I wanna thank miss Zeplerfer so much for her help with the translation of this work! I'm still quite insecure about my writting style in english and I can't thank her enough. She's totally awesome and any mistakes that you may find here are totally my fault. Sorry. Also, it would be very, very nice of you to give me some support since I really need it to keep doing my job. I would be very grateful. Anyway, I wish you a wonderful reading and a lovely day. Take care ~

Request by anon: Omegaverse story showing the first meeting of the characters.

01. (In)dependence.

If someone asked Gilbert Beilschmidt, he would say that he preferred ten thousand times more to live with alphas than with omegas.

A statement like that could cause shocked and horrified exclamations, since alphas were more common and less romanticized than omegas, but if people stopped to analyze his motives, they would see that this was a very legitimate and very reasonable thing to say.

It wasn't like Gilbert had a bias against omegas. In fact, it was the opposite. A bias arises from ignorance and he knew way more than enough about the omega's routine and the advantages and disadvantages of living with them. After all, he was the adopted son of a couple of omegas, with a younger brother who was also an omega and he was a beta.

Yep, he could already have his own reality show.

Being the only beta in a omega family was a total pain. They were so much work! An omega had two heats per year. Gilbert had to endure six. No one measured the consequences of being a omega couple adopting an omega child and as much as Gilbert loved his parents and his brother with all his heart, damn, how they exhausted him.

An omega in heat became extremely dependent on other people. Alphas were biologically equipped to deal with their clinginess. They could identify the needs of a omega using their sense of smell and they didn't mind staying glued to their omegas all day and everyday because they were too horny and/or protective of them to care about it. It was a purely instinctive behaviour.

An omega couple did not have these advantages. On the other hand, they knew very well what the other needed, since they had personal experience with what your partner was going through. Another advantage of a omega couple would be the calm kindness they showed when they had to take care of each other. The protective instincts and libido of alphas could be very pleasant and convenient for omegas at certain times. However, it left them in a continuous state of agitation that didn't allow them to be reasonable in the moments when the need arose.

Of course, omega couples also had their own problems. Starting with the fact that each of them would experience two heats per year, which mathematically represented a greater number of times that incredibly annoying period extended. Thanks to that, when Gilbert was not being an official nurse to his parents and his younger brother, he had to check on the stocks of blankets and pillows for nests and how much snack food, bottles of water and sex toys they had – since, apparently, an omega was so horny and needy that he was unable to drop his partner for a second even if it was to let him buy something that he definitely shouldn't be asking his child to buy, urgh, Gilbert really deserved a break. It was never too early to have those concerns because it was a matter of weeks before another family member entered his heat and when that time came, it would be more way complicated to leave the place to buy those items in the middle of the storm that formed inside the house during a heat. And when the heat of one of them arrived early and ended up merging with the other's?! Certainly, there must be a special circle in hell for evil betas, where a lot of omega have their heats at the same time. Yeah, it was that bad.

He was a beta, the most sensible and controlled of the types. Since ancient times, the betas have always played an role of official guardian of an omega in heat. I mean, alphas were the ones knotting in omegas and yelling at anyone who dared to interrupt them, but if not for the betas, alphas and omegas would get dehydrated and malnourished to the point of getting sick... Seriously. In summary, one could say that they had to endure this bullshit during all the history of the world. Alphas and omegas only caught the fun parts and the work was left to betas.

Gilbert Beilschmidt lived in this hectic routine from age twelve to eighteen. From the year in which his parents thought he was old enough to help them, to the year he left home to go to a dorm room at a college in another state.

As an act of respect to his relatives, he spent a few minutes at the beginning of his train trip feeling bad for his parents and his brother and worrying about how they would adjust without him. But this moment of concern for his family didn't have the strength to stay there for too long. Sorry to his parents and brother, but, bah!, he was sure they would arrange some way to take care of themselves! The most important thing was that Gilbert was finally free. Free as a singing bird! HA, HA, HA ...! I mean, hm, that was an important sign of maturity of the eldest son of the Beilschmidts and so that should be enough to cheer them! Yep, yep. No need to feel guilty for that elation he was experiencing! He should enjoy the party as much as he could! For his parents!

Just as he had planned during registration, Gilbert was able to surround himself with alphas and betas at college. His roommate was another beta named Arthur Kirkland, whose circle of friends consisted mainly of alphas who were introduced to Beilschmidt and matched him incredibly well. Life with Arthur and his new friends was simple and fantastic. No job as a nurse for a week every two months. No ongoing concerns about heats arriving earlier or later than they should. No need to be checking the stock of food, water, clean blankets and sex toys for emergencies. He just needed to care about himself and, within certain limits, about Arthur.

Man, now that was life!

Gilbert wouldn't mind living like that forever!

He wouldn't but ...

"I'm moving to Alfred's house before his next heat. Although we can't be mates, I must take care of him as an alpha normally would. I'm a gentleman, after all.".

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Just like that, within seconds, all Gilbert's short and medium-term plans suffered a drastic modification.

Oh shit.

That was not good news. That was not good at all.

Let me explain better: right when he entered college, Gilbert didn't have a reputation. Therefore, the selection criteria for his roommate was purely based on type compatibility because no one knew if his personality would match well with alphas or omegas. Like all other freshmen, he received a general treatment, created to simplify the possible combinations of roommates.

That was the past. In his sixth semester, he was no longer an anonymous face on campus.

Gilbert Beilschmidt was a beta student with the highest grades in his class, who was once considered as a plausible option for the class speaker and rebutted only because the dean concluded that it would be less risky to set off fireworks in the middle of the ceremony rather than let him take on such a important position.

Gilbert was organized, independent and someone who never expressed the remotest interest in the college's omegas, which meant basically ...

Fucking hell. People would try so hard to push an omega on him.

Exaggeration?

That's what they would see.

...

No sooner said than done, everything went as expected.

Arthur had not even finished moving when proposals for Gilbert to stay with many omegas began to fill his mailbox. People didn't wasted time and Gilbert found himself, on more than one night, with his face buried in his hands, grunting plaintively in front of his computer while the icon of his inbox jumped up and down with its growing number every twenty minutes.

It was ironic that Beilschmidt, who finally thought was free from a life as an omega's nanny, now was being almost hunted by them.

To make things even worse, his refusal to live with an omega only aroused more interest from omegas to have him as a roommate. This kind was so plagued by gross alphas that a legitimately indifferent beta seemed to be the best company they could get and Gilbert's popularity grew with every refusal. Also, kinds or not, let's be honest, Gilbert Beilschmidt (in his relevant and totally sensible opinion) was fantastic. He could not blame those omegas for wanting his invaluable company. I guess that if he was in the same position as them, he would also go around punching people for the chance of living with someone that awesome! Heh!

Anyway, this hell lasted for about two and a half weeks without pauses or any progress, but on a Wednesday, he saw a slightly different approach.

It came from an alpha girl who was captain of the volleyball team - a veteran who was one year older than Gilbert and someone with whom he had his debts and a good friendship.

"I heard that you're looking for a new roommate," Lizzy said, sitting in front of him in the cafeteria, bringing a portion of rice and mashed potatoes that almost reached the height of her head.

Gilbert simply shrugged, shaking his head sideways, closing his eyes and distilling arrogance in the smile that was formed on the edges of his lips.

"To be honest, it's the new roommates who are looking for me, but proceed," he said, giving a short and satisfied laugh at his own joke.

Too bad Lizzy was so boring and didn't pay any attention to his clever joke.

"I think I know someone with whom you would get along very well," she said, not losing her focus or the strange determined glint in his green eyes.

"Alpha or Beta?" he asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. There was something strange there. If Lizzy really had found someone who could work with him, there would be no need for this suspenseful scene. He knew that girl. If there wasn't any "BUT" on that line in bold letters and flashing a red alert, she would have just said "Hey! I found this guy to be your roommate! What do you think?" Lizzy didn't not show all this pomp and circumstance unless …

"Omega."

He didn't even blink before responding:

"Not a freaking chance."

"Why, come on! You haven't heard me yet!" she exclaimed, pounding the table with both fists, making the dishes jump a little. Grains of rice from Lizzy's plate flew everywhere and a small amount of Gilbert's soup fell on the table, dripping and almost falling on his leg.

Oh, shit! Damn Lizzy and her brutal force! Tsk!

"It makes no difference," he said, trying to ignore the small degree of fear that had appeared in his voice but his eyes were still staring at the hot liquid and orange on the table with some amazement and he changed places, taking his plate from the table for security reasons. "Omegas are a burden..." he added, feeling that it was better to give some explanation for his motives.

Lizzy made a sound of frustration, angrily filling her cheeks of air, like a spoiled six years old who wanted to have a toy at any cost.

"He can be a bit hard to deal with, I confess," she admitted grudgingly. Somehow, she managed to keep her full cheeks as she spoke and was looking funnier than it should. "However, he has certain qualities that suit you." She has to take an enthusiastic and optimistic air in the best imitation of an advertising girl "He prepares great desserts, is also studying music and he's a guy extremely ... Huh ... Sincere! Just like you!"

Wait a second. What that suspicious pause meant?

"What was this pause before "sincere"?" He frowned disapproving at each new part of that whole deal.

She crossed her arms over her chest and began to move her eyes to random spots on the ceiling.

"He can be too honest," she said in a tone that made it clear that this was a euphemism for "This guy is ruder than Grumpy on a bad Monday." The candid smile she added didn't change her main message. "This is a terrible and unbearable flaw for most people, but I think you will get along because you are similar to him in this aspect."

"Pfff! Lizzy, thank goodness you're doing Biochemistry, not Law!" He laughed extensively, waving his hand on a playfully mood "You need to dramatically improve your persuasiveness! You realize that your argument to convince me to live with this guy was basically "most people wouldn't like to live with him"!

"Gilbert, you owe me for everything I did when you were a freshman! This omega is my childhood friend and I want the best for him! Strangely enough, that means to live with you! Now promise me you will at least call him. I want you to talk to him before dismissing him entirely."

"Talk to him or not. What difference does it make?"

It made a huge difference.

He had his debts to settle with Lizzy and didn't want her to keep bothering him with that annoying stuff, so he made a deal with her and promised to call this guy before rejecting him. However, he never promised a long call with some deep emotional talk for the establishment of a beautiful friendship.

Gilbert's original plan was divided into three stages. Step 01: "Hello." Step 02: "Sorry, dude." Step 03: "Bye." He didn't even consider the possibility that the omega had anything to say beyond the common and repetitive lines he had heard a billion of times from other potential roommates.

Neither did he think that before he even initiated step 01, the omega would cut him off, rushing to say:

"Mr. Beilschmidt, I'm not that patient to the point of submitting myself to any moving speech that you have prepared for all the omegas or to waste my time only to be rejected by you. Please, don't bother to give me your repetitive lines and unnecessary excuses. I will have you know that I'm the only omega child of a family almost entirely composed of alphas and I'm used to being pampered and treated with due reverence."

...

...

Er ... What?

Huh?

The fuck?

What the hell had just happened?

It was so sudden and unexpected that Gilbert froze for the first few seconds.

After a very awkward pause, he finally found his words. "Hold on there. I didn't even say anything yet!"

"Hmpf. I don't need to hear it," replied the voice on the other end of the phone. It was clear and smooth, like the voice of a electronic assistant but endowed with such a thick layer of arrogance that it was hard to remember that he was the guy who was allegedly asking a favor there. "I know your reputation and I can assume that you would be pretentious if I gave any opening for it." Then, before Gilbert decided whether he should or not say 'Well, fuck you too!' and hang up the phone in the face of that idiot, the guy made a 'Tsk' and said something that definitively caught his attention. "Betas. Always so arrogant, thinking that because you're immune to our pheromones, you are the most reasonable and rational beings of the Earth."

Wow. That stereotype was so offensive!

"Hey! It's not like that!" he protested in outrage.

"Am I mistaken?" asked the snobby voice in a partially ironic tone that made it almost feel like a rhetorical question "Isn't this your way of thinking?"

No, it was not like ...! Well, okay, he may have thought something along these lines, but it was not like that! He was not having a superiority complex! It was simply a fact that betas had the characteristic of being more reasonable and rational than the alphas and omegas because they were not involved in that biological mess! Just because that was true it didn't mean that ...!

Oh.

That was exactly what the snobbish voice had said that he thought.

He facepalmed hard, thinking he was lucky that the other guy couldn't see him at that moment.

Fuck.

"Anyway, if you hate betas so much, why do you want to live with me?" he asked in a forced casual manner.

"I already told you." The omega gave an impatient sigh. "I come from a family of alphas and I want to be pampered."

"Then go and get some alpha!" Gilbert shouted without hesitation.

"Alphas are despicable!"

"Huh?"

"They do not care for an omega by pure altruism," the omega complained, sounding very disgusted with the idea Somehow, it was like he was reporting a horrifying scientific discovery. "I was shocked to see that their notion of caring for an omega in the heat involves sex and knotting. Also, it's amazing they change their attitude entirely after discovering that you have no intention of being their mate." He huffed in exasperation, creating a brief sizzle on the line. "This is a major inconvenience. I don't want to get into a romantic relationship with one of them. Alphas don't appeal to me in that way."

"Alphas don't appeal to me in that way."

Again, a particular line of this young lord was like a bait that caught Gilbert and pulled him in with a strange force.

That guy was an omega who didn't feel attracted to alphas. Huh ... interesting.

Most omegas who wanted to live with him were attracted to alphas and only wanted him as their guardian. It was interesting to see that this young lord had a different sexual orientation and Gilbert had to recognize that something about that statement fanned a spark of interest on him. An omega attracted to other omegas. It was like the case of his parents.

"Let me see if I got everything right." He took a deep breath, pressing the bridge of his nose while closing his discussion was following an increasingly unpredictable and weird direction. He needed time to make some mental notes. "You are an omega who doesn't like alphas and betas ..." he said slowly. "Yet your complaint about the betas is that we are too arrogant about our kind."

In saying this, what Gilbert wanted to imply was that Roderich was basically saying that omegas were the only noble type while at the same time condemning betas for doing the same thing and that made no sense.

"Precisely."

Disregarding any implied criticism, this was a clear and instant response of the young lord.

What the actual fuck.

"Are you really going to ignore the huge contradiction in what you just said?!"

"What contradiction?" He asked in a confused tone. Confused.

URGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"Forget it, forget it!" He shook his head quickly sideways in a dismissive gesture. "Listen, aristocrat, I still don't get the most important question. You've been offending me since I answered the phone. Why exactly do you even want to live with me?"

"Oh, that's a good question. Actually, miss Elizaveta informed me that you came from a family of omegas..."

Ah, so that was it. The young lord was an omega who wanted to be pampered and he thought that Gilbert Beilschmidt, being the only beta in a family of omegas, had probably become a guy of ancient wisdom with endless kindness and patience that was a patron for the defenseless omegas.

So in the end, there was a similar point between that dude and the other omegas that Gilbert Beilschmidt had known. He couldn't tell if that was a relief, a disappointment or both.

"Yes, I came from a omega family," he growled, unwilling to say anything else. "So what?"

"It must have been a living hell."

U-um, the typical speech that it must have been wonderful to live surrounded by so many angelic beings and ... Wait. What?

This was the first time in his twenty-three years of existence in which Gilbert Beilschmidt heard someone talk about his family that way.

He was definitely interested in hearing more.

"What?"

"Am I mistaken?" asked the aristocrat, using again that voice of someone who knew the answer to his own question.

"No, but..." He took a breath and licked his lips. While his predominant feeling was of astonishment, he also was kind of amazed by what he was hearing. "I didn't think you'd say that. I mean, people always say that it must have been fantastic to be created by a family consisting only of omegas ..."

"These people are fools." Those were the ruthless and direct words of the young lord. Despite how evil they were, they caused a inner satisfaction in Gilbert. He had never had a chance to hear something that actually coincided with his own feelings on this issue and he felt like the young lord was saying everything that he would say if he were not too fond of his family to offend them openly. "Omegas require constant care and attention. I wouldn't bear to live with one of them, let alone an entire family."

"I thought omegas were the best kind on the world to you?"

"When did I say that?"

"Well, young lord, that was my conclusion after you've came with all that speech about how alphas and betas are horrible and being a omega is the best thing ever!"

"You are mistaken. I don't think that the omegas are better than betas and alphas and I didn't say that at any moment. In my view, all kinds have their detestable traits and each one is terrible in different ways. I enjoy being an omega to be flattered by alphas and betas. However, I would hate to have the company of an omega, sucking the attention and energy that should be devoted to me, since I know how laborious we can be during our heats."

"Hm... Are you still trying to convince me to be your roommate?" Gilbert had to ask. "Because I'm seriously confused about this."

"I am." Coming from the young lord, the confidence of that response wasn't even impressive anymore.

"And what is your argument?"

"If you managed to survive within a family of omegas, you must be one of the few people in this world with the capacity to endure living together with me, while not passing our relationship to a sexual level."

"All right, cool, and what do I gain in this deal?"

"My company. I'm a very pleasant person."

This legitimately caught Gilbert by surprise and he almost choked with the laughter that went down his throat, pushing so hard down his chest that he needed to rely on the table to keep from falling on the floor laughing.

"Pfff! Goddamnit! I was not prepared for this one! Damn, young lord!" he exclaimed with the breath he could muster, laughing as if he would never stop.

"I do not understand what's so laughable in my words."

This comment logically only increased the duration of Gilbert Beilschmidt of laughter, causing it to be extended at full speed.

"You?!" he said in a tone that's exaggerated astonishment had an obvious intention of debauchery. "Pleasant?!"

"Hmpf. Very well." The aristocrat briefly showed resignation about that matter. "I believe my qualities were not properly presented, which is giving you this gross misconception that I'm not a nice person, so I think I can display them more clearly by telling you my story."

"I don't want to hear your story!" he protested, but was interrupted very conclusive and firmly.

"In which part of my sentence did you heard a question mark?" that was the (unbelievable) phrase the aristocrat said before taking advantage of the silence, resulting from Gilbert's jaw dropping to the floor, to start his narrative without delay "I was born on a rainy morning of November at a private hospital..."

The history of the aristocrat took two and a half hours to complete and, for some reason, Gilbert didn't hang up the phone until the end of it.

Honestly, he only considered leaving at the very beginning but after listening to the young lord, whose name was Roderich Eldestein, for some time, he end up realizing that the biography of the young lord did have some unexpectedly interesting points. Without noticing, he started to pay more and more attention to it, gradually sinking in the narration, so immersed on it that its conclusion left him slightly dazed, as if he was waking from a dream.

Despite the steady and calm indifference of the voice on the other end of the line, Gilbert got really into that peculiar history full of witty comments and filled with the unique aspect of its main character and narrator. He weakly experienced a great number of different feelings, as if he was present in all situations that Roderich presented with apparent carelessness. He laughed, cursed, said some "Shit, man." with sincere and strong pity. He sighed, rolled his eyes, snorted ... Until finally Roderich stopped talking for a particularly long series of seconds and after a while, noticing that he should do something to break the tense silence between them, he concluded with a "Those are my points and I believe we need to say goodbye here," leading Gilbert to finally realize that they were not on the phone with friends, on a date or call had a purpose and, technically, its main purpose wasn't to create a link between them. It was only a call from another omega he had to reject and who would soon seek other roommates.

He was aware of it. It was normal. Still, it was a little unfortunate to have to turn off that phone, knowing that from that moment, his moment of interaction with the young lord would be officially over and Gilbert Beilschmidt would return to his ordinary days, not ever finding a omega, or rather anyone regardless of type, with that young master's personality. He would keep rejecting other omegas and looking for a relatively cool alpha or beta to live with it. That conversation with Rod was intense, but there was no reason for them to have contact again, being better for both parties that they didn't prolong their communications, as misunderstandings could arise from a deepening of their connection. Rod was looking for a place to live and Gilbert didn't want him to confuse the emergence of a greater intimacy between the two as an authorization for him to come live in his home. In addition, Rod would be so mad if Gilbert created this wrong impression that they would never talk again after that even if they could.

Well, honestly, it sucked, but what could be done? Alright, Rod was funny, extremely direct and honest, unique, interesting and fascinating in a special way, but he was a goddamn omega and Gilbert Beilschmidt never would willing return to living with omegas. No way. Out of question.

Even if said omega had left him a little, just a little tempted about that hypothesis.

To be fair, on the first night after this conversation, Gilbert didn't take seriously the weight that lodged in his chest and the anxiety that settled in after that phone call was finished. Okay, so what that he had met an omega who was extraordinary in every sense of the word and he was kind of impressed with that, noting with amazement and alarm that the young lord had a personality that ... welll, it was kinda attractive to him?

No big deal! Impressions are impressions. They are temporary and fleeting. Although at the time, he was strongly containing his urge to call Lizzy and tell her that the aristocrat should visit him immediately, he certainly would forget that story in a short time and laugh at all the absurdities that have passed through his head. Oh, man. He would laugh so much that story. Definitely! HA, HA, HA!

Okay, maybe not tomorrow, but maybe in two days. Maybe three. Five was the lucky number!

A week elapsed before Gilbert surrendered to the fact that he had a slight crush on that pompous aristocrat and that if he didn't confront it early, he would be seriously screwed.

These things happen! Sometimes talking to a person for the first time has this kind of effect on us. It is the charm of the new or something. The young lord had a remarkable and amazing personality. It was normal that he left Gilbert drawn at a first impression over the phone. No reason to worry. Everything was fine. The situation was manageable. He would talk to Lizzy to schedule a personal meeting between him and the aristocrat in front of the college library in the morning and after that, his expectations would fall apart as an analgesic dropped in a soda.

Seeing Roderich personally, the fascination would flow down the drain. This time, he was conscious and prepared to look at the young master and realize that he was not all he was thinking. A personal encounter was all he needed to overcome that regular fall ...

Or so he thought and muttered to himself, staring at the floor until a familiar voice invited his eyes to rise.

"Hello," said a guy with glasses, wearing elegant and gray clothes and a red scarf, who was seriously the most sexy and most similar to a super-model person that Gilbert had seen closely in the real world. While the eyes of his viewer widened and his mouth suffered severe difficulties in finding a permanent position, the attractive guy made a little bow to greet him. "You must be Mr. Beilschmidt."

FUCK.

THAT WAS SO UNFAIR. Rod should not be that physically attractive! Gilbert was not counting on this at all and now all his determination to deny his attraction to him disappeared as his eyes followed several different and random routes in order to escape at all costs from the aristocrat right in front of him.

Rod shouldn't look so hot with that dark brown pompous hair that only looked good on him and maybe the nobility of the nineteenth century! He should not have that face with lines harmoniously arranged, eyes of a very deep blue, that mole that drew attention to his mouth, those long legs that made him a few inches taller than Gilbert and that body posture so gracious and imposing simultaneously. This was proof that the universe was doomed to chaos and composed of strange elements that would never be fully understood by men. From all appearances, he had to be a super-model with a slightly nerdy attitude that was totally Gilbert's type. That was so damn unfair.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Yes of course! The one and only!" Gilbert said, recovering from his initial shock and pumping his fists into the air in flaming enthusiasm. He couldn't show the internal hurricane that was going on inside him. He had a great image to maintain! "The pleasure is sixty percent yours and forty percent mine." Oh, man, that was great! He had dominated the conversation with a grand introduction that should cause at least one "OH!" mesmerized reaction from the aristocrat.

Still, unexpectedly, the young lord had not a single lapse in the impassivity of his expression. His complete lack of reaction came to be a little offensive to Gilbert since his sense of humor didn't receive the appreciation its deserved.

"Don't waste my time that way," Rod demanded, confronting his potential roommate directly. "I know you called me here to reject me personally and let me say that I refuse to be part of such a ridiculous role. My pride would not allow a rejection coming from you. I will reject myself by my own. Goodbye."

Right after this short monologue, he turned his back on Gilbert Beilschmidt and started walking in the opposite direction, as if their business were solved.

Huh? What? How? Did that really happened? Roderich greeted him, then he freaking rejected himself on his own and now was going away? Wow! That was pretty much the aristocratic version of the "Hello", "Sorry there" and "Bye" plan.

"Hey, wait a second! Calm down here!" Gilbert yelled, feeling a wave of relief when he noticed that it had been enough for the young lord to stop at the point where he was, also showing some curiosity about that emphatic interruption, which implied that he wasn't completely prepared for it. "Why the hell are you making that decision as if I am to blame for it?! I literally said nothing!"

"That was not necessary. I know what you would say." He was harsh and dry in his hurried answer. Moreover, he seemed a little overconfident in his belief in what Gilbert had to say.

"Surprise for you, Rod!" he replied excitedly, opening his arms extensively. "You don't always know what people are thinking because you are not a telepath. Welcome to the real world!"

"Oh, what you're saying is that you invited me here to say that we can live together and you're eager for my company?" He made this a sarcastic question, using his classic rhetorical question tone, easily translated into "I-know-what-you-will-tell-me-and-have-no-doubts-about-that-and-I-am-not-really-asking-a-question".

That was so irritating. I mean, okay. Gilbert's initial plan was to reject the proposal of them living together and all that. Yet it was pretty annoying that he didn't had the opening to think about that question! Who was that aristocrat to tell Gilbert what he would say?! If he were to reject it, he would have done that on his own! No way that he would give Rod the satisfaction of simply confirming what the aristocrat had deduced that he would say! Now it was not just a matter of "I want to spend more time with him ~" and "Damn, I need to bring this attractive guy to my room." It was a matter of personal honor!

So Rod thought he knew all the answers, huh?! HA! He would see how mistaken he was! He would need to go through a long and hard training in the mountains if he wanted to get a third of the necessary ability of perception to guess the movements of Gilbert Beilschmidt.

This was the last straw in a cup of boiling feelings and Gilbert finally reacted to them and with clenched fists, twisted facial features and eyes burning with determination, he yelled "YES, I DID!" so hard it made Roderich move back a few steps.

"Huh?" this was the low and confused sound of the aristocrat. Following this, Roderich was left with his mouth half open and walk slightly wobbly, as if seeking a new sense of balance after a radical change in Earth's gravity. Apparently, he was not ready for that answer!

HA!

"You heard me..." He breathed in and out a few times to decrease the temperature of his indignation and he calmed down a bit. On the other hand, his resolution remained firm and strong, like the way his eyes stayed glued on Rod. "Let's move in together, you nerd," he practically murmured, gathering strength to make his decision.

Rod blinked repeatedly. Repeatedly. In his eyes, there was now an innocent and almost helpless glow similar to the one you would find on a child who doesn't understand what he did wrong that caused the anger of his parents.

"... I do not understand," he finally managed to say in a voice that expressed a shock of unimaginable proportions.

What was so incomprehensible about that?

"What?"

"Why do you want to live with me?" he asked. Assuming an air more suspicious and natural to his temperament, he began an aggressive interrogation. "What do you have to gain from it? Money? Power?"

Seriously?!

LIKE, FOR REALl?!

"Why do you need to turn every single thing into a conspiracy theory?!" Gilbert yelled in frustration, putting his hands on both sides of his head as if it could fly out his body if he didn't hold it in.

"Of course, I must suspect a decision like that! If you are so offended by my suspicions, then justify your actions!"

Because you're a guy with a strangely captivating personality, interesting qualities and you're, like, super-hyper-mega-attractive, so I can't be rational enough around you to see how my idea is terrible in a long-term perspective when I'm being distracted by your appearance and when my greatest desire is to grab your waist and press you against the nearest wall to kiss you until you lose your breath, because my head is not working at the right way and I'm really fascinated with you, even if you can be quite annoying at times. I'm getting to the point of seeing your flaws as something that makes part of the construction of your unique personality and that's stupid, I know, but at the same time it is very difficult to contain this sort of thing and I'm confused and stressed, but I'm so interested in your noble figure that living with you is a too tempting idea and I can't weigh the consequences like that. And also because...

Because, young lord, when we begin to live with someone, we can get disappointed after knowing each other better. But you? I'm expecting your worst and the only thing that could amaze me would be any good thing to appear in our living together!"

He was (partially) sincere. Luckily, his (partial) honesty was enough to convince Rod.

"Surprisingly, you have a good point." He sounded impressed, putting a hand on his chin.

"As I respect the difficulties of comprehension of the ignorant, I will ignore your "surprisingly" because I imagine that you still have not knowledge enough to know how brilliant my points are on a daily basis, young lord." Seeing how Rod opened his mouth with an offended air, Gilbert was sure of the efficiency of his glorious teasing answer. Entertained and laughing briefly, he interrupted Rod before he expressed his ill-humor, raising an eyebrow and put his hands in his trouser pockets to ask clearly and directly. "So? We have a agreement?"

"Yes, I will bring my belongings to you room tomorrow," he said in a discreet and charming contentment with just the hint of a smile, making Gilbert need to use his repression mechanism immediately.

Don't think too much of it, don't think too much of it. He is going to your room because you live in a room. Your whole house is a room. That's just semantics.

"Okay, Rod! See you tomorrow!"

He was already waving and cursing internally as he asked himself what the hell he had done and how he had allowed to fall - in fact, practically thrown himself - in such an obvious trap when he was interrupted by a miraculously friendly question of the young lord.

"Don't you want to have some coffee with me now?"

What.

"... Huh? What's this?" he asked, frowning, feeling lost in the face of an unexpected request like that. He was so perplexed that didn't even know how to feel about it. "Is this a implicit rule of the nobility or something like that?"

"No, you fool. I just wish to have a bit more of your company in this afternoon." Then, probably noticing the giant question mark that had spread itself all across Gilbert's face, Roderich asked honestly surprised and confused. "Why are you so shocked?"

"Hey, don't blame me for being surprised!" he defended himself. "I thought you were coming to live with me because you had no other options. Didn't you say that you don't like betas?!"

Would he deny his own words? Had he changed his mind? His perception of the world had changed so much in a week?

"No, I said that I dislike the traces of all kinds in general."

Oh, Rod. That guy was the charisma in person.

"Okay, Miss Congeniality, that doesn't explain anything." Gilbert frowned hard at him, showing that he had no patience to go around in circles about that question.

"One of you faults, Mr. Beilschmidt, is that you make assumptions before knowing the facts. The truth is that I could live alone if I really needed to. I should clarify. My parents strongly recommended that I live with someone but if I didn't find a roommate to my liking, I could very well live in a bachelor flat. Do understand that I'm communicating this because I don't want you to make a mistake and think I'm going to your room because I'm desperate." He stressed the word "desperate" with a pungent disgust momentarily twitching the corners of his mouth, rolling his eyes in a way that showed that he thought that this mental image was extremely pathetic. "The reason I'm moving in with you, Beilschmidt, is because I have positive expectations about it. There is something about you that I find intriguing and I think watching your routine will be as interesting as watching a documentary about the wildlife."

Oh, no.

Now Gilbert's heart was pounding like crazy.

Ignoring the part about a documentary about the wildlife, what remained was that Roderich also had some interest in their life together. It was an interest similar to what he should have watching Animal Planet but still ... Wow. Gilbert was unable to slow down the frequency of his heart beats when reminded of those words, thinking about its meaning and its remote possibility. Forced to see the young lord presenting a friendliness, though restrained, joy filled his chest with something warm, tender and risky.

Rod was interested on him. He was interested in Rod. The potential of that would be wonderful if their interests were not of very different natures and if the prospect of going out with him wasn't absurd for many reasons.

It was painful to see how close and how far they were to have a chance together.

"Oh, don't worry, Rod. I know it's impossible not to love me.." he tried to play, hoping the Rod wouldn't detect the nervousness that escaped in his laughter.

Obviously, he didn't notice it and once again showed his good disposition on a very moderated way.

"I hope we can get along, sir Beilschmidt," this was his final comment on this issue.

That said, Rod turned and waved for Gilbert to follow him, which was somewhat fortunate, because Gilbert Beilschmidt only allowed himself to show his vulnerability to Roderich's back.

"I hope so too, Rod," he said seriously, gravely and with a camouflaged apprehension, knowing that the insensitive aristocrat would never detect the subtle signs of his true emotions while he was not even looking at his face. Shit, man. Gilbert was so, so screwed. "Good luck to us."

Especially me, he thought.