Hello~! This is my first fan fiction, so go easy on me! Warning: It's a lengthy oneshot, so if you don't like to read at a constant, then don't read it. But I'm sure this will be quite entertaining!
This is actually a chapter that's near the end of my original story, "Break Focus," which is a crossover between my original characters and Hetalia. I wrote this on impulse; I'm not finished with the earlier chapters yet.
Little OOC for some, maybe?
Pairings: RaidenxSakura (OC); GermanyxItaly, USUK, PrussiaxHungary, SpainxRomano (it's actually shown in early chapters I've written, but I haven't submitted them ;;)
Rated T for mild language and..."certain actions."
Ludwig awoke from unconsciousness, his vision blurry and mind groggy. Assuming it was morning, he turned to his side to instinctively grope around the other side of the bed, expecting the frivolous Italian to be curled up next to him. Instead, what the man found was a bare surface, the sheets and pillows undisturbed by a constantly turning body lying upon it. What the hell, he thought vulgarly, abandoning his prim speech whenever he thought to himself. His eyes were only focused on the bed sheets. Why isn't Feliciano here? I don't believe today is Sunday. I'm not sure if there are any churches here, either. He blinked. These sheets were of mahogany silk sheets, not the rougher, more insulating blue sheets he'd always use for his bed. Feliciano always told him to use a softer fabric, but Ludwig never listened to that. Was he really that out of it right now?
Sapporo…that's right, there was a competition, he thought as he propped himself halfway up with his elbows, the oxygen rushing back into his head. When the tunnel vision began, Ludwig breathed deeply, and his vision returned. His muscles felt weak as he lifted himself further so his hands kept him upright, his arms trembling under the bulk weight. "I don't remember what happened, but…" he thought aloud (in German), pinching the bridge of his nose. "I probably worked hard to make my muscles ache like this."
It was the other way, actually.
When he was about to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, something felt missing. Why did it feel like he could only feel his torso?
"What the hell?" Ludwig shouted, but not loud enough to be heard through the lively chatter in the lounge of his hotel room. "Why aren't my—"
"Finally awake, huh? I was getting impatient, you know."
The strict blonde was grateful that he could still move the top half of his body. He turned to his left to where the voice came from, and saw Raiden lying on the other bed, his back facing him. "What are you doing here, Raiden?" he asked sternly as he ran his hand through his hair to keep it in place. "You have something to do with my lower body being paralyzed, don't you?" With every question sounding like that, it was as if someone had taken his precious Oettinger beer again. The culprit would usually be Gilbert, but on occasion, Feliciano and Roderich would sneak a drink or two. He made sure to keep the golden beverage away from Elizaveta, especially—she can be a mean drunk. "Explain yourself, soldier."
"Since you got the bad end of the stick, all of us went to your hotel room to wait for you to wake up," the boy explained with irritation in his voice while he got up to sit on the front edge of the bed. "I decided to take a quick shower and a nap, so I stayed in here. Fratello also wanted me to keep an eye on you. Then I figured I couldn't sleep with the fact that you were in here anyway, so I just waited." He went over to the nightstand to pick up the old manual. "And I didn't make your legs paralyzed," he then said, flipping the pages of the manual to a bookmarked page.
"Then who did?"
"I forgot to reactivate the nerves in your legs, but I guess you can say I did."
If his legs were working, Ludwig would have given the boy another thorough beating. "You son of a—!"
"Don't start your string of German swears now, taichou," Raiden mocked, walking to Ludwig's bed without taking his eyes off the book. He had a habit of doing that, and was constantly warned that he might run into any walls, doorways, or poles if he kept doing that. It was as if everyone hadn't heard of "peripheral vision," he always thought. "Just let me read this page and I'll be able to do it. But to make things easier, turn on your stomach," he commanded as he locked the door, before going to Ludwig's side of the bed.
"…I don't have any movement in my legs, you know."
A vein popped in the boy's head. "What the hell?" he uttered roughly, the last of his formal speech long forgotten. "Did I forget to reactivate the nerves in your brain, too?"
"Wha…!" Ludwig was shocked. He had never thought his subordinate would be that blunt.
"You have arms, don't you? I'm not moving you myself!"
Though he was reluctant to do so, Ludwig maneuvered his body so that he was lying on his stomach, to keep Raiden's fists at bay. "What are you planning on doing?"
Raiden scanned through the procedure a couple more times for good measure. He placed his hands on the back of Ludwig's left thigh, doing the motions half-heartedly to memorize them one last time. "Just wait a little more. Who knows what will happen if I do this wrong." He felt the German's muscles tense up from the scare and relax from the command. Raiden moved his hands to Ludwig's right leg. "Alright. Here I go."
Everyone in the lounge turned his or her heads, with Feliciano pushing through a small group of people to get through the door, only to find that it was locked. This time, Ludwig's pained yell was audible through the thin barrier that was the door. It wasn't a scream to overlook; it resembled that of a demon from the underworld. It was a scream that Kiku had grown accustomed to, as it was usually a sign that Ludwig was recovered and back to health, or sober. The last time the German screamed like that was when he had gotten drunk off his gourd and ended up in bed with a certain northern Italian. And it wasn't because Feliciano snuck into his room.
Really. What could the boy have done to make Ludwig scream like that?
Raiden did the same to the other leg: two strong punches at the thigh, a pressured stab with his fingertips at the back of the knee, and two knuckled jabs on the calf. The pressure point sent Ludwig's nerves rushing end-to-end with a wave of pain, causing the poor man to yell again, this time groaning into the pillow to keep his voice from being heard.
"Scheisse…!" Ludwig cursed in his native tongue, gripping the sheets into his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Warn me at least, Gott verdammt!"
"Oh, come on! You're a man, you can take it!" Raiden muttered, keeping his hands on Ludwig's leg to begin massaging the aching muscle. "That should do it. I highly recommend that you have Feliciano do this until your legs are back to full use. Go to Yao and have him to do acupuncture if it bothers you too much. These are Inukami-inflicted injuries, so their damages go really deep, even if you are a country with quick healing abilities."
"Ngh…why the hell should I?"
The boy clenched his teeth. "Bastard, just take what I give you! You've gotten freaking paranoid since we came here!" he snapped again. "Don't test me! I'll screw up your legs again and leave them that way!" Enough of this.
Ludwig turned onto his back, some of the strength in his legs returning. "You show your captain respect!" he attempted to command, but the younger had him by the collar. "Why you…"
"You stopped being my 'captain' when your body hit the floor!" The volume of Raiden's voice rose—and turned into German—enough to be louder than Alfred and Antonio's active voices combined. The raps on the door persisted, but he ignored them. "No, you stopped being my captain right when I left your house!" He pressed his forehead against the blonde's, the grip on his collar getting tauter. "In what name gives you a God damn right to keep me as your subordinate, huh? Who let you think that you have all the power? You'd think that after the War, you'd learn from your crazy boss's idiotic decisions! Even Roderich didn't agree to such a thing, and he was on your side!"
"I only put you through my training to teach you discipline!"
"Yeah? Well, that 'discipline' scarred the rest of my childhood! Who the hell puts a ten-year-old through that kind of torture? I'm surprised Feliciano made it out alive!
"I'm not your damn soldier anymore! Your own training that you find oh-so-easy to do ruined me! I would have been just fine having my father do it himself! To hell with your military training, Ludwig! This is your entire fault!" The only names Raiden was allowed to call the man were "Ruuto," "Ludwig-taichou," or simply "taichou," but the German man's name alone was out of the question. The captain-subordinate bond is destroyed. It's an empty shell now.
"So…it's my fault you turned out this way." The older of the two strained to maintain his composure, his hands balled into fists. It was a good thing he had cut his nails before the competition. He would have drawn blood if he had dug his fingers into his palms any deeper.
The boy's face was completely washed over with his fury. Though he had released his frustrations with his fists on the fighting platform, he still had a lot left over. Before, he was too depressed to even confront the blonde, let alone confront his own emotions. It was difficult enough dragging him out of the room whenever the German arrived for a short visit the year after Raiden's training with him ended. The year after that, the boy cut himself off from international affairs, and denied any of the envoys entering the property. Even poor Peter, who, after so long, was finally recognized by his own brother—Arthur being greatly disinclined to do so—only to be denied by the first person he wanted to tell. And Raivis, who had gotten stronger and more mature in the past few decades, had to deal with that mess.
"Did I stutter?" Raiden let go of Ludwig's shirt collar with a push. He sat on the bed's ledge, facing away from the German. "Damn it, I have a headache…" he quietly groaned, holding his head by his temples and closing his eyes. "Right when I win, I have to deal with the rest of this crap."
"…I knew it would end up this way…"
The boy opened his eyes. He turned around, and saw Ludwig not making eye-contact. "What?"
"I said I knew it would end up this way," Ludwig said a little louder, sitting up to put his forearm on top of his upright knee. "I knew I overworked you, but…for some reason, I wasn't able to stop."
"The hell you trying to pull?" Raiden asked almost silently, showing disbelief in his voice. "I'm not falling for—"
"I'm not lying." When the boy didn't answer, Ludwig continued to explain. "Even after all these years, I still have that desire for power that man forced upon. The need of order and precision. Even after the wall was destroyed and our freedom was returned, I needed the feel of dominance. I didn't want any mortals involved in this, so I just went after the envoys, and…"
"…You redirected your need for dominance on me."
Ludwig hid his face in his propped up hand, his shame rising. "I didn't want to hurt Feli. He's already changed me so much since we got married. But he couldn't change this ridiculous, unneeded flaw of mine."
Earth. Stand your ground. Fire. Burn out your enemy's internal fuel to nothing. Air. go at a swift and unpredictable pace. Water. Keep at an unending flow.
…Metal. To be easily twisted and manipulative.
"You held back on me," Raiden realized, turning his whole body so he faced the man. "I knew your attacks weren't at full force. You held back on me, didn't you, Ludwig?" He was quiet for a moment to wait for a response, but the German didn't look back at him. "I put everything into my attacks, only to find out you went half-assed on me? That what I get for putting up with your shit?" Again, no answer. "God damn it, answer me…
"Ludwig—!"
"So what if I did?" It was Ludwig's turn to grab the collar of Raiden's tank top, and in addition, pushed the boy down onto his back. "Do you think you deserve getting beat around like a punching bag?" he barked, his jugular vein sticking out of his neck. Ludwig's German was scary compared to the boy; with his low voice range and hot temper, no one ever wanted to make him angry. "And do you think I wanted to hurt you any further than I did when you were younger? No, I don't think so!"
"Lud—"
"Why would I want to hurt you when I've already seen you break right in front of me during that fight?" he asked, giving the boy a slight scare with his glower. The man blinked, and the glare in his eyes became drastically smaller. "Whenever I came to visit, your father is always telling me that you locked yourself up in your room. I never wanted to bother you, seeing as you made it out on your own. However…I may be just holding onto the past a little too much." He looked away, biting his bottom lip to try to keep what was left of his stoic nature. "I overworked you during training, I didn't listen to anyone when I tried to handle you myself…I know it's my fault." Ludwig let go of the boy's shoulders and pushed back so his legs were tucked in, still keeping his eyes away from sight. "The fact that I made a child go under constant military training…for so many years, isn't that what we were trying to avoid? Heh, I'm making such a great example.
"Here I am in Sapporo, expecting the best of my ability, only to get beat up by a seventeen-year-old," he chuckled softly. "I deserved it. All of it. And I'm so sorry you had to put up with me."
"Ludwig." Raiden sat cross-legged as he pushed himself back upright. His face was slightly blank at first, but became more agitated as the silence passed on. "Seriously…" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's about time you realized your own idiocy. It only took how many years? Are you really that dense?" Raiden glanced at him, seeing Ludwig's mouth forming a little smirk. He exhaled through his nose. "What are you looking smug about? You'd think that I'd be 'moved' from what you said? Simply telling me all your regrets and 'I'm so sorry you had to put up with me,' and you think that's going to cut it? Tch, I don't think so."
I'm guessing this is what Kiku was telling me, huh?
"Funny how you're able to say that when tears are pouring out of your eyes…Raiden."
There were blotchy tear stains on the mahogany bed sheets, with more to come. Raiden rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears, but to no avail. He blinked a few times to keep his sight from getting blurry. More tears trickled down his face, though he treated like it was nothing. "What's that supposed to mean, idiot?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was about to break. Despite that, he kept his ground. "I'm not crying."
"You clearly are," the blonde calmly stated, instinctively reaching out to wipe Raiden's tears with his thumb. "I remember when you were younger, I was no good to you for things like this, especially when you cried," he reminisced with a pained expression as he held the boy's face. "Feli had to get you to calm down while Lovino was busy trying to make you laugh. I felt like everyone but I was taking care of you. Yao and Elizaveta made you sweets, Alfred gave you piggy-back rides, and Arthur told you stories to help you sleep."
"I told you I'm not crying, stupid." Raiden grabbed Ludwig's wrist and tried to push his hand away, but the man's hand made its way to ruffling his hair.
"You always called me names before you started to cry, and ran off to find Feli before you did."
"I said I'm not—"
"That's right, you're older now. How silly of me, reminiscing like an old man. I know you wouldn't cry from those sorts of memories since I never did anything, right? With every country we traveled to, everyone else took care of you for me. Affection was never my forte. I wonder how I won over Feliciano in my past life in the first place.
"Now that I think about it, I don't believe I have to deal with that. As you said before, I'm not your father.
"I'm not your captain either."
The next thing he knew, Raiden found himself being embraced by the man who was his former captain. His captain, the man who persistently shouted orders at the boy until his ears rang. This man, Ludwig, who pushed him to the brink, where the razor blade he walked on made his heels bleed. This was the same Ludwig who did nothing but throw him around like a rag doll, taking away the last few years of his childhood to become like a soldier. That man chose now to approach and be soft and gentle towards the boy, enough to the point where the gap between them closed. They were in an actual embrace, which Raiden did not return. How could he? All these actions left him completely flustered. Has the German finally lost it?
After years of pushing everyone away, his judgment has now blinded. To forgive or not was his only choice now.
"Wha…?" Raiden's arms were at his sides, having no intention of returning the hug. "W-what do you think you're d-doing? Let me go!" The boy struggled to break free by wriggling his arms to push away the man by his chest, but Ludwig tightened his grasp. He stared at the man's chest, and found his tears staining his tank top. "Namida ga tomaranai," he breathed, giving into the fact that he wasn't going to stop crying at any time soon. "Yarou…zenbu temee no sei da!" Raiden then cried in his native language, his sobs becoming audible.
Ludwig sighed, and rubbed the boy's back to try to get him to calm down. Raiden trembled from the tender touch, mumbling a "yamero" to have him stop, but kept his hand on the boy's back. This child was always so bothersome. "Hai hai," he answered. Ludwig's Japanese was smooth and fluent, his accent nowhere to be heard. "Shitte iru zo."
"Omae nanka kirai da…"
"Sore mo da."
What is wrong with me, the boy asked himself, burying his face further into Ludwig's tank top. Here I am with the last person I would want to be with, guard completely down, letting him hug me like this while I'm letting myself cry my eyes out. Raiden made a lazy effort to wipe away his drying tears by rubbing his eyes against the man's tank top. He stared at his hands that were still on Ludwig's chest, completely stained from his sobbing. This may be childish of me. On a vulnerable impulse, Raiden's hands left Ludwig's chest to wind around his torso, making the German tense.
Alright, I admit it. Maybe he's not all at fault. He was only training me how a commander should. I was the one who thought that this would come easy to me. Instead of facing all of my problems head-on and solving them immediately, I cowered away from everything and made everyone worry. I'm also at fault for making him think such a thing. Ludwig already thought he was the one who caused my break-down before I even told him.
"Ludwig," said Raiden, raising his head from hiding to look at the man. A chiseled jaw, golden-locks, sky-blue eyes, and precious muscles were his distinct features. For some, they were not put into consideration. A familiar pink tint surfaced and Raiden hid his face in Ludwig's tank top again. "Idiot. Don't think that you're the only one who's at fault here," he mumbled, letting the rest of his tears fall out. An Aryan beauty, Francis would always say.
"W-what?"
"M-maybe…maybe it's not all your fault, I mean," Raiden said aloud, letting go of Ludwig's torso to sit back up, his legs crossed and eyes averted. His tears had finally stopped, prompting him to rub his eyes with the back of his wrist. "I never thought that you'd be the most worried out of everyone else. Honestly, I kind of expected fratello or Arthur to worry about me. I'm the one who had done nothing but do nothing about any of the issues I created myself. Instead I concluded that everything that posed a hindrance to all my family and friends had been my fault. Kira's rejected dual citizenship, my elders and superiors handling my problems for me, everything. Because of all that, I secluded myself. I even made you care about me." Since his face was out of sight yet again, Raiden frowned at what he was about to do. He bowed his head before the older man. "Please forgive me for all the trouble I've caused you. Ludwig-taichou," he strained to say, that last part souring his tongue. That is the very last time he's going to be using that title. "My prolonged absence has caused nothing but disorder."
"Raiden…"
"W-what? That quick? You're kidding me!" Alfred shouted into the speaker of his cell, his glasses almost falling off the bridge of his nose because of how quickly he sat up. "Within a few months? You sure that will do it?" he questioned.
"Don't underestimate the Council's abilities, Alfred," said Yoshirou's voice through the receiver. Alfred wanted to keep the volume at its lowest to keep Kila from hearing, but with all the noise being made in the lounge, that wasn't necessary. Instead, Alfred had to raise his volume. "We're able to eliminate a human very easily. However, this large-scale eradication requires memory removal of all the people who are connected to all those representatives."
"This really surprises me how I never realized this."
"After removal, the Council will replace every job in your government with an Inukami representative. And an emergency election will be held to replace your president. New laws will be passed, but they won't be forceful."
"Thank you so much, Yoshirou. I really appreciate it."
"We will also be sure to approve Kira's American citizenship, effective immediately. One of our prized branches does not deserve to be treated that way."
"Seriously, I don't know how to thank you!"
"Then how about visiting this old man once in a while?" Yoshirou snapped, Alfred flinching away from the receiver. "You're lucky I was on your side during the War!"
"I'm sorry! I've just been really busy lately, I swear!"
"You better visit me in my lodge next month, or I'm going to get you at D.C!"
"I promise I'll visit during Christmas! Please don't barge into my house!"
"Al, who are you talking to?" Arthur asked, stepping towards Alfred from the side and wrapping an arm around the American's neck. His free hand was occupied by a half-empty glass of wine. "You're looking a little anxious."
Alfred tensed. "Listen, dude, I got to go!" he changed his tone, the fact that Yoshirou was still "dead" crossing his mind. "My wife is calling me! I'll talk to you later, alright?"
"What? Since when did you have a—" Alfred slammed his phone closed and stuffed it into his jacket's pocket. He then felt Arthur's arm tightening around his neck to put him into a strangle hold. "C-crap…!"
"You damn git!" the Brit shouted in Alfred's ear. "You promised me that we weren't going to label ourselves!"
"O-ow! Sorry! I didn't tell the guy I was talking to that we married, so that was the first thing that popped into my head!" Alfred turned around to put his hands on Arthur's hips. "Besides, you always hit me whenever I tell people I know."
"I don't always—"
"Alfred!" the Italian called. The American turned, keeping his hands on Arthur's hips. "I need a favor from you."
"Sure, Feli, anything," he complied. "Something the matter?"
"Ludwig and Raiden were in that room for a long time. I'm getting really concerned now. Didn't you hear that scream Ludwig made earlier?"
"How can't I? It scared the crap out of me! Ow!" Arthur pinched Alfred's side. It was clear that he had been letting himself go. "What did I do this time?"
"Watch your language, Al," Arthur scolded. "Feliciano's still older than you."
"Oh, like your mouth is any cleaner. Drunk or sober."
"Alfred," Feliciano tried to get his attention back into check. "I need you to open the door for me. I'm no good strength-wise."
"Feli, you realize we're in a hotel, right? I can't do that. And it's called a 'key,' you know."
"The keys are in that room! It's fine!" the older of the two persisted, waving a hand. "I'll pay for the damages later! I just want to check on them!"
Alfred turned his head to look at Arthur. The Brit shrugged, and released his hold around Alfred's torso to slap his shoulders. "Just do it," he said, "I'm getting kind of worried for those guys, too."
The American nodded once. "Okay, fine. I'll do it, but don't expect much. I'll probably just break off the doorknob."
"That's all I need."
"Good." Alfred went to the door where Ludwig and Raiden were, and ran a hand down the door's texture. He glanced at the doorknob, smirking. "Just as I thought. The door's pretty strong, but the knob's really weak," he observed under his breath. "There's no problem in this." But before he could do anything, Alfred pressed his ear against the door, trying to listen in on the conversation on the other side. In a few seconds, the American's face contorted slightly, his mouth trying not to crack into his usual, stupid grin. "I can't believe this!"
"You…!" The younger of the two was being crushed by his former captain's bear hug, which was stronger than the bear hug the American on the other side of the door had given him. Raiden was glad that his hands were wedged in-between; since the jewel wasn't around his neck, he managed to push Ludwig away to keep himself from suffocating by transforming. He got some air back into his lungs, but the man didn't back away.
"Mein Gott, since when were you ever this cute?" Ludwig exclaimed, trying to bring the boy closer. "Now I really regret not caring for you when you were younger! What the hell are you apologizing for?"
"You really are just as idiotic as everyone else, aren't you?" Raiden yelled back, lifting his leg to kick the German's chest and kick him off the bed. Having enough, he got off the bed to lift Ludwig to his feet and push him towards the door. The person outside the room actually had high hopes to break the door. "I could report for you for harassment!" The door was opened, and the two in front of it got out of his way. "This is what I get for being friends with adults when I was a kid! Excepting you!" he griped, shoving Ludwig outside. He briskly walked outside to grab his girlfriend, who was on the other side of the lounge, to drag her inside the room, locking the door once again.
"Damn. I really wanted to break the door down, too," Alfred said under his breath. "I haven't had a good hit since…" He glanced at Arthur, who looked like he had a few more glasses than expected. Turning back, he stepped away when Feliciano threw himself into Ludwig's arms, and decided to get a drink for himself by going to the Brit, grabbing his refilled glass of wine away and chugging it down. "But this kind of works, too."
"Ludwi-i-i-g! Are you all right now?" cried Feliciano with tearful eyes. "What happened while you were in there? I heard you two yelling at each other so much!" He clutched onto the fabric. "Don't scare me like that again. You should already realize how strong Raiden is by now."
"Feliciano…" Ludwig put a hand on the Italian's side, and lifted his head by his chin with the other. "I'm sorry that I've made you restless this whole month, liebe," he apologized, lightly kissing him on the lips. "I'll make it up to you as much as I can on the way home, okay? I promise."
Feliciano pouted. The German wasn't going to be let off so easily. He was beating everyone into pulp for years. The first few times Ludwig won were thought to be just luck by his side. Raiden's entrance into the competition was recorded as the youngest participant to have won. After his departure, the former military man began to get more harsh and relentless towards the other teams and representatives. He showed no mercy for Italy's team seven years before, the same time as Raiden's entry, and that completely crossed the line. Since then, everyone plotted against Ludwig for Raiden to put him in his place.
"Ludwig, the boy hasn't come out of the room yet," Feliciano said, pushing Ludwig away to keep some distance, much to his surprise. "I'm not going to forgive you until I see that Raiden is all right. Capisce?"
"W-was? Ich verstehe nicht." What has happened to his Italian, thought Ludwig. Feliciano is usually following his orders. "What are you saying?"
"What, ya' can't understand English, idiota?" a slurred, Italian-accented voice cursed, a small hiccup following right after. Lovino had his left arm hung around Gilbert's neck for support, while a bottle of red wine was in his right hand. He took a large draught from the spout, loudly swallowed, and almost stumbled as the Prussian tried to help him walk over to the large man. "God damn, you're freaking dense! I thought you'd catch on by the time you woke up! Looks like you're not as smart as you say you are! Haha!" the southern Italian cackled, throwing his head back, only to fall back and spill some red wine on the wooden floor. "Whoops! Hey, you're not Antonio!" He tried to hit Gilbert with the bottom of the wine bottle, the Prussian fortunately ducking and dodging the blow. "Bastard, stay still! I'm not done with you either, ya' damn potato!"
"Fratellone, what happened?" Feliciano reached out to take the bottle away. "It's only been a few minutes since you started drinking!"
"Bruder, please don't tell me you are, too." Ludwig made a face, afraid that he'll have to take care of him for the rest of the day. He was also surprised at how quiet he had become. "H-how much did you have while I was gone? You reek of beer!"
"Nah, I'm not that drunk," Gilbert replied, taking Lovino off his shoulders to give to the younger Italian. He stumbled as he walked closer, falling smack onto Ludwig's torso. "But I think I am buzzed enough to realize that you're lookin' pretty sexy there, West!" Gilbert shouted while grabbing his younger brother's shoulders. "Give your bruder a kiss!"
"That means you are drunk! Get off of me, Ost!" Ludwig pushed away Gilbert's face. "Remember that I'm a married man!"
"Don't be a jerk and kiss me-e-e-e!"
"So, what happened in here? That was a lot of noise you two made," said Sakura, relieved that Raiden took her away from that mess of a party. "Everyone was tired of waiting, so Gilbert and Elizaveta called up room service for drinks."
"Speaking of alcohol…" Raiden trailed off, opening the mini fridge that was next to the dresser. Rummaging through the shelves of soda and sparkling water, he took out a flask of vodka from the back of the fridge, popping off the cap and taking big gulps before slamming the flask on the top of the dresser. "This will have to do," he coughed, his eyes turning crimson to eliminate the alcohol. "It's not strong enough, though."
"Raiden, leave the vodka and come here," Sakura requested. "It's not like you to drink alcohol so deliberately."
"Anything to keep myself from destroying everything in sight. I need to relax." He grabbed the flask by the spout, about to take it with him to the bed.
"I said to leave the vodka there." Sakura became stern, worried that the boy may end up like the rest of the drunkards out in the lounge, trying to forget their troubles by drowning in booze. "Tell me what happened, Raiden, not the alcohol."
Raiden took another gulp and burned off the alcohol before joining her on the bed. He lied back on the pillow, pulling Sakura towards him so she lied on her stomach on top of him. "Ludwig told me that he was sorry," he said, hugging her tightly. "That was before I told him that that it was his fault for ruining what was left of my childhood."
"What? How could you say that?" Sakura pushed herself off from Raiden's embrace, but his grip was too difficult to get out of. "Ngh! You weren't thinking when you said that, were you?"
"I know I wasn't. I told you, right?" He averted his eyes, looking up at the ceiling instead. "He did nothing but work me close to death that whole year, while I had to find others to get comfort from. If he wasn't any good at that, he could have just said so without me having to think that he's some sort of villain who wants to screw up my life."
"You have to consider his position, Raiden." Sakura had the boy turn his head to look at her. "Besides having Gilbert as a doting brother, he had to deal with order after order from his boss back in the War. There was no time for him to learn what being gentle was. It was obvious the motto was 'show no mercy' in his boss's book. Ludwig was probably broken after that, too, because he wasn't able to do anything at that time. It's why he wants to feel dominant over everyone else."
Raiden could feel his face turning red, the vodka taking effect. Though he did burn off most of the alcohol, he left some of it for himself. All seven gulps. "There's just one thing, though," he added, trying to keep his focus.
"And what is that?"
"I admit it was my fault as well for not complying to such training." The alcohol finally got to him. "I was merely a child, unable to understand; I had forgotten my position as the eldest son of the family, heir to the fortune. I should have just bit my tongue and dealt with it. It was my responsibility, and I messed that up."
"You need to meet half-way, Raiden. There's no point in dropping all of the weights on one side. You pushed them onto Ludwig's side, and now you're putting it onto your side. You're just hurting yourself." Sakura pushed away Raiden's fringe, running her thumb across his cheek. "You didn't get rid of all of it, you liar."
Raiden took Sakura's hand into his, softly kissing each of her knuckles. "No matter. I said I was sorry, but he said there was no need. Got pissed off even more, and now I'm not sure if I want to forgive him. I said all my confessions without a second thought, and that's how he replies? Heh, there's another reason to get drunk off my ass."
Sakura pushed herself higher to be at eye level with the boy, giving him a kiss long enough to leave him a little hazy (considering that he had a buzz). "I'm just glad you told him. It's a start. And please don't talk so vulgar like that again."
"Sakura." He had his hand enveloped in Sakura's hair, pulling her in for another kiss. "One more thing."
"What?"
"I missed you so much. Just being together in the night isn't enough for me."
"You are drunk."
"You could say that."
As he was about to pull her in for another kiss, Raiden turned themselves over so he was on top. Then—
"Ra-a-a-ide-e-e-n!" Loud knocks interrupted his actions, causing him to sober up a little. It was Alfred's voice; he did not want to be caught doing something like this again. He just can't win, can he? "You better not be doing anything perverted in there!" he called out through the door. He was right on the spot. "Do I have to break the door this time?"
"N-no, you don't need to do that!" Raiden replied, giving Sakura one last kiss before getting off the bed. "We'll be out in a few minutes!"
"Ah, so you are doing something perverted!"
"It's nothing like that!"
"Ah! I almost forgot!" Sakura sat up. "Raiden, Ludwig said he had something to give you. He would have given it to you earlier this month, but he told me that you ran away before he could take it out of his suit pocket. "
"What could that bastard possibly want to give me?" he inquired, the thought of the German being generous making him cringe. "He just kicked me around until I punched him into the wall."
"Well, that's the reason he wanted to give it to you." Sakura sat on the bedside, checking the drawers of the nightstand that was near. "Look inside the drawers beside Ludwig and Feliciano's bed. I got nothing here, seeing as this is Antonio's side." She lied; there was actually a strip of Trojans and a small bottle of viscous liquid in the bottom drawer.
"I really can't think of anything." Raiden went over to the small nightstand by the other bed, looking in the top drawer to find only key cards and Ludwig's journal. He stifled a laugh, taking all his will-power not to read through it cover-to-cover since it was obvious it's going to be all about Feliciano in every page. Even when he's complaining about stressful business days, he found a way to sneak his spouse into the lines. The second drawer contained a stack of "The Divine Comedy," all three books, and Ludwig's reading glasses. Feliciano had been pressing him to read it, and Ludwig had no choice but to gladly comply. A bookmark was found halfway through "Purgatorio," and "Inferno" was found on the bottom of the stack, the man's interest in epic poems becoming distinct.
"This guy's really dedicated," he said quietly as he opened the third drawer, finding a small box wrapped in plain paper. It had a piece of white string tied around it in a little bow, along with Ludwig's name on the recipient stamp. Raiden pulled off the string and tossed it on top of the nightstand, and kicked the drawer closed. "So, he did get me something."
The sound of the drawer closing caught Alfred's attention as he had his ear pressed against the door again. "Hey, Ludwig!" he shouted at the German, stepping away from the door. "I think Raiden found something in your room! Is there anything important in there?"
Ludwig's face turned grim and alarmed, the people around him beginning to step away from whatever looked destroyable (which were their bodies). He took urgent strides towards the door, violently shaking the doorknob to find it locked once again. Ludwig walked back, finding Raiden's father near the room's exit. Hopefully, he'll find him sober. "Li! Put the beer bottle down!"
Luckily, there was no red tint on Li's face. He looked up, taking in one last sip from his beer bottle, and shaking it to find it empty. "Problem?" he questioned, going over to the cart containing the alcohol to dispose his bottle. "Are you worried the boy and his girlfriend are doing something in there?"
"That's not the case here! Raiden found the—"
The sound of the tape ripping off the brown paper found its way into the two men's ears.
"—box."
Li shot a look at the door. "God damn." The both of them rushed to the other side of the lounge, and Li frantically knocked with an open hand. "Raiden, you open this door right now! This is your father talking to you!" he demanded, waiting for a few seconds for an answer before punching the door in frustration. "Damn it all! What are we supposed to do now?"
"Anata?" said Kila, overhearing the clamor. "What happened?"
"A-ah…" Li's voice trailed off, his train of thought derailing. "Nothing…to worry about?"
"You never told her, did you?" Ludwig slapped Li's arm. "I thought you said you would tell your wife everything."
"It never came up!" he promptly answered with gritted teeth.
"What never came up?" Kila grabbed Li's loose tie, tightening it so it was close to choking his throat. "Li, what have you been hiding? To what extent should I punish you?"
"Kila, please! I'll tell you! You don't have to do that!"
"I'm waiting!" Kila's grip on his tie loosened so she could cross her arms.
"Alright." Li said quietly. He pointed at the door with his thumb. "The reason Ludwig and I want to get in that room is because Raiden found a box containing…something. It was something that he wasn't supposed to receive until we were home."
"Oh, my God!" Kila cried; her hand that was going to be used to slap the German in the face was stopped by Li. "I knew you were still into 'that,' Ludwig! What in the world were you thinking?"
"T-there's nothing of the sort in that box!" Ludwig reacted by flinching away from the woman's movement. "Why the hell would I even give such a thing to the boy?"
"Then what did you give to my son?"
Raiden ripped off the brown paper, revealing a carved, wooden box with an index card taped to the top of it. He pulled it off, and began to read it. "'Please consider this gift a token of my gratitude and highest respect,'" he said aloud. "'If this doesn't change your views of me, however, that's also fine. Even so, my views of you have drastically turned around. Turn over.' What?" Raiden did as read and flipped over the card. "'As long as you wear what is in this box, make sure that this statement stays with you always. Open the box.'" Again, he did as read. A golden plaque was found under the box's lid. "'Takahashi Raiden is hereby awarded with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, for the achievement of surpassing Ludwig Beilschmidt, former general of the German Army.'"
Everyone in the lounge chose sobriety over intoxication; the chance of hearing the story of a lifetime was too good to pass up. Bottles and glasses were disposed of onto the cart, the beer and wine were replaced by water and soda, and the ones who were too inebriated were put to rest.
"'Surpassing?' Is that another term for 'you kicked my ass,' Ludwig?" scoffed Lovino, a slight slur still found in his speech. "You really know how to sugar-coat it."
"Fratellone, please." Feliciano lightly slapped his brother's arm. "Ludwig, what made you want to do this?"
Ludwig leaned against the door and crossed his arms. He looked at all the eyes that were set on him, and sighed. "I never forgot."
"Ludwig, you sure about this?" Li asked, still afraid that he's going to get a beating later. The German turned his head with his hand to have him see all the attention.
"It's not like I have a choice, Li."
"An Iron Cross?" Sakura stood up to sit on the other bed. "Raiden. Isn't an Iron Cross only received if you made from sort of esteemed achievement on the battlefield?"
Raiden stumbled back, landing on the bed with his eyes still fixed on the iron symbol. He took the cross out of the embedded confine of felt, the cold metal sending chills deep into his nerve endings. "With golden oak leaves, swords, and diamonds," he said. Sakura looked at the symbol, but only saw a chain attached to the cross. He chuckled. "Ludwig got the maker to melt all that into the chain. A large diamond was fused to the cross with titanium to use as a loop for the chain. And the certificate of award is on the bottom of the box."
"You got all that from just looking at it?"
"No, it says right here on the index card," Raiden stated, taking out the index card, only to be hit on the arm. "Ah!"
"Anyway…what do you mean Ludwig knew what you did?"
"Throughout that entire year, I noticed that Raiden never looked at me directly in the eye," explained Ludwig. Some people turned heads in the confusion, but continued to listen.
Raiden set the box down on the night stand, and clutched the Iron Cross in his right hand. "I could never do it. And yet, every night, I'd sneak out of my guest room and into the bedroom he and fratello shared." He felt his free hand being held; he squeezed it as a silent response. "Sometimes they'd let me sleep in their bed because I kept having nightmares almost every night. Arthur's food never treated me nicely."
Arthur sneezed. "Ah, shoot."
"I thought it was only because he had nightmares, but while we slept, I'd always find Raiden standing at my bedside during certain nights. He wouldn't say anything. It didn't look like he had another nightmare, either."
"That's right…" Feliciano said; the attention turned to him. "There was that one time I woke up and asked what he was doing, and he didn't say anything and ran back to the guestroom."
"Why would you go in there? I thought you—"
"I know. That's not the reason I went in there, though. It's also the reason I never looked him in the eyes whenever he talked to me."
Feliciano went next to Ludwig. "When I fell asleep, he'd turn over to your side, right? He wouldn't come close to you, though."
"Then why?"
Raiden looked at the door.
Ludwig reached into his pocket and found a key to the room.
"He was looking at something else."
"I was looking at something else."
"Almost turned into every night," Ludwig went further into his memories. "Raiden would sneak into the middle of the bed, always facing my side."
"I'd take his Iron Cross in my hand. Every time I did that, I tried not to choke him, even though I wanted to so badly."
"I kept waking up with a chain mark on my neck the next morning when he did." He took his own Iron Cross in his hand and stared at it. "Then I hear him whisper at a slight volume."
"Besides just staring at it, I end up thinking aloud." Raiden felt his eyes burning, so he closed his eyes and kept them shut. "Saying the same thing every night."
"What…what did you say?"
"What did he say again?" Feliciano wondered. "I was awake, too, but I was half-asleep when I heard him."
The German exhaled through his nose. "I can't seem to remember," he said in jest, putting the key inside the keyhole and unlocking the door, carefully opening it ajar. "Maybe something might jog my memory."
"Raiden?"
"'Don't you dare give this to me to ask for my forgiveness,'" the boy quoted himself, "'I don't want to be bribed. Don't give it to me like you did with Feliciano, either.'"
Ludwig leaned his shoulder against the doorway and continued when the boy paused, "'I'm not your friend, nor your soldier. Someday, you will give me one of the highest degree. Do not treat me like another useless subordinate you get to kick around.'"
"'I'm going to win.'"
"'You are going to respect me.'"
"And I'm not going to have it any other way," they both said, "because I've already become your equal."
"How mature for a ten-year-old boy to say," said the German, getting the boy's attention. "You didn't even know I was awake, did you?"
Raiden opened his eyes and looked at the man, quickly putting the Iron Cross back in the box and closing it. "L-Ludwig? I didn't—"
"To be honest, I knew that you always wanted that Iron Cross. I heard you saying that to me every single night when you were younger."
"T-Taichou," he said from reflex, "I—"
"Taichou?" the man repeated, taking his shoulder off the doorway and taking a step inside the room. "That means 'captain,' right? I don't believe I'm your captain."
"W-what are you—"
"Well, I am a former general, but I don't think I was ever a 'captain.' You're Takahashi Raiden, correct?" he paused, waiting for the boy to respond. Raiden gave him an unsure nod. "Oh, right, you trained under someone when you were younger. I can't seem to remember his name, but…I think he's dead." The German looked over his shoulder, and saw his audience overcome with surprise, the boy, confused. He chuckled quietly. "Yeah. I heard he died with his comrades back in '45. His body was never found, but people say I'm a dead ringer for him. I just don't see it."
Raiden got off the bed to hurry to close and lock the door, leaving the German to ramble on. This guy is such a pain in the ass! Turning around after taking his hands off the doorknob, his eyes met straight into Ludwig's sky-blue ones. "You know what I think?" he asked, taking a look past the man's muscle at Sakura. She gave him a nod, so he nodded as well. Raiden pulled Ludwig's tank top straps back and headbutted him in the chest. "I think that you're an idiot."
"My name is Ludwig, did you know that?"
"Oh, shut up! I get it already!" he shouted, trying not to laugh at the German's useless attempt at making a joke. A smile unconsciously broke out of its emotionless confines. He was never good at being funny. It was only funny if he was hurt—with Raiden there to cause it. "Thank you," he mumbled, hiding his face.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."
He had no choice. "I said 'thank you,' you idiot! Don't have me say it again!"
"I may have also lost count on how many times you called me an idiot in the past hour. How many times was it? Tell me."
"Will you stop it already?"
It's weird, Sakura thought to herself, looking on to the lively pair in front of her. She took the box to have another look at the Iron Cross, admiring the simple detail. Seeing Raiden act completely different than he usually does with me seems so strange. Hmm? Then she found one missing detail on the Iron Cross. There's no swastika. Instead, there was the Takahashi emblem in the middle of the cross. Even to go as far as to replace an emblem on a military symbol. Ludwig really is dedicated to get Raiden to forgive him. Sakura closed the box and set it back on the nightstand. "Yappari henna yatsu da yo."
"Sakura?" The call of her name caught her focus. Raiden was pushing Ludwig towards the door, but the man was resisting. "Did you say something?" he asked with a rather guilty look on his face, but his smile was still there. "Sorry for just leaving you there. This guy won't…leave!" He elbowed Ludwig in the back. "Will you get out?"
"I'm trying not to be a bother, but you making it difficult for me to do so!"
"Yeah, I do." She pushed herself off the bed, going to the boy to stand at his side. "There's nothing wrong. It's just that…" Sakura took the boy's hands away from the blonde's back.I said I'd help get his life get back on track. Keeping her expression straight, she put her index fingers at the corners of his mouth. It's a strange way to do it, though.
"It's just that…your smile is really refreshing!" she laughed, pushing the corners of his mouth to force a wider grin.
"What are you doing?" Raiden asked, taking her hands to pull them away from his mouth. "It's been only a few minutes, and you're already acting weird."
"I'm just saying that you should smile more often." She was pulled into another kiss, the door was closed again, and the former general was gone. The kiss was returned just as sincerely.
"My mother put you up to this, didn't she?" he asked. "You looked at my picture again?"
"You're always so tense whenever I look at your face." Sakura put her arms around his neck, pressing their foreheads together. "It's better for your health if you stay relaxed like this."
"The thing is that I'm only relaxed when I'm alone with you, though." Raiden closed the gap between them and kissed her once more. "I can't seem to talk to you when other people are around I don't feel like sharing you either; you're just too precious to me." He kissed her forehead. "Besides, I'm selfish. I just want you all to myself."
Sakura shook her head. "You love me too much."
"That's just fine."
As they began to share another kiss, Yuko decided to open the door. Raiden pulled away from Sakura's lips, at the same time lessening his grip around her waist. Sakura let go of Raiden's neck, taking a step away from him, her face going red. Yuko, however, was not at all disturbed by the intimate affection.
"Wha…what is it, Yuko?" Raiden managed to ask. Why is it always me?
"You realize of course that I'm entirely okay with this, right?" Yuko asked, making him deeply blush as well. "I wanted to check for something Peter told me about." The newly recognized representative was known for being intrusive a few years back. Peter was also a hopeless motor mouth, and couldn't help but tell Yuko what he had seen the boy do. It was just so interesting to him after finding out; he had to let it out in the open.
Yuko took her brother's hand to take him out of the room, Sakura following close behind. The young girl took out a small Swiss Army knife that Vash had given her while the couple was occupied, just in case she ever ran into trouble. It wasn't like Yuko needed it, though; she was able to manipulate her white headband into a sword. The professional gunman went ahead and gave it to her in spite of that, but was refused of the Magnum he had in his gun case. The Inukami were more of the "hands-on" type of fighting style (they can deflect bullets anyway). Again, she was able to turn her headband into a sword.
All eyes on them, Yuko pulled the hem of Raiden's tank top, and had the knife's blade make contact with the stitches.
"What a second, Yuko, what are you trying to—?
Yuko tore the tank top up the middle, exposing the boy's torso. She added to the destruction of by cutting off the straps, the now useless fabric falling on the floor. His large scars from fighting were shown, along with the permanent lightning strike tattoo that was on his back. Another thing was exposed: the Iron Cross tattoo that was drawn where Raiden's heart was.
"Peter, you were right!" Yuko poked at the tattoo on her brother's chest. "My brother does have an Iron Cross here!"
"I told you, Yuko!" the Sealandic said, standing up. "You should have believed me in the first place!"
"Well, I didn't think he would, okay?"
Everyone gawked at the design, hoping to God that the ink was temporary. Kila held Li back by his arms to keep from murdering the boy, while Kyo and Yuki were too shocked to even move an inch. Ludwig had "surprise!" all over his visage; the thought of how the boy was obsessing over the military symbol for seven years came to mind.
All Sakura could do was cover her face and eyes to hide her embarrassment. Although, there was still something to be done about this problem. She pulled up the collar of her flannel shirt to hide the marks on her neck, taking off Raiden's jacket to put over his shoulders. She backed away, going to the other side of the lounge to sit next to Kiku until it was over.
The boy quickly put on the sleeves and zipped it up to the top, and took Yuko's Swiss Army knife, retracting the blade. It was amazing he wasn't that in much of a daze. "A-any reason w-why you had to do that, Yuko?" Raiden stammered as he asked. Then his voice decided to become louder. "In front of everyone in the lounge?"
"Oniichan, it's not like we're not related, so why not?" she put her reason as something that seemed understandable, but common sense was left out. "Peter told me that he saw an Iron Cross somewhere on your body. I never saw any on your arms or legs, so I guessed your torso was the last place to look." Yuko looked straight into her brother's eyes with complete honesty.
"Oh!" exclaimed Kila, hitting the outside of her fist on the palm of her other hand. "I remember now! Arthur was the only one Raiden would let in the house once a year!" She took a glance at the Englishman, who hid behind Alfred. "Raiden would always draw the Iron Cross on blank sheets of paper; he was crazy about the thing. If I found him drawing it, he would just throw it away, pretending he was just doodling on his homework. Li, do you—Li?" She noticed her husband getting closer to the boy, ready to choke him to death. "Li!"
"I hope it hurts real badly when you have that thing removed!" Li barked, struggling against Ludwig's hold by locking both of his arms from behind. "Let go of me, Ludwig!"
"Finally got you!" said Ludwig, keeping his composure. "And I'm really certain that the boy is wearing temporary ink."
"Arthur! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Ludwig is right! It is temporary ink!" Arthur emerged from hiding. "I thought it was just a phase, but then he kept asking me every year on the same day he came home from Ludwig's training!"
"Arthur, you never told me that you used to be a tattoo artist." Alfred left to get another drink. "You don't tell me you were a tattoo artist, but you show the tattoo on—"
"Not! Another! Word!"
"That's enough!" Raiden punched the wall, silencing the chaos that began to stir. Seven Iron Crosses. One on the left shoulder, right shoulder. Then, one on the left ankle, the right ankle. Then the mind, the stomach, and the heart comes last, Raiden thought. "Seven years," he confessed, pulling down the zipper by a few teeth. "I had seven tattoos for every year for seven years, on the same day I finished Ludwig's training. I cleaned them off with rubbing alcohol to get another one."
Li pushed Ludwig back with all his strength, causing the both of them to fall on the ground. He got up and dusted off his sleeves with the back of his hand (with no intention of helping Ludwig get back up), and got close enough to his son to grab his collar. "Just give me a reasonable answer why you did it, and I won't have to punish you when we get home. Understand?"
"Like okaasan said, I was obsessed with the thing." Raiden gave a smirk. "Shirts that covered my upper arms. Pants, no matter what the season was. Collar shirts and now just a tank top. Left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, head, stomach, and chest. Took me a while to come up with that clothing pattern. I thought I wasn't able to hide anything from you." He lifted his leg to kick Li in the gut, sending him to the floor. "I stand corrected."
"I never understood why you still wore pants whenever it was hot, now that you mention that," Li groaned, grabbing his stomach in pain. "Why'd you do it?"
"The only way to keep my determination going. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Was talking to your mother or me out of the question?" He got up, and went over to unzip the boy's jacket, exposing the tattoo again. "I got to be honest. You did a pretty good job here, Artie!"
"Oh, dear God." The said Brit covered his face, which was turning red in seconds. "Can we please stop and continue the party? I can't take any more of this."
"Agreed." Ludwig snuck away to get a bottle of beer from the cart, hitting the spout against the edge of the top of the cart to pop off the cap. "It's been quite a while since I had a good—drink?" He turned the bottle to its label. Oettinger. "I would only buy Oettinger occasion, otherwise I'm running dry…
"Gilbert Beilschmidt!" the Prussian heard from the other side of the door as he began to speed-walk to somewhere that wasn't that hotel room, "how many boxes did you order from room service? You know how I'm tight on money right now!" Angry footsteps went over to the door, which was slammed open hard enough to almost break off the hinges.
Gilbert yelled when he switched to running, "Learn to indulge once in a while, brüderchen!"
"Not when I barely have any money in my wallet! You know I'm still recovering from that crisis!" Ludwig followed suit, running at his full speed. Gilbert had also been getting stronger, and was already keeping up after his younger brother put him through intense training to get his strength back after the War. Only a few thousand descendants began returning to the former ex-nation, but it's a start.
"You are seriously kidding me! My brüderchen can't be this weak!"
"Excuse me? Gilbert, you get back here!"
"Make me!"
"They're such a lively pair, those two," a certain Hungarian wife of the Prussian commented, looking out the door with a small grin on her face. "Ah, I really hope Gil doesn't get hit that badly this time," she sighed. "I don't remember how many times he got beat up. He just got recognized as a nation again only a few years ago, and he's already getting hurt."
"Elizaveta?" Raiden touched the Hungarian's shoulder for her attention. He gave a little smirk while zipping up his jacket again. "The beer isn't charged to Ludwig's room, is it, Elizaveta?"
"Yeah, it's been a long time since I had a good drink of Oettinger," Elizaveta nonchalantly answered, taking in a big swallow from her beer bottle. "Damn Ludwig and hiding all of his beer somewhere in his house. The beer was my idea; I called up room service to deliver the cart full of beer and some bottles of red wine here, but charged it to my and Gilbert's room. The fact that Ludwig is chasing after him is just a little misunderstanding."
"Does Gilbert know?"
"He agreed to the beer, that's what I can say. So, no." She handed him her bottle, raising her eyebrows once. "Drink up, Raiden. I never forget the scent of Putinka vodka."
Raiden took the bottle and a sip, smacking his lips. "Gilbert kept telling me how good this was. Despite being the best-seller, I didn't think he would be right," he said, handing her back the bottle. "You're happy with him, aren't you?" He didn't get a rejoinder, so he changed the question. "How long have you two been—?"
"Almost two decades, now," she answered, drinking more of her beer. "No one knows yet. And surprisingly, being married to Gilbert has left me really content with my life."
"Content?"
"Yup." Elizaveta finished off the rest of the golden beverage. "We barely fight anymore, we spend more than enough time together while Ludwig is at work, and during…" She trailed off, staring at her empty bottle while her face started to turn pink. "I can't really explain it, but there's more love for him than hate. I hate his personality and whole being, yet that makes me love him even more."
The boy nipped his bottom lip. "Love is a trivial thing, Eliza. Even I have no idea what's going on with my own relationship."
"Do you love her?"
"Of course!"
The woman lightly knocked the side of his head with the bottom of the bottle. "Then don't worry about it and let time do its magic."
Raiden held his head from where he was hit. "Eliza, are you drunk?"
She slowly turned her head to look at him. "Is it noticeable?"
The familiar sound of running footsteps approached once more. "Eliza-a-a-a-a!" screamed Gilbert, running back inside the room, "my brother is trying to kill me!" He hid behind his wife, hugging her from behind. "He's talking nonsense again!"
"Bruder!" Ludwig was close behind, and the atmosphere he was emitting was dark. "I got you now!" he growled, getting near the door before it was slammed in his face. "Raiden, open this door right this instant!"
"No, I don't think I will!" he teased, and his head was greeted with a resonating punch from the other side. "Ow!"
"You're going to be paying for all the beer when we get home!" Ludwig yelled. "Every single euro!"
"Gott, no matter how many years go by, he can still scare me like that!" The Prussian came out from hiding, but he was still holding onto Elizaveta's waist, his arms trembling from the adrenaline. "Eliza, did you tell him? There's no other way he could have found out."
"I was with you the whole time, dear," Elizaveta replied with the sobriety she had left. "How many did you have?"
"I-I only had a few." Gilbert looked at the cart, and his face turned dissatisfied. The whole cart was cleaned off, and the empty beer bottles were put back into the boxes for easy disposal. He looked straight ahead, and saw Matthias passed out on the couch with six beer bottles, two of which had toppled over. Lovino continued consumption, slapping his younger brother's hand away from taking his drink, with Arthur doing the same nearby. "Ah, verdammt," he cursed, having no choice but to go over and clean up most of the mess. "Hey, bastards! Would it kill you to get rid of your empty bottles after chugging' them down? And I wasn't even on my fourth bottle yet!"
The door was pounded on, and Raiden quickly stepped back when it swung open, the knob making an indent into the wall. Another cart full of beer of different brands rolled in by itself; the boy carefully went closer to the cart, and saw that five bottles' caps were popped off.
"If you want more to drink, bruder, then here it is…" The German entered with an empty beer bottle in his hand, dripping at the spout.
"You've got to be kidding…he finished six in a matter of minutes?" Raiden backed up even farther, Elizaveta doing the same, and yelled, "Hey, Gilbert? I think the beer intake in Germany just increased!
"Since Ludwig is the representative, the negative effects of the alcohol are cancelled out," Elizaveta stated, becoming sober. "The part where he gets drunk, however, is an exception!"
"You want beer?" Ludwig kicked the door closed, the loud impact bringing up everyone's focus. He slammed his hands on the cart, picking up another bottle and taking off the cap by hitting the spout against the cart's side edge. The German's usual composure, straight face, and all his inhibitions were gone. Even his slicked-back hair was undone. This was an appearance only the guys at the bar were allowed to see. "I got your beer right here, all nice and cold!" he roared, his words completely slurred. Ludwig took in large swigs of the beer, and the bottle was already half-empty. There was no way he was going to have any recollection of all this the next day. "You little drunk bastards!"
What a nice way to end a dry spell.
Excuse me for any grammatical errors or language mistakes. OTL
Note:
-After Germany and Italy got married, Germany decided to take Prussia's last name (Beilschmidt).
-Germany calls Prussia "Gilbert" instead of "bruder" only when he's really angry at him.
Translations (certain words are left out because of its obvious translation):
Taichou - Captain
Scheisse/Gottverdammt - Shit/God damn it
"Namida ga tomaranai." - "My tears won't stop."
Yamero - Stop it
"Yarou...zenbu temee no sei da!" - "Bastard...this is all your fault!" (for making him cry)
"Shitte iru zo." - "I know."
"Omae nanka kirai da." - "I hate you."
"Sore mo da." - "I know (you do)." (lit: "That too.")
"W-was? Ich verstehe nicht." - "W-what? I don't understand."
Fratello/fratellone - Brother/big brother
Bruder/brüderchen - Brother/little brother
"Yappari henna yatsu da yo." - "He really is a weird guy."
I'll submit the early chapters if you please review~!