Roderich sighed, leaning back in his desk chair. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it backwards. Another dead end. This stupid sonata wasn't going anywhere, he wanted to scrap it. But the melody he had come up with so lovely. He only wished the chords would work…

A small bubbling sound brought him out of his train of thought. He set his glasses on top of his head and leaned forward toward the computer screen.

{HisHighnessGilbert} is online.

He smiled softly, clicking on Gil's icon. After a moment, Gil's beaming face appeared on the screen. "Roddy!" He laughed. "About time we talked!"

Roderich held back a smile himself. "Well, I've been online for hours, you know."

"Well, yeah, but I just got home. Work was stupid." Gil groaned and leaned back.

"Work is always stupid, Gilbert, you work for the military." He again opened his notation software, listening in his head.

"I'm a secretary! Not even in the military! All I do is keep records of all these goddamn Americans in their unnecessary bases here…"

Gil continued to ramble as Roderich went over a few of the chords. He was just blowing off steam. Roderich would listen honestly when the time-

"Anyway, Roddy. What have you been up to?"

Roderich sighed. "Working on this sonata once work was up."

"How long did you have to work?" Gil said, his webcam going fuzzy for a moment. "I mean, it's like what, three in the morning?" He glanced turned around, viewing the clock on his back wall.

"Well, I was there until eleven, you know how Küchl likes to talk and share a drink after it's over," he dragged a note up and down, amused at the sound of the glissando it created. "And once I got home I just… I had to work on this. He's been asking about it constantly, reminding me that he's been requesting it since-"

"Well the concertmaster can suck my dick," Gil laughed, and then began speaking in his faux-posh accent. "There is no way for him to treat my husband in such a manner!"

Roderich rolled his eyes, hiding his smile by resting his chin in his hand and covering his mouth. "Gilbert. I'm not your husband."

"Not yet." Gilbert winked, and Roderich dragged the notation software window over the video chat so he wouldn't have to look at him.

"Not ever, Preußen." Roderich maintained his position and set his glasses back on his nose, hoping that it would help hide his emotions. Not that it would, he knew Gilbert knew him too well.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, darling." Gilbert laughed. "You should go to bed." He sighed. "You've gotta be back for the matinee at what, eight tomorrow?"

Groaning, Roderich put his head on the desk. "Don't remind me."

"Go to bed, Roderich." Gil said, his smug look evident in his voice. "Maybe I'll join you! I know how you get cold when you sleep alone-"

"Shut it," the man replied, desperately hoping the webcam in the dark wouldn't pick up on how red his cheeks were.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Just because I like you." Gil's laugh only grew more endearing.

The two sat in an understanding silence for a while. Roderich knew that Gil was probably just sitting and thinking. He did that quite a lot when the two were alone. After a while, he looked up and moved the tab out of the way to look at him again. He was dressed in the pajama pants he had given him. He wanted to point it out, but Gilbert interrupted his train of thought and filled the silence.

"I miss you."

Roderich looked up and smiled. He didn't hide it or pass it off as something else this time. "I better be going to sleep, the matinee starts at eight."

"You just wanted me to say it before you left, you little fucker!" Gil said, pointing at his webcam.

This time, Roderich laughed. "Maybe, maybe not." He smiled, removing his glasses and setting them on the table. "I miss you, too." He clicked the "X" in the corner, watching Gil's red face disappear from the screen.