"Hey West, got a Light?"

Prussia turned his head to the left and lifted his red eyes just beneath the brim of his hat. He smiled half-heartedly, the confident glimmer in his grin greatly diminished. "Did you hear me?" he asked.

Germany lifted his head, his blue eyes blinking in surprise. "Entschuldigung?"

Prussia chuckled half-heartedly. "I said, 'Hey West, got a light'? I could really use a cigarette right now and I think I lost my lighter in the last battle back there," he told the other man.

Germany nodded in agreement and reached into his jacket pocket for his own pack of cigarettes, only to discover that he had lost his cigarettes in the last battle. He sighed heavily, looking over at the other man who all ready had the cigarette in his mouth waiting.

"What?" Prussia asked Germany quizzically.

Germany groaned. "…Can I have one of your cigarettes?"

Prussia nodded, taking out his pack again. He opened the pack and chuckled when he realized that there was only one left. Germany, noticing that it was Prussia's last cigarette, shook his head.

"Never mind, keep it," he apologized.

Prussia shook his head and shoved the cigarette at him. "Take it, smoke it, and then feel awesome," he told the other man.

Germany declined once again. "No, Gilbert. Keep your last cigarette."

Prussia narrowed his eyes, shoving the cigarette at Germany again. "Damn it, Ludwig. I am the older brother, so take the damn cigarette."

Germany sighed, reluctantly taking the cigarette from his brother's hand. He stuck it in his mouth and lit it with the lighter that he always carried in his back pocket. He flipped the lighter close, looking at his brother. Prussia was staring at him expectantly.

Germany softly chuckled, stepping towards his brother. He flipped the lighter open; its tiny, orange flame dancing in the wind. It was a welcome contrast to the monochromatic warzone that had become their world. Prussia lowered his head, the cigarette in his mouth connecting with the tiny, orange flame. Once Prussia was confident his cigarette was lit, he leaned his head back against the stone wall and took a long drag.

After a couple minutes of exhaling smoke and watching the puffs drift into the night sky, the heavy silence became too much and one of them needed to speak.

"Ya tired of fightin' yet?" Prussia asked, glancing at his taller, younger brother.

Germany shrugged, looking down at his brother. "What about you?" he asked softly.

Prussia exhaled, turning his head back to the night sky. He gave his cigarette a tap, watching the ashes fall to the sidewalk. Both listened to the hiss of the hot embers hitting the cold sidewalk.

He took a deep breath before answering. "This one's different," he replied, "I've fought several wars before but none of them have been like this one."

Germany looked at his brother, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly

Prussia laughed dryly. "The art of war has been lost," he told Germany, "There's no more honor, just hate."

He nodded slowly. "I don't understand," he replied with a confused frown on his face.

Prussia brought his cigarette up to his mouth, taking another drag. He exhaled slowly before answering. "Used to be there was honor in killing your opponent. Now there are the fancy machines that do the work for you. There is a difference between using a machine and doing something yourself. We don't use swords or pole-axes anymore; instead we use these hand-held cannons. "

Germany chuckled, taking a sideways glance at his brother. "You would say that with you and your militaristic values. We live in a new world now."

Prussia growled at the statement. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, Ludwig; you are too young to understand," he paused, staring at his hands as if they were covered in blood.

Germany contemplated his brother's statement, thinking back to when he was a younger country.

"Take care of yourself, Ludwig," Prussia whispered as he hugged his little brother tightly.

"Please don't go," Germany whispered back into his big brother's shoulder, "You are always gone."

Prussia chuckled as he pulled back from the hug, ruffling Germany's blonde hair fondly, "I know I am," he said sadly, "But I'll be back soon and I'll bring you back some great wurst."

"Can I try some beer?" Germany asked innocently.

"No, not yet," Prussia replied, "You can have some when you are older. Stay here and be a good little country…."

Prussia straightened and while he put on his hat, he added as an afterthought, "And take care of the dog, will you Ludwig? And when I come back I want to hear what you would have done in my shoes."

Germany nodded, smiling sadly. "Okay, brother. Stay safe."

Prussia nodded, smirking. "Of course I'll stay safe, I'm the awesome Prussia."

Germany giggled as his brother left the house. He was saddened that his brother was leaving, but he knew he would be back before long.

Germany looked up as he heard the front door opened. He had received a letter that his brother was to return today. He waited all day by the window, wishing for his big brother to come back.

Click-clack-click-clack. Those were Prussia's boots. He was home.

Germany jumped off the chair he was sitting on, running down the hallway to meet his brother. "Big brother! Big brother! You're home! I've missed you so much!" Germany exclaimed, innocent blue eyes glossy with excitement. But as he approached his beloved sibling, he stopped mid-run, noticing that his brother's head was not held high like normal.

"Big brother," Germany said softly, "Are you okay?"

Prussia looked up, his gaze going to his little brother, and forced a smile. "Of course I'm okay!" he replied, "I'm awesome! How are you, Ludwig? Did you finish everything I asked you to? You know that I'm gonna check to make sure you completed your tasks."

Germany pouted. "You don't look okay, you look funny. You look really tired and what happened to your cape? It's all tattered and dirty-looking," Germany ran around his brother and held the usually pristine crimson cape gingerly between his index finger and thumb. "See? You have a whole lotta rips in it."

"So did you take care of the dog for me?" Prussia asked, completely ignoring his younger brother's inquiries, "And what about those battle plans, tell me all about them. Are you hungry, 'cause I'm starving!"

Germany looked up at his older brother expectantly, good mood restored and torn cape forgotten. "Where is my hug?" he asked plaintively .

Prussia smiled warmly but as he dropped to his knees, he cringed. Immediately masking his pain with a mock groan, he opened his arms wide. "Okay, Ludwig," he said softly, "Come get your hug."

Germany smiled, running into his brother's arms. Prussia enclosed his arms around his brother, wincing as Germany gave him a light squeeze. "Careful," he chided, "You might hurt me…It seems you've gotten stronger."

Germany pulled back, a bright smile on his face. "Really?"

Prussia nodded. "Really."

"Oh wow!" he exclaimed, pausing for a moment, thinking before speaking again, "Do you think that one day I'll be as strong as you? I want to fight with you some day so we'll never be apart…" He cocked his head to the side questioningly but suddenly remembered something important. "Oh wait! I have a surprise for you! Let me go get it!"

Germany then turned his back on his brother to run down the hall, never seeing the sad smile that graced his beloved brother's face. "Maybe one day we'll fight together, Ludwig…but I hope you will never have to see the ugliness of war…" Prussia whispered.

Germany walked down the hallway, his destination his brother's room. He just had a nightmare and he needed his brother to keep him safe. He continued his trek, noticing the candlelight was causing shadows to flicker across the wall.

"That's strange," Germany thought in confusion, "Big Brother is usually asleep by this time."

He crept over to the door, seeing that it was ajar. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him. His brother's back was to him, peeling off his white, shredded shirt. Germany's blue eyes widened in horror when he saw his brother's familiar tattoo of the Prussian black eagle adorned with scars.

"Where did they come from?" he thought, "Why are they there? How did he get them? Do they hurt?"

He continued to stare before he thought the most important question of them all, "And why didn't he tell me…"

Germany backed away from the door, vision now blurred by the onset of tears. He immediately turned away, running down the hall.

"And why didn't he tell me," Germany mumbled to himself as he was pulled out of his thoughts by a gust of wind. His brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Prussia looked at his brother, an eyebrow raised. "Did you say something, West? You look like you're thinking too hard or somethin'."

Germany completely turned to his brother, a deep frown on his face. "Do you still have your scars?" he asked.

Prussia's eyes widened before he immediately smirked at his brother. "Kesesese…What scars are you talking about, Ludwig?"

Germany growled in his throat. "Don't play stupid with me, Gilbert. I saw them all those years ago."

Prussia slouched, completely defeated. "You saw those, huh?"

"Ja," he replied simply.

Prussia turned to face his brother completely, a sad smile on his face. "Years of fighting can tear you apart sometimes but you gotta learn to move on. What do you wanna know?"

"Why didn't you tell me," Germany asked sadly.

Prussia took off his hat with his left hand, running his right through his white hair. "I was just trying to protect you," he said simply, "But now I know that you can stand on your two feet."

"You could have protected me without hiding it, Gilbert," Germany said angrily. "Scars do not scare me now and they did not scare me then. I was just worried about you. You are my brother, I need to know when you are hurting."

"They were a big eye opener," Prussia replied calmly, "I learned that I wasn't invincible. I guess I had become weaker without realizing it. The world had changed, and I tried to keep up, but I don't think I kept up with its demands very well. But you, Ludwig, you have, and 'Germany' is an empire that will continue to grow. You, with your industrializations and your military…you will live for generations."

Germany looked at his brother a long time, frowning. "Don't say things like that, Gilbert…We're both going to live for generations."

Prussia shook his head. "My time is ending, Ludwig…And yours is just beginning."

"Damn it, Gilbert! Stop saying these things! We've always been together…You're…You're acting as if you're going to die!" he exclaimed. Germany slammed his gloved fist into the stone wall behind him in despair. He threw his own hat onto the sidewalk and ran one hand through his usually slicked-back hair. Now, his blonde hair, ruffled and out of place, reflected his anguish.

"Well aren't I?" Prussia challenged, "I'm not as strong as I used to be. Sometimes I just get tired of fighting and I forget why I am on the battlefield. Sometimes this war seems so pointless."

Germany stared at his brother in shock. What had gotten into him?

"Kesesese, don't look at me like I'm that stupid aristocrat Austria. I know you feel the same. You know that I reached my peak years ago, I know it, and it's time that we both acknowledge that I'm not going to be around forever. This war could be the end of me…you don't need your big brother anymore."

Germany clenched his fists so hard he could feel his nails digging into his palm. "Will you just shut up, Gilbert? You're powerful, you're a great military strategist, and," he added the last part quietly, "You're the reason I am so strong today."

Prussia looked up at Germany, a sad smile flickering on his face. "Ja, I did teach you right, didn't I? Then again, what else could I expect…an awesome brother for the awesome me! I guess I couldn't have asked for a better little brother."

Germany groaned. "I can't believe I'm saying this…but damn it, you're awesome." He turned his gaze towards the floor, too self-conscious to look his brother, his hero, in the eye. Prussia gaped at him, momentarily taken aback by this sudden display of emotion from his guarded younger brother. He caught himself before his surprise could become evident.

"Kesesese…I knew you'd come around," Prussia said teasingly, elbowing his younger brother in the ribs. For one moment, the light in his bright red eyes had been restored.

Germany swatted at Prussia, rolling his blue eyes good-naturedly. "Stop it, Gilbert!"

He sighed, looking at Prussia. "Get over here," he murmured, reaching out to embrace his older brother.

Prussia stared at his brother for a minute before chuckling. Both of them recalled the hugs they used to share when they had been younger, much, much younger. "You big sap," he told Germany. "But if you want a hug that badly, you can come get one."

Prussia opened his arms, moving in for the hug when a loud yell reverberated for the air. "Weillschmidt!" the voice called, "It's time to go!"

Prussia dropped his arms and chuckled wryly. "Guess I gotta go," he said as he turned around and without even glancing at his sibling again, began to walk away while he replaced his hat. "You're too old for hugs now anyway, right?"

"Yes, you're…right. See you later, Gilbert," Germany said to his back.

Prussia turned around halfway, bringing up his arm to wave a cordial farewell. "See ya later, Lu-…"

He trailed off, snapping around to face his brother. He brought his right hand up, touching the brim of his cap. Germany raised his eyebrow, confused as to why his brother was saluting him.

"Good-bye, Germany," Prussia said, as he put his hand back down, walking away from his little brother.

Germany stared at his brother's retreating form, a lone tear rolling down his cheek.

"So long….Prussia."
_

WHOA! Something angsty! My friend and I wrote this over the past couple of days after we had saw Anonymous…And when we saw this epic picture of Gilbert and Ludwig.

Even though this probably has no value to you, dear readers…But my previous account on here is tootsiepopgurl (I've had it since I was 14…so shut up…). But even so….As a fanfiction author I have rules. So let's go through them shall we?

Constructive criticism is welcome. My friend and I would LOVE to have some feedback on this little baby of ours.

Don't leave a review like: "This was good" or "AWESOME!" Leave a thoughtful review…like a paragraph or a page, whatever length you desire. Just not something so short and mundane.

Now rule number three is quite possibly the most important rule. I don't care how much you hate this or how much it upsets you that this is not Germancest….WE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, DO NOT ACCEPT FLAMES. I do not flame and she does not flame. We would appreciate that if you don't like this…then just don't review!

Now…the last thing before we leave.
Disclaimer: We do not own Hetalia….but if we did….Italy would not be the main character.

Hope you enjoyed this wonderful little fic of ours!

P.S.: Here's the picture we based this off of! ..net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s320x320/307135_2688497015921_1361316875_33090565_516660522_