"Awe West pleeeaaaasee!" A booming voice whined with a high pitched squeak.
"No. You know my answer, so stop following me around, gosh what's with you today?" Another voice, much lower and far from childish sounding, replied.
Gilbert pouted, sticking his bottom lip out and quivering it slightly.
He stared at Germany, widening his eyes in hopes to make himself look more childlike.
It stung, but the watery shine from not blinking gave him a greatly needed, 'Puppy dog,' effect.
"Pretty please, I haven't gotten to sit in on a meeting since I was a nation, just this one time, please West?" He begged again, clasping his hands together Gilbert sounded unbelievably sincere.
Germany gave him a look, and Gilbert could tell he was starting to consider saying yes.
'Thank you Feliciano~,' He mentally praised his brother's friend, remembering how many times the little Italian had convinced Germany of so many unusual things through sheer persistance.
"I'll be absolutely quiet, I won't say anything! I'll just sit there watching everything. I mean the meeting is in your country so no one will think anything of it!" Prussia continued, trying to amplify the sympathy he could get by widening his eyes further.
This only managed to creep Germany out.
"Fine! Okay! But you better listen! And no interruptions!" Germany finally caved, only really saying yes to get Prussia to stop acting weirder than usual.
"YAY!" Gilbert cried and flung himself on an unwilling Germany, he laughed and ruffled the German's hair.
"Ack stop!" Germany protested and tried pushing the clingy Prussian away.
Prussia gave a quiet chuckle before finally backing off, "Remember the last time I did that? It was right before you went off to war," he recalled, silently remembering the roller coaster of emotions he'd been on that day.
Those were the days Ludwig actually smiled when he did that.
Germany frowned and looked back in confusion. While Prussia was reminiscing, he was busy slicking back his hair neatly.
"What?"
"Ah nevermind it wasn't awesome anyways," Gilbert shrugged and grinned again at Germany, "So what do we do while we wait?"
Ludwig had a mixture of thoughtful, but also a wary, look spread across his face before he carefully replied, "Well, all preparations are finished, we're waiting on everyone to arrive-"
"Which will be when~"
Germany could tell Prussia was up to something by the singsong way he responded, but he had no idea what.
It made him not want to answer though..
"In a couple of hours," he replied vaguely.
"Great let's go West!" Gilbert shouted, grabbing Germany's arm he physically dragged him out the doors and into the streets like a rag doll.
Prussia was so quick in his movements that Germany didn't even have the chance to struggle before he realised they were racing down the streets of Berlin.
"Hey! Stop! I'd rather finish some work early then go galavanting around town before a meeting!" Germany finally yelled in defiance to deaf ears.
"Come on! I saw this awesome ice cream stand not too long ago! It'll be gone if we waste our time talking about unawesome things!"
"Plus," Prussia added looking back to his brother with a smile that held a faint trace of something foreign behind it, "If you can't enjoy the small moments, you'll only end up missing the many awesome moments you could've had!"
'Gosh I hope that wasn't too cheesy,' Prussia mentally thought with a laugh at how much he sounded like a dorky movie character.
Gilbert suddenly let go of Germany's hand, walking forward a little ways, he gave his brother a silent option of either following or going back.
"Ice cream sure is awesome though!~" He hummed and turned his head to find that he was talking to himself.
"Ah, he'll learn one day," Gilbert shrugged, heading towards where he thought he'd seen an ice cream stand earlier in the day.
All around him people were bustling around hurriedly. Everyone looked so busy trying to get from one point to the other as quick as they could.
He watched a man in a suit practically sprint by a flower shop that spelled strongly of the delicate scent of freshly cut flowers mixing with a light smell of tangy baking raspberries from a pastry shop.
He saw a mother dragging her child from wanting to play with a toy shop's stuffed rabbit.
There was also a young boy, dressed in torn clothing, parading the streets shaking a dented tin can around desperately.
The latter made him frown, and he made a mental note to remember to get his wallet and come back later.
Prussia had forgotten it back at the meeting room.. Truth be told he was really going to make Ludwig pay for the ice creams.
Gilbert sat back and, 'People watched,' all the while taking in the entire scene.
The city was stunning, simply said, it's why he loved his home so much.
The sunlight bounced off the orange tops of the buildings showering the street in a brilliant autumn glow.
People rode around on shaky bikes as they zoomed through the narrow passageways.
There were even little pots of various flowers off to the sides that Prussia couldn't help but stop and admire.
Even the buildings held a friendly air to them as he walked.
"Ah, I wonder what it's like to be human?" He dreamed out loud, startled when he actually received a reply.
"You'd probably end up living in your parents basement~"
Gilbert recognised the speaker instantly and wheeled around so fast that it sounded like his neck nearly snapped.
"FRANCE!" Prussia gushed, flinging himself on his friend tackling him in a hug.
"It's been like what? Months since we last saw each other!" Prussia smiled a wide toothy grin as he broke away from the hug and looked France up and down.
"You look good! But why no cape today?"
France made a melodramatic pose and gave a fake sob that was equally as dramatic, "England burnt it!" He cried, "I dismissed his pathetic fashion style and he stole my cape and threw it in the fireplace!"
Prussia laughed and clasped his friend on the shoulder, "I think I know what'll cheer you up, but you'll have to pay~" He grinned giving France a mocking dramatic wink.
"Ohho! You make a tough bargain my friend, but I'm in!"
Gilbert laughed again and lead France down the road as they caught up on everything they'd missed.
"-And then England turned around and his entire eyebrows were blown off!" France laughed hysterically as they walked back towards the building the meeting was to be held in.
They managed to find the ice cream stand, but at that point Gilbert wasn't really feeling ice cream anymore so he decided to save it for Germany, or for his own snack later on.
Prussia didn't mind though, he enjoyed France's company and was indescribably happy he'd gotten to talk to him.
"So you not only let England cook? But you pranked the toaster to blow up!" Gilbert restated in admiration, "THAT'S AWESOME! Now that's how you prank!" He praised, giving France a high five as they walked through the twin glass doors that would soon lead them to the chaos that was world meetings.
"Do you know if everyone will be here?" Gilbert asked with a nonchalant tone to his voice.
"Nope, but I hope Spain is there, then we could go to a bar afterwards~"
Prussia grinned and nudged France's arm with his elbow, "Only if I can invite a couple more, I'd like to have a bit of an after meeting party," he suggested earning himself an excited look.
"YES!" The Frenchman shouted as they simultaneously walked into the quiet meeting room.
All eyes turned to France and Prussia, earning a glare from Germany and an apologetic look from a couple of other nations.
"You're late." The German stated bluntly, annoyance flowed heavily through his voice and his entire demeanour screamed, 'I'm angry.'
France hesitantly hid himself behind a bunch of countries, leaving Gilbert standing alone against Germany's hatful glare. He didn't mean to leave Prussia alone.. But he figured that Germany would be nicer to him since they were brothers after all.
"I'm sorry West, it was my fault, we got caught up with.. Well catching up really, but I brought you some ice cream, it's your favourite," Prussia held up the little tub of ice cream only for Germany to smack it out of his hands.
"All this over ice cream!?!" He shouted, though his words held an unnatural amount of anger over something so small.
At the time he didn't realise that he never meant any of it. The stress of planning for the meeting, and the regret of not going with Gilbert like he wanted, but not knowing how, all boiled over.
It definitely didn't help that Gilbert was late..
"Look I know you're carefree but you have to have at least some discipline! You might not remember how it is to run a nation, but it isn't something you can just leave from when you get bored!" He shouted, his entire face contorted in an angry grimace, and Gilbert just stared with that same foreign look again.
The one that held something that Ludwig had never seen on Prussia's face before.
"I know West I'm so-"
"No. I don't want your sorry excuse for an apology when I know you'll just do it again. Look.." Germany began with an angry sigh and an enraged glare, "I know we had an agreement, but I don't want you in the meeting room. You're unpredictable."
Gilbert's face paled and his eyes shone with a watery sparkle, but he didn't say anything.
He understood.
Prussia nodded slowly to his brother before turning on his heels and walking right out the room. He received sympathetic glances and even a whisper of, 'I'll leave the door open for you,' but he dismissed them all.
Pulling up a chair Gilbert sat down on the other side of the wall staring absentmindedly at a potted plant, listening into the meeting happening in the other room.
"That.. Was kind of uncalled for Germany."
"You bloody frog, of course it was called for! Plus what do you know about what's uncalled for! You look like a blueberry!"
"Ohhoh you stale scone! At least I don't have caterpillars for eyebrows!"
"Shut up! Don't insult my eyebrows you dumb hair dye model!"
"Oh yeah! Well-"
"HAHAHA WOW YOU GUYS ARE SO IMMATURE WHY CAN'T YOU ACT LIKE A HERO!"
"SHUT UP!"
Gilbert chuckled and smiled at the plant as a couple of tears dropped silently on his pant leg turning the grey fabric a darkened colour.
His heart gave a sinking ache, but his smile never faltered when he listened to everyone's ridiculous yelling.
In fact his grin only grew; he only wished that he could've been in there with everyone else.
But in his heart Gilbert was okay with this, it was how it should be. He wasn't a nation anymore, he had no right to be upset.
"EVERYBODY BE QUIET!!"
'Ah there's a West,' Prussia pointed out to no one in particular.
"But Germany~ We're having fun~ Ve!"
'And that must be Italy, I can just see him eating pasta during the meeting!' Prussia smiled wistfully and continued listening.
"WE ARE NOT HERE TO HAVE FUN!"
"Aiya! Stop shouting already! You hurt my ears!"
'And back to shouting again, but it looks like old man China doesn't like this!' Gilbert commentated throughout the entire meeting like a sports announcer, while smiling like an idiot the entire time.
By the time the meeting was finally over the sky was a mixture of fire and chilled blues.
It was like someone took paint and splattered it on one flimsy paper, letting it dribble together to create one strange masterpiece.
The first one to come out of the room was France, he immediately noticed Gilbert and was startled by his friend's stubbornness. Yet wasn't at all surprised.
"Meet you at the bar~" He called, causing Prussia's attention to snap upwards, he never even realised the meeting had ended.
"I assumed it was the usual so that's where I told everyone to go. Everyone's going, although I'm not too sure on Germany, but I think Italy convinced him~" He said before bounding towards the exit and into the evening air.
'Something's definitely up with him..' France thought as he walked slowly down the road.
Prussia returned his attention to the potted plant as the rest of the nations came filing out of the room one by one.
His previous sadness completely gone, and in it's place was an uplifting excitement for their soon afternoon adventures.
Gilbert didn't leave even after he saw Spain exiting with Romano and Italy though.
He waited until everyone had left before creakily stretching in the chair and standing up.
"West?" He called as he walked in on Germany picking up loose papers on the table.
'Okay time to make this quick,' Prussia mentally prepared himself as he started helping Germany pick up the papers.
"What do you want now?" Germany huffed, but it was more of an exhausted sound then an enraged one.
"Look, West, I just came to apologise."
Germany's face froze in subtle shock and he stopped cleaning to thoroughly look at Prussia, who was avoiding eye contact by picking up where the German left off.
"I'm sorry, I just got carried away, which doesn't mean a lot to you I know," Gilbert began, an unusual honest sincerity echoed in his apology that Germany had never heard from Prussia before.
"I don't want you forgetting to live just because you have work to do."
"I don't want you realising all your mistakes before it's too late to fix them. And-"
Gilbert took a deep breath and set down the papers, looking at Germany with a fierce seriousness before he continued.
"I don't want you ending up like me."
"What are you-" Germany tried interrupting, he was confused, what was Prussia going on about? Why was he telling him this? But Gilbert cut him off.
"Please, I've messed up a lot little brother, a lot more than you'll know, I had chances to be better and you want to know what I did with those chances?"
"I ignored them."
"So I'm sorry for being late, but I'm not sorry for trying to get you to worry about something other than work."
"I hope I'll see you at the bar? If I don't, then I know I never said it much when you were growing up, and I know it holds no weight, but I really do love you Lud."
With that Prussia left the room, stepping over the melted ice cream tub, and leaving a very stunned Germany in his wake.
"Jeez I'm so unawesome!" He muttered, leaving the building and walking towards the bar where everyone was gathered.
There was a glistening, but also warm glow on the cobblestone path that gave Prussia a sense of melancholy.
Or was it something bittersweet?
It felt like the ending to a book he spent weeks reading. One that he was so absorbed in, with amazing characters and one final plot twist at the end that shocked him in a delightful sort of way.
He loved knowing the end, but always felt as though he lost something whenever he finished those types of books.
He felt that feeling now, but there was no book.
Just himself walking down a quiet road, filled with quiet thoughts.
It wasn't long before he made it to the bar, with a forced grin he opened the door to immediately ducking as a bottle was flung in his direction exploding right above his head.
A shower of alcohol cascaded down on him and he looked towards a drunk England in amusement, "Already?" He raised an eyebrow at America who was trying to keep the bottles away from England.
"Sorry there Gil, Russia challenged him to a drink off and things got a little out of hand," The American shrugged, turning his back on England he waved to Gilbert, just now registering that the Prussian had arrived, before looking back to find that England had somehow managed to grab an entire bottle of vodka.
"NO!" America shouted and slapped the bottle from his hands like a cat, leaving England stunned and lost at what to do.
"M-My drink.. You broke.. My drink.. .. . Russia can I have another one?" The Englishman turned suddenly to Russia, who was hiding with an arm full of vodka bottles behind a pillar not to far away.
"YOU! YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET HIM DRUNK THIS ENTIRE TIME WHAT ARE YOU UP TOO!" America shouted, pointing viciously at Ivan.
Russia stepped out behind the pillar with a menacing atmosphere around him, "I wanted him to be indebted to me so that when the time comes he owes me a favour and I can conquer all of you puny countries."
Gilbert laughed as he watched the entire scene play out like a train wreck. 'Well to be fair the minute Russia said that he was doomed," he thought as he subtly stepped over an unconscious Russia.
"I'll see you later America, good luck with England," he said with a chuckle as the American was trying to coax England to stop trying to search through the Russian's pockets..
"GIL!~ YOU MADE IT!" Suddenly he was tackled in a hug by a tipsy Spain.
"Hey get off me you'll ruin my hair~" Gilbert mocked France, who was sitting in the booth that Spain had come from.
"I do not sound like that!"
"Do to."
"Do not."
"DO SO!~"
"Spain stay out of this," France deadpanned before he burst out laughing, "Ah I'm so glad Germany didn't kill you back there! I was so certain you'd end up dead!"
"Nah he's all bark no bite," Gilbert shrugged, taking a seat on the opposite side of France while the Spaniard still clung to him like he was some sort of teddy bear.
"I swear I'm only late by a minute, how did everything get so crazy?" Prussia laughed and gestured to the absolute chaos around them.
The Nordics were trying to stop Denmark and Finland from trying to test if Sweden's hair really tasted, 'Swede,' as Denmark hilariously put it.
Canada was giving people tiny cartons of apple juice, telling them to stay hydrated, but people just looked in wonder to the juice that magically appeared in front of them.
The Baltic countries were trying to tend to the bar, but they were failing miserably.
Latvia only knew how to put water in a glass, and Estonia kept trying to test weird internet recipes on people.
Lithuania was the only one who could manage, but Poland kept pulling him away to play truth or dare with a couple of the Asian countries.
Italy and Romano were sipping on water while Romano was ranting about something to a bored looking Italy.
"I mean, I can't complain this is pretty awesome, but how did it start? Didn't you all just get here?" Gilbert asked with a shrug.
"Ah, well you see it started with Russia trying to monopolise the alcohol, and everyone got really mad at him so he ran off with the vodka, and then England got drunk and it just kind of exploded from there?"
'So he doesn't know either,' Prussia smirked knowingly at France as he stole the Frenchman's glass of wine taking a small sip.
"Gah, still bad," Gilbert faked a gag and returned the glass with a dramatic disgusted look on his face.
"You're just jealous you can't appreciate such finery~" France boasted, taking a big gulp of the drink.
"Okay, yeah this one is pretty bad.."
They all laughed, except Spain who had passed out on the seat.
"So what's his deal? Why's he upset?" Gilbert asked, knowing that Spain usually fell asleep immediately after drinking when he was bothered by something.
"Ah Romano wouldn't let Spain sit with him at the meeting or here, and he wouldn't let him drink with him.. Or talk to him for that matter, in fact Romano was yelling at him all day," France replied swirling the wine around in little circles.
"Actually that reminds me, speaking of being upset, something's been bothering you hasn't it?" He asked looking up in time to see his Gilbert's smile completely vanish in shock for a split second.
But that second was enough for him to see immense sadness replace where the smile had once been.
'Bingo, I was right,' He thought a bit bitterly.
"Nothing's wrong, you probably misinterpreted is all," Gilbert lied so easily, and so genuinely, that France almost believed him.
"No I know you, I've known you for ages, somethings wrong." France stated, trying to analyse Prussia intensely.
Until he noticed something, something he should have noticed immediately.
"Where's Gilbird?"
A look of hurt and grief flickered in Gilbert's eyes despite the forced smile, and France suddenly understood everything.
Why Gilbert was acting so weird, why he asked all those things, why he was being so stubborn.
"No.." Was all France could whisper as he was slapped by the sheer weight of realisation.
"No it can't be, I'm wrong. Please, tell me I'm wrong." He looked to Gilbert hopefully, but that hope was extinguished when he saw Prussia's sad smile.
"Why didn't you tell me! Or anyone for that matter!" France shouted while jumping up from the chair and pointing aggressively at Gilbert.
The noise of the bar drowned out his yells, but some nations looked curiously at the scene.
"This is why.." Gilbert muttered.
France was hurt, but he was hurt more at seeing his friend's defeated expression.
"Please, just.. Just tell me why?" France sighed, fighting back the urge to fling himself on Gilbert and force him to stay via hug.
"Look at how you're being now? You're upset-"
"Well that's putting it lightly," France whispered under his breath, receiving an annoyed look from Gilbert.
"Yeah well, I didn't want everyone remembering the last day they saw me as one where they were upset," Prussia said in a matter-of-fact kind of voice.
"That wouldn't be awesome, and I want everyone to remember me as awesomely as they can!" Gilbert shouted, smiling widely at France, even though it was obviously a false one.
"You.. You idiot!" France couldn't pretend to be calm anymore and he sobbed quietly, his entire body shaking in small tremors as he wept; it was completely unlike when he faked being sad earlier in the day.
"I can't believe you! W-Why so soon.." All the information was just too much for Français to process.
It didn't feel real.
Like some sort of joke gone wrong..
Spain suddenly stirred and sat straight up, "Huh? What's going on why's Francy Pants crying?" He asked with a yawn as he rubbed his eyes, "And did I fall asleep?"
Gilbert grinned, "England threatened to dye his hair green!" He laughed, causing Spain to smirk.
"Ah that would look better than it does already~" He teased waiting for a comeback from France, when he didn't receive one he looked at Français concerned.
"You okay mi amigo? Did England's comment bother you so much?" He asked, prepared to beat the Englishman up.
"Yeah he's fine, right France? You're fine right?" Gilbert interjected, causing Spain to blink in confusion and look between the two.
"Yeah.. I'm fine.." France begrudgingly said, giving Gilbert a glare.
"Yeaaah okay, this is weird I'm going to go bother Romano, I'll see you tomorrow! Then maybe we can figure out who to prank while we're here!" Spain laughed and was about to get up when France lunged and grabbed his arm pulling him back.
"NO!" He shouted without thinking, scaring the Spaniard terribly.
"France! What the heck! What's going on!" Spain shouted, more so in, 'What's wrong with you?' Than out of actual anger.
Gilbert stared unblinkingly at France, 'Don't you do it, don't you ruin a good thing,' He mentally screamed, trying to telepathically yell at France.
"I.. Uh No don't go!~ Who'll finish your drink?~" France finally answered lamely.
It was quite possibly the worst excuse ever, but if it could fool anyone it fooled Spain.
"Jeez is that all?" He laughed picking up his drink and downing the entire thing in one gulp, "There you go~ Now let me go tell Roma hello~" Spain hummed happily and France let him go in defeat.
"Tell Romano I said hello!" Gilbert beamed, "Oh and Spain, I've always considered you a best friend," he said, suddenly hugging the Spaniard while grinning widely.
"Jeez why is everyone acting so weird!" Spain huffed, a light blush spread on his face as he marched over to Romano and Italy.
Whether from embarrassment or drunkenness no one could quite tell.
"There I kept your little secret, but just know that when he does find out later it's going to practically kill him knowing that he could've spent longer with you.." France scolded bitterly once Spain had finally left.
"Yeah I know, but it's better than him staying here because he knows I'm not going to be here tomorrow, I don't want that. I'd rather spend a short time being happy, then a long time filled with that unspoken sad atmosphere."
Gilbert shivered at the thought and looked up just as the door opened and in came a very awkward looking Germany.
Prussia smiled, "Ah he came, I'm glad."
"Look, I'm going to go talk with my little brother over there before I have to.. Go," He gestured towards where Germany was painfully walking around a passed out Denmark.
"And France, thanks for being such an awesome friend," he smiled honestly at the stunned Frenchman, France had never seen that kind of look on Gilbert's face.
It only made his heart ache knowing this was the first and last time he'd be able to see it.
He was speechless, France wished he could've said something cool like, 'Nah you were the awesome one,' But he couldn't think of anything to say.
Oh gosh how he wished he would have said that, or anything for that matter, but he just sat there quietly sobbing like an idiot.
"Please, could you do me a favour.."
France nodded, it was the only thing he could do..
"Take care of him for me, I don't want him joining me before he has too. Italy helps a little bit, but he still needs a break every once and awhile.." Gilbert gestured to Germany, who had finally sat down at the bar slowly sipping away at a beer.
"Yeah.. I can do that," France whispered, he was afraid if he used his voice he would really start uncontrollably crying.
Gilbert turned to leave and France leaped on his friend, clinging to him in the form of a hug.
"I wish everyone knew what you were going through so that they could appreciate today.." France muttered as Gilbert hugged back, trying in vain to comfort him just a little.
"I know, but it's fine okay?" Prussia replied softly and calmly patted Français's hair, "I don't know how much time I've got left, I want to at least tell West goodbye.. It pains me to do this but I need to go for real now.. Don't cry too much! You wouldn't to ruin your outfit would you?" Gilbert forced a laugh and waited for France to let him go.
Français begrudgingly released Gilbert and watched as he took a seat next to the German.
It still didn't feel real..
Germany flinched when Gilbert sat down, he hadn't expected anyone to suddenly appear like that.
"How did the meeting go?" Prussia asked with a shrug.
"Like usual, meaning it didn't go anywhere." Germany replied bluntly, he was a little taken aback by how Gilbert could just forget their entire fight.
"Awe that sounds fun, you should be lucky there were no pranks this time though."
"That's where you're wrong. China gave fortune cookies to America, but he wrote the fortunes to be ridiculous things like, "Your hair has now fallen off," and he got other nations to play along and pretend that America was bald." Germany chuckled lowly, he had to admit it was pretty funny seeing the American yelling at everyone that, 'He still had hair,' and that, 'They were crazy.'
"And, uh.. I'm sorry about.. You know.. Early Gilbert.. I overreached a bit.." Germany stuttered, solely focusing on his the bubbles rising from his drink.
Prussia smiled and patted Ludwig on the shoulder, "It's fine West I forgive you!" He beamed happily.
"Hey Ludwig, can I ask you a question?" Gilbert suddenly asked, receiving a nod from Germany.
"Why don't you ever call be big brother?"
Germany choked on his drink and he sputtered, "What are you talking about!?!" He shouted in surprise, his face was near completely red from embarrassment.
"Ah, nevermind that was unawesome of me!" Gilbert forced a laugh, although he was secretly longing for Germany to call him that one final time.
"Eh I feel like going on a walk, I'll meet you at home alright?"
Germany gave a curt nod signalling he understood and focused on the bar table's wooden surface.
'That was.. Odd..' He thought, trailing his finger along a dent as a sudden, "GERMANY!~ GERMANY!~ BRITAIN'S TRYING TO TIE MY SHOELACES TOGETHER HEEELP!" Startled him back to reality.
He didn't mind though, in fact Ludwig even smiled a bit as he turned around and shouted back to Italy,
"Yeah, Yeah, I'm coming, hold on."
Gilbert walked with fingers intertwined with one another in such a way that he cradled his head as he steadily put one foot in front of the other; forming a line as he walked.
The air around him had a delicate twinge of an oncoming chill. Tomorrow it would be unbearable, but at the present? It was nice.
Gilbert smiled, less to himself and more at the knowledge that he was experiencing a fleeting moment. Knowing that, right now everything felt perfect, but that perfectness wasn't able to last filled him with a innocent curiosity.
Gilbert shook his head and laughed a low toned laugh that gave the air a little warmth, "For some reason I find it even more perfect," He thought outloud.
Maybe it was nothing more than the starlight reflecting in his eyes, but Gilbert gazed at the stars with an almost ancient, yet childish amazement.
As though someone had just found the secret to the universe in a long forgotten teacup.
"I guess, if things were always the same and perfect it wouldn't make anything special anymore, huh Gilbird?" The Prussian asked, although the only one with him was his wavering shadow that didn't accompany him too long in the fleeting moonlight.
Gilbert stopped in a nearby clearing, the usually green grass reflected the shimmers and twinkles from the variations of nighttime blues.
How long ago had he walked in the forest like this out of sheer enjoyment?
How long had he missed out on so many moments like these?
Gilbert glanced down to see a string of frail striking blue flowers poking up from the ground in odd places.
He smiled wistfully at the flowers, Prussia remembered them well.
"Here to see me off eh?" He asked the little blue plants.
Cornflowers shouldn't have even grown this time of year, especially in this kind of place.
But that didn't really matter, they were still beautiful just the same.
He turned around, his hands still on his head, and the most genuine happiest grin plastered to his face.
"Thanks for all the perfect moments!" He laughed to the moon.
And although Gilbert knew, there wasn't a trace of sadness or regret in his eyes as his feet slowly vanished from sight.
It was like a silvery mist was slowly climbing up him, turning him into nothing.
The clearing was illuminated by the unnatural white light that cascaded all around the once-Prussian.
It was painful, but not in the sense of physical pain.
It was painful in the sense that Gilbert knew this was truly it for him.
But his smile never faltered, he remembered all the amazing times he had.
Watching West grow up, laughing with France and Spain, teasing Hungary and Austria.
All the pranks, all the drunken nights spent enjoying everyone's company.
There wasn't anything better then hysterically giggling with Denmark as they were running for their lives from an enraged glitter covered Norway.
Or when a young Germany asked if he could help him care for their dogs, and the poor boy was instantly tackled by the energetic puppies. Gilbert remembered how they laughed for hours, rolling around on the ground trying to shield their faces from getting slobbered on.
And the days where he, Spain, and France would have sleepovers as if they were kids. The pillow fights, gossiping, and when they dyed Français's hair neon green and wrote frog all over his face with permanent marker the night before a world meeting in Britain.
All of it was worth every second.
Gilbert was now completely swallowed up by the mist.
Where the former nation of Prussia once stood, there was nothing more than the sharp chill of night air.
Nothing stopped for Prussia.
Not the trees, not the waving grass, not the cicadas or the chirping birds, or the other nations laughing blissfully unaware.
Everything went on normally, as though the Prussian had never vanished.
There were always signs when a nation was finally fading. Some thought they died immediately, and only had a brief moment before they finally vanished. Some even thought former nations to be invincible. Just like normal nations.
Yet they aren't normal nations, they're remnants of a past time long forgotten.
And for those once-nations, they'd already made peace with knowing they're time was over.
So their knowledge that they'd finally be gone, was the only calming peace they had.
For Gilbert, he knew because when he woke up Gilbird was no longer there.
He had vanished when the Prussian was sleeping.
From the quiet of the woods a silvery wisp of mist circled upwards to greet the stars, and faintly, his voice called quietly one final time.
"Yeah, we were.. Awesome."
Thank you for reading my oneshot!
I'm not sure if I really like this one though because I feel like it just wasn't structured well enough but I still decided to post it since I've been working on it for so long ;w;
I wanted some simple Prussia agnst so I tried my best to write something that fit that ~"
Anyways I had a fun time writing it and hope you liked my little story!~
Welp that's all for now!~
Ciao! ~('･ω･')~
Words: 5745 (not including this bit uwu)
03/8/2019