Aw, I'm glad I'm convincing people who don't usually like this couple to give it a try! As for Austria's man-whoring... yeah, I don't know why, but I love it. But I think later in the fanfic people will grow to like him more. Since right now Austria kind of looks like a... well, he just looks bad right now.
Warnings: OOC, Rating will go up, and Yaoi
Summary: AU, Prussia is a famous artist who has become attracted to one of the wealthy aristocrats that bought his artwork.
Main Pairing: Prussia/Austria
Side Pairings: Russia/America, England/France, Germany/N. Italy, Spain/S. Italy, and Switzerland/Liechtenstein
Mentioned Pairings: Prussia/Hungary, Prussia/Poland, Russia/Prussia, Switzerland/Japan, Almost Everyone/Austria, and Poland/Hungary
NOTES FOR THIS CHAPTER
1. There's Russia/America in this chapter! YAY!
2. I had never been inside the MAK, just the outside. I will have inaccuracy with those details so I apologize!
3. Once this story is complete, I will need to fix all the errors in this story. If someone would like to beta when I'm done, please let me know by either email, in a review, or through messaging.
Chapter 4
"Do I really have to dress nicely Francis? I mean, I'm just an artist not a buyer." I said.
"Nonsense Gilbert dear, you have to look good for this show. Otherwise you won't be taken seriously and you will lose potential clients!" The French man sighed. I shrugged. No one ever went into art to make lots of money. Never in my life had I thought I was going to do so well in the field. I loved the feeling of pouring my soul into something and giving it to the world. Money is never a motive for me, and it never will.
"Gilbert, I will leave early so that I can set up your sculpture with the others. Please wear the clothes that I picked out. Who knows? You might catch more of Roderich's interest and maybe when you get tipsy, you'll let him take a free sample." The tone of his voice almost made me want to vomit. Seriously, was it a right of passage to sleep with that man or something?
"No thank you, I don't wish to have anything to do with that bastard." My friend just ignored my statement. The blonde grabbed the unusual chair I made and opened the door to leave.
"I'm leaving now Gilbert, and please, look decent-"
"Yeah, I know, just leave me alone. I'll be there on time, don't worry; I called for my brother to drive me. Now stop worrying and get going! After all, I already have Westie to worry about me like that."
"Get dressed quickly Gilbert." I heard the front door shut and I sighed in relief. Despite the personality I presented to my friends, I was actually a pretty modest person when it came to my body. It was probably because it was so pale and it glowed like a ghost.
I examined the clothes that Francis laid out for me to wear. He picked out my Polo Ralph Lauren dress shirt. It wasn't a bad looking shirt. It was light blue, but it had white and purple vertical stripes to make it less plain. The stripes are thin though, so that the shirt didn't clash with anything that was a bolder piece. The greatest thing about the designer dress shirt was how it felt. It felt smooth to the touch, for it was made with all natural cotton, and the shirt had a moderate collar, meaning the collar was long enough to be noticed, but it wasn't long enough to touch my chin. The thing was pretty nice considering it was a simple, button down shirt. But there were some reasons why I didn't like to wear it, even if it was an awesome shirt. Personally, I didn't care for long sleeved shirts, especially if the garment was form fitting. I think it was because it restricted the movement of my arms and no artist likes to be restricted.
My friend had also picked out a simple black tie, which is the same brand as the shirt. The only thing that was interesting about it was that it had a bunch of shields on it. The shields have inside them a white sword, Ralph Lauren's initials, and two golden colored lions. Usually I wore something more festive or interesting when it came to ties, but I think Francis didn't want me to look over done.
A Hugo Boss suit was laid out as well. It was a shade lighter than charcoal gray, but it had a strange sheen that I didn't know if it was natural or not. Antonio would probably say something about metallic thread being woven in with the other threads. The blazer is just as streamline and body hugging as the dress shirt Francis picked out. The jacket also had a deep neckline to making sure that the shirt underneath was visible. Because it was so form fitting, the jacket only needed three button closures. The buttons added a special touch to the blazer, for they had a golden spiral design. It wasn't a detail that was to be noticed from afar, but it was a good finishing touch when someone was close to the person. The pants were slim fitting trousers, meaning they tapered from the hip all the way down to the ankles. There wasn't any distracting pleating on the waist band; instead, there was only a single crease on each leg. The crease for some reason made the pants more professional, which was good since I wasn't exactly known for being appropriate.
"Well, I guess it's not so bad. Bonnefoy did pretty good." I said to myself.
I threw off my ragged T-shirt, letting it fall onto the pile on the floor. The old shirt should probably be thrown away, but I don't care about my appearance. I shivered as I put on the fresh clothes for they felt cool against my skin. Soon the only thing I needed were dress socks and shoes and I would be ready to go to the show.
I looked to see what time it was, to see I still had fifteen minutes before Ludwig would pick me up. I sat on my couch and sighed. There was less artwork in my living room because I sent twelve of them to be auctioned. The auction wouldn't be for another week, but at least I didn't have to deal with the mess.
A chime sounded from my clock. I turned to see it was seven.
For some reason when I looked at the minute hand on the number twelve, I thought of Edelstein. At first just that out of place flick of hair was in my mind. The chocolate brown strands flowed in grand waves that traveled down to his face. It was then I thought about those eyes of his. Those intense eyes staring at me as if they were right in front of me...
"What the hell am I doing?" Urgh, maybe I shouldn't had a drink earlier with Francis and Antonio before the event. It must still be affecting me somehow. Hopefully it won't make me do something stupid during the Contemporary show tonight. Francis had been excited about it since he planned it two months ago.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Westie, the door is open!" I heard the door open and I got up to greet my brother.
Ludwig looks great. My younger brother wore a navy blue suit. Unlike mine, it didn't have shimmer to it, but that lack of detail seemed to make it better for Westie. It was probably because he didn't have a flashy personality. In the pocket over the left breast is a white pocket square, with light blue polka dots, giving his outfit the slight whimsical feel it was missing. His trousers were tapered just like mine. The reason they looked different was because Ludwig naturally had a thick muscles, especially in his legs, which meant the pants hugged his legs. I had to admit, Ludwig cleaned up good, and it was one of those moments that I felt proud that my little brother turned into such a handsome man.
"Ah, I see you are dressed. Come on, the car is still running. I don't want to hit traffic. Where is your sculpture?"
"Francis took it." I said, heading out the door and handing Ludwig the key to my condo. He followed my lead, making sure to lock the door.
The drive was short for me, for Westie dropped me off at the entrance while he continued to drive to find parking. The building looked similar to a pristine university. The look was very fitting for Francis, for his first job was to be a professor of art. It was only one year of working at the college, that he was offered the job of curator of this museum. I can almost imagine the building altering its appearance to look more like the ones in colleges, in order to be more welcoming and familiar to my friend. It is a rust colored brick building with chalk white colored bricks at the edges. It had three floors, all of which had multiple windows all around. There weren't as many windows as the Albertina, and they weren't as decorated, but it made the museum more welcoming to people who were knew to art instead of intimidating.
There weren't any people for the event didn't start until eight, but I had to get there early. After all, the main attraction shouldn't be late, for that would disappoint the commoners.
I went inside, only to almost fall backward after being pounced on by my Spanish friend.
"Oh Gilbert, you look so handsome! I think I should hire Francis to help me with designing outfits for models on the runway." It was funny to see my friends overreact to my appearance.
"Thank you Antonio, I do look awesome don't I?"
"You're not just awesome star-child... really, you look wonderful." His tone grew softer, but his eyes still displayed the intense emotion he had. This was one of the reasons I liked Antonio so much. The man is passionate about everything he does. When he hates something he despises it to the very core of his being, and when he loves something, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was enamored.
"Well buddy, how's your new boyfriend doing?"
"Good, I am a little hurt though," he paused so that he could slip his arms off of me. "Since we are still getting to know each other, he won't allow me to say that he's my date. But I understand it must run in the family..." It was sad to see him so disappointed, but I knew he wouldn't think about it too long.
"Sorry about the lousy situation Antonio. But hey, that doesn't mean you can't introduce him to us. You have to say though that he's a new friend." I said, trying to cheer up the dark skinned man.
"Ah, I see what you mean. Oh! Francis told me that you have to go find him. I believe he wants your opinion on where your piece should be." I thanked my friend for the information and I wandered into various rooms of the museum in search of my French friend. It was odd being in a museum before the opening event. The place was so quiet. There are no people whispering or discussing how they felt about a certain piece or the smell of perfume or cologne of strangers. The only thing that was there were the pieces set up and the sounds of my footsteps. I had to be careful at what I looked at. If I looked at a piece that interested me, I might stand there for hours and make a fool of myself and Francis' show.
It was like a maze when walking into the museum. I believe the blonde curator did that on purpose so that people would stay and admire the artwork longer, just because they were lost. It wasn't until I was in a poked my head into a large room that I saw my French friend and my piece.
"Oh Gilbert, you are here. Now, where in this room do you want your piece displayed?" I was shocked. This whole room was just for my sculpture?
"Right in the middle, that way it is the center of attention." Francis laughed.
"Of course, it is a work done by Gilbert Beilschmidt." Once he put the sculpture on a large pedestal, I asked him "Is this room really all for my piece?"
"You are the main artist that everyone wants to see Gilbert. Your piece is the one that needs the most room. Actually, it is the second largest because the largest one is given to a new coming artist that made a short film."
"Oh," I was still in shock.
"Gilbert, it must still be odd being so famous. Ah, I remember when I first met you in college. You were so different and bold, much to the professors' dismay. Though, I remember you were dating this Polish boy who seemed to get on your nerves all the time. I swear, I think the only reason you two stayed together was because he was so handsome."
"You mean Feliks? Yeah, he was good looking, but we just grew to not like each other anymore. But it was lonely without him."
"Oh dear..." Francis gasped. He shivered, as if there were a frightening monster that was behind me.
"What?"
"You know Ivan Braginski? The last boyfriend you had that was fond of throwing your glass works out windows?"
"Who can forget that psycho? He would do that every time I upset him." I can still remember seeing my masterpieces being shattered outside my condo.
"He is coming with his new boyfriend, but you won't believe me when I tell you who..." he paused, probably thinking whether or not to tell me or let me find out myself. It is Arthur's younger brother, Alfred. He is the one that is buying all your paintings."
"What the-"
"I know Gilbert-"
"Dear god, why is this happening? Do you really hate Francis that much?"
"Hate me? He hates you. God is the one who wants you to lose your best customer."
"Yeah, but he hates you more because it is during your show." I retorted.
"Oh my... you're right. Oh god why am I your victim tonight?" The French man cried out, getting on his knees. I sighed, knowing that tonight wasn't going to be pretty but I was going to do my best to not make it World War III.
"Gilbert, there's only thirty minutes before the event starts. Quickly, get out in the front entrance and greet people. You're the main attraction today." I pulled him up and said, "No, that honor goes to my awesome friend."
"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment Gilbert, for I have been feeling very nervous about this show." He said. We were able to find the beginning of the maze quickly, probably because Francis knew where he was going. He even pulled from inside his jacket a huge stack of paper, all of them had a map of how to walk through the maze. The French man spoke the truth when he said I had one of the larger rooms. My artwork was being displayed exactly in the middle of the maze, where everyone can have equal access to it whether they started from the left or the right.
There were already people there, waiting for the maze to be open to them. There was a young man with dark hair, the same color as cherry wood, talking to Antonio. Just as Antonio said, he had an out of place curl that was on the right side of his head. His eyes were a hazel color, which seemed out of place for him. It wasn't that they weren't beautiful, but it was because it looked more like the eyes of an older person. He had a slightly tan skin tone, not as dark as Antonio, but darker than most people in Austria. This was probably the boyfriend Romano that my Spanish friend was talking about. The younger man didn't have a tie; instead he had a gold chain with the cross of Jesus Christ as a pendant. He was wearing a lavender dress shirt, with thin silver pinstripes. The shirt was form fitting, showing that the young man was in good physical shape. The shirt was tucked into his wide legged tan pants, which would have looked odd if the shirt's body hugging property wasn't there. There was a tan blazer, one that probably matched the pant, but it was draped on his arm.
Antonio spotted us and waved for us to come over.
"Guys, this is my b- I mean, this is my friend, Romano."
"Ah, he is so adorable. Since he your friend, you wouldn't mind of Arthur and I invite into a threesome and-"
"Ugh, you're disgusting. Get away from me Frenchie." Romano said. Antonio and I burst out laughing. I learned to like the younger boy. We had a lot in common, due to the fact that we were elder brothers. It was sweet hearing him talk about his brother, Feliciano and how much he worried about him. I didn't think we would have a lot in common other than Antonio, but we surprisingly talked longer than the usual "Hello, how are you?"
In fact, we were still talking until I heard a recognizable and not so welcoming voice.
"Ah Gilbert, it is nice to see that your dreams of being an artist weren't crap after all." It's Ivan. Romano stood still, his eyes wide with fright. Antonio immediately pulled him away, leaving me alone to face the monster.
"Hey Ivan," I said, trying to sound somewhat cordial. The platinum blonde had that creepy smile of his, but it seemed less creepy today because of the younger, sunflower blonde man holding on to his arm. Alfred made everything seem easy going and better, but that was because he was almost as awesome as I am.
"Gilbert dude, you got something for me to buy today?"
"No, but there is an auction near the opera house next week that will be selling twelve of my works so you can pick up a piece there." I said. Although my blood was felt colder and thicker by the minute being in Ivan's presence, I didn't want to ruin relations with my favorite client. Alfred's the only person that I could actually challenge me in a drinking contest and he knew the best jokes. Plus, he was the one who paid my rent with all his spending.
"Gil, you don't have to be so nice. I know Ivan creeps everyone out, don't you my big, cuddly bear?" He cooed. Dear god, I felt vomit in the back of my throat. The only thing that was satisfying to hear that was that Braginski's face grew red from the comment and actually nodded. Oh how the mighty have fallen...
"Hey, the maze is open. See you Gilbert! Hope we can find time to hang out soon!"
"Of course you do, I am awesome personified."
"Hahaha, you're funny man. Bye!" The two left, Alfred still holding Ivan's hand as they entered the museum's gallery.
"Brother, I would like you to meet someone. I think you'll be amazed who this visitor is." I swerved to see that my brother Ludwig had a friend with him, who was blowing kisses at the beautiful women were entering the door. The boy looked like he didn't even graduate high school. His resemblance to Romano was undeniable, but there were key differences. The boy had his hair curl on the left side, and he had yellow eyes that looked like they were real gold. The young boy's eyes were joyous, as if it were already Christmas. He was absolutely adorable.
"Hi! You must be Ludwig's big brother, I'm Feliciano."
"Oh, you're the famous artist that's bringing realism back. You are so cute; it's hard to believe you're twenty-three." I got closer and snaked an arm around his waist. Unfortunately, my hand was swatted away by my little brother.
"Westie, that was not cool!" I snapped. Feliciano was confused and looked up at Ludwig to see what just happened. Ludwig blushed and said that nothing happened. It was then I realized that this wasn't just any friend, this was Westie's boyfriend.
"Oh ho, someone had not been telling his elder brother about his love life..." I said, poking Ludwig on the cheek. His face became redder. My little brother mumbled something about them just being friends, and led the auburn haired boy to the entrance of the gallery. I was going to follow, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was an older man, old enough to be my father. His hair was turning gray, but most of it was still the original dark brown color. He had blue eyes, which had a playful twinkle in them. It was only when I looked into the man's eyes did I recognize him. It was the duke Charles Edelstein.
"Hello there, you must be Gilbert Beilschmidt, the famous modern artist. It is a pleasure to meet you, as you have referred to yourself in papers, Lord Awesome." He bowed his head slightly, chuckling as he did so. I blushed and bowed as well, but then I started to laugh myself.
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too sir. What brings you here? I thought you weren't a fan of modern art."
"I'm not, but my son told me that tonight would be interesting. Isn't that right Roderich?" Oh crap. I looked over the older man's shoulder to see indeed, his son was behind him looking at us.
I almost forgot to breathe. Roderich was dressed in a white dress shirt, without the whimsical jabot. The garment fit the curves of his body perfectly, as if it were meant to be worn only by him. The jacket that he wore over the shirt was a maroon color, which would have looked horrible on someone if they had a blemish or imperfection on their skin. But Roderich made it look effortless, and it showcased how well taken care of his body was. The shirt was not tucked as I thought it would be, but it didn't matter because not only was it shorter than most dress shirts, but Roderich had the long legs to pull off such a style. He wore a straight legged trouser like he usually did, except instead of it being black, it was a navy color. It went well with the maroon blazer, for it was a softer neutral than the harsh black.
He looked at me, as if he wasn't interested, but I knew I was the only reason he was here. The aristocrat wanted to get under my skin and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction tonight.
"Yes, I saw the piece you made, the one with the crabs and lobsters. I notice that you are really good with detail and that you have similar techniques that of the masters of the classics. If you are not busy, I am in need of a wedding present for my son. Could you possibly paint a portrait of him for me?" It almost didn't process through my brain. A duke asked me, a simple artist, to do a portrait for him?
"I wouldn't mind, I am... not busy." I didn't know really know what to say to the other. I felt like kicking myself for acting this way. The older man didn't mind and started walking into the museum's maze, leaving Roderich and I to stare at each other.
"Hey priss, I see you keep your word." I said. I tried to be somewhat civil with my new client and model.
"Yes, it is refreshing to see you not dressed as a homeless man." He said, looking up and down on my frame.
"You disgust me. I may not be a Catholic anymore, but I still have some morals. One of them is that all romantic relationships should be monogamous." It was odd to be the prudish one in the conversation, but I couldn't help it. It was one of my beliefs and he thought that I was going to violate them.
"I find that so odd from an artist. I would have thought that you of all people would understand how outdated monogamy is."
"Outdated?"
"Marriage and monogamy have no meaning anymore. Over half of the people in a relationship have cheated on their partner. Science has proven those feelings are quite natural and that we do these things because the partner that we love with the frontal lobe part of our brain doesn't fit our version of beauty, intelligence, or endurance. Having multiple partners ensures that one's offspring are what they desire. Monogamy restricts an individual, and is an outdated way of conducting one's sexual life." I couldn't stop myself. I ran up to him and pushed him against the wall.
"How can you be so horrible? You are a monster and I hope you die alone!" I stomped out of the museum, chasing after a taxi in order to get away from the duke's son as fast as I could...
End of Chapter 4
I AM NOT SAYING THAT SCIENCE IS BAD! All the things Roderich says are technically true, but that doesn't mean that everyone should follow that path.
Now that I got that out of the way, read and review please! Don't worry; they don't hate each other forever! I swear!