Matthew walked over the dirt path that led to where his old house stood and looked at it. The siding was coming off and the paint was chipping badly. Iggy had told him and Alfred to repaint it that summer but unfortunately the infection hit the town before summer ever came. Looking up at the dark star-speckled sky on this June night with temperatures so low, he felt like summer never would come again. And hell, for all he knew, it might not. They had already lost Francis to the disease. Mattie remembered the night too well. Watching Francis run into his room, the crazed, absent look in his eyes. Masked by hunger and rabidness, he attacked Mattie. Mattie didn't even remember screaming before Alfred ran in, Iggy following close behind. The gunshot. Francis's bloody corpse falling onto the floor in front of Mattie's bed, the smoking gun in Alfred's hand. It was that night that they packed up and left the down. They didn't want another one of them to get infected. Apparently the entire town evacuated the survivors shortly after they left. Mattie's eyes filled as he thought about all the people he knew in this town. How many of them escaped? How many of them got infected? How many of them were devoured? He couldn't think about it, but at the same time, it was all he could think about.
"Mattie?" a voice called out behind him. The blonde quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks and turned around.
"Hey, Alfred," he said, seeing his older brother walking up to him quietly. Alfred grabbed his collar violently and whispered in his ear.
"Wanna explain what the fuck you're doing out of the tent?" he said, fury dripping off of his whispers. Mattie cringed.
"I had to say goodbye to the place, Alfred," he said, squirming away from his brother.
"Yeah well that's all fine and dandy but it's 3:30 in the morning, Mattie! You could have been attacked! You want to leave me all alone with Iggy?" he whispered angrily. The longhaired boy shook his head and looked apologetically up at his older brother. Alfred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get mad. We should head back though." Mattie nodded and took his brother's hand gently, following him back to the tent where Iggy slept silently. The dirty blonde boy fell onto his sleeping bag and fell asleep almost immediately, but Mattie still couldn't. He crawled up next to his brother, curving his body to match Alfred's, and lay there, listening to his brother's steady breathing. He watched Alfred's chest rise and fall and thought. He missed Francis. He missed him so much he became angry sometimes. He fought the furious tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks again. He was sick of crying. Sick of hurting. Sick of watching everything he once loved fall to pieces with this infection. Sick of worrying about Iggy and Alfred, the last two people he had on this Earth. He couldhardly sleep at all, and when he did, it was always nightmares. Alfred getting infected, Iggy getting infected, watching Francis's hungry eyes right before he died. It was terrible. His whole life seemed to be a nightmare…
A scream escaped Ludwig's lips as he sat up, clutching his stomach and sweating profusely. Gilbert groaned next to him.
"What the hell, Lud?" he said, rubbing his eyes and propping himself up on his elbows. Ludwig looked down at his pale skinned brother.
"N-nothing, just another nightmare," he said, breathing deeply and trying to calm his heart rate.
"Another one?" Gilbert mumbled groggily. The blonde boy nodded.
"Yeah… this one was about you though," he said, gazing into his brother's deep red eyes. Gilbert smiled a little and gently touched his brother's face.
"Relax," he said calmly. It wasn't like Gilbert to be so loving and affectionate, but after Feliciano and Kiku got infected and Ludwig finally found his brother, the silver haired boy had changed. They had both seen too much death in the last few months. Too much blood and too much carnage. It could wear down anyone's ego, even Gilbert's. Ludwig closed his eyes at the loving touch and felt his brother's lips gently swipe his cheek. He smiled sadly and opened his eyes again, taking his brother's hand in his own.
"We'll get through this, right?" the blonde boy asked. Gilbert didn't say anything, but smiled and leaned up, kissing his brother more intimately on the lips.
"You know I can't promise that, Lud," he whispered, smiling sadly. "I'll do my best to stay by your side." Ludwig frowned, leaning down to press his lips against the silver haired boy's again, closing his eyes. He felt the pale fingers along his bare back as the kiss continued. Gilbert's mouth opened slightly, and Ludwig followed his lead. Their lips locked firmly as their tongues explored each other's mouths. Ludwig clutched the pale boy's waist, his fingers gliding along the bare skin. He felt his brother's cold hands doing the same on his naked back, running along down to the small of his back where they held. Ludwig slid his leg over Gilbert's waist, not breaking the liplock, the sweat from the heat outside and the heat of the moment making his hands slippery across his brother's chest. They stayed like that for a moment before the silver haired boy pushed his brother gently off him.
"Lud," he whispered, his breathing heavy. "Ivan's right outside…" Ludwig closed his eyes, disappointed, but he knew he couldn't do anything with Ivan outside. He slid off of his brother's chest and lay next to him, staring into his eyes.
"You know I love you, right?" he whispered to the silver haired boy, who was already asleep, their fingers entwined. Ludwig lay there, staring at the last person he had in this world. He knew Gilbert didn't love him like he wanted. No, those feelings were saved for Ivan, the tall Russian who was just outside the tent, keeping watch for them. Ludwigh sighed and grabbed his shirt off the ground next to the cot he was sleeping on with Gilbert. He slipped it over his head and walked outside the tent.
"Ivan?" he called out quietly, not wanting to wake his sleeping brother inside the tent. The bushes behind the tent rustled and Ludwig whipped around, gun pointed towards the noise, expecting anything. Luckily it was just Ivan responding to his name.
"Hello Ludwig. I thought you were asleep," the tall boy said in a whisper, smiling. The blonde didn't understand how anyone could smile during this apocalypse, but somehow, Ivan could. Ludwig's heart simmered with hatred as he looked up at Ivan.
"I was, but I kept getting nightmares. I'll keep watch, I can't sleep," he said, refusing to look at the tall violet eyed boy.
"This world is a nightmare now. I won't be able to sleep either. I'll stay up with you," Ivan said, his voice with that constant mock cheer that made Ludwig want to punch small children. But the blonde sighed and swallowed his loathing, hearing his brother's words in his head. You could at least try to like him. Yeah, that was possible. The boy who took his brother's heart. He could never like him. No matter how hard he tried.
"Okay fine," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and flopping down on the ground in front of the tent. He crossed his legs and looked up at the sky. The stars looked like small pinpricks of light dotting the pitch-black universe above them. Ivan stood next to him, hands in the pockets of the coat that he never seemed to take off, a scarf wrapped around his neck. His head was also turned up towards the stars. They stood there silent in the warm, humid night, the air heavy with the smell of decaying flesh and dried blood that constantly filled the air. Ludwig looked out towards the horizon, the deep purple getting lighter and lighter as the minutes ticked by. It hit a lavender and then light pink shock. The light wisps of clouds started to disappear and Ludwig saw the sun gently peaking above the treetops that lined the broken highway they were camping on.
"Ludwig," Ivan said softly, his hands in his pockets. The blonde looked up, squinting from the new light in the sky.
"Yeah?" he muttered.
"I know you don't like me and I know why," he said, looking down at Ludwig. Ludwig blinked.
"You…do?"
"You have feelings for Gilbert as well, right?" Ivan asked, his face soft with the pale dawn. Ludwig looked away, a pang of sadness at his brother's name. Ivan just nodded. "All I wanted to say was…I hope…" he paused, thinking. Ludwig looked back up to him. "I hope we can be friends." Ivan said after a moment. The blonde stared at Ivan, saying nothing. Then he stood, brushing the dirt and grass off of his pants as he did. Without looking at the tall boy next to him, he turned.
"Sure, whatever," he muttered before opening the tent flap, hoping that Ivan could see through the lie towards the bitter loathing that Ludwig would always feel towards him.