AN: it's NYE woooo! Happy 2013 to everyone!

Thanks a bunch for all the feedback :D This ones short because I think I like it better this way, one chapter per Nordic kinda thing, next one should be longer :)

Hope you had a good 2012 and enjoy! :D

Denmark is silent when he wakes up and Emil is honestly more disturbed by that than anything else.

He presses a glass of water into the older Nordic's hands, "Drink." He says roughly. Denmark accepts it and nods in thanks, raising the glass in trembling hands. Shit, Emil is really awful at this. He's never been good at comfort. Or anything to do with emotion really.

It would help if someone would tell him what the hell was actually going on. From what he'd gathered Sweden had beaten up Denmark, not like that was anything new though. Those two are always at each others throats, but then again Erik is usually at Denmark's throat too. Tino has them separated, he and Mathias in one room, Erik in one and Berwald in another. This is something different. Erik had looked like he was about to kill Berwald. He'd never seen his brother that angry before.

Emil shudders as he feels a cold curl of magic emanating from the next room, from the way Mathias draws his knees up to his chest he figures he feels it too. He eyes the bruises on Mathias' face and arms. "What actually happened to you?" He asks measuredly.

Denmark looks up and smiles weakly, "Oh, you know, the usual, got into a bit of scrape."

Emil bristles at Denmark's dismissive tone. He's not a kid, he's a country. He deserves to know. "Rubbish. This was more than that, I'm not Peter, you know. You don't need to lie to me."

Mathias' smile falters, "Emil..."

"I'm not a kid. I deserve to know." Emil growls.

Mathias sighs, closes his eyes tiredly. "It's complicated." He says after a few beats.

Emil huffs a sigh and gives Denmark his best surly teenager look. "Fine. You'll tell me eventually, anyway."

"Oh, will I?" Denmark sits up and glances around, "Where's Erik?" He sounds a little shaky.

"Next door. Tino separated them, he's talking to Erik right now."

Denmark's eyes go a little wide and damn, he actually looks scared. He's never seen Denmark scared."Does he...Does he know?"

Christ. What actually happened? "I don't know, I guess so? Erik took him aside after we brought you up here... Tino got all pale and stuff."

At this Denmark groans, buries his face in his hands. "Oh, god," he moans. "Everyone saw." He looks back up, runs a hand through his hair. "What did you tell them?" He's trembling, Emil moves forward to...to do something.

"I don't..." He says haltingly, reaching a hand out to rest on Denmark's shoulder. "Tino dealt with it."

"I need to talk to him," Denmark says, surging forward.

Emil pushes him back down, "Nej, I'm not to let you, you need to rest."

"But..."

"I'll get him for you," Emil says (Erik will be better at this because Gods, Emil has no idea what to say or do) he stands up and hurries out of the room. He thinks Erik is in the room to the left of him, he knocks hesitantly, "Erik?"

There's a pause and he hears Erik and Tino arguing and then Erik throws the door open, "Is Mathias okay?" He asks immediately.

"He's fine, he's asking for you," Emil says uncertainly. Erik pushes past him and heads in to other room, Tino follows him, shooting Emil a weak smile as he does so. Tino's still pretending everything's okay.

Emil follows them, he pauses briefly to look over at the door to Berwald's room before heading back into Mathias'. Erik is sitting on the empty side of the bed, one of his hands on Denmark's arm, Denmark's fingers balled in Erik's shirt sleeve. Erik is glaring at Tino who hovers beside the bed, mouth twisting unhappily.

"How can you defend him?" Erik spits.

"I'm not defending him! I'm just saying we don't know the full story," Tino says, calmly just as Mathias says, "Guys we shouldn't argue..."

"What full story?" Erik retorts, "There is nothing that warrants what he did!"

"Erik...Tino..."

"No, there isn't, but what can we do?" Tino mumbles, tugging at his hair.

Erik sighs and Emil watches the way he strokes Denmark's arm tenderly, he hasn't seen Erik like this for a long time. "I don't know." He says finally.

"We could, you know, pretend this never happened," Mathias says quietly, both Erik and Tino stare at him.

"No," Tino says. "Erik's right. We need to punish him."

Erik nods, satisfied and Mathias makes a small noise, burrows deeper into the bed. "What do we do then?"

"Well for starters,"Emil interjects. "You can tell me what he did."