Gilbert silently watched as his little brother cried, they hadn't spoken in a long time. It had been five years since he'd moved and it struck him that he didn't even know what Ludwig was doing now.
"Bruder, bitte," Gently Ludwig squeezed the man's hand, "Es tut mir leid."
The scene seemed surreal. A few weeks ago he wouldn't have thought about it twice about it. If some asked him, he wouldn't have thought anyone would cry for his death. He had a shitty job as a car mechanic, the people he worked with didn't like him much, he got into fights in bars and spent more money on alcohol than he did on rent. Thinking about it now made him realise that he wasted his life.
He patted Ludwig's head gently, unsure if the man could even feel it.
He'd grown since Gilbert had last seen him, broad shouldered and strong, no longer a scrawny teen. Slicking back his blonde hair and drying off his tears his brother prepared himself to meet the with the Doctor.
Gilbert stayed in the room as they spoke outside. He stared at the body lying in the bed, no matter how many hours he spent looking at it, him, he would never be used to it.
Perhaps his brother still had some vague notion that Gilbert may still be listening, he could see no other reason to have this conversation out in the hall.
He could just about still hear them, discussing how they would switch off the machines that kept his body living. The shell that looked just like him, he yearned to be near it, yet it's mere existence disturbed him greatly.
He turned his attention to the conversation between Ludwig and Dr. Honda.
"It's a slightly unusual case, since the two did technically meet prior to this. The recipient and their family have expressed a wish to meet you before the operation," Ludwig nodded, he was struggling to follow all of the medical terms used in his non native tongue.
"So, let me understand, they want to meet me?"
"Yes, exactly, we-"
"Can we go now?" The doctor looked surprised by the rapid response, but this situation was far from ordinary.
After a few moments of discussion Gilbert found himself following them back to the Mathews room. Doctor Honda entered, leaving Ludwig and Gilbert out in the hallway.
"Don't be nervous Luddy. The awesome me is here to protect you!" He grinned, standing himself in his brothers line of sight.
Ludwig looked as stern as he always did, but there was a thinness to his facade. Perhaps as an older brother it was visible only to him.
He paced nervously, in the hallway. It could have been minutes or hours when the door finally opened.
The wait had felt long and drawn out, yet suddenly Ludwig became nervous and unprepared when the Dr returned. With a simple nod he beckoned him in.
The hospital ward was becoming a familiar sight for Gilbert, he made his way to Matthew's bed swiftly. Matthew lay propped up against a stack of pillows, his usual fatigue greatly apparent.
It had only been in comparison with his twin that Gilbert came to notice just how lethargic and breathless the man was. Seeing an identical yet healthy version of himself somehow didn't seem fair.
"Matthew, this is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I'll leave you to talk," the Doctor didn't even leave the doorway before quietly retreating back to the hall.
"Err, Hello."
"Hallo, so, mein Bruder really saved you?"
Gilbert nearly opened his mouth to retaliate, reeling in his ego. It occurred to him that it didn't matter anyway. It's not like they would know he was upset.
"Yes," Matthew spoke quietly, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. I don't even know how to say thank you."
"Ven I vas small, mein Bruder was the whole vorld. Our parents died ven we ver young and our grandfather looked after us. He always seemed, very big. I never told him how heartbroken I was when he left us." Ludwig looked sternly at him.
Both Gilbert and Matthew were speechless, the imposing, ice expression he held somehow betrayed by his true emotion.
"Ah, yes. My own brother… I look up to him a lot too," He smiled weakly back, "though I could never tell him that. Eh, would you tell me a bit about what he was like?"
"Er ist eingebildet,"
Gilbert crossed his arms and flung back onto the foot of the bed, no longer looking at his brother, "Ja, ist so bad to be this awesome. You're just jealous."
Matthew face held its soft expression, if slightly confused.
"Sorry, I mean, he is… was, not really a bad person. If he were here he would probably describe himself as awesome," a slight smile flicked up across his face.
"Ah, my brother is a bit the same. He always wants to think of himself as the hero. I think it's pretty hard for him to accept that he can't help me." He offered a sympathetic smile to the man.
"Nein, mein Bruder… he is more," Ludwig furrowed his brow, pulling out his phone. There was a particular word he wanted to use but didn't know the English, but didn't know how to express it in English. "This?"
He showed the translation to Matthew, hoping the man would understand. Conceited, it didn't feel like the right description.
"I don't know…" Matthew spoke quietly, he had the feeling that it was more than that but how could he describe having that feeling about someone he barely knew. How could he believe that about the man who saved his life?