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Ludwig walked along the long carpet that connected the building's entrance to the meeting room. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt. In his right hand, he carried a black leather briefcase containing confidential documents for the meeting.
He had arrived thirty minutes early just to check on his older brother's place. The last meeting with Gilbert had been a disaster. Since they weren't a nation, the organizers hadn't considered a place for him, even though Ludwig had informed them of his brother's attendance two months in advance. Undeterred, Gilbert had taken any available chair and sat next to Ludwig for two hours. Ludwig had to endure sharing a pencil, paper, and microphone, and tolerate having documents snatched from his hands before they were to be discussed.
This time he just wanted to make sure that Gilbert's position had been considered at the table, because he wasn't willing to go through the same ordeal with his older brother just because of another mistake.
When he approached the meeting room, the soldier by the entrance gave a martial salute and then opened the door for him.
"Thank you" said Germany, nodding gently and entering the room.
In the center of the room stood the round table with assigned seats for each nation. The room had no windows, only doors, a few plants, and a table with a water dispenser. The enclosure was a protective measure; without windows, there were no handles, reducing the risk of bombs or other attacks.
When Ludwig finished assessing the room, he approached the station with his country's flag. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed two chairs positioned comfortably enough for two people. Germany inspected his brother's station and frowned slightly when he read the identification.
East Germany.
Gilbert had long since ceased to be East Germany, but it seemed to be the only name humans could currently use to identify it as a country. I didn't blame them; Prussia no longer existed, and calling it Germany was rather confusing, especially since Ludwig was now the representative of the entire nation.
Well, at least he knew he wouldn't have to share a cramped space with his brother. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was twenty minutes before it started, so he decided to grab a coffee before the tedious discussion. The café was at the far end of the building; it was cozy and subtly elegant. Ludwig listed it as one of his favorite cafés in the government buildings he'd visited.
When she arrived, she saw Feliciano sitting at a table by the window eating what looked like a French dessert. Italy looked up and when she saw Germany, she waved her arm happily.
Ludwig approached the dark-haired man's table and asked "What are you doing here earlier than usual, Italy?"
"My boss said I should socialize more with the countries, so he dropped me off here an hour before the meeting" he said, then took another bite.
"If your boss wanted you to socialize, you should have gone up to the main hall and not escaped to the cafeteria to eat sweets" Germany grumbled.
Italy looked at him confused. "But now I'm socializing with you, Germany. So, the objective is achieved "Italy smiled, and Germany sighed resignedly before heading to the counter to place his order.
They chatted for a while to pass the time. Italy was talking about his vacation in Sicily with his brother, the delicious food, and the pleasantly warm sun. Germany listened attentively and offered his opinion when he felt it was necessary, and thanked Italy when she invited him to spend his vacation in her country.
When there were ten minutes left until the meeting, they decided to get up.
Upon entering the hall, almost all of the world's major nations had arrived, and even his brother was already seated in his assigned place.
"West, I thought you'd been kidnapped. It seems you were just preoccupied with Italy" she said with a flirty smile.
At the insinuation, Germany couldn't help but blush slightly. "Don't talk nonsense" she said as she sat down. "How was your trip?"
"Well, I had time to stop by one of those cookie shops Liz likes. I decided to buy her a box and come over. However, the security guard at the door took them away. As if French chocolate were cyanide pills or something" Gilbert huffed.
Ludwig tensed at his brother's comment but decided to ignore it. He turned his gaze toward the two security guards who would be present at the session. One of the men left through the entrance, leaving the door open as if he would return immediately, then came back in carrying a mahogany chair, which he placed against the wall.
Ludwig noticed that the chair was positioned a few feet behind Russia's seat. He didn't recall Ivan mentioning that he would be inviting some of his sisters or another subordinate. He could already imagine the argument between the United States and Russia over this. It wasn't that Ludwig didn't care on the contrary, he liked things planned and organized but those two always found something to start a fight that could drag on endlessly during the meeting.
"There are five minutes left and that horrible bear hasn't shown up" Gilbert grumbled. "Finally, his balls must have frozen" The United States burst out laughing.
Ludwig sometimes forgot how much Gilbert hated Ivan. Ludwig didn't blame him; he too harbored resentment toward the Slavic man, but he tried to overcome it.
Outside the room, footsteps could be heard approaching hurriedly. A greeting with a strong accent confirmed Russia's arrival. The door opened, and the great nation, dressed in a black suit, quickly entered, nervously scratching the back of its neck.
“Sorry for the delay, I had to pick someone up at the airport”.
So, if he came with someone Germany thought, without taking his eyes off the Russian.
"Come on! You can come in!" Ivan said cheerfully, heading toward the entrance. All eyes turned to the door. Soft footsteps sounded, as if they belonged to someone light and short. Probably Latvia, Ludwig thought. However, his surprise was devastating when he recognized who it was.
A young man who looked no more than fifteen entered. He wore the same suit as Russia, but in a smaller size, and held a folder to his chest. The color of his hair, eyes, and skin were identical to Russia's. However, his hair was straight and cut to cheekbone length with straight bangs above his eyebrows. And his eyes. God, his gaze was identical to Ludwig's as a child.
Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg.
What's he doing here? Ludwig thought as he watched the boy politely hand the folder to Russia and sit down in the chair by the wall. Ludwig noticed the other countries discreetly turning their gazes toward his older brother.
Gilbert was petrified, as if his lungs had been electrocuted. His eyes were wide as he stared at the fifteen-year-old. Before Ludwig could calm his brother, Gilbert impulsively stood up, knocking the glass of water to the ground.
Tension filled the great hall; everyone was waiting to see what Gilbert would do next.
"You didn't say you were bringing guests, Russia" England said, surprising everyone. "We have rules. If you want to bring someone, you must inform us at least two months in advance, or that person will be expelled from the room"
"Really? Oh, I'd forgotten" he said innocently. "That's too bad. I would have liked Kaliningrad to participate in the meeting" Russia looked behind him and nodded to the young enclave. "The garden is beautiful" he whispered. The boy nodded and got up from his chair, heading for the exit.
When Kaliningrad left the room, Russia continued "Well, well. Since I'm late, we should start." Russia looked at Prussia with a mocking smile and cold eyes. "Looks like you wanted to say something, East Germany"
And Prussia attacked.
Before Germany could grab him by his suit, he dodged the table by jumping over it and ran to the other end where Russia was sitting. However, before he could pounce on the man, he was stopped by France and Italy.
“Mon ami, tu ferais mieux de te calmer”.
"Do you want me to calm down?! When did that beast do this just to annoy me?!" Gilbert writhed in the arms of both men "Scheibe , let me go!"
"England, you said we have rules, right? I recall one of them stating that if a nation potentially attacks or actually attacks another, it will be expelled from the room immediately, regardless of its global relevance, correct?" Russia asked.
Arthur clenched his jaw. Damn it, why did Gilbert have to ruin the help?
"Yes, that's right" he said as he watched Gilbert writhe between the two men holding him down. "East Germany, you must withdraw for violating the rules of the assembly."
“What?!”.
"Come on, brother," Germany said, taking him by both arms and guiding him toward the exit. Gilbert stumbled out of the room, being forcibly led by Ludwig. They left the hall and walked down the long, wide corridor until they found the bathroom.
"West! I told you to let me go!" When they entered the bathroom, Germany released Prussia. However, the former nation quickly tried to escape around Ludwig's right side but was caught again. If Germany weren't larger than Prussia, it probably would have fled. "Let me go, West!"
"Enough, Gilbert!" Germany said, his patience wearing thin. "You're acting like a child. You need to control yourself." He tightened his grip and guided his brother to one of the chairs.
"Control me?! After that horrible bear brought him here to bother me?!".
Germany inhaled sharply before speaking to Gilbert. He had to be the one to keep the two of them calm if he didn't want this to turn into a shouting match. "I know, brother, I know. Gott , even everyone in the room knew it! But what did you want to do? Beat him until he bled and break some bones? And then what? Be kicked off the table for, I don't know, forever?"
Gilbert remained silent.
"As long as he exists, you know this could happen. Can you imagine if our leaders were there and you had lunged at them? The other rulers would have stoned you; ' Violent and savage Prussia hasn't changed at all".
Ludwig calmly crouched down to Gilbert's level and took his hands. "Brother, they've constantly tried to erase what's left of you. Don't give them any more reason to disappear, please" he confessed, slightly distressed.
"I know, damn it, I know. But that idiot Ivan. He knows how much it affects me and yet…" Prussia's voice sounded strangled. "I miss him, West." Gilbert leaned forward so Ludwig wouldn't see her tears.
"I miss him. Even though Russia has him, I feel like he's still a part of me. Of my heart”. He clutched the left side of his chest. "West, I want him back. I want him back, please" Gilbert begged, his voice choked with emotion.
But Ludwig couldn't do that. Recapturing Kaliningrad meant going to war with Russia, and that's something no nation, including himself, would do. So, he simply remained silent.
All Germany could do was stay with him until his sobs subsided. When Prussia was calm, he gently pulled away from the embrace they had been sharing.
Ludwig took Gilbert's arm and together they left the bathroom. He led him outside the building to a bench under a large tree and handed him a bottle of water and tissues. "Wait here until I'm finished, okay?" he said softly, as if raising his voice might upset his brother. "Call if I need anything"
Prussia said nothing and Germany left.
When Gilbert was left alone, his intrusive thoughts appeared.
Ha! How ridiculous! Since when does the younger brother take care of the older brother?
Since you are no longer a country.
"Shut up" Gilbert whispered to himself.
You are no longer a country. You are of no interest.
Germany does everything and you're just getting in their way.
"Shut up!" Annoyed with the situation, he opened the bottle and took a long swig to distract himself. In the heat of the moment, he choked on the water and coughed audibly.
He sighed wearily, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and set the half-empty container aside. He was so focused on silencing his intrusive thoughts that he didn't notice the approaching footsteps.
A shadow fell across his face, blocking the pleasant spring sunshine. Gilbert looked up and exclaimed.
-You…-
—
When the assembly ended, the nations gathered in the lounge to talk about trivial matters or issues discussed at the meeting.
The atmosphere was pleasant, and Ludwig was there more out of courtesy than for entertainment. He didn't intend to stay long; he had to pick up Gilbert and return to his country.
However, the anxiety wouldn't leave her. Ivan wasn't there, and she just hoped he wouldn't run into his brother or that Gilbert wasn't looking for him to confront him.
Thinking about that situation made him nervous. Without realizing it, he crumpled the biodegradable paper cup of water, spilling the liquid onto his jacket sleeve and the floor.
Ludwig grunted at the small mess he had made. A napkin was handed to him, and he saw France standing before him.
“Danke” he took the napkin from the nation's hands and dried the spilled water.
“De rien, mon ami”.
When Germany had finished drying, Francis asked, "How is Gilbert?".
“Good. I managed to calm him down”.
Francis nodded in response.
"I didn't think Russia would be such a bastard to bring him here" he said with a short laugh. "However, if this is going to become a habit, perhaps it's best to leave Gilbert at home."
Germany frowned.
"Wait a moment" Francis said, raising his hands in a gesture of calm. "I'm not saying Gilbert should stop what he's doing, I just think it's better for him, as an individual and as a nation, to keep him out of this situation. He must have already figured out what would happen if he attacks Ivan"
As if summoning the devil, Russia entered the room searching for something or who knows what. He looked around until he spotted the United States, who was talking to England, and walked toward him.
Ludwig waited until the powers had finished their talks. Just when it seemed they were about to end, Germany approached Russia.
"Russia, can we talk?" Germany asked in a hoarse voice.
England and the United States exchanged glances, then parted ways to continue their conversation elsewhere. Their presence would only be an obstacle to what the other two nations needed to discuss.
“Of course, but it must be brief. They're waiting for me outside”.
"Okay, I'll be direct" the German said. "Why did you decide to bring him if you know it would be a trigger for my brother?" he asked, looking him in the eyes. "What did you hope to achieve with that? To upset him? I thought that was something for the United States".
"To be honest" Russia said, looking out the large window "He wanted to come."
“What?”.
"Kaliningrad, he wanted to see me. He'd been asking for it for a while. Of course, not in such a pushy way; the boy knows his limits with me, but the longing was obvious. So, I decided to bring him"
Germany remained silent regarding Russia's words.
"We both know that political decisions are the responsibility of our leaders. Often, even though we yearn for other ideas, we are not heard," Russia declared. "Also, to a certain extent, our feelings and decisions are conditioned not only by our people, but also by ourselves”,
"This wasn't a political decision, it was mine. Of course, I had to convince my boss to bring him in, but that's a whole other story" he said, smiling.
"That doesn't mean I'll give them back" Russia's smile cooled. "They lost that opportunity years ago”.
Ludwig didn't know what to say. He was ready to confront Ivan diplomatically if this had been a plan just to annoy Gilbert, but what Ivan was saying left him bewildered.
Russia looked at his wristwatch and exclaimed, "Look at the time! I must go now".
"Thank you, Russia" Germany said in a voice as if it had forgotten all the grudges of the past.
"Don't even mention it. I just hope Gilbert had time to talk to Oleg" And he left, putting Ludwig's heart at ease.
—
Beneath the shade of a leafy tree sat two people embracing. The smaller one wrapped her arms tightly around the larger one, burying her face in her chest. The taller one cradled her head, while the other held her back firmly.
It was an embrace that both nations had needed for years, and now they were fulfilling it to heal their longed-for hearts.
End.