New Chapter! Wooh!

Hey, thanks to the people that left a review or followed, it means a lot.

Same warnings as last time. Now onto the chapter

Gilbert was guilty for keeping secrets, especially from his brother. It had almost become a habit. He didn't even need to think as he came up with an answer for every question Ludwig could come up with.

"Why don't you go out anymore?" Ludwig would question.

"But being alone is too much fun!" Gilbert told his brother with a wide smile.

"Did you stay home again? Vati says you grades are going down," Ludwig would say.

"Oh, come one, I wasn't feeling well!" Gilbert would shout, appearing wounded at his brother's accusation.

"Brother, where did you get those scars?"

It had been a while since Ludwig had asked anything. It was the morning after Gilbert had made his countdown announcement online. He grinned carelessly but yanked the long sleeves of his gray t-shirt further down towards his wrists to cover what Ludwig had looked at.

"You know the stray cats around the neighborhood?" he asked, shoving a forkful of pancake into his mouth. Ludwig groaned and placed his head in his hands.

"Was it the white one again? Gilbert, I told you not to go near it," he scolded. Gilbert sighed in relief.

"But it's so cute," he argued. Ludwig merely shook his head.

"Isn't the bird enough?" he asked, still hiding behind his hands. Gilbert stood to put his dishes away but ruffled his brother's hair as he passed him.

"Nope! Now let's go, Vati will kill us if we're late again."

Gilbert's smile faded once he and Ludwig parted ways at school. Feliciano had barely dragged Ludwig away when a large hand clamped down on Gilbert's shoulder. With a grimace, he turned around to look at Ivan Braginsky.

"What do you want, Ivan?" he asked. The Russian smiled sweetly. It made Gilbert feel sick.

"My sister showed me what you posted. A countdown is a bit dramatic, don't you think?" he asked with a small head tilt to the side.

"I assume you would prefer me to do it now, ja?" Gilbert's crimson eyes did a quick scan of the halls to see who was around. A few students were standing at their lockers with an amused expression. The closest to him, Elizaveta Héderváry, scoffed and slammed her locker so she could turn to face him.

"Don't say things you don't mean Gilbert, it gets everyone's hopes up," she said. Gilbert felt a flare of hurt burn in his chest but he ignored it with a cocky grin.

"You too, Liza?" he asked even though she had taken part in the bullying for the past month or so. The Hungarian girl leaned back on the lockers and scowled.

"Don't call me that. You're lucky Roderich isn't here," she said. Gilbert barked a laugh once the girl's boyfriend was mentioned.

"Do not act so tough, malyutka. We all saw your post. But, I wonder what your brother would say if we showed him," Ivan said. Gilbert froze and stared at the Russian with wide eyes.

"You...you wouldn't," he growled. Ivan smiled a bit bigger and grabbed Gilbert's shoulder. He shoved the smaller boy against the lockers. Elizaveta stepped to the side and giggled.

"Wouldn't I?" he asked, adding more force on Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert began to squirm beneath him.

"What the hell are you doing at my locker?" a familiar voice shouted from down the hall. Ivan let go and backed away. Lovino Vargas came rushing down. He stopped and glared threateningly at Gilbert.

"Are you going to move, Potato Bastard?" he asked. Gilbert quickly moved out of the way. Elizaveta began to walk towards her class, purposefully knocked into Gilbert as she did so. The boy grabbed his shoulder and winced.

"I thought my brother was 'potato bastard'," he complained, not quite looking at Lovino. The Italian laughed haughtily.

"You're both Potato Bastards but I guess you can be number two," he said.

"Why am I number two?" Gilbert asked. Lovino sighed as he closed his locker.

"Because my fratello stupido likes your fratello stupido. Besides, from what I've heard you are a number two. A second best to put it plainly," he said. Gilbert ignored the last comment and didn't show emotion until Lovino had turned his back and walked away.

The rest of the day went fast but the rest of the day was Hell. Gilbert put up with teachers that scolded him for zoning out and students that snickered after he apologized. At lunch he was confronted Roderich Edelstein. The Austrian made a scene of shouting at Gilbert for making light of a serious matter and that it would work just as will if he killed himself without the theatrics. Gilbert didn't reply and kept his expression neutral as he stood to leave. He allowed his eyes to flit across the cafeteria just to make sure that Ludwig wasn't there. He sighed in relief when he saw that he wasn't. A part of him, though, wished that his friends Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Carriedo were there but they were on a study abroad trip that wouldn't return for a month. As Gilbert began to turn towards the doors, he bumped into someone who had walked behind him, Lovino again. He turned abruptly to apologize but only made things worse as his arm came up at the bottom of Lovino's tray, flipping it and throwing off his own balance. Gilbert fell to the floor clumsily and milk spilled from Lovino's overturned tray onto his head.

"Watch it, Potato Bastard Two!" Lovino shouted angrily. Gilbert attempted to apologize again and began to stand. He froze, however, when he heard it.

Laughter.

It started off quiet. Giggles and snickers that grew into full-blown split-your-sides laughter.

Gilbert didn't want to look up. He didn't want to face the scene he was too used to. He didn't want to see Natalia's smug grin or Elizaveta's cruel smile when he glanced to her for help. He didn't need to know that she had Roderich whispering a comment about the scene into her ear, a comment she would repeat just to make everyone laugh harder. He didn't need to see Lovino sneering down at him, his mouth forming insults that were muted by the blood rushing through Gilbert's ears.

So he didn't. Gilbert closed his eyes and felt sick. He pushed himself and turned, standing tall to walk out with milk still dripping down his face. He opened his eyes and kept his gaze on the exit so he didn't have to see anything.

So he didn't see Arthur Kirkland's concerned glance or Alfred Jones standing, ready to help. He couldn't see Kiku Honda looking on with a kind, sympathetic look. He didn't see Matthew Williams asking anyone if Gilbert was okay.

And, as the doors slammed shut behind him, he didn't see Ludwig watching his humiliated brother run off.

The first thing Gilbert did when he got home was log onto his blog. There were only a few new comments on his last post.

Comment by Anonymous: Why can't he just get it over now?

Comment by Anonymous: This is so fucking stupid

Comment by Anonymous: HAHAHA This idiot! Oh my God this made my day! LOL :P

Comment by Anonymous: ^I agree! HA HA HA!

Gilbert winced. His hand reached towards the drawer beside him. It was another habit, a skill he had mastered. His hand wrapped around a cold metal object. He didn't look away from the words on the screen when he rolled up a sleeve and placed the razor against him arm.

HA

He pushed, breaking skin.

HA

He pulled slowly towards himself, too used to the pain to cry out.

HA

Blood bubbled out from the cut. He repeated the process over and over. Minutes passed until he set it down, satisfied with the new scars. He looked down at his arms and held back a sob. He had no right to cry, he told himself, he was the one who did this. Gilbert closed his eyes and smiled grimly.

"Ha," he whispered.

HA

Prussia didn't know what he expected when he decided to go outside or what even compelled him to do so. All he knew was that Germany had been gone too long and the empty house was getting depressing.

So he went outside.

The sun nearly blinded him and he walked around with a hand held to forehead for shade. He used his free hand to hold his phone to his ear, calling his brother for the third time. When he was sent to voice-mail again, he leaned against the closest building and sighed.

"And then - oh, hello..." a familiar voice said. Prussia turned his head to find England and America watching him. He groaned and shoved his phone into his pocket.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, addressing England as he was the one who said hello.

"Looking for your brother. He left his coat at the meeting and I'm sure he like it back. This git decided to follow me, I've no idea why. What are you doing here, does Germany still let you out? That's funny, I didn't think he would after that incident," he said. Gilbert thought of the last world meeting and crossed his arms defensively.

"You started insulting my country! I had every right to defend it," he snarled. America laughed.

"Dude, you don't even have a country to defend. You threw a fit and Germany had to chase after you once you ran out to keep you from doing something stupid. It was actually pretty funny. Not to mention childish," America said, still laughing as he slung his arm over England's shoulders. England grimaced a bit at the action but didn't do anything else than send an annoyed look towards America.

"It wasn't childish and you damn well know it," Prussia said. England sighed.

"Please, you probably like the attention it gets you. Everyone knows that Germany is the responsibly one. Really, you let your younger brother treat you like a toddler," he said.

"And you let your's treat you like a date," Prussia snapped back. America quickly removed his arm in shock. England narrowed his eyes.

"It's exactly those kind of comments that makes everyone hate you. Then again, it is the only thing left you can do. Just face it Prussia, no one needs you," he said. Prussia flinched from the way England said it, like he wasn't trying to be cruel and just stating facts. As Prussia tried to think of a response, his phone began to ring.

"Ja?" he answered it, keeping his eyes on he two blondes in front of him.

"Prussia?" came the voice from the other end, clearly Germany. Prussia grinned.

"West! What do you need?" he asked with a pointed look towards England and America.

"What? Nothing, you called me. I should be asking what you need," Germany replied. Prussia's smile wavered.

"Me? I don't need anything. But I am out and about, are you sure you don't need me to do something for you?" he asked.

Please West, say you do...

"No. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, though I appreciate the offer," Germany said. Prussia tried to think of a way that he could prove that his brother needed him, in some way or another.

"England's here, he has your jacket. I'll bring it home for you, I'll even wash it," he said, ignoring England's amused expression. He reached out for the jacket in England's hand but the other nation pulled back causing Prussia to stumble forward. While the ex-nation attempted to regain his balance, America reached forward and plucked the phone from his hand.

"Yo, German dude! What's up? ... Yeah, sure. He's right here," he said. Prussia held out his hand for the phone, certain that West was asking for him. His mouth dropped open when the phone was handed to England, who grabbed it smugly.

"Yes, Germany? ...Yes, you left your jacket at the meeting the other day, I thought it best to return it...We ran into him on the street...No...Right, I'll take it to your house...I'll take him too...Yes, have a good day...Goodbye," he said. Prussia narrowed his eyes and felt certain they were speaking about him. He tried to think of what his brother could be saying but didn't like what his mind came up with. When England placed the phone back in Prussia's still outstretched hand, he blinked and grabbed it just a bit too tightly.

"Like I said Prussia," England stated in a tired tone, "no one needs you. Not as a nation, not as a brother, and most definitely not as a person."

Prussia grinned sarcastically before turning and slamming his fist into the wall behind him. Ignoring the pain that shot through his arm, he pushed past the countries, real countries, he thought, and ran home.

A/N Hmm...I focused on Gilbert way more than I focused on Prussia...and I have no excuse for it...hmm...

Hey! Anyways, thanks for reading another chapter and I apologize deeply and in advance for any mistakes I may have made.

Once again, please leave feedback because I would love to hear what you liked/didn't like or thought I could add or make better.

Translations:

Malyutka: Russian for Little One

Fratello Stupido: Italian for Stupid Brother

Ja: German for Yes

Vati: German for dad

Thanks again!

:3