Warnings: Character death, suicide, coarse language, implied sex, shounen-ai, no happy ending, not 100% historically accurate (but neither is Hetalia, so...).

Don't like, don't read.

Angst away.

How could I have let this happen...?

Ivan huffed as he stumbled across the treacherous, ice-covered soil, his warm breath spiralling in the brisk Russian air.

He had been severely injured in a gun fight with Ludwig Beilschmidt – leading commander for the German troops.

Groaning, he gripped his wounded arm and fell to his knees. His mind was hazy, almost distant, as his vision began to blur from what he assumed to be blood loss. He sat back with a quiet chuckle as heavy footsteps sounded behind him.

"Come to finish me off, Mr. Beilschmidt?" he spat groggily, trying desperately to remain conscious. He couldn't allow himself to die – not when his whole reason to live was back at his home in Moscow.

:::O:::

"You're really just going to leave?"

"What choice do I have, Gilbert? Your brother is determined to get you back." Ivan stated sadly, pulling his beloved Prussian into a loving hug. He was fitted in his forest green commander uniform, his numerous badges pinned proudly over his left breast. "I promise," he whispered into that beautiful silver hair. "I promise I will come home. I will not allow myself to lose you." Pulling away slightly, he cupped Gilbert's pale cheek before kissing away a stray tear. "I love you so much..." he trailed off, looking lovingly into the albino's stunning red eyes.

Hugging Ivan tightly, Gilbert muttered a small "I love you, too" into his jacket.

"You better keep your promise otherwise I'm going to reincarnate you just to kill you again!" his threat was hollow, his words lacking depth and meaning. Gilbert dreaded the thought of his little brother and his lover battling it out against each other.

Chuckling quietly, Ivan kissed his boyfriend passionately.

"That's my Gilbert..." he said softly, a serene smile on his lips. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone, alright?"

"You should probably head off..." Gilbert stated sadly, watching as Ivan adjusted his fitted cap, flashing him a sad smile before exiting the room. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose you, Ivan..." he muttered to himself in his lonesome. "I hope you can keep that promise..."

:::O:::

"I'm only doing what you so longfully deserved, Mr. Braginsky. You can't hurt anyone anymore." Ludwig stated firmly, his Sturmgewehr 44 hoisted up, aimed perfectly for the Russian's skull, his finger dancing around the trigger. Excitement twinged through his muscles as he thought about completing his revenge. Ever since that dreadful day, Ludwig swore that Ivan would rue the minute he stole Ludwig's beloved older brother away from him.

"All except one..." Ivan whispered inaudibly. His mind flashed to Gilbert – the day he came to live in the Soviet household to the first time they kissed. They had spent many hours in a pointless argument about returning Gilbert back home before Ivan roughly pulled him forward in an angry yet desperate kiss, Gilbert reciprocating to his fullest. One kiss led to another and before they knew it, Ivan had claimed the Prussian's virginity – As his memories wandered, his mind stumbled upon one memory in particular – his promise. The Russian's chest constricted in pain and guilt as he thought of how he had broken that sacred promise. He had let Gilbert down.

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he mumbled a small "I love you" to the sky before he looked towards Ludwig, a broken smile on his face.

"Before you kill me, I have one small request."

"I don't have to do anything you ask of me." Ludwig spat, his finger inching towards the trigger.

"Please," Ivan whispered hoarsely, his face contorting into a mixture of pain and regret. "Take care of him..."

"I will."

"I'm sorry Gilbert, so, so sorry..." Ivan whispered, his face flushed with new-found tears before a gunshot rang through the death-filled air. Ivan's body slumped over in the mud, blood spilling from the bullet wound in his forehead, staining the ground a beautiful crimson.

:::O:::

"Have you heard any news on Ivan?" Gilbert asked Toris anxiously.

"Yes, we've received a letter this morning..." Toris trailed off, refusing to look at the albino standing before him.

"Please tell me he is alright!" Gilbert all but pleaded, the hope draining from his eyes as he saw the pained expression on the Lithuanian's face. "No..." he whispered in shock, his head shaking slightly as he took a step back, supporting himself on a nearby chair. "No, it can't be true..."

"I'm so sorry, Gilbert..." Toris started. "We've received news that he was killed by Commander Beilschmidt on the battle field."

"No..." Gilbert cried a bit louder. "No! That's not true!" He let out a hoarse laugh as he fell to his knees, tears dripping uncontrollably from his crimson eyes. "He promised! That fucking bastard promised!" he cried out. A pained scream escaped his throat as sobs racked his entire body. Toris fell beside the convulsing albino, trying desperately to comfort the man, but to no prevail.

For days, Gilbert's heart ached. His depression cause him to isolate himself from the others. He refused to eat – even if he managed to swallow even the slightest amount, it didn't stay down for very long. Nightmares constantly interrupted his slumber, the thought of Ivan laying lifelessly in the mud haunted his mind. He was slowly driving himself insane with the painful memories.

One early morning, Gilbert slipped out of his room while the others were still sleeping and sorrowfully trudged towards Ivan's bedroom, where the only reminiscence of the man was left. The Prussian quietly closed the door behind him as he stared at the unslept-in bed through blurry eyes.

He scanned over the contents of the room, basking in the pain of all the memories created there. Those beautiful memories shattered into sharp shards of glass by his own baby brother.

Hesitantly, Gilbert walked towards Ivan's work desk, his fingers grazing over ever groove and dent in the polished oak. He noticed something silver sparkling from one of the slightly opened drawers. Curiosity peaking through, the albino's weak hand pulled open the drawer before removing a Nagant M1895 revolver.

Shaking slightly, Gilbert checked the ammunition – one bullet left. Taking a deep breath, he raised the revolver, resting the cold metal on his left temple, fingering the trigger. Whispering a small prayer to himself, his eyes overflowing with tears as they came across a picture on Ivan's desk. It was of the two of them when they had just started dating. They were so happy back then... but that was all gone now. There was no happiness left in his life - not when the only person he had ever loved had been stolen from him.

Heart filling with anger and hatred towards his brother, Gilbert pulled the trigger, his blood splattering over Ivan's wall as his limp body fell to the ground in a large heap, blood soon encircling the corpse. Other members of the household came running to his aid. Mournful looks and tears were shared amongst the family as they collect Gilbert's body.

Ludwig never did get to reunite with his beloved brother. The news of his death struck the German hard, leaving him in an unstable state, insanity soon taking over.

One can never explain the insanity of the mind.

Damn, this is pretty bad. |D

I wrote it at four in the morning because I wasn't able to sleep. I had thought about this plot around April, but didn't really get into it until I was just about to fall asleep. All these ideas flooded my mind and I couldn't wait to write it.

Je ne regrette rien.

On another note, another story should be coming soon... hopefully. *crosses fingers*

Reviews are loved forever.

Thank you for reading. *heart*

Fair winds~