Chapter 2

The first few months had been really hard on Gilbert. First it was the waking up early part, then the coming home to an empty house part. But what was still the hardest thing for him to do was going to meetings. The other nations seemed to have forgotten Ludwig, Germany. It saddened him because he remembered him, the smell of his brother and his cooking, his voice and his laughter (which few people got to hear). The albino sighed and put his hands over his face and sobbed, paperwork forgotten.

"Jesus Christ, West. You could have talked to me. You little shit. What the fuck made you think I wouldn't listen?"

Gilbert chocked out to the empty study, that he tried to keep in order but was failing, piles of papers were already building up in a few corners of the room. It didn't help that Christmas was coming soon and he had thought about what to give his brother, but he couldn't give it to him anymore. He jolted as the phone rang and he answered it.

"Hallo?"

"Allo mon ami. How are you?"

Gilbert smiled a little bit at the sound of his friend's voice.

"Not too good. I miss Ludwig."

There was some silence on the other end.

"Come spend the Christmas with me. Matthew will be over and I'd hate to have you alone. I insist and I will not take 'no' for an answer."

France said and the two spoke a little more for a while before Gilbert hung up to finish this damn paperwork. Now he understood why his brother had no time for 'fun' things. These papers were like homework but never ending.

-Christmas, Paris -

The albino had arrived a few days earlier; of course, he had brought presents one couldn't come empty handed. He had also brought his suitcase but his mood was everything but happy. Sure he smiled now and then but it was hard for him. Everything was hard for him. Why was it so hard for him? Oh, of course. There was a big piece missing in his life, a piece he had made to not be alone. He sighed and wiped away stray tears and grabbed his winter coat and was out the door.

Francis looked up as he heard the door close and ran over to it.

"Gilbert!"

The blonde Frenchman shouted after his friend.

"Gilbert!"

He called again.

"I want to be alone!"

Gilbert shouted back and disappeared around the corner. Francis sighed and shook his head, grabbing his keys, making sure everything was off and locked, grabbed his coat and followed after his friend. Catching up to him panting.

"I said I wanted to be alone."

Gilbert mumbled.

"Mon ami, I cannot let you do that. God only knows what you could do."

"I won't do anything stupid, Francis. For Gott's sake, just leave me alone. What if Matthew comes home to no one? Won't you feel guilty?"

Gilbert hissed. Francis stopped and watched his friend continue to walk.

"Don't come home too late. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Francis said and turned around and walked back home. Gilbert just mumbled to himself.

- 3 hours later -

The albino rang the doorbell to his friend's house and Francis greeted him with a cup of his finest hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it.

"You're late."

"I don't care."

An awkward silence fell between the two but Gilbert took the offered cup and sat as far away from Matthew and Francis as he could. He felt like the Grinch or Scrooge. He just wanted to be alone on Christmas, this Christmas at least. Maybe next year he could be alone.

- New Years eve, Former Germany now New Prussia -

The albino nation stood in front of his brother's grave talking about what he had done and that he had just gone home, not being able to take one more day in France.

"-And that's what I did."

Gilbert cleared his throat.

"West, you could have talked to me. God…I hate for not talking to me. How many times have I told you that you can always talk to me! Jesus fucking Christ! I would have listened for fucks sake!"

He started to scold the tombstone. He sighed and laughed at himself.

"Come back to me, Ludwig. I'll be a better brother this time. I don't think I'll be going to as many wars as I did back then. Sure I'll be away but I'll be working. Bitte, come back to me kleiner bruder."

Gilbert begged and looked at his clock, it struck 12 o'clock midnight and fireworks went into the air.

"Happy New year little one."

He whispered to the tombstone and gave it a kiss before turning and leaving.

- 4 months later -

The albino was bored out of his mind. A meeting in Vienna, hah! And the host, Austria or Roderich, was late, as always. When the man finally arrived it took about another 15 minutes for the damned meeting to start and it ended an hour late, thanks to prissy pants being late. He was just glad he could go home. As he put the papers in his suitcase he could feel the brunette staring at him.

"What!?"

Gilbert barked and glared at Roderich.

"Would you like to come over for coffee?"

"Nein, I'd rather join Ludwig!"

Gilbert growled, not seeing the frown on Eliza's face as he stormed out.

- 3 years later -

Gilbert stacked away the papers neatly in a folder. Four years had now passed and things were getting a little easier for him. He was going out with Francis and Antonio again and Feliciano was coming over a lot more.

But, one night the world changed. It seemed Alfred and Ivan couldn't keep their hands off each other and started a third world war. The albino had angered both nations by declaring neutrality and sticking to it. The Soviet Union was reborn, Georgia had been eliminated and Russia claimed the soil once more.

The albino denied joining the allies, he was neutral and he left it at that.

Italy, Austria and Hungary were fighting with the allies; and apparently Japan was playing both sides again, so it seemed.

- 10 years later -

It had taken ten years for this war to finish. Russia lost in the end and was forced to break the Soviet Union once again. The man had a lot of money to pay, but it wasn't just him. China had been on his side; Japan had been on both sides and had to pay his fair share. There had been some accidental bombings due to miscalculations. Cities were being rebuilt and streets were being cleaned. Victors were being honored and praised as well as the war heroes were being welcomed home.

Gilbert turned off the T.V. He hadn't really used it except for the news. At least the war was over now. With a sigh, the albino got up and went outside, he had a house to fix up. It had gotten its fair share of damage over those 10 years and he wasn't moving from this house that he had built with his own two hands, long ago.