It was a horrible night. Not even a bad one, a horrible one. For sure, those who knew him knew that Ivan Braginsky did not do what he did out of maliciousness, or a desire to hurt. He thought he was teaching, or his mind had...slipped and he truly wasn't conscious of what he was doing, of where his blows fell. No, it was true that Russia was not a bad person.
But when Lithuania's screams were echoing through the house, when Latvia was sobbing uncontrollably and even steady Estonia was shaking, you knew it was a horrible night.

Sniffling, little Latvia flinched at another cry from downstairs, and the arms around him tightened. Normally Latvia wouldn't cry buckets like this, normally Estonia wasn't as "huggy" as this, but tonight wasn't normal. Tonight Estonia was holding the younger one as close as he could, covering Latvia' ears with his hands in an effort to dim the screams, and Latvia himself was crying hard, his hands clutching at the thin material of the elder's shirt.

"Make it stop…!" The whimper had escaped Latvia' mouth before he could stop it. Estonia flinched at the words. What could he do? He couldn't say "I can't." could he?! He couldn't let Latvia down, he couldn't!

"I'm sorry." Those were the only words that came to his mind. Over and over again, "I'm sorry."

Latvia's reply came out as a choked sob "Don't! Don't say that, nothing's your fault…" he trailed off into tears again and Estonia quickly broke away to pull several tissues from the box next to the bed and gently wiped the younger one's wet cheeks and runny nose. He bit back another apology and was just aiming to throw the used tissues in the bin when a scream pierced through their fragile comfort and the two were clutching at each other again, shaking with the knowledge of what was happening downstairs.
It was a horrible sound, that scream, a sound that spoke without words of unimaginable pain caused by unintentional cruelty, but what followed it was worse.

Silence.

Silence meant it was over. Or maybe it didn't. Maybe the silence just meant that Lithuania couldn't cry out anymore, and maybe that was better for him. At least if he was unconscious he couldn't feel the pain, at least not as much.

Any more noises from downstairs were quieter, but there, Latvia found himself almost unable to release his tight hold on Estonia's shirt, as if the elder was going to disappear. Estonia on the other hand loosened his grip around the smaller one, afraid he was hurting him.

"Eduard…?" The whisper slipped almost seamlessly into the stabbing silence, somehow made more prominent by the use of Estonia's human name. "Can you…" his trembling voice trailed off.

"Can I…?" Estonia prompted gently after a minute or two. Latvia bit his lip. Could he ask this? Estonia had only done it once before, during a night as bad as this, or was it worse? No, this was definitely worse, there was no doubting it, the screams tearing and harrowing, the silence piercing and deadly, and all Latvia could think was-

"Sing." It barely came out. Latvia could only bury his face in Estonia's collar and try to bite back more tears. "P-please…" Anything, was all Latvia could think, anything to stop the silence that felt like it was closing in, crushing him under its weight and significance, the fact that silence meant either finality or yet more but with no resistance, and the horrible darkness of the night!

The tune was familiar. Estonia had sung this one before. Latvia didn't understand the words. But Eduard's singing voice was soft, soothing, almost bird-like in its lightness. Ravis could feel the gentle vibrations in the elder's chest as he sang.

Sügaval heinamaa,,
Kompleksi all paju,
Voodi on valmistatud muru,
Pehme roheline padi…

Slowly, Latvia drew back from being buried in Estonia's collar, but steady arms kept him close. The song drifted on, lifting slightly, then sinking like a bird returning to its nest. Resting now with his head on Estonia's bony shoulder, Latvia felt his eyelids sinking too. He didn't feel scared. Of course, there was still downstairs to worry about, but Estonia's voice promised rest, release, that soon this would be over. The sweet melody carried a gentle message with foreign words; it will be ok.

"Kui päike tõuseb…" As the last note sank into the night, Estonia looked down at the Latvian, ensuring he really was asleep. Yes, his young face was relaxed, and his hands were in his lap. A peaceful smile was slipping onto his face too. Thankful they were in Latvia's room and it was late, all Estonia had to do was tuck him into bed and tidy a little bit. Then he paused, and gently brushed Latvia's fringe out of his closed eyes, a sad smile on his face.

"Good night, Ravis." He whispered. It was bitter irony, Estonia thought, that he could sing songs promising of a safe place, a warm refuge from all harm, when they lived in a house that had so much cold and danger within. Sighing, the Estonian got up and tiptoed out, flicking the light switch and silently shutting the door behind him. Oh how he wished he too could curl up into bed and try to block out the whole event, but he couldn't, oh no, Estonia had a job now, and there was no way to avoid it.

Estonia took a deep breath and composed himself. Blank, passive face. Prepare yourself. He picked up the first aid kit and crept cautiously down the main staircase, the carpet muffling his steps anyway. Soon he came to the study. The door was open, and he could clearly see in. He could see Lithuania. He could see the blood. Estonia walked in with sure, steady steps.

He didn't even see the pipe until the first blow hit him.

A/N: Well...I torture the characters I love.

Drop a review, tell me what you think, and share the pastaaaaaa!

(Oh, and the lullaby is the Meadow Song translated into Estonian)