APH and its characters (c) Hidekaz Himaruya
"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life." – Oscar Wilde
Pairing: Prussia and Germany Brotherly Angst
"Where are you going?" Ludwig asked, stepping out of the kitchen.
"Out for a walk," Gilbert answered with a casual wave of his hand. He walked to the door and strapped on his boots. He clunked each boot against the hard floor after he put it on.
"When will you be back?"
"I don't know, West," Gilbert mumbled with a pouting frown. "I'm not a kid. I'll come home when I feel like it."
"Will you at least be home for dinner?" Ludwig asked.
"What are we eating?" Gilbert pulled open the door and stepped through the doorway.
"Pork," Ludwig answered, and left it at that.
"I guess…" Gilbert shrugged and thought for a moment. "Probably. Anyways, later~!"
Ludwig couldn't get in another word before Gilbert walked out of the house and closed the door behind him. He sighed and walked over to the door. He locked it even though he knew Gilbert never took his keys out with him and would always end up knocking and ringing the doorbell. It was for safety purpose; he wasn't about to have his house broken in. Not that he couldn't handle a break-in, it was just something he didn't care to deal with.
He made his way back into the kitchen and continued with preparing dinner. Since his brother was a picky eater with taste for eastern European food, Ludwig had to spend extra time preparing the dishes, using odd spices and meat, to fit them to Gilbert's taste. Sometimes, he wished he could just boil a potato and shove it in Gilbert's face. That was, if he didn't actually enjoy cooking for his brother.
He stood over the hot stove as he cooked the meat, thinking about what else needed to get done before he could call it a day. He needed to wash the dishes afterward, of course, since Gilbert hardly ever lifted a finger to help out around the house. He needed to vacuum and do the laundry as well. Just thinking about his chores was giving him a headache.
Once he was done with dinner, he set the table and brought out the food. He checked the time; Gilbert had been gone for a good forty minutes now. He briefly wondered where he could be, hoping that he wasn't in the park, getting carried away with chasing after birds again. Since Gilbert wasn't home yet, Ludwig took his chance to tidy up the kitchen; it would save him some work later on.
He came back out when he thought he heard a knock on the front door. He stole a glance at the clock as he made his way to the door. It was about time Gilbert came home for dinner.
"Welcome home," he said as he unlocked and opened the door.
He blinked with a confused frown. No one was there. He stepped out and glanced around the dark street, looking for a sign of a living person. Only the night breeze greeted him. He shook his head, thinking that he must be too tired. He closed the door and shuffled back to the kitchen.
After cleaning, Ludwig took a seat at the dining table. He locked his fingers, putting his elbows on the table, and groaned – a little angry. Gilbert should know better than to stay out so late. It had already been over an hour since he left.
Ludwig was going to be very mad if Gilbert was eating out. He didn't slave over a hot stove for nothing. He checked the food temperature and gritted his teeth. He headed back to the kitchen and came out with plates to cover the dishes. He wasn't too hungry yet and could stand to wait a little for his brother to come home.
He leaned back against his chair, going over what he needed to do tomorrow. Feliciano was coming over, which meant his house was going to be in complete chaos. Add Gilbert to the scenario, and Ludwig was going to have one gigantic headache. Not that he minded having Feliciano over, but they just didn't know how to control themselves.
And if he wasn't lucky, Lovino might make an angry appearance and that meant having to scrub tomato stain off the sofa and the walls again.
The day after that, Roderich was going to come, and that meant he was going to get bossed around and would have to serve as a mediator between his Austrian friend and his brother.
He sure did have one busy and complicated life.
He glanced at the clock and frowned with a displeased sigh. He pushed away from the table and went into his room for his phone. He flipped open his phone and realized that he had a missed call from Gilbert. He listened to it quickly, expecting some outrageous explanation of why he wasn't home yet.
"Hey, West~!" Gilbert's message said. "Listen up, okay? I'm not going to make it home tonight. So don't wait up for me." There was a long pause, and it sounded like Gilbert wanted to say something but couldn't. "Anyways… thanks for everything. You're an awesome brother."
Ludwig pulled the phone again and stared at the screen. Gilbert just thanked him – that was a rarity. He checked the time the message was left and frowned when he realized that it was made minutes after Gilbert left the house.
He decided that he needed to call Gilbert and tell him to come home. He walked back to the living room with the phone pressed to his ear. The dial tone rang and rang without end. He hung up once he reached the front door. He opened it and peeked out as he redialed the call. Except for a stray cat, there was nothing on their street.
He backed into the house and made his way to Gilbert's room. He opened the door and walked into the dark room. He flicked on the light just as the call ended. He walked toward Gilbert's bed, lowering the phone from his ear.
Gilbert's Iron Cross necklace was nested on the pillow.
Gilbert had never ever taken off his necklace before. Never. Ever.
Ludwig picked up the necklace and clasped it in his hand. He scolded himself for not realizing something was wrong earlier. He tried calling again as he nervously paced out of Gilbert's room.
The phone just rang and rang.
Ludwig stood in the living room by the table. He stared at their dinner, cooling on the table. He closed his phone and stood still. He could go out and try to find Gilbert, but who knew where his brother could be roaming about. Plus, he would risk playing a cat-and-mouse game.
He tried the front door again. Staring out into the empty street, he watched the lamppost flicker on and off in front of their house.
He retreated inside the house, closing the door behind him. He decided to leave it unlock this time around. He walked over to the table and took his seat. He put the phone on the table next to his plate, his elbows pressed hard into the wood. He stared at Gilbert's empty seat for a moment before he took his eyes to the door. He turned back to the empty seat.
He frowned, fingers locked over his mouth, the Iron Cross on his lips.
He waited.
THE END.
Boyue's Note: Gilbo and Ludwig separation is like... the worst thing ever. So let's keep them together forever, ja? D:
So sleepy.
07.30.09
3:45 AM
