Umstand

Hola! So after the posting of Chapter 4, I'm super happy to say that I've gotten a whole boat load of support to continue and I wanted to thank all of you; whether you've commented, sent me a message or just read the chapter thus far. Thank you thank you thank you! Umstand has taken off since the third chapter and it's all thanks to those who read and help critique it! If you like my work please do check out Façade (a Prussia x Reader Lemon) and La Vida de Amor (Spain x Reader lemon) and please do make requests! I love writing these stories so I'll always listen to a request!

Once again; I don't hold much back in my stories. Therefore, if under any circumstances you are depressed and can be triggered by deep emotions or the reminiscing of the act. PLEASE Read with Caution! I don't want anyone else to hurt themselves.

With that, I give you the 5th chapter of Umstand!

Ciao!

P.S- SOMEONE PLEASE NOTICE THE PUN IN HERE, I SPENT 10 MINUTES THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THAT AWFUL PUN. Enjoy!

Chapter 5- The Greatest thing,

It had been two days since Gilbert and Feli decided to use you to get to Ludwig and show him that dating Natalya again was a bad idea. You were currently sitting at a small table in Ground Roast, the small coffee shop on campus that had become your favorite since moving into your dorm. You were sitting at a small round table on the patio outside of Ground roast, waiting for Gilbert to show up and the plan to commence. You recalled when Feli and Gilbert made the plan…

You and Gilbert had just walked into a small diner to get lunch and talk about the next step in the plan; a short man with long black hair led to you to your table and brought you both some coffee. You sat there awkwardly until you decided to speak up "Gil, Why are we using me to convince Ludwig that dating Natalya is a bad idea?" You furrowed your brows and looked at him in confusion; the pale German man snorted and gave you an incredulous look. "I thought you were smarter than zhat (name)." He let out an exasperated sigh as a wave of nostalgia and sadness washes over his face and dulls his blazing red eyes. "Mein bruder has always been distant und cold. Even to me at times. But vhen he has come home zhe past few days, he has come home with a smile on his face. To make Ludwig smile is no easy feat fraulein." Gilbert chuckled and his mouth twisted in a half smile, but it did not reach his eyes. "I just want vhat's best for mein little bruder." As you gazed at Gilbert you couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in your heart, you could tell that Gilbert really cared for Ludwig. But you still weren't sure if this was the right thing to do… "How do you know that Natalya isn't what's best for Ludwig?" You spoke softly, casting your gaze down to the table. "I know because all he ever talked about vas you, (name)." Gilbert said. Your head whipped up to look at Gilbert, he didn't have his signature smirk…He was telling the truth.

You were about to question farther when Feli suddenly sprinted into the diner and ran over to your table "(Name)-a! I talked to Luddy!" A gasping-red faced Feli sat down across from you and next to Gilbert. "(Name)…(name)…"Feli gasped as he tried to catch his breath, once the small Italian was able to breathe again he began rambling "(Name)! LudwigsaidthatheandNatalyagotbacktogetherbecausethewomanhelikedwasallreadytaken." Feli managed to ramble out, it took you a few seconds to fully understand what Feli was saying; but once you did you looked shocked. "Vell, assuming zhat's (name). Zhat isn't true, is it fraulein?" You looked at gilbert and rolled your eyes "Yea, I'm dating (best friend)." You said sarcastically. The sadness began to melt away from Gilbert's eyes as he chuckled. "Vell, here is what we vill do.."

That's how you got there, waiting for Gilbert and his late ass to come to Ground Roast. The plan was that you would meet Gilberthere, and then head over together to the small house that Gilbert and Ludwig share just outside of campus. There you would spend the evening until Ludwig would return home. Just as you were debating on ditching Gilbert's ass and walking home, you noticed a distinct head of silver hair running towards your little table. Gilbert ran up, red faced and breathing heavily; his silver hair was strewn all over his head and he panted for several seconds before speaking. "Sorry fraulein, I was busy. Are you ready to get Ludvig?" His signature shit-eating grin found its way to his face as he observed your reaction. You rolled your eyes and got up from your little café chair, "Uh-huh, Okay Gil. Let's go" You replied shortly. You left a small tip for your server and followed as Gilbert walked out of the patio and towards the housing side of campus.

The walk to the Beilschmidt house was mostly silent, except for Gilbert making poop jokes every now and then as you walked. The poop jokes stopped shortly after you sent him a deadly glare, but the silence was broken by Gilbert again as you shuffled along a path leading to the edge of campus; you heard the elder German clear his throat, "(Name) I wanted to ask if you'd kiss me…" Abruptly stopping, you turned to face Gilbert; as you peered at his face, there appeared to be a small hint of pink on his cheeks as his ruby eyes gazed at the ground in front of his feet. "What?!-"You were about to go on a tirade about how you were doing this to help his brother when Gilbert cut you off "(Name), it's so we seem believable to Ludvig." He finally tore his gaze off of the concrete and looked at you with a hard, determined face, all traces of pink gone from his cheeks. You took several quick deep breaths to calm yourself down and restrain yourself from slapping him, It's for Ludwig it's for Ludwig... "Fine, but no funny business. Got it?" You said sternly, Gilbert just chuckled and grinned cockily "Don't worry fraulein! I'll be sure that Luddy gets a good view of our make-out session!" You scoffed and barely held back a grin forming on your lips from his sarcastic tone. "Oookay Gil. Let's keep going so we can beat him there." With that you continued walking towards the edge of campus in a peaceful silence.

Finally, you reached the house about 5 minutes later. It was a small brick house with large windows, allowing for plenty of light and a clear view of the living room. From what you could tell gazing in the windows from the outside, the living room was a nice, white, pristine, room with what appeared to be two dogs laying on the floor. You followed Gilbert up the path leading to the front door, surrounded by a neatly trimmed garden, complete with flowers and herbs off to the side. You finally reached the front of the house, where Gilbert unlocked the door and beckoned you into the entryway. Once you stepped into the door, you were greeted by two large dogs; one being a dark German Shepard and a slender Rottweiler. As the dogs charged towards you, you were hesitant and slightly afraid they're huge! You began to panic internally, that is until the dogs came to a complete halt in front of you and sniffed you curiously. The first dog that decided it liked you was the Rottweiler because shortly after concluding her sniffing of you, she began licking your hand and allowing you to pet her. As you pet the sweet Rottweiler, you let out a giggle and the Shepard soon pushed his head towards you, so to get you to pet him.

All the while Gilbert was struggling to get his house key out of the lock and muttering to himself in German about the "Verdamnt lock and house." Once his key was retrieved and the front door closed, he turned to see you leaning down on the ground playing with Ludwigs dogs. "Zhat is Blackie und Amala, we just call her Am. They are both Ludvigs. By zhe way; the living room is to the right and the kitchen is connected to zhat. If you go straight in zhis hall, my room is to the right at zhe end of the hall, Ludvigs und the spare are to zhe left. Zhe bathroom is the first door to the left in this hall." As Gilbert told you directions around the house, you gave Blackie and Am one last pet each and then stood up. "This is a really nice house Gil, but what is the plan for the rest of the day here? I mean as much as I love spending time with the dogs…" You smirked and glanced down at your new found furry friends, Gilbert scoffed and acted hurt. "Ouch Fraulein, you already like zhe dogs more than your 'boyfriend'" Gilbert made quotations with his fingers when he said boyfriend and grinned. "We vill have dinner und watch a movie here, Ludvig may come home with Natalya but I'm not quite sure when or if." You nodded, "Okay, do you need any help? I don't mind contributing my fair share of free manual labor." You smiled and rolled up your sleeves for emphasis. Gilbert gave you his shit-eating grin and began walking towards the kitchen "Oh (name), there's alvays something to be done!"

Shortly after following Gil into the kitchen, you were commissioned to making fruit salad. Which included, washing, cutting, and mixing the fruit as well as a dash of sugar. But mid-way cutting fruit, Gilbert 'accidentally' threw some of the potatoes he was cooking at you. This is how the food war commenced; potatoes were thrown, countless strawberries sacrificed for the sake of your dignity against the evil Dictator 'Gilbert' and his army of Gilbirds. (Gilbird actually just ate the food that you threw at each other, as did both Blackie and Am.) But neither you nor Gilbert noticed the opening of the front door as you continued with your war, signaling that Ludwig had arrived home.

-Ludwigs POV-

Ludwig had a long day with Natalya. His 'Girlfriend' had taken him to her house where he had lunch with her and her family. Ludwig could handle Natalya in small doses, but he couldn't handle her family; her older brother Ivan was crazy. Ludwig and Ivan had once got in a fight in high school over something stupid and ever since Ivan gave Ludwig a death glare every time he was in a five-mile proximity of the large Russian man. Not only that, but Ludwig had noticed that his 'girlfriend' seemed more interested in her brother than in him, her boyfriend, and not in the caring sister way. Whenever Natalya was around Ivan, she would latch onto his arm and nearly hiss at everyone who approached, even her older sister Katyusha. Ludwig had no specific problems against Katyusha, she was nice enough. But Ludwig was just always uncomfortable around her because of her voluptuous…erm, size and her often low cut shirts.

After eating three course Russian lunch and downing some shots of vodka with Katyusha; Ludwig decided to excuse himself and head home. At least that was the plan until Natalya saw him trying to escape and dragged him back to 'spend quality time with her and big brother'. Ludwig spent another hour and a half listening to Natalya begging Ivan to marry her while Ivan tried to pry his sister off of him and Katyusha just giggled and began making dinner. Ludwig was finally at his wits end and about to take the bottle of vodka and jump out the window when Katyusha took pity on his poor soul, she asked him to stop by another time for dinner and she lead him to the front door. Once they were out of earshot of her younger siblings, the well-endowed older sister leaned in and whispered "Don't worry, I'll tell them you became sick. Dobranich Ludwig!" With that she smiled and closed the door behind him.

That was when he began the trek back to his house; he was a biz woozy after having several shots of vodka. But not woozy enough to inhibit his walk back or cause anyone to suspect his inebriated state. He continued down the path leading to his house Mein head hurts…He brought his fingers to his temples and began rubbing as he walked, hoping to relieve some of the building tension. His mind wandered as he continued walking…I wonder how (Name) und her boyfriend are… I wonder who he was anyway. I haven't seen him since…Ludwig sighed, Just as long as she's happy…With that thought he turned and headed down the small pathway leading to his front door. When he opened the door, he was greeted by his two loyal companions and by the sound of giggling and smacks coming from the kitchen. "What the hell…" He muttered as he took off his shoes and began walking towards the source of the noise. Soon enough he was greeted by an unusual sight; there in the kitchen was his crush (name) shielding her face with a cutting board and throwing strawberries at Gilbert, who was also throwing potatoes at her.

Ludwig just stood there in awe; the brother's nice white and silver kitchen was now yellow and pink with remnants of strawberries and potatoes everywhere. Not only that but what the hell is (name) doing in the kitchen? In our house? Ludwig quickly regained his composure and growled "Gilbert!" The elder of the german brothers turned and looked at his younger brother standing in the doorway and grinned, "Hallo Luddy! You're just in time to help me zhe food fight against (name)!" Ludwig noticed as (name) peered from around the edge of the cutting board she was using as a shield, "Ludwig help! Gil's being a meany!" You whined as Gil chucked more potatoes at your head. Normally Ludwig would be one for yelling at Gilbert and making him clean up the mess; but the combination of Vodka and (name) compelled him to join the food fight; and shortly after (name) and Ludwig had defeated the evil Dictator Gilbert.

Gilbert finally gave up, mumbling out "Uncle uncle! Verdammt bruder…" and muttering curses under his breath. (Name) threw her hands up and hugged Ludwig once gilbert surrendered "Yea! Thanks Ludwig! I couldn't do it without you!" (Name) quickly wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him, thus pressing the side of her face and her chest into him; causing a dark blush to form on Ludwig's cheeks "Erm- No problem (name)." Noticing his brother's awkwardness and blush, Gilbert took this as his opportunity to leave for a few minutes and leave you two alone. "I'm a mess Fraulein, I vill go shower before dinner!" Before (name) could say anything or Ludwig could protest, Gilbert ran out of the room; leaving (name) and Ludwig alone in the messy kitchen Great…Ludwig sighed.

-Your POV-

You leaned in and gave Ludwig a big hug, attempting to wrap your arms around his broad chest and back; pressing the side of your face against his chest as you pushed yourself into him. You could feel his heart pounding against his chest He's probably just excited from the food fight..You continued to hug him as you heard Gilbert say something about leaving and before you knew it, you were left there, standing in the kitchen alone with Ludwig. Well this is awkward…You had let go of Ludwig and now were standing in the middle of the mess that was now the Beilschmidt kitchen, "Uhm, don't you think we should clean up?" You asked, you looked around at the mess on the floor, the walls, and even some on the ceiling. You failed to notice the bright red blush on Ludwig's face however as you inspected the messy kitchen. "Ja, we should clean up. But I wouldn't count on much help from Mein bruder..." He grumbled and walked over to the sink and pulled out some cleaning supplies from underneath the cabinet just *sbelow the sink. He handed you a brush and a bottle of bleach "I will get zhe food on zhe walls, why don't you get zhe rest on zhe floor?" Ludwig asked, you nodded and began working on cleaning up the smashed food on the floor and cabinets.

It was about twenty minutes later when both the floor and cabinets near the floor were so clean that they nearly sparkled. The walls on the other hand were still food covered because Ludwig gotten distracted while you cleaned, several times actually. At first he would glance over to see if you were doing okay, he would then mentally comment on your method and commitment to cleaning. After which Ludwig had noticed that you had gotten on all fours to clean the floor, and several times you had accidentally given Ludwig the perfect view of your 'asset'. Thus, causing the tall German man to be flustered and take 5-6 minutes to calm down. Once you were done, you did a double take of the floor and cabinets before pulling yourself off of the floor and stretching, who knew cleaning the floor hurt your back so much? No wonder Cinderella went off and married a stranger…You thought. You turned around and noticed Ludwig diligently working on the walls, but that small little section seemed to be the only section he had touched in twenty minutes. You picked up your brush and walked beside Ludwig, "So Ludwig, need some help?" You saw him nod, his face seemed to be a little pink though…Maybe he broke out a sweat while cleaning the walls? Turning to the opposite wall across from Ludwig, you begin spraying bleach and scrubbing stains off of the wall, humming a tune softly to yourself. As you hummed, Ludwig's curiosity got the best of him "So, erm. (Name), how is your boyfriend?" You stopped cleaning and looked over at him, laughing "Boyfriend? Hah! That's funny. I don't have one Ludwig." She smiled, "So I guess my nonexistent boyfriend is good thanks!" You laughed as Ludwig chuckled, clearly relieved as he continued cleaning.

About fifteen minutes after you joined the fight to clean the entire kitchen, you and Ludwig sat in the living room panting from all the scrubbing. He recovered quickly far before you did, probably due to non-existent cardio workouts. He peered over at you carefully as you sat there leaning back on the couch panting, face red and beats of sweat running down your forehead; he furrowed his brows in concern. "(Name), are you all right?" You swallowed and looked at him, feeling yourself blush deeply. Goddamnit, why is he so attractive? I can practically become a tomato because of my red face… He had changed into a black tank top with jeans, his slicked back blonde hair was covered by a gray hat; some of his blonde hair escaped the hat, falling in his eyes and making him even more attractive (If that was even possible at this point) "Uh! Yea I just…" You looked around the room for something to save your ass from this awkward situation, that's when you noticed the extensive pile of moves. "…I just wanted to watch a movie!" You grinned mentally hell yea, I'm smooth! You would have high fived yourself if Gilbert didn't walk in at that exact moment grinning like the Cheshire Cat "Ja! Zhat is a great idea! Ludvig, get mein favorite movie!" Gilbert had that shit eating grin on his face again as you narrowed your eyes, Ludwig on the other hand just rolled his eyes. "Ja, fine." About ten minutes later, you sat squished between the Beilschmidt brothers watching, (much to your horror) the classic horror film The Exorcist.

You normally didn't mind horror movies, you found the newer ones to be clichéd and predictable; but you had never seen the grandfather of all horror movies. The movie began without a hitch as you watched the two priests attempt to perform an exorcism on a small girl; you chuckled at their failures. But once her head began spinning in circles you couldn't handle it and hid behind the object closest to you; which just happened to be a flustered Ludwig. At the first sight of heads spinning you grasped Ludwig's shirt and shoved your face into his toned chest to escape the movie, completely oblivious as to Ludwig's reaction. Ludwig was taken by surprise to say the least, his eyes widened and his cheeks became a bright red. "Turn it off!" You mumbled from Ludwig's chest, you had now plugged your ears to avoid the sounds of screaming coming from the television. Gilbert laughed and watched his brother's reaction carefully, "It seems you are a good shield to mein girlfriend bruder" He smirked as Ludwig whipped his head up in surprise, "What?!" Ludwig nearly shouted out, his face showed a mix of pain, betrayal and confusion. His loud outburst startled you, causing you to flinch and jump nearly a foot away from him. "What is it Ludwig?" You asked, your eyebrows furrowing as you watched his expression turn from hurt to rage. "(Name) are you und mein bruder dating?"

Now it was your turn to be flustered, you swallowed the large lump in your throat and managed to speak some coherent words "I-uh…Yea?" You questioned I don't know if dating your friends brother to make him jealous is considered 'dating'? Ludwig rose from the couch abruptly and walked in a huff to the front door, slamming it as he left. You turned to Gilbert with a confused and worried look on your face; meanwhile Gilbert was grinning from ear to ear "I did not know he would be zhat mad!" He grins, you tilted your head in confusion "Gil, I didn't want to hurt him…" He sighed "Zhen you must go after him!"

You hadn't run out of that house any faster than that moment, you ran out the front door and spotted Ludwig's silhouette several blocks away, you took a quick deep breath and began sprinting after him, "Ludwig wait!" You huffed out, I need to exercise more…You were finally several feet behind him but no matter how much you called to him, he did not turn around. Fine, you want to be like that? You grabbed his arm roughly and swung him around so he was facing you; this was when you got a clear look at his face, his eyes showed that he was hurt, but the rest of his expression showed that he was pissed. You glared up at him, angered at his moodiness "What the Hell is wrong with you Ludwig?!" You yelled, "Why would you just Storm out like that?" Your voice lowered in volume, but you still continued to glare at him as he retained his pissed expression. "Ja?! I can do what I want!" He yelled back as he attempted to turn around and walk away, but you kept an iron grip on his arm and kept him in place. "Why would you leave?! Did I do something? Did I say something wrong? Tell me verdammt!" You glared up at his stoic features, irritated at a lack of explanation. He just stood there glaring at you for several seconds before he leaned down and slammed his lips into yours. WHAT?! Your eyes widened in shock at the kiss, but after several seconds you did not resist; all too quickly he pulled away, he had calmed down as all the irritation had dissipated from his expression. "(Name) I do not want to see you hurt by mein bruder…" He scratched the back of his neck and looked down, "I should not have-"You cut him off by placing a finger on his lips, "Okay, for one Gilbert and I are not dating Ludwig; I told you earlier I didn't have a boyfriend!"You stared at him determined, his eyes widened again and an expression of relief passed over his face for a brief moment. "And for two, I don't want you to apologize. I-I personally liked it but I don't want to ruin your relationship…" You looked down a bit and mumbled, "I want you to be happy."

Ludwig nodded and pulled you into a large hug, "(Name), I'm sorry. I did not mean to do zhat…" He pulled back from the hug and gazed down at you, his face full of sorrow and a hint of regret. "Can we be friends again?" Oh…He didn't know it, but your world shattered. Your reason not to relapse, your reason to trust again, your first real genuine connection with someone, Just. Wanted. To. Be. Friends. You were damaged by these words, but you did not know why. I-It's not like I liked him anyways…Regardless of telling yourself this and denying the truth that was right in front of you, you still felt your heart strings pull as his words reverberated in your head. But you couldn't show him that; so you put on a very convincing fake smile and laughed "Of course Ludwig, we'll just be friends!" You lightly punched his shoulder and tried to contain the pain radiating from your chest.

No one knew, but Ludwig hated uttering those words. He hated just being friends, but when he had thought you had someone else besides him; he couldn't stand to be alone anymore.

But now, it was you who was alone.

You walked back to the Beilschmidt house in silence as you tried to hold in all of your pain, once you stepped inside you asked Gilbert to walk you home; your face clearly showing how worn down you were from the events of that evening to everyone but Ludwig. Gilbert quickly got up and began walking you home, listening to every word that you spoke about what Ludwig said. "Mein Gott, I did not think he just wanted to be friends…I'm sorry (name), I did not zhink how this would affect you" You put on that fake smile again and patted him on the shoulder, "It's okay Gil, I'll see you in class okay?" With that you hurriedly bustled into your shared apartment, you were greeted by (best friend) Giving you a huge hug and a tub of ice cream as you both cried for the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, Ludwig was unable to sleep; something bothered him about how you acted earlier after their conversation, but he could not place his finger on it. He drifted off thinking about what was wrong with you.

That night, your reason to not relapse and trust again had vanished; so had any hope you had for another genuine connection with a human being. You had become a shell that night, a shell trying to fix itself with no glue. But what was the glue?