymore – I've read that happens to children, as well. Peter probably just wants some time to himself before we go to Lukas's home the day after tomorrow." With that, the blonde finished his meal and took his dishes to the sink to wash them.

Sweden continued to sit at the table, having stopped eating again. He didn't agree with all that his wife had said, though he didn't mention it. Sealand had never acted so antisocial before and it made no sense to start now. Maybe his son's attitude was changing and that was all there was to the matter. He hoped that was all.

._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.

Sweden reflected on the suspicious event which just transpired moments before. Sealand, who had been avoiding them lately, had suddenly hugged him fiercely as he was leaving the kitchen to change into more comfortable clothes. Sweden unbuttoned his collared shirt slowly, lost in thought. He was usually very good at sensing emotions. And the emotions he received from Sealand's hug downstairs were not positive. Asking if his son was alright only lead to the boy showing nervousness and quickly accepting Finland's offer for help in the kitchen.

Sweden's eyes narrowed.

Sealand had lied about how he was doing. It was obvious his son did not feel well. And it was his job as 'Papa' to make sure that changed. Nodding to himself, he finished dressing and set off down the hall.

He was just arriving, snippets of a halting conversation floating out to him, when he heard something incredibly alarming. And very irritatingly stupid. Apparently, that stupid Dane, Mathias, had told his son they could go riding on a live, wild, dangerous elk when they arrived at Norway's home. How…normal of him. Trying to tie a child into one of his 'fun' schemes.

Sweden sighed silently, knowing he was about to be the 'bad guy' if his son's excited voice was anything to go by. He stepped into the kitchen, Finland's surprised face and Sealand's ecstatic one meeting his eyes before he spoke to interrupt his son.

"No."

He saw the betrayed and disappointed eyes turn his way. God, it was hard to be a parent.

"N-No?" The voice held descending hope.

But, he nodded, steeling his resolve. "No." No matter how 'cool' he thought it would be, Sealand would not be riding any untamed animals while he was theirs. Sweden almost couldn't believe Denmark had proposed it in the first place and thinking of the Dane was starting to give him a headache.

"But…. But, Denmark-!"

Sweden felt his face grow slightly darker from his emotions toward the situation. "Too dang'rous. Get ya' killed. Answ'r's no."

And, once again, disappointment from the youngest. Sweden inhaled a deep breath. At least they did not deal with this often. Sealand was such a good child and easily appeased that he didn't often want for something dangerous and, as a result, they didn't often deny him. Thankfully, he wasn't spoiled as a result of their coddling. He didn't know if he could handle punishing the child beyond grounding him and taking electronics away.

They had a stilted dinner after his and Finland's rejection to Sealand's 'proposal'. They kept a discreet eye on how much Sealand ate this time, as well. Not much. Again. But that could be contributed to the negative emotions he was now feeling.

Finland smiled worriedly as Sealand began to display signs of leaving the table. "Peter, don't you want to eat a little more? It's one of your favorite dishes."

Sealand shook his head. "No, thank you. …May I be excused?"

Sweden opened his mouth to tell him 'no' but Finland beat him to an answer.

"Sure. I'll wrap up the rest for you in case you change your mind later."

They watched, familiarly, as Sealand disappeared around the corner. He turned to give his wife a confused look, trying his best to keep his disgruntlement from showing.

Finland stared at his plate. "He doesn't seem to want to go tomorrow."

Oh, the trip. He blinked, understanding Finland's decision to let Sealand leave the table early. "Sh'ld we cancel?"

Finland shook his head. "I don't think so. I think it would be good for him to be away from the house – to see family. Maybe we can take his mind off of whatever is bothering him."

Sweden nodded in agreement. He thought so, too. Sealand usually enjoyed visiting the other Nordics. Not wanting to visit…they must be reading the situation wrong. Maybe riding the elk was the only thing bothering Sealand. Perhaps he thought they would not give him permission and so he was worried about asking them before. If that was the case, Sealand will be getting over the disappointment soon and will be back to his normal self. The house was quiet as they finished eating, washing the dishes, and getting ready for their respective beds. Wanting positive company after the negative way the evening had gone, he tapped his bed as Hanatamago was padding past on the way to Finland's room. The little canine, understanding the gesture, happily took a running jump onto his bed. His mouth twitched in a faint smile as he petted her. This was one family member he didn't have to worry about so often. She was happy almost anywhere at anytime. It improved one's mood to have someone nearby so innocently joyous. With that, he turned off the lights and laid down, Hanatamago resting and shifting on the pillow beside him. Here was to looking forward to a better day. He turned over and closed his eyes, not for the first time wishing his wife wasn't so…reserved.

His family was really too stubborn.

TBC...

Post Script - Sweden longs for the days when he and his 'wife' would be forced to sleep close to each other. Ugh! I couldn't choose which characters to place in the category since this is about all the Nordics now; I just stuck with the original two...

College is harder than ever as this is the final stretch for my bachelor's degree. That being said, this probably won't be updated as frequently as "Nordics" was. Just warning you guys now~!