his expression one that he seemed to wore on most days since the end of the war. There was no cheer in him at all, it was as if the end of the war...and the beginning of the Nuremburg trials had destroyed

what little was left in him.

frowns to himself as he enters the building that Ludwig is being kept in, straightening his clothes before walking in a metered pace towards his cell. He was currently the one in charge of looking after the

man, despite not wanting really anything to do with him at the moment, and he knew that as much as he wanted to leave Ludwig to just suffer in his cell for the time being that bringing him to a social event

would be good for both of them. With Alfred's help France had started rebuilding the economy, and tonight a popular theatre that had managed to rebuild itself was hosting a grand reopening. He unlocks

the door to the room Germany was being kept in, stepping only a single step inside. "Ludwig," he says, to get the man's attention away from the paperwork on the table.

snaps out of his thoughts at the sound of Francis' voice....not even the sound of the heavy door had managed to break his focus. His fingers curly even tighter around his pen as he debates on whether he_

should reply to the man or not. It takes him a moment but as he staightens his posture and places the pen down. "Francis..." He answers back but says nothing more...Ludwig doesn't even turn to him.

watches the man, the look on his face a healthy mix of exhaustion, frustration, and disgust. He doesn't appreciate the wait, but stays still to show its not affection him. "Get up, we're going out tonight and

you need to be dressed better than that," he says, attempting to be friendly but the tone of his voice has a bit more command behind it than it would've used to.

's head falls a bit so he's staring at the desk before he's nodding and getting up. He steps aside so that he can tuck the chair in and he turns to Francis his gaze falling on the Frenchman. "I can't afford

anything better than this." He replies voice quite monotone and gaze listless. "I'd rather not go at all, if I'm being honest." He says knowing that Francis wouldn't take well to that either.

could sense the disgust....the irritation and above all the resentment due to all the horrors of the war....it was painful to hear it every time.

doesn't really have the patience for Ludwig's excuses. "I've already purchased you a suit; nations need to look presentable at public functions at all times." He had used some of the money Alfred had

given him to buy the suit and some suitable clothes for himself. It still counted as supporting the economy if you bought locally right? "It's not overly fancy but it'll suit you for tonight. Now come on, we're

expected to be there at the ribbon cutting." He wasn't really going to allow room for arguments, stepping out of the cell and expecting Ludwig to follow. He wasn't really interested in bringing the German

either but he had been convinced that it was a good idea to show themselves as a sign of fresh starts and rebuilding Europe.

would hardly call himself a nation at this very moment. His lips remain a thin line as he let's Francis finish his explanation and when the man exits his cell Ludwig really is

hard pressed to follow. There is a large part of him that just wanted to stay locked up in his cell and never have to face the light of public scrutiny ever again....but Ludwig knew that

his cell was hardly a shield for that scrutiny. He was going to get it either way no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. And so, Ludwig does take a hesitant step out of his cell. He doesnn't_

look remotely happy by it but he does follow Francis....far behind....

keeps glancing back, feeling a need to keep an eye on the German even though he doubted the other would do anything brash at this point. He frowns with the other's slow pace, tempted to just kick him back

in the cell but determined to do otherwise now that he was in this deep. "Pick up the pace, our ride has been waiting while I'm in here," he mentions, holding open the front door of the building.

frowns deeply at the tone but does as instructed. Francis was probably one of the worst out of the three occupying powers. Then again, nothing had really changed

Between them. They never really liked eachother and so he shouldn't expect better treatment. Eventually they make it out of the large building and Ludwig slides

into the back of the car making sure to keep his distance to the Frenchman. He remains quiet and brooding. He hated going out so people

could stare at him like the freak show he was sure he was not only felt like.

climbs in as well, thanking the driver for waiting and letting him know where to next. He's silent during the ride, not interested in making small talk. It would be better once they were at the

party and had the white noise of celebration to ease the silence, he hoped. Soon they're at his place and he leads Ludwig inside, pulling out an outfit from his font hall closet and handing it to the

blonde. "Get changed and make yourself at home for the moment, I need to get dressed as well," he offers, resisting the urge to add on any snide comments.

was glad for the silence because he honestly didn't have anything to say to Francis that he hadn't already said. He slides out of the taxi and follows the man up to his residence_

and before he knows it he has a suit shoved his way and he's being told to dress himself. Ludwig glances at what had been picked out for him....it was actually quite nice, to be expected really, it was

Francis after all who had picked it out. He doesn't show much more than thinned lips and knitted brows as he nods and moves off to do just that. It had been a while since he had dressed up for

anything like this....but he had a feeling that enjoying the night was not on his agenda. It would be excruciating if anything.

still had good taste... thankfully the occupation hadn't influenced his fashion choices. He closes the door to his bedroom behind him and takes his time in getting ready for the party, though still

keeping to his schedule since he couldn't be fashionably late to this party.

doesn't take long to get ready. He cleans himself up as best as he can before putting on the suit. A part of him wanted to avoid looking into mirrors because it would be a clear visual of the monster he had

become....not that many of them didn't think so before. He decides that he looks good enough and makes his way to the living room to sit down and keep to himself. The less he had to think about

the event or Francis the better.

comes out a short time later, looking as fabulous as he used to (if you ignored how absolutely exhausted he looked past his showy smile). He gives Ludwig the once over, nodding in approval. "You look better

in that," he says, giving about as much of a compliment as Lud will get any time soon. "Shall we?"

knew that Francis didn't mean to actually compliment him and he nods as he gets up. he makes sure to straighten his

suit as he wearily eyes Francis. They all looked tired. "Ja, let's go...no point being late."

scoffs, leading him out the door and locking the place behind him. "Normally I'd consider it mandatory to be fashionably late, but seeing as this party starts with a small ceremony, we don't have that

luxury." He glances at his watch, pleased to note they were on time and their ride to the party should be here any minute now. "Now remember," he says, turning to face Ludwig and reaching up to fix the

man's tie, just because he's still Francis after all. "There's to be no discussion of the war tonight past the opening speeches. This is a celebration of moving on, and though you caused us more than enough

trouble, you've been invited as a sign of goodwill in your promise to improve." He sighs, glancing back as the car pulls up and hesitating a moment."...I'll even allow you to have a drink tonight if you promise

not to cause trouble," he offers, something in his expression softening. It wasn't quite a smile, but it'd do. With that, he turns and climbs into the car, chatting with the driver in French as he waits

on Ludwig to climb in.

wasn't surprised by the response. Francis was known for being late to most events which was a point of irritation for Ludwig since he was quite strict when it came to punctuality. He flushes lightly when the

man steps closer to fix his tie and to distract himself he clears his throat lightly as he hums in understanding. At this point trouble was far from what he wanted....actually it was evident how much he didn't

want to go but he was sure Francis would not take to kindly to an outright refusal after the simmering resentment that lay under the surface of the Frenchman's usual calm disposition. He slides into the car

after Francis and hopes that he's granted more than one drink because the way he was feeling now warranted many.

wouldn't really let Ludwig say no to coming either way, though he was going to let him drink as long as he didn't get drunk. He mostly just chats with the driver on the way there, trying to feel more like

being merry and social before they arrived, and seems to be in a slightly better mood by the time they're climbing out of the car. He waits for Ludwig this time before striding into the building, greeting

people on his way to meeting up with the host first.

keeps to himself as he looks out of the window watching the buildings go by. There were many that were completely destroyed and any semblance of what used to be Germany was gone now in the aftermath of the war_

swallows a lump in his throat as he tries to keep his emotions at bay before he wouldn't be able to reign them in. The car stops and Ludwig reluctantly follows Francis out...his expression looks severe and his

eyes revealing the battle he's fighting inside. The large crowd makes him feel uncomfortable....and the stares he was getting even worse. It was like they couldn't believe that he had come at all....or that he

looked human like the rest of them. It was as if they had a hard time believing he didn't have horns a top his head. Ludwig straightens his posture and walks as confidently as a broken man could behind his

occupier....his babysitter. He would wait until Francis was off socializing and find a spot to keep to himself...and if he was lucky he would be able to get away with more than just one drink.

would honestly agree that horns would suit him more. He can feel the intensity of Ludwig's aura behind him but doesn't bother looking back, trusting him to follow for now. His smile widens when he meets up

with the owner of the theatre at last, politely introducing Ludwig before continuing on a conversation and double checking the schedule of the night. The ceremony would only be a quick speech and ribbon

cutting, and then Francis too planned to down at least a couple glasses of wine himself.

shakes the man's hand out of politeness before he's drawing back. He listens to what they have planned and hopes that the evening will go by quickly for his sake. Ludwig eventually steps closer to Francis and

leans down a bit to whisper to him. "Must I be here for the entire event?" He asks trying to keep his voice even...not to reveal that he was straining under the scrutiny...and judgment.

straightens a little when Ludwig leans in to whisper at him, and furrows his brow at the question. "You're here until I decide it's time to go home. I'm to keep an eye on you," he puts bluntly, but hushed.

hardly qualified Francis' socializing as keeping an eye on him. The man was lucky he was even staying in the building. If it weren't for his enormous guilt he would have left on his on accord and made it back

to his cell. Ludwig's lips thin and he pulls back as he pauses waiting for a few seconds. "I will be at the back in that case." He says before he's pivoting on his heel and heading to exactly where he said

he would go. On the way he swipes a drink from one of the waiters and downs it without even savouring it.

honestly is doing a shit job of babysitting because he doesn't want to deal with it, and he knows Germany doesn't have enough power to do much damage anyways. He hums in displeasure but doesn't stop Ludwig,

watching him head off but quickly turning back to the host with his showy smile and apologizing for the behaviour. A short few minutes later it's time for the ceremony, the host calling attention to the doors

where the ribbon was tied, and making a short speech thanking everyone for coming and for all their support, before introducing Francis. Frances gives the crowd a charming smile and makes

a short, fairly nationalistic and hopeful speech before officially cutting the ribbon to open the theatre.

remains at the back of the large room his third glass of wine in hand. there hadn't been much of a choice in terms of

alcohol so it had to do for now. he looked irritated and especially moreso with Francis speech. He let's the night play out but he refuses to remain sober for it and

near the end of the night he knows he's quite drunk. He feels all the emotions he had been wanting to hide slowly rise to the surface and honestly he didn't look to hot either... sitting with his

head bobbing in a drunken mantra.

quick to join into the party after the boring bit was out of the way, socializing and mingling with his citizens and having himself a few drinks as well (though only for a buzz). He keeps an eye on Ludwig

throughout the night, but only enough to make sure the man was still there. Somehow the devil's presence didn't affect Francis's night that much, as he finds he does start to honestly enjoy himself by the end

of it now that he's back to being able to act like himself again. Perhaps mercifully for Ludwig, Francis decides he's had his fill of the party well before the celebration was over, and makes his way over to

Ludwig with a smile on, though pausing when he sees the state of him. "Looks like I was perhaps a bit too lenient with you, hm?" he says, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

doesn't even look up at Francis. There were so many thoughts in his mind it was a wonder he was so composed...oh....nevermind

his cheeks were wet...he hadn't even noticed that. "Can we go now..." Ludwig gets out barely above a whisper and his accent very thick.

about to answer him with a teasing reply before it strikes him halfway through opening his mouth that Ludwig's voice wasn't normal. He furrows his brow, trying to tilt his head to get a better view of his

face. "....are you....?" he asks, feeling really weird to think that the great monster could possibly be crying. "...we're leaving," he answers, his party mood pretty quickly deflating.

moves his head when Francis tries to tilt his own head to get a view of Ludwig. He also raises his arm to wipe at his cheeks and keeps his head downcast as he struggles to get up nearly teetering back into the

seat he'd been occupying for the entire evening. Usually, drinking made him feel better....but now he couldn't hold in the emotions he had been hoping to hold in. He was numb but not numb enough and the

festivities....the fun that Francis seemed to be having reminded him of times gone past....and of his brother specifically....of all the ties he'd ruined and all the things that he had gotten so wrong...it was

like he had lived outside of his body...unable to control anyone...realising the horrors and being forced to listen and agree. Ludwig is drunk....it's quite evident in the way he was carrying himself, the

vulnerability that came with the state and the fact that his cheeks were quite flushed from the alcohol. He had been glad that Francis hadn't been watching....that he had been allowed to drown some sorrow...but

now he could only feel embarrassment.

.is very unsettled by how vulnerable and weak the man in front of him seemed now, bringing back bad memories of even further in history and reminding him of how young Germany really was. He straightens

up, glancing around to make sure eyes weren't on them before grabbing Ludwig's hand to pull him out of the party quickly. The scene was giving Francis second hand embarrassment, and he was glad

he already called for a ride and said his goodbyes, though it would still be a few before the driver actually showed up.

(( It's funny because there's an actual word in German for second hand embarrassment which is fremdshämen ))

doesn't grasp Francis hand back nor does he jerk away because at least he had more sense then to try something when he could hardly stand upright. He wipes at his eyes trying to compose himself but he was in so

much emotional pain that it was difficult...and he hadn't let it out at all....trying to keep as composed as possible in front of the allies....and now his occupiers.

pulls him outside, letting go once they're off to the side form the entrance in favour of crossing his arms. "Merde, get a hold of yourself," he scolds, not sure how to deal with this as all. "I brought you out

so you could have a least one night of trying to be human again, and you do this?" He keeps his voice low, not wanting to draw attention from people on the street.

to glare at Francis but he can't even muster that instead he takes a few deep breathes before glancing up at the sky and running a shaky hand through his hair. "You think being stared like I'm a monster makes

me feel human again?" Ludwig gets out voice still a little rocky but it was evening out. "This is punishment....this is realising that I will forever be a demon to all these people...." He couldn't hold it

back.

's expression sours further, knowing Ludwig was right. "It was supposed to be celebrating moving on. Sitting and drinking alone in a corner certainly didn't help your case," he argues. He looks away at the

second comment, holding himself back from making a mean remark. He was torn between agreeing that Ludwig was a monster, and knowing that no nation had clean hands, himself included. Seeing this vulnerability,

even as the other starts to pull himself back together, was tugging at Francis's heartstrings. "....l-look," he starts, clearing his throat to get rid of the uncertainly in his voice. "Germany fucked up. It

will be a long time before that pain subsides. But you, as a human, need to be able to disconnect yourself from it mentally, or else you'll go insane and it'll all fall apart." He rubs his temple, feeling

the buzz from earlier worming into a headache.

looks upset by the advice regardless if there was truth behind it. he knew he needed to find a way to disconnect but it was not something that anyone...that Roderich or Gilbert had taught

him to do. They had always told him how great he was going to be...Gilbert had always thought he could do no worng...and although he really hadn't done the wrong...it was his people it felt like it was all on

him.. Ludwig turns away from Francis....he couldn't look at the man and honestly he felt as if looking himself in his cell for several days without outside interaction would be nice. He runs his hand down his

face breath hitching a bit still. "H-how...did you get over your mistakes?" Where they ever this bad? That's what he wanted to know. He had learned about history but things were always omitted and other things

not necessarily known...had Francis ever gotten over his horrific mistakes...

stares at him up until the question, and he hesitates on finding an answer. "....every nation is different, you have to find out your method." He manages, frowning at himself. There was

no way he wanted to go back and remember his own past- he was getting good at completely bottling it up instead of recovering. He's almost relieved when he sees their driver pull

up at last, a good distraction to avoid having to think on that further. "Time to go," he mentions, straightening himself up and allowing Ludwig a moment to compose himself before leading the other to the car.

's lips thin at that, he wouldn't push, he didn't have the right but he had been hoping for a little bit more from Francis. He hears the car pull up behind him and he does take the few minutes given to him

before his back is straightening and he's sliding into the back of the car with Francis. He shifts so his body is pointing away from Francis and he's look out the window. He had revealed to much and now he was

mildly embarrassed by his slip especially in front of Francis.

would like to help, but he feared if he opens that own door of his, he'd be the one in trouble. He's fine with Ludwig's silence, though he's trying to force his own thoughts back down. "You... can stay at my

place tonight, if you want a break..." he offers quietly, looking out the window.

| If Ludwig had been facing Francis the man would have seen the surprise on his features. His silence extends for a long time as if he's contemplating over the offer before he lets out a small hum. "I..." He

pauses to take a deep breath. "I would like that...." Ludwig finally says softly but doesn't turn around to face Francis. It was better like this...the man had seen to much and now knew to much.

, as much as he knew this was a poor idea, had indeed felt too much for the German's tears to allow sending him back to that cell already. He worries his lip a little, glancing

over at him. He just nods in reply though, staying mostly quiet the rest of the way until they're back to Francis's apartment.

remains silent the rest of the car ride to Francis place. Only when he's instructed does he get out of the car and then he follows the man up to his apartment. He had calmed down considerably since then but his

feeling of guilt, sorrow and self hate would not fade because of one kind gesture.