slipped into the room to retrieve one of his movies, jumping upon seeing the figure in the dark. "Holy fucking shit...fuck. West?" Peering closer, he frowned. "The hell are you...are you drinking in the dark?"

snaps out of his concentrated stare to lazily glance over at his brother. "Shh, you're too loud." He says simply before turning his gaze back to the table.

blinks, as if that would make his eyes adjust to the dark faster. "Holy shit...You're drunk. You got..." This was so... "Hey.." He situated himself directly in front of the other, hands resting on the armrests_

_to lean forward a little. "West, what's wrong?"

frowns because the table has been replaced with the view of Gilbert's face. "I'm fine Gilbert." His lips thin. "Can you move, I can't see the coffee table with your face in the way." There was a bit of a slur

but other than that he sounded almost sober.

turns, squinting at the table. "West...there's nothing on the table, what are you looking at?" This was...the worst. His baby brother was drinking. Not fun social drinking, but problem drinking. What the hell_

_had happened?

if they just don't talk about it. It was many things that had built up and overwhelmed him. "There's an inconsistency in the colour scheme...I'm considering calling the makers and complaining."

rolled his eyes. "There's no inconsistency. I stained that table with a million things. West. tell me what's wrong."

doesn't want to talk about it that's why had had a few to drink. He brings up the bottle he was still holding in his hand and takes a sip. "There's nothing wrong Gilbert...."

siiighs. He tugs over the table, sitting down and takes the bottle. He takes a few mouthfuls, before setting it down. "I'm not letting you sit here and drink alone in the dark. "Tell me what's been happening_

_then, if nothing's wrong."

almost looks affronted that Gilbert would take his bottle but doesn't make a move to protest the action. He sighs. "I've been working a lot....lot's of meetings and conferences and visiting countries that don't

appreciate my efforts in trying to help them..." He starts off his voice small and tired.

frowns at that. He's always known West works too hard... "West, you need a vacation. Come on, bitte? I'll hold down the fort, you just..." He swallows. "Go spend a few weeks with Eliza, okay?"

reaches for the beer that Gilbert had taken from him. "I'm fine here."

holds it out of his reach. "No. You're really not. Come on West, please? For me. This shit...the drinking in the dark and crap is something I would do. We both know my coping mechanisms are anything but healthy

_, you're not supposed to be this way. Please please please, take some time off."

's lips thin at the fact that his brother is holding alcohol away from him. He attempts to get up but the rush of dizziness hits him hard and he nearly tips forward.

drops the bottle, quick to steady his brother. "West." He carefully presses his brother back into the couch. "West, come on." He feels like the worst brother in the history of the world. "Just...stay there,_

_okay? I'm going to get you water."

really pathetic but is glad his brother was there or he would be hurting in the morning. "Gilbert..." He sounds miserable.

brushes West's hair back from his face, trying not to fuss too much. "What's wrong, West? Come on, talk to me..."

reaches for him and wraps his arms around Gilbert pressing his face against his brother's chest wanting to be close to the only thing that really made sense at the moment.

blinks at that, and shifts a little so he can comfortably hold his brother close. He wishes Ludwig hadn't grown so much, that way he could curl the other against him like when he was little. Rubbing Ludwig's_

_back, he murmurs reassurances to him and just..holds him close. He needs to fix this.

takes comfort in the reassuring murmuring. He swallows hard. It was easier to contain the dulled emotions rather than the raging ones...which he had been feeling before he had started drinking. And he was never

good with such strong emotions.

figured. Brothers or not, they'd always been very different. "It's okay West, I got you." He brushes his fingers through the blonde hair absently, letting West get it all out first.

wasn't crying or was trying to make himself believe that he didn't feel moisture run down his cheeks. "Am I pathetic?" He asks brokenly.

can feel his chest aching, and he doesn't want to do. "Nein." He pulls back enough to carefully wipe his brother's tears away. "Not at all. You just have a lot of shit on your plate, West. It's a lot for _

_anyone to deal with, and you needed a release. You just happened to pick my method." He met West's gaze as steady as he could. "You are...fuck, you're amazing, okay? You are an amazing nation, and person, _

_and I am so so ridiculously proud of you. You will never understand how much. You are anything but pathetic, understand?"

still looks up to Gilbert as much as it didn't seem like it. He nods solemnly but feels a little better. "Ja...okay...I understand." He tries to straighten himself a little more but gets another dizzy spell.

would be shocked and happy to know that. He's convinced that West doesn't need him anymore. "Good. Now just...sit tight. Right there, don't move. I'm going to get you water and pills. Okay?"

nods as he leans back against the couch. His head was hurting from tearing up.

leaves quietly, but bolts once he's in the hall. He's trying to get everything quick and get back to West fast...just in case the other needs him or something happens in the one minute he's gone.

manages to heave his legs on the couch and sprawl across it resting his arm over his face.

comes back quick as anything, and pauses. "West..." He whispers. "Did you pass out?"

shifts his arm to look at him. "No..."

relieved. "Good. Here." He holds out the water bottle for the other "Drink up. Try to finish the whole thing."

takes the water bottle but struggles to get up. He hated drinking anything laying down.

quick to help West sit up and lean against the back of the couch. "Easy, West..."

thanks him with a sad smile as he brings the bottle to his lips and drinks. Taking small breaks to breath.

rubs his back gently for now. It's good to see that West seems to have cried everything out. Hopefully he's feeling better.

hated crying but he can‘t deny it didn‘t help. He finishes the water and passes it back to Gilbert. “Danke Gil...“

...hands him the pills. "I'm going to get you more water to wash those down." He should have told West to leave a little.

nods again. He takes the pill his body sagging to the side. He felt tired all of a sudden.

quick with the water this time, propping him up a little and pressing the glass into his hand. "Just a little longer, and I'll get you to bed. Okay?"

takes the glass and shoves the pills in his mouth followed by the water.

ruffles his hair. "Good. Now come on, we're going upstairs."

felt like a kid...then again he had acting like one too. "I might need help..."

if that's a bad thing. He certainly misses the days when West needed him. "No problem." He carefully wrapped his arm around the other. "Up we go." Lifting, he moved to support him and made for the stairs.

is leaning nearly all of his eight on Gilbert. It takes him several minutes to orient himself before he's even making an attempt to walk with Gilbert.

may not be West, but he's strong. Strong enough to support his baby brother when needed, and moves them along with baby steps. "Tell me if you wanna puke."

didn't drink that much, or rather, he didn't mix his alcohols. It had just been beer. "I just feel....really tired all of a sudden."

happy for that much. "Okay. We'll get you to bed, West. Just a few more stairs."

nods sloppily, if that were even possibly. However, by the next stair his entire body gives out on him.

grips him tightly, taking West's weight as he leans against the wall. Falling would be not good right now. "Hey. West? You okay?" He wraps one of his brother's arms around his shoulder, and shifts the weight a_

_little.

really out of it he doesn't realise the slightly dangerous situation they are in. His head is hanging uselessly, almost like that of a newborn baby. There was no strength to hold it up nor really answer but he

still conscious if that counted for anything.

it does. He shifts them a little more, and starts to carefully...well drag, really. West up the stairs. "Okay. See this is why you weren't supposed to get bigger than me. You were way easier to carry when you_

_were little."

can't really do much but let his brother drag him up the stairs. "....s-sorry..." He manages to get out.

grins a little. "You should be. I told you not to grow up, and now you're taller than your older bruder."

felt like shit...gott. It was impossible to orient himself but he manages to get out a chocked laugh at the comment.

laughs at that, managing to clear the stairs. "Almost there!"

glad for that.

tugs him into the room, and just...flops down onto the bed with West. "There." Geez.

's world spins a bit but orients itself when he's laying on is stomach on the bed. He let's out a groan but other than that remains immobile.

adjusts the other a little, and rolls him into the recovery position...just in case.

thankful for that. "Gil...can you stay with me...?"

pauses at that. He hasn't felt this...needed, in awhile. He feels guilty about how much he likes the feeling. "Sure, West." He shrugs off his shirt, and climbs into the bed beside him. "I'll crash with you _

_tonight, just try and get some rest, okay?"

hums as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

curls up against his back, slowly drifting off himself.