Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep 'em coming!
A/N: Shoutout to carbo21 for her idea of making Artie a fairy in the last chapter XD
Chapter 6: Salut d'Amour, Part 2
Gilbert was in love with Roderich's music.
Each time Gilbert arrived at the huge mansion – which, to be honest, was every day – he entered the building to the sound of the gorgeous grand piano. He would pause in the entrance hall, standing by the doorway to the music room, in the shadows, staring at the Austrian as he finished whatever piece he happened to be playing. His eyes were always closed, having memorized the piece perfectly. His long-fingered, ivory hands would glide gracefully across the black and white keys, allowing his body to flow with the music.
Roderich's technique was flawless. He was gentle where he had to be and aggressive where it was required, but even when it was a more forceful piece, the underlying gentleness was still evident. It was almost as if Roderich were caressing the music, bringing out the most beautiful and tense parts and creating something amazing.
On one such morning, Gilbert watched as Roderich played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Although it was not the most difficult piece in the world, the way Roderich played it made it seem like Gilbert was hearing it for the first time. All of the beauty and the angst and the passion of the piece was clearly brought out by Roderich's expressive playing and Gil found himself holding his breath as he finished, letting the last chord fade away before stepping into the room with a broad smile on his face, slowly clapping.
Roderich jolted from his relaxed position at the piano, looking at Gilbert with wide violet eyes. "Well done, Little Prince," Gil exclaimed. He noticed Roderich's cheeks flush in annoyance at the nickname. It had just seemed so right when Gilbert had given it to him a few days ago and although Roderich had protested against it very much at the beginning, Gil wouldn't let it go, so Roderich just gave up which allowed Gilbert the very great pleasure of making the pretty musician angry.
"You really should not eavesdrop," Roderich said, frowning in disapproval as he stood and moved away from the piano. "It isn't in very good taste." Gil laughed, running a hand across a nearby violin.
"Of course you would say something like that," he said, grinning at the dark-haired man. "But it caused you no pain and it brought only pleasure to me, so I think that you should bend the rules of 'taste' because they do not apply to moi." Roderich's scowl got deeper even as his cheeks flushed at Gilbert's praise.
Gilbert had discovered that though Roderich might have been living alone for a while in that huge house, he was in no way a pushover. He was pretty sure actually, that if his arrival at Roderich's mansion the other day hadn't been so completely out of the ordinary, Roderich would have kicked him out, especially now that he knew Gilbert's rather pushy and flamboyant character.
And still Gil felt the irresistible urge to tease the man by acting rather brashly and confidently which he could tell grated on the man's nerves. He was just so adorable whenever he got that disapproving frown on his face while his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. His lavender eyes seemed to both express and suppress many emotions at the exact same time. He smiled, but it was always tinged with sadness. He laughed, but it was laugh tainted by anger and bitterness. What had happened in Roderich's past Gil didn't know, and however much he yearned to find out, he knew that Roderich would probably throw him out from his presence if he so much as he asked.
So Gilbert continued to frequently haunt Roderich's music room, staving off his curiosity by feeding it with the music that he and Roderich created together.
xXx
One morning, at breakfast, Gil noticed that Alfred looked rather chipper. "Look who's Mr. Golden Sunshine this morning," Gilbert smirked, stretching as he stood from the table. Mattie, who was clearing away the dishes, smiled softly at his friends before retreating into the kitchen. Gil felt a tiny stab of guilt as he knew how hard Matthew was working for them, but the draw to Roderich's music room was too strong to resist.
Alfred followed Gilbert out the front door into the morning sunlight. He smiled as he gestured to the sling on his arm. "Arthur said that he can take this off today," Alfred explained, practically leaping down the porch steps.
"Do you spend all your time with that doctor these days?" Gil asked as they turned left onto the sidewalk.
Alfred shrugged, grinning. "He's hilarious," he said. "His reactions are so funny and he acts like he can't stand me, but I know that he's secretly pleased with my company. I think it gets pretty lonely for him in that unused doctor's office, so of course it's the hero's duty to keep him company." Gilbert laughed. That sounds eerily similar to me and Roderich, he thought to himself, his stomach doing a tiny flip as he thought about the lavender-eyed musician.
He left Alfred in front of the clinic as he continued down the street in the direction of Roderich's mansion. As usual he couldn't see it from the street, although he technically should've been able to considering how large it was. Probably some magical crap, he thought, shivering a bit despite the warm day.
Almost as if in response to his thought, a puff of smoke appeared just before him, clearing away to reveal one of the 'warlocks' that they had met upon their arrival in Dis.
"Holy shit!" Gilbert cried, leaping backwards. He groaned when he recognized the little Italian. "Damn it, don't do that shrimpy."
The warlock looked up at him with big green eyes. "Ve, sorry Gilbert!" He said cheerily. This one's Feliciano, right? Gilbert glanced around.
"Where's the other one?"
Feliciano looked at him in confusion, before realizing what he was talking about. "Oh, Lovi? Ve, he snuck off to call his Spanish boyfriend." Feliciano giggled a little. Gilbert frowned.
"How can he talk to him?" He asked. "He's not in this town is he?" Feliciano shrugged with a smile.
"We are not the prisoners here," he explained. The two of them started to walk down the street in the direction Gilbert had been going. "Plus, we're warlocks and we have ways of communicating that don't bend to normal rules." Gilbert hummed noncommittally. Feliciano glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. "You're going to go see Roderich aren't you?" Gilbert nodded, keeping his eyes forward. "How is he?" The Italian asked quietly.
Gilbert frowned and looked down at the man. "Lonely," he said shortly. "Though he tries to pretend he isn't." Feliciano smiled slightly, his eyes looking straight ahead. Gilbert started to feel annoyed. "Why hasn't anyone been to see him besides me?" He demanded, stopping. "He's all alone in that big house and though he says nothing, I know he really wants someone to talk to."
Feliciano stopped a little ways ahead of him and turned back to look at him. "We would," he said quietly. "We really would. But we cannot see his home so we cannot visit him." Gilbert narrowed his red eyes.
"I know you can't see it from the street, but if you just go around the buildings…" Feliciano shook his head.
"Ve, not even then." He stuffed his hands in the pockets of the strange blue cloak he was wearing. "The thing with Roderich's home is that it is only visible to people who the owner wants to see, only the people who can fulfill his deepest desire."
Gilbert frowned. "Then why me?" Feliciano smiled, his eyes lighting up.
"Weren't you looking for a place to play music?" He asked. "Ludwig told me that that's what you were looking for. Maybe all Roderich wanted was someone to come play with him. Ordinary company wasn't something he truly wanted, lonely or not." Gilbert felt his cheeks flush slightly.
"So…I'm the only one able to visit him?" He asked. Feliciano nodded, turning back around and skipping to the entrance of the police building a little ways away.
"Why are you going to see Ludwig?" Gil asked, pausing in front of the building. Feliciano glanced back, his hand on the door.
"He's mine," he said simply, his eyes soft. "Though I'm the warden of Dis and not a prisoner with a curse to lift, the Fates sent him to me because they knew I needed him. Ve, they are actually really good people, the Fates." Waving, Feliciano disappeared into the building.
"Wait – "But he had already closed the door. Gilbert sighed, continuing to walk. He had wanted to ask the warlock more about these Fates. He turned at the corner of the Laundromat and emerged on the other side to see the huge, beautiful mansion.
He paused on the walkway, staring up at it, a tiny, satisfied grin on his face. The only one, huh?
xXx
The next day, Gilbert walked through the front door, for once not hearing Roderich at the piano. He walked into the music room to find the Austrian standing by the huge windows that Gilbert had insisted be kept unblocked by the brocade curtains. Roderich jumped guiltily as Gilbert strolled in.
"Were you waiting for me, Little Prince?" He joked, grinning a little. Roderich glared even as his cheeks flushed.
"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered, sticking his nose in the air. Gilbert laughed and grabbed the Austrian's arm, dragging him towards the piano. "What are you doing?!" Roderich gasped, struggling to get away. Gilbert sat Roderich down on the piano bench and stood over him, grinning down at the man.
"Let's play a piano duet!" Roderich raised a thin eyebrow in doubt.
"Can you play well enough?" He asked. Gilbert frowned in mock indignation.
"Of course!" He assured him. "This is me we're talking about after all." Roderich smiled slightly, rolling his lavender eyes. He began searching through the reams of sheet music lying on the piano.
"This one," he said quietly after a while. He pulled out Dvorak's Slavonic Dances Op. 42, No. 2. Gilbert nodded and took a seat on the left of the piano bench while Roderich sat on the right. He looked over the sheet music for a few moments before nodding at Roderich that he was good to go.
The piece started off very sad and yearning. There was a period of jaunty happiness in the middle before modulating back to the minor key. The ending was a flip back to the peppy little bit from the middle, ending on a mostly happy note.
Gilbert played the lower part while Roderich took the higher notes. Though Gilbert was focusing a lot of his attention on the music, determined not to mess up, a portion of his attention was taken up by the man at his side. He didn't think he'd ever been in such close proximity with Roderich before. Their sides and the sides of their legs were continuously touching. Sometimes their hands would brush when their parts entwined, causing little flashes of heat to blaze up Gil's arm.
Roderich's playing was steady and expressive, his fingers lightly touching the keys, his eyes wandering to the sheet music every now and then to ascertain their spot. Gilbert's style was a bit more uncouth as the piano had never been his main focus. However, the music still sounded sweet to his ears as he and Roderich became one with the instrument, playing the piece that was meant for two.
They played the last quiet chord and Gilbert leaned back with a sigh a pleased grin on his face. "See?" He said triumphantly. "Never doubt Gilbert Beilschmidt. I'm too awesome to be underestimated." Roderich remained sitting straight on the bench, looking at Gilbert out of the corner of his eye.
"You played quite well," he admitted, his eyes narrowing as he appraised the German. Gilbert felt his heart miss a beat at his scrutiny. Suddenly an idea popped into his mind that he realized he'd been pondering in the back of his mind for the past several days. He sat up straighter with a smile on his face, nudging Roderich's shoulder with his own.
"Hey, Roderich," he said eagerly, staring down at the beautiful man. "When this barrier comes down or whatever, when we get out of here, you should totally come to New York with me." Roderich's eyes widened in shock and Gilbert leaned a bit closer in his eagerness, their shoulders and legs now firmly pressed together. "Yeah, it would be awesome! Every music school would want you as a teacher and you could give concerts everywhere. People would come from all over to see you! You're not only a virtuoso on the piano but you're also gorgeous – " Gilbert coughed awkwardly as that last bit had come out without thinking. He watched as Roderich's cheeks went from red, to redder and then suddenly grew pale.
Neither of them moved for a few moments. Gilbert felt the heat from Roderich's skin seep into his body and it took all of his willpower not to lean in closer.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Gil cleared his throat. "Well?" He asked, urging Roderich to answer positively with the eager tone of his voice.
Roderich stared up at him. Was that fright in his lavender eyes? Gilbert frowned. "Roderich?" His hand moved up to gently cup the other man's cheek. At the touch, a visible shiver went through the Austrian's body as he briefly pressed into Gil's hand. But then he bit his lip, his lavender eyes veiled by an unknown emotion, leaning away from Gilbert. He slid off of the piano bench and walked to the window where he stood with his back facing Gilbert.
"Even when, and if, they let everyone out of here," he said in a low voice, staring out the window, "I shan't go with them." Gilbert frowned, rising from the bench.
"What? Why?"
"It isn't really this barrier that is keeping me in here." Gilbert swallowed hard at the emotionless tone of Roderich's voice. "It is the house. I was here even before everyone else came. I cannot leave the confines of this place. I haven't been outside in years." Gilbert chuckled shakily, slowly moving towards the Austrian.
"How old are you?" He asked in a voice that struggled to come up with some semblance of bravado.
"How old do you think I am?" Roderich asked calmly, still facing away from him.
"I don't know…maybe twenty-five?" Gil jumped at Roderich's bark of laughter.
"I am one hundred and forty-nine years old, Gilbert," he stated, as if he were simply telling him that it was a sunny day outside. Gilbert stopped in his tracks.
"What are you?" He whispered, reaching out over the remaining distance between them to touch Roderich's shoulder and forcibly turn him around to face him. The man's face was pale, his teeth clenched, his eyes watery. He looked as if he were about to cry.
"I think you should leave Gil," Roderich spit out, shaking with the effort. He stared at Gilbert in the eyes. "You should go."
"Not until you tell me!" Gilbert growled, his grip on the Austrian's shoulder bruising. But Roderich's tear-filled, lavender eyes kept their cold and aloof expression behind the tears. Gilbert wished he could just wipe it off of his face. He wanted to see Roderich's emotions, he wanted to have the Austrian crying in his arms, spilling his heart out to him. He wanted it so badly it hurt.
But Roderich wouldn't budge. He stared at Gilbert with that icy expression, his decision made. "Roderich…" Gilbert murmured, feeling his own throat close up as he brought his hands up to hold his face in his palms gently. Roderich shivered ever so slightly but his eyes didn't waver.
Gilbert dropped his hands and turned away, passing by the sheet music, the violins, the piano, to slowly walk back out into the sunlight that held no warmth.
He glanced at the sky. It could only be a few minutes past noon. Too early to go home. So he sat on Roderich's front steps, not caring if he saw him or not. He put his face in his hands and rubbed his stinging eyes.
What, so after we leave this place, Roderich isn't coming with us? The thought of leaving Roderich behind, alone and forgotten made Gilbert want to cry out in frustration. Was there really no way for him to leave? Why wouldn't Roderich let him help, why did he always push him away? He remembered the feeling of Roderich's cheek in his palm and he clenched his hand into a fist.
He drew his knees up and rested his forehead on them, wrapping his arms around his knees, grateful for the shadow of the front veranda. He closed his eyes, warring against the pain that threatened to rise up and overwhelm him.
He knew nothing about the supernatural, which made him feel basically worthless and that scared him. He wasn't used to not being confident in something. And with Roderich, Gil felt the need to be as bold and cocky as possible. He wanted to take care of the delicate man. But how could he do that when he couldn't begin to comprehend his situation?
Gilbert didn't notice when he fell into a doze, his mind powering down for a few hours. It wasn't the most comfortable position in the world but he found comfort in the discomfort – if that makes any sense at all. All he knew was that when he jolted back up, the sun was beginning to set and that he almost fell back down when he tried to stand up.
He slowly walked home, rubbing his back which was a bit sore from sitting in such an awkward position for a long time. As he walked down the street, he glanced up to see Alfred striding towards him, a fierce frown on his face. Gilbert smiled softly at his expression as Alfred looked up and noticed him. They made their way home in silence, Gilbert's mind still back at the mansion.
Matthew was bustling around the kitchen when they got back and Gilbert watched him as he quickly served chicken salad for the three of them. He looks stressed, Gilbert thought to himself but he didn't ask what was wrong. The dinner was unusually quiet and as soon as it was done, Gilbert headed up to his room, Alfred following close behind into his.
Gilbert sat at the window seat with one foot up, the other dangling down to the ground, his back leaning against the wall. He watched as the sun set at around eight o'clock while the full moon rose to take its place.
He watched the big hunk of rock glow in the reflected light from the sun as it rose higher and higher into the sky. One hundred and forty-nine years…Gilbert thought, gritting his teeth together. The stupid man hadn't explained what he was! Gilbert hit the back of his head against the wall behind him in anger. He can't have expected Gilbert to just take that bombshell and let it go. Was he never supposed to see him again? Was he supposed to just leave him behind to waste away inside the dusty mansion with only spiders to listen to his music? He was meant to just walk away without any explanation? Gil snorted, determining that he would go straight to Roderich's first thing to morning.
He had just decided that when he heard the door of Alfred's room beside him slowly swing open. Curious, Gilbert crept to his own door and cracked it open. He saw Alfred tiptoe down the stairs, obviously hoping he wouldn't run into anyone.
Gilbert watched him go with a smirk. He was probably going to that doctor's house. He was about to close his door again when the thought struck him: why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?
He soon found himself striding quickly down the street towards the mansion. He didn't see Alfred anywhere so he assumed that he had already disappeared into the doctor's clinic.
Turning around the now familiar corner of the Laundromat, a sudden fear struck him. What if Roderich didn't want to see him? Would the mansion be hidden from his view? Panic filling his heart, he broke into a jog, almost gasping in relief when he broke out of the shadows to see the huge mansion still standing where it always was, bathed in the eerie light of the bright moon.
I guess he still yearns for someone to play music with, Gilbert thought, quietly approaching the front door. Even if he wants nothing else, that much is enough, right?
He grasped the door handle and quietly swung it open, the hinges soundless. He shut the door behind him gently and paused in the entrance way, unsure if he should look upstairs for the Austrian. He decided to glance into the music room, just in case.
He slowly stepped through the doorway to his left into the huge room. The curtains were still thrown back and the cold moonlight flowed in through the windows, casting strange shadows throughout the room.
It was in one of those shadows that Gilbert saw Roderich. He was standing in the shadow of the large grand piano, staring down at its black surface, his expression hidden from view.
"Little Prince?" Roderich's head snapped up in the darkness at Gilbert's quiet voice. His glasses reflected the little bit of light reaching them.
"W-Why are you here?" He demanded in a shrill voice, backing up as Gilbert stepped towards him. Gilbert stopped at the tone with which Roderich spoke. He sounded as if he was scared out of his mind.
"Roderich?" He asked, taking another slow step towards the man who shrunk away. "Roderich! Don't run away!" Gilbert narrowed his eyes in annoyance, stepping around the piano so that they were only a few feet away from each other. Roderich stayed in the shadows.
"Don't come near me," he said in a shaky voice. There was something strange about the way he spoke that Gilbert couldn't quite place. His tone was higher, more airy, with an almost echoing quality. He's scared out of his mind, Gilbert reasoned.
"Roderich, it's me," Gil gently said, reaching out his hand to touch the Austrian who cried out.
"Don't touch me!" He shrieked, leaping back, landing in a bright patch of moonlight.
He was glowing.
No, wait, not glowing, the moonlight was shining through him. He was translucent, outlined faintly but insubstantial, beams of cold light passing through his body as if they were passing through air.
Roderich froze, his now colourless eyes widening behind his glasses. Gilbert swallowed hard and stepped towards him, reaching out a hand to caress the other man's cheek.
His hand passed right through.
A ghost…
And Roderich's a ghost! There we go, everyone's identities are exposed, though there is obviously still a lot of explaining to do.
I couldn't resist throwing in some GerIta and Spamano in there haha...
A/N: So, I have two exams next week that I haven't started studying for yet (o_o) so if I'm able to rein myself in, there won't be an update for a week or so. If, however, you do see an update, you can probably assume that I lost control and am going to fail my tests XD
Fave/follow/Review ... please REVIEW! I will personally reply to your guys' comments and I always take into account what you say. I'd love to see your thoughts!
Moonlight Sonata (It really is an easy song - even I can play it - but it's gorgeous) - watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU
Slavonic Dance Op. 72, No. 2 (Gorgeous XD) - watch?v=wc7Lksz1aBM
