Chapter Seven: Tell The World I'm Coming Home

It was cold this morning. Then again, when wasn't it? It was always cold here. And yet, for the time that Gilbert had been here, he had still not gotten used to all the snow. He still hated it, despite it being quite beautiful to look at.

Like mentioned before and for several times, he was cold. Then again, he was only just in his boxer shorts, all wrapped up like a burrito in the thick blankets of Ivan's bed.

Letting out a large yawn, he moved his arm over to the other side of the bed, expected for it to brush against the soft face of Ivan. But it just fell against an empty pillow. That grabbed Gilbert's attention. Perking his head up from his own pillow, he looked around for the other. Once again, the bedroom remained empty.

Where the hell could he be this time?

Pulling himself up by using the edge of the bed, he managed to grab his clothes in one sift movement before preceding to put them one.

"I swear, I'm going to kill him if he ran off again." Gilbert grumbled under his breath as he pulled his pants on over his legs. Grabbing a smaller blanket, he placed it over his shoulders as though it were a cloak and headed out into the living room of Ivan's house.

No one was around. Not even Katyusha or Natalia.

Weird, Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows together. Where could everyone be?

Gilbert thought it was time to investigate around. There was still so many other rooms in the house that he hadn't even been around to. So Ivan had to be in one of them, at least that's what he assumed.

It took about several hours until Gilbert had checked around the whole house. Not anyone in sight. He was just about to give up, when he heard a small sound coming from one of the rooms in the back behind the kitchen. Gilbert didn't even know there was a room back there, so he got up from his post and went to go see who was there. It had to be someone, right?

Pulling open the door with a creak, he noticed that he had walked into someone's office. Ivan's, he took it, as the larger man's coat was hanging on a rack near the door. The sound was still coming from this room, but Gilbert didn't see anyone in here. Was it just his imagination?

There was the sound again, a little bit louder this time.

Gilbert craned his neck, trying to search around and see where it was coming from. The noise was a little bit odd to him. It was a sound of whimpering, of pain, or sorrow. Who was crying? And why?

Once he came to the desk, he checked out over the chair, but didn't see anyone. But suddenly, he lost his balance once he passed behind the desk. With a yelp, he collapsed to the ground.

"Ouch! What the hell-" He stopped once he saw Ivan, crouched in the desk where the occupants legs were supposed to go. Gilbert's face softened quickly when he saw the other's face. Was he crying?

"Privet," The other said simply, trying to wipe his face clean.

Gilbert didn't say anything yet. Instead, he just shooed Ivan's grip off his leg and crawled over next to him, pushing the chair out of the way so that he could sit down next to him. Reaching up a hand, he traced his fingers on the other's cheeks, wiping off the tears that stained them. Ivan flinched slightly at the other's touch, which made Gilbert give him a confused look.

"Ivan? Are you okay?" He asked, pursing his lips together in concern.

The Russian opened his mouth to speak, but nothing quite came out, which only increased Gilbert's worry for him. What could be bothering him?

That's when Gilbert noticed something clutched in the other's hand. It was crumbled but Gilbert knew it was a piece of paper. What was on it? "Ivan, what's that?" He asked the other again, gesturing to the paper in the other's hand.

Ivan didn't answer again. Instead, he just clutched the paper more, crumbling it and bringing it closer to his chest.

"Come on, it can't be that bad." Gilbert tried to calm down the tension that hung as clear in the air. "Lemme see."

He reached out his hand towards the other, ready to grab it when the door slammed open. Gilbert jumped in surprise, hopping up onto the office chair and looking up to see Natalia again.

Holy shit! When did she get here? Gilbert panicked, glancing down at Ivan in desperation. But the Russian just kept a blank face, putting his finger to his lips making a shush gesture before placing his head on Gilbert's lap and pulling him close.

Gilbert flinched. What the hell was he doing? He thought to himself, trying to wiggle himself out. But he wasn't paying attention to Natalia, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Eeee!" Gilbert squeaked, trying to push himself farther away, but Ivan had a good grip on him.

"Why are you still here?" Natalia snapped, slamming her hands down on the table, making Gilbert flinch even more.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" He responded back. "I'm stuck here, remember? Ivan's keeping me here."

"No he isn't." Natalia narrowed his eyes down at him. "He just a-"

She was just about to finish when Katy came into the room. "Natalia! I thought I told you to leave poor Gilbert alone." She fussed, grabbing her sister's arm to pull her along out of the room.

"I know! But he's not supposed to be here!" She snapped, trying to struggle out of her sister's grip, but it was no use.

And with that, the two of them were dragged out from the room, leaving a confused Gilbert strapped into the chair. After two minutes or so, Gilbert could feels Ivan's grip on him slacken and Gilbert took this as a moment to push himself back.

"What the hell was that about?" Gilbert snapped at the other, who was still under the desk with an innocent look on his face.

Oh no, Gilbert. Don't fall for that face. You have to find out what the hell Natalia meant by all that.

"What's going on?" He raged again. "I'm not supposed to be here? But you're the one who brought me here in the first place!" He clenched his teeth together, trying to look as fearless as possible. Ivan still wasn't moving. "Answer me!" He shouted again, standing up from the chair.

Ivan looked up at him for a moment more before letting out a sigh and standing up from underneath the desk. Running a hand through his hair, Gilbert noticed how distraught the other looked. It was like he hadn't slept in quite some time now.

"Ivan... Please." Gilbert said calmly after taking in a deep breath. Maybe now that he's partly calm that the other would start talking.

The other still didn't say anything, which was starting to tick Gilbert off now. Why wouldn't he just say what's wrong? I can help! Doesn't he know that?

But before Gilbert could form another thought, he was suddenly pulled away by Ivan. The taller man's large hand had his wrist in a hard grip, making Gilbert struggle to get out from it. It was like the first time that he had arrived, how Ivan had pulled him along with such force.

Soon, they were out the door of Ivan's home, traipsing along in the snow, which wasn't as high as it was the day before.

"Ivan! Where are we going now?!" Gilbert still tried to struggle under Ivan's grip. What had gotten into him?

Nothing. There was nothing that Gilbert could say now that would make a response out of Ivan. He had on a blank expression, not even his usual smile was on his face. He wasn't even looking at Gilbert now, just straight ahead.

"Goddammit, man! Let me go!" He tried tugging at him again, seeing if maybe he could release his grip on him. Gilbert's strength was back to its normal peak, so he was able to be much more forceful towards Ivan now.

Thankfully, he somehow managed to slip his arm out from underneath the other's, causing Gilbert to stop in his tracks and Ivan look back over his shoulder at him. The albino was rubbing his wrist, which was a bit red from being held on too tightly. His red eyes were narrowed in fury at the other. But when he turned around, Gilbert's face fell again.

Ivan's eyes were large and tearful, as though he had been crying since when they were first in the office room earlier that morning. Those purple orbs were glossy and so full of hurt.

What had happened?

"Ivan, don't cry. Please just answer me and then we can go back home, okay?" Gilbert tried reasoning, casting him a small smile to help seal the deal.

But there was still no emotion from Ivan yet. Only his jaw clenched, making his face look a little hard. Something was definitely bothering him, but Gilbert had no clue as to what.

Was it him? Did he do something? Was it what happened yesterday?

"No."

Gilbert came back down from his thoughts, blinking in confusion at the other. "What?"

"I said no." Ivan's face was still blank, making Gilbert think that he had just suddenly froze in the snow they were standing in.

"Why not? Isn't that what you want?"

Something in Ivan's eyes flickered for a moment. Desire? Hope? Gilbert didn't know, but it looked something along the lines of those.

"Yes, of course." He breathed out. That usual smile of his came back onto his lips as he closed his eyes.

"Well then, what the hell are we doing out here then?" Gilbert reached out his hand, grabbing onto the other's arm to pull him back towards his house again.

But Ivan didn't budge. His eyes were still closed as a swift wind blew through, ruffling their hair so that it went in front of their eyes.

"I can't." Ivan said simply, moving his arm from Gilbert's grasp.

"What? Why not? Is it because of Natalia?" The albino's eyes shot up in concern as he brushed his own hair backwards.

"No. It's not that." He shook his head, looking down at his feet. "I just... I just..." He was struggling with his words now, which seemed to unnerve Gilbert even more. I van just let out a big sigh, looking back up at the other with big eyes. "I just can't tell you now."

"Why not-"

Ivan placed a finger in front of Gilbert's mouth, silencing him and shaking his head in the process. "You will see. Come, then." He reached out his hand towards the other like he was offering some sort of token to him.

Gilbert didn't quite understand what the other was getting at. But nonetheless, he placed his hand in the other's before they continued walking. They were drawing closer and closer to the woods in which Gilbert had first came that few days ago. That day seemed longer ago than it had actually been, which was a bit strange to him.

"Well, can you at least tell me where we're going?" Gilbert tried again, brushing up against the other and clutching his arm for warmth.

There were no warning sirens going off in his head now. Then again, there was nothing that was being said about how bad this was. There wasn't anything bad about this now. Gilbert just felt so warm and cared for under Ivan's arm. Most people would probably think he's crazy, only because that was true. He was crazy. As cheesy as it sounds, Gilbert was crazy in love.

Love.

In love.

With Ivan.

And there was nothing more better than that.

"Like I said, you'll see." Ivan said to him, smiling his usual smile over to the shorter man. It was good to hear the amusement in his voice again, which made Gilbert's suspicion decrease quite rapidly.

Maybe he just wanted to bring me out for a walk? I mean, there's nothing bad out here, is there?

What if he's going to kill you...

That thought seemed to cause panic in Gilbert again. What if that were true? What if Ivan was actually going to kill him now?

"What is he still doing here?" That was what Natalia had yelled to him. Had she known that Ivan was going to kill him? Was she in on this plan?

Fear gripped the back of Gilbert's spine, almost crushing it completely. If he was going to die now, what could he do? There wasn't anything he could do now. Ivan had a good grip on him even if he tried to run away.

But why would Ivan kill him now? The Russian had several opportunities to try and dispose of him, but he never did.

Hopefully, just hopefully, that that wasn't what Ivan was planning for now.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you." Gilbert muttered softly, his head still leaning against the taller man's arm. His red eyes were wide with disbelief, and his mind still wandered.

"What?" That question (it was more like a statement though) seemed to catch Ivan off guard. "Kill you? Now why would I do that?" He was pulling the innocent being again.

"Because. Didn't you say you were?"

"No. I couldn't do that to you."

"What?"

"I said I couldn't do that. It would hurt me more than it would hurt you."

"I don't understand."

"It's..." Ivan trailed off, turning his head to look down at Gilbert, who was still attached on his arm. He smiled softly before kissing the top of his head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Gilbert kept his mouth closed, obeying to what Ivan said, but he didn't stop thinking about it. Ivan was always such a hard character to comprehend. He wasn't like an open book like some people he knew were. Ivan was more mysterious. And Gilbert didn't quite know how to deal with it now.

Before long, Ivan came to a halt, making Gilbert snap out of his thoughts. They had come out of the woods and stood before a city. It was wide, but still looked badly damaged, as though it had been attacked a few days before.

Gilbert raised up his head. This place seemed so familiar...

"Gilbert!"

It was a voice. A familiar voice. Gilbert didn't know who it was or where it was coming from.

Then, there was a man who limped his way over to the two of them. He was tall, with a hard stare, but his face was full of joy and almost looked like he had been crying. His blonde hair was messy, like he hadn't slept in days.

"Ludwig!" Gilbert's whole being suddenly rose as he let go of Ivan's arm and ran towards his brother.

The two of their bodies crashed together in a large embrace. Both were crying out tears of joy, patting each other's back and still gripping each other warmly.

"Gilbert! I'm so glad that you're okay. You had me worried!" Ludwig let out a laugh, ruffling his older brother's hair in a friendly gesture.

"You were worried? What about me? I heard you got attacked and..." Gilbert's voice faded as he let go of his brother.

He got attacked by Ivan... Ivan...

Gilbert turned around, hoping to see the large Russian still standing there. But he wasn't. In fact, Gilbert could just barely make out the small speck of him in the distance, retreating off into the woods.

What was he doing?

"Wait! Gilbert!" Ludwig cried out once Gilbert had let go.

The albino was now racing back to the Russian, flailing his arms and urging his legs to go faster. His strength had returned fully now, making him be able to catch up with the other in an instant. Ludwig wasn't far behind, but due to his limping, he wasn't as fast as his brother.

Hearing Gilbert calling out his name, Ivan turned around, watching with a confused look as Gilbert came closer.

"What... I don't... You are..." Gilbert panted once he caught up with the other. He placed his hand on Ivan's shoulder, trying to catch his breath before speaking again. "I don't understand, why did you bring me here?"

Ivan smiled softly, but it was more of a cover for something. Disappointment? Remorse?

"It's a long story," Ivan admitted, placing his hands inside his coat pockets. "But I had received a letter saying that I had to give you back."

"Why? You could have just ignored the letter."

He shook his head. "It's not so simple like that."

By then, Ludwig had caught up with them too, but he maintained his space from the both of them. He was still within earshot, but pretended to be interested in something else.

"Why not?!" Gilbert yelled aloud more fiercely, jabbing a finger at Ivan's chest. "You think you can just pull him in like that and suddenly just let me go?"

Ivan blinked. "I thought you wanted to be back here with your brother."

Gilbert froze. He did want to be back here in Germany with his brother. But now that he thought about it, the more Gilbert realized that Ivan was thinking of him, not himself. Maybe Ivan really did have a heart down there somewhere.

"Well, don't I get a say in this?" Gilbert retorted, glaring up at Ivan before casting a look at his brother. "You guys making a deal behind my back without my input on it! Unacceptable!"

He heard Ludwig let out a sigh. "Okay, Gilbert. What do you say about this then? Don't you want to come back here and stay with me? I'm your brother after all. Or do you want to go with... him."

There was some sort of distain in Ludwig's voice as he mentioned Ivan has a thing rather than by his name.

Something inside Gilbert just suddenly flared up. "He's not a him! He has a name!" He shouted, balling his fists up. Both Ludwig and Ivan's eyes were suddenly wide in shock. "His name is Ivan Braginski and he is the reason I am still alive now."

"Brother..." Ludwig began, but didn't know how to finish.

Gilbert let out a sigh, walking over to him and placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Lud, I know I'm your brother. And I know we've always been there for each other. But... it's just time for us to actually grow up. I have actually found someone who actually appreciates me. Who actually cares for me about who I am now."

"I appreciate you, though." Ludwig tried.

"Yeah? When was the last time you asked me to come to one of your meetings, huh?" That came out a lot harsher than he had intended it to be. But Ludwig was just silent, so Gilbert just let out another sigh. "Lud, it's not like I'm going away for good and-"

"I know."

Gilbert blinked. "What?"

"I know." Ludwig repeated again, smiling somewhat as he glanced from Gilbert to Ivan and then back. "I know that you love him."

"Wait... what?!" He panicked, his eyes were wide now. "Wait, hold on-"

"Gilbert, please." Ludwig said, placing his hand on Gilbert's shoulder. "I know that you do. Don't deny it. I've never seen you act quite like this, so I know it's true."

Gilbert didn't say anything.

"You can go. I'll be okay. Besides, it's probably better there than here anyway." Ludwig continued, still smiling. Gilbert could hear a small chuckle from Ivan from behind them.

He looked up at his brother with big eyes, not sure to be happy about this or concerned that his brother had given in to him so quickly.

"Besides," Ludwig said, letting out a content sigh. "It's better for you to go out in the world. Meet new people. You only have to take care of yourself out there."

"Ludwig," That was all Gilbert could manage out before he grabbed him into another hug. "Promise me you'll take care. I'll visit every time I can."

"Don't worry about it! You visit when you need to, okay?" The blonde ruffled the grey's hair before shooing him on.

"You're still the best!" Gilbert called over his shoulder as he started making his way over to the Russian again. Ludwig just raised his hand and waved them off before returning back.

"I don't get you." Ivan said simply once Gilbert was now walking with him.

"What's to get?"

"You could have gone home." Ivan blinked, but kept his smile.

"I am going home." Gilbert stated back, leaning up to kiss the other's cheek. "To my house of ice."