T/Ws: Mild blood and injury

Chapter 35: Caught in the Middle

11 September 1961

Gilbert and Ivan sat in the car escorting them through Berlin in stark silence. As always whenever they were around anyone who could report back to his boss they acted with animus towards each other, especially after what Ivan's Boss had done when he had found out the Russian had been soft on Gilbert. God forbid what he would do if he knew the true extent of their relationship.

After the incident, Ivan's boss had ordered him to escort Gilbert to all of his monthly meetings for the time being. Ivan was been forced to keep Gilbert on a tight leash, at least in public and any planning to help Gilbert see his brother brother would have to go on hold.

He was surprised when the car pulled up to an apartment block and not a hotel.

'Your stop General Braginsky and Comrade Beilschmidt.' The driver announced.

'It's not a hotel?' Gilbert said, confused.

'You have a knack for escaping Comrade Beilschmidt. Yours and General Braginsky's Boss have decided a hotel was too opportunistic for you. You're on the 5th floor and there is only one exit and someone is always watching it.' The driver explained handing Ivan the key.

Ivan just took the key and grabbed his bag, silently nodding to signal Gilbert to join him. Once in the apartment Ivan signalled Gilbert to stay quiet as he began pulling the apartment apart, it took him sometime as the place while small was still not as small as a hotel room would have been. It had a living/kitchen area, a bathroom and two bedrooms.

As soon as Ivan was done tearing the place apart, he pulled a strange box out his bag and began scanning the apartment with it before putting it down and sighing in relief.

'The place somehow isn't bugged. I guess my Boss is confident I learned my lesson and trusts me to keep you on a lead.' Ivan said as he flopped on the sofa.

'After all, everytime I have been punished in the past I have followed with blind obedience. So why would he suspect me? Still, we should act like nothing is happening incase but I think we can allow friendly chatting.' Ivan whispered.

'Is it going to be like this everytime?' Gilbert sighed sadly.

'Most likely.' Ivan looked down as he said it in guilt.

Gilbert put the radio on and they sat listening to it making small talk. The tension in the air from the fear they were still being spied on was thick even after Ivan's thorough search.

'Do you think I would be allowed to walk around a little?' Gilbert grumbled as he got up and paced around.

'Most likely if I came with you but we may be followed.' Ivan explained.

'I don't care, I just need some fucking air.' Gilbert grumbled.

'Let us go then.' Ivan said getting up and grabbing his coat.

Gilbert did the same and they locked the door before making their way down to the only door. Once outside a normally dressed man who had been sitting on a bench 'reading a newspaper' approached them.

'General.' He said to Ivan, signalling he was likely the man watching them.

'We are going for a small walk to get some air. You have no need to follow us. I am not stupid enough to go against my Boss.' Ivan said coldly.

'Very well, be back in an hour.' The man nodded before sitting back on the bench.

They walked in silence for the first 15 minutes. With Ivan constantly checking around him to see if they were actually followed, after confirming not he sighed in relief.

'We are not been followed, must have gotten a lazy one, lucky us as now we can speak normally.' Ivan smiled softly.

'I guess you are used to getting spied on all the time?' Gilbert asked sadly.

'Yes. Things are always this way. Most of my bosses keep me on a short leash and my new leader is no different. He is less bad than Stalin is, less secret police and spying but still not massively better, still an authoritarian.' Ivan explained.

'Hey.. um… do you think we could go to the border fence maybe?' Gilbert said sadly.

'We really shouldn't…' Ivan said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

'You know I hate begging but please. I just want to see West Berlin, even for a second.' Gilbert pleaded.

'I mean… As long as we can find a part nobody's watching, da.' Ivan nodded as they began to walk towards the border, he couldn't stand seeing Gilbert so sad looking.

As they got closer and closer Gilbert's anxiety got worse and worse. He could still remember the last time he was at the border, screaming out for Ludwig only to get tear gassed. Fucking assholes! How could they split a city, a country, and families. The USSR and America had just chopped up and served German on a plate like a cake and now they had decided they hated each other, Germany was caught in the middle.

They got close to a small side street that had been cut in two by the border and Ivan signalled Gilbert to wait before going down it alone to see if it was watched. It wasn't luckily but it also wasn't a fence anymore as Gilbert had described it but a tall concrete wall covered in barbed wire on the top. The fact it wasn't guarded meant it was probably patrolled so they would have to be quick.

'Gilbert, it appears to be a wall now.' Ivan explained softly as he walked back.

'WHAT?' Gilbert said in shock before running down the side street.

As he turned the corner he saw it, the concrete monstrosity that now blocked any view of West Berlin. Gilbert ran to it, placing his hand on the cold concrete.

'NEIN NEIN NEIN!' He screamed out as he began to beat it with his fists.

He was angry and hurt, now he couldn't even see his brother's land let alone hope to see his brother's face. Those bastards, he would kill them all. He would bust this wall and kill them all.

'Stop you will hurt yourself!' Ivan panicked as he went to grab the Prussian to stop him but Gilbert just shoved him off causing him to hit the floor hard.

Gilbert's fists began to split and bleed as he punched harder and harder, not even caring about the tears streaming down his face. His brother, they split them up, put a fence up to slit them and now he wasn't even allowed to look over to hopefully see him. It wasn't fair.

'I SAID STOP IT NOW!' Ivan growled, getting off the floor and grabbing the Prussian tightly and lifting him up from the ground, carrying him away.

'LET GO OF ME! LET ME GO! MEIN BRUDER! YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM ME!' Gilbert screamed in German as Ivan dragged him back to the road they were on, not an easy task with the Prussian struggling so much.

Once they got to the main street Ivan dropped the screaming Prussian before slapping him in the face hard to shut him up.

'Stop making a scene! Or we will be punished!' Ivan growled angrily.

'HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT WAS YOUR SISTERS BEHIND THAT WALL?!' Gilbert screamed as he got on his feet and into the Russian's face.

'I know! Okay! I know how you feel being away from him! I would be this angry too but we need to stay composed or he might… my boss will hurt us if we don't play nice…' Ivan said the last part nervously.

'His a psychopath, does he even have a soul?' Gilbert said with venom at least not yelling now.

'I know. When I am stronger I promise I will fix all of this. We can all be a happy family, when I can beat America, when I can beat my Boss. We will all live together in a nice warm place surrounded by sunflowers, that includes your brother and his shadow Italy.' Ivan said sincerely, taking the Prussians bloody hands and holding them softly in his hands.

'You know as much as I do that will never happen. This world will never be the peaceful big family you seem to think it will be.' Gilbert scoffed.

'It will be. It will be. We just need to believe da? Or why do we keep breathing? We must believe or it can not happen. That's why I must get strong to make it happen then everyone else will believe it too. I will do whatever it takes for that outcome.' Ivan assured.

Gilbert could never understand his blind hope. How could you have such hope while doing such awful things? Then again he didn't doubt for a minute that his Bosses weaponised his naivety to help control Ivan. Make him do what they wanted. Maybe this naivety was the only way Ivan could live with the hell his bosses made continually.

Gilbert didn't believe it nor wanted it. Ivan's dream was sweet but so misguided and his lack of knowledge of right and wrong just made it dangerous. No matter how much he loved the people in his house, no matter how good his intentions, his actions would make them hate him, make them suffer, even though Ivan didn't know they were. Even though he believed he was doing good.

'Let's just go back.' Gilbert sighed sadly, pulling his hands away.

'Da, we must clean up your hands.' Ivan agreed as they began to walk away.

What Gilbert wanted more than anything was to be with his brother again. Maybe one day.