[Fanfic] Liebe Ist [GerxPrus]
Aug. 9th, 2010 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blood_wingedTitle: Liebe Ist
Genre: Angst/Romance/Fluff
Pairing/s: Germany/Prussia
Rating/Warnings: U. Pure fluff.
Summary: Ludwig arrives home to find his brother drunk and depressed, and tries to cheer him up.
“Hey mister, where is Prussia, anyhow?”
It was strange that the words of a small girl could have such an effect on the man who so often described himself as ‘awesome’, but it was those very words, that innocent question which now had Gilbert sitting silently in Ludwig’s study, an atlas open in front of him, one finger resting over Europe, over Germany, over the place where he used to exist, but no longer.
It had been over half a century since his nation’s dissolution, and over twenty years since east had joined west and now he lived every day feeling out of place, disconnected. They didn’t listen to him now, in the meetings, and he could understand Matthew’s position more than he would have ever wanted to, ignored no matter how loudly he demanded to be heard, but unlike Matthew, he had a choice – he didn’t have to attend… so he stopped going.
They didn’t know what to do with him, Matthew had told him once, taking sympathy on him in a way that he would have never accepted in the past. No nation had ever so stubbornly continued to live after the land they had once claimed as their own had been taken from them. Gilbert had laughed, and pointed out that he was far too awesome to just fade away, and Matthew had smiled, but there had been sadness in that smile and Gilbert wondered now if the Canadian nation knew more than he was telling. The idea of death, or of simply no longer existing was a frightening one, and Gilbert was quite sure that he wasn’t ready for it yet.
He unscrewed the cap of the bottle of grain spirit that he had been drinking for the past hour, already unable to clearly read the label nor remember what, exactly, it was that he was drinking, only that it didn’t seem to taste of anything and he couldn’t recall where he had got it. Another mouthful burned its way down to his stomach and settled there as a warm, uncomfortable weight as that innocent question continued to echo in his mind. It took several attempts and some puzzled wondering at the ability of the pen he was trying to pick up to evade his efforts to do so before he held it in his hand, and painstakingly drew the boundaries of his nation on the map in front of him.
The sound of the front door opening downstairs barely registered as he fixed his wavering gaze on the map. Germany, Russia, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands… even Lithuania had a part of what used to be his. Gilbert rubbed his eyes, coming away with dampened fingers and wiping them dry on his jeans. A drop fell onto the map, followed by another, and he blinked, brushing at the small pools, smudging the ink of the lines he’d drawn and catching a soft sound in his throat followed by the mortifying realisation that he was crying.
He scrubbed furiously at his eyes but the tears wouldn’t stop, and he choked down another mouthful of alcohol before the sound of footfalls on the stairs drew his attention and he snapped the atlas closed, sending it flying off the table and clutching his drink close to his chest as there was a knock on the door and it opened, his brother stood there looking tired and irritated, then confused as he took in the other’s appearance.
“Gilbert, are y-”
“I’m not crying!” Gilbert snapped, and Ludwig’s eyebrows rose. He cleared his throat and slipped his jacket off, folding it over one arm, and regarded his brother’s back, the way his head bowed and the slight tremor of his shoulders. His pale blue gaze slid to the atlas abandoned on the floor, and then spied the glint of a bottle in the older man’s hand, and he sighed quietly.
“What are you drinking, what is this?” One-handed, he wrestled the bottle from Gilbert and frowned at the label, letting out an aggravated sound. “Everclear? Ninety-five percent? Where did you get this? You can still see, can’t you?” The steadily darkening frown was being joined by the faint twitching of a muscle somewhere in the region of his temple, and Gilbert would have been in for one of his brother’s infamous lectures if he had not chosen that moment to choke back another quiet sob. Instantly, the younger man’s expression cleared, and he hesitated before placing a hand on Gilbert’s shoulder. The man stiffened as Ludwig’s thumb rubbed a small, gentle circle on his shoulder, and the blond didn’t manage to speak a word before Gilbert had his arms wrapped around his waist, face hidden against his stomach.
“… I think you may have had a little too much to drink,” Ludwig told him, awkwardly easing the man away and helping him to his feet. “You will feel better in the morning. Come along.”
“What am I, West?” he mumbled as he staggered along beside Ludwig, hanging off him as the man manoeuvred him down the hallway to his bedroom and nudged the door open, wrinkling his nose slightly at the mess.
“What?” Ludwig asked, half dropping his brother onto the bed and standing, straightening his clothes. Gilbert gazed glassy-eyed at the ceiling while the younger man moved around the room, making some attempt at tidying up, and then he rolled onto his side, sighing quietly. Glancing at him, Ludwig frowned, and after a moment sat beside him. “What on earth is the matter with you?”
“West, I...” He sat up, pushing a hand through his hair, shaking his head to try and clear it and only succeeding in provoking a wave of nausea that drew the last remnants of colour from his face. “Some girl, today, she asked me where Prussia was… and I couldn’t answer.”
“Ah…”
“I’m just… not feeling so awesome.”
It was a sobering admission, and one that brought a little of the colour back to Gilbert’s cheeks as he avoided Ludwig’s searching gaze. After several long moments of silence the Prussian dropped down onto his back and sighed, closing his eyes. Ludwig stood, stopped by Gilbert’s hand on his arm, fingers curled tightly into the sleeve of his shirt, and after a moment of silence tossed his jacket onto the bed and sat back down. His brother had always been one to claim that he enjoyed his own company, and Ludwig had always privately doubted it. Gilbert thought too much of himself to truly enjoy being alone.
“I will… stay here until you fall asleep.”
Gilbert made a quiet sound of what sounded like agreement, and after a few moments, Ludwig lay down, settling his head on the pillow and resting his forehead against his brother’s.
“You are Gilbert.”
“What?”
“You asked me, ‘what am I’… You are Gilbert.” He shifted back, brushing Gilbert’s hair off his forehead, the faintest ghost of a smile tipping his lips. “My brother. How could you forget that?”
Their eyes locked, and Ludwig pressed a soft kiss to the spot between his brother’s eyebrows. Swallowing once, Gilbert was still for a long moment before tentatively shifting and dipping his gaze as their lips touched. A hand slipped into his and squeezed gently as Ludwig didn’t pull away, rather returned the gentle pressure and drew him nearer. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that Gilbert was used to, a soft movement of lips and tongues and the faint clacking of teeth that drew a bubble of laughter from the back of his throat.
“You taste like Everclear,” Ludwig muttered when he drew back, a small grimace barely covering that same faint smile on his face.
“Heh…” Gilbert managed a small smile in return, a light blush colouring his cheeks. “Thanks, Ludwig.”
“Mm. Now, go to sleep. You will feel better in the morning.”
“Gonna wake me up with a cup of coffee?”
“No.”
“Aw.”
Genre: Angst/Romance/Fluff
Pairing/s: Germany/Prussia
Rating/Warnings: U. Pure fluff.
Summary: Ludwig arrives home to find his brother drunk and depressed, and tries to cheer him up.
*****
“Hey mister, where is Prussia, anyhow?”
It was strange that the words of a small girl could have such an effect on the man who so often described himself as ‘awesome’, but it was those very words, that innocent question which now had Gilbert sitting silently in Ludwig’s study, an atlas open in front of him, one finger resting over Europe, over Germany, over the place where he used to exist, but no longer.
It had been over half a century since his nation’s dissolution, and over twenty years since east had joined west and now he lived every day feeling out of place, disconnected. They didn’t listen to him now, in the meetings, and he could understand Matthew’s position more than he would have ever wanted to, ignored no matter how loudly he demanded to be heard, but unlike Matthew, he had a choice – he didn’t have to attend… so he stopped going.
They didn’t know what to do with him, Matthew had told him once, taking sympathy on him in a way that he would have never accepted in the past. No nation had ever so stubbornly continued to live after the land they had once claimed as their own had been taken from them. Gilbert had laughed, and pointed out that he was far too awesome to just fade away, and Matthew had smiled, but there had been sadness in that smile and Gilbert wondered now if the Canadian nation knew more than he was telling. The idea of death, or of simply no longer existing was a frightening one, and Gilbert was quite sure that he wasn’t ready for it yet.
He unscrewed the cap of the bottle of grain spirit that he had been drinking for the past hour, already unable to clearly read the label nor remember what, exactly, it was that he was drinking, only that it didn’t seem to taste of anything and he couldn’t recall where he had got it. Another mouthful burned its way down to his stomach and settled there as a warm, uncomfortable weight as that innocent question continued to echo in his mind. It took several attempts and some puzzled wondering at the ability of the pen he was trying to pick up to evade his efforts to do so before he held it in his hand, and painstakingly drew the boundaries of his nation on the map in front of him.
The sound of the front door opening downstairs barely registered as he fixed his wavering gaze on the map. Germany, Russia, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands… even Lithuania had a part of what used to be his. Gilbert rubbed his eyes, coming away with dampened fingers and wiping them dry on his jeans. A drop fell onto the map, followed by another, and he blinked, brushing at the small pools, smudging the ink of the lines he’d drawn and catching a soft sound in his throat followed by the mortifying realisation that he was crying.
He scrubbed furiously at his eyes but the tears wouldn’t stop, and he choked down another mouthful of alcohol before the sound of footfalls on the stairs drew his attention and he snapped the atlas closed, sending it flying off the table and clutching his drink close to his chest as there was a knock on the door and it opened, his brother stood there looking tired and irritated, then confused as he took in the other’s appearance.
“Gilbert, are y-”
“I’m not crying!” Gilbert snapped, and Ludwig’s eyebrows rose. He cleared his throat and slipped his jacket off, folding it over one arm, and regarded his brother’s back, the way his head bowed and the slight tremor of his shoulders. His pale blue gaze slid to the atlas abandoned on the floor, and then spied the glint of a bottle in the older man’s hand, and he sighed quietly.
“What are you drinking, what is this?” One-handed, he wrestled the bottle from Gilbert and frowned at the label, letting out an aggravated sound. “Everclear? Ninety-five percent? Where did you get this? You can still see, can’t you?” The steadily darkening frown was being joined by the faint twitching of a muscle somewhere in the region of his temple, and Gilbert would have been in for one of his brother’s infamous lectures if he had not chosen that moment to choke back another quiet sob. Instantly, the younger man’s expression cleared, and he hesitated before placing a hand on Gilbert’s shoulder. The man stiffened as Ludwig’s thumb rubbed a small, gentle circle on his shoulder, and the blond didn’t manage to speak a word before Gilbert had his arms wrapped around his waist, face hidden against his stomach.
“… I think you may have had a little too much to drink,” Ludwig told him, awkwardly easing the man away and helping him to his feet. “You will feel better in the morning. Come along.”
“What am I, West?” he mumbled as he staggered along beside Ludwig, hanging off him as the man manoeuvred him down the hallway to his bedroom and nudged the door open, wrinkling his nose slightly at the mess.
“What?” Ludwig asked, half dropping his brother onto the bed and standing, straightening his clothes. Gilbert gazed glassy-eyed at the ceiling while the younger man moved around the room, making some attempt at tidying up, and then he rolled onto his side, sighing quietly. Glancing at him, Ludwig frowned, and after a moment sat beside him. “What on earth is the matter with you?”
“West, I...” He sat up, pushing a hand through his hair, shaking his head to try and clear it and only succeeding in provoking a wave of nausea that drew the last remnants of colour from his face. “Some girl, today, she asked me where Prussia was… and I couldn’t answer.”
“Ah…”
“I’m just… not feeling so awesome.”
It was a sobering admission, and one that brought a little of the colour back to Gilbert’s cheeks as he avoided Ludwig’s searching gaze. After several long moments of silence the Prussian dropped down onto his back and sighed, closing his eyes. Ludwig stood, stopped by Gilbert’s hand on his arm, fingers curled tightly into the sleeve of his shirt, and after a moment of silence tossed his jacket onto the bed and sat back down. His brother had always been one to claim that he enjoyed his own company, and Ludwig had always privately doubted it. Gilbert thought too much of himself to truly enjoy being alone.
“I will… stay here until you fall asleep.”
Gilbert made a quiet sound of what sounded like agreement, and after a few moments, Ludwig lay down, settling his head on the pillow and resting his forehead against his brother’s.
“You are Gilbert.”
“What?”
“You asked me, ‘what am I’… You are Gilbert.” He shifted back, brushing Gilbert’s hair off his forehead, the faintest ghost of a smile tipping his lips. “My brother. How could you forget that?”
Their eyes locked, and Ludwig pressed a soft kiss to the spot between his brother’s eyebrows. Swallowing once, Gilbert was still for a long moment before tentatively shifting and dipping his gaze as their lips touched. A hand slipped into his and squeezed gently as Ludwig didn’t pull away, rather returned the gentle pressure and drew him nearer. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that Gilbert was used to, a soft movement of lips and tongues and the faint clacking of teeth that drew a bubble of laughter from the back of his throat.
“You taste like Everclear,” Ludwig muttered when he drew back, a small grimace barely covering that same faint smile on his face.
“Heh…” Gilbert managed a small smile in return, a light blush colouring his cheeks. “Thanks, Ludwig.”
“Mm. Now, go to sleep. You will feel better in the morning.”
“Gonna wake me up with a cup of coffee?”
“No.”
“Aw.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-09 09:36 pm (UTC)Also: Awww, Ludwig. You go, awesome little brother!
And yet another year of my life has been taken away by "dawwwwww." You're slowly killing me Fee! D:
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-10 12:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-10 12:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-09 10:18 pm (UTC)Don't be such a dolt! Your bro is right! Yeah, the East is small, and has a much higher unemployment rate, but you're still there. x3
I love Ludwig in this, he's very spot on! See, you write him very well! ♥
Especially the end. It's so like Germany to act in such ways. That was lovely. Again, thank you so much for writing this. ;_;
I do feel a little better now. *snuggles*
Everclear sounds evil. I like a drink every now and then, but I am very much certain I'd never touch that stuff. *shudders*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-10 12:25 am (UTC)Yay! I'm glad. I quite like writing him =D
Aw~ Anything to make you feel better my darling~ <3
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-10 10:01 pm (UTC)I'm glad this had a happy ending. I would have sobbed uncontrollably if it didn't. You know I'd love to see some more germancest from you. :D You write it very well
if that makes any sense >o>(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-12 03:00 pm (UTC)And the end. It made me smile.
Thanks for sharing <3
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-12 03:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-13 07:42 pm (UTC)Great work^^
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-14 03:35 am (UTC)