Pairing: No romantic pairing.

Summary: Five times Gilbert Bielschmidt lived up to his role as big brother. (Human AU, in honor of German Unity Day)

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or any related ideas. This is all just for fun and entertainment here.

Warning: Character death!

Another four years passed since Gilbert had become a big brother. Much had changed in the Bielschmidt home since then. Ludwig had grown up a great deal and had come a long way from the quiet boy he'd been in middle school. He was no longer pushed around by the older students, and though he had not yet come out to his father he was more and more comfortable in his own skin. His grades were high and so were the prospects of his getting into a good university with scholarships to support him. He played on the very same football team that Gilbert had wanted to join when they were younger. He was by no means popular, but he had his friends. He was a good boy, by any parent's standards.

Gilbert had gone in a much different direction. His grades suffered until his graduation, which he hardly was able to do. If not for some last minute cramming and help from Francis and Antonio, Gilbert would not have been able to finish high school. He claimed aloud to anyone who would listen that he had no interest in conforming to society's standards of success and that he would not waste his hard earned money on university. This was bull shit, Ludwig realized, and felt a tremendous amount of guilt at the sneaking suspicion his reluctance had more to do with saving money to make sure Ludwig could go.

Though the boys both had changed, life went on very much as it always had. Vater worked hard at his job. Gilbert did what he could to help Vater support Ludwig. Ludwig worked hard to ensure that neither his father nor his brother's hard work went to waste. The three of them lived together, spent what time they could together, and for the most part, were generally quite close. Ludwig was grateful for that, that his father and brother worked so hard for them, and he was grateful for the fact that they remained close knit, even after their mother left.

However, as grateful for the support as Ludwig was, he often wished that Gilbert spent a little more time caring for himself and planning for his own future, rather than just focusing on Ludwig's. It was a hard topic to breech with Gilbert. Neither of them had especially deep conversations with one another anyway, and (much to Ludwig's chagrin) Gilbert was exceptionally adept at avoiding conversations he didn't want to have. This was one of his least favorite topics of all, and so naturally this was the one he was best at avoiding.

Every time Ludwig brought it up, he found a way around it. He got a phone call or he had an errand to run, he'd feel sick or he'd have some other creative excuse. However, today, that wouldn't work for him. Today he was driving Ludwig home from a college interview two hours from their house. He had no work and so that was not a good excuse. He wouldn't be using his phone given he was driving, and quite obviously he had no other plans to attend to. For at least another ninety minutes, Gilbert was a captive audience and Ludwig intended on taking advantage.

He let it go for a good forty minutes of the drive before finally speaking. "Gilbert," He said, breaking the silence between them that had originally only been broken by the barely audible music from Gilbert's stereo.

"Ja?" The elder brother asked. "If you wanna change the station, go ahead." He offered. "You know the speakers are shit though so good luck hearing anything." He chuckled.

"It's not the music." Ludwig shook his head.

Gilbert glanced briefly at him. "You okay?" He asked. "I'm sure they loved you in that interview." He assured him.

"It's not the interview." He shook his head again.

"What is it then?" Gilbert pressed.

"You."

"Me?"

Ludwig took a deep breath. "Gilbert, why don't you try to get any sort of degree?" He asked.

"Oh gott, not this again …" Gilbert sighed heavily through his nose. "Luddy, I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that I know how to do shit." He insisted, looking over at him.

"No, but a decent place of work needs that paper to tell them that you can do shit." Ludwig quoted. "And keep your eyes on the road, not on me!"

"Luddy, come on. I'm a great driver." Gilbert shook his head. "And that's just general societal bullshit. I'm happy where I am." Ludwig doubted that. Gilbert complained on a thrice daily basis about his retail job. Ludwig knew damn well he wasn't happy.

"Gilbert," Ludwig said calmly. "I know you're saving money and … I appreciate it but –"

"Then don't argue with me about it." The elder brother interjected. "You're going places, dammit." He said gruffly. "You're smart and shit. You're going to go to college and get an amazing job and I'm not letting you be super in debt because of it, alright?"

"Why can't we both go to college?" Ludwig asked.

"Vater can't afford that." Gilbert said. "I'd never qualify for scholarships anyway. He can't afford to send both of us to school and you know it."

"So we each take half and –"

"Ludwig."

"Gilbert."

Gilbert let out a long sigh. "I'd never get into a school with the grades I had." He said pointedly. "Just … You go make Vater proud, ja?" He slowed to a stop at a red light and turned to face Ludwig. "He's so proud of you, Luddy." He said seriously. "You're so smart. You've accomplished so much." He paused. "I'm proud of you too. And when you go to school next year you're going to make both of us even prouder." He glanced down and then up. "Listen … maybe I don't have everything figured out." He admitted. "But I'll get there. Eventually I'll get there. But you … you know where you're going and you know who you are."

Ludwig opened his mouth to protest but Gilbert continued over him. "You're one of the best guys I know and you're going places, alright?" He nodded as if to agree with himself as the light changed and he started down the road again. "So no more arguing with me, alright? I'm your big brother. I know these things." He turned to look at him with a grin, just briefly.

The response Ludwig had died on his lips as he turned to face Gilbert. He glanced out the window and saw past his brother's head to the fast approaching vehicle outside. There was the sickeningly loud crash of metal grinding on metal, the screeching blare of car horns and pain, searing, blinding, white hot pain. And then … nothing.

He existed in some place between reality and dreams. At times, there was an intense amount of pain. It was during those times that he wanted nothing more than the sweet blackness of unconsciousness. Sometimes he was lost to it and sometimes he was neither here nor there, but experiencing flashes of things – a doctor's words, a nurse's touch, a brief glimpse of pain and then sweet, sweet oblivion. Time and space and words didn't make sense. Nothing made sense except for the ongoing cycle of pain and nothingness.

He wasn't sure when things began making sense again, but when he was finally alert and aware of the world around him his eyes were assaulted by an astonishing amount of white. All around him was white - white walls, a white ceiling, white, billowing curtains filtering out white, bright sunlight. As his senses returned him he became aware of it all, bit by bit. He was in bed, lying down and he was thirsty, oh so thirsty. His head felt fuzzy. There was the dull chatter of the television in the background. He was stiff, parts of him didn't move. When had he gotten to the hospital? He glanced at his arm, bound up and at his side, and to his leg, propped up and encased tightly in plaster. There were bandages all over – had his nose been broken?

At last, it returned to him. The crash. The screech of tires and the scrape of metal. The white hot flash of pain. The shatter of glass and the screams of others. What else?

His eyes widened and a single word tore from his dry throat. "Gilbert!" Ludwig croaked out. "Gilbert, Gilbert!" He moved wildly – as much as his bindings and hazed mind would allow – in bed, trying to get free.

At once the curtains parted and Vater walked in. "Ludwig, Ludwig, calm down." He said, his voice gruff and worn. He placed a large hand on Ludwig's shoulder to steady him. Had Vater always looked so old and tired?

"Where is Gilbert?" Ludwig demanded.

"You were in an accident." Vater sat down beside his bed, avoiding his younger son's eyes. "A car blew through the red light at the intersection you were crossing. The car was completely ruined. They had to pry you two out of the car." He spoke as if reciting something ordinary, rehearsed and stiff. "You have cracked ribs, a broken nose and a broken leg. Your arm is broken in three places. There are cuts and bruises all over the place. They … A piece of metal punctured your abdomen." He said quietly, his voice growing more and more strained.

"Vater …" Ludwig said.

"Ludwig, I'm sorry …"

"Sorry for what? Vater, what's going on!?" Ludwig demanded, once again growing anxious. In the background he could vaguely hear his heart monitor racing. Before him he saw his father's resolve visibly crumble as tears sprang to the man's eyes.

The moment he began to speak, a doctor and several nurses came in. "Herr Bielschmidt, bitte, I can't have him stressing out!" The doctor scolded as one of the nurses gently ushered him out. Without so much as a word, the doctor injected something into Ludwig's IV.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig cried. "Where is he!?" He felt his eyelids growing heavy. He couldn't stay awake and even as he fought, his brother's name died on his lips as he lost the battle to oblivion once more.

The next time Ludwig woke, he was more alert than the last. He glanced around the room, trying to wrap his head around reality. He needed to find Gilbert and to find out what had happened already! Before he could do much, however, his doctor came into the room.

"You're awake," The man said with a smile. "Good." He took a seat beside Ludwig's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Where is Gilbert?" Ludwig demanded, ignoring the question.

The doctor sighed softly. "Right to the point then, ja?" He asked, and took a little breath. "Alright, I suppose I should spare your father this …"

"Spare my father what?"

"Ludwig," The doctor said. "The accident you were in was a terrible one." His tone was matter of fact, and not strained like his father's, though there was a tone of regret. "The ambulance was called very soon after the crash, but the two of you had been out there a while. Both of you came in with extensive injuries. I believe your father gave you the rundown?" He said, glancing over the chart and running over it again to be sure.

"And Gilbert?" Ludwig pressed.

"Ludwig, I'm afraid I have some very bad news. Gilbert didn't make it." Whatever the doctor said next, Ludwig didn't hear. He was vaguely registering something about internal bleeding and too much blood loss, but nothing else he was aware of. Gilbert dead? This had to be a joke. Any minute now he'd come in, perhaps pushed in a wheel chair and laugh. He'd say, 'Look at the look on your face! You really believed I was dead?'

But he didn't come. All that happened was the doctor's explanation. Crushed organs. Bleeding out. All of the words and symptoms bled together. Ludwig didn't hear a word of it.

Gilbert was dead. How? Gilbert couldn't be dead! He just couldn't be.

"You're lying." Ludwig said, dangerously low.

"I know this is hard to accept but –"

"Get out! Liar!" Ludwig shouted, blinded in his own anger. He didn't even notice the tears on his cheeks.

"Ludwig-"

"GO!" Ludwig boomed, causing the doctor to reach for a sedative.

"No, no, no!" He shouted, fighting. Even as the doctor slipped the sedative into his IV, he fought, screaming for his brother. He screamed until once more, oblivion came for him and he slipped further and further into darkness and away from the pain.

He wasn't sure he wanted to come back from it.

A/N: I apologize for the long wait! This chapter was exceptionally hard for me to write, and though I know it was sad to read, I do hope you all enjoyed it! I know it ended with a cliff hanger, but I just couldn't get it all in. It felt too rushed. There WILL be a final chapter - really an epilogue - so I hope you stay with me.

Thanks for reading, guys! As always, concrit is always appreciated.