Out of all the foods in the world, Gilbert hated pasta the most. And yet, here he was in his brother's kitchen cooking the Italian dish. "Bruder better like it." He grumbled as stuck a bandage on his fifth burn in twenty minutes.

It could be said that it wasn't the pasta he disliked so much but, the ditzy brunette that made it. Gilbert cringed at the thought of Feliciano chasing the German's brother while cheering "Doitsu! Doitsu!" It was enough to make him sick. "He's not Doitsu…" He said the last word like it was a horrible skin disease "...he's my West." Prussia smiled proudly and Gilbird chirped in agreement.

Checking the paperbound book he bought earlier that day, he read off the directions "…Add three chopped red peppers then pour in a half-cup red wine…" The ex-nation glanced around the kitchen, did they even have red wine?

"Hmm…" Ruby eyes flashed with mischief "I'll use beer! Much better than any Italian crap!" He quickly cracked open an aluminum can and dumped it in the contents, grinning broadly. This was going to be awesome! So incredibly awesome, in fact Ludwig would see the error of his ways and never speak to the annoying little snot of a human being ever again. East and West would get married and everyone would live happily ever after, except North Italy who got eaten by a bird. The End.

Gilbert wiped a tear from his eyes, it was truly a beautiful thing.

Giving the red sauce a taste, he heard the front door open and dropped everything to greet his younger brother. "West! How was your-?" The pale German froze a few feet short of hugging distance from Ludwig. Not him!

"Ve~! Hi, Gil-kun!"

Prussia turned to his brother, with a look of betrayal on his face "You brought him home?" The blonde sighed and shrugged his coat off broad shoulders "He followed me home…"

Gilbert opened his mouth to speak but Feliciano jumped in "Doitsu, does something smell burnt?" Ruby eyes widened in horror.

"My pasta!"

After Ludwig managed to put out the fire and calm down two screaming idiots, Gilbert's Master Plan Of Awesomeness seemed like a failure. Which was sad for the Albino because it had such a cool name. Depressed, he chewed on his fork and looked up from his Chinese Take-Out when Ludwig said his name. "When you called and said you were making dinner, I wasn't expecting pasta. What gives?" The blonde asked with great curiosity.

Gilbert suddenly felt embarrassed under the gaze of ocean-blue eyes "You like pasta and I wanted to-"

"Waa~? You like pasta too, Doitsu?!" The Italian asked with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. The German nodded "I suppose so."

Feliciano clapped joyously "I'll make you a different kind everyday for lunch and I teach you everything I know about pasta!" Ludwig chuckled "Only if you promise to go to Drill everyday."

"But that's Siesta!" The Italian whined as the German next to him wanted to punch him in the face.

Gilbert was furious, not only did his super awesome plan to woo Ludwig fail, but now his arch nemesis and little brother were going to have lunch together! Prussia gripped his pant leg tightly to calm himself down as Feliciano rambled on about different shapes of pasta when the brunette said "…I'm so glad my Doitsu-"

My Doitsu The words echoed and bounced around the inside of Gilbert's skull.

Oh, Hell to-the-Fuck No! No mentally-disabled pizza-bitch is taking my Bruder away! Prussia was too blind with anger to care that he was standing and that he screamed it out loud. Tears pinpricked Feliciano's eyes as Gilbert continued "And for the last time it's not 'Doitsu'! It's WEST! WE-EST!"

A tap on his shoulder "Gilbert."

"Huh?" As soon as his brother looked over, Ludwig's fist connected with his brother's jaw with an audible 'crack' and sent him to the floor. Sprawled on the floor and touching his bruised face, Gilbert was confused "You hit me…You've never hit me…"

"I'm sorry but you needed to calm down. You were scaring Feli." Regret seeped into the blonde's voice.

"That's why you hit me!? Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore 'cause I'm leaving!" He ran out the door before his brother could stop him and kept going as fast as his legs could carry him.

He stopped at a park playground when he tripped and came down hard on the ground, made hard by the cooler evening. "Dammit…" Gilbert hissed in pain and brushed away the gravel from his scrapes. He tried once to stand but fell down the moment he put weight on his left ankle. A quick glance was all that he needed to know that he wasn't going to walk anywhere on a sprained ankle.

It was too late at night for someone to drive by and see him and the ex-nation left his cell phone behind. With a flourish, he melodramatically declared "The Great Prussia dies alone in a crappy park after whining like a little girl and running away like a coward." He hesitated to yank a leaf of his dirty pants "His death was neither mourned nor noticed." He turned his saddened face to the stars "Bruder…" He pleaded in the dark.

The large night sky made him feel small and insignificant, then again, a lot of things made him feel that way recently.

The fall of his once great empire, his nation being dissolved to nothing, and now being forced to rely on his younger brother simply to survive. Gilbert did not resent his brother for succeeding him, he was proud of Ludwig for being strong but, he still missed being needed.

The ex-nation pulled his legs to his chest to keep warm and breathed on his hands.

"I don't pray much, so forgive me if I forget something…" Ahem. "Holy Father, forgive me, I have sinned…"

Gilbert scoffed at the pompous formality, no wonder people didn't like going to church these days. He sighed and kept going "I know I'm a brat and I don't deserve it but could you do me one last favor before I go?"

"I'm not asking for forgiveness, I know I don't deserve it…" The German stopped for a moment, finding it hard to say the words he's kept hidden so long "…but, could you keep an eye on Ludwig for me? I love the bastard…" He hung his head and gave an almost sad smile "…And not in a he's-my-bruder-way, I mean that I want to kiss him, I want to feel his arms around me…" His confession trailed off and he slid his eyes shut, tempted to give in to the fantasy.

Gilbert laid back in the grass with his hands behind his head and let sleep lull him away.

But before he passed away he whispered "…And if he wants Feliciano to love him, I'm okay with that."

…Soft sheets…Warm bed…So nice…

Is this heaven?

A familiar laugh that sent pleasant shudders down his spine and a soft kiss on his temple.

"No, but you keep calling it that."

Calloused fingers played with Gilbert's snowy white hair and he leaned into the touch wanting more. Suddenly it was gone.

Ludwig smiled when his brother groaned at the loss. Without a word, he slipped between the sheets and pulled his East close.

"…I love you West…" The nation in his arms murmured, the sound almost lost in the blonde's chest. "I love you too."