Bunker

A bomb overhead exploded, the ceiling shifting to allow dust to fall, the walls rumbling from the impact. But the day was over, as the war would be too, soon enough. So many years the war had dragged on, that no one in the bunker reacted to the bombing.

To his right, Ludwig's brother sat. Gilbert Belschmidt had grown so much thinner since Christmas when they'd last met, his skin paler, his hair lighter, his eyes more bloodshot. But he smiled, one leg draped over the side of the chair, drinking deeply from the beer in his hand. Gil never let anything bring down his spirits.

Beside Gilbert, across from Ludwig, Elizabeta Héderváry had leaned back into her chair, her legs thrown over her lover's lap. Her boots been kicked off hours ago, setting the trend for all of them to follow her footstep. The brown hair was long, finally freed from the tight braid she had had it in for days on end. Her soft curves had changed; she was more muscular from the war, less feminine than in Ludwig's memories of the sweet Hungarian.

To his left, Roderich Edelstein was massaging his girlfriend's feet, having, for the time Ludwig could remember, loosened his cravat. Throughout everything, the years and the pain and the suffering, Roderich had kept up all appearances, all his airs of dignity and aristocracy he carried. He would be proud till the end.

And Ludwig? Ludwig knew his body was bruised badly. Every part of him aching as he draped in his arms over the chair. Every move, every breath, was painful in a way that was more than physical. He let his head fall back, watched the dust fall slowly, shutting his eyes and making to wipe his face. But the effort was too much and he gave up, instead wiping his eye on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Lutzy?" Erzsi's voice seemed to ask in the distance.

"Ja, ja, I'm fine." He sighed, staring straight ahead, into those emerald eyes. She smiled back warmly, her legs going one way and her arms the other. Gil grunted.

"And what's up with you?" she asked tersely.

Roderich interrupted Gil's response. "He's trying to look down your shirt." Gil grunted again, finishing off the beer in his hands before placing the bottle down where he and Ludwig had made a cemetery of empty glasses.

"Is that so?" she cooed. Gingerly she removed her feet from Roderich's hands, sitting up slowly. All the while she watched Gilbert, whose eyes had gone wide as she stood, approaching him before straddling his lap. Ludwig watched her move, as if in slow motion, removing the large blank tank top she had borrowed from him this morning. It hadn't fit her well, but it was the last clean anything of clothing between the four of them, and Erzsi was still a lady to be treated with respect.

Gil's leg came down from the arm of the chair to let her slide closer, his hands seeming to hover between grabbing her hips and touching the breasts that were clearly right before his eyes, only a black bra covering them. Ludwig leaned away, towards Roderich, watching the two move. Her hands ran up his chest to stop on his shoulders, her lips coming close to his before moving to his ear. "I'll let you have one go at this Gil darling, and that's it. Make it a good one."

"Are you going to stop this?" Ludwig asked lazily to Roderich, who had, in the absence of his girlfriend, leaned back to watch the show. Roderich watched the pair for a moment more, Gil suddenly grabbing Erzsi, burying his face in her breasts, kneading her ass. He turned to Ludwig, smiling a little.

"Nein. Let him have his fill." Ludwig supposed there were things about love he didn't understand, and things about Roderich and Erzsi he didn't understand. So, in the end, the love between Roderich and Erzsi was something he'd… well, he'd never understood before, why would he now?

For several minutes they watched Gil touch Erzsi, her head thrown back, moaning in a way Ludwig never could have imagined she would. She didn't even like Gil that much, and her ex-husband was watching, but none of it stopped her. Nothing ever had. So Ludwig pushed aside all thoughts and simply enjoyed watching them, his brother feeling and kissing, Erzsi grinding and groaning.

He didn't miss Roderich standing, but they might have. The Austrian watched the pair before muttering, "When you are done, Erzsi, I will be in the other room." And he left, going across the hall to the only other room set aside for the four nations in this bunker. The meaning of his words was not lost on Ludwig, who had noticed the erection his cousin had been sporting. That room was small, had probably been meant for just Erzsi; when Roderich disappeared into the other room with her, it meant one thing only.

Sex.

"Don't worry about him," Erzsi said suddenly, Ludwig's eyes snapping from the other room's closed door to Erzsi, who was watching him, one arm cradling Gil's head to her chest.

"Gwaah," Gil grunted, his hands completely undignified in their movements.

"He's not jealous," she continued, and Ludwig watched her face only, blocking out Gil and whatever he was attempting to do to her now. "He understands, we all do; this is war, and when you reach this point either you pop the champagne in victory, or you give it all one last go in defeat. Do you understand that?" Her other arm reached out, delicate fingers stretched to stroke his cheek. "You are so young Lutzy. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I have never popped the champagne," he whispered against her hand, kissing the palm before giving it back to its owner.

Her smile was sad, but it was still a smile he never thought possible in a hell like this. Another bomb went off overhead. Gil came up for air.

"Finally finished?" Both hands cradled the back of his head, Gil looking up proudly at Erzsi.

"I love your tits, you devil of woman."

"Ja, I noticed." Dismounting him, Erzsi sat on Ludwig's lap. He watched his brother stand, heading to the other side of the room to masturbate; Ludwig didn't care. Erzsi's hands pulled his face to look at her. "You're very handsome." She twisted in his lap, her breathing deep, her breasts rising and falling against his chest.

Ludwig was confused. "Why are you doing this?"

She smirked. "Am I acting like a whore?" Her voice was light.

"Nein, nein! That is not what I-" He hadn't meant to imply such things; this was the only woman he had ever been closed with, had ever gotten to know. He just didn't know how women were suppose to act, beyond what shit Gil had told him and the old fashioned ideas of Roderich. Ludwig truly didn't understand.

Erzsi leaned close, and Ludwig noticed his breathing had shifted to match hers. "We all need a happy ending Lutzy. If that's what Gil needs for his, that's what he needs. That's what we understand, what I was talking about. Roderich knows I love him, that he's the only one for me. And he and I will have our happy ending too.

"Do you need me to help you, to get your happy ending?" She motioned towards Ludwig's cock, which he hadn't realized had started to grow hard. "I love you Lutzy, just like I love Gil. I don't mind."

Something in him clicked. Not her words, but her tone. There was a finality there he hadn't caught before, a finality to them sitting in that circle, drinking and talking and laughing. Those three were preparing for the end, without a care or a cowardly thought. Gil had always been so physical, legs over the chair, a beer to hold in his hands, a woman to touch but never to love too much. Roderich had always needed to have, to possess, Erzsi's feet, Erzsi's smile, control of where Erzsi went next.

And beautiful, sweet Erzsi… He stroked her face, leaning up to steal a single kiss. Her lips were so soft, and she tasted of beer and chocolate. Ludwig tilted her head back, held her, before pulling away. She was the first woman he had ever kissed, years ago, the only woman he had ever kissed. Now that he could see the end coming, the end she was trying to prepare him for, he knew she would be the last as well.

"Lutzy," she whispered. Gil groaned.

"You don't have to do anything Erzsi, but thank you. For the offer."

She pulled him into an embrace, holding him close. She stood, walked to the door, pausing to look back on him. "You know," she laughed, "when the end is near, crazy ideas just aren't so crazy. I love you Lutz." With that she made her way to the other room, closing the door behind her.

To his right he heard Gil jerking off, bouncing the old mattress. To his left he heard what he supposed must have been Roderich slamming Erzsi against the door, her moans and his whispers mingling together.

Crazy ideas…

He sat on Roderich's bed, which was the furthest from Gil, positioned beside the phone. Lutz hesitated in dialing, not sure what house to call. There had been the house he knew his love shared with his brother, and then he had moved in with that older brother… but Lutz had destroyed that house, so maybe Arthur's? It was risky, but he knew this was what Erzsi had been trying to tell him. Crazy ideas...

He turned each number slowly, dialing from memory. Having finished, he waited on the bed, laying back and putting the rotary phone on his flat stomach. Someone picked up.

"Allo?" It was Francis.

"Feliciano," Lutz replied flatly, hoping he would get what he had requested.

There was a pause, and Lutz could almost hear the French nation's mind reeling, trying to decide on something. He wasn't sure if Francis recognized his voice, but after a moment he heard the phone be handed over.

"Ciao?" That was the voice he had wanted all along.

"Feliciano," Lutz repeated, this time his voice filled with hope and longing. Gil finished with a short shout, burying his face in his pillow.

"What… how…" His once-ally stuttered. "This is dangerous," he managed in a whisper, "why are you-"

"I miss you." Lutz had been so angry when Feliciano left; he knew it had been coming, but that hadn't helped to heal the sting. "I love you, Feliciano. Always have and always will, no matter what happens."

"I…" Feliciano seemed to shuffle on the other side, murmuring something that sounded like it was in French. "I love you too. I have to go."

"I know."

"It was nice to hear your voice." Lutz noticed Feliciano hadn't said his name; maybe Francis was still there. Or maybe Francis had figured it out, was telling him to hurry up. Maybe they were both in on this call, how dangerous it was.

"Goodbye my love," Lutz whispered. There was a pause before he heard the call be disconnected.

Gil began to toss about, and the other room seemed to have quieted as well. Lutz laid on the bed, closing his eyes, imagining what Feliciano must have looked like. Imagining what he was doing now.

Outside the bombing seemed to have stopped.

"You love him too much," Gil murmured.

Now the sound of a tank driving overhead filled the silence.

"I could never love him enough," Lutz replied.