Hi everyone... I'm so, so sorry this took so long. I can't believe it's nearly been a month. I have been really busy and also really tired, and I have been doing other hobbies to relax a bit in between, as writing just didn't seem to work as well as it used to.
But I did once promise that I would never leave this story unfinished, and it's a promise I'm going to keep. It will likely take a little while, but then, this story is nearing it's end, anyway.
Thanks to everyone who's decided to stick with me and this story despite my long absence. I'm sorry for not updating in so long, but at least I can give you this new chapter now. Better late than never, right?
I love you guys. I seriously do. And I really am sorry.
Now on to the chapter, right?
In 1985, Russia got a new leader. This man, Mikhail Gorbachev, seemed quite promising from the start. Yet the nations in the Eastern Bloc were uncertain what to think of this man at the same time. They had been so used to the government trying to maintain the status quo, upholding the purest form of communism, and now here was a man in charge who seemed progressive.
It was clear that things needed to change, that much could not be denied: Russia's economy had worsened over the course of the 80s so far and a solution needed to be found. Some people stated they needed Western technology and Western policies to solve these problems. Others didn't quite agree, preferring to stick to the old ways.
The Eastern Bloc nations all had different ideas about it, also.
East Germany watched, a little anxiously, as the nations around him argued about the situation.
"I'm telling you, this is what we've all been waiting for, for, like, ages!" Poland insisted, an excited light in his dark green eyes as he looked at the others. "This is our chance to be free!"
Hungary grinned, but just as she opened her mouth to reply to this, Belarus cut her off. The girl was glaring at Poland. "Be free?" she echoed indignantly. "Free of what? Order and stability? Are you insane, Felix?"
Czech raised an eyebrow at this comment, looking at Belarus calmly. "Uh, excuse me?" she said a little disbelievingly. "What 'stability' are you referring to? I don't know if you've noticed, but your dear big brother is sick at the moment; his economy, like ours, is declining. How is that stability?"
"But the way things have been going the past years did work for us," East put in quietly, still a bit confused himself. "We've all been doing well. We've all been thriving." His own economy hadn't been as stable as it had been the past years for a long time. He still hadn't been doing as well as he had a century ago, but at least his health had been mostly stable. The steady decline, for what he could tell anyway, had slowed down significantly. How was this not a good thing?
Poland rolled his eyes at this and scoffed. "We've been oppressed, East," he argued. "How can you, of all people, think of this as 'thriving'? Just a little while ago, you were all for progress!"
"Yes," East replied, shaking his head in frustration. "I want to bring down that godforsaken Wall and have access to my little brother again. I want to improve communications so that we can keep track of what's going on around the world. None of that means I want to change the entire state of the economy, of politics, or anything!" He took a deep breath and sighed, folding his hands into loose fists. "How do you think liberalization will go for us, communist states as we are? Our governments, economies and people aren't ready for change like this. They can't handle it!"
In an instant, all eyes were turned on him, some gazes with a look of shock, others of pity. One or two, including Poland, only looked at him in contempt, however. "No, East," Poland retorted with an eerie calm. "You can't handle it."
East Germany looked down, feeling another spark of anxiety. He had those a lot in just a few minutes' time now. "I-I think it would be quite straining on everyone," he protested feebly, knowing that he had just inadvertently moved this conversation in a direction he'd rather avoid.
Lithuania sighed in exasperation. "Gilbert, please," he grumbled. "We all know you're the least resistant to disease of us all. Just admit that you're afraid of the consequences, and spare yourself the humiliation of constantly denying it."
Anger flared up in East now, too, and he narrowed his eyes at Lithuania. "It's true that I would not particularly like to be bedridden or worse because of this, but I'm also thinking about this practically. If we now tried to change the system that had worked for us and been in place for decades, it would lead to chaos. Not just for me, not just for Russia, either. It would be difficult to deal with at the very least. At worst, it would be nothing short of disastrous."
Hungary sighed and gave her friend a gentle nudge. "Relax, Gil," she said calmly. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think." The look she gave East was a kind one, but didn't make him feel any better.
He met her gaze for only a brief moment before he looked away uncomfortably, feeling as if no one bothered to take him seriously at all right now. "…We'll see…"
For two years now, West Germany had been keeping track of the changes in Soviet and East German politics to the best of his abilities. The new leader of the Soviet Union promoted liberalization, something West had never expected a Soviet leader to do, and much to his surprise, the East German government appeared to be resisting this as much as they could. Overjoyed as he was to see the communists easing up a little, West just couldn't understand why the East German government wouldn't want to follow down the same path. He also couldn't help but wonder if his brother sided with Gorbachev or his own government in this. The young nation wanted nothing more than to believe East was protesting against his government's stubbornness, but he had seen proof in over a decade's worth of UN meetings of how much East Germany had embraced the ideology that had been forced upon him. It was hard to deny that East Germany was a communist as much as Russia.
But even so, West remained hopeful that finally, change was on the horizon. To his knowledge, the East German government had always loyally followed the Soviet Union in the end; there might have been the occasional revolt or rebellion, but all of that had mostly been in the past, and they had ended up loyal to the Soviets. So if it was now a Soviet leader promoting liberalization and change like this, perhaps the East Germans would once again follow suit, albeit after some hard-headed protests.
Only days before, the American President Reagan had been in West Berlin, holding a speech at the Brandenburg Gate. He had urged Gorbachev to take down the Wall. West had been listening with bated breath, hopeful, if a little sceptical, also; he could see where that demand came from and agreed fully, naturally, but maybe it was a bit too soon yet to start saying things like that.
But even if the Wall would remain standing, West believed that the Cold War that had been going on for decades now was finally drawing to a close: both parties wanted peace and prosperity for their people, and with a more liberal-minded man as the Soviet Union's leader, an agreement between the two enemy sides might be closer than ever before. West still vividly remembered the few times the world had been on the brink of another World War over the past decades, and he thought only a permanent reunion with his elder brother now could make him feel any better than a definitive peace agreement between the USSR and the USA would.
West had spoken to Austria about this several times now, and the older nation thought the same thing West did. Sooner or later, things would be solved. Sooner or later, they would be reunited with everyone they had been separated from. They just had to be patient a little bit longer.
It was only a matter of time now.
"Okay, laddie," Scotland said as he sat East Germany down, taking his own place in front of him. "Spill it. What's the matter?" The old kingdom kept his gaze fixed on his albino friend, with an intensity that made East Germany nervous and fidgety just sitting in front of the Scot.
"Have you been able to keep track of my political developments…?" East just asked softly, turning his gaze to the floor. "Because if you have, there's your answer."
There came no answer for a few seconds after this, then Scotland let out a soft sigh. "Right. Changes like those can be quite straining, I know. But…" He trailed off for a moment, and East Germany felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, Scotland was still staring him straight in the eyes. "Think about the good things this can accomplish."
East shrugged. He'd been trying to do that for years now. But the more things changed, the more nervous he became. "How can I think of the good things," he said in a soft voice, a little hoarsely, "if I might not be around to witness them at all?" So far, things weren't as bad as he feared it might become, but his health was definitely suffering under all the things that were going on. He had spent quite some time building up his stamina again and regaining as much of the physical strength he'd once had as he could, and now he just didn't have the energy anymore. He felt as if all that progress was for nothing. All this time, he had tried not to think about how bad things were shortly after the dissolution of Prussia, but not that his health was declining once again, he couldn't help but remember just how sick he had been, how much it had scared him to be like that. He didn't want that to ever happen again. As much as he wanted a chance to see West Germany more often than he did now, he found himself wishing he wouldn't be in that bad a state ever again almost as much as, if not more than he wanted to be with his little brother. And it was feeling that way that scared him almost as much as the thought of being so ill again. Had he grown so used to being apart from West? Had he simply become so selfish? He didn't know how to feel or what to think anymore.
It was moments like these he wished he could touch Brandenburg or Holy Rome even more than he normally did: Brandenburg was sitting next to him and his elder brother stood close by, with Württemberg also not too far away and watching quietly. Much more than before, he wished he could touch them, feeling a strong urge to just hold someone's hand, with the childish belief that that one action would chase away his fears.
At the same time, however, the mere thought of being able to touch them filled him with dread. For so long he had believed he was ready for this, that he wasn't still scared of dying, but he wasn't ready, and he was terrified. He felt pathetic over it, but it was true.
Finally he dared to meet Scotland's gaze directly, and he nearly flinched at the sadness he saw in his friend's eyes.
Scotland's pale blue eyes were full of regret, and for a moment he didn't seem to know what to say. Then he closed his eyes and nodded silently. He took a deep breath before looking back up at East. "Who's to say it will be that bad?" he argued gently, his voice soft and soothing. "Gilbert, don't give up on yourself so soon. You've always been incredibly strong."
"But I'm not anymore!" East protested, shaking his head. He folded his trembling hands into fists nervously. Why couldn't Scotland see what was right in front of him? "I'm tired now and I'm sickly. I'm weak, physically and mentally. I'm constantly nervous and scared, and I don't want to be like that. I was never like that before."
Scotland didn't reply for a moment, but then he concluded bluntly: "You're scared of death."
East shook his head again and shrugged. "Not death per se," he admitted quietly. "I'm just terrified that the way in which I'll die will be… painful. Or scary. Uncomfortable." He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his fear. "I don't want to be as sick as I was after the dissolution ever again. For a month, I was in pain with every breath I took. In the last few days, before they finally decided to take me to hospital, I could barely breathe at all. It hurt, it was exhausting, it was terrifying. I'm just so scared I'll end up like that again. Or, what could perhaps even be worse…"
He trailed off, glancing to his side. Brandenburg looked surprised, but then she smiled warmly and nodded. When East Germany looked at Holy Rome and Württemberg, they too were smiling encouragingly at him. He had opened up about this before, in front of people he trusted far less than the man who was sitting in front of him right now. It was about time he stopped keeping this a secret from who had been one of the best friends he'd ever had for decades.
East Germany glanced around quickly, making sure no one was around to hear him now. Then he took a deep breath and looked at Scotland again. "Allistair, do you remember what happened in 1932?"
For a moment, the Scot seemed surprised, then he looked as if he was digging in his memory, and finally he nodded. "You collapsed during a meeting, right? You said it was exhaustion, but Arthur said he didn't believe that."
East nodded, his chest tight with anxiety now. He really was doing this. "He was right, it wasn't true what we told everyone. I effectively lost my government that day. Allistair, I… I had a stroke." He could see the shock in Scotland's expression as he told him this, saw his eyes widening in horror. The albino had to force himself to go on. "I could have died as a result of that day, you know. Quite easily so. I'm so lucky to not have any lasting effects such as muteness, blindness or paralysis or anything, really. In hindsight, it kept me from having to fight in the war, so that's one good thing. But I've been taking pills for my blood pressure for decades now." Feeling utterly defeated after telling Scotland all this, East Germany shrugged with a deep sigh. "My health has been declining since the start of the century, and in the past fifty-odd years I've nearly died three times -the Prussian Coup, the destruction of Königsberg and the dissolution." He felt warm tears trying to well up, but he fought them back as he shakily took a deep breath. "I believe that, by now, my body just can't endure another such hit."
There was a heavy silence between the two friends for a moment after this, Scotland staring down at the floor, wide-eyed, as he seemed to struggle to take all this in. But then he shook his head in disbelief. "How did you survive each of those things?"
East blinked, averting his gaze after. "I'm only alive now because I was lucky enough to have people around me who could take me to hospital in time."
"Exactly," Scotland cut him off sharply. The old kingdom was staring him straight in the eyes again, a determined glow in them. "And that's how you'll survive next time, too, if it comes to that. You've got people around you who would do that for you, Gil. The medical world is so far advanced compared to what it used to be, you won't be in the same situation your brother was in if you get sick. There's better medicine now, improved techniques and technology for surgery… You'll make it. We're not going to let you go anywhere, you know? We just won't let you."
East Germany was already feeling choked up upon hearing those words, but then Scotland gave it the finishing touch, which finally managed to bring tears to the younger nation's eyes. "And if by any chance you do suffer another stroke, for example," the Scot said more quietly. "And if you survive it but have those lasting effects that you mentioned… Gilbert, couldn't you have figured out yourself that, if you were ever to go blind for any reason, I would be there in an instant, teaching you tricks to help you cope with it? I've done the entire going blind thing, thankfully temporarily, and while it's not a pleasant experience, it's not so bad once you're used to it. It's not the end of the world, you know? I promise it's not." The Scot sat back then, crossing his arms over his chest, a confident grin on his lips. "And in case it wouldn't be that, but paralysis, well… I've got a little brother who's unfortunately got over two decades of experience in that field, also. I could arrange for Wales to help you deal with that. Muteness? There are ways to cope with that. Cognitive problems? Look, if we're talking about amnesia, Ireland's had a mild case of that after his coma." He let out a dry laugh then. "Honestly, listing it like this, I wonder if there's anything my little family hasn't had to deal with yet! And we're not the only ones who've had to deal with difficult things like those. Gilbert, I swear to you, you've got more people who could help you than you might think, no matter what happens. I know you probably think otherwise, but we're here for you."
East was struggling to breathe for a moment after this, pressing his lips tightly together and folding his hands into shaking fists. How foolish he had been all this time, and selfish in a way, too. The things he had been so scared of all the time were things plenty of others had to deal with on a daily basis. Not just humans; nations, too. Scotland had been blind for a year, Wales had spent decades in a wheelchair. His own family had had to deal with some of these things, even: Holy Rome had been sick more often than not in his final years, and he had just gone on living his life as usual in the time he had left; Württemberg had always had to walk with a cane and had never once complained. East Germany himself had condemned Austria to a thankfully brief period in a wheelchair once, and the damage he had done had permanent effects.
There were people who had to live with pain, sickness or disabilities in their daily lives, an endless ordeal. What right did he even have to feel as if being confronted with such things would be the end of his life? What right did he even have to feel as if he could just as well give up if such a thing happened to him? For years now, he had kept himself going by telling himself he had people to live for, that his purpose in life, if nothing else, was to always be there for them. His own fears changed nothing about that! He still had people to live for, whether he was afraid or not. And no doubt those people would do whatever they could to ensure his survival. He could have known those same people, at least, would also do anything in their power to make the remainder of his life bearable at the very least.
A long time ago now, in the bleakest of times, he had still believed life to be worth living. Why would it be any different now? Besides, even if he no longer bore the name Prussia, the nickname he had once been given was still his. He always had been and always would be the Legendary Black Eagle, and he wouldn't chicken out of anything.
Confidence pumping through his veins for the first time in months, East took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could feel his anxiety ebb away in that moment, and when he opened his eyes to look at Scotland again, he felt completely at ease.
East Germany smiled. "Thank you, Allistair," he said softly. "You have no idea how much that means to me… I don't know how you do it, really," he added then, snickering for a moment. "You always seem to know just what to say. Thank you so much."
In 1989, the changes the nations had all anticipated for a while finally came. In August that year, Poland got his first non-communist Prime Minister in many years, and in September, he was the first to have a non-communist government, also. Hungary was the next to bring an end to the communist regime. The Hungarians had managed to do something significant earlier on in the year, too, however: in May, they had begun removing the border fence on Hungary's border with Austria.
This proved to be a problem for East Germany and Czechoslovakia, though, when their citizens began a mass-emigration to the West through Hungary. Czech, East and Slovakia were all severely weakened by the end of summer.
It was at the end of September that the East German government restricted travel to Hungary, and in early October they closed their border with Czechoslovakia. They had decided it would be best for the state of the economy and for the nation overall to do so, and when the massive loss of people had led to East Germany coughing up blood in the middle of a meeting, this had only strengthened their resolve.
The East Germany government refused to accept change. East had believed the day would never come that he would the Soviets telling his government to be more flexible and allow reforms, and his government downright refusing to. But exactly that happened in early October. Throughout the month, there were several demonstrations by the public. The border with Czechoslovakia was opened again early in November.
And finally, on 9 November, the time had come for perhaps the most impactful event in East Germany in many, many years.
East Germany hadn't been to meetings for a few days, having been told to rest up at home now that the political instability caused him ever more trouble, but he had been kept up-to-date through frequent phone calls. He was aware of the plans his government had to allow travel to West-Berlin. When he was watching a press conference on TV later that day, however, it still came as a shock to hear the spokesperson say that the changes were to take effect immediately. He hadn't been informed of that. Was it a mistake? If it was, it had the potential to be a grave one.
He wasn't too surprised to receive another phone call very soon after this had been stated in the press conference. The man on the other end of the line sounded distressed.
"Mister Beilschmidt, have you been watching the press conference?" the human asked immediately, cutting East Germany off when the nation tried to say a quick greeting.
East hummed. "Naturally. And I assume a mistake was made?"
"Quite," was the nervous response. "We've just received intel that masses of people are swarming the crossing points along the Wall, and the guards simply don't know what to do with them."
Well, that sure sounded like a valid cause for the pounding headache East was having at that moment. His heart skipped a beat. "So… so what do we do now?"
The human sighed deeply. "I don't know, Gilbert… I'm sorry. This is turning out far more chaotic than anyone had anticipated." There was another voice in the background, too soft and distorted for East to make out the words. The human he was speaking to exclaimed something, his voice somewhere between scared and angry, then he sighed once more and spoke to his nation again. "The crowds proved to be too overwhelming for the border guards. Some of them have opened the crossing points for everyone."
The nation felt a spark of fear, but he immediately tried to suppress it. This was nothing to be afraid of. It wasn't necessarily something bad. "I suppose they had no other choice," he replied as calmly as he could.
Then it suddenly hit him. The border with West Berlin was open. Everyone could cross the border if they wanted to. I can see Ludwig!
His heart pounding in excitement rather than fear now, East Germany smiled warmly at the though. "Well then, sir," he said to the human on the other end of the line. "Assuming the border will still be open come tomorrow morning, may I take this opportunity to visit my little brother in West Berlin tomorrow? Not to worry, though: defecting to the West is the last thing I want to do. I will be back by nightfall."
"Oh, why not," the human said with an exasperated sigh. Somehow East got the feeling that exasperation had nothing to do with his request just now. "Everything is chaotic and confusing right now, anyway. If you really do plan on coming back quickly, I don't see the harm in it. Will you be all right travelling on your own, though? In your current condition…"
"Good sir, we're talking about seeing my little brother here," East replied with a short laugh. "There's no amount of political instability, mass-emigration and chaos that can keep me from doing that. I will make it, even if I have to reach his house crawling."
Even now, this managed to make the human chuckle as well. "In that case, good luck."
East nodded, grinning wide. "You too, sir, and the rest of you working there. If you don't mind, I'll try to stay out of this mess for tonight. If I want to be of any help by tomorrow, or ever really, I'll need two things right now: paracetamol and my bed." He was scared, excited and happy all at the same time, and it wasn't such a bad feeling, but by God did his head feel like it could explode. He would need a serious time-out right now, and hopefully tomorrow things would have settled down sufficiently for him to be of any use to anyone.
Tomorrow he would see West, and he wouldn't even have to travel to the other side of the world to do it. He could just go out, walk for half an hour, and he would be with West.
What are the odds I'll die tonight? East Germany snickered to himself as he put down the phone and got up. I was able to keep my promise in the end after all. Ludwig, I swore to you that I would live to see the day we would be reunited.
Well, I do hope you're home tomorrow, little brother!
West Germany could only think that he was dreaming. He went out for a walk with Berlitz first thing in the morning, like he always did, and found more people out on the streets than ever before.
'The border has opened!', or so the people had told him. Had it really? He had found it hard to believe. He altered his route immediately and went past the Wall. And indeed, the border guards were letting anyone through without any problem.
After seeing this confirmation, he had gone around asking if people knew what had happened. There were people from East Berlin around now, too, and they could tell him in more detail than any of his own people. Apparently there had been an official statement the night before that the borders would be open for everyone, starting immediately. Of course, the people had made the most of it, instantly swarming the crossing points. The guards had eventually just let everyone pass; they hadn't seemed to know very well what to do, something West could very well understand. He wouldn't exactly take well to a huge crowd of people suddenly demanding something of him that went all against everything he had ever been told to do.
His head was spinning after he had seen and heard all this. If the borders were opened, surely that meant it worked the other way, too? He could go to his big brother in the East now. They could visit each other whenever they wanted to, if the borders would remain open now.
In fact, he would go there this very day, just as soon as he had brought Berlitz back home.
On the way back, though, he was still struggling to comprehend all this. What a beautiful dream this was, if it even was a dream. If it was reality, well, he didn't even know what to think of it. He had hoped for this day for so long. He had been afraid to hope for this day, unsure whether it would ever come true.
Berlitz seemed to know that something was off, staying very close to West as they walked back home. He pressed his nose against the nation every now and then, and at one point he licked his hand soothingly. West only absent-mindedly petted him on the head for this as he tried to come to terms with all this. The minutes it took him to reach his house again felt like hours. The whole world was upside-down, really. The seemingly impossible had just taken place the night before. How should he even feel about this?
By the time his house was in sight, West felt his heart skip a beat. A man sat on his porch. A pale-skinned, white-haired man with a slightly bored yet excited look in his red eyes. West halted, unable to move for a moment. He could feel his pulse quicken, his blood rushing through his veins.
It was as if his heart was already in the process of fluttering right out of his chest. It was a struggle to find his voice at first, or at least it felt like it, but he called out to the man before he even realised it himself. "Gilbert!"
Immediately East Germany looked up, his eyes widening in surprise and joy, and the albino jumped to his feet. He did this so quickly that he nearly tripped, but then he ran over to West with the widest grin on his face. Before he could get too close, though, Berlitz started growling in surprise, and East stopped moving immediately. "Woah there," he said to the dog, raising his arms in the air as if faced by an enemy soldier. "Unarmed, see? No need to be so defensive." When Berlitz stopped growling, East seemed to relax a bit, too. The dog was still tense and watching him cautiously, though, and the nation sighed. "I've dealt with your kind before," he said with a slight grimace. "Trust me, once is enough."
West couldn't help but be amused. "Down, Berlitz," he said to his dog, who instantly obeyed. Turning back to East, his heart leaped again. "I just found out this morning," he said breathlessly. "Did you know it was going to happen?"
East was smiling wide again. "That it was going to happen, yes," he replied with a chuckle. "The way it happened was a surprise, though; it wasn't exactly as planned, is all I can tell you." He laughed sheepishly for a moment. "I thought my head was going to explode yesterday, I swear! It's not so bad anymore now, thankfully. Nothing painkillers can't deal with." He blinked, silent for a few seconds, then looked at his younger brother in slight worry. "Are you feeling all right after all this?"
West nodded. "Oh, of course, I'm fine. I'm just…" He trailed off, staring his brother in the eyes. "You're… really here…"
East laughed at this and nodded. "Exactly how I feel!" He quickly stopped laughing, though, looking as uncertain as West felt. But after a few heartbeats, his lips twitched into a smile again. "So would that dog attack me if I hugged you now?"
West didn't even respond. Not with words, anyway. He let go of Berlitz's leash, knowing the dog would stay right where he was, and swung his arms around his brother. It felt surreal, being able to hold his elder brother in his arms now. There had been a UN meeting just earlier this year. This was the second time this year they were together. That hadn't happened since 1947.
When would they be split up next? How long did they have this time?
What did it even matter. They just had to make the most of this time now. "Let's go inside. It's not exactly warm, is it?"
East was feeling dizzy with bliss as he sat in his little brother's living room for the first time in ages, holding a warm cup of coffee. Part of him still couldn't believe this was real. It was just too good to be back with West Germany after all this time.
West had different furniture from the last time East had been there. But then, after literal decades, that only made sense. He couldn't keep his eyes off the painting on the wall; that hung where there had been bookshelves last East had seen this room. Italy Veneziano had done such a marvellous job; they all looked exactly like they had in person. To see his own likeness next to Brandenburg in the painting was a bittersweet sight. He missed that time, when they had really been together, not like they were now, together but not really, being unable to touch. He knew that it couldn't be long anymore now, though, before he could do so again. That, too, was bittersweet.
His head was spinning slightly as he listened to West's questioning of him: how long had he known the border would be opened? Had he tried to escape through Hungary's border with Austria, also, like his people? Had Russia not given him too much trouble?
East just answered, slightly irritated at the way West had phrased some of these things, that he had known for a little while, that there was nothing to 'escape' from and no, he hadn't tried. Russia hadn't given him any trouble at all; in fact, the man -along with his leader- had been the one pushing East and his government to allow more liberalization.
"You mean, you didn't want any of this?" West asked, shocked and indignant. "But why not?"
East shook his head and sighed. "No, no, it's not that I didn't want this," he replied quickly. Although it kind of is… Was, anyway. Now that it had happened, it wasn't so bad. This part, anyway, was perfect. The rest of it, however… "It's complicated, Ludwig. More complicated than I care to explain right now. Just so long as you know that I'm happier than ever to be with you again."
For a moment, West was silent, staring at his elder brother. He didn't seem to want to accept that answer as the only one he would get, but then he nodded and smiled, his eyes shining with love and happiness. "Me too," he said warmly. "How long are you staying? I think we've got a lot to talk about by now."
East sighed. His little brother was really asking all the wrong questions. "I can stay for dinner, if you're all right with that," he answered. "But I was only allowed to come here on the condition I would be back by tonight. What happened last night is a big thing, Ludwig. They need me back there, trying to solve all this. But," he added quickly, smiling at West when he saw the younger nation was about to say something to this, "I will be back soon. You can also come to visit me sometime, you know? Actually, please do!" Maybe then you'll finally see the situation in East Berlin and the rest of the country isn't so bad…
Again, West looked disappointed, but only for a moment. "Sounds good," he replied, trying to smile again. "Would it be all right if I came over tomorrow? Oh, and also, would it be a problem if Berlitz came also? I can't really leave a dog home alone all day."
Thank goodness he's not complaining any more than this! "Well, I guess it's all right," the albino nation then said. "So long as he doesn't attack my birds, that is."
"That's a deal, then," West said, clearly happy. "As for today, of course you can stay for dinner! I do still need to go out for groceries then, though, but maybe that's something we could do together?"
The mere thought of it filled East Germany with warmth. Even if it was for something as simple as getting groceries, just the thought of doing anything together with his little brother filled him with joy. Of course they still had their own countries to run, but at least now they could spend more time together again. For all the trouble this situation had caused and would still cause him and his people, East had to admit there were good things about this, too. Very good things.
He really would make the most of it while he still could. That was one promise he could make to himself and also his little brother, and one he would keep no matter what. The opening of the border was an opportunity he would not miss. He would spend as much time with West Germany as he still could, no matter how long or short that time would be.
So the borders are open and the Wall will soon be gone! Honestly, the only major thing I was still planning to write about, from the very beginning, is 1991 now. And of course, after that the story won't end just yet. There's always the aftermath, which I promise won't be as bad as one might think it could be.
I sincerely hope the next chapter won't take me another month. I'm past the point of being confident enough to make promises regarding this, but I will do my best to not take so long anymore.
Everyone, thanks so much for reading and not forgetting about this story altogether. I haven't forgotten about you all, either, I swear.
