A Long Awaited Reunion
A/N: Welcome back to Berlin Wall is Falling Down. I would like to thank you to my first reviewer Aneko-Neko25 for the review. Lots of appreciation for your comments, don't worry I plan on going in more detail with how Germany felt when the wall got put up and what was going on behind the wall. That's coming up in the next few chapters. This plot bunny has been running around my head for a while now. And I finally got it written out. I hope everyone will stick with me as I continue this story. Enjoy!
Recap: When America and Russia both declared an end to the Cold War. No-one was happier than I. With the ending of the Cold War, down came the Berlin Wall. My country was one entity, it was whole again. As I watched the Wall come down, my eyes searched the crowd, looking for a glimpse of the silver hair belonging to my brother.
It was November 9th, 1989 and the Berlin Wall was finally coming down. Feliciano and Japan were standing by my side as we watched my people take bricks from the wall and throw them away. Happy smiles were accompanied by happy tears as complete strangers from both sides of the wall embraced each other. Joyful shouts rang across the area as families who were separated when the wall went up were reunited with each other. I searched the crowd of people for any sign of my brother, anything at all. With each passing minute of searching, I could feel my anxiety skyrocketing. My eyes flickered to each and every face, trying to see those crimson eyes I missed so much or the shining silver hair that was unique to my brother. The influx of people coming from the other side of the wall began to slowly dissipate and I had yet to see any sign of my brother. I felt Feliciano take my hand and give it a reassuring squeeze while Japan placed a hand on my shoulder. I was extremely grateful to my two Allies for standing with by my side from the day Gilbert was taken away from me until now. It meant a lot to me that they still continued to be alongside me. Minutes dragged by and I could feel the crippling emotion of sadness ricocheting through my soul. Where was my brother? If anything had happened to him, I would kill Russia with my own two hands, regardless of the repercussions.
"Germany! Look! Over there!" Feliciano shouted, breaking through my silent contemplation. He was pointing and gesturing madly at something. My eye traced down his arm to the direction his hand was pointing in. My heart stopped and I couldn't breathe. There, standing 100 meters away from me, was my brother. He hadn't changed much from what I could see. His hair was still blindingly silver, his eyes still crimson. I watched my brother as his head turned side to side, searching the crowd, much like I had done. Our eyes met and he ran towards me.
"Gilbert." I breathed. It took a total of two seconds for my brain to order my legs to move, and I took off running. Halfway toward him, I opened my arms to embrace him. His arms were flung around my neck and I pulled him in close. I inhaled the familiar scent of my brother and I felt tears begin to fall. His name fell like a mantra from my lips and I held him tighter as I buried my face in his hair. His tears dampened my shirt but I couldn't care less. My brother was back. After what seemed like an hour, we pulled away from each other. I pressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath trying to regain some sort of control over my emotions. Fingers brushed over my face and I opened my eyes. Crimson eyes swam with unshed tears and a half smile took place on his mouth.
"Hallo West." I smiled at the old nickname and at the sound of his voice.
"Hallo Bruder. I've missed you." I murmured softly, not trusting my voice to go any louder.
"Ich auch, West. Ich auch."
"Giiiilllllbert!" Our moment was interrupted by Feliciano running over, Japan followed at a much more sedated pace. Once they were close enough, Feliciano launched himself at my brother, his arms going around his neck. I watched as my brother froze and something akin to fear flickered through his eyes. In the next moment it was gone and he wrapped his arms around Italy's waist.
"Kesesesese! Guten Tag Ita-chan!" I stood a bit away from my brother and watched my brother being reunited with our Allies. From the corner of my eyes, I could see some of the Allied Powers standing off to the side. America caught my eye and started over, followed by England and France. I said nothing when the three of them arrived. America clapped him on the back and England shook his hand, both of them welcoming him back. France enveloped him in a hug, his hands grazing over my brother's ass. Gilbert froze once again, his face went white and it looked like he stopped breathing. Quickly I removed France from Gilbert. Once France was off of him, Gilbert buried his face in his hands. Shock was written on everyone's faces and no-one spoke a word. I turned back to my brother and was surprised to see more tears. I walked slowly towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Bruder, are you alright?" I asked quietly. He removed his hands and smiled brokenly.
"Ja, but let's go home, West." I nodded silently. Quickly, we said our good byes and left. The drive home was quiet, the silence was heavy. Gilbert was deep in thought, very uncharacteristic but I didn't have the heart to break him from his thoughts. Trees flew passed my window and we were home. He was quiet until we got to the front door. He brushed his fingers over the wood of the door gently, almost as if he thought it would break. Silently, I handed him the key to unlock the door. He stared at it and hesitantly put it in to the lock. The sound of the lock unlatching rang throughout our forested yard. Carefully he pushed the open and stepped inside for the first time in 28 years.
"Willkommen zu Hause, Bruder." I whispered softly. A brilliant smile lit up Gilbert's face.
"Ich bin zu Hause." he whispered back, staring into the house. I took his hand and led him through the hallway towards the kitchen.
"Would you like anything to eat or drink, Gilbert?" I watched as he shook his head no.
"I don't have much of an appetite right now, West. I think I just want to sleep. Is my room still the same." I nodded and watched him leave. I followed quietly behind him as he walked down to the far end of the hallway. He stood in front of his door for a few minutes, then took a deep breath, exhaled and threw open the door. I studied my brother as he entered his room. His movement were almost cautious, hesitant, and it unnerved me.
"It's still the exact same as I remembered it. Nothing has changed." Gilbert murmured as he sat down on his bed.
"After you were gone, I never came in…only to clean. I didn't want to change anything, I wanted it to stay the way it was…for when you'd come back…" I replied from the doorway. I felt my heart flutter a bit as he smiled at me.
"Danke, Ludwig." My heart skipped a beat when he said my name.
"Bitte schon, bruder. I'll let you get settled for the night. If you need anything, you know where my room is. Guten nacht, bruder."
"Danke, guten nacht Ludwig." I smiled softly as I closed the door. I made my way into my room and got ready for bed.Once in bed, I used the silence to contemplate what had recently transpired. Twice now, I saw my brother freeze at physical interaction. What could have caused such a reaction? Gilbert had always been a very physical person, always one of the loudest too…and even that has changed. He's become quieter, more introverted…it doesn't suit him at all. And the way that he acted once we got home. If was almost if he thought everything wasn't real, that it was dream that would be interrupted at any second. What exactly did he suffer behind that wall? What did Russia put him through? My thoughts were cut off by a loud scream. It had come from Gilbert's room. I shot out of bed and ran to his room. As I ran I heard more screams, spurring me to run faster. I got to his door and tried to open it but it was locked.
"Gilbert? Open the door!" Another scream followed by a loud sob was my answer. I shook the door but the lock didn't come loose. I took a step back and kicked in the door. The room was pitch black, I could only see the faint outline of the bed in the center of the room. Stepping carefully over the remains of the door, I called out to my brother.
"Bruder? Are you alright?" All I could hear was sobbing. I moved towards the bed slowly, not wanting to scare my brother. I reached the bed and my heart clenched at the sight before me. Sitting in the bed, with a look was pure terror on his face, was my brother.
"Gilbert?" Hesitantly, I reached out a hand and placed on his shoulder. When my hand my contact, he jumped about a foot before swinging his panicked eyes to mine.
"L-Ludwig?"
"Ja, I'm here." Within seconds, he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in the crook of my neck, sobbing hysterically. I sat down on the bed and held him. I whispered words of comfort while running a hand through his hair. I held him until his tears stopped and calmed down. Once his tears stopped, he pulled away.
"Sorry about that. " He muttered, while wiping his eyes.
"What happened?"
"I-I had a nightmare." He hung his head, hiding his face from me.
"Would you like to talk about it?" He shook his head. I sighed softly.
"Alright…go back to sleep, Gilbert. You're safe, you're home and I'm here. Nothing is going to hurt you." I said as I brushed from his face. I stood up to leave but was stopped by him grabbing onto my hand. I looked at him curiously.
"Ja?" I asked softly. His mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. I sighed and started towards the door again.
"Don't leave me!" He exclaimed. I looked back at him, shocked. He clapped a hand over his mouth, as if he was ashamed for asking.
"N-Nevermind. I'll be fine. Guten nacht!" He stuttered and buried himself under his blankets, facing away from me. I smiled softly at his embarrassment and headed back over to the bed.
"You'll need to move over a bit for me to fit in, Gilbert." I chuckled lightly. He glared at me but moved over. I crawled under the covers and lay down. Gilbert had moved right over to the far side of the bed and lay there, staring at me.
"You can come here, bruder." I said. Slowly he moved closer. Once he was close enough, I grabbed and pulled him against me. He grunted in surprise but put his head on my chest.
"Sleep now, bruder." I murmured, once again running a hand through his hair. He was asleep within moment and I quickly followed suit.
Willkommen zu Hause Bruder=Welcome home brother