A/N: Prompt 52: Fire. This is a little thing with young Estonia and young Finland, with pirates raiding Estonia…
Dedicated to my dear friend Helena who is the Suomi to my Eesti.
Eesti/Viro is Estonia.
Soome/Suomi is Finland.
Raiders.
Flames. Everything was on fire. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Navy eyes widened. He was caught. Stuck. There was fire behind him, raiders in front. Get everyone to safety, to the pine woods, out of here.
"R-run!" The smoke caught in his lungs and his shout was a gasp, nothing more. "Run! Go for the pines!" The man with the wild hair and axe as huge as a tree was coming. He knew it.
"Go for the trees!" he screamed. Get his people to safety, get his people out, and then worry about himself. The wild-haired man was getting closer, smiling his crocodile smile. The fire beats at his back and he can't run, he can't follow his people, he can't escape.
The fire was burning his back.
The man with the wild hair and the crocodile smile was bearing down on him.
A burst of bright white pain.
Then, darkness.
Slowly, slowly, he began to regain consciousness, to the sound of soft voices. The tongue was one he spoke but not his own. It was the tongue of his best friend.
"How is he?"
"He's taken quite a beating. He'll be okay in time." As he peeled open his eyes, a familiar face swam there.
"S-Sss…" he tried to speak but his throat was scratchy, weak. "S-Soome…"
"Shh, now, Viro. Don't speak. You're injured." A hand was slowly binding bandages around his chest. He glances at his chest, frowning weakly.
"H-how bad?"
"Your back is burnt and your ribs are broken… Stay still and rest."
"My people…"
"Are safe. No one died."
"Good…" He leaned back into the pillows, letting exhaustion wash back over him.
"Rest now, Eesti. I will watch over you."
"Thank you, Suomi…" Slowly, slowly, he allowed him sleep back into sleep, lulled by the soft touches of his lifetime friend and ally.