#My emotions are outta whack I cried ikr writing this tf

[the-heaminator]

It was a cold night tonight, a thick layer of frost accumulating on any available surface, it was late too, and Gilbert knew Ludwig hadn't slept yet, trying to catch up with an imaginary backlog, he assumed such a tactic was to distract himself, after all it was a thing he himself used to do not so long ago.

"Ludwig, schatz, please sleep, please."

He was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a blanket like an old mother would do, and ready to fuss over Ludwig like one too.

"I'm fine, Gilbert just leave me alone." He had hoped for it to come out just harsh enough to drive Gilbert away, he just wanted to stew in his own thoughts for a while, but instead it came out empty and desolate, something he never liked to sound.

His brother hurried over to him, maternal instincts going into overdrive as he quickly checked him for fever and turned off his laptop, making sure all files were saved.

"Nein, you are sleeping now, you have a fever and putting off rest will only make it worse." He lightly tugged Ludwigs arm, momentarily forgetting that he was no longer a small child anymore, able to be dragged up to bed and bribed with cookies, now a grown man far, far taller than Gilbert himself. But it had been such a short span of time in the grand scheme of things, that he forgot Ludwig was fully grown.

Regardless of that he was unwell, and he knew something was troubling him in his head, and he full well knew that he wouldn't want to discuss this right now, tomorrow morning would be a better time, but for now he had to get Ludwig to sleep.

It was always a difficult job to get him to sleep, when he was small, a babe in arms he would cry and weep through the night, early nationhood hurt, Gilbert knew that, though is early years were so long ago he barely remembered them, he knew that he was borne in a time of severe instability and Ludwig was too, though the circumstances were wildly different.

Back then him singing would often get him to sleep in scarcely a verse, sometimes on his worst nights Gilbert wept over his cradle, he loved him dearly and wished not for him to leave this world so early. The maid saw this once, though she never said anything about it, most likely shocked that Herr Belichmidt was capable of such softness and human sincerity.

Schlaf ein, schlaf ein, schlaf ein Du gähnst schon, komm, kuschel dich ein Ich sing dir noch ein Lied Ich freu mich so, dass es dich gibt

Even as he neared adolescence he would ask Gilbert to sing for him, during the horrors of the wars, the scorching pain of bombs in the both of them, he sang for Ludwig, he was used to such pain, his baby brother was not.

Tired voice echoing around the bunker, though more often than not a few of the younger soldiers could be seen hanging around when he explicitly told them to leave, they were forced to grow so fast, and he hadn't the courage to discipline them for being human; if they gained comfort from listening to his tired voice sing, so be it.

Ich wünsch dir eine gute Nacht Wir sehen uns, wenn wieder die Sonne lacht Schlaf ein, schlaf ein, schlaf ein Wir lieben dich, schlaf jetzt ein Wir lieben dich, schlaf jetzt ein

The wall was erected and torn down, though during the period he was required to comfort too, Latvia, Ravis, the poor boy had seen so much and often awoke in a frenzied terror, only calming once someone sang for him. It was the same with a lot of the others, though they refused to admit it.

The duty alternated between him and Katya usually, and it made the others sleep too, he had grown remarkably good at comfort, despite insisting that he was still like marble, unmoving and cold, though more and more began to see him for what he was.

Schlaf ein, schlaf ein, schlaf ein Du gähnst schon, komm, kuschel dich ein Ich sing dir noch ein Lied Ich freu mich so, dass es dich gibt

The separation had affected Ludwig badly, understandably so, the brother that had always been there for him suddenly taken away, thrust upon the international stage with no inkling of how he was to behave. But en the wall broke it seemed to get better, both were more reserved respective traumas playing a part in their manner, but they made it work.

But now Ludwig needed to sleep, tucked up in his bed nice and warm, with Gilbert leaning against the headboard with the bedside lamp on, softly singing and stroking his not so little brothers hair, the well worn lullaby sinking itself into the very being of the house, finally sending him into a deep slumber, and through no admission of his own, Gilbert's eyes started to grow a little misty, he really loved his brother with what was left of his soul, all of it.

Ich wünsch dir eine gute Nacht Wir sehen uns, wenn wieder die Sonne lacht Schlaf ein, schlaf ein, schlaf ein Wir lieben dich, schlaf jetzt ein Wir lieben dich, schlaf jetzt ein Wir lieben dich, schlaf jetzt ein

Schlaf jetzt ein Schlaf jetzt ein Schlaf jetzt ein Schlaf ein