A/N: I'm I very very very sorry that this update is so long overdue. This chapter was exhausting to write and it took me forever to even get the whole thing planned out. Hopefully it's worth the wait. I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter up. Exams are coming up and I have other fics to update OTL...
Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story/favorites/etc. I love all the feedback. Enjoy!
Extra Note: I want to make something very clear right now. This fic will not end up as Prussia/Hungary or have any PruHun that is not part of their relationship as best friends. So don't waste your time wishing that Elizabeta might turn Gilbert straight. It ain't happening. Personally, I love gay best friend!Prussia. And so I shall write him like that.
I also got some reviews about whether or not Prussia will get a boyfriend. Weh-ellllllll...my lips are sealed ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia :(
Germany
Day 7 - 14
May 8th,
Dear Roderich,
If everything goes according to plan, we should be in Vienna by May 29th. We would have been there sooner but we're going to be in Berlin a little longer than I originally planned. Oops! We're heading to Venice to on Friday. The address for the hostel we'll be staying at is at the bottom of this letter. Sometimes I think it would be easier if we just emailed each other, but obviously it wouldn't be as fun. There's just something classic about getting a letter...even though buying stamps can get annoying.
Berlin is amazing by the way. This city never gets old. I'll tell you all about it when I see you.
- Elizabeta
p.s- I promise to make sure Gilbert is on his best behavior.
"Sooooo…how long have you been working here?" Elizabeta asked. She was seated at the front counter of the store. Across from her sat Ludwig. The initial shock of seeing each other had passed and now Elizabeta only felt curious about why he was there.
"Actually, I own it. I bought it about four years ago."
Elizabeta's jaw dropped. "Really? That's amazing! But how come Gilbert never mentioned it?"
Ludwig's cheeks pinked. "Because he doesn't know. I couldn't buy the store using the business funds because it would show up when the yearly expenditures were processed so I had to use my own money. I don't really want anyone to find out about this place, especially not my brother. You're his best friend. You know how he would react."
"Maybe," Elizabeta said optimistically, "he wouldn't care. I mean, this place is really cool."
"This is Gilbert we're talking about. If he walked in here, the first question out of his mouth would be 'Are you gay?'"
Elizabeta laughed. "Yep, even though sometimes I can't believe it, you are definitely Gilbert's brother. You know him too well."
"More than he knows." Ludwig blushed again. "Do you really think this place is cool?"
"Are you kidding? It's amazing! Did you make all of these yourself?"
Ludwig nodded. "It started off as a hobby and I guess it just kind of got away from me. And thank you."
Elizabeta smiled. "You're very welcome. I must admit that I have a thing for fine timepieces and these are beautiful." She picked up a clock that had been carved into the shape of an apple. "Everything is so perfect, down to the very last detail. You are very talented, Ludwig." Her smile grew even wider when she saw the blush on his face darken. It was amazing really, the ways in which the two brothers were different. Gilbert was annoying but his energy was infectious. It was hard to sit still when around him. Ludwig was much more relaxed and Elizabeta liked this. It was nice to be around someone whose mouth wasn't running a million kilometers per minute.
"Thank you," Ludwig said again. "So are you enjoying Berlin?"
Elizabeta leaned against the counter top, her head in her hands. "I always love Berlin but it's just so big! The only reason I ended up in this store in the first place is because I got lost."
"Where were you trying to go?"
"Charlottenburg. I'm looking for a big place with a lot of different people."
"Can I ask why?"
It was Elizabeta's turn to blush. "I'm, uh, looking for a boyfriend," she said quietly.
"A b-boyfriend?" Ludwig stuttered. "In Berlin?" He said it as if it was the most preposterous thing on earth.
"Well it wasn't my first choice. The only reason I'm here is because Gilbert needed to get his money. My original plan was to go to Italy first."
"To find a boyfriend?"
"Yes." Elizabeta could tell by Ludwig's face that he wasn't sure what to think of this. "Ok, let me explain." She quickly outlined her plan and when she was finished, there was less confusion in Ludwig's face although there was skepticism now too.
"You always seemed like the type of person who wouldn't have any trouble finding a boyfriend." Elizabeta raised an eyebrow and Ludwig quickly added, "I mean, you're very attractive—I'm sorry that makes me sound like a pervert, which I'm definitely not! Uh, what I'm trying to say is that, well…"
Elizabeta burst out laughing at how red Ludwig's face had become. "It's okay, I get it. Thank you."
Ludwig sighed, relieved that he had not been misunderstood. "It's just a surprise that you would have to go on such a trip in search of a relationship," he said.
"The thing is, I'm excited to go. I get to see the world and I could find true love. I think that's a pretty good deal."
"And you're taking my brother with you?"
Elizabeta made a face. "Again, not part of my original plan. He pretty much invited himself. I was going to dump him here if he didn't get any money from you, but now it seems like we're stuck together." She didn't sound too upset when she said this because she was still secretly pleased that she would not have to go globetrotting by herself. "So far he's been less than helpful. This past week all we've done is shop and hang out in Schöneberg."
Ludwig narrowed his eyes. "Shop?"
Elizabeta realized what she had revealed and mentally kicked herself. "W-well not really shop! Just, you know, hang around stores—window shop! Yeah, no spending money for us. No way." It wasn't a complete lie. Elizabeta still hadn't given Gilbert his credit card back but had allowed him to withdrawn €150 so that they could get matching jackets with their names emblazoned on the back. If the jackets hadn't been extremely stylish and comfy she never would have let him. After that they had mostly just wandered in and out of random stores. Thankfully, Ludwig seemed to believe her.
"That's good. Gilbert should know that his funds are limited and that I'm not giving him anything extra," he said.
"Oh he knows alright. Don't worry about that. I'm keeping a sharp eye on him." Ludwig gave her a small smile and Elizabeta felt horrible for lying to such a sweet person.
"Thanks. I'm always glad that you two are friends. You're a good influence on him."
Elizabeta forced a smile, feeling guiltier by the second. "I do my best," she said.
"If he gets to be too much trouble on your trip, don't hesitate to send him back here. Honestly, I wish he had told me earlier about this plan. I thought that now he was done with school he would come to work with me."
"I don't think business is really Gilbert's thing."
"I agree but he has to do something."
"With his new inheritance I think I can safely say that he can live comfortably for the rest of his life without having to lift a finger."
"That's not the point. It's not about the money, it's about him doing something productive. Is there anything that he likes? Anything that he does that makes him happy?"
"Shouldn't you know?"
Ludwig looked away. "All my life I've known what was expected of me. I knew what I wanted and I got it. Gilbert…I don't know. He's forever changing his mind. The fact that he stayed the full four years at the university is amazing to me."
"Well he did change his concentration about five times," Elizabeta said.
"But he stayed and I thought that maybe…maybe he would finally decide what he wanted."
"But he does know what he wants. He wants to live an easygoing life and be happy. It's not about getting a fancy job but Gilbert being able to be Gilbert. He likes his life the way it is."
"It looks like you know him better than I do." Ludwig said. He frowned. "But how can he be happy doing nothing?"
Elizabeta looked down at her hands. "To him, 'nothing' is 'something'. It' like your situation here. Some people—Gilbert included—might think of this shop as nothing."
"But it is nothing, nothing except a hobby."
"But it makes you happy right?" Elizabeta looked up and saw Ludwig's face change as the answer dawned on him.
"Yes…yes it does," he said.
"Maybe Gilbert will get a good job he likes but until then, he'll stay the way he is. I don't think we can ask anything else from him except that he stays safe."
"You're amazing," Ludwig said suddenly. "Really."
Elizabeta blushed and tilted her head down so that her hair fell across her face. "Thank you."
Silence descended on the shop as they both wondered what to say next.
Ludwig spoke up first. "Do you still need to get to Charlottenburg? I can give you directions."
"Um, no. That's alright. I can always go tomorrow. How much longer will you be here?"
"Probably not long. Monday's are usually slow days."
"They won't miss you at your office?"
"No. I regularly take off every other Monday as well as Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. It was lucky that you chose today to come in here."
"I think so too. Are you going home after this?" Ludwig nodded.
"Would it be okay if I went with you? I don't want to get lost again."
"N-no. It's fine. It would be nice to have the company. Actually, I can probably close the store up now. I don't think anyone else is going to come in today."
"Can I help?"
"There's not much to do. I just have to arrange a few boxes in the back. I'll meet you at the front door in a few minutes."
"Okay," Elizabeta said. Ludwig disappeared into the back room. She picked up her bag and slowly made her way to the door, pausing on her way to admire more of Ludwig's work. One piece that caught her eye was a depiction of what looked like 'Alice in Wonderland'. There was a girl in a blue dress—Alice—chasing after the ever elusive white rabbit, whose famous pocket watch had been enlarged to become the central clock. The pair were running through a thick, lush forest that was populated with various flora. Bright flowers that shimmered and gleamed in the late afternoon light and trees with leaves so green and full that they looked real, filled the scene. It was such a captivating work of art and Elizabeta couldn't help but feel a little bit like Alice—chasing after something extremely difficult to catch in a foreign, and slightly frightening, land.
"No," she said out loud, "I'm better than her." No one ever knew the reason why Alice was chasing the white rabbit, other than a case of extreme curiosity. "I know what I'm looking for. I know what I want."
"What?" Elizabeta jumped about a foot in the air before turning around, embarrassed, to see Ludwig standing behind her, all ready to leave.
"Don't scare me like that!"
"What do you want?" Ludwig asked.
Elizabeta hadn't realized that he had been asking a question and was even more embarrassed that he had overhead her.
"I want to find true love," she said finally.
"It won't be easy."
Elizabeta grinned. "It's worth it."
Ludwig smiled as he held open the door for her. "If you say so." He flipped off the lights in the store and closed the door behind himself. "I…I don't know if you're interested but there's an ice cream shop on the way back. I don't know if you like ice cream but it's kind of a warm day and I was just wondering, but if you don't I understand and…ugh, I'm just going to stop talking now."
Elizabeta laughed. "Relax, Ludwig. It's just me. And I would love some ice cream."
Ludwig sighed. "Sorry, I'm not usually like this," he said, locked the door to the shop.
"No need to apologize. And there's nothing to be nervous about. Now tell me, does this place have Spaghettieis(1)?"
Ludwig grinned. "Of course." Elizabeta grinned back, the prospect of Spaghettieis only part of the reason she suddenly felt so happy.
"Where have you been all day?" Was the first thing out of Gilbert's mouth when Elizabeta and Ludwig stepped into the house.
"Aww, did you miss me?" Elizabeta asked.
"Yes, because there was no one here to make me lunch. Patricia had a stomach ache. Are cooks even allowed to get stomach aches? What did she eat?"
Elizabeta scowled. "You're such a brat. I was doing what I initially wanted to do. Remember? Searching for a boyfriend?"
"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that stupid plan. But what are you doing with West?"
"We, well, uh, we—"
"I took the train home from the office and walked here. I met Elizabeta on the way." Ludwig said smoothly. Elizabeta was grateful for his quick intervention.
"Cool," Gilbert said. "So who's going to make me dinner? I just ate the last bag of crackers and we're out of pretzels now too." Elizabeta rolled her eyes.
"I'm tired. Let's order in tonight," Ludwig said.
"Really?" Gilbert said excitedly. "You never let me order in!"
"Because you always order too much and you never pay."
"Why should I be the one to pay? You're the one in control of a company worth billions, West. So I'm going to get Chinese."
"We don't get a say?" Elizabeta asked.
"No," Gilbert said over his shoulder as he went back into the kitchen.
"Damn him," Elizabeta said. "Sometimes I can't stand him." Ludwig nodded.
"And somehow we still care for him."
"We must be crazy."
Elizabeta lowered her sunglasses so that she could get a better view of her target. She adjusted the newspaper and flipped to a random page. She pretended to look interested by the headline before glancing back at her target. He was still sitting at the table. Alone.
Perfect, she thought to herself. He was sitting down but she guessed that he was at least six feet tall—probably more. His un-styled, dark blond hair fluttered lightly in the breeze and she could only guess that a pair of beautiful blue eyes was hidden behind the sunglasses on his face. Visually, he was an 11/10 and in Elizabeta's opinion, the perfect place to start her search. She lowered the newspaper and practiced her introduction once more in her head. Just as she made a move to stand up, a tall woman with lovely dark skin and the most beautiful hair that Elizabeta had even seen, approached her target's table. The two embraced, kissed and then sat down. And with those three actions, completely destroyed Elizabeta's plan.
"Damn it." She whispered to herself. That was the third one today. "Is anyone in this city single?" Everywhere she looked happy pairs walked arm in arm down the street. Even Elizabeta's most practiced evil eye did nothing to alter the aura of happiness that surrounded the couples. She almost wished that Gilbert was there to provide a sarcastic comment. Fortunately or unfortunately, Gilbert had left for Switzerland that morning after his cousin had called the night before and asked to see him. This had been a surprise to the whole household—to Gilbert more than anything.
"He's going to do terrible things to me. I know it." Gilbert had whined after sharing the news. "He's going to strap me to a wooden post and use me for target practice!"
"Only if you say something stupid," Ludwig had said.
"Which you probably will," Elizabeta had added.
Gilbert had begged Elizabeta to go with him but she had adamantly refused. She had wasted enough time with him already and was not going to spend another day in Berlin without finding at least one prospective boyfriend. But now it seemed that she might have had better luck going to Switzerland. She could have at least flirted with Gilbert's cousin.
Elizabeta sighed and set her sunglasses down on the table. Germany hadn't originally been one of her intended stops so it wasn't horrible if she didn't meet anyone there but now she was beginning to realize that finding true love was going to take a lot more work than creepily scoping out guys at random cafes.
"Excuse me, miss?" Elizabeta turned around and her heart nearly stopped beating. Above her stood an Adonis. Bright blue eyes, casually tousled dark hair, and a playful smile. He was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen.
"Y-yes?" she gasped. Jackpot! She thought to herself.
The man smiled, displaying a row of straight, white teeth. "I was just wondering if you were ready to order."
Now Elizabeta really wish Gilbert had been there because she was suddenly overcome by the urge to do physical harm and he would have been the perfect outlet for her rage. Struggling not the scream, she forced a smile.
"Actually, I don't think I'm going to have anything. Thanks." She picked up her bag and slipped on her sunglasses and stomped out from under the large umbrella that covered the patio of the café. She didn't have any particular direction in mind so she just let her feet go wherever they wanted. As she walked she let her mind wander and was thus unaware of the admiring glances sent her way and the men who paused to stare at the lovely girl all by herself in west Berlin.
It wasn't until Elizabeta reached the end of the street that she realized where she was going. If she continued the way she was going, with a few twists and turns here, maybe a trip on the S-bahn, she would eventually reach Ludwig's shop. But it was Tuesday and she knew Ludwig was at work because she had seen one of the company cars pull away from the house that morning before she left. She wanted to talk to him again, to smile with him—she just wanted to see him; a familiar, friendly face among the never-ending flow of people.
Elizabeta sat down on the edge of a small fountain and sighed, feeling so lonely that suddenly all the excitement of the day vanished. The sound of creaking wheels caused her to look up and she saw a man pushing a wooden cart down the street. On top of the cart was a small cage that held a white rabbit. This reminded Elizabeta of the clock from the day before. Alice didn't just give up the chase after the first few meters. She kept going.
Elizabeta stood up and marched all the way back to the café. She located the waiter from before and promptly asked him if he wanted to have dinner that night. He agreed.
Gilbert had already made his way through half the stack of toast when Elizabeta wandered into the kitchen the next morning.
"Hey," she mumbled as she took the seat beside him, "how was Switzerland? Judging by the fact that you're still here, Vash didn't blow you up."
Gilbert grunted and grabbed another piece of bread from the shrinking stack. Elizabeta suddenly noticed that he had a ski hat pulled over his head, despite how warm the morning was. She reached up and ripped it off.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Gilbert shrieked, his hands flying to his forehead, but not before Elizabeta saw the giant welt that graced the center of it. It was even larger than the one before.
"You idiot," she said, throwing the hat at his face, "what did you do to him?"
Gilbert covered his head once more. "I didn't do anything…I just took a picture! That guy has no sense of humor. At all."
"No, you just never know when to stop joking. Serves you right!"
Gilbert stuck his tongue out at her before getting up from the table.
"So why did your cousin ask you to visit?" Elizabeta asked.
"That's top secret," Gilbert said as he rifled through the fridge. "Just kidding. Ludwig told him that we were going to Italy and he wants me to do him a favor." Gilbert slammed the door of the fridge and plopped back down at the table. "It's weird cause I don't remember telling West about our plan."
Elizabeta grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth. "You probably did," she said between bites, "you're just too stupid to remember." She looked over when she heard the hiss of a bottle being opened.
"Come on Gilbert! Beer for breakfast?"
"I'm really thirsty!"
"This isn't our apartment where we never have food. This kitchen is huge and there are plenty of things to eat and drink. Look at this beautiful breakfast! We've even got fresh fruit!"
"I'm not in the mood for grapes," Gilbert said, taking a drink from his beer. Elizabeta picked up a grape and threw it at his head.
"Maybe if you were in the mood more often you'd have arms like your brother," she said. She recoiled when Gilbert spit out half the beer in his mouth. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why were you checking my brother out?"
Elizabeta blushed. "I-I wasn't! It was just a passing observation!"
"Yeah, right."
"Shut up. Anyway, I had a date last night," Elizabeta said, quickly changing the subject.
"Really? Is that why you got back so late?"
"You creep! You were awake?"
"I had to go pee."
"You were probably trying to pull another prank on Ludwig."
"Nu-uh. He locks his door now," Gilbert said. Elizabeta rolled her eyes.
"So was this guy 'the one'? Is he curled up on your bed upstairs?"
Elizabeta snorted. "No and no. He was a nice guy but just too…meh for me."
"'Meh'? What does that mean? He was boring?"
"Not boring, just…meh. Nothing special. He has a mom, dad, two sisters, a dog, he graduated from a good university two years ago and is saving up money to go work on a nature preserve somewhere in Africa."
"That's what you consider 'meh'?"
"Don't give me that look! And it was only my first date. I still have nine more countries to visit. Besides, he told me he broke up with his ex-girlfriend three months ago after they were together for a year. Obviously, that's much too soon to begin seeing someone new."
Gilbert shook his head. "I'll never understand you. So what happened?"
"It was just dinner. Afterwards I told him that I thought that he was a nice guy but I didn't think we had much in common."
"You are an ice cold woman. What did he look like?"
"He was gorgeous. Beautiful dark hair and the most amazingly blue eyes."
"And you let him go?" Gilbert said, outraged. Elizabeta frowned.
"It's not all about looks. I want someone who I feel a connection with. I felt nothing with this guy."
"You could have at least sent him my way."
"Oh stop it. As if you need me to hook you up with someone."
Gilbert downed the last of the beer and tossed the bottle into the trash. "You're right," he said. "I'm awesome enough to get guys on my own." He ignored the dirty look she sent him. "Anyway, it's good that you've finally gotten started. What's our plan for today?"
Elizabeta shook her head. "No, not our plan. My plan. I'm heading out solo again."
"What? You can't just leave me here! Why can't I come along?"
"Because no guy is going to want to approach me with you hovering around!"
"I'll stand apart from you. We can even pretend that we don't know each other!"
"Sorry Gilbert, but this is something I have to do alone. You can come along next time. " She raised an eyebrow when she realized that he was staring at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
A wide smile appeared slowly on Gilbert's face and Elizabeta felt her heart skip a beat. She knew that look.
"You're hiding something," Gilbert said.
"Am not!" Elizabeta hoped that she wasn't red.
"Yes you are! Your ears are turning pink! Lizzie's got a secret!" Gilbert scooted his chair closer to her. "Cough it up missy!"
Elizabeta moved herself away. "I don't have any secrets!"
"It's a guy, isn't it? I can tell. A romantic rendezvous? It would explain why you're not upset after your fail date."
"My date wasn't fail! I already told you it was 'meh'. I just need another opportunity to find a guy without you flirting with everyone that so much as looks my way."
Gilbert pouted. "I do not flirt."
"You are the worst attention whore I've ever met."
"You're just jealous. And stop changing the subject! I want details. Name, age, hair color—have you slept with him? Is he good in bed?" With a huff, Elizabeta stood up from the table.
"I'm going to go get dressed!" She snapped over her shoulder. "You can stay here and keep coming up with stupid theories."
"Now I know you're hiding something!" Gilbert said, his annoying laughter taunting Elizabeta as she stormed out of the kitchen.
She hadn't told Ludwig that she would be stopping by and Elizabeta hoped that he wouldn't think her annoying. It was just that she liked Ludwig's company and had so many things to ask him. She wanted to know how he had got into making clocks. Who taught him how? Where did he get enough money to open up a whole store? These questions and more buzzed around Elizabeta's head as she made her way to the shop. True to her word, she had left Gilbert back at the house. When she had left he had still been creating crazy scenarios about her and her mysterious secret lover. She wondered what he would say if he knew that it was his brother that she was going to see. She winced. Actually, she didn't really want to know.
Elizabeta was still clueless about how to get around the large city, but she easily found her way to the clock store. She took a deep breath before swinging open the door. She nearly collided into an elderly man who was making his way out. Embarrassed, she quickly apologized and slipped into the store.
"I'll be right with you!" Ludwig's voice came from the back.
"That's fine. I don't need to be helped!" Elizabeta said. She heard the sound of something falling and someone swearing before Ludwig stepped out from behind a display case.
"Elizabeta? What are you doing here?" he asked. Immediately, Elizabeta felt her face grow hot. That was a good question.
"I was…I was on my way to Spandau and I thought I would just stop by and say hi and um, thanks again for the ice cream. You didn't have to pay."
"It was my treat. But you do know that Spandau is the other way, right?" Elizabeta knew that she deserved this. This was what she got for being unable to properly read a map. Quickly, she lied through her teeth.
"Is it really? I could have sworn it was in this direction. But, um, yes," she shifted nervously from foot to foot, "I very much enjoyed talking to you yesterday and was hoping that, if you weren't busy, we could…keep talking." The next time Gilbert called her an idiot, Elizabeta was going to agree with him. The fact that those words had come out of her mouth made her the biggest idiot in the world.
Now Ludwig was looking nervous and it took him a few seconds before he could find a reply. "Well, you see, er…the thing is—"
Elizabeta decided to spare both of them embarrassment. "It's okay if you're busy. I'll just see you back at the house." She turned to leave.
"Wait!" Ludwig said. Feeling the faintest flicker of hope, she turned back around. "You don't have to leave. Sorry, you really caught me by surprise. I was just working on an order and I have a delivery in twenty minutes."
"A delivery?"
"Not all of my customers can make it to the shop when it's open so, sometimes, I take their orders to them. The place is only about fifteen minutes away and it shouldn't take long if you're willing to wait. B-but you don't have to."
"Can I come along?"
"You're welcome if you would like."
Elizabeta smiled. "Great! So what are you working on? Can I see it?"
"It's nothing much. It's in the back. You can follow me." Ludwig led her to a door at the back of the store and unlocked it to reveal a small workshop.
The floor was lightly covered with wood shavings and random clock pieces covered the work bench. "This is where I make everything. Sorry if it's a bit cluttered."
"No, it's lovely," Elizabeta said. She pointed to a block of wood at the end of the bench. "Is that what you're working on?"
"Yes," he picked it up and showed it to her so that she could see that he had already begun to faintly sketch in the designs. "I just got the order this morning."
"What's it going to be?"
"A hat."
Elizabeta raised an eyebrow. "A hat."
"A top hat to be specific. The woman who placed the order said her husband collects them."
"To each his own," Elizabeta said. There was a spare stool at the side of the room and she brought it over to the bench. "Don't let me being here stop you from working. Go on. I would love to watch."
"I'll tell you now. It's a long, boring process. I probably won't get much done by the time we leave."
"I don't care. I've never seen a clock being made before." Ludwig smiled and Elizabeta felt the little bubble of happiness in her chest expand.
"If that's what you want," he said, before taking the seat next to her.
"How long does it usually take for you to finish a clock?" she asked.
Ludwig turned the block of wood over in his hands, found where he had left off and began tracing lightly over the surface with a pencil. "It depends on what I'm making. I should be done with this in about a week, but bigger projects take longer. Like that clock you were looking at the other day, the one with the girl and the rabbit?"
"The Alice in Wonderland-esque one?"
"Is that the name of the book? I made that one years ago and couldn't remember the inspiration. Anyway, yes, something like that can take anywhere from a month to three or four months."
"I'm not surprised. The detail and the colors were amazing. But they would probably take less time if you were more days off."
Ludwig nodded. "It's difficult enough taking these days off. I don't know how much longer I can do this, especially now that I'm officially in charge of the company. I might only be able to work here on Wednesdays."
An interesting thought suddenly dawned on Elizabeta. "This place is supposed to be a secret, right?" Ludwig nodded. "What about your customers? Don't they recognize you?"
"If they do, they haven't said anything. The people that come in here probably wouldn't care if I was the chancellor. It's nice though. And very peaceful."
"How long did you say you've been working here?" Elizabeta asked. Ludwig paused as he searched for the answer to this question.
"Four? Five years? I think a little over four. Like I said, it started off as a hobby to get my mind off paperwork and it just became…well this place. What's odd is that I don't particularly enjoy making clocks. I find it exhausting and irritating."
"Then why do you keep making them?"
"Because I like the end product. It's what I work for. Getting there might be a little rough, but it's worth it in the end."
"I had a date yesterday night," Elizabeta said before she could stop herself. It was such a non sequitur but she had to get if off her chest. She smiled to herself when she saw Ludwig's hands pause for the fraction of a second before he continued his sketching.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"Fine, but I won't be seeing him again."
"Really? What went wrong?"
"Nothing went wrong, he was just…'meh'."
"'Meh'?"
"It's a real descriptive word!" Elizabeta protested. "It's not that he was bland or boring, but all I saw was a pretty face and a nice background. Some people might be happy with that but I'm looking for something more. The problem is, I know what I want but I don't know how I want it. I mean, I don't have a list of criteria for my true love—well I guess he should be handsome and smart and have a good job—but I just had this feeling, or should I say lack thereof, that that guy just wasn't right for me." Elizabeta sighed. "Tell me the truth, Ludwig. Do you think this plan is destined to fail because I don't have a clear goal in mind?"
"Well, I don't think that I'm the best person to ask for advice but maybe this will help. Three times a year I have this woman come in and place an order for a clock. And each time I ask her what she wants, she gives me a one word answer. The first time she said she wanted something 'exotic'. She was here a few months ago and asked for something 'charming'. I can tell by her face that it's obvious what she wants. She has an image in mind but she hasn't filled in all the details. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she doesn't know what those details will be until she sees the clock. I don't know what to make either. I spend weeks brainstorming and I waste so many materials going through different designs but then I eventually find one that just fits her description. I'm not sure how I know, I just do. So I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to spend too much time on specifics. You'll know when you find the right person."
"Like love at first sight? But that's so cliché and unrealistic."
"Maybe not at first sight. I don't always like designs when I start them or I might not think much of them, but after some time, I'll know that they were the right choice. I'm sorry, comparing clock making to finding love isn't very helpful."
"Actually…it is," Elizabeta said, her optimism renewed. "Thank you. I feel better now."
"I'm glad I could help."
"What about you, Ludwig? I only ever see or hear about you in business journals, tabloids or from Gilbert. Have you ever been in love? No, I'm sorry, that was too personal. You don't have to answer that."
"I haven't," Ludwig said. "I'm always busy and don't have much time for social activities. But sometimes I like to think that if I met the right person, I would make time for them." He blushed. "But I guess I just haven't met them yet. You can see that I'm the last person you want to ask for relationship advice. Has my brother told you anything useful?"
Elizabeta rolled her eyes. "Gilbert thinks this whole plan is a big joke. In his opinion, I just need to get laid. He's the last person I would go to for advice in this situation."
Ludwig sighed. "As expected. Maybe he can learn a little something about love on this trip."
"Gilbert? Love? Hah! We both know that the only reason he's coming along is for his own personal gains. He could care less about love." Just then an alarm went off in the other room.
"Time's up," Ludwig said. He put down his pencil and went to shut off the beeping.
"What was that for?" Elizabeta asked when he came back.
"If I don't set an alarm, I have a tendency to miss my delivery appointments when I get too involved in my work. This way I can stay on schedule."
"Punctuality is a very admirable trait."
"Yet another thing I wish my brother had. Are you ready to go?" he asked.
Elizabeta leapt up from her seat. "Yeah." She traced a finger over the clock-to-be. "You didn't even get to carve anything."
"Technically, I didn't even do anything. Twenty minutes isn't enough time to do much and I'll probably erase everything Sunday." Elizabeta followed Ludwig out of the workshop.
"Can I keep watching after we get back? Unless you have something else to do?"
"Yes to the first question, no to the second. This delivery should be my last customer of the day. Hold on." Ludwig went behind the front counter and came back with a medium sized package. "Ok, we can go now."
"Do you make a lot of deliveries?" Elizabeta asked when they were on the main street.
"I prefer not to, but the woman who ordered this has six children with the oldest being only ten. Even a fifteen minute walk in both directions is too long to be gone from the house when there's no one else around."
"That is extremely kind of you. Are you sure you're Gilbert's brother?" Conversation flowed easily as they walked and Elizabeta wondered why it had taken her so long to get to know Ludwig. During university breaks, she had always spent one or two days with Gilbert and in the summer she spent at least a week in Berlin. But even though they had always been cordial to each other, she and Ludwig had never been in each other's company for more than a few minutes. She had always been with Gilbert and he had always been working. She wondered if the universe was sending her some sort of message by bringing them together when she was supposed to be on a journey to find true love.
Ludwig finally stopped in front of a house so small that Elizabeta couldn't believe that even one child could live there, let alone six."This is the place," he said.
Elizabeta looked around and saw that many of the houses in the area looked similar—small and grubby. This was definitely a change of scenery from what she had been experiencing for the past week. She could hear the sound of a baby crying from the other side of the door and children screaming and shouting. When Ludwig knocked on the door it sounded like an approaching stampede. The door flew open to reveal four children all fighting to be the one to greet the visitors.
"I got here first!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Mom! Mom!"
"Can you guys shut up?" A boy who looked about ten suddenly appeared at the door to break up the squabbling. "Hi Ludwig," he said.
"Hi Peter. I have your mom's order."
"Cool. That will make her happy. Mom! Ludwig's here! And he has a girl with him!" The boy turned back to Elizabeta and Ludwig, oblivious to how embarrassed both of them were. "And she's pretty too!"
"Ludwig and a pretty girl? I have to see this." A short woman with a kind, heavily lined face stepped into the doorway. "Now I want all of you back in house. Go!" Although they whined about being sent away, the children quickly dispersed until only the woman was left at the door.
"Sorry about them. They love visitors," she said.
"It's always nice to see them again. Here's your order." Ludwig handed her the package.
"I can't thank you enough for this."
"It's no problem."
The woman winked at Elizabeta. "You're a lucky girl. He might try to hide it, but this one has a heart of gold."
Elizabeta blushed and she and Ludwig spoke up at the same time.
"We're not—!"
"He's not—!"
The woman laughed. "Oh I see, I see. I apologize. You just look so sweet together!"
Elizabeta didn't dare look over at Ludwig but she imagined that he felt just as mortified as she was.
"Well if you're not his girlfriend, then who might you be?"
"My name is Elizabeta Hédeváry and I'm a friend of…of Ludwig." She almost said 'Ludwig's brother' but changed her mind at the last second. "I'm just visiting."
"It's nice to meet you Elizabeta. You can call me Eva. So how long have you been in Berlin?"
"Almost two weeks. I'm actually leaving the day after tomorrow." That was true. She was leaving. She hadn't wanted to come to Berlin in the first place and now she wasn't sure she wanted to leave anymore.
"Aw, well that's too bad. Hold on a second." Eva leaned back into the house. "Do not stick your fingers in there! And don't stick anything else in either!" She turned back to her guests. "Children," she sighed.
"They're all so cute," Elizabeta said.
Eva snorted. "When they want to be. But don't let me take up anymore of your time. Go enjoy your last days here. Thanks again for this Ludwig." After saying quick a goodbye, she closed the door and Elizabeta and Ludwig made their way back to the shop.
"She's a nice lady," Elizabeta said, looking at the ground. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks.
"Yeah," Ludwig said shortly. An awkward silence enveloped them until Elizabeta couldn't help it anymore and burst out laughing.
"What so funny?" Ludwig asked, although the corners of his mouth were turned upwards.
"I don't know!" This made Elizabeta laugh harder. She stopped when she heard Ludwig start laughing next to her. She had never heard him laugh before. It was a nice sound.
"I'm sorry about Eva," he said. "She means well."
Elizabeta grinned. "That's ok. It was just a simple misunderstanding."
"I hope you weren't too embarrassed."
"Me? You should have seen your face! You were redder than a tomato!"
"I was just caught off guard."
"Yeah right! Is the idea of being my boyfriend that mortifying to you Ludwig?" she teased. When he didn't answer she realized that she had gone too far. "I…I meant—"
Ludwig cut her off. "If…if you're not busy later, would you—"
"So I was right!" Elizabeta and Ludwig stopped in their tracks at the familiar voice. Leaning against the front of the clock store was none other than Gilbert. He pushed himself off the wall and came over to meet them, grinning wickedly the whole way.
"I knew it was a secret romantic rendezvous! I just never would have thought it would be with my brother. You are a very naughty girl Elizabeta."
"Y-you idiot! You followed me?" Elizabeta shrieked.
"Well of course!" Gilbert said. "I have to confirm my awesome theories and I was fucking right! But that's not a surprise. I'm always right. So how long have you two been screwing?"
"Let me go Ludwig," Elizabeta hissed. "I'm going to kill him."
"Let's all go inside," Ludwig said. He didn't want to get arrested for allowing a public execution to proceed.
"Inside where?" Gilbert asked, ignoring the death glare from Elizabeta.
Ludwig pointed to the store sign. "There. It's mine."
"This dump?" Gilbert said. He took a step back when Elizabeta cracked her knuckles.
"Yes. I've wanted to show it to you for a long time but I've never really known how." Ludwig unlocked the front door and let Elizabeta go in first. Gilbert followed at a safe distance.
"This is where I am when I'm not at the office." Ludwig said as he closed the door behind them.
"You own…a clock store?" Gilbert asked.
"Yes. I make them and sell them to anyone interested. It helps me relax."
"Wow," Gilbert said and Elizabeta almost believed he would say something meaningful. "I just have one question for you West."
"Gilbert—"
"Are you gay?"
"I meant it in the best possible way! Seriously! There was no reason to beat me up!" Gilbert whined.
"Shut up!" Elizabeta snapped and slapped the bandage onto his cheek.
"Ow!"
They were back at the house after Ludwig had had to close the store because of an emergency call from the office. For Gilbert, it had been awesome timing. Elizabeta had been on her way to destroying the whole store as she chased after him. Somehow, they had both arrived home, with Gilbert receiving a few more bruises along the way.
"But it's a good thing," Gilbert said. "Up until now I just thought he was asexual. Ow!" Elizabeta slapped the other bandage in place. "And it also means that you two aren't together."
"Are you trying to ruin my life?" Elizabeta yelled as she got up from the floor.
"What? No. At least, not at this moment."
"Well that's what it seems like right now!"
"What the fuck? What's your problem?"
"The problem is that before you oh-so-gracefully interrupted us, Ludwig was going to ask me something!"
"Like what? If you wanted to go dress shopping?" Elizabeta smacked him over the head. "Ow! Stop that!"
"No, you stop! Stop getting in my way! I think…I think he might have even been going to ask me out!" At least that's what she hoped.
"And what would you have said?"
"Well…yes." Gilbert made a face.
"Ew, Liz. That's my younger brother."
"And he happens to be a really sweet person!"
"But still…ew."
Elizabeta threw her hands in the air. "You're impossible!" She stormed out of the bathroom.
"Wait!" Gilbert yelled after her. "You still haven't relocated my finger!" Elizabeta ignored him for the rest of the day as well as the next morning during breakfast.
"So are you going to go see my brother again today?" Gilbert asked.
Elizabeta took a sip of her juice and pretended that he didn't exist. Gilbert hated being ignored but as much as he wanted to lash out, he knew that that wouldn't help the situation.
"Well, if you are, then…have a good time," he mumbled. Elizabeta narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean it in the most innocent way! Yeah, it kind of creepy that you're in to my brother, but I guess I'll get used to it."
"So this is you granting me permission to see your brother?"
"Yeah, I guess," Gilbert muttered. "This is our last day here anyway so you might as well use it wisely. Unless you don't want to leave again."
"I…I do want to stay here, but I'm not going to. I've spent too much time planning this trip. I can't stop now."
"What about my brother? You're just going to leave him here all heartbroken and fragile?"
"Don't make me feel worse. I just have to keep going."
"So you can sample the international platter of men?"
"Stop making me sound like a whore!" She wanted to punch him when he started laughing.
"I'm kidding. God, why are all the people in my life so oblivious to my awesome humor? I get what you mean. I am your best friend." Gilbert made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now go run off to West. I'll be here watching American Idol re-runs."
Elizabeta smiled. "Thanks Gilbert. I'm glad to have your support."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get all sweet now when I know you're going to put my head through a wall later," he said. Elizabeta flicked his forehead.
"Brat."
"Love you too. Oh and wear the blue dress. Your chest doesn't look completely flat in it—ow!"
Elizabeta wore her green dress. She thought it was much more flattering anyway. To hell with what Gilbert said. Just because he was gay didn't mean he knew anything about fashion...well maybe he knew a little bit.
She was surprised to find the door to the clock store locked when she got there. She was sure that Ludwig had said that he would be there, even though it was Thursday. She knocked until he finally answered.
"We're clos—oh, hi Elizabeta," Ludwig said, fidgeting slightly. "I wasn't expecting you."
She smiled. "Yeah, I should really start calling ahead. Anyway, I was wondering—"
"I'm sorry Elizabeta, but this isn't a good time. I got another order yesterday and I really need to finish it on time," he said. Elizabeta felt her heart sink.
"Oh…okay. When will you be free?" she asked. Ludwig avoided meeting her eyes. "The thing is, I will probably be busy for the rest of the day. I most likely won't even get back to the house until late. I'll see you then."
"Okay. Yeah, that's fine. Yep. Work first, right?" Elizabeta forced a smile. "I'll see you later then."
"Bye," Ludwig said before closing the door. As she walked away, Elizabeta felt a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, anger, sadness, disappointment—but also the feelings of failure and regret. She had lost something—she wasn't even sure what—before she had even really had it. She reached into her bad and pulled out her phone. Gilbert was number one on her speed dial.
"What up?" he said when he answered. It sounded like he was chewing something. "How's Ludwig?"
"Can you come meet me?"
"Are you actually requesting that I be a cockblock?"
"I'm not with Ludwig right now. I don't know what I said or did…" Elizabeta sighed. "Can you just meet me?"
"Sure. Be there in a bit," he said before hanging up. Twenty minutes later, Gilbert found her staring blankly into a small fountain.
"So what happened?" She told him about her encounter with Ludwig, surprised that it hurt more than she originally realized.
Gilbert sighed when she was done. "Sorry to break it to you Elizabeta, but that's just how Ludwig is. That's how he's always been. Work, work, work, work. Don't take it personally. I'm used to it."
"I don't know what to do now," Elizabeta said.
"Here's my suggestion. Make a wish and let's go get some beer."
"It's 1:00 in the afternoon."
"What's your point?" Elizabeta laughed and then pulled a random coin out of her bag. She closed her eyes and dropped it into the fountain.
"Awesome," Gilbert said. "Now let's go get smashed."
"Is this place ever not packed?" Gilbert complained when their car pulled up to the train station the next day.
"At least it's not rush hour," Elizabeta mumbled. She was still a little hungover from the night before. She normally didn't drink much, but she had downed every glass that had been put in front of her until she could no longer count the fingers on her own hand. The last thing she remembered was setting off fireworks in the middle of the street. Then she had woken up upside down in bed with Gilbert's foot in her face. By the time she had gotten downstairs, Ludwig had already gone to work. She would have at least liked to say goodbye.
The driver came over to open her door and, wobbling slightly, she stepped out.
"Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland," she said quietly as she took her bags. From behind her a car honked loudly and she turned to see a sleek black car—identical to the one that she had just gotten out of—pull up.
"Did we forget something?" Gilbert asked. She ignored him.
One of the backseat doors opened and out stepped Ludwig. He was dressed for work in a sharp black suit and Elizabeta felt her heart skip a beat.
"West? Why are you here? Don't you have a world to conquer or a puppy to kick?" Gilbert asked. Ludwig ignored him and turned to Elizabeta.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. I just needed time to finish this." He handed her a small box. "You can open it later." Elizabeta took the box with shaking hands and tried to find the right words to express her gratitude without bursting into tears.
"Enjoy the rest of your trip," Ludwig turned to go.
"Wait!" Elizabeta stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek. She was sure she heard the sound of a camera somewhere. Behind her Gilbert made a gagging noise. "Thank you for everything," she said.
"N-no problem," Ludwig said. His face was bright red.
"Sorry to cut this sickeningly sweet moment short but we have a train to catch. Come on Liz. Later West."
"Don't forget you have an errand to run," Ludwig said.
"Don't be a nag. I won't," Gilbert said over his shoulder.
"Because if you do, Vash will shoot off you kneecaps and I won't stop him."
"I said I won't!"
"Bye, Ludwig."
"Bye, Elizabeta."
With one last wave, Elizabeta ran off after Gilbert. They barely made it on time and had to squeeze past the many bags of a sleeping boy to get to their seats. Gilbert, being himself, accidentally knocked one over. It fell open and out tumbled at least ten boxes of pasta.
"Why the hell does someone need so much pasta?" Gilbert said as he quickly stuffed the boxes back in.
"Don't ask me. Hurry up!" Elizabeta whispered. The boy still slept soundly.
"So open the box already!" Gilbert said when they were finally seated.
"Don't rush me." Elizabeta carefully opened the box and pulled out the small clock inside. The actual clock had been placed into the trunk of a tree and against it slept a girl in a blue dress who had a white rabbit curled up in her lap.
"Who's that?" Gilbert asked.
"Alice."
"Like, from that one book?"
"Yes."
"Why would Ludwig give you this?"
Elizabeta carefully placed the clock back in the box and tucked the box safely in her carry on bag.
"Because he believes in me."
May 11th,
Dear Elizabeta,
That is unfortunate. My music festival begins June 1st. If you still want to come, I will gladly accommodate you for the three days that you will be here.
And you know how I feel about computers. I just don't understand them and they give me headaches. I very much prefer writing letters. If you need some stamps let me know.
Personally, I'm not a fan of Berlin. It's much too crowded for my tastes. I prefer Munich or Stuttgart. However, I look forward to hearing about your adventures. As always, stay safe and I hope to see you soon.
-Roderich
A/N:
(1) If you are ever in Germany, go to an ice cream store, and order this. SOOOOO GOOOOD.
I'm tempted to start shipping Germany/Hungary now XD
Anyway, next chapter is Italy. Hopefully it won't be this long. My wrist and hands hurt so much from typing ;A;
-with love
dancer