Gilbert felt himself tense up at the sound of the voice on the other line. After taking in a shaky breath, he quietly released it.

"Viktor," He returned the greeting.

There was a long pause of silence, but Gilbert willed himself to stay on the line.

"Did you enjoy my gift?" Viktor asked with a taunting tone.

At this, the silver-haired man froze. He had done his best to keep himself from thinking about how his ex could be involved in him being raped. But now the realization of it hit him like the brick wall that his face was roughly shoved into that same night.

"You know; it really was quite pricy. I know that your princely ass always liked big, expensive gifts. I never did understand why you always felt that you had to have everything that you wanted. Is that what happened when you were a child? Huh? Did your bastard of a father ever come back to save his little boy from the awful monster he created? No. No, Gilbert, he packed up and left without even sparing a glance at you," He continued.

Gilbert could practically hear the sneer in his voice, and he felt himself tense up at the harsh words. He attempted to fire anything back, but was quickly cut off as Viktor continued.

"Enough of these games. I'm picking you up, Gilbert. Where are you?"

Although Gilbert had promised himself that he wouldn't hang up, he also didn't want to be dragged back to that damn apartment. As soon as Viktor said the first syllable of his name, Gilbert ended the call.

Gilbert lowered the phone from his ear, and felt his chest tighten up. He bit his lower lip, and a small sniffle broke the silence of the hallway. He closed his eyes, and willed the tears back. Leaning against the gray wall, he covered his mouth with a trembling hand, and did his best to keep from making a sound. A year ago, he never would have allowed himself to get to this sort of pathetic state. He hated himself for what he had allowed Viktor to reduce him to; nothing more than a quivering mess of a man.

He hated Viktor. Even hated himself at times, which was what caught the German off-guard the most. He had always been overly-confident, and full of himself. At this point, Gilbert felt unsure about even the most basic decisions. It concerned Gilbert that he couldn't even recall when he had started to feel so bitter about the world. It must have been the first time that Viktor had hit him. Square in the face, with absolutely no remorse in his eyes. The only thing Gilbert remembered about that night was the harsh sting of the man's hand making contact with the albino's cheek, and the smug smirk that Viktor wore so often. Hell, Gilbert couldn't even recall what had sparked such a reaction. But it began to be a consistent thing in both of their lives. Gilbert had tried to fight back, of course he had. Naturally, each time resulted in the same thing. An exchange of derogatory, and patronizing words that began to wear down on the German emotionally. After the yelling there was often some sort of threat. On Viktor's side, it was to simply hand Gilbert over to whoever wanted him in their bed that night; while Gilbert swore up and down that he would run away, and Viktor would never see him again.

It didn't take long for Viktor to call out the albino on his empty threat. Viktor knew that Gilbert was too obnoxious to keep a job for very long. Viktor was the sole provider for the both of them, and could barely make it to the next month with more than ten dollars in his checking account. Gilbert was spoiled, even he knew that. But he also knew that material goods could only fill so little when it came to the happiness that he wanted out of his life. Looking around at Ivan's apartment, Gilbert could tell that the large man was thoroughly enjoying the life he was living. It felt warmer in that apartment than Gilbert had felt for what could be years. Hell, Gilbert was only 24 years old. He should be out on the town having however much fun he pleases! Now that his controlling ex wasn't hovering over him, he could finally breathe easy, and do some of the things he actually wanted!

With his breathing settled down, he gave a small smile, and wiped what few tears had leaked their way down his cheeks. With his resolve renewed, he slid the phone back into his pocket, and waltzed back into the Ivan's apartment. The Russian was a little taken aback at the cocky way the albino carried himself. It was an obvious change from the nervous demeanor that he had when he left the room.

"Well, don't you look happy?" Ivan questioned with a small smile.

At that, the albino beamed a wide smile. Ivan felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. Gilbert's white hair was shining from the shower, and his eyes were sparkling a brighter red than Ivan had ever seen.

Although Gilbert did not reveal much information other than the fact that he had resolved a conflict with his ex. Unfortunately for Ivan, Gilbert didn't let on any more information about the person. More specifically, he didn't identify which gender this ex of his was. Of course, with how gorgeous Gilbert was, Ivan wouldn't be surprised if the man could either of the genders into his bed. Ivan only hoped that the albino preferred men.

Suddenly, a phone rang from a room that Gilbert had not seen yet. The door was shut, so naturally he began to wonder what exactly was in the room. The rest of the doors in the apartment were left open, so it was clear that Ivan had something in the room that he didn't like strangers getting into.

"You still have a home phone?" Gilbert teased with a small grin.

"It's just for work," Ivan stated as he stood, "If you ever hear it ringing while I'm gone, feel free to answer it," he continued as he walked to the door.

So much for keeping secrets. Gilbert thought bitterly. He had hoped that there would be a little more to Ivan than this. Although, he didn't want it to be anything too shocking. He'd rather not be alone in the same place as a long-lost serial killer. Even just a secret pet would suffice. Gilbert didn't want things to get too boring for his stay there.

He watched as Ivan entered the room, and tuned out whatever he was saying to the other person on the phone. He started thinking about how long he actually intended to stay here. At this point, Ivan was the closest thing he had to a friend. While he was living with Viktor, he was isolated from nearly all of his friends. Eventually, they all moved away, and Gilbert was left alone. He still tried to keep into contact with two of them, but they were busy living their own lives. Gilbert hadn't even see them since he met Viktor. If he could, he would gladly move in with them. He wasn't really sure exactly where the two had ended up, but he could easily figure out. He heard the soft click of the door shutting, as the Russian came back into view.

"Do you have anywhere to get more of your clothes?" He asked. Gilbert didn't really want to say that he had been on the streets for about a week, so he settled for shaking his head. This caused a wide smile to appear on the man's lips. "Great! Then we can go shopping for some new ones, if you would like?" He offered.

Gilbert looked down at the clothes he was practically swimming in, and decided that a new wardrobe would do him some good. He just hoped that the Russian didn't expect to be paid back. He hadn't visited the city mall for months, and he was honestly eager to see it once more. The pain medicine that Ivan had given him was working wonders, so Gilbert didn't see anything wrong with going to find new clothes.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," said Gilbert while he plugged his phone into the charger. At least that way, Viktor wouldn't be able to bother him while he was out. He didn't really want to go out dressed in what appeared to be Ivan's pajamas though.

"I've got your clothes in the dryer," the Russian said as if reading Gilbert's mind, "they should be done any minute now."

Gilbert felt his face flush a tad bit at how considerate Ivan was acting towards him. "When did you put them in?" He questioned, not quite sure what to say.

"I woke up early and put them in the washing machine. Before I left to get groceries, I put them in the dryer," Ivan answered. "They were pretty torn up…But you'll have more in just a couple of hours!" He said cheerily.

Gilbert felt as though Ivan were more excited than he was. Perhaps the Russian was lonely as well. That would explain why he was so quick to accept Gilbert into his home. He seemed very eager to make sure Gilbert was happy, and comfortable.

Ivan excused himself to get the dry clothes, so Gilbert made his way to the bathroom. He was a bit worried about how cold it would be outside. He didn't bring a jacket when he left his house, so it was likely that he would still have to wear some of Ivan's clothes. He stripped and dropped the clothes onto the floor as he waited for Ivan to arrive with his clothes.

Ivan smiled when he saw that the dryer had just recently finished drying the clothes. He pulled open the door and smiled at the warmth hitting his face. He pulled out the albino's jeans and his smile disappeared as he saw the many rips that the attack had caused.

Gilbert won't mind… he thought. He'd probably wear ripped jeans on purpose any day…

He'd look good in them too. They looked like skinny jeans, and Ivan would be lying if he said he wasn't eager to see them cling to Gilbert's thin figure. He then pulled out the shirt he was wearing, and folded it along with the jeans. Ivan blushed gently as he pulled out the last item in the dryer. A small pair of boxers with the German flag printed on them.

The Russian let out a small chuckle, "Figures…"

The waist looked like it would just barely cover Gilbert's hipbones. He would look good in them, Ivan concluded. After folding them, he set them on the other clothes, and made his way to the other bathroom. He knocked on the door, and a pale arm reached out. He could see small goosebumps begin to form on the man. If the albino was cold, he must have already stripped his clothes off. The Russian blushed darkly as the image of the man naked suddenly flooded his mind. He turned away from the door, and placed the folded clothes on Gilbert's arm.

The German whispered a quick word of thanks, and the arm disappeared back into the bathroom. Ivan took a quick look at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was almost a quarter to 4. The thermostat next to it said that it was even colder than it was yesterday. With this in mind, he headed back up to his room. He knew he had to have a spare jacket somewhere. Although it would be significantly bigger on the albino, they would just buy him his own today. He ended up pulling out a light gray one for Gilbert to use, while putting on his own coat.

On his way down the stairs he saw Gilbert leaning against the couch, and smiled at the man.

"It's getting chilly out, so I thought you might want this," he said as he held up the coat for the albino to examine.

He must have like how it looked, because he met Ivan on the stairs just so he could see it closer. "It looks awesome!" he said enthusiastically running his fingers over the heavy, gray material. Ivan handing it over to him, and the German slid it onto his tiny figure. Although the sleeves reached past his fingertips, Gilbert didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Ready to go?" asked Ivan while he watched Gilbert zip up the coat. He smiled at the small nod of the other, and the two headed for the door.

The taxi dropped them off at the entrance of the mall, and the Russian paid the man as Gilbert started up at the three-story building. The exterior was mostly a pale brown color, with black accents between the different levels. The entire third floor was made up of windows, and the albino couldn't help but stare in awe. It was no wonder why the parking lot was overflowing! Briefly, Gilbert wondered why he had never been to this mall. Hell, he didn't even recall ever seeing it. He supposed it was simply because he and Viktor were living on the opposite side of the city. He felt the Russian nudge his shoulder, and he turned to look at the man.

"It's even better in the inside," Ivan smiled. Gilbert simply looked at the Russian with a blank face, but if he were honest, he couldn't wait to get inside. The mall was very spacious, but was still full of people. It was surprising that there were so many people there when it was so late. A part of him felt like he needed to hold onto Ivan just so he didn't get taken away with the crowd. He felt himself reach for Ivan, but quickly scolded himself and placed the hand back by his side. He allowed Ivan to lead the way as he watched as stores passed by. Many of them had fancy names that Gilbert refused to even try to pronounce. They had mannequins wearing fancy suits, and business attire in the store windows.

He took a look at the people around him, and it appeared that nearly everyone was wearing fairly fancy clothing. He crossed his arms over his chest suddenly feeling self-conscious about his ripped jeans. He watched Ivan move, and was surprised when he saw the elegance that the large Russian man seemed to have as he walked through the crowd. Clearly he was much more comfortable in these kinds of places than Gilbert was.

Ivan caught the other staring, and simply smiled. "Is there anywhere specific you want to look?" he asked.

"You know your way around here better than I ever will. Just pick one," he said with a small pout. "Are you sure they have… normal clothes?" he asked while taking another look at the never-ending suit displays. The only places that Viktor ever let him shop for clothes were the few thrift stores that littered their side of the city.

Ivan gave a deep laugh at the question. "Of course they do, but they're on the second floor."

The two made their way up the escalator, which Gilbert seemed to really enjoy. The only mall that he had ever been to had only one level, so it was quite a treat to the man. Gilbert stopped outside of some kind of women's store, and Ivan stopped to see what it was that the albino was looking at. The entire store was pink, and fluffy slipper were displayed on the table at the front of the store. It seemed odd to Ivan that Gilbert seemed to want to go in, but he followed to shorter man regardless.

Gilbert headed straight for the pajama section, completely ignoring all the half-naked pictures of women lining the walls. This excited Ivan, as it confirmed that Gilbert may actually be more interested in men than women. He had a chance after all!

Ivan watched as Gilbert scanned the many racks of clothes until he settled his gaze on a white set with black trip. Although Ivan was skeptical, Gilbert really did need some pajamas that actually fit him. They bought a pair of white bunny slippers as well, which Ivan couldn't help but tease the man about. The way the albino blushed was just too precious for Ivan to give up. Ivan paid for Gilbert's things, and they made their way out of the store.

They passed by a clothing store where Gilbert saw a black T-shirt that he really thought that he needed. It was cute with a little red design on the front, even if Ivan wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. They walked in together, and Gilbert plucked the same shirt off of a shelf.

"What do you think?" Gilbert asked while holding the shirt in front of his chest. Ivan actually liked it a bit more than he thought he would. The black contrasted with the albino's ivory skin, and white hair very well. Ivan nodded his approval, and the man searched for his size. Although Ivan would never shop here for himself, it seemed that his red-eyed friend was right at home.

After picking out a fair amount of shirts, Ivan suggested that they look at the jeans while they were there. Gilbert agreed, and he picked out some black ones to try on. Ivan sat on a small stool while he patiently waited for the man to come out.

As Gilbert strutted out of the dressing room, Ivan felt his pants tighten ever so slightly. The material hugged every curve that the albino had, and seemed to make his ass look ten times more defined. Just the thought of running his hand over the smooth skin made the Russian shudder. He liked these jeans. He liked them a lot. Ivan swore to himself when he realized that the man was standing in front of him saying something that the Russian didn't quite catch. The albino walked back into the dressing room, and Ivan could have sworn that Gilbert was swishing his hips like that on purpose.

This is going to be a long shopping trip… Ivan thought as he tried desperately to hide the blush heating up his face.

Gilbert tightened the coat around him. It was nearly 9 o'clock, and the chilly air had only worsened over the time they spent shopping. Gilbert couldn't wait to try on his new pajamas. They were even made of silk! He had no doubts that he'd sleep better tonight than he had in years. He tried to force back the grin making its way onto his face, but he couldn't help it. He really had an awesome time with Ivan, and had a lot more fun than he honestly expected to.

He shifted the bags in his hands as Ivan called a taxi over. The driver opened the trunk for them, and Ivan assisted Gilbert in putting the bags inside. The two climbed into the back, and Gilbert released a heavy yawn as he finally was able to let his feet relax. He felt thoroughly exhausted, and couldn't wait to get back to Ivan's apartment.

Ivan smiled as he saw the German begin to doze off. If he could read Gilbert as well as he thought he could, then the man clearly had a blast. The two had clearly grown closer through the experience, and the thought made Ivan smile. Finally, he felt as though he had a connection with someone. As he saw the apartment come into view, he gently shook the albino's shoulder. The man let out a small groan and turned his head from the window to face Ivan.

"We're just about there," the Russian whispered, smiling when he saw red eyes open just a bit. Gilbert nodded in response, and stretched his arms above his head as well as he could in the slightly cramped car. He sat up a bit more as he rubbed at his eyes to try and wake himself up more.

The taxi slowed, and parked at the curb. Both men got out after paying the driver, and Ivan took the bags from the trunk. After fishing his apartment key out of his pocket, he opened his door and let Gilbert in first. Gilbert shut the door for him, and took some of the bags from him, asking where he should keep them.

"I can shift around the clothes in my dresser to make more room if you'd like?" Ivan offered. He had plenty of extra space anyway, since a majority of his clothes were hung up in the closet. Gilbert nodded and slowly made his way up the steps. The medicine that Ivan had given him earlier had worn off, and all the walking was beginning to get to him. He figured Ivan would be willing to give him more at some point when the pain became too much for him to handle.

Ivan followed him up the steps and told him to just set the bags on the bed for the time being. Gilbert did so, and took the pair of pajamas out of the bag. Ivan hung his coat back up, and did the same for Gilbert's when he took it off.

"Do you want to move your clothes while I change?" He asked Ivan while hugging the clothes to his chest. The Russian nodded, and told him that it wouldn't be a problem. Gilbert practically ran out of the room in his excitement. If it weren't for the pain in his back, he'd probably do a dance too. He closed the bathroom door, and took the tags off of his pajamas. After he set them on the washing machine, he slipped off his old clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. He was surprised to see that he was smiling without even realizing it, but the thought made his smile widen.

Aside from all the problems in the beginning, it turned out to be a really nice day. He thought to himself as he put on the pajamas. The silk felt cool on his skin, and he loved the feeling of it. He felt a little silly being so excited about his pajamas, but for some reason he found himself not particularly caring too much. He wasn't quite sure where to put his dirty clothes, so he just bundled them up in his arms and exited the bathroom.

Ivan heard small footsteps coming towards his room, and looked up to see Gilbert standing in the doorway. He had to remind himself to breath when he saw how beautiful the albino looked in the silk clothes. Although they were designed for women, Gilbert looked gorgeous in them. Ivan determined that Gilbert made a very nice choice when he selected this.

"Just like an angel…" whispered the Russian with wide eyes.

"Did you say something?" The German questioned, while just staring at him. Luckily the words were enough to snap Ivan out of the strange trance.

"Th-The left side is for your clothes." Ivan stuttered as he tried desperately to regain his focus.

"That'll work. Are you sleeping in here or am I?" He asked while he sat down next to the Russian on the floor to put his new clothes away.

"Which do you prefer?" Ivan questioned as he tried his best to not stare at the beauty sitting right next to him.

"I can sleep on the couch tonight," Gilbert offered. He really didn't feel like making the large man suffer through the night after he had just bought hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars' worth of clothing.

Once everything was put back in their places, Ivan wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Ivan asked.

"I guess." Gilbert shrugged, and they made their way down the stairs.

Ivan grabbed the remote controller off of the glass coffee table, as Gilbert settled comfortably on the sofa. Flipping through channels, he eventually settled on the news. Although it never really interested him, he thought Gilbert might be curious about what was going on in the world. Nearly ten minutes later, he glanced over and saw Gil resting his head in the palm of his right hand, looking bored out of his mind. Gilbert caught his eye and turned his head towards him.

"Is this really all that rich people do?" He scoffed at Ivan.

Although he couldn't really blame him, he was mildly surprised at how blunt Gilbert was. He shrugged at the albino's question.

"Do you have any better ideas?" He asked.

After a moment of silence. Gilbert simply turned his head back to the political debate taking place on the screen. Ivan rolled his eyes and began changing the channel. He continued until he saw Gilbert's head perk up a little. It appeared to be some kind of horror movie. He set the remote down and leaned back into the comfort of the beige couch. Gilbert had shifted to nearly mimic the position. Ivan couldn't help but reveal a small smile as he watched Gilbert out of the corner of his eye. It was clear that the albino was quite a horror movie fanatic. The way his eyes were eagerly scanning the screen was humorous to watch.

Ivan turned his attention back to the screen and felt the cushion move just as a figure flashed in front of the camera. He smirked as he looked over at Gilbert. Red eyes glared at him as he returned the gaze.

"You would have jumped too if you were actually paying attention…" He grumbled.

They continued on like that until the movie was just reaching the climax. Ivan had a bored expression on his face through most of it, but couldn't help the prickling feeling he got up his spine at the thick atmosphere of suspense. He felt himself lean forward slightly in amusement. He jumped and squeaked a little as he felt something lightly hit his shoulder. He looked over only to see the closed eyes of the albino. He chuckled to himself for letting his nerves get the better of him. Very rarely did he get scared. He contemplated letting the man stay on his shoulder, but decided that the man would throw a fit if he woke up and was still on Ivan.

Ivan turned off the TV while an actor was mid-scream, and carefully adjusted the albino so that he could stand. The shopping trip had clearly worn him out. Ivan tucked one of his arms under the man's legs, and the other propped the albino up so that he could lift him up without disturbing him too much. He carried the sleeping German up the stairs, much like he did that same early morning. Except now it was around 11 at night, so Ivan was more focused on not letting the albino fall.

He slid the door open with his foot, and attempted to lie Gilbert down on the bed. Gilbert didn't really seem to want to leave the warmth that Ivan provided, so he held onto the Russian's shirt and mumbled a few words of disapproval. Ivan felt his face heat up, and he gently pried Gilbert's hands off of his while whispering that everything was fine. He covered the man up, and watched as the white-haired man continued mumbling, and cuddled into the bedding. He brushed back a small strand of hair that was in Gilbert's face, and smiled at the little hum that the man made.

I think I'm falling for you… Ivan blushed at how true the thought was. All he could do now was hope that Gilbert wouldn't let him fall too hard.