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Licorice Tea

A/N: To camry72. I wasn't going to continue it...but I think it's better if I do.\\

The first thing Emil noticed when he woke up, even before he realized he had been moved to another room, was the fact that Norway was nowhere to be seen. Instantly, he began to panic. He couldn't seem to breath properly. Lukas had left him again. He had lied to him. Just as Emil started to move from the bed, the door opened. Emil froze, the only movement made was the trembling of his body.
"You're alright. I was just with the others. I haven't been gone for five minutes," His voice was soft, the way it was when he was younger. The way you'd speak to a frightened child. The tone brought comfort. "You should rest more. I won't-" He fell short as Iceland began to shake his head. He didn't want to have to argue with Emil. Not after what had happened just hours before. "We could go down and sit with the others?" Emil simply nodded his head. Norway extended his hand to his younger brother. Emil didn't hesitate when taking his brother's hand. They made their way out of Lukas' bedroom and downstairs in silence. In the den, the others sat quietly. Finland was chatting on the phone, probably explaining to Estonia that they wouldn't be able to make it to the meeting. Idiot. Why'd you have to go and have a breakdown right before a meeting? Emil attempted to ignore the nagging voice. The brothers joined Denmark on the sofa. The Dane had his face in his hands, barely moving at all.
"How is he?" Denmark questioned sensing the movement of the cushions. Lukas looked at Emil, who sat silently between them.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" He lifted his face from his hands, confused. Emotion flashed through his cerulean eyes.
"I-ice." He continued to stare blankly ahead.
"I'm fine. I'm...sorry." Emil wouldn't meet his eyes, no matter how stubbornly Mathias persisted. He pulled his knees against his chest, letting his chin rest against his knee. Emil wasn't sure why he'd come down here. He didn't want anyone to ask questions, so why did he choose to be around them? He just...he didn't want to be alone. Locked in a dark room. With...so many sharp objects. He knew Norway had things from back then. Important daggers that he kept locked away. He began to tremble again. Cautiously, Norway pulled his brother against him. He was scared. But he knew Iceland was scared too. He needed comfort. To know that he was safe. Emil buried his face into Norway's shirt, allowing the Norwegian to comb his fingers through his hair.
"Do you...should I...you hungry, Ice?" Again, he refused to speak. He was scared if he opened his mouth, he'd just start crying again. The Icelander nodded. The Dane let a hand rest on Emil's shoulder before raising. "Mind helping, Fin?" No spoken response was made, but Emil heard as two sets of feet departed into the kitchen. Norway continued to baby his brother, Sweden watching them intently from across the room. No one spoke up. Everything seemed as fragile as glass. As if the slightest tap could break the home down into millions of tiny shards. Lying in Norway's lap, time seemed like a foreign concept. Emil couldn't tell if only minutes had gone by, or if it had been years. Time seemed to go faster, yet slower at the same time. Emil closed his eyes for only a second, yet when he opened them Denmark and Finland had reappeared. The home smelled of butter. Of course. He tried to sit upright, only to fail and need the help of Lukas. God, you can't even sit up by yourself now? You weak, worthless-
"Butter cookies!" Right under his nose, Denmark held a plate of still warm butter cookies. Tentatively, Emil took one. Almost instantly, the plate was replaced with a cup of-he took the tea from the Dane, abandoning the cookie in his lap. The strong aroma of the brew calmed him, warming his insides even though he had yet to take a sip. Denmark chuckled lowly, ruffling Emil hair before taking his seat next to him. Wordlessly, Emil sipped at the licorice tea.