I stomped up the stairs in Germany's house, angry. I should be too. My childhood friend Prussia, he was now just known as Gilbert because he was recently nullified as a country, had returned home. He hadn't contacted me in forever! I heard he was living in one of the guest rooms at Germany's house, but we weren't supposed to come see him unless we absolutely needed to.

When I saw him at the meeting that was held to decide whether he should be reduced or not, he looked fine, but very tired. He would only look at the ground though, not looking at a single one of his old friends. Russia was chuckling darkly beside him, holding onto the handcuffs that had been forced on Gil. Ludwig stood to the other side of him, looking pained and upset. I didn't know what had happened to Gil during his time behind the Iron Curtain with Russia, but he didn't look hurt.

I flung open Gil's borrowed room angrily, then stopped. I blanked. I had planned to yell at him. I had planned to demand an explanation. I had planned to hit him with my pan. I had planned to drag the old Gil back to me. I had planned to do a lot. But suddenly, everything I was going to say was gone. Everything I was going to do was useless. I was empty as I stared at Gil.

He was shirtless, obviously he had been in the middle of changing into clothes. He wore a pair of black jeans, but that was all he had on. I stared at his back, it was terrifying. Scars that were still red and stitched criss-crossed one another and went the length of his back, some dipping below the waist line of his pants. The bruises were colorful and large, overlapping his scars. Bullet scars dotted his back, he had been shot in places that would make sure he would be in a lot of pain for a long time. None would be shown if he put any kind of shirt on.

He turned to me, his face a mask of blankness. He asked calmly, "Why are you here?"

"I-I wanted to see you..." I said, scared by the complete lack of emotion he was showing.

"Why? I'm not a country anymore, so there's no reason to." He seemed like he truly didn't understand why i would possibly want to see him so badly.

I had always been annoyed by Gil, but he was my dearest friend in all the world. He was funny, strong, and handsome. He was so much fun, and he would always try. I liked that about him, I liked a lot about him. During the war, I realized my true feelings for him, and I wanted to see him so badly, but wasn't able to.

"Gil, you're my friend. I missed you, and you didn't even look at me when I last saw you."

He looked at the ground and spoke as if he was reciting something that he had heard reapeatedly, "But I'm not wanted...I'm not needed...I'm not-" Before he could say another word, I rushed toward him and hugged him tight. I pressed him against me and began to cry.

"I want to see you Gil. I need to be with you. You're important to me. More important than my life. Gil, I waited out that long war when you went mad. I waited out your confinement with Russia. I waited out the ceremony. I waited a year after that. Do not make me wait any longer to be with you." I was crying then, the tears falling from my cheeks to his chest.

He had been stiff up until then, but suddenly his arms were around me. He was hugging me tightly and I felt a few tears fall onto my hair. I didn't look up, I knew he was too prideful to cry when I was looking, and knew he needed to let it out.

"You've suffered enough. You're home now." I said quietly and hugged him tighter. My hands could feel the scars that had been engrained into his back.

"I'm sorry." His voice was tight and so, so very sad. "I'm so sorry, Liz. I was worried you didn't want to be near me because I was trash now. I have no title, and I'm so scarred from everything..."

"Gil, I love you. I don't care if you're scarred. I don't care if you aren't a country. I don't care about anything. I just want to be with you."

He pulled back and stared into my eyes. His tears had dried and he looked surprised, the surprise disappeared, replaced by something else. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I kissed back instantly. It was a simple, closed-mouthed kiss, but it was wonderful. When we finally pulled away, he smiled at me hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure it was okay to be happy.

"I love you too Liz."