Bruder

I awoke in the middle of the night to the terrified screams of the little blonde boy in the next room over. I very quickly scrambled out of my bed; nearly tripping over the covers I had sloppily thrown to the ground without care.

"Ludwig?" Mein Gott, that child had been through so much, mein poor Kleiner Bruder. "Ludwig? Is everything all right?" I barged into the room, wondering if France had figured out that Holy Rome was alive and had come back to finish the job. I swear it on my very soul, if France is in that room, I will forsake our friendship and kill him. I understand doing a detestable thing once because your people told you to do so, but going back to harm a defenseless child the world already thinks to be dead is unforgivable. No one knows the pain I felt in my heart when I saw my baby bruder lying on the ground, beaten and bloody, more than half dead at the hands of one of my best friends.

I saw him there on the bed, eyes clenched shut, face twisted in terror, limbs thrashing as he rolled around on his bed trying to get away from the enemies in his nightmares. His beautiful blonde hair was plastered to his face with sweat, his hands balled into tiny fists. I stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do. He was having night terrors? Well, after all he's been through… but, it's been seven months, and this is the first time it's happened (that I know of). He has amnesia, maybe a memory resurfaced in his subconscious…?

Thoughts and theories flew through my mind as I tried to grasp an idea of what was happening to poor Lutz. The blonde crying on the bed kept crying out. Seeing mein poor Bruder like this broke my heart. I snapped out of my thoughts and sat down on his bed, a thought of how to help poor Lutz in my head. I pulled the small blonde into my lap and hugged him to my chest.

"Shh… Shh, Ludwig, Große Bruder is here, nothing's going to hurt you. You're safe here, you're alright. I will never let anyone hurt you again, Kleiner Bruder…" I whispered in his ear and ran my hand through his soft hair soothingly. I rocked him back and forth gently as he slowly began to calm down. His loud cries faded to slight whimpers as he clutched my shirt tightly in his small hands. "Lutz, are you alright now? Bruder, can you hear me?" A sky blue eye slowly opened and looked up at me.

"Gilbert? What happened?" I petted his head again, smoothing back his hair as I answered.

"You had a night terror, Kleiner Bruder, but everything is okay now, I promise." Ludwig opened his other eye and stared at me for a moment before leaning closer and giving me a kiss on the cheek and a rather strong hug. He began to mumble into my shirt.

"Danke Gilbert. Thank you for doing so much for me. Ich liebe dich, Bruder." I blushed fiercely as the child said this and held him tightly. Bruder! He called me Bruder! He hasn't called me that since before the war! His new personality had finally accepted me as his brother! A warm feeling erupted in my chest as I leaned down and kissed the top of his head. I felt an enormous sense of love and pride in mein Kleiner Bruder.

"Ich liebe dich auch, Ludwig." I held my little brother for the rest of the night, rocking him back and forth, gently petting his hair and kissing his forehead even after the child fell asleep once more.

I would keep my promise. No more harm would ever come to this child so long as I was alive.