Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or its characters, James Cameron's "Titanic", or the RMS Titanic.
The next day, Feliciano found Gilbert, and decided to take a stroll on the boat deck together.
"Well, I've been on my own since I was fifteen." Gilbert told him. "My folks died, and I had no brothers or sisters, or close kin that that part of the country. I moved out of there, and haven't been back since." He smirked. "They just call me a tumbleweed blowing in the wind." He turned to Feliciano. "Well, Feli, we've walked about a mile around this boat deck and talked how awesome the weather's been and how I grew up...but I'm guessing that's not why you came to talk with me, is it?"
Feliciano looked down. "...Mr. Beilschmidt, I-"
"Gilbert."
Feliciano looked at him. "...Gilbert...I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for...for pulling me back in...but also for your discretion."
"You're welcome." Gilbert smiled.
Feliciano tried to smile as well, but couldn't. "Look...I know what you must be thinking: 'Poor little rich boy, what does he know about misery.'"
Gilbert shook his head. "No, that's not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was, 'What could have happened to this person that he felt like he had no way out?'"
"Well I..." Feliciano hesitated. "It was everything. My whole world and all the people in it. And the inertia of my life plunging ahead of me, powerless to stop it!" He showed Gilbert the engagement ring on his finger. Gilbert was astonished.
"God! Look at that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom." Gilbert joked.
Feliciano frowned. "Five hundred invitations have gone out...ALL of Philadelphia city will be there, and all the while I feel like standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even bothers to look up!"
"...Do you love him...?" Gilbert asked.
"...Pardon me?" Feliciano was taken aback by the question.
"Do you love him?" Gilbert asked again.
Feliciano felt offended. "You're being very rude. You shouldn't be asking me this!"
"Well it's a simple question." Gilbert reasoned. "Do you love the guy or not?"
Feliciano chuckled bitterly. "This is NOT a suitable conversation!"
Gilbert smirked. "Why can't you just answer the question?"
Feliciano laughed. "This is absurd! You don't know me and I don't know you and we are not having this conversation at all." He looked the other man over. "You are rude and uncouth and I am leaving now." He shook Gilbert's hand forcefully. "Gilbert, Mr. Beilschmidt, it has been a pleasure. I thanked you and-"
"And you insulted me." Gilbert smiled.
"...Well, you deserved it." Feliciano smiled sarcastically.
"...Right."
"Right!"
Even though Feliciano said he was going to leave, he kept shaking Gilbert's hand, which created an awkward atmosphere. He smiled awkwardly.
"I thought you were leaving." Gilbert smirked.
Chuckling, Feliciano turned to walk away. "You are so annoying!" Before he left, he turned around and walked up to Gilbert. "Wait, I don't have to leave! This is MY part of the ship...YOU leave." He said, pointing in the opposite direction he was originally going.
Gilbert laughed. "Now who's being rude?"
Feliciano was caught off guard by this, and decided it be best to change the subject. "...What is this ugly thing you always carry with you?" He grabbed the sketchbook from Gilbert's hand. "What are you, an artist or something...?" Feliciano then proceeded to look through the various sketches, and was surprised by the amazing detail and how realistic each sketch looked. "...These are rather good..." He kept flipping through each page, with Gilbert looking at him. "They're very good, actually..." He looked at Gilbert, then back at the sketches. "This is exquisite work..."
"Ah, they don't think good of them too much in good old Paris." Gilbert looked away from him.
"Paris?" Feliciano looked at him. "...You do get around for a po-" Feliciano realized what he was about to say. "W-Well, for a person of...limited means...!"
Gilbert chuckled. "Ah, I'm a poor guy, you can say it."
It was then that Feliciano came across a sketch of a nude woman, posing on a bed. His eyes widened.
"Well well well...and these were drawn from life...?" Feliciano looked at Gilbert, who was a little uncomfortable at this point. A classy woman walked by at that point, so Feliciano hurriedly closed the sketchbook. When the woman was gone, he looked through it again.
"Well, that's what's so great about Paris. Lots of women willing to take their clothes off." Gilbert replied jokingly.
As Feliciano looked through the various sketches, he noticed a pattern.
"...You like this woman. You used her several times."
Gilbert flipped through some of pages himself. "Well, she had beautiful hands, see?"
Feliciano smirked. "You must have had a love affair with her."
"Nononono just with her hands!" Gilbert smiled, slightly embarrassed. "She was a one-legged prostitute. See?" He flipped to another page, which somewhat disgusted Feliciano. They both laughed.
"You have a gift, Gilbert." Feliciano smiled at him. "You see people."
Gilbert looked at him as well. "I see you."
Feliciano straightened his posture and smirked at him. "...And?"
Gilbert kept his eye contact. "...You wouldn't have jumped."
...
Back in the cafe area, Elizabeta and some other first class women were having some tea. They then spotted Natalia coming their way.
"Quickly, let's leave before she sees us." Elizabeta and the others rose from their seats, just as Mrs. Arloskaya came up to them.
"Hello girls, I was hoping I would catch you at tea." Natalia smiled.
"I'm so sorry, you missed it." Elizabeta replied. "The others and I were about to take a stroll out on the boat deck."
Natalia seemed happy. "Well what a lovely idea, I wanted to catch up on my gossip!" She then proceeded to follow the other women out, with Elizabeta not very happy with it.
Meanwhile, in that same cafe area, the captain and Mr. Im Yong Soo were discussing more important matters.
"You have not yet lit the first four boilers." Im Yong Soo said to captain Germania.
Germania looked at him. "No, we didn't see the need. We are making excellent time."
Im Yong Soo didn't look too impressed. "We witnessed the size of the Titanic, now we want to marvel at her speed. We must get them something new to print." He put a cigarette in his mouth. "The maiden voyage of Titanic must make headlines."
Germania had a serious look on his face. "...Mr. Yong Soo...I would prefer not to push the engines until they have been properly run in."
Im Yong Soo remained silent for a while, before finally speaking. "...Course I'm just a passenger, I'll leave this to your fair judgment. But what a glorious end to your final crossing if we were to get into New York sooner than expected. Retire with a bang, right, Captain Germania?"
...
Gilbert and Feliciano were looking at the sun set on the horizon, where Gilbert talked more about himself, and how he made a living back in America. After awhile, Feliciano couldn't help but admire him for his hard work.
"Why can't I be like you, Gilbert?" Feliciano smiled sadly. "Just head out into the light whenever I feel like it." He looked at him. "Say we go to all the places you've been...like the Santa Monica Pier..."
"Nah, we'll do it." Gilbert smirked. "Drink cheap beer, and ride on the rollercoaster until we throw up!" This earned a laugh from the smaller man. "And we'll ride horses on the beach. But you've got to do it like a real cowboy, none of that side-saddle stuff."
Feliciano looked surprised. "Y-You mean, one leg on each side? ...Can you show me?"
"Sure, if you want." Gilbert smiled.
"...Teach me to ride like a man." Feliciano said with determination.
"And chew tobacco like a man." Gilbert said in a southern drawl.
Feliciano laughed. "And...spit like a man!"
"What, they didn't teach you that in finishing school?" Gilbert chuckled.
"N-Nooo!" Feliciano chuckled as well. It was then that Gilbert pulled Feliciano towards the railing.
"I'll show you." And Gilbert spit over the railing. Feliciano looked appalled, but interested at the same time. Feliciano tried to spit the same way...but with no luck.
"That was pathetic!" Gilbert teased. "You have to hack it up, and arch your back, like this!" Just as he was about to spit once more, Feliciano caught site of his mother and her friends behind them.
"Mother...!" Feliciano and Gilbert turned around to see Elizabeta, Natalia, and two other women staring at them. Elizabeta, in particular, was glaring at Gilbert. "May I introduce you to Gilbert Beilschmidt."
"...Charming, I'm sure." Elizabeta stared at Gilbert with cold eyes. While the others were curious and gracious to Gilbert for saving Feliciano's life, the opposite could be said for Elizabeta. To her, he was an insect. A dangerous insect that needed to be squashed quickly.
"Well Gilbert, it looks like you're a good man to have around in a sticky situation." Natalia praised him. The bugle sounded right then, letting everyone know that it was dinner time for first class passengers.
"Shall we go to dinner, Mother?" Feliciano led his Elizabeta by the arm, but turned back to look at Gilbert. "See you at dinner, Gilbert." And they both walked off.
Gilbert said goodbye, and continued to stare at Feliciano as he left, unaware that Natalia was trying to catch his attention.
"Son!" This caused Gilbert to snap out of his trance and look at Natalia.
Natalia looked at him. "Do you have the slightest comprehension what you're doing?"
Gilbert chuckled. "Not really."
"Well, you're about to go into the snake pit." Natalia looked over Gilbert. "...What're you planning to wear?"
When Gilbert looked over himself, Natalia shook her head. "Figures. Come on." And Natalia dragged Gilbert off to find him something to wear.
...
In Natalia's suite...
"I was right! You and my son are just about the same size!" Natalia exclaimed as she helped Gilbert get into her son's suit.
"Pretty close..." Gilbert said, looking at himself in the mirror.
Natalia walked around him, smiling. "You shine up like a new penny."
...
Gilbert made his way down the Grand Staircase, towards the first class dining area. When he got to the bottom, he observed the body language of various first class gentlemen. He then spotted Roderich Edelstein, descending the Grand Staircase with Feliciano's mother, Elizabeta. Roderich didn't recognize Gilbert, and walked right past him. Gilbert then looked up the stairs again, and saw what he thought was the prettiest sight he's ever laid his eyes on. Feliciano met eye contact with him as he slowly descended the stairs. Gilbert met him at the bottom, and proceeded to kiss his hand.
"...I saw that in a Nickelodeon once and I always wanted to do it." Gilbert smiled.
Feliciano chuckled and took his arm. Gilbert acted just like a first class should, which amused Feliciano. He tried to get Roderich's attention.
"Darling...surely you remember Mr. Beilschmidt?"
Roderich turned around, and was quite surprised by what he saw. "Beilschmidt? Look at you, you could almost pass for a gentleman."
"Almost." Gilbert shrugged.
"Extraordinary." Roderich then took Elizabeta's hand, while Gilbert took Feliciano's. As they walked into the dining area, Feliciano pointed out any significant people they came across.
"That's Francis Bonnefoy, the richest man on the ship." Feliciano pointed to a middle-aged man descending the staircase. "His little wifey there, Michelle, is my age and in 'delicate condition'." Gilbert followed Feliciano's eyes to the girl. "...See how she's trying to hide it? Quite the scandal." His eyes then wandered to another gentleman with a woman. "And that's Feliks Łukasiewic and his mistress, Madame Katarina. Mrs. Łukasiewic is home with the children of course."
"Care to escort a lady to dinner?"
Gilbert turned around to see Natalia smiling at him. "Certainly." He smiled back.
"Ain't nothing to it, is there, Gilbert?" Natalia said to him. "Remember, they love money so pretend you own a gold mine, and you're in the club." They walked into the dining hall, where they ran into the Bonnefoys.
"Hey, Bonnefoy!" Natalia shouted. Francis seemed delighted to see her.
"Well hello, Natalia. Nice to see you." Francis smiled.
"Frances, Michelle, I would like you to meet Gilbert Beilschmidt" Feliciano introduced him.
Michelle greeted him. "How do you do?"
Frances proceeded to shake Gilbert's hand. "...Are you of the Boston Beilschmidts?"
Gilbert shook his head. "The Chippewa Falls Beilschmidts, actually."
This earned a confused look from Frances, but they proceeded to sit down at their dining table. They mostly likely thought Gilbert was the heir to a railroad fortune. New money, of course, but First Class nonetheless.
"Tell us about the accommodations down in steerage, Mr. Beilschmidt, I hear their quite good on this ship." Elizabeta smiled.
Gilbert looked at her. "The best I've seen, Ma'am. Hardly any rats." This earned a good laugh from the others at the table.
"Mr. Beilschmidt is joining us from Third Class." Roderich explained. "He was of some assistance to my fiancée."
"It turns out that Mr. Beilschmidt is quite the fine artist. He was kind enough to show me some of his artwork." Feliciano told them.
"Feliciano and I differ in what we consider to be fine art..." Roderich smirked. "...Not to impede on any of your work, sir." Gilbert shook his head, saying that no offense was taken.
When the hors d'oeurves were being served, Gilbert looked at the silverware. "...Are these all for me...?" He asked Natalia.
"Just start from the outside and work your way in."
"You must know every riveter, don't you, Kiku?" Im Yong Soo asked Kiku Honda.
"Your ship is a wonder, Mr. Honda, really." Feliciano praised him.
Kiku smiled. "Thank you, Feliciano."
"And where exactly do you live, Mr. Beilschmidt?" Elizabeta asked, eating some caviar.
"Well, right now my address is the RMS Titanic, and after that I'm on God's good humor." Gilbert told her.
She smiled coldly at him. "And how is it you have the means to travel?"
"I work my way from place to place. You know, tramp steamers and such, but I won my ticket for Titanic in a lucky game of Poker. A very lucky hand." The last part he said while looking at Feliciano.
"All life is a game of luck." Colonel Aiden Edwards told the group.
Roderich shook his head. "A real man makes his own luck. Right, Beilschmidt?" Gilbert agreed with him.
Elizabeta continued to look at him coldly. "...And you find that sort of rootless lifestyle appealing, do you?" Natalia glared at her.
Gilbert thought for a bit. "...Well yes ma'am, I do. I've got everything I need right here with me: the air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper...I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's going to happen, or who I'm going to meet..." He said, looking at Feliciano. "...Where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under the bridge, and now here I am, on the grandest ship in the world, having champagne with you fine people." The steward filled his glass with more champagne. "I figure life's a gift and I don't intend to waste it. You never know what hand you're gonna be dealt next." He saw Roderich with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and threw him a lighter. "...To make each day count."
Natalia looked at him. "Well said, Gilbert."
"Hear, Hear."
"To making it count." Feliciano smiled, holding up his glass of champagne.
"To making it count." Everyone else, save for Elizabeta, raised their glasses to toast.
...
Everyone was having a delightful conversation afterward, courtesy of Natalia Arloskaya. The men then proceeded to leave the table.
"Do you want to join us in the smoking room, Mr. Beilschmidt?" Colonel Aiden Edwards asked him. "You certainly don't want to stay here with the women, do you?"
Gilbert smiled, but politely declined. "I best be getting back."
"Probably for the best." Roderich told him. "I'm sure business and politics won't interest you." He gave the lighter back to Gilbert. "It was good of you to come."
After that brief conversation, Gilbert walked up to Feliciano.
"Must you go?" Feliciano asked him.
Gilbert nodded. "I have to go back to row with the other slaves." He took her hand, and discreetly handed her a note. "Goodnight, Feli." He proceeded to kiss Feliciano's hand, and left the dining area. After he left, Feliciano made sure no one was looking before opening up the note given to him. On it were two simple sentences:
Make it count.
Meet me at the clock.
Feliciano proceeded to leave the dining area, and went to the clock as said in the note. When he got there, he saw Gilbert and went up to meet him. Gilbert turned around, saw him, and smiled.
"So...you want to go to a real party?"
Well that was certainly eventful, wasn't it? Gilbert and Feliciano are so adorable~
I'm trying to change some of the dialogue around to better match the characters' personalities, as well as to not make it word-for-word to the movie.
Character Legend for this chapter:
John Jacob Astor IV - Francis Bonnefoy (France)
Madeleine Astor - Michelle Bonnefoy (Seychelles)
Benjamin Guggenheim - Feliks Łukasiewic (Poland)
Madame Aubart - Katarina (Ukraine)
I hope you liked it!