A Game of Chess

West Berlin, East Germany

November 1, 1950

7:00 AM

Morning sunlight poured into the room, as his eyes opened groggily. Groaning from the brightness, he turned his watch, reading '7:00' clearly. He sighed, letting his arm drop from the air. Even though he had slept so late last night from treating his wound, he still woke up early. Then again, he had read some articles about stress pertaining to waking up in the morning early. He laid there, uncomfortably beneath his blanket. With the combination of proper treatment and his godly-like healing abilities, he ended up with what he could only describe as a really large sunburn. It was better than a blister, but still painful as hell.

He mindlessly stared upwards, contemplating just falling back asleep. It's not like he had anywhere to go, and he'd rather sleep in to compensate for the lost sleep from last night. The flight to Leningrad was going to be long, and he didn't want some Russian stewardess spying-

*Creak.. Flick!

His head turned at the sound, once again being able to spot light from beneath his door. Steps descended from the staircase, irking his curiosity even further. It wasn't usual for the German to get up so early, especially since it wasn't their usual breakfast time.

For a moment, his hand moved instinctively, to check out what was wrong before stopping mid-way. His chest stung badly from the touch of the cold Berlin air, memories of just last night flooding into his mind. Letting out a small huff, he turned back into bed, facing away from the door in spite.

'If Ludwig didn't want me to bother him, then I won't.' He thought to himself bitterly, folding his arms. And just as it was two nights before, the front door shut once more, leaving the home as quiet as ever.

As he pouted there, his stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of the circumstances he was in at the moment. He had almost forgotten that because he left the kitchen so early last night, that he didn't even have the opportunity to eat anything yet. And not to mention the tea that he left out in the open. He left in such a huff that he had forgotten to close Arthur's tea canister on the way out.

'It'll be fine right? Tea doesn't need to be concealed, you just put it in water!' he tried to reassure himself though admittedly his attempt wasn't very effective. He slowly got up, wincing as his chest began to sting painfully. It would probably be okay if he just rubbed some sunscreen on it.

Gently, he unraveled the bandages, grimacing at the large splotch of red that adorned his upper chest. He didn't spend much time staring at it though, since he didn't know when Ludwig would be back. He rather just get some food, and his tea canisters then run back upstairs. 'It wasn't because he was scared, why would he be scared of anything?' He huffed gently. But it was just that..

He stopped wrapping the bandages on, staring depressingly at the sink. It's just that he felt that what he said last night was really harsh. After defending Ludwig, he basically took back what he meant by saying that. And he said it to his face as well.

Groaning, he slumped over the sink, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It really was too early to be asking questions. If anything, he just felt hungry.

Yawning, he walked down the stairs, making a direct beeline for the kitchen. After spending quite a bit living here, he had been able to remember the walkway with his eyes closed. But when he opened them again, he spotted a familiar-looking letter sitting in front of him, right on top of the counter. His legs froze in place, staring at it intensely. If he wasn't able to feel the tremendous pain in his chest, he would've thought that this was a case of deja vu dream sequences.