Ch 6: Roter Bernstein und grüne Augen

Hola! About time I had a new chapter. My creative juices weren't flowing D: but it's okay, because now I know the content of the last few chapters, so they'll be much easier and faster to write. Thank you for stickin with me...btw...it is in my headcanon and it just makes sense to me that Gilbert would have PTSD. That is all.

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Green eyes blinked awake. Toris stared at the ceiling before realizing he was laying comfortably next to Gilbert, who was still asleep, with a blanket laid carefully on him. On them both. He wondered when he had lain down. He smiled lightly and slightly curled up against the albino, feeling safe. He was happy to be in a place with two people who wouldn't hurt him. Well, one at least. He dearly hoped about the other, whom he now tightened a grip on. You seem to have no ill-will. I hope this won't become like the past.

Gilbert slowly woke up, feeling something tugging at his shirt. He looked forward at the brunette curled against him with curiosity. The small nation still had that worried look on his face. He hoped that he would be able to remedy that situation, especially after the things he had done in the past. He smiled, patting Toris on the head.

"Oi, I make an awesome pillow, ja?" At those words, Toris quickly let go and sat up, cheeks painted a light shade of pink out of embarassment.

"Ah, I'm really sorry!"

"Hey hey, relax, it's alright." The Lithuanian fiddled nervously from the other side of the couch.

"So...did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks. I really needed that." He stood up for a moment to stretch his legs and sat back down again with a flop. Although he was uncomfortable now, he was better rested. He stared as he spotted an amber-coloured item on the other side of the room. It didn't matter what it was, but the colour reminded him of the dream he had just woken up from.

"Umm...Gilbert?" To Toris, it seemed like he had just zoned out or something. "You...alright?"

"Hm?" he broke from his thoughts. "Yeah, I just remembered the dream I had."

"Was it a nightmare again?" The night before they left for Alfred's house, Gilbert woke up frantically in the middle of the night.

"No. And I think you were there."

"Me?"

"Ja. It was a long time ago. We were on the beach of the Baltic Sea, collecting amber that had washed up after a storm. I was excited because I found a rare red piece. It was the same colour as my eyes, so it was awesome. "

"I remember you really liked going to find amber. You had a lot of it. But...if I can recall correctly, you should have this all written down. Don't you keep journals?"

"Yeah but...I don't read them all the time. Plus there's a hell of a lot of them. I can't remember everything I write."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"...I wonder if I still have some. Maybe even a red one."

"That would be nice, I'm sure you do." Gilbert thought a moment then looked back at Toris and smiled.

"We should do that again sometime!"

"Collect amber?"

"Ja! It would be fun! Y'know...after we deal with Ivan and stuff." The Lithuanian smiled back.

"Sounds great! I would love to."

"Awesome!" The Prussian cheerfully hugged the brunette, who nervously returned the embrace.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" America said, from the looks of it, just coming back from working outside. He had a pair of boots with jeans, T-shirt and gloves.

"A-ah, n-no!" Toris let go, flustered. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah yeah~ Hey, would you mind helping me with the horses, Toris? You're familiar with it."

"Of course!"

"Horses?" Gilbert questioned.

"You didn't know? Well I guess you wouldn't. Alfred has kept I suppose you can say a small ranch of sorts since his cowboy days."

"Huh. Makes sense I guess. But what am I supposed to do? I guess I'll go unpack or something." Gilbert pouted.

"We shouldn't be long." Lithuania reassured, patting him gently on the shoulder before leaving out the back. The ex-nation stood there.

Lithuania pat him on the shoulder gently. "Shh, he'll hear you."

He shook himself. "Unpack." He was a bit thirsty first though. He went to the kitchen to grab a quick glass of water. He relaxed for a moment before heading to the stairs, carrying the glass with him. He took the first step up.

He took the first step, holding tightly to the railing as a large hand grasped the collar of his shirt, trying to drag him up. His eyes were fixed on the door. The door was the only chance of escape. His hand was slipping as red eyes made desperate contact with green for a fleeting moment. He was forced up the stairs as Toris bit his lip and turned away.

The Prussian continued up the stairs and made it to the guest room. His things were on the bed waiting for him to unpack. He set his glass down on the nightstand and started to put things away. If he was going to be here for more than a night, he didn't want to be living out of a bag. It only took him a few minutes and he decided to test out the bed. He sat down and examined the room. It was neat and clean with a chair in the corner plus a TV set. It reminded him much of a hotel room, and shrugged as it didn't really surprise him much. He laid down and stretched, accidentally knocking over his glass.

"Oh shit." He flinched at the sound of it breaking. Oops. He sat up and leaned down to pick up the large pieces. Gilbert let out a growl of displeasure when he cut his hand on the glass. He brought his hand back up and watched as the blood dripped on the white sheets. He stared as the red spread through the fabric.

Estonia made a face as he saw the bloodied sheets he was just told to put in the wash. "Y-yes, sir."

"It is such a shame they must be washed. Red and white is such a lovely combination, is it not?" Ivan carressed the pale white cheek of the Prussian huddled at his feet.

"Ich hasse dich." Was the only thing Gilbert could muster. Ivan glared.

"What was that? It seems I could not understand you. Perhaps you meant Я ненавижу Вас. If that is so, I am terribly sorry. You will be broken soon enough."

He felt his breath get caught in his chest. He stumbled out of the room to the bathroom to find something to wrap his hand with. Gilbert shuffled through the cabinet with a scowl, slamming it closed when he didn't find what he was looking for. "America is useless."

He wandered around the upstairs some more to familiarize himself with the house. Afterall, he wasn't here often at all. He walked down the hall, taking note that there were several guest rooms. Hopeful thinking? He walked lazily, looking at the things on the wall and seeing what rooms were what as the blood on his hand dried. He examined relics being displayed from different decades of America's history. He wandered back downstairs to check out the rest of the house.

He found a photobook laying on a table and flipped throught it curiously. Besides pictures, there were also clippings from newspapers. They were placed chronologically and contained major headlines such as the start and finish of the American civil war, new states and so forth. He paused at a picture of Alfred and Toris, placed soon after the headline announcing the end of the Great War. Toris looked very happy. The next few pages showed the Great Depression, soon going through the second world war. Gilbert cringed. He quickly went through the pages. Pearl Harbor. U.S entry into the war. Ect. Ect. Death camps. New country borders. Dissolution of Prussia. Rise of the Soviet Union. The Cold War. He shut the book harshly and walked into the large living room, stopping in front of the brick fireplace, standing as still as stone as he felt his blood run cold.

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Translations-

German

Ich hasse dich: I hate you

Russian

Я ненавижу Вас: I hate you