A/N : These chapters will be of inconsistent length and schedule, but that's quite common for me, as you know. Bear with me please.

Chapter 2

Fear of Heights

Ludwig didn't come around at first, although by the third day it had gone from outwardly attempting to shoo Alfred off to begrudgingly accepting his presence. Silently. Coldly. Ludwig refused to look at him, wouldn't speak to him, and pretended that Alfred didn't exist.

Whatever—Alfred didn't give a shit about icy, bitchy Ludwig, as long as Gilbert paid him.

Alfred just watched Ludwig coming and going, and followed silently behind. He had watched over Ludwig the entire weekend, and had seen him only a handful of times. Had all but barricaded himself in his home, and Alfred's phone was blown up constantly by Gilbert, who was apparently as paranoid as Ludwig, texting Alfred every five minutes to ask if everything was alright.

Good lord, if anything happened to this kid, god forbid, Gilbert was gonna die of a heart attack before he could do Alfred in. Brotherly love on a crazy level, but one Alfred absolutely understood.

...just didn't want to think about it.

He tried to focus on Ludwig, to keep his mind from wandering too much.

Didn't know much at all about Ludwig still. Hadn't spoken to him at all, and knew only that Ludwig, far from having a powerful role in his brother's company, was an aeronautical engineer. Not in the sense that he built things by hand, no, but rather designed them. Wasn't a public face like Gilbert, and it was easy to miss Ludwig amongst the crowds.

Ludwig liked to be a wallflower, and was very good at it from what Alfred had seen so far.

Three damn days.

The third day was Monday, and Ludwig had no choice but to suffer Alfred as Alfred tailed him all the way to work. A walk to the subway, awkward minutes as Ludwig tried hard to ditch him and failed, and Alfred had been surprised that Ludwig used public transport at all, when Gilbert no doubt had a chauffer. Maybe Ludwig felt safer somehow in the subway, where it was harder to pinpoint one person. Wallflowers, after all.

Before long, they were back in the Battery. Back into that skyscraper, and Alfred hung behind as Ludwig arrived bright and early, but not exactly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and greeted those he passed. Alfred saw the two Italian guards, coffees in hand and arriving hurriedly, saw the brunet, who paused in the hall to give Ludwig a one-armed hug, but he didn't see Gilbert.

Ludwig looked so tired, rundown, and Alfred almost felt bad for him. Ludwig didn't seem to be living life so much as just pushing through it.

Too young for that.

When they walked into the elevator, Alfred didn't miss that Ludwig had punched the button to close the doors very quickly, as if he really thought he would be fast enough to lock Alfred out. Hardly; had to be quicker than that. Alfred was a big guy, yeah, stocky and heavy, but he was quick when he wanted to be.

Ludwig sneered over at him as the doors shut, and Alfred just watched the floors roll by.

Until the tenth floor passed, anyway, and the glass-backed elevator passed into the glass section of the building, and the entire city was visible. A long ride up, and Alfred enjoyed the view of the city gliding away beneath him.

The feeling was not mutual.

The entire elevator ride to the top, Ludwig kept himself turned into the corner, back to the glass and head tucked down, breathing very deeply and evenly. Didn't move at all until the elevator came to a stop, and even then it took him a good long second to open his eyes and move forward.

Couldn't be...

Alfred watched him, so intensely, following silently behind as Ludwig carried on down the hall, a bit unevenly at first but steadily regaining balance.

Vertigo?

And it made him an asshole, but Alfred laughed anyway.

From in front, a very testy, "What?"

He tried hard to stop laughing, he really did, but it was just so goddamn funny to him, so absurd, that he couldn't help it.

"You're afraid of heights, aren't you?" he asked, callously perhaps, and Ludwig's rather offended 'hmph!' and quicker pace was all the affirmation that Alfred needed.

How strange!

"An aeronautical engineer, afraid of heights! That's hilarious."

"I don't see the humor," Ludwig snapped back, walking quickly and testily. "Nor the connection. I build things that go up high—I don't follow them. Enjoying heights isn't a prerequisite for being in the field of aeronautics."

Sure did help, though.

Sounded quite offended indeed, so Alfred bit down his laughter, and conceded, "Alright, alright. Sorry. I just thought it was funny."

Ludwig ignored him.

They were on the fifty-second floor, and Alfred was surprised and yet not when he followed Ludwig through the office door and saw that every window was covered from top to bottom with very thick blinds, over-layered with even thicker curtains. Terrified of heights, indeed.

To make up for lack of sunlight, the lights were very bright.

This floor was white, and so was the desk. Small. A bit quaint. A little accent table in the corner that held models of rockets and satellites. A potted plant in the corner. Blueprints hanging on the walls. It was a far cry from Gilbert's opulent office, much warmer and less overwhelming, but then, Ludwig was a far cry from Gilbert as a whole. Perhaps the good brother, as it was, more the white to Gilbert's black.

Ludwig ignored Alfred the entire day, pretending he wasn't there at all, glancing only from time to time at Alfred to send him looks of annoyance.

Alfred just tried to be still and quiet, and made great use of Ludwig's coffee maker in the corner. Must have had an entire pot to himself, as he waited impatiently.

Really needed a hobby or something, and needed to redefine his exact schedule with Gilbert, because Alfred felt his presence here was entirely unnecessary. Inside of this building, with so many guards, Ludwig was surely safe. Alfred wasn't needed here, and made a note to bring this up to Gilbert in the evening. Wasn't going to spend every damn day standing in an office corner and watched Ludwig scribble and sketch away. Didn't have the patience for this.

Alfred was damn glad when the sun began to set, and night fell.

Almost winter, and it was clear in the shorter days.

The sky was dark and clear, stars visible even over the city haze, when Ludwig finally stood up and called it a day. Alfred inwardly sighed in relief, ready to get the hell out of this building. Had nearly lost his damn mind there. How did those two guys do this every day? Just standing there in front of Gilbert's office.

This wasn't exactly what he had signed up for in some sense. Had never agreed to accompany Ludwig to work in this senseless manner.

As Alfred bitched away to himself in his head, Ludwig once more made for the elevator, once more tucked himself into the corner and focused on his breathing, and Alfred watched the lights of the city through the glass.

So different from where he had grown up.

He didn't tease Ludwig that time for his acrophobia.

Exiting the building was no different than entering, with the exception of greetings. Seemed Ludwig stayed later than most, and they passed very few people on the way out, and none of them familiar to Alfred.

Back in business, for Alfred at least, and he was on guard again.

For the best.

Outside, the air was cold. Not unbearable yet, but it had lost that warm scent of fall. Dry and sharp now, painful to the nostrils after a while.

Ludwig walked down the street as briskly as ever, looking anxious and uneasy, despite knowing he had someone keeping watch.

They didn't make it to the subway, because out of nowhere, something happened.

A flash of movement to the side, a blur, and the next thing Alfred knew he had all but crashed into Ludwig's back, because Ludwig had crashed into someone else. A quick flash of incomprehension as he jumped back, a collection of his thoughts and senses, and then Alfred realized.

Ludwig hadn't crashed into someone as much as someone had forcibly stopped him.

A man had leapt out from the bustling crowd, out of absolutely nowhere, and had grabbed Ludwig by the arms to force him still. Ludwig had fallen utterly frozen, limp and stunned, and Alfred had a split second to take in this intruder.

A huge man, biggest guy Alfred had ever seen in person, tall and as broad as a damn house it seemed. Muscular. Powerful. Alfred was a big guy, but felt rather miniscule suddenly, in the shadow of that colossus. His stature was the first thing Alfred noticed, naturally, and although the chances of overpowering a man like that seemed infinitesimal, Alfred leapt forward all the same, because that was his job.

No time to think.

"Hey!" he shouted, as he rushed up, "Let him go!"

The man clenching Ludwig didn't seem to notice Alfred at all, as he shook Ludwig and hissed at him, words Alfred couldn't hear over the bustle of the city.

What stood out to Alfred the most in that moment was just the way Ludwig looked at that man.

Had never seen an expression like that, and couldn't really even figure it out.

Ludwig was scared to death, that was obvious, in his wide eyes and pounding pulse, but at the same time, Ludwig almost looked...hell, he almost looked happy. In some strange way, he seemed relieved. As if somehow this man was the last thing Ludwig ever wanted to see, and yet had missed terribly. Like Ludwig was looking at something that was so wonderful it was terrible, or something so terrible it was wonderful, and Alfred didn't know which or what or why.

Confused.

Made no sense, but nothing did yet to Alfred, so he came forward another step, hand reaching slowly and carefully down to the gun hidden beneath his shirt.

Closer and closer, and Alfred took a more detailed note of this overwhelming stranger.

Mass and height aside, the man was frightening simply because he looked so crazed in that moment. Eyes wider than Ludwig's, grey irises pale against how bloodshot his eyes were, his brow was scrunched, low in anger, his knuckles were white from how mercilessly he was gripping Ludwig's arms, his light blond hair was sticking out in every direction, clearly having been neglected from washing and combing for days, and his cheeks were coated with stubble. Dark circles under his eyes. A hawkish nose, prominent, rather sallow skin. His pupils were dilated, looked cranked up on something, and was certainly not in his right mind. His expensive clothes were wrinkled, a mess as much as his hair. Looked unraveled, undone, out of sorts, unkempt and ruffled. Looked scary as hell, if Alfred were honest. The scariest man Alfred had ever seen, the most intimidating. Someone that Alfred would cross the street to avoid walking past.

A powerful man was daunting, but a powerful man out of his mind was terrifying. Ludwig was in danger in that second, and it was easy to see.

Yet...

It was then that Alfred understood why Ludwig needed a bodyguard, a backup, because even though Ludwig was a big guy, he just stood there. No one would have looked at Ludwig and been eager to pick a fight with him, intimidating as he looked at a glance, but it was clear to Alfred then that Ludwig wouldn't lift his fist when needed.

Just stood there, passive in that huge man's hands, and looked utterly terrified. Made no move at all to protect himself, and Alfred understood Gilbert's concerns.

Ludwig was in danger, and did nothing.

Alfred gripped the handle of the gun, eyes very focused on that man as he remembered every detail about him, everything, from the shade of his hair to the sun freckles over his crooked nose to the wedding ring glinting on his finger.

Burned that face into his memory, and at last he pulled the gun out and aimed it steady.

Once more, Alfred called, "Let him go!"

That time, Ludwig looked over at Alfred, and it was only that glance from Ludwig that made that crazed man notice Alfred at all. Could hear Ludwig's sharp inhale when he saw the gun, but the target was utterly unfazed, didn't seem to really comprehend or fear the gun at all, and instead immediately turned back to Ludwig and gave him a brutal shake.

That time, Alfred could hear what he hissed to Ludwig.

"Who the hell is that? Huh? Who is that? Tell me!"

Not a normal response when a gun was aimed at your head, but that man seemed hardly sane.

Ludwig shook his head, helplessly, and couldn't seem to speak, but, oh damn, did that man seem ever enraged by the sight of Alfred. Who the hell knew why, or what his business with Ludwig even was. No one seemed to want to tell Alfred a damn thing.

The man leaned in, giving Ludwig another painful throttle, and whispered something in his ear. Alfred was a hell of a lot happier not knowing what made Ludwig squint his eyes like that.

Again, Alfred shouted, "Let him go! I'll shoot you!"

Ludwig murmured something, too low to catch, and the man very suddenly let Ludwig go, casting Alfred a very deadly stare before stalking off and disappearing as randomly as he had come.

Alfred followed him with his eyes until he had vanished, and then turned back to Ludwig, tucking his gun away but keeping grip on the handle. Because this was New York City, the crowd around carried on mindlessly, having little care that a gun had just been pulled there in the street. Everyone here was desensitized, it seemed.

Ludwig stood still, staring straight ahead, and rubbed absently at his arm, no doubt already bruised from that brutal death-grip the man had had on him. To spur him, to comfort him, to urge him to get somewhere safe, Alfred came forward and grabbed Ludwig by the arm, but much more gently than his predecessor.

Being saved by Alfred didn't make Ludwig happy or grateful.

Actually, it seemed to make him angry, and Ludwig wrenched his arm out of Alfred's hand, whirled around, shoved Alfred's chest, and cried, in a voice that shook and cracked, "Go away! Leave me alone! I don't want you here!"

That look on Ludwig's face; as if Alfred had done something wrong by running that man off. As if Ludwig were disappointed somehow.

Alfred didn't wanna be here either, that ungrateful little bastard.

Alfred opened his mouth, but Ludwig had already stalked off down the street again, and Alfred could only follow after him and curse under his breath. The worst subway ride of his life, for sure, as Ludwig stared at the door and all but ran to escape Alfred, to no avail. When they were closer to Ludwig's home, Ludwig pulled out his phone, made a call, started screaming, and Alfred knew once more that Ludwig was trying to get Gilbert to let Alfred go.

Not a chance, from the way Gilbert once more screamed back.

Again, Ludwig locked Alfred out of the house, and Alfred kicked the step railing and spat a curse before falling into position by the door.

Hated this job, swear to god, fuckin' hated it. Wanted to punch Ludwig in the face and resign. Let him handle that man on his own, the bitch, and see what happened to him.

Hostility and frustration, coursing hotly through his veins.

But he couldn't go anywhere, so Alfred had no choice but to bite down that hate and stand there by that door, because that was what he was being paid to do, and how Ludwig felt about it in the end meant nothing. Yeah, nothing, but, oh...

He just wanted out of here.

Trapped.