Act 1, Scene 1
If someone had asked Ludwig what Feliciano and Gilbert's relationship was he would have answered something similar to 'they're just friends' or 'I think they've known each other for a while.' Now, he wasn't too certain what he would answer.
It had all started a few months prior. Ludwig had to go to a business meeting, which meant that he would have to leave Germany for a while. Normally this was not a problem. He could just ask a neighbour to come in and check in on his house once in a while and feed his dogs for him.
When Gilbert had been living at his house it was not an issue either, nor had it been when it was only Feliciano, but fate had some twisted ideas and now he had both of the people in question in his house, at the same time.
High sighed and pushed his palm against his forehead. The lines at the airport were longer than usual and he could feel a tension headache building at the back of his head. The business meeting had been cut short—apparently the issue had been resolved—and that caused him to have nearly two weeks left over before his original return flight, Ludwig was not one for sightseeing in the city.
Things had been rushed since then. The only available flight was the one he was taking now, when he booked it the departure time was barely a few hours from then. He had not even had time to tell Gilbert and Feliciano of his change of plans.
Ludwig prayed to every deity he knew that his house was still in one piece. Knowing his brother and Feliciano, anything could happen. The line inched forward and Ludwig tapped his foot impatiently. One day he would show these lazy Americans how transport companies should work.
The plane was noisier than Ludwig was used to. He blamed the holiday season. He also blamed it on the economy class seat he was currently sitting in instead of the business class seat he had long since grown accustomed to.
"This is your Captain speaking…" The voice droned over the intercom. Ludwig decided to ignore it despite his usual habit of always paying attention to these sorts of things. They usually stayed the same and only differed slightly from flight to flight.
A sharp click followed by a female voice beginning to speak. He already knew these rules of by heart and instead decided to settle in for a nap.
Act 1, Scene 2
Gilbert jumped over the back of the couch and landed with a loud thud as he overshot his mark and landed on the lounge floor. He sat up and rubbed the side of his head where he had knocked it on the floor, "So Feli, what shall we do today? Lud's still gone for two more weeks, so we can enjoy ourselves."
Feliciano looked up from the television—which was showing a football match between Italy and England—and turned his attention to Gilbert. "Do we have to do something? I just want to relax today…"
"What about a movie day? We can go out and rent a few movies and get some snacks and by some I mean enough to last us until Ludwig gets back. What do you say?"
"That sounds like fun."
"Let's go now then. It's early so we'll be shopping before the crowds arrive."
"But we're still in our pyjamas." Feliciano pointed out.
It was true. Gilbert was wearing a matching shirt and pants that had the pattern of a little yellow bird against a light blue background and Feliciano was dressed in an oversized pair of sweatpants and a shirt—obviously pilfered from Gilbert's closet.
"Who cares? The worst that'll happen is wearing PJ's will be prohibited. You only live once."
Feliciano turned the television off and got up in order to get the car keys for Gilbert. Feliciano was banned from even sitting in the driver's seat of Ludwig's Volkswagen.
"Gilbert, YOLO's only going to become a thing in a few years."
"I'm supposed to be dead. It's all technicalities." Gilbert shrugged and proceeded to jump over the couch again. This time he landed on his feet.
Act 1, Scene 3
"Why does Gilbert have such a small car?" Feliciano asked as Gilbert pulled wildly out of the driveway. He was a risk-taker in everything, including driving. However, unlike Feliciano he was not liable to crash Ludwig's car.
"I don't even know. If it were me, I'd have a Lamborghini with a built-in mini bar and a hot tub and a stripper pole and—"
"You do have the money." Feliciano interjected.
Gilbert did, like any other country, he was loaded.
"Not for a Lamborghini," Gilbert said quickly.
"And Ludwig says you're a dumkopf." Feliciano said. The German insult sounded odd as it contrasted with his Italian accent. It was not improperly pronounced however.
"Yeah, I just save my smarts for when they're needed. That way I'm smarter than everyone else."
"I don't think you can save up smartness like that…"
"The other day you told your boss that you need to nap a lot in order to gain energy from the Earth so you can do your work." Gilbert smirked, yet kept his eyes on the road.
"That was just an excuse to get out of doing work and he saw right through it." Feliciano's shoulders sagged.
"It would have worked if I was your boss…"
"Only because you think you can work with brain power like a bank."
"You don't act so smart yourself either."
"That's because I'm not."
"Feli…" Gilbert said warningly.
Feliciano changed the subject, "So what movies are we getting?"
"I don't know about you, but I feel like a comedy."
"That's not very romantic."
Gilbert gave a short laugh, "You've known me for literal centuries, when have I ever been romantic?"
"Lots of times. Like when you took me to see Romeo and Juliet. They're not often, but we have been together since before Ludwig was Germany."
"We weren't even together then. You were fifteen." He whistled, "We've been together that long, huh?"
"I know. I still hate how little we spend time together." The whine was visible in Feliciano's voice.
"You said you think Ludwig likes you?"
A small nod came from Feliciano that went unnoticed by Gilbert.
"And you don't wanna hurt my lil' bro's feelings. My advice is to talk to him and figure out if he does like you. Either way, he'll have to know about us eventually."
"I know," Feliciano repeated. He began to play with the window crank by using it to pull the window open just a crack before closing it again.
"Besides, when Ludwig's around we can never have sex because you definitely live up to the Italian stereotype of being loud."
Feliciano turned away, "I would say we could come to my old house but…"
"Romano lives there."
Feliciano sighed and for a few moments there was silence apart from the car's engine. A few patters of rain landed on the rain landed on the windscreen before levelling out as a light drizzle.
"It's so frustrating," Feliciano said. Gilbert didn't notice Feliciano blinking repeatedly to hold back his frustrated tears as he spoke, "It's been so long and the world has come so far in recognising that being with another man is normal, but I'm still so scared to tell anyone."
"We've been hiding for so long that… It's normal and we don't know anything else I guess." Gilbert sighed out.
"Gay marriage was legalised in South Africa a while back." Feliciano said suddenly
"That's amazing!"
"England was talking about it in the World Meeting the other day. He was so proud of his colony, especially after all those issues with Apartheid."
"The world's changing all the time. It's 2006, imagine what everything will be like in a few more years," Gilbert extrapolated.
"We just have to keep turning with it."
Silence followed. Feliciano began to count the seconds before the windscreen wipers squeaked across the glass. He kept getting five, but sometimes he got four or even six. He blamed his inability to count seconds properly. Gilbert turned on the indicator before pulling into the mall's parking lot. He grabbed a parking space near the entrance and stopped the car before getting out. Gilbert intertwined their fingers and they walked hand-in-hand to the small mall. It had a small video store outside and an assortment of clothing stores, restaurants as well as a grocer in it. In all, it would barely take five minutes to walk from one end of the mall to the other.
"Movies or food first?" Gilbert asked Feliciano as they walked under the canopy that shielded the area immediately outside the entrance from the rain. Their pyjamas were slightly wet, but they would dry quickly and neither of them were bothered about getting sick.
A few of the shoppers—mostly old people this early in the morning—openly watched the albino dressed in bird-themed pyjamas walking hand-in-hand with his lover who was also dressed in pyjamas, albeit slightly oversized.
"Movies first? Then we won't have to keep the trolley with us." Feliciano suggested.
"Agreed." Gilbert led them into the video store.
Act 1, Scene 4
"So we've got three historical documentaries, a comedy and what seems to be a low-budget action movie." Gilbert listed the names of the movies they had taken far too long to choose.
"When did we choose three history movies?" Feliciano asked confused.
"Don't know. But they're always a good laugh. Remember the one where they gave the countries representatives and you had a large beard?" Gilbert said as he placed the DVD boxes on the counter for the cashier to ring up.
"That'll be €—." The cashier said.
Gilbert handed over the money.
"Thank-you," She said.
"You're welcome. Bye now." He led Feliciano out of the store.
"Have a good day, ma'am," Feliciano called out as he left.
After going to the grocers and buying an inordinate amount of cool drink, sweets, chips, biscuits and Oreos—because Oreos are on a whole different level to biscuits and deserve to be listed as an individual object Gilbert had enthusiastically explained to Feliciano.
They had made their way to Ludwig's home and were packing away what they did not plan to eat immediately while making a significant amount of popcorn on the stove.
"I don't think we'll be able to finish all of this," Feliciano said as he warily eyes the popcorn that Gilbert continued to make.
"You underestimate the awesome me!" Gilbert laughed manically as he dumped even more popcorn into another bowl before turning the oven off. "You ready for an awesome movie afternoon?" Gilbert began to take the snacks to the living room, most of which were precariously balanced on various limbs.
Feliciano took some of the stuff through and helped to gather every blanket and pillow Ludwig owned and placed them on the floor in front of the couch to form a nest.
Soon they were settled in the blankets with various snacks littered around them and cool drink still in the bottle—neither of them cared about sharing spit, they had done so directly more times than they could count.
The rain had increased since the morning and was now drumming against the roof and windows. Feliciano snuggled further into his spot between Gilbert's legs and leaned against the larger man's chest.
"Promise me you'll tell me if you're uncomfortable." Feliciano said.
Gilbert grabbed a large handful of popcorn from the bowl that was in Feliciano's lap, "I promise." He said, even though he knew he would not tell Feliciano if he did get uncomfortable. He relished these moments too much.
Gilbert reached for the remote and pressed play on the title screen. The watched the company names play in a slideshow before the actual movie started.
Oh boy was it crap. They had elected to watch the low-budget action movie first. It was horrendous. The actors were definitely acting and the film equipment was visible for a large portion of the time, the low-quality film equipment.
"Why did we choose this one again?" Gilbert asked, "Pass me the Oreos while you're at it."
Feliciano managed to reach the massive bowl of Oreos without disrupting the popcorn that was in his lap, "You wanted to give it a chance. You also said the blonde on the cover had a nice rack."
"I did?"
Feliciano handed the Oreos to Gilbert.
"Thanks Feli."
Gilbert began to card his fingers through Feliciano's copper-auburn hair. It was silky and at every moment he could, Gilbert was usually playing with Feliciano's hair.
"Gilbert!" Feliciano whined.
"Yes?"
"Can you stop touching my curl?" Feliciano asked.
Gilbert's hand moved away from where he had accidentally gotten Feliciano's curl, "Sorry. I forgot it's so sensitive."
"It's okay. But you're not rubbing Oreos into my hair are you?"
"No?" Gilbert's hand stopped moving.
"I washed it last night."
"We can wash it again tonight." Gilbert offered with a small lilt in his voice.
"We?"
"I'd love to help you." Gilbert's hand resumed its motion of stroking Feliciano's hair.
Feliciano fully leant his head on Gilbert's chest and disrupted his stroking.
"You're worse than a teenager," Feliciano reprimanded.
"That's because we never get to spend time together." Gilbert huffed.
Feliciano breathed out heavily. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. I know you're scared. I am too, but we need to eventually tell Luddy." Gilbert put his Oreos down in favour of wrapping both of his arms around Feliciano.
"You're so comfy and warm!" Feliciano settled himself in Gilbert's arms. He closed his eyes, "I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna have a nap."
Gilbert hummed in acknowledgement. He lazily gazed around Ludwig's lounge. The curtains were pulled closed, but outside he knew it was cold and dreary. It was the perfect day for this. Any day was a perfect day when it was spent with Feliciano.
He didn't notice it when the movie finally started to roll the credits, nor when the rain lightened into a half-hearted drizzle. Instead he rested his head against the couch he was leaning on and fell asleep holding Feliciano tightly in his arms. He never wanted to let go, ever.
Act 1, Scene 5
Ludwig felt like banging his head on the seat in front of him. The plane ride had been awful. The food was even worse than usual, the woman on the aisle seat had some...flatulence problems, the man in the middle seat was severely overweight and ten minutes into the flight he had decided that it was a good idea to pull up the arm rest for extra space. He did not even ask for permission. Ludwig was trying his absolute best to not let the man get too much into his personal space, but it was difficult when the man had fallen asleep on him—and of all places in the entire plane the crying baby was in the row of seats behind him with a young kid that had a penchant for kicking the seat in front of her, Ludwig's seat.
No one did anything about it even though Ludwig had asked nicely. Not the mother, nor the man, nor the impaired woman, gas-wise at least.
At long last the seatbelt sign went off after they had landed. Tears of joy were pricking Ludwig's eyes. Or at least tears of some sort, he was not quite sure. Then he had to wait for everyone to disembark. This time he did not resist hitting his head against the seat in front of him hard enough to cause some form of brain damage.
The woman in the seat in front of him, whom Ludwig could probably kiss because she had not caused any issue the entire flight, turned around to face Ludwig. She was probably going to complain. Ludwig looked up at her with his best 'help me' look. All the woman did was mouth 'sorry' before continuing to unpack.
Correction. Everyone had contributed to Ludwig's growing ire. He finally managed to get out of his seat and started to make his way to the luggage department to find his suitcase. If had he had have known he was only going to be in New York for less than a week he would have just packed the bare necessities and omitted the suitcase in general.
As he arrived to the luggage carousel he stood there and watched as his bag went back behind the plastic curtain for another round. Lady Luck seemed never to favour him like he did Feliciano and Gilbert. For just a few moments he considered to not be so anal-retentive and 'go with the flow' like Feliciano and Gilbert. That was until he realised he would never be able to handle that and would probably main someone with a fork before next Tuesday—because considering Mondays as the beginning of a week just ruins the week.
So did second Monday (Tuesday) as Gilbert called it. He did not even have his car with him as neither Gilbert nor Feliciano owned a car and needed it for transport.
Hailing a cab was too much effort and after barely a few minutes Ludwig fell asleep to the rhythm of the rain on the windshield.
Act 2, Scene 1
Feliciano had been very young when Gilbert had first met him; sometime around when he had first begun to be under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire.
Gilbert had been the slightest bit wary of meeting little Feliciano. He still had bruises from Romano, that was months ago. It had shocked him when Feliciano was nearly the complete opposite to Romano. He had heard about the Roman Empire coddling Feliciano more than his other grandson.
The kid was adorable really, and Gilbert really hoped that he would not grow up to be a complete pushover.
"Excuse me, Mr. Prussia. Do you think you can get something for me? I'm a bit short."
"Of course, Little Italy, but only if you'll call me Gilbert."
Being called Mr. Prussia was fun and all, but Gilbert was not one for those sorts of formalities.
"Y-you can call me Feliciano, I guess."
Feliciano was a male name, was it not? Rome had two grandsons… Gilbert resisted the urge to start snickering.
Instead he asked, "That's an awesome name! Do you know what it means?'
Well, he probably did not use the word 'awesome' due to its lack of existence, but he still could not believe everyone had been fooled into thinking that little Italy was actually a girl. Gilbert partially blamed Hungary and her intense need to put anything cute in a dress.
"It means happiness. Grandpa Rome named me that because I'm never sad."
It took a few moments for Gilbert to recognise the sadness in Feliciano's eyes. So despite what the rest of them said he definitely knew Rome was not going to come back from war and he was going to be under Austria and Holy Roman Empire's rule for a while longer.
"Come on, what do you want me to get for you?"
"There's a bucket that I can't reach and I don't think Mr. Austria will get it for me. And Miss Hungary isn't here at the moment."
Act 2, Scene 2
Gilbert balanced precariously on the top of a chair; his habit of doing highly risky things would never outgrow him, even after his country got dissolved.
"Mr. P—Gilbert, be careful." Feliciano called out.
"Like I'll fall." Gilbert reached out for the metal bucket and took it off the shelf. It was heavier than he expected and that resulted in him doing what he said he would not: fall onto the dusty floor of the storeroom.
"Are you okay?" Feliciano asked after a few moments, his large eyes painted with worry.
"I'm okay. Did you see what I did though? I managed to stay in the air for a moment. I'm destined to become a bird!" Landing, however, hurt like a bitch, He began to laugh and smile even more as Feliciano joined in. even at this young age the kid could still brighten a day.
Roderich stood in the doorway, "What is the meaning of this ruckus?" He put his hand on his hips, "Gilbert, I leave you for just a few minutes and you're already wreaking havoc, and Italy, you're helping him, shame on you!"
Gilbert's smile left his lips and he looked between Roderich as he stared Feliciano down sternly and Feliciano, who seemed to be about to cry. Roderich was too hard on the poor kid. Even more so since Roderich thought Feliciano was a girl.
So he laughed loudly, "Come on Roddy, I was just helping out little Italy here to get something he couldn't reach. I even managed to stay up in the air for a few seconds." He sat up and began to experimentally flap his arms, "I was just talking to Italy and asking him if I could make it as a bird."
Roderich's lips thinned, "You know not to help the servants." And with that hew left the room.
Gilbert stood up and began to place everything where it should be and Feliciano followed suit, "Why's Roddy acting as if he's got a stick showed so far up his ass he tastes wood when he burps?" He asked Feliciano.
"I think he's upset. He's under the rule of the Holy Roma Empire and it bothers Mr. Austria because Holy Roman Empire isn't even older than me."
Gilbert huffed, "That's Roddy alright. Perfectly good life and he takes it out on a kid because he doesn't like his higher ups. He's barely even an adult himself."
"He also doesn't like going to the military meetings that Holy Rome forces him to go to, but not me." Feliciano added.
"That's not helping my view of him too much." Gilbert said. He watched with the slightest bit of awe as Feliciano picked up the bucket that he could easily fit into and carry it with ease, in a dress. +2 respect points for little Feli.
"Sorry," The boy said, "If it helps Mr. Austria sounds really pretty when he plays his piano."
"Still doesn't help the arrogant arse, and don't repeat anything I've said about him,"
"Not a word, I promise." Feliciano giggled and began to walk to the outside courtyard with Gilbert following him.
Act 2, Scene 3
It had been a few years since then. Now Gilbert tried to make more of an effort to visit Roderich's house just for the sake of saying 'hi' to Feliciano or keeping him company for a few hours, 'cause damn, that kid needed friends. Feliciano literally did not do much outside the many hours he devoted to chores and the few, sparse minutes he could sit and paint or even draw. Those times were definitely few and far between.
Gilbert stopped at the doorway and stared at what he was seeing. Feliciano was sitting next to Roderich on the piano bench while the Austrian country played soft melodies that danced in the air. Even from there Gilbert could see Feliciano was nearly asleep and leaning heavily on Roderich, The sight was heart-warming.
Roderich could really be an asshole at times, but it was just part of him. It was during times like this Gilbert realised that underneath the guy's not so nice exterior he was actually a person and not some alien with astoundingly good luck in the hair category.
With that Gilbert left the doorway quietly. He could always come and pester Roderich at some other time, but not now.
Act 3, Scene 1
Gilbert and Feliciano both lay on the lounge floor completely asleep. Drool pooled on the couch where Gilbert leaned his head on the couch. Later on he would vehemently deny doing something as unawesome as drooling.
His arms were wrapped tightly around Feliciano and slight snores emanated from the Italian. Assorted snacks lay around them and quite a large portion of the bowls were actually empty or nearly empty.
A slight jingle of keys preceded Ludwig's arrival. He unlocked the door and braced himself as his dogs, barking madly and with wagging tails, came barrelling across the house.
They were always extremely excited when Ludwig got home from a day out, even more so when he had been gone for a few days. When Berlitz was a puppy the golden retriever was a tad more excitable than the others and the rug in the entrance had to be replaced after a few accidents, multiple times.
"Down," He said sternly and the dogs ceased jumping in him while he greeted them.
The barking of the dogs had woken both Feliciano and Gilbert thinking that it was an intruder, but they relaxed once they heard Ludwig's voice telling them to calm. Feliciano put his head back onto Gilbert's chest and Gilbert was manically trying to get rid of all evidence that he had drooled using and arm that had fallen asleep at some point and was not co-operating properly.
In hindsight, Ludwig knew that he may have overreacted just slightly, but a pounding headache and a fuse that was too short. He did feel guilty about it afterwards and did he regret he regret his actions of that afternoon.
Once he laid eyes of a sleepy Gilbert and Feliciano as well as the mess surrounding them he erupted.
"What are you two doing? I leave for three weeks and return to find that you've made a complete mess of my house. I let you stay here and in return I ask for nothing except for house sitting once in a while. I want this mess cleaned up and I want you out. Do not even ask when you're coming back. Both of you" Ludwig was heaving at the end of his tirade. With narrowed eyes he looked at both of them.
"West…" Gilbert said with disappointment grabbing a hold of his voice and twisting it into something that is normally was not. He held Feliciano tightly top his chest for a few moments before letting him go and getting to his feet. Silence reigned. Feliciano held his hand out for Gilbert to help him up.
Ludwig would only realise that he had messed up in a few hours and then exactly how badly in a few days, but for now he grabbed what seemed to be his blanket and pillow—he was sure that every blanket and pillow he owned was in this pile and groaned at the thought of washing all of it. After that he trudged up the stairs and to his room. The door closed with a smack.
It took a few more moments of silence before Feliciano and Gilbert moved into action. In tandem they picked up all of the blankets and folded them neatly before putting all of the pillows back onto the couches and the other various places they had come from. The linen from the three bedrooms was placed outside the kitchen door.
The food was also herded to the kitchen. Leftovers were placed in appropriate containers and dishes were rinsed before being packed into the dishwasher—as Ludwig insisted that they do.
After that Feliciano began to speak with Gilbert in a hushed voice. The conversation overall was very subdued.
"Did Ludwig kick us out?" Feliciano asked as he gripped the container of leftover Oreos so hard his knuckles turned white.
"I think he did. He'll let us back eventually, but let's pack anyways… Getting a place to call our own would be awesome."
"I guess so."
"We can always invite Ludwig over for lunch on Sundays. Or even Roddy and Elizebeta if you want."
Feliciano looked slightly hopeful, "A place to us seems quite nice."
Gilbert hugged Feliciano from behind, "Come on, Liebling, packing everything will take a while."
Then they went up to their rooms and packed. Gilbert usually kept his stuff in order and was finished packing his stuff into his suitcase quite quickly. Over the time he had amassed a few other things, but what did not fit into his suitcase managed to fit quite nicely in his backpack.
When he walked into Feliciano's room he could see the man was still working on packing. Clothes lay in a corner—not that many, but most had some form of brand name, typical of an Italian stereotype—and the bed was nearly covered in art supplies.
"Where did you get so many sketchbooks?" Gilbert asked.
Feliciano shrugged to hide his embarrassment, "I don't know."
Their conversation continued, still in the same low tones as in the kitchen. Gilbert began to speak, "I'll fold your clothes for you and you can gather the rest of your stuff."
Working together, everything was completed quickly. All that was left behind them were two empty rooms.
They got to the front door and Gilbert set down both of their suitcases, he had carried them in order to prevent any noise from the stairs or from rolling them across the hardwood floor.
"I forgot something, I'll grab it quick." Gilbert said and walked towards the kitchen, "Wait here Feli."
Once he reached the kitchen Gilbert grabbed the left-over Oreos and opened it. He popped one in his mouth before closing the container and putting it under his arm. Gilbert then grabbed a piece of folded paper and put in on the counter and left. What was on the paper should help clear up things with Ludwig.
"Gilbert!" Feliciano said in a harsh whisper
"Don't worry," Gilbert swallowed the rest of the Oreo, "Ludwig can fetch his container at our housewarming party."
They walked in silence with their over packed suitcase making a large noise against the pavement. The day was drawing to a close, so they would have to find a place to stay for the night.
"You know we're still in our pyjamas." Feliciano said. They were walking quite close and every so often their shoulders would bump.
Gilbert looked down at their clothes, "I guess we forgot. At least you look like you're in casual clothes," they walked for a few moments, "We need somewhere to stay, I'll grab hail us cab and then go to a hotel. House hunting is better left for the day time." He handed Feliciano the Oreos, "Help me get one."
It took a few moments of them trying, and they had already stopped walking, but Gilbert siled widely as he grabbed an Oreo. He held the biscuit in his mouth and helped Feliciano close the door.
He held the biscuit in his hand, "You're carrying them 'cause I don't have any spare hands."
They began to walk again and Gilbert tried not to sigh over the huge deal he had made over a single biscuit because he did not want to let go of his suitcase.
"Can we get a hotel with a Jacuzzi bath? Those are really fun." Feliciano said as they walked. They were walking towards a busier street as hailing a cab in a residential area was quite difficult, if not impossible.
"Those are the absolute best. And we can get a king-size bed and order room service." Gilbert took a large bite of Oreo, "I hate eating Oreos like this. They deserve to be pieced apart and have the delicious icing removed before the biscuits are eaten. Not eaten barbarically like a sandwich. Oreos aren't sandwiches!"
"I think you're addicted. If I were Luddy I'd ban you, but I'm not and I don't think I have the heart to."
"You're too good for this world," the 'or me' lay unsaid in the air. Once they reached a main road Gilbert waited for a cab to pick them up.
"You're the best person I've ever met," Feliciano said. It was almost out of character for him to say things like this, but he knew when Gilbert needed thing like this, "You're always here for me and—and I don't know what I'd do without you. I know we've gone ages without seeing each other at times but you've always been my best friend."
It did not need to be said that they loved each other—as both friends and lovers. They had been in touch through thick and thin ad this evening—forever immortalised as a dusky fill moon and two over bulging suitcases—was the beginning of a new piece of their lives and—
"I love you so much Feli," Gilbert said suddenly. They had said it to each other many times before, but I Gilbert's opinion the words would never get old, and if, in many centuries they did, they would find another way to express the same sentiment.
"I love you too."
They stood in silence as they waited for a cab. Gilbert wrapped his arm around Feliciano' waist and held him close. It was not too long before a cab pulled up to them.
"Where to?" The driver asked in a gravelly voice,
"Gallery Hotel." Gilbert said simply.
The cabbie had greying hair and a face that spoke of age. His teeth were yellowed and his voice deeper the usual— both pointing to a smoking habit.
"You sure you kids got money?" He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
"Don't worry about the money, we've got." Gilbert said.
"Get in."
"Feli, you can go in first. I'll put our bags into the boot."
"Why are you in pyjamas?" The cabbie asked, "You get kicked out?" He looked at Feliciano through the rear-view mirror.
Feliciano ran his fingers along the cracked leather seat, "I guess so." He shrugged gently.
The boot slammed closed and the car jerked minutely from the momentum. It took barely a few moments before Gilbert slipped into the seat next to Feliciano.
Feliciano continued to talk, "We've been staying at Ludwig's—he's Gilbert's brother," Gilbert watched as Feliciano indicated that he was Gilbert with a quick motion before the Italian continued to speak, "And I think he got just a tiny bit fed up with us…"
"He was just having a bad day. I'm sure my brother will get over it." Gilbert smiled reassuringly, "When we get a new place we'll have a huge party and fly in our friends and get pissed."
"Fly in?" The cabbie interjected.
"Ludwig and I both do politics so we get to travel a lot." Feliciano explained.
"What kind of politics?" The cabbie was actually interested now; he raised his eyes at Feliciano's young age and child-like personality. Gilbert could see that he was having trouble connecting Feliciano with the word 'politics'.
"I'm the national representative for Northern Italy and Ludwig is the representative for Germany. Gilbert was East Germany, that was until they united—he still is in a way, but Ludwig does all the paperwork."
"Aren't you a little young to be that high up?"
"We're older than we look," Gilbert began to laugh.
"You're pulling my leg." The cabbie seemed to be irritated.
"We're not," Feliciano began quietly, "I don't think I'd lie about something like that. Only about eating the last slice of cake."
"So it was you." Gilbert said accusingly.
"N-no, it wasn't, I promise—Gilbert! No, stop! I don't like being tickled. Please."
The cabbie laughed quietly, but Gilbert could still hear it. It seemed that he was still amused by their antics even if he believed that they were lying to him. He wondered if the cabbie could see that hollow glaze to Feliciano's eyes, thousand yard stare was what it was called by those in the army, would it make him realise that they were not just young kids? He was pulled out of his musings—he was still tickling Feliciano—when the cabbie began to speak.
"The hotel is a few minutes away."
Gilbert stopped tickling Feliciano and tried to fix his lover's hair and clothes as best as he could but it proved to be quite difficult with both of them strapped into the seats with their safety belts.
"I hate you," Feliciano said between gasping breaths. As he stared at Gilbert with the best death stare he could muster up. This admittedly was not that scary in Gilbert's opinion.
"You love me and you know it," Gilbert retorted decisively.
It was not too long before the cabbie pulled into the hotel parking.
"€—." The cabby said the price. His speech style was laconic, as it had been their entire trip. He turned to face them through the glass barrier.
Gilbert fished in his pockets and pulled out a few notes and a couple of coins, "Feli, do you have any on you? I'm a bit short for a tip."
"Will €— do?" Feliciano asked before handing over the money.
"Awesome." Gilbert gave the cabby the money, "Keep the change, man," He turned to Feliciano," Let's get our bags and get a room. Papa wants his Jacuzzi bath."
They grabbed their bags out of the boot.
"Bye Mr. Cabbie," Feliciano said as the cabbie drove off. Later on the cabbie would count his tip and get a large shock at how much it was, but that would only be later.
Together they walked towards the extravagant hotel that was easily the most lavish place to stay in a good few miles in any direction.
They were met with the familiar sight of polished wood accented by rich velvets. A large chandelier hung in the lobby, its numerous crystals glimmered in the ambient lighting.
The middle aged receptionist did regard them with a pinch of salt, but Gilbert did not care too much, as long as they had the Jacuzzi bath.
"Good evening, welcome to the Gallery Hotel, how may I help you?" She gave her salutations.
"We're looking for a room with a king-sized bed and a Jacuzzi bath." Gilbert smiled confidently at the receptionist, or at least as confidently as a man could be while wearing bird-themed pyjamas in a five star hotel.
The receptionist typed a few things into the blocky computer screen at her desk. "Room 300 is available, how many nights do you plan to stay?"
"Just one, ma'am." Feliciano said.
Gilbert added onto Feliciano's statement, "But we might stay a few more if we don't manage to find a house by tomorrow."
"The room is €— per night. The prices for room service are on the menu and the complimentary breakfast is served from eight to ten in the morning in the dining room."
Gilbert turned to start digging in his suitcase for his credit card—knowing that is was definitely not in his backpack—but Feliciano put his hand onto Gilbert's.
"My treat?" Feliciano suggested. Gilbert saw that his wallet was already in his hand.
"Alright." Gilbert acquiesced, "But I'm taking you out for dinner tomorrow night."
Feliciano nodded as he handed his credit card over to the receptionist. She took the platinum card with slight apprehension—did she think that they were two kids that were playing with daddy's money?
Act 3, Scene 2
After Feliciano paid and gave his information to the receptionist he tucked his ID into his front pocket. His ID had been updated a few months prior and the birthdate now said 27 March 1983. Gilbert had the same year on his, putting them both at the same age of 20.
They declined the services of the bellhop in favour of just taking their suitcases. The elevator ride to their room was short and within a few minutes Feliciano was using the key to open the door to their room.
The room was not bad by far. A huge bed dominated the room and a TV was placed near it. To the side there was a bathroom—with the Jacuzzi bath they had requested. Complimentary chocolates (and condoms) were on their bed.
Once the door clicked closed Gilbert took a flying leap and landed face first onto the bed.
"This is awesome," His voice was muffled by the blanket his face was currently pushed against.
Feliciano giggled and landed next to Gilbert on the bed. Gilbert checked his watch, "It's about six. What d'ya say to a nice, long bath and then dinner?"
Feliciano held up his thumb from his position on the bed and mumbled something in the affirmative before he rolled off the bed and walked to the bathroom. He kicked off his shoes and they lay abandoned until Gilbert picked them up and placed them neatly by their suitcases.
"Finish the bath for us. I just need to pop down to the reception," Gilbert said loudly. He grabbed the writing pad and a pen off of the desk—both were complimentary as well—and scrawled a note that he placed into his pocket.
The trip down took longer than the trip up. He knew that is was because Feliciano was not with him. He walked up to the receptionist and ignored the stares as he walked past the dining room in his pyjamas.
"How may I help you sir?" She asked.
Gilbert nearly laughed at her calling him 'sir'. He was not used to those sorts of formalities any longer. "If a 'Ludwig Beilschmidt' calls to see a 'Gilbert Beilschmidt' or 'Feliciano Vargas' I want you to answer with this." She handed her the paper and watched as she read it over. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Arcshgeige? You must be pretty mad at him."
Arcshgeige is a word that translates into 'arse violin'. It German it is considered an insult. Amongst others, insults were liberally sprinkled throughout his short note."
"He really hurt my, uh, friend's feelings."
"You're the couple who got room three-hundred. I recognised you, but didn't realise that you rented room three hundred."
Gilbert gestured to his clothes and then his hair and eyes, white and red on the albino respectively.
"Does your brother not approve of your relationship?"
"No, well I hope not because I'm not afraid to discipline my younger brother for being a blockhead. We left because we've been sort of freeloading for a long time and we decided maybe it's time to get a house of our own."
"That nearly explains your pyjamas."
"Yeah," he turned around and faced his head back to continue talking to receptionist, "Bye now, I promise not to break the bed. But if I do, I'll pay for it, I promise."
With that Gilbert walked out of the lobby with even more stares following him than when he came in.
Overall the expedition had not taken more than fifteen minutes. He was even gladder to get back to his hotel room. Gilbert opened the door to find the Jacuzzi bath running and bubbles completely coating Feliciano except for a portion of his head and his curl.
Gilbert picked up Feliciano's scattered clothes and folded then and placed them neatly next to Feliciano's suitcase before he stripped off his own clothes.
Gilbert joined Feliciano in the bath, "Damn this is good." He put his arms up and rested them on the side of the tub.
Feliciano poked his head out of the foam and wiped his eyes, "what took you so long?"
"I was only gone for a short but."
"That's still too much time." Feliciano crossed his arms over his chest, but under the foam, only a slight movement of the foam indicated his actions.
"We'll go by pool rules: Once the last person's pruny we'll get out."
"That's only twenty minutes," Feliciano complained.
"We'll draw another bath after we've put the bed to use." Gilbert winked.
Gilbert then had a large amount of water splashed into his face once Feliciano realised what Gilbert meant.
"There's always a possibility of a round two in the bath. We have to start catching up on our lagging sex life at some point." Gilbert added with another smirk.
"Is that all you care about?" Feliciano asked seriously, but the lack of seriousness was given away by a small twitch in his lips.
"I care for Oreos as well."
They both laughed.
"My hands are going all wrinkly already." Feliciano whined.
"Check out my feet," Gilbert then lifted his foot out of the water which then nearly caused him to slip into the bath tub.
Feliciano laughed, "I've been in here for ten minutes longer than you, my feet are probably worse."
"Excuses, excuses."
"But yours," Feliciano began, "Yours were like an overripe granadilla."
"I'm heartbroken." Gilbert pretended to start crying, "You've really hurt my feeling and I don't think I can ever forgive you."
"We can get double dessert tonight?"
Gilbert immediately stopped his pretend crying, "That's a wonderful idea! Think about two desserts instead of dinner and then we can share them between us."
It did not take too long before Gilbert was out of the bath and drying himself with one of the fluffy hotel towels. Feliciano managed to eventually unplug the bath before he got out of it himself only to nearly be pelted with Gilbert's used towel.
"That's rude," Feliciano reprimanded Gilbert. Gilbert decided to do nothing. He shrugged and went to the telephone.
He watched Feliciano grab a towel for himself before grabbing the dressing gowns and giving one to Gilbert before taking one for himself.
"So what desserts strike your fancy? I'm getting black forest cake and you? We'll call once we've decided."
"Gelato." Feliciano said immediately.
"Anything else?"
Feliciano shook his head.
"We can always order something else later on tonight." Gilbert added.
"Why do I always eat so unhealthy with you?"
"It's 'cause you're trying to find something as good as your reflection in my eyes."
"That one was awful," Feliciano let himself flop onto the bed, "Go order, I'm hungry."
Act, Scene 3
It was already dark when Ludwig woke up. Honestly he was surprised that Gilbert and Feliciano had even let him sleep that long. The pounding headache he had been bogged down with had now abated and was almost feeling refreshed.
He got out of his room in order to get something to eat or start dinner depending on what Feliciano and Gilbert had done. The house was dead silent. This was somewhat unsettling to Ludwig whom had long since grown accustomed to the shouts and loud noises that usually came from his two guests-gone-housemates in the evenings. Not even the TV was on.
Ludwig did not notice exactly what was wrong even after he had gone into the kitchen. He had just assumed they had gone for a trip to the park like Feliciano often cajoled them into visiting. It was when Ludwig saw the folded note on his counter that he realised something was actually up.
Hurriedly, he snatched the paper off the counter and began to scan over it:
'Ludwig
Feli and I have been freeloading on you for wayyy too long so I guess today just gave use the incentive to leave and get our own place (don't worry, you're invited to the housewarming party… If you bring one of your famous cakes), tomorrow we're going house hunting (Feli and me). Also, I know that a letter is a really bad place to say this but we've kept putting it off because Feli thinks you like him (as in like, like) and he's not sure and doesn't want to hurt your feeling. But, oh jeez this is hard, Feli and I are together (like as in kissy-kissy, do the do together).
-Gilbert (and technically Feli but he's not here right now)
P.S. I'm really not upset with you and am sorta glad we've finally left the nest (we'll still meet for Sunday lunches) buuuut, Feli's a bit hurt. I think he thinks that you thought you saw us together and that's why you got upset. It'll be best to make things clear with him. But not tonight. We're probably at the Gallery Hotel, but please call tomorrow rather…'
"Shit," Ludwig swore, and loud. He was worried about them and the events of the afternoon were just making him feel even worse. He should at least eat something before he did anything else. A slap up meal consisting of 'those smelly sausages that stink out the fridge' according to Feliciano and an egg because there was nothing else aside from a trash bag full of popcorn that he would rather not ask about. That should keep him from passing out or something similar as he stressed about those two.
It had been barely twenty-five minutes since he had found the note. Ludwig was getting anxious and his mind kept running through all sorts of scenarios involving Feliciano, Gilbert and something bad happening. He had already checked both of their room twice, just to be sure and both times he had seen bare cupboards and walls devoid of any personal touches. The sheetless beds only added to the loneliness of the two rooms.
While he was contemplating checking their rooms a third time the idea of calling the Gallery Hotel suddenly dawned upon him like the enlightenment upon a rational thinker. It did not take long for him to race from the hallway that led into his, Feliciano's and Gilbert's rooms and their upstairs bathroom and into the kitchen,
He grabbed the phone and dialled the hotel's number in a frenzied state. The first time he dialled the number he messed up and got nothing except for the flat dial tone. The same thing occurred on attempt numbers two and three. One the fourth try he was agitated, but relieved once he heard the familiar sound of the telephone ringing the other line.
Act 3, Scene 4
Feliciano and Gilbert ordered room service and the food was delivered. They halved both of the desserts with each man getting a slightly larger portion of his favourite.
Dessert soon turned into them feeding each other with the small spoons. This was soon scrapped in favour of them kissing.
Kissing then led into to other things.
"We can do this anytime we want when we get our own house." Gilbert said between kisses.
"What kind of house are we gonna get?"
"What about a penthouse?" Gilbert grabbed Feliciano's curl between his fingers and twisted it.
Feliciano bit his lip and Gilbert revelled in the fact that he could get Feliciano to loose himself under his actions. A few seconds later Feliciano replied.
"A really, really high one?"
"Definitely." Gilbert pushed his lips against Feliciano's. It took a few moments for Gilbert to gently swipe his tongue over Feliciano's lower lip as a way to ask to deepen the kiss. Feliciano agreed greedily.
Gilbert pulled them apart, "You gonna take off my dressing gown now or what?"
Feliciano kept eyes contact as he fumbled to undo the knot of Gilbert's dressing gown. Oh Gott, Feliciano looked too innocent to have such a sinful fire burning in his eyes. Eventually Gilbert's gown was loosed and Gilbert could feel a quick burst of colder air as it was pushed off of his shoulders.
"And my gown?" Feliciano asked and looked at Gilbert through his too-long hair.
"You can get it of yourself."
"But I took yours off."
Gilbert grumbled and undid the belt of Feliciano's robe. It came undone easily. Feliciano shrugged put of his robe and discarded in on the bed. Gilbert did the same before grabbing both of their dressing gowns and tossing them on the floor. They resumed kissing.
'Girls just wanna have fun by Cyndi Lauper' began to play from across the room.
"We'll just ignore it." Gilbert said.
"Are you sure Gil, it could be something important."
"If it's more important than you they'll just call again." Gilbert continued to kiss Feliciano.
The song stopped playing only for the chorus to begin again just a few moments later.
"Dammit." Gilbert left Feliciano and walked to his suitcase. The phone was on top of Gilbert's pants. Gilbert glanced at the caller ID. 'Ludwig' Flashed again and again. He groaned before flipping open the phone and answering it.
"I asked you not to call until tomorrow," Gilbert nearly growled into the cell phone. Strain was evident in his voice.
"Who is it?" Feliciano asked from across the room. Gilbert mouthed out 'Ludwig' in an exaggerated fashion so that Feliciano could understand it. He watched as Feliciano's face dropped and Gilbert felt bad that he had been led to think that Ludwig was angry at them.
"Yes I'm listening… I told you to call tomorrow… I told the receptionist to call you an arschgeige."
A few moments of silence and then Gilbert snapped, "It's all in the note I gave you… I know we didn't tell you sooner. We had our reasons… You can talk to Feliciano tomorrow. We were sort of in the middle of something… Yes, that sort of something… We'll get a penthouse. I don't know yet… I'll give you a spare key, but please, check before you barge in. I'll be catching up on lost time with Feliciano."
When he said that he winked at Feliciano before continuing to talk into the cell phone, "Don't worry. You're the main guest to our housewarming. Don't forget—black forest cake. Bye" Gilbert hung up and snapped the phone shut with a click.
"Where were we now?" Gilbert asked as he got back onto the bed.
Act 4, Scene 1
It was around the mid-1800s or so and Feliciano was looking a lot older than when Gilbert had first met him, possibly around fifteen. He still acted a lot younger than he looked but Gilbert did not bother too much. He still acted as immature as Feliciano at times.
One of Francis' friends—England—had some quite popular plays in his country. Shakespeare, he believed the playwright called, and Feliciano had been looking a bit despondent since Holy Roman Empire had left—and later, dissolved. Not that Feliciano knew. Going somewhere for a few days was the perfect opportunity to let Feliciano get his mind off of the wars that were happening around him.
Roderich had not been an arse for once and had supplied Feliciano and Gilbert with the proper means of transport, a horse drawn carriage. The horse, Blackie, courtesy of Feliciano's naming skills, trudged along the road, head held low as it pulled the carriage. Blackie had not been trained fully and his head was held low instead of high like most of Roderich's horses, also courtesy of Feliciano and his nagging to not hurt Blackie.
"Are we there yet?" Feliciano asked once again.
Gilbert could relate, and slightly regretted talking Feliciano so far for a few days. In all honesty neither of them held any compassion for England's food.
"Not too sure, but we'll be there before night-time though."
"That's too long," The late afternoon sun cast long shadows on both of their faces, "And I have to pee."
"We'll be there soon. Do you think you can hold it 'til then?" Gilbert glanced at the sun that was about to start setting.
Feliciano shook his head, "Don't think so."
The carriage swayed gently as they rode, "Tell me if you can't hold it, okay?"
"'Kay."
Feliciano grabbed the blanket off the floor of the carriage and pulled it up to his chest.
"Have you ever been to England?" Gilbert asked Feliciano.
"No."
"It's pretty boring there, but it's got good things—like literature. And pubs."
"What about the food?"
Gilbert made a face, "Not so good. English food is very plain, but it's only for a few days."
"Did we bring pasta then?"
"Of course," Inwardly, Gilbert panicked as he struggled to remember if he packed it or not.
"Is Mr. England scary?" Feliciano asked.
"Not really. He's powerful, but not that scary. I doubt we'll even see him"
"That's good."
"I'll also take you sightseeing after the play."
"Do they have lots of flowers?"
"Not in London, but in the country there are huge fields with tons of flowers with green, green grass."
"That sounds wonderful…"
Gilbert veered the carriage slightly to the right to keep in line with the path.
"The play's later tonight and it'll end late but I don't think that will be an issue." Gilbert commented offhandedly.
"What's the play about?"
"Not too sure, the name's 'Romeo and Juliet'."
"So it's about Romeo and Juliet?"
"I guess so." Gilbert shrugged again.
They continued to ride for a bit and the sun touched the horizon.
"Gilbert?"
"Yes?"
"I don't think I can make it."
Gilbert resisted the urge to sigh. They had been on the road all day and Feliciano was just a kid. He slowed the horse down and out of the corner of his eye he could see Feliciano bouncing his leg wildly.
"Go on," He told Feliciano once the horses were completely stopped.
When Feliciano returned his cheeks were red, from embarrassment most likely.
"What's wrong?" Gilbert asked Feliciano as he climbed into the carriage.
"Sorry I'm such a baby." Feliciano mumbled.
Gilbert laughed. Not at Feliciano, but just as a way to ease the tension and maybe show Feliciano that he was not judging him
"We're all human and you're still a kid. You'll be an adult soon."
"But I want to not be a kid."
"It won't take too long. You've already grown nearly ten years in the past century. That's gotta be some sort of record."
"Only because I'm no longer under Holy Roman Empire's rule."
"What do you mean?" Gilbert had never told Feliciano that bit of information.
"I know he's gone." The amount of sadness in his voice nearly broke Gilbert's heart. He wanted to say something to stop Feliciano from feeling so bad, but all that came out was:
"How'd you find out?" Damn his insatiable curiosity.
Feliciano's face showed a sharp contrast in expressions from moment to moment.
Finally he replied to Feliciano, "Mr. Austria gets talkative when he drinks."
"Arsehole!" Gilbert said loudly and slammed a fist onto the wood of the carriage.
"I'm sorry!" Feliciano said quickly.
"It's not you," Gilbert replied just as quick, "Was Elizebeta even in the house when he got into another one of his states?"
"Nu-uh, she was visiting someone, I think."
"Roderich is such an irresponsible ass. He was drinking with just kid in the house and no one else. What if something happened?"
"I don't know."
"And when he passed out in his own puke like he usually does. Please don't tell me you had to clean up after him."
"I—"
Feliciano's face gave it away.
"You did." Gilbert took a deep breath and egged Blackie into moving, "I'm just angry at Roddy. He's an okay guy, but not once have I seen him take others into consideration."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologise," Gilbert said kindly, "It's definitely not your fault. I just… Feel that Roderich is very irresponsible to leave you to look after both of you and he knows better than that." He picked up the pace of the carriage until they were up to their pace that they were at before they stopped.
"It's okay…" Feliciano said to try and calm down Gilbert.
"When we go back I'm going to talk to Roderich because you took care of yourself, but he is your guardian. I don't care if he's in a state of economic depression or even if he no longer has Holy Roman Empire to use as a crutch to get out his responsibilities and now his country's gone to shit. It gives him no excuse."
They did not speak for a long time. Twilight eventually descended upon them.
"You see those lights?" Gilbert asked as he pointed to few dim lights in the near distance, "That's the beginning of London."
It did not take long after that before they reached the lights and were in London. Feliciano, whom had never been in a city before, was looking around and taking in all of the sights.
"It's awesome isn't it?"
Feliciano nodded eagerly. "Why don't we live in the city?"
"Take a deep breath in—" Gilbert waited for Feliciano to do just that. He knew Feliciano had done so when he had a look of disgust on his face. "That's shit and piss and all sorts of things. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy being stuck breathing in this stench day in and day out."
"It smells awful." Feliciano agreed, "I'm glad we're only here for a short bit."
"Yep. I haven't gotten us a place to stay for the night yet, but there's a stable nearby and I know the guy. We can leave Blackie and the carriage there and she'll be looked after."
"Okay."
Gilbert led them into the city for a bit before turning to the left and leading them straight for a short period of time. The buildings around them began to thin and green once again began to dominate the brown-grey surroundings.
"The fields look so pretty." Feliciano commented as the hills rolled past them in short waves.
"I know right. They say the grass is always greener on the other side. Not too sure about what the sides are though."
One more turn and Gilbert led them up a thin path. Blackie's feet caused the gravel to crunch loudly as she walked. It was now nearly dark and the evening star blinked in the sky, lonely and waiting for its friends to appear."
Gilbert led them to a small cottage with a stable. "John!" Gilbert shouted and waited for the old man to come out and relieve them of Blackie and the carriage.
"Haven't aged a day, have you?" John commented as he came out to meet them.
Act 4, Scene 2
They walked slowly towards the city of London. The sun was completely below the horizon now and moonlight lit up the world around them. Gilbert was walking close to Feliciano and their shoulders would have brushed, but Feliciano's shoulder only reached Gilbert's upper arm.
"The city's so different to the country." Feliciano remarked his eyes still roaming the monochromatic streets.
"More people means for business and more growth," Gilbert explained, "Think we can find an inn before it's completely dark? We don't want to miss the play do we?"
Just as Gilbert said that they spotted a smallish building with a wooden sign saying 'inn' that proudly proclaimed its use, "Lady Luck in on our side tonight." Gilbert drawled as he sped up his pace to get to the inn.
Together they walked in. The room was old fashioned and musty. A large fireplace sat in the corner, unused.
The man behind the counter was old as well and his eyes were lacklustre, it was easy to realise that he was a man who was tired of life.
The innkeeper greeted them in English. His voice tainted by a French accent. Not one of a lilting song, but one that was guttural and low-class. Gilbert knew that accent well. He often heard it when Francis crossed the line between being drunk and tipsy.
"Do you have a room for two?" Gilbert asked. His hand was still holding Feliciano's but the grip was loose and no longer intertwined as it had ben.
"— pence for the night, —pence per hour." The man said this plainly and looked Feliciano up and down.
Gilbert sputtered. How dare the man think that he was renting a room for two just for a quick fuck? He managed to push down the urge to scoff and the stronger urge to berate the man and put him in his place.
"I'll take the per night fee. My—" He paused minutely to add emphasis to the next words, "son and I will be here for three nights."
The man was not apologetic at all. Gilbert could see that Feliciano understood what he was doing and turned his attention back to the innkeeper. The innkeeper stared them both down as if daring them to leave and find another inn.
"— pence" He told them.
"I'll pay upfront." Gilbert said. He gave the man the money and started towards the stairs after he had received the room key and picked up his and Feliciano's bags.
"That was ruse of him." Feliciano said as Gilbert trudged up the stairs.
"Sure is. How'd you even know what he was insinuating anyways?"
"I'm a country. I know things."
They arrived to their room, number fourteen, and opened the door. The room was plainly decorated—it had definitely seen better days, much better days—and Gilbert was not a fan of the threadbare rugs.
"We'll settle down for a bit and then we can go and find the play. There were a few posters scattered around town so it shouldn't be too difficult." Gilbert eyes the double bed warily.
It was not awkward to sleep in the same bed as a non-sexual bed mate. He had done it loads of times with Antonio and Francis, okay sometimes it got a bit sexual with Francis, but—he just was not sure how Feliciano would feel about sharing a bed with him. He was a teenager, an overly innocent one, but still a teenager nonetheless. At Feliciano's age he would not have wanted to share his bed with anyone, for reasons.
He watched as Feliciano fell backwards onto the bed, "It's not as comfortable as I thought it would be."
"You sure you don't mind sharing a bed with me?" Gilbert asked.
Feliciano sat up to face Gilbert who was still near the now-closed door, "Why would I mind?"
"I don't know. You're a teenager and well… you know."
Feliciano looked quite confused now. For a moment Gilbert wondered if he even knew about the birds and the bees. His worries were almost soothed when Feliciano spoke again.
"Sharing a bed doesn't mean kissing and other stuff," Feliciano shrugged, "and if you're worried about other things." He made a vague gesture. Somehow Gilbert knew he was talking about the 'oh so wonderful' morning wood, "I don't care. Unless you do… If you do I can sleep on the floor. I don't mind, really."
Gilbert felt like sighing in both relief and in exasperation at how accommodating Feliciano tried to be, "It doesn't bother me… at all. I was just worried it would bother you."
It felt like they were silent despite how Gilbert knew it was only a few seconds. Gilbert's entire body demeanour changed into excited and his red eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Wanna go now?" Gilbert asked bouncing lightly from foot to foot.
Act 4, Scene 3
They walked along the darkened streets and the light of the moon reflected off windows during the moments that it was not covered by clouds.
"Gilbert have you ever been to a play before?" Feliciano asked.
"Not ever and you?" Gilbert knew that the spring in his step was evident and his voice was higher than its normal pitch due to the excitement. He did not care.
"I've been to operas loads of times, but never to a play before." His gait was, unusually, slightly more reserved than Gilbert's. He was still excited to be doing something like this though and Gilbert could easily see that in the almost painful grin Feliciano had on his face.
They came across a poster attached to a lamp pole. It seemed that they were on the right track to be seeing one of Shakespeare's plays.
"Who told you about the play?" Feliciano asked curiously.
"England did. Artie was talking about all of his great literature to Francis a while back and Francis recommended this to me after he saw it. He said it was a real good one. Feliciano hummed in agreement and they travelled slowly, with an hour until the play began.
Crowds of people with staring to thicken and Gilbert could easily feel the excitement in the air—he was not sure it he was confusing it with his own excitement though. Again, he did not care.
A slightly familiar voice shouted for them.
"Artie!" Gilbert called out loudly as he laid eyes on the Brit.
With messy blonde hair and cartoonishly large eyebrows the man was unmistakeable in the crowd.
"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked again.
"Feli and I are going to watch a play."
"Well obviously." Arthur's voice held the drawl of a sophisticated upperclassman, "But why here? Surely you have theatres in your own country."
Feliciano piped up, "Big brother Francis told Gilbert about the play." There was the slightest tinge of fear evident in his voice as he spoke to the much stronger nation.
Arthur seemed to mutter something derogatory towards Francis under his breath.
"There, there. Francis can be a bit touchy feely, but you have to admit when he recommends something it's good." Gilbert said to Arthur.
Arthur sighed. Not at them, that much was obvious, but rather he was sighing over Francis in general. Gilbert had eyes and he could see the chemistry between Arthur and Francis. He could also see that nothing was going to be done about it without a little bit of a push. Unfortunately Francis (the matchmaker) was one of the parties involved and he was just as blind as Arthur was.
"How long has this Shakespeare fellow been writing plays?" Gilbert asked Arthur.
"He's dead. His plays have been around for more than two hundred years though."
"Did you know him?" Feliciano asked.
"A little bit. I only spoke with him once or twice."
"Wow." Awe was evident in Feliciano's voice.
"How long are you going to be in my country for?" Arthur asked them. Under the spite and scathing comebacks Gilbert could see he was just trying to make conversation with them.
"About three days or so, I wanna take Feli sightseeing, do you know of any good places to take him?"
"One or two you could try…" Arthur began to list some of the more well-known tourist attractions as well as some of the lesser known ones.
They continued to speak until the play was about to start. After saying goodbye Gilbert and Feliciano had managed to get tickets and found some good seats in order to watch the play unfold.
Old English was spoken for the duration of the play and surprisingly, Feliciano could comfortably understand it. Quite a few times Gilbert had asked Feliciano for translations and to give a quick recap of what they were talking about. Romeo and Juliet was an excellent play and all, but not everything could be gathered by watching the characters' actions.
They walked out of the play hand-in-hand.
"I can't believe they died." Feliciano said. It was now late at night and many of the oil lamps had been snuffed out and hung in wait for when they were needed the next night.
"Didn't I tell you it was a tragedy?"
"You didn't… That would have helped a lot."
Act 5, Scene 1
House hunting was a difficult thing. Feliciano and Gilbert and gone through most of the real estate agents in the area and so far only one of the houses had been worth considering.
"We could just take it and move if we find something better?" Feliciano suggested as they walked out of another real estate agent's office with nothing to show for their effort.
"But what if there's an awesome house and we miss it because we were too lazy to find it?"
"We can always carry on looking." Feliciano paraphrased what he had said before.
"Maybe we should. I just don't want to regret it."
The house in question was a small apartment. They could easily afford better, but they wanted the idyllic lifestyle that came with a quaint house that over looked a small park. It was an old house and wooden floors covered every room apart from the kitchen and the bathroom.
There were three bedrooms in the house. It was unsaid that they would take the master bedroom—that also came with a walk-in bathroom. The other two would be reserved for guests, unless Feliciano got to one first and turned it into a studio for his art.
Feliciano was also a fan of the kitchen with its large counter space and quite airy feeling. All of this was gathered from photographs and hopefully, the apartment lived up to what the photos showed.
"Shall I call Hannah to tell her we'll get the house?" Feliciano asked. He was already reaching into his pocket to grab the phone.
"Maybe, I don't think we can find anything better, especially in one day."
Feliciano brought up the contact number and called the real estate agent. He thrusted the phone intro Gilbert's hands before she could pick up.
"You really need to get the hang of talking on the phone Feli." Gilbert said just before the phone call connected.
Act 4, Scene 2
Ludwig had made up as best he could with Feliciano and Gilbert and it had been a few days since the 'incident' as he had started to refer to it as in his head. The couple had moved into their own apartment and Ludwig was happy for them.
He would be even happier for them if they had told him sooner and not tiptoed around him for so long. Feliciano was not wrong in his assumption that he loved the Italian, but in the same way he loved Gilbert—like a brother. If circumstances had been right it would have probably been some other sort pf love, but he was just fine with his family of what was now three—Gilbert, Feliciano and himself.
Ludwig nearly missed the small road that led into Feliciano and Gilbert's apartment. He decided against making a U-turn immediately as he did not have anyone else in his car and the black forest cake that sat on his passenger seat kept moving even with turns that were not that sharp.
He managed to turn around and turned into Silver Pine Avenue. It was immediately apparent which building Feliciano and Gilbert lived in. The building rose slightly above the others, even with only six or so stories.
Once he got the car parked he grabbed the cake and closed the door with his heel. It slammed closed and he pressed the button on his keys to automatically lock all of the doors.
The carpet on the elevator was worn and Ludwig made a note to tell management before he left the building that day. The pattern was faded and Ludwig could barely discern the different colours that made up the pattern.
The elevator arrived on the floor it was travelling to with a ding. Ludwig walked slowly along the hallway and kept an eye out for door number seven.
Sunlight filtered through and landed gently on the linoleum floor. The apartments lined one side of the hall with large windows dominating the other side and showing a view of the parking lot.
He reached the door to Feliciano and Gilbert's apartment and knocked. It took a few moments for the door to be opened by Gilbert who greeted him with a large smile.
"You brought the cake!" Gilbert took the cake from Ludwig's hands and carried it to the kitchen.
It was only a few seconds later that Ludwig was enveloped by a hug from Feliciano. Or rather Feliciano hanging onto him like a limpet while he awkwardly tried to get inside and close the door.
Eventually he gave up and just hugged Feliciano back.
"I'm sorry I got mad at you two." Ludwig apologised.
"It's alright." Feliciano mumbled into Ludwig's chest.
Act 4, Scene 3
The theatre grew quiet as the lights dimmed. It was Feliciano and Gilbert's second time seeing Romeo and Juliet. Gilbert had decided that it would be nice for them to see it again for their anniversary.
He put his arm around Feliciano's shoulders and pulled him close as the curtains lifted open and the play began.
It was a lot nicer this time without having to ask Feliciano every few minutes for translations even though it was still in old English.
As the play progressed Gilbert found his mind wandering from the events of the play and onto the events of his own life. A small weight in his front left pocket felt as if it was throbbing against his thigh.
Their story had been long and for years they had been pulled apart from each other, but like Velcro their bonds were still just as strong when they were together again. Gilbert felt like he could liken their story to the numerous acts and scenes that Shakespeare's plays consisted of. He patted the small box that contained the ring he was planning to propose to Feliciano with.
The play ended and the characters came up onto the stage as the audience burst into applause. Feliciano clapped wildly while his was more polite and reserved. He smiled subtly to himself.
Tonight he was going to start a new act in his long life with Feliciano.