Title: Shooting Stars

Summary: After tingling in his limbs prevents Gilbert from sleeping, he wanders outside, where he receives a text from his long dead ruler, telling him to "follow the stars".

Warning: drabble, no pairings, Gilbo-centric

Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to what's-his-face

Prompt 3 of 64: Sky

A/N:

...

Laying in bed, staring up uninterestedly at the ceiling, Gilbert mulled over different ways to get himself to fall asleep. He tossed and he turned, trying to settle into a reasonable position, but as soon as he would get comfortable again, a tingling would begin in his limps and he'd have to shift…over…and over…and over.

Finally, when he couldn't take it another second, he sat up, yanked the covers off his legs and began to pace the room. After hardly a minute of that, he moved to wander further. Down the stairs, around the couch, back up the stairs, into the bathroom, back out and then back down the stairs.

He somehow ended up in the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand as he sat on the counter. He swung his feet back and forth, trying to distract himself. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and on and on. He tried to distance himself from reality, but when that only brought images from his dream swimming back to the surface, he immediately changed his tactics. Grounding himself as heavy as he could to the shadows and the texture of the counter.

Soon, he began to feel the tingling again.

With a groan, Gilbert slid off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the glass forgotten on the counter. He shuffled to the entrance room and slid on his coat and boots, tucking his pajama pants in to protect his ankles from the cold. After unlocking the main door, he stepped outside, instantly greeted by a harsh slap from the cold wind.

He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets and nearly jumped out of his skin when his hand connected with something cold. Pulling it out, he realized it was his phone, having been left in his jacket since the night before. He flicked it open, and was surprised when he found the "new message" icon in the corner was on.

Gilbert frowned and opened the message.

Follow the stars.

He stared at the message, then looked up to the sky. He scoffed at himself when he couldn't find a single line or pattern in the lights, and for thinking he might. He replied to the message, asking who it was.

Gilbert made sure the door was closed and walked across the porch to the wooden rocking bench. He sat, gently pushing himself forward and back.

The phone chirped at him, letting him know he had a new message. He opened the phone and stared with wide eyes at the text.

It's your dear Fritz. Now, don't just sit there; follow the stars, before they disappear.

After reading it a few times, he quickly commanded the phone to call. It rang and it rang, before the electronic woman came on, telling him the number he was trying to reach was unavailable. Gilbert stared dumbfounded at the phone. He slowly closed it and placed it back in his pocket. Someone was simply trying to trick him, that was all. But how had they known he was sitting…no, it was probably just a coincidence. Nothing more, the messages had simply been a prank. Fritz wouldn't have a phone in…wherever he may be, and he definitely wouldn't be asking him to follow unfindable stars.

Gilbert sighed heavily and looked out at the sky. Stars, everywhere and every shape. He searched and he searched, but he couldn't find a single star that would make sense to "follow". Besides, Fritz…or whoever had been sending him the messages said, "stars". Plural.

Gilbert huffed in frustration, hadn't he just told himself that the messages were a prank? He stood up to go inside, his legs beginning to tingle again, but stopped when something in the corner of his eye flashed quickly. He turned quickly, scanning for the movement again.

Then it happened, a star shot out of the sky.

It fell and it fell and it fell, plummeting to the ground. Gilbert ran to the edge of the trees, stopping at the glow that lay between two large trees. He poked it with his foot and it rolled slightly from its divot in the dirt. He kicked it slightly harder this time, fulling relinquishing it from the ground's hold. He bent down, and as his face got closer, the glow began to fade. The last little bit of color stayed, making Gilbert's hands a pale yellow when he picked it up. The object was warm and the night air was not so much, so Gilbert brought it to his chest, loving the warmth that filled him to his toes and grateful for the little bit of light it brought to the dark.

He looked up in time to spot another star falling not too far from where he was. He walked quickly, pulling his jacket tighter around himself and his own star. When he came upon the newly fallen star, he almost missed the other star that shot through the air. This time, he ran, nearly tripping several times on unseen underbrush, but he was determined. Fritz had told him about this…if this was what it took to see the old man again, he'd do whatever it took.

Gilbert followed shooting star after shooting star, meandering farther from home, and the idea that he might get lost stayed at the back of his mind. Every time he felt like stopping and turning around, his breath coming out in large, visible huffs, the message from Fritz would keep him going, if only for the fact that it was from Fritz.

He felt like he had run forever, from the end of the world to the beginning and back. He was out of breath when he finally reached the waterfall covered in various bright lights and the open space with soft covered ground and colours…colours everywhere. Confused and bewildered by the beauty of the small space. Gilbert kept the star close to his body as he moved toward the various huddled masses of light.

Gilbert passed by the fallen stars, still barely glowing upon the ground, glancing vaguely at the newly visible cores, rocky and dull grey, peeking out from between fading yellow. They whisper to him, "King Prussia, King Prussia, listen to me." Each one begging him to bend down and listen to their troubles, but there are too many for him to sit with each and every, and if he even dared to sit with one for a moment, the rest would get their hopes up.

And he knows what it's like to get your hopes only to be disappointed and left behind.

He went on, trying to block out their pleading little voices, carrying that one star beneath his coat.

A/N:

P.S. - He's dreaming.

I've been having really odd dreams lately and I think that a lot of inner troubles and solutions come to us in our dreams, and… /continues hippie rant

Yeah, this is open to interpretation from you guys. I have an idea that I was going off of, but if you thought something different, totally leave me a review or send me an über long PM telling me your thoughts, because, honestly, I love hearing about it. /lovelovelove