Author Commentary: This is another one of my stories that is based off of a picture. If you're my Francis' Facebook friend, you can look in my album called Picture Stories.
Title: Aestheticism and Earmuffs
Characters: Prussia/Gilbert, Germany/Ludwig
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or the picture I based this off of.
It was below freezing and the snow was coming down hard. Each snowflake that landed on your skin felt like a miniscule needle falling from the sky before it melted.
Gilbert was inside the military base, lucky for him. He was sitting with his feet propped up on the chief's desk, snow melting from the treads of his boot and onto the papers that littered the desk. Gilbert planned to blame some low ranking officer for the damage to the papers. He was too awesome to care.
"I brought you your coffee, sir," the officer whom he'd sent off to get it said, stopping before the albino and standing at attention with the drink held out.
Gilbert smirked and stood up, ready to have some fun with this boy. "You look like you're tired. Has it been a long day?"
"Sir, yes, sir," the man replied, unsure of where his superior was headed with this. He figured he'd better explain a bit more, just to be on the safe side. "Nothing I can't handle, though, sir."
"Really now?" So you're completely fine if I send you off to do drills?" Gilbert's smirk grew.
"Whatever you command, sir."
"I don't think you'd last. Your hand is shaking just holding out the cup."
Indeed, the man's arm was beginning to tremble as he worked to keep the limb out at a ninety degree angle with his body, cup still held out for Gilbert, waiting to be taken.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Gilbert asked, indicating the seat he had just vacated. He took his coffee from the man's hand so that it wouldn't have a chance to be spilled or dropped.
"That's a kind offer, sir, but I have duties to perform, sir," the man said, his gaze turning a bit suspicious as he looked at Gilbert.
"I'll get you excused from them," Gilbert replied simply.
"Would you?" the man asked, sounding hopeful. Gilbert frowned and glared at the man, who quickly added, "Sir."
"Ja," Gilbert replied before calling over another man. He gave that man instructions to get his coffee bringer off duty for a bit. The man saluted and did as he was told.
"Feel free to sit now," Gilbert said, walking to the window. The man sat and Gilbert smiled triumphantly because he now had his scapegoat. He would not be punished for the ruined papers and water-stained desk.
Still staring out the window, Gilbert finally took a sip of the drink he'd asked for. The liquid was hot and bitter, just the way he liked it. No cream or sugar for him! He was no pansy! Just because he liked cute things didn't mean anything.
Taking another sip, he looked out to where his brother was pacing. The man looked like he was cold. He was hunched against the wind, hands deep in his pockets and his face pink from the constant battering that it was receiving from the icy wind. His face was bad, but his ears were an even darker color. Ludwig really needed some earmuffs at the very least... he also needed a nice, thick coat, though.
Gilbert downed the rest of the liquid, not really giving much thought to the fact that it just scalded his mouth and throat. Handing off his empty mug to the man he'd left at the chief's desk, he went to his private room (because he was awesome enough to have his own) and shut himself in. He went to the trunk at the foot of his cot-bed and started throwing things out as he began to search for his earmuffs and the matching pair he'd bought for his brother. Ludwig had refused them right away, and Gilbert didn't know why. They were friggen adorable!
Nobody knew what was up with Gilbert's obsession with cute things. Not even Gilbert himself. The thing was, though, that if Gilbert saw something cute, he didn't think about it, but just bought it. He got a weird compulsion to do it. He knew he had a problem, but that didn't make it any easier to stop himself. Everyone made fun of him for it, but he always got his revenge on them, whether or not they knew it.
Gilbert's room was becoming messier and messier as he threw things out and all over the place. Why did he have to bury his cute stuff so deep? Eventually, he found what he was looking for and pulled the objects out. He put on his own pair and left his room, locking the door behind him so that he couldn't get in trouble for the state of the room. After all, it looked like a tornado had just blown through! He would worry about cleaning it up later, though. For now, he needed to get to his brother and force the man to put on the earmuffs so that he could warm up a bit.
Just as he made it outside, Gilbert saw the chief whose desk he'd soiled talking to Ludwig. He hung back for a moment, waiting for the man to finish with his brother. The man walked away, and Gilbert figured it was his lucky day as the man walked the opposite direction of where he was hiding. If he'd come Gilbert's way, the albino would have had to hide or risk a stern, unawesome, boring, tedious talking to. Something he'd more than likely zone out during, only to be reprimanded and forced to do some menial job not meant for someone as awesome as him.
Once he was completely sure that wasn't going to happen, he started through the ever deepening snow. If it kept going like this, it wouldn't be too long before the snow was past the top of his boots!
Gilbert quickened his pace as he noticed his brother headed toward the gates of the base. He needed to catch up with him before that or he'd be stuck inside while Ludwig went out. And then he'd be worrying himself sick over whether his brother had frozen to death or not (and probably be called an over-emotional pansy for caring so much). It would be seriously unawesome of West to go off and die and leave him alone in the boring military base where there was nothing to do.
Ludwig made it to the gates just as Gilbert caught up to him. He didn't seem to notice as his brother stood at attention behind him while he explained why he needed to leave their well-protected base. It turned out that the chief had sent Ludwig off to take command of the newest army base while the man who was normally running it was off looting a nearby village. Gilbert could easily explain his absence for such a short amount of time, so he wouldn't have any trouble just following his brother out.
The guards opened the gates for Ludwig, assuming that Gilbert was sent to go with him. That was what normally happened, so why should now be any different? Gilbert could see the men trying not to laugh at his earmuffs as he passed, but he ignored them. They were just jealous.
After walking for a bit, Ludwig ahead and Gilbert following, the latter decided that it was time to put the earmuffs on the former. Being as sneaky as he could, Gilbert raised the earmuffs, moving closer to his unsuspecting brother.
"Just do it already," Ludwig grumbled, turning quickly to face Gilbert.
Not expecting his brother to know he was there, let alone to turn around, Gilbert ran right into the taller man, and would have fallen over if it weren't for his brother catching him.
"That's what you followed me all this way for?" Ludwig asked, eyeing the earmuffs in his brother's hands.
"Ja. Your ears are bright red," he said. "How long did you know I was following you?"
"I first noticed you looking over when I was talking to the chief, but I didn't know for sure until a moment before I arrived at the gate... And I heard the guards snickering as we were leaving."
"Wow, you're getting good at this," Gilbert mumbled, looking over his brother, before staring at his feet. He was more than a little jealous because he still had trouble telling when someone was following him.
"You'll get the hang of it," Ludwig mumbled. He reluctantly held out his hand for the earmuffs.
"You're seriously going to put them on?" Gilbert asked incredulously.
"Ja. For now," he replied, motioning impatiently for Gilbert to give them to him.
Gilbert handed them over, a big grin stretching itself over his face.
After making a bit of a face while looking at the fluffy bunnies on the sides, Ludwig put them on and then went back to walking. Gilbert moved to walk beside him and the two walked side by side in silence until they got near the base that Ludwig was to take temporary control of.
What started the shouting was Ludwig taking off the earmuffs. Gilbert complained loudly and Ludwig shouted right back. The men would show him no respect if he showed up wearing those. Eventually, Gilbert gave up and dissolved into dissatisfied mumblings.
Ludwig took up his position while Gilbert napped in the corner of the room. When they were finished and the man had resumed his position, the brothers headed back to their own base. When they got there, the chief shouted Gilbert's ear off before sending him to do kitchen drudgery work. Gilbert wasn't happy about it, but knew it was his own fault, so he went to do his work without much complain. Unbeknownst to the chief, though, the real reason that he didn't complain was his plan to do no work at all. He grabbed one of the newer recruits and forced the man to do his work while he sat and enjoyed a beer. This time, he didn't get caught.
And the next time he saw Ludwig out on duty, the man had gotten himself a pair of earmuffs, though this pair was completely normal and boring. No fuzzy bunnies for him. Gilbert was glad to see him warming himself, nonetheless. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to force his brother into more incidents like that in the future, though it was more than likely that it would happen.