So... yeah. This chapter was almost painful to write. For the last three days I've been getting a rush of ideas for How to Save a Life, which is going to be COMPLETELY re-written and retitled to The Long Road Home. I currently have a note book with 50 pages of notes for that story--they just kept coming. I even have the last line of that story written for when I get around to getting it all down.
I really want to finish this story first, however, so I don't end up abandoning it, because I rather like this story. Just looking at the two of them and what I have planned thus far, I think The Long Road Home [Previously known as How To Save a Life] will end up being my better story, but I won't let myself play with that one until this is finished. But again, I have the chapters all planned out for this story, so that's good, ja?
Thanks once more to my wonderful BETA, Amethyst DragonRider, who has stuck with me for many-a-chapters now, despite my lack of pattern in writing at all, and to you all for putting up with my lack of updating. I tried to get this chapter done faster, but the second semester of school has just started so I'm jumping around a bit with things I need to do, and things I want to do.
In other news, I opened a collaboration account with a friend at school by the name of TeutonicFlower, so be sure to go and check that out. We only have two things uploaded right now, but we have fun writing the stuff together. Um... I also opened a new Gakuen Hetalia RP site on pro-boards since my old RP site sort of died. If anyone is interested in it, the link is in my profile as my website and linked on the main page. A few friends from where I live help me out with it because they were super eager at the idea of me making a forum for us to hang at since my old one died.
AND BEFORE I FORGET!!!
A special shout-out to Senaki Mira and Naomi Hansen, because I said I would (ha, I bet you thought I was kidding, didn't you, Naomi? Kesesesesese!) Thank you two for sticking with this story for so long and reviewing so much. It means a lot, really... and Naomi, thank you for giving me that little push reminder on DA to keep writing. XD I had totally gotten distracted for a bit till I read that comment so thanks for getting me back on track. I hope this chapter is enjoyable for you two and everyone else as much as the others seemed to be.
Also; Amethyst DragonRider... I couldn't figure out what the hell that study typo was supposed to be. So I just made a word up that seemed to fit in there. XD
And the last bit of news to you all... THIS STORY IS COMPLETE! That's right, I've got the epilogue all written and finished. I'll probably post it by the end of the week... I hope this is enjoyable~
Merchant-Love: I know you don't review to me, but if you give me another mini-heart attack with that fanboying of yours again, I might have to hurt you. Seriously. D: I'm not that amazing... Please don't keep telling me that I am. I don't have an ego... I think it's better I don't get one, okay? And I thank you again for helping me working out a few ideas for The Long Road Home [previously known How to Save a Life.]
Naomi Hansen: I know how you feel... is completely blocked at my school. I can't even read on the site unless I use my iPhone on the edge network. Otherwise I gotta wait until I get home. I'm really sorry it took so long to update, but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter regardless of it's bad quality.
NajikaIce: You laughed at that! Woo! That's good. That was the goal. Cheer people up after what was a really morbid chapter...
Azeeza: You're not the only one who wanted to hug him. I felt like a bit of an ass by the end of the chapter and wanted to hug him as well... but thank you for telling me the chapter didn't suck. It's good to know people can still enjoy my writing at it's worst.
Senaki Mira: This chapter actually was really hard to write. Other than Gilbert's past, I really didn't have anything planned for this chapter, and it was my first time writing a funeral, like, ever. So I was totally guessing on what I was supposed to do. Even though I've been too way too many for any kid my age...
Ying-Darkness: Whoa... Oh, man. I'm not that good, at all. No way am I novel quality, but thank you.
BringMeDementia: That's a lot of emotions for one chapter... but I'm really glad you like it. I'm super glad that I was able to combine different emotions throughout the chapter. Your comment wasn't crap at all, and I really enjoyed reading it~
Hazel-Beka: GASP! What a quick review! -giggle- It's good to know you'll be holding back those apologies from now on, though. S'bout time you caught on. I am really glad you liked this chapter... Seriously, I really respect your writing, so I'd trust your judgement of the overall quality. ...I really hope that doesn't make me sound like an asshole to the others. Really, out of everything in his chapter, the German's history was my favourite part. I love their brotherly relationship so much, and I rarely get to see that anymyore. It's mostly Germancest with those two, and the family fluff is forgotten. I really like Gil more myself than Bertie, but I like Gilbo, too.... but I'm SO glad you like that gravestone scene. It was actually a last minute addition to the chapter. I wanted to add SOMETHING for Gilbo and Roderich in that chapter to play with their relationship a little, and I guess Gilbert's just come somewhat by reflex to me, despite the fact that I don't think I'm good with him. (And it's true, being dead is no excuse for bad manners. Hurhur.) But yeah, I'm glad that last line made you laugh. I wanted SOMETHING that was a little happier after that morbid chapter but I didn't want to go too far overboard. Looking back over the chapter, I guess I'm kinda proud of it, but at the same time I'm still a bit disappointed. Maa, I'm rambling, now. Hope this chapter is just as good.
Anina-chan: Kesesesesese.... The image of Germany in a ribbon IS a nice one, huh? Ah, but I'm always glad to have a reviewer from Germany. I'm on Cloud 9 with all the compliments I get for my German and such. (You are from Germany, yes? -worried she missunderstood-).
LithiumKiss: I love your SuFin avi, first off. I love that pairing... Ah, but you're right. Everyone is their own worst critic when it comes down to it, and it's often our downfall... but I'm glad my writing is good enough to please so many other people. It means more than I can explain. Sorry to hear I killed you inside a bit, though I'm glad it was in a good way.
Sara: Don't worry, no spatulas were harmed in the making of this story. Or Ludwig's. ...Well, maybe a Ludwig, but he's alright. The psychiatrist is working with him every Tuesday and Thursday after work.
Kyu kyu: I'm... not good enough to be a real writer yet, but it's good to know I can write well enough to make people laugh enough to leave a review. -pleased-
Chapter Nine
Several months had passed since Frederick William's funeral and things had almost returned to normal in the Weillschmidt household. Gilbert had returned to school at the first opportunity upon their return home from Berlin, and much to everyone's surprised, completing his missing work without any extra argument or protests. The Prussian was easily able to catch up with the other students through the help of his brother and Roderich, and the administration staff didn't question his sudden disappearance—Ludwig had made sure of that.
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Roderich asked Gilbert quietly as he tugged his arms through his coat. "I don't plan to stay for long. I just wish to pick up what is left of my belongings before my father disposes of them. I doubt he'll even be home, Gilbert. There's no need for you to waste your time like this…"
"I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to do it." Gilbert said with a shrug and tugged a red hoodie on over his black t-shirt. "I've got nothing else to do, and if he is home, I'm not letting you get nailed again. If that bastard so much as touches you, I'll return the favour ten-fold."
"Don't do that…" the brunette muttered with a sigh, handing the albino a scarf which was put on with a roll of crimson eyes.
"It's barely fall, Roderich…"
"I'd much rather not have to come up with another excuse for your sudden disappearance at the school. I don't need you getting sick, and I doubt your brother would want that either."
"You're really uptight when you're nervous, Roddy. You know that, ja?"
Ignoring the tease, Roderich opened the front door and stepped outside, inhaling the crisp scent of fall air with a small smile. "It isn't likely that there's much left… I can probably fit it all in a backpack."
"Then I'll carry the backpack for you."
"Why are you so determined to come with me, anyway?"
With a grin, Gilbert quickly shut the door behind him and pushed Roderich down the road. Every few seconds he would glance over his shoulder as if expecting the door to suddenly throw itself back open. The look in his eyes told the Austrian that he was either up to or avoiding something that didn't seem to be going in his favour.
"West asked me to walk the dogs," the Prussian finally admitted once they were around the corner. "He's been nagging me about it all week. I walked them yesterday, but I don't feel like doing it today. If he found out I was lazing around upstairs in the music room with you again he'd blow a fuse or something and I don't want to listen to him ranting right now—he shouts too much when he's pissed."
"He wouldn't shout if you just did your fair share of the work, Gilbert." Roderich muttered with a sigh as he shook his head. "You avoid your chores like the plague and it's a miracle that your room manages to stay clean."
"You wouldn't come visit me if it were messy."
"Must you always have something happen in your favour in order to do something?"
"Most of the time, yeah… but in this case, I really do want to help out. It's about time you left." Gilbert grinned widely, earning only an annoyed scoff in response and causing silence to fall between them as the albino took Roderich's gloved hand in his own.
In truth, Gilbert really was avoiding his duties of walking the dogs, but not for the reason he claimed. Earlier that week, Roderich had come to Gilbert with the request of making his residence in the Weillschmidt household more permanent. He rarely spent time at his own home anymore and the idea of having to return back home once a week did nothing but cause the brunette and overwhelming sense of depression whenever the day drew near. It was time he finally let go and moved on. He had never been a son to his father, and it was pointless to keep returning to a house where he wasn't wanted anyway. Gilbert and Ludwig had provided him with more a home than he ever could have hoped for, and it was there he wished to stay.
Gilbert, not surprisingly, had been thrilled at the idea and immediately welcomed the idea with open arms and a wide grin. It was Ludwig's unnaturally warm welcome that had taken the both by surprise. When asked, the German had simply nodded absently without even bothering to look up from his work and claimed it was about time Roderich finally made it official. His only request, much a very flustered Roderich's horror, was that if they felt the need to engage in "nightly activities" that they take care to keep as quiet as possible as some people had school in the morning and didn't want to wake up late.
"It's nice today, huh?" Gilbert mused quietly as they turned down the final that would lead them to Roderich's house.
The brunette, who had been lost in his own thoughts, blinked and shook his head, turning his attention to the silverette beside him. A slender eyebrow quirked upward as violet eyes narrowed in confusion, but nothing was said. Roderich's gaze shifted toward the sky and, true to Gilbert's words, he noticed how blue it was for the first time in several weeks. Storms had worked their way through the city one after another over the past week, so it was nice to see a cloudless sight for once.
"…It is a nice change of scenery," the brunette admitted in a quiet tone. "It's nice to be able to step outside without the fear of catching cold or getting soaked for once. I hope the weather lasts."
"You and me both… Awesome cannot be contained in a house for long periods of time. It gets bored."
"I hardly think the rain stopped you from leaving the house. I heard Ludwig shouting at you last night because you were dripping water all over the house."
Gilbert snorted softly and mumbled something about "whiney little brothers" as they stepped onto the porch. The albino waited in silence as Roderich fished out his key and pushed it into the lock, nodding when he heard the familiar click of the bolt being undone.
"…It's good to know he's actually remembering to lock the door now. The last time I came over it wasn't even shut properly."
"Getting robbed might do him some good," Gilbert muttered in a bitter tone. "Maybe he'd learn a few things."
"Gilbert!"
"Well it's true…" sighing, the Prussian leaned against one of the pillars that held the slanted roof over the porch. "You want me to go in with you?"
"Ah…" Roderich trailed off quietly, his fingers flexing awkwardly around the doorknob. He honestly didn't want to go inside at all. He hated coming here, and he hated going inside even more, but out of obligation to the man who had raised him, as questionable as the quality of that raising was, he made it a point to come and visit at least once in a while. However, on the off-chance that the man was home, he didn't want to be in there alone. "W-well, it would be better for you to come inside, would it not? While it is much dryer today than it has been previously, the air is still moist and cold. I don't think Ludwig would be pleased if you were to get sick because of—"
Laughing, Gilbert pushed Roderich inside and followed shortly after, pulling the wooden barrier shut behind him. "Damn, Roderich. If you wanted me to come inside with you that badly, you just had to say 'yes.' I know it's hard for you to part from my awesome for more than a few minutes but—"
"If you're done inflating your own ego…" the brunette began dryly as he gave his boyfriend an irked look and a roll of the eyes. "I'll check the house to see if my father is home. Then we can collect my things from my room—granted they're still there."
"I love your optimism…" the albino muttered as he leaned forward, pressing a brief kiss to the others lips. "You're tense, Roddy. Calm down."
"Don't call me that…" Roderich said quietly, leaning into the hand that had just come to rest on his cheek. "We've been over this."
"Yeah you did. And just like before, I'm using my right to ignore your request and call you that anyway."
"…You're such an idiot sometimes."
"Yeah, well, I'm your idiot, and I don't see you complaining about it. Now go and search the house for that bastard you call your father—and for his sake, I hope he isn't home, because I won't hesitate to punch him if he rubs me the wrong way again."
"Just leave him alone, Gilbert… He's an old fool and nothing more. Don't let him get under your skin." Before Gilbert could reply, Roderich turned on his heel and started down a nearby hallway, carefully checking inside each room he passed.
A small sigh tumbled from the albino's lips as he ran his hand along the wall near the doorframe, grinning in satisfaction when his fingers hit a light switch. He flipped it, but nothing happened. Frowning, he repeated the motion several times before he finally dubbed his efforts useless and cursed Roderich's father for being too much of a git to hold a job to pay for the electricity. There was a window to his close right, and he walked over to it, pulling the faded curtains back and allowing the natural light from outside to flood inside, blinking as his eyes adjusted from the dark living room to the beams of light.
The moment he turned around, he almost wished he hadn't and it became immediately became clear why Roderich hadn't bothered to look for a source of light when he entered the house. It was a complete mess and the word 'pigsty' wasn't nearly enough to do it justice; it was simply grotesque.
Bottles, both broken and whole, littered the floor in a maze of glass so complicated that Gilbert was astounded Roderich had made it through without stepping on any of the pieces. Stains were scattered about the once pristine white carpet, dark in colour and obviously the remnants of beer that had never made it to the mouth of the hand which held the bottle. Papers and bits of trash from various fast-food restaurants were piled up in the corners with clouds of insects swarming around them that made the albino's stomach turn as he thought of what might be left inside. The proud and elaborate wallpaper was now faded, stained with mildew, beer, and, Gilbert realized with another turn of his stomach, blood.
"What… the fuck?" the Prussian muttered in a choked tone as he swept his crimson eyes over the room. "Mein Gott… Roderich's actually been living in this shithole?"
The thought disturbed Gilbert more than the room did, and he quickly navigated his way across the room and toward the hall Roderich had just disappeared through. He quickly regretted the decision as he stared at the numerous doors lining the hallway, having forgotten just how complicated Roderich's house was. There were more rooms than any one family needed, and he felt a sudden newfound rush of sympathy toward Roderich who worked so hard to keep the now-near empty house over his head.
As he made his way down the hall, the Prussian glanced into each room he passed that had its door open. Much to his relief, none of them were nearly as bad as the living room, but compared to the once museum-like appearance of the home, it was a disaster. His stomach turned uncomfortably and he wished he had followed Roderich or kept by the door. A feeling of uneasiness was washing over him, and he suddenly felt defenseless; open. Like the trash and glass that littered the floor would animate itself and attempt to drag him under—away from Roderich and swallow him up just as it had any other happiness that the brunette ever managed to acquire.
"How the hell did he do this…?" Gilbert murmured to himself, pausing to step through yet another open door.
The newest room he stepped into looked almost the same as the others. Broken bottles and trash littered the floor, and various stains lined the walls, but there was something about it that, unlike the others, made Gilbert feel sick as he looked around. He stepped further inside, glancing over his shoulder as he went, half expecting the closet door to burst open and Roderich's mother to appear with had tight look of disapproval as she gazed at the albino while Roderich… and then he realized where he was.
"I did say that the piano had been sold, did I not?"
Gilbert didn't answer as he slowly shifted his gaze to the carpeting of the room. He could easily make out four unstained patches in the long-since cleaned floor where the legs of the piano had sat back when the room had been one of the most welcoming in the entire house. His pale lips twitched uncomfortably, and a rush of sympathy rose in his chest as he turned and made his way back toward the door where Roderich was waiting for him with a blank expression.
"Find anything?"
Roderich shook his head and crossed his arms with a sigh. "I don't see any sign of my father in the house… I'd rather just get what I need from my room and go than keep searching."
"Yeah…" Gilbert nodded quietly. "I don't want stay here longer than we need to, either. Gives me the fuckin' creeps."
"…While I disapprove of your vulgar way of putting it," the brunette said in a low tone, grabbing Gilbert's hand and leading him out of the music room. "I actually agree with you. My room is just down the hallway… I don't think you've ever seen it before, have you?"
"You always slept in that music room whenever you could, so… No. Not really. We'd set up sleeping bags in there if I ever managed to convince you to let me stay the night."
"Half the time you were drunk." Roderich scolded, "You're lucky I didn't leave you on the street."
"You cared about me too much to do that. Even back then, you were still dazzled by my awesome."
"Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Gilbert."
"That'd be you."
With a dark blush, the Austrian huffed and shoved his albino companion lightly in the chest before turning to open his door, freezing the moment the barrier was open. Violet eyes widened in surprised horror, and he took a step back, bumping into a confused Gilbert who leaned over Roderich's shoulder to see inside the room.
"Roderich…"
"F-father?"
"Get back!" Gilbert's sharp voice rang throughout the hallway, echoing off the walls.
Before he could think, Roderich felt himself tugged backward and suddenly Gilbert was standing in front of him. The albino's shoulders were tense, and even without seeing his face the musician could tell he was scared. His hand gripped the back of the Prussian's jacket as he leaned to the side to better see what was going on, but the moment he did, he almost wished he hadn't. The sight before him made his stomach plummet to the floor, and his hold on Gilbert's jacket tightened as he tried to urge the silverette backward.
In the center of his old bedroom stood Roderich's father, a dazed look on his unshaven and dirtied face. His left hand clutched a small revolver that was pointed at the dead center of Gilbert's chest. A small scream tumbled from Roderich's lips and this father jerked, his dark eyes meeting Roderich's own violet for a split second before the gun hand was moved and a loud bang filled the area.
Crimson eyes snapped shut on reflex as they waited for the piercing pain of a bullet, but nothing came. For a moment, Gilbert was sure that he'd been killed on impact, but the sound of Roderich's breath hitching tugged him back into reality. His eyes darted down to his own chest, looking for a wound that wasn't there. Relief washed over him, but it was short-lived as he spun on his heel, fearing that, for a brief moment, Roderich had somehow been hit without his knowing, but again he could find nothing. No blood, no wounds.
"What—" Gilbert stopped, a confused look crossing his features. Roderich's face was paler than he could ever remember seeing in his life, a look of utmost horror in his violet hues. Panic was starting to rise in the albino's chest, and he turned around, thinking that the man on the other side of the room had moved to take another shot, but as he turned fully, he immediately regretted it, and felt bile rise in his throat as he stared at the center of the room in shock.
Blood was splattered across the glass panes of the window and grimy walls along with something more solid that Gilbert didn't care name. Fresh crimson streaks ran down the wall where they met with a growing pool on the same color on the floor.
"Jesus…" the Prussian hissed as he took a step back. Throwing a hand over Roderich's eyes, he wrapped the other tightly around the brunette's waist and tugged him backward. Roderich didn't bother to fight back as he was pulled from the room and back down the hallway, the images of his father's lifeless body on the floor dancing before his blocked eyes.
It felt like an eternity before they were finally out in the open air again, and Gilbert couldn't have welcomed the cold breeze more. The Austrian in his arms had gone completely still in his grasp, letting himself be dragged more-so than walking, and it worried the albino greatly.
"Roddy? H-hey… stay with me, alright?" he muttered, lowering Roderich down onto one of the stairs, wrapping an arm tightly around his shoulder. "Don't freak out on me, Roderich… I'm gonna call for help, okay?"
Without bothering to wait for an intelligible response, Gilbert pulled his phone from his pocket and hit a number on speed-dial. The phone was pressed to his ear as he waited, nearly jumping as he hear the other end of the line pick up.
"West! About time you picked up, listen to me; I need you to call the cops and get them to Roddy's place right away!"
"Wh-what…?" Ludwig's surprised voice came through the phone. "What's going—"
"Don't ask questions, West!"
"Gilbert, I can't just—They'll want information."
"I don't have time to explain! We're out on the porch, easy to spot. His dad was inside… Just get here."
"His father was… I'll be there soon."
By the time Ludwig reached Roderich's house, the police were already parked outside with their lights still flashing. Two officers stood near the porch with notebooks in their hands trying to get answers out of Roderich and Gilbert, neither of which seemed keen on the idea of talking. The door to the house was opened, and another group of officers and medical personal were walking in and out in a steady stream as they walked to each other in hushed tones about something Ludwig couldn't quite catch.
As he approached the porch, the taller of the two cops let out a heavy sigh and knelt down, fixing his brother with a soft look. "I know you and your friend aren't at your best, but we really need to know what happened. We can't start and investigation without details, and until we have a story, you two are the only suspects we have."
"We didn't do anything!" Gilbert snarled, pulling Roderich closer to his chest in a possessive manner. "Go inside if you want your fucking suspect! He was coming at us, first! We didn't lay a damn finger—"
"Gilbert…" Ludwig interrupted in a quiet voice, causing the silverette to stop and turn toward him. "Please don't start a fight here."
"I'm not starting a fight! They're accusing me of—"
"Look at Roderich, Gilbert! Do you really think shouting is going to help right now?"
"They want to take Roderich to the station to interrogate him!"
Ludwig frowned. It wasn't a surprise that this is what the police wanted this, but Gilbert's resistance made it seem as if they were blaming the crime on the brunette already.
"I don't see what the problem is. You…" he trailed off, faltering under his brother's heated glare. The fact that Roderich was clinging to Gilbert as if the albino were his only lifeline didn't seem to be helping the matter either. "Brother… I can take you to the station. It isn't as if they can keep Roderich there overnight without a good reason."
Gilbert snorted. "You can't take me to the station, West. These guys already want to drag me down, too. They think I helped him do it."
"Do what, exactly…?"
"…Kill my father," Roderich muttered, speaking for the first time since Gilbert had pulled him from the house. "They… think Gilbert and I might have…"
"We don't believe that," one of the officers said gently, kneeling down to better look at the brunette's face. "We have to take you two in for questioning; you're the only witnesses we have. As far as we can tell, this looks like a suicide… but we need to know what happened. We have no reason to keep either of you for reasons beyond questioning, and this man here—" she nodded to Ludwig, "—is free to take you home after that."
"I'm not leaving him alone…" Gilbert growled in a firm tone. "Like fuck. If you want to interrogate us, you can do it right here. The station be damned. I won't—"
"Gilbert, stop." Ludwig commanded in a firm tone. "You're only stalling the investigation." Gilbert glared, but the blond ignored it, stepping forward to place a hand on his brother's shoulder. "The investigations shouldn't take longer than an hour or two at most… I'm sure they'll let you two ride down together, and you can comfort him again when they're done."
"But, West-!"
"Gilbert!"
The Prussian winced slightly. Ludwig yelled a lot, but it was rare his little brother ever used one of his sharper tones on himself. It was clear the other was frustrated, and it was never a good idea to push him once he'd gotten to that point. The German could have a nasty temper, and he didn't want Ludwig getting dragged into this for 'violent outbursts' or whatever fancy nickname it was that law enforcement gave it.
"…Fine," he mumbled and urged Roderich to his feet with a gentle tug, his arm never leaving the brunette's waist. "Whatever. We'll go. Just open your car so I can get him inside."
"I'll go home and get the car," Ludwig sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll meet you two down there."
"Right…" Gilbert smiled faintly, using his free hand to pat his brother on the arm. "See you soon…"
"Good luck."
"Mein Gott! Gilbert, Setz Dich hin!" Ludwig groaned. He'd been watching Gilbert pace the length of the station lobby for nearly an hour, and it was obvious with each round the albino was getting more and more frustrated with the situation.
"How the fuck am I supposed to calm down!? They've had Roderich in there for almost four hours now! What the hell are they doing? Asking for his damn life story?"
"And what if they are? You can't do anything about it. Now sit down before I take you home and come back to wait for Roderich myself. I'll tie you to a damn pole in the basement if that's what it takes to calm you down!"
Gilbert paused in his movements, a scowl etched across his pale face. Ludwig was shooting him a firm glare, and he knew better than to argue with the blond when he was set. His brother was stubborn—he'd raised him to be that way—and it didn't look like the other was in the mood to argue. Gilbert had no doubts the blond would pull through with his threats without so much as a blink of the eye.
"Setz Dich hin…" Ludwig repeated in a quieter voice. "Bitte."
"Ja, ja, was auch immer..." the albino sighed, dropping himself in the seat beside his brother. "I still think this is fucking ridiculous."
"I know… but getting upset isn't going to help right now. The receptionist has been staring at you and I don't want her calling anyone to have you thrown out."
Gilbert only grunted quietly in response, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he waited in uneasy silence.
"Gilbert, I think…" Ludwig was cut off as a door to the side opened and Roderich stepped out, his head bowed. Gilbert was already on his feet before the blond could speak again, rushing over to the brunette's side and tugging him protectively into his arms; a gesture that was all too welcomed by Roderich who wrapped his arms tightly around the Prussian's middle.
"We're done talking to him for now… I'm sure he'd rather explain to you what happened himself. We'll need to be seeing him again in a month."
"A month, sir…?" Ludwig asked, but the cop had already disappeared back through the door in which he'd come.
"Roderich?" Gilbert called quietly, peering down at the brunette's face. "What is he talking about? A month until what?"
Roderich didn't answer, and the albino glanced toward this brother with a worried look, earning only the shake of a head in return.
"Roddy?"
"They… know."
"Know what…? That it was suicide? That's good, isn't it? That means we…"
But Roderich was shaking his head and Gilbert trailed off, sending another comfortable silence over the lobby.
"Roderich, we can't help if we don't know what the problem is…" Ludwig tried after a few minutes, "You…"
"They know… my situation. Since my mother is gone and my father is now dead… I have no form of guardianship keeping me here."
"What are you…"
"I'm to be deported at the end of the month."
"Dammit!" Gilbert snarled as he brought his first down on the counter, making Ludwig wince at the resounding 'crack' that filled the kitchen. "They can't just send him away like that! It isn't FAIR!"
"Stop shouting, Gilbert…" Ludwig whispered, "Roderich's only just fallen asleep. We don't want to wake him up."
"But it isn't-!"
"I know it isn't…" the German cut his brother off with a heavy sigh, "But what can we do?"
"I don't know… something! Anything! I can't… I can't lose him. What will he do if he goes back to Austria? Wander the fucking streets?! He doesn't have anywhere to stay!"
"You wouldn't allow that. We can give him money for a hotel and…"
"That's not good enough!"
"So what do you expect us to do!?" Ludwig snapped, jumping to his feet and storming over to Gilbert, who winced, realizing just how vast the differences in their height were.
"The only thing that kept Roderich in this country before was his parent's marriage. Had it not been for his mother, he never would have—Gilbert? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to do something that I shouldn't."
"Wh—Gilbert!"
"It isn't illegal, West, calm down."
"Then what—"
"I'm going to make it so Roderich doesn't have to leave. He can stay here; home, where he belongs."
Ludwig blinked, knitting his eyebrows together as he tried to figure out just what it was his brother was going to do… and then it hit him, like a dart to the bulls-eye, realization struck him full force.
"Gott…" he breathed, "Gilbert, you can't be… serious…"
"Try me… I don't care what it takes. I won't force anything on him he doesn't want… but if it'll keep him here, then I'll do it, West. Roderich… Roderich means the world to me. I know this sort of shit is supposed to be special with flashing lights and pretty flowers or whatever, but we don't have time for that. If those cops think they're going to take him at the end of the month, they've got another thing coming."
"When do you plan to…?"
"…In the morning. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning. For now… I just want him to rest."
"…Right."
"You mind watching him while I'm gone?"
"Gone…?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow, watching Gilbert as he started toward the door.
"Yeah, gone. I'll be back in an hour or two."
"Where are you going…?"
"Well, I have to make it official, don't I? Even if it's just a plain little thing, the gesture always helps."
"You're a fool, Gilbert."
"Yeah, well, you'd do the same for Italia—"
"His name is Feliciano…"
"—without a doubt, and I'd support you all the way."
"…I-I doubt I'd jump to your conclusion that quickly, but… I don't see any other way."
"Exactly. I'm off!"
And before Ludwig could respond, Gilbert was out the door. A few minutes later he could hear the sounds of the car being started and pulled out of the drive, and he could only watch from the window with a sigh as the vehicle disappeared from view.
"I need a beer…" he muttered, walking into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of the drink. He sat himself down at the table and popped the cap off with ease, looking up toward the ceiling where he knew Gilbert's room, where Roderich was currently sleeping, to be. "…He really loves you, Roderich. With all his heart. I know my brother is impulsive at times… but he'd never do something like this unless his entire being was into it. I really hope you realize what it is you are to him… and that he's the same for you."
And I wish you both the best of luck. I hope to Gott this works out for you both… and for once, someone around here can have a happy ending.