Chapter 5

Prussia laid on his bed, looking up at the plain stone ceiling. He'd been at Russia's house for a while now. Lithuania had barely spoken to him, Poland refused to even look at him. Estonia was as stoic as ever, and Latvia avoided him because his older brothers did. Hungary spoke to him on occasion, when Russia wasn't around. He didn't seem to like them talking to each other. Prussia figured it was from too much history together. He didn't want them plotting against him. Prussia sighed deeply. Ukraine and Belarus would talk to him sometimes. Belarus seemed to be warming up to him, slowly. He went out of his way to make sure she knew he didn't actually mind her. She still didn't seem used to that idea. She didn't trust him, but he doubted she trusted anyone.

It was the middle of the night, but he couldn't sleep. He'd already journaled everything he could think of for the day, but his mind still wouldn't shut up. He was bored.

He sighed again. Gilbird… Gilbird always cheered him up when he was lonely, or bored. He knew Germany would be taking good care of him… but he missed his baby bird. He missed his brother's dogs too. He closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. They were too painful. He still couldn't sleep. He rolled onto his side, trying not to look at the raw stone all around him, and pulled the blanket over his shoulder. He wasn't used to the cold yet. He doubted he would ever be used to the cold. He closed his eyes. It'd been a long time since he'd prayed.

"God," He whispered, trying to think of the words to say, "I can't do this. Please.. please you have to help me…" He fought back tears. It had been a long time since he'd felt so completely, so entirely alone. There were some memories he wanted to bury so deeply they would never come back to haunt him. A single tear fell down the side of his face onto the pillow. He fought back the rest. He wouldn't let himself cry, not even alone. There was too much he had to be strong for, far too much.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was morning. He bolted up with a start, Russia was sitting next to his bed watching him sleep.

"Good morning, GDR," Russia smiled innocently.

"W-What are you doing here?" Prussia decided not to yell at him. Too risky.

"Did you sleep well?" Russia asked without missing a beat.

"Uh… no." He shrugged. He hadn't slept well. Too many dreams.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I think you will sleep well tonight though, da?"

Whatever Russia had meant by that, Prussia doubted it was a good thing. "Oh?" He asked simply.

"There is much work to be done." Russia smiled.

Prussia set his jaw again. Working for Russia was part of the deal, but that didn't make it any less irritating. He had been trying to avoid working too much, but he knew it was only a matter of time before Russia ceased to let that slide.

"You will be working outside." Russia nodded, "So you should wear warm clothes."

Prussia sighed, nodding in return. "All right." He absolutely hated how compliment he was being. His boss and Russia's boss were getting along wonderfully, but he could feel the tension his people held towards their new position in the Soviet Union. He didn't like it either. He knew many of them were leaving, going back to West. He didn't blame them, but he could feel himself getting weaker. It worried him more than he would admit. "I don't have any warm clothes."

"I know." Russia stood, opening Prussia's door. Latvia came in, carrying a Soviet uniform.

Prussia took it slowly. He didn't want to put it on. "What… work… am I doing?"

"You're good at commanding men, da?"

Prussia nodded with a smirk. He'd always been good at that. His people had been an army with a country. He could command men.

"We are forming a National People's Army. And you are going to train them." Russia smiled.

Prussia looked up at him, surprised. He wasn't sure he wanted to build an army. "Why?" He dared to ask.

"That doesn't concern you. What does, is that they are the best."

Prussia nodded. "In return?"

"In return, I make sure you, and your people, stay alive."

Prussia sighed. He hated to admit it, but the devastation from the war was crippling. He needed Russia's help. His people needed Russia's help.

"Fine," He said, standing and taking the jacket and cover from Latvia. He slipped it on, slowly pulling the cover over his white hair. It felt better than he would admit to be wearing a military uniform again. It felt right. He almost felt like himself again. Almost. He looked down at the trembling frame of Latvia, who wasn't even looking up, visibly afraid of him. He turned to Russia, standing straight, giving him a strong, impressive salute.

Russia smiled.

"Who am I training?" Prussia asked, noticing Latvia still shaking out of the corner of his eye.

"Most of them are already police, but some have no experience yet." Russia took out a letter from Prussia's boss and handed it to him.

Prussia scanned the words on the paper. "You want me to have them ready in four weeks?"

"Da, will that be a problem?"

Prussia shrugged, "No, I can do it, but..."

"But?"

"But nothing." Prussia stood straighter, handing the letter back to Russia, "I'll have them ready." He didn't know what they were going to be ready for. He didn't ask. He didn't think he wanted to know. He felt a tinge of guilt in the back of his mind. Wasn't that how he'd hurt so many people in the war? By looking the other way? By not asking questions he didn't really want the answers to? He forced the thoughts away.

"Khorosho! Good! I'll make sure everything is ready for you to meet the generals. They have already received orders to listen to you without question."

Prussia nodded, watching Russia walk out of his door with the same disturbing smile he always wore. Latvia was still standing next to him. He turned to the little blond. He smiled slightly. Latvia reminded him of his baby brother, back before Ludwig got to be taller than him. He hadn't heard the end of it for weeks after that had happened. He knelt down to look at Latvia in the face.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, kindly, again noticing the little country trembling. "Are you all right?"

Latvia nodded, still shaking, "I-I-I-I'm fine… he d-d-d-doesn't…"

"Hey, hey it's all right." Prussia assumed his speech worsened when he was scared. "Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I… are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"I mean… a l-l-long t-time ago you… you…"

"It's over. Like you said, that was a very, very long time ago." He put his hand on Latvia's shoulder. He drew it back when he saw the little country wince.

"Are you hurt?"

Latvia shook his head, looking down. Prussia didn't believe him.

"Latvia, are you hurt?" He asked again, almost sternly.

"O-o-only a little…"

He saw Latvia bite back tears.

"Let me see it." He almost ordered instead of asked. He tried to be gentler, "Please?"

Latvia looked up at him, trembling. "I… I'm ok… r-r-really." he looked down.

"I won't hurt you. I want to help."

Latvia looked up at him again, and nodded, very slowly. He slipped his scarlet coat over his shoulder and unbuttoned the top of his white shirt, which Gil noticed was blood stained on the collar. He sighed as the boy pulled it too over his shoulder. A blood-soaked bandage was hiding under the boy's clothes.

"His pipe?" Prussia asked carefully.

Latvia nodded, not speaking, and not looking at Prussia.

"Who dressed it?" Prussia looked at the bandage. It was expertly applied.

"L-L-Liet did." The boy was still trembling.

Prussia sighed, wondering how many times Lithuania had been the one to bandage their wounds.

"He did a good job, but you need a fresh one. Where's Toris?" He used his name in an attempt to sound kinder.

Latvia looked down again, shaking his head.

"Where is he?" Prussia asked more seriously again.

"H-h-he's.. across the… hallway." Latvia didn't look up at Prussia.

"The black door?" He knew what that meant. They all knew what that meant.

Latvia nodded, his trembling getting worse.

Prussia closed his eyes with a deep sigh, "Do you know what happened?"

Latvia shook his head again, "S-s-s-sometimes Mr. Russia… he just…get's angry and…"

"It's okay." Prussia put his hand on Latvia's uninjured arm, rubbing it gently, trying to comfort him. He was never very good at comfort. "Would you like me to help you with another bandage?"

Latvia looked up at him and nodded carefully.

"All right. Do you know where the bandages are?" He felt stupid for having to ask. He was the only one in the house besides Russia's own sisters who hadn't yet been on the receiving end of any serious injuries. Even Hungary had taken a few blows. He'd found out about those much later, otherwise, he would have taken Ivan up on the offer to make him regret punching him.

Latvia pulled his shirt and jacket back over his shoulder.

Prussia stood, surprised as Latvia took his hand. He closed his fingers around the little blond's, and let him lead him upstairs. They walked past the kitchen into a small room, practically a closet. Inside were hundreds medicines and bandages. He didn't ask.

Latvia tried to reach up to the bandages, wincing hard.

"I've got it." Prussia grabbed the bandages himself, looking down at Latvia with pity. He took some medicine from the shelf as well as Latvia motioned to it. They walked back to Latvia's room, which was on the main floor. It was small, with a cot for a bed, a small table and chairs, and two lamps. Even so, it was nicer than Prussia's own room. He didn't ask why, but it did make him curious.

"Sit." Prussia pulled one of the chairs over, motioning for Latvia to sit in it as he set the bandages and medicine down on the table beside them. He turned to the small bathroom attached to Latvia's room, and washed his hands, turning back to look at Latvia. He watched with a sigh as the little country's hands trembled as he unbuttoned his shirt.

He walked back over to him, bringing a small glass of water with him.

"Please… b-b-be gentle…?" Latvia's voice was as shaky as his hands.

It hurt that he would even feel the need to say that. "Of course." Gil smiled, nodding. He helped Latvia pull his jacket off, and watched with a sigh as the boy pulled off his shirt. He had a few other scars over his chest and shoulder, and a few on his arms. He knew Latvia was older than he looked, but it was still a painful sight.

Carefully, he started to unwrap the old bandage from the boy's shoulder. The gauze over the wound was sticking. He saw Latvia wince again.

"Am I hurting you?"

"N-n-no." Latvia lied.

Prussia could tell. He took a fresh piece of cloth and dipped it in the water, bringing it to the gauze and wetting it gently. He saw Latvia relax a little bit. He started to peel back the old gauze carefully. He bit the inside of his lip as he saw Latvia's boyish hands gripping the sides of the chair, his knuckles white.

"Does it still hurt?" Prussia asked, stopping.

Latvia nodded this time, looking up at Gil, trying to avoid crying.

Prussia sighed, and tapped the wet cloth on the gauze again, trying to loosen it's hold on the wound. He pulled the gauze up carefully, slowly. He sighed as he removed it. He examined the wound. It wasn't deep, but it was jagged, raw, and just barely scabbed over.

"What happened?" Prussia asked, almost wishing he hadn't.

"He… he got mad at me…" Latvia bit his lip, "It was my fault. I-I-I shouldn't have asked him-"

"This isn't your fault." Gil cut off his words. "This will never be your fault." He tried to keep his rage from showing through his voice. He didn't know what was worse, Russia's cruelty, or the fact that Russia had convinced the Baltics that his cruelty was justified. He picked up the medicine and applied it to the wound, biting the inside of his lip again as Latvia flinched in pain.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, shaking his head, "I'm trying to be gentle."

"It's ok. It just… It just hurts," Latvia said, still not looking at him.

Prussia nodded, it certainly looked like it hurt. He picked up a fresh piece of gauze and laid it over the wound carefully, then picked up the bandage. Slowly, gently, he wrapped it around the little country's shoulder and around his chest, just as it had been before. He wasn't quite as good at it as Lithuania, but he'd been a soldier for too long to not know how to wrap a wound well.

"There," He smiled kindly as he finished. "A little better?"

Latvia looked up at him, nodding with the tiniest shadow of a smile.

"Y-You should go now." Latvia nodded to him, "I… I don't want Russia to get mad at you."

"I can handle Russia." Gil stood, shrugging, trying to sound tougher than he really felt.

Latvia shook his head vehemently. "No. You… you haven't seen him… really angry."

Prussia set his jaw, trying not to think about that. He didn't want to see Russia truly angry. Ever.

"Please. Go." Latvia looked up at him, scared.

He sighed, nodding. "All right, I'll go. If you're sure you're all right." He reached to clean up the old bandages.

"I can do that." Latvia stopped him, standing.

Gil looked back down at Latvia. He was so small, his big blue eyes shining up at him with worry in them. He'd seen that same expression many times from his own little blue eyed blond when he was a child. So many times as he'd gone off to war, little Luddy had tried to stop him, begging him to come home.

Don't die. Don't you dare die on me. You stay alive! You keep fighting! His brother's words from just before Russia had dragged him away tore into his mind. He closed his eyes, forcing down the choke he suddenly found in his throat. He looked back down at Latvia.

"Ok. Try and avoid Russia the rest of the day?" Just like you do every day. He finished the sentence in his mind.

Latvia nodded. "Ok, just go!"

Prussia turned to the door, glancing back at Latvia as he walked out and down the hall again. He met Russia at the door. The giant of a man only smiled at him, clapping his arm around his shoulders, and walked outside with him to show him his soldiers.

A/N: Another chapter so soon, I know! I really do like this chapter. I LOVE writing Latvia. Especially Latvia and Prussia. I have this headcanon where Latvia seriously reminds Prussia of young Germany, and so he has a lot of 'protective-older-brother' feelings for Latvia. I think most of the Baltics feel that way about him too. But I also think that Latvia is smarter than he looks. He's going to be a very helpful friend for Gil!

Poor little Latvia... He's one character I really hate hurting... but storytelling! He and Gil need to bond somehow!

Gil training the army: The GDR actually had one of the most well trained National Armies in the 50's. It seems fitting to me that Gil would train them himself. He is, after all, a born warrior. He and Russia's relationship is pretty good right now, not that that will last forever. The remnant of his people that always fight back is going to keep his own fighting spirit alive, deep in there. He's trying to stay out of trouble for now, but as I hope you noticed, he's not afraid to defy Russia to help his friends, if he's given the chance. More Big-Brother-Gil to come!

As always, reviews are appreciated! I love talking with you all, and hearing your thoughts and theories!