Hi, again, everyone! The next chapter is finally here and much shorter between chapters this time! I want to try to work on this as much as possible so that I can finish and this story is winding down so it'll be over soon. I know it may seem disappointing to finally be revived after so long only to end soon after but hopefully the coming chapters make up for it. But, other than that, I'm glad that I can continue this. I hope I don't get writer's block in these next few chapters because I know how I want this story to end and I know how to get there, it's just that I don't know exactly what is going to happen between now and then. But hopefully, as I write, the ideas will come to me.

OkamiNinja4 : Yeah, I updated, sorry it took so long! And yeah, I went through a lot to get that chapter out. When I tell you that that was a stressful ordeal, I mean it was stressful. And I'm glad that you like the story so much. And yeah, Gilbert's alive. I was never going to kill him off lol, I have plans for him.

GenderBender25 : Yeah, sorry about the lack luster cliffhanger, I just wanted to leave something so that people would want to keep reading on. Though I don't know about them sparring, lol but maybe I'll think of something like Ludwig paying Alfred back for lying to him or something.

Guest : Yeah, I'm back. Hopefully, I won't disappear like that again. And I'm glad that you like it. I'll try to update more often.

And with all that said, Chapter 12 starts now!

Chapter 12


"W-Wh-Wha…Y-You!" Ludwig stuttered.

Alfred smiled softly and gave a small wave. "Hi."

Ludwig looked around quickly before he settled a confused look on Alfred.

"H-How did you get here?!" Ludwig whispered.

"I followed you. I got a tip saying that you were here. Or rather, that you were going from place to place." Alfred said.

"A tip? Who told you that I was here?" Ludwig asked.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I came to see you." Alfred said.

Ludwig scoffed. "Und what did you think that would accomplish?"

Alfred looked down to the ground. "Well…I…I-I wanted to apologize…"

"Apologize? For what? Lying to me like that? Leading me on?"

"N-No. W-Well, yeah I do, but please believe me, it wasn't supposed to go on like that."

Ludwig wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Und you expect me to believe this?"

Alfred looked back up at Ludwig. "Yes, I do! I'm serious. As we spent more time together, I started to feel guilty for what I was doing to you. After you told me about yourself and your family, I started to feel that you felt that I was someone you could confide in. And the more time we spent with each other, the more I realized that I was starting to like you. I know it's weird, but I don't think I've ever felt like this about anyone before. And I can tell that you felt the same. I know what I did was wrong and I know I might have lost your trust, but I can get it back. I can be someone you trust again. I can be that person…if you let me…"

Ludwig stared down at Alfred, Alfred looking back with hope in his eyes.

Ludwig scoffed again. "That was a great speech, but you're going to have to do a lot more than that to earn mein trust again. Und let me tell you, I don't trust people very easily. Now, is that all you came to say, because I have work to do."

And with that, Ludwig began to walk off.

Alfred's eyes widened in shock.

No, this can't be!

He didn't come here for this.

He didn't come this far after having to spend a week looking for him to have it all go up in smoke.

For Ludwig to just brush off his apology so callously.

That one actually hurt. A lot.

He had to do something, anything to just make Ludwig listen.

And so, he did the only thing his mind could think of in that moment.

"Ludwig, please wait!" Alfred said as he reached out to grab Ludwig's wrist and pulled.

The force that Alfred used made Ludwig stop in his tracks and turn around as he pulled him back.

Ludwig looked at Alfred with wide eyes as he was forcefully pulled back.

Alfred immediately pulled his hand back as if Ludwig had burned him.

"S-Sorry about that. I-I didn't mean to pull you like that, but I just had to get your attention. You need to listen to me, please." Alfred begged desperately.

Ludwig was about to reply but closed his mouth as he finally got a good look at Alfred. "What are you wearing?"

Alfred looked confused before he realized what he was talking about. "Huh? O-Oh, this? Oh, yeah, I, uh, kinda borrowed it."

Ludwig cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean 'borrowed'?"

"That's not important. What's important is that I used it to find you. And it wasn't easy." Alfred said.

"Did you take that from somebody? What did you do to them?" Ludwig asked.

"I told you it doesn't matter. Can't you just accept my apology?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig turned away and made to leave. "I don't have time for this. I told you that I have work do to."

"Don't go. Please just listen to me, I'm sorry, ok?" Alfred said.

After hearing this, Ludwig suddenly froze and turned around, eyes wide in shock.

"Wh-What did you just say?" Ludwig asked.

"I said, 'I'm sorry'. Please don't be mad at me anymore. I can't take it." Alfred said.

"When did you learn to speak German?" Ludwig asked in disbelief.

"Well…I…" Alfred started.

"Or were you able to speak it all along and you were lying to me about that too?" Ludwig scoffed.

"N-No, I wasn't lying, I swear! I...I-I learned it for you…" Alfred said lowly.

Ludwig's eyes widened and heat rushed to his cheeks. "Y-You learned it…f-for me?"

Alfred nodded. "Y-Yeah…I-I did. After that night when we last saw each other, I wanted to learn it so that I could have a chance to find you again. And now that I did, I wanted to try talking to you in your language so that we can get even closer."

The pink on Ludwig's cheeks turned red. "S-So, you think talking to me in German will get us closer, huh? That's funny. You're way too optimistic to think that something so trivial will bring us closer together."

"Don't say that! I've been waiting for a really long time to see you again. During our time apart, I never stopped thinking about you. And I know that you were still thinking about me too…even if you didn't want to. As much as you don't want to admit it to yourself, you know you were, and don't lie!" Alfred said.

"And so what if I have? I can't forget someone who led me on like that." Ludwig said.

"I know how you must feel. Please believe me when I say that I'm sorry. I came all this way just to see you. I even dressed up like this so I can move around easier. I don't want to leave here empty handed." Alfred said.

"And what do you mean by that?" Ludwig asked.

"Look, I know you said that you don't like this…all of this that's going on." Alfred said.

Ludwig sighed. "Yes, that's true, but I can't do anything. What can I do?"

"Well…have you ever…I-I don't know…thought about leaving?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wh-What did you just say?"

"Y-You know…leaving…like just getting out of here. We can leave together if you want. I even know where we can go!" Alfred said.

Ludwig gave Alfred a hard glare. "Do you know what you're asking me?"

"I…well…" Alfred began.

"You're asking me to just leave?! To go AWOL?! Do you know that that's treason?! I may not like what's going on, but I can't just leave. How dare you ask me something like that?!" Ludwig hissed so as to not draw attention to them.

"L-Look, I-I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean it like that! I just wanted to ask if you thought about it. I know you can't do anything about it, you being a high-ranking officer and all. I just wanted to know." Alfred said.

"Well, I don't. I can't believe I'm even still talking to you after what you just said to me." Ludwig muttered.

"Geez, how many times are you gonna make me say 'sorry'? Look, just forget about that. I came from too far away and went through a lot to get this uniform just to argue. I want to make up."

Ludwig narrowed his eyes at Alfred. "Who are you?"

Alfred smiled. "A friend. That's all you need to know."

Ludwig shook his head before he turned away and made to leave. "I'm leaving."

Alfred stood there in shock for a short as Ludwig walked away.

"W-Wait!" Alfred cried as he ran to catch up to Ludwig.

"I'm working. So don't follow me." Ludwig said.

"Hmph, fine. Well, even if you tell me that, I'm still gonna follow you around. After all this time I spent looking for you, you're not getting away that easily." Alfred said, stubbornly.

Ludwig growled and began speeding up in his pace.

But Alfred, as persistent as he was, sped up as well.

Ludwig wasn't going to shake him off that easily.

For the rest of the day, Alfred was glued to Ludwig's side, never letting him out of his sight.

The other officers began to take notice and watched them.

They seemed to be shocked that someone could seem to be so close and familiar with Ludwig when it didn't seem like the man had any close connections with anyone save for his brother.

Alfred had even tried to engage in conversation, but he had only received half-hearted one word responses or noncommittal grunts.

The day soon began to turn into dusk and Alfred began getting tired of walking around all day.

Alfred guessed that Ludwig's inspection was over when they stopped in front of what seemed like a spare room.

"What is this?" Alfred asked.

"It's where I'm going to sleep. This is a big place so I have to stay here for a few days to complete the inspection." Ludwig said, opening the door.

Ludwig stepped inside and Alfred followed him in.

"Oh. It's not much, but it's decent." Alfred said, looking around. "So, where am I gonna sleep?"

Ludwig looked at Alfred and cocked an eyebrow. "Und who told you that you were sleeping here?"

"Well, we've been together all day, so why wouldn't we sleep in the same room?" Alfred asked.

"So? That may be, but don't forget that you were the one that wanted to hang around me all day." Ludwig said.

"Well, I told you that you weren't gonna get rid of me that easily. And I-oh, wait, I almost forgot! I'll be right back!" Alfred said, running out of the room.

Ludwig looked at the door where Alfred had just disappeared in confusion.

Where had he run off to?

A short while later, Alfred walked up to the car when John was waiting.

He walked up to the driver's side as John rolled down the window.

"Well, did you find him? Is he here?" John asked.

Alfred nodded excitedly. "Yeah, he's here! He's done with his inspection and he's about to turn in for the night. Sorry I left you out here all day. I want to stay here with him until he's done. I haven't asked him where he's going after this, but I assume he's going back to Germany. Is that ok with you?"

John nodded. "That's ok. I'll just sleep in the back seat."

"I'm really sorry about this. I know this has been a long trip and it's been hard on you but if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know." Alfred said.

John waved it off. "Nah, it's ok, don't worry about it. As long as you found him again then that's good enough for me. Just make sure you keep an eye on him and don't lose him this time."

Alfred chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, ok, I'll try. Well, goodnight."

John smiled back. "You have a goodnight too."

And with that, Alfred began making his way towards the camp entrance.

Once back in, Alfred immediately made his way to the room that Ludwig was in and when he got there, he knocked on the door and waited.

A few seconds later, Ludwig opened the door and when he saw Alfred, he frowned. "What are you doing back here?"

Alfred smiled despite the hard look Ludwig was giving him. "I came back. I forgot to do something so I had to leave to check something."

"Ok, then." Ludwig said.

"So, are you gonna let me in?" Alfred asked.

"Nein." Ludwig said, about to close the door.

And Alfred, knowing Ludwig would do something like that, immediately put his foot in the threshold at the last second, preventing the door from closing all the way.

Ludwig glared at Alfred and Alfred smiled back.

Ludwig growled. "Get your foot out of the door."

Alfred, still smiling, said, "Nope. So, come on, let me in already."

"Nein. Leave." Ludwig said, beginning to lose his patience. This man could be as persistent as Gilbert.

"I'm not going anywhere." Alfred said.

After a few minutes of stares and smiles, the door being pushed further open and closed, Alfred finally managed to get into the room.

And once he was inside, he gave Ludwig the biggest smile he could manage.

His smile was met with a displeased frown.

Ludwig closed the door and looked back at Alfred. "Why are you here again?"

"Because, I'm trying to get you to accept my apology." Alfred said as if it were obvious.

"Why are you so obsessed with this?" Ludwig asked.

"Because I can't stand you being mad at me." Alfred said. "And I'm not gonna leave until you accept it."

Ludwig scoffed and sat on the bed and began taking off his boots. "Well, you're going to be here for a while because I'm not going to accept it."

Alfred huffed and crossed his arms.

Ludwig then took his hat off and began removing his coat and shirt, leaving only his undershirt and pants.

Alfred blushed and looked away as he saw just how well-toned his arms and upper body was.

"S-So, um…wh-where do I sleep?" Alfred asked softly, still averting his gaze.

"I don't know." Ludwig said, laying down and turning away from Alfred. "I'm not planning on giving up my bed for you."

And with that, Ludwig fell silent.

"Hey, come on, then what am I supposed to do? Can I at least have a blanket?" Alfred asked.

Silence.

Well, it looks like he's done talking.

And so, needless to say, Alfred slept on the floor that night.

Once it was morning, Ludwig woke up and stretched.

He swung his legs over and stood up, smoothing out his pants.

He took a step forward, or at least tried, because when he took a step forward, he tripped over something and almost fell.

Ludwig looked behind him and down to the floor and saw Alfred still sleeping.

He scoffed and shook his head before he went to retrieve his boots.

He then put his coat and hat on before he looked back down at Alfred.

How could someone stay asleep after they've been tripped over?

Ludwig then left after he was ready, not even bothering to look back.

A few hours later, Alfred finally woke up with a yawn and stretched.

Alfred rubbed his eyes before he looked around sleepily. "Hey, where'd he go?"

After a few moments, Alfred jumped up in shock.

No!

He can't be gone!

Not after he had come all this way!

Oh, please still be here!

Alfred hurriedly put on his glasses and just as he was about to leave, he caught something out the corner of his eye.

When he looked over, he saw that it was a plate of food.

Did Ludwig put that here?

As if on cue, his stomach growled.

And so, he sat down and began eating and once he was done, he ran out in search of Ludwig.

It only took a few minutes of searching that he found Ludwig talking with a guard.

Alfred, as calmly as possible, walked up to Ludwig as he finished talking to the guard and smiled.

Ludwig, seeing Alfred, sighed and walked past him, not saying anything.

"Hey, aren't you gonna say anything?" Alfred pouted.

"You've been asleep for hours. It's afternoon. Do you usually sleep this late?" Ludwig said, looking forward.

Alfred smiled sheepishly. "Only if I'm really tired the night before. I sometimes sleep till way later."

Ludwig gave a humorless scoff. "How lazy…"

"Hey, that's not nice! I was tired! And I didn't have a bed, thank you!" Alfred huffed.

"That's not my problem." Ludwig quipped, nonchalantly.

Alfred just grumbled in annoyance and pouted.

For most of the day, Alfred followed Ludwig wherever he went, trying to engage him in conversation.

And like yesterday, Ludwig either ignored him or gave him short, uninterested replies.

This was going to be much harder than Alfred had thought.

As Alfred followed Ludwig around, he noticed, really noticed just how horrible the conditions of this place were.

He was so busy looking at Ludwig that he didn't even notice.

Guards milling around and people, seemingly more bone than skin, scattered around.

He also noticed a pungent smell in the air.

Alfred instantly covered his nose with his hand and winced.

God, what is that awful smell?!

Ludwig looked out the corner of his eye and saw Alfred covering his nose and mouth.

He knew that expression far too well.

And so, he finally spoke up, for the first time that day actually saying something to Alfred, if only just to distract him for a little while.

God knew he needed a distraction his first time here.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" Ludwig asked.

Alfred's eyes widened as he noticed that Ludwig was actually talking to him.

"Wait, are you talking to me?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig scoffed. "Well, we're the only two here after all. Who else would I be talking to?"

"W-Well, you wouldn't talk to me all day, so I was kinda confused when you did." Alfred said.

"Then you shouldn't be confused anymore. Or, knowing you, maybe not." Ludwig said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Why do you keep making fun of me?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig scoffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, right." Alfred grumbled.

"Well, are you going to answer me or not?" Ludwig asked.

"Huh? Answer what?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig shook his head. "And you wonder why I'm making fun of you. You really don't pay attention do you? I asked if you enjoyed your breakfast."

Alfred looked at Ludwig and saw that he had the slightest of smirks on his face.

So he really was making fun of him.

Alfred, ignoring Ludwig's jab at him, spoke up. "Yes, I did. It was good."

Ludwig nodded. "Good. I wasn't sure what you would like so I just got you the same thing I got."

Alfred blushed. "W-Wait, so that was you? You brought it?"

"I did." Ludwig said.

Alfred smiled softly and looked down, annoyance from earlier long forgotten. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." Ludwig said.

Alfred's smile softened into a sad one. "That was nice of you considering that you hate me now."

"I never said that I hated you. I was just annoyed." Ludwig said.

Alfred looked up at Ludwig in shock.

He then got a big smile on his face. "R-Really?! S-So, that means that you-"

Ludwig put a hand up, interrupting Alfred. "That being said, I said that I didn't hate you, but I also didn't say that I forgive you."

Alfred's smile fell. "Oh."

They arrived back at Ludwig's room and saw two plates of food on the small table.

Ludwig took off his hat and placed it on the table as Alfred sat down.

Ludwig sat down as well and they began eating in an awkward silence.

Alfred tried making conversation, but it wasn't going where he wanted because he couldn't think of what to say.

After dinner, Alfred stayed sitting at the table as Ludwig undressed and sat on the bed and took off his boots.

They talked for a little while, awkward as it was, until Alfred asked Ludwig to forgive him again.

"I wish you would stop asking me that. You begging me is not going to make me forgive you any faster." Ludwig said.

"Well, I just wanted to ask again. I mean, we did have a good time talking today, right?" Alfred asked.

"I never have a good time when I'm here. I'm just here to finish my inspection and then I'm leaving tomorrow. And I can't wait to get out of here. I hate this place." Ludwig said.

"Where are you going after this?" Alfred asked.

Ludwig looked at Alfred. "And why would I tell you? So you can follow me around again. No, thank you."

Alfred scoffed. "Why are you being so difficult, huh? Can't you see how hard I'm trying here? How many times do you want me to say, 'I'm sorry'?"

"No one asked you to. If I want to forgive you, then I'll do it on my own. You begging for my forgiveness is not going to change my mind." Ludwig said, sternly with a tone of finality.

Alfred was taken aback by Ludwig's bluntness.

How could he say something like that?

How could he be so callous?

Alfred scoffed. "Tch, fine then. If you're going to be like that then I'm leaving."

Ludwig finally laid down, back facing Alfred. "That's fine with me. Maybe tonight I'll actually be able to get some sleep."

Alfred huffed as he got up and opened the door.

He looked back at Ludwig, who didn't even turn in his direction, once last time before he walked out into the cold night air, slamming the door behind him.

A harsh wind blew suddenly and Alfred shivered.

Ok, maybe walking out wasn't such a good idea.

It was freezing out here.

He looked back at the door.

No!

He wouldn't go crawling back to him!

That jerk!

But…

It was so cold!

Alfred tried to open the door, but to his horror, he found that the door was locked.

Ugh, goddammit!

Ludwig, finally settled down, was about to finally drift into sleep, when all of a sudden, he heard a faint knock five minutes later.

He grumbled and frowned in annoyance.

Knock, knock, knock…

Ludwig growled, knowing that it was Alfred.

Idiot.

Served him right.

He's the one who wanted to walk out.

Let him freeze.

All that mattered was that he was warm; after all, he knew that it was going to be cold.

But then again, Alfred didn't know that the weather was going to be like this.

Ludwig growled in annoyance as guilt began to overtake him.

Goddammit!

And so, a few minutes later, Ludwig begrudgingly got up, walked over to the door.

He saw Alfred hugging himself, protecting himself for the cold.

Alfred looked up at him sheepishly and walked in and sat down at the table.

Ludwig walked past him and got back in bed.

"Thanks…" Alfred said.

"It's fine. Just don't do anything stupid like that again." Ludwig said.

And with that, Ludwig fell silent.

Alfred didn't know how long he stood there looking around nervously.

He had never been in a room alone with Ludwig before.

Well, actually, he had, but this felt different.

Uncomfortable.

And even then, the room they were in was much bigger in that hotel and they even had their own rooms to sleep in.

And aside from uncomfortable, the room also felt…intimate.

Strange as it was, considering where they were.

Alfred suddenly became painfully aware of the single bed in the room.

And Ludwig seemed keen on pointedly ignoring him.

Looking around, it seemed he had no other alternative. Would he sleep on the floor or would he just have to climb up on the table and make a makeshift bed out of that or…

Huffing in annoyance, Alfred just propped his head on his folding arms.

Oh, well, guess he was sleeping sitting up tonight.

Shoulders sagging, Alfred began lamenting his current predicament.

'Why am I even here? Why did I even follow him here? I barely even know the first thing about him so why did I want to find him so bad? Where do I go from here?' Alfred's mind was filled with questions running endlessly and rampantly.

Unaware of how much time had passed, Alfred began drifting, lulled to sleep by his errant thoughts.

Hours later, Ludwig stirred from his sleep, not even sure when he had even drifted off. He was so invested in ignoring any of Alfred's possible attempts at talking to him. He knows he should probably feel bad for ignoring Alfred, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care at the moment considering their strange history together.

Taking a chance, he slowly turned and looked behind him. He half expected to find Alfred sitting there and staring back at him, but then he suddenly realized that he didn't even know when he fell asleep, so there was no way Alfred would just sit there staring at him, right?

Ludwig shuddered a bit.

What a creepy thought.

And so, sure enough, he turned over and saw Alfred slouched over on the table, no doubt asleep.

Really, what had he been expecting?

Well, that sure couldn't have been comfortable.

Ludwig furrowed his brows and frowned.

He sighed heavily and, against what was probably his better judgement, got up out of his bed and walked over to Alfred and sat in the seat next to him at the small table.

Idiot hadn't even had the decency to turn off the lantern.

As he watched Alfred sleep, ignoring the irony, Ludwig noticed that Alfred's glasses were crooked.

What, did he forget about that too, Ludwig wondered, annoyed.

He reached out and plucked he glasses off of Alfred's face, attempting to fold them and place them on the table when something caught his eye.

Without the thin frames, blocking his visage, Ludwig could clearly see Alfred's face.

And, upon closer inspection, he noticed that his face seemed to be slightly wet.

The dim orange-yellow light from the lantern shone on Alfred's face and reflected off of the wet streaks going down his face.

Had he been crying?

Well, that would explain those sniffling sounds Ludwig had heard.

But he didn't know that it was real, he'd just chalked it up to some sort of weird half awake-half asleep haze he was in.

Ludwig's mouth was suddenly dry and he swallowed, trying to ease the uncomfortable sensation.

He hadn't been the one to make him cry…

Was he?

With his ignoring him?

It was then that he noticed that the man's hair was falling into his face.

He reached out with a suddenly shaky hand he noticed with a startled gasp, and softly tucked the strands of hair back.

Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

Once the hair was neatly tucked into place, Ludwig's hand lingered there for longer than he'd like to admit.

And with a sudden urge to touch more, Ludwig let his hand travel to the top of Alfred's head.

His hand was slowly caressing the soft wheat blond hair.

Ludwig's face softened as he softly carded through Alfred's hair.

"Why am I doing this?" Ludwig whispered to himself, not believing what he was doing.

And it was then that Alfred shifted softly and let out a sleepy groan.

Ludwig suddenly went rigid, a cold fear racing through his body at the thought of the other waking up and finding him like this.

Finding him threading his fingers through his hair like that of a lover.

And that groan, it sounded like…one of contentment?

Or like one that would be more at home in a bedroom.

More like a moan of pleasure, really.

Ludwig suddenly felt his face heating up.

Where had that thought come from?

And watched with horror as his hand was still in Alfred's hair.

But even more so, he also watched with relief as Alfred settled back down and went back to sleep.

Ludwig swallowed, veins still pumping full of adrenaline.

He shakily removed his hand from the oddly silky strands.

And in one last gesture, gently wiped the remaining tears on Alfred's face away with a thumb.

He then also noticed that he was cupping Alfred's face as he wiped the tears away.

Had his skin been this soft?

He'd touched his face before, but the times that he did, he'd had gloves on.

Ludwig still couldn't believe he kissed him.

The light dancing across Alfred's face reminded him of that night.

How the light from the Eiffel Tower, illuminated Frieda's, now this man's, face and made him look absolutely radiant.

Shaking his head to get rid of that image, Ludwig finally removed his hand from the other's face.

How long had he been like this?

Ludwig then gave a shaky sigh as he stood up from the table.

He looked over Alfred's sleeping face one more time before he yawned and leaned over and blew the lantern out.

He had to get up early in the morning and couldn't waste time watching the smaller man sleep.

Such a weird thought when he'd been the one who thought the other would be the one watching him sleep.

Turns out it was he who was watching the other sleep.

Ludwig sighed for what had to be the millionth time in frustration at the situation they were in.

And so, resigning himself to what may come, Ludwig headed back to bed and unceremoniously plopped down to go back to sleep, but not before giving Alfred one last look before he turned around.

Granted, he couldn't see anything definite, however, he could see the dark silhouette of Alfred's slouched over body, now hearing soft snoring coming from the other.

And the last thought that ran through Ludwig's mind as he turned over to finally go to sleep was 'bad posture.'

Alfred woke up with a groan and a yawn as he stretched.

How long had he been asleep?

It was then that he realized where he was and he instantly became alert.

He looked around the room frantically, before his eyes settled on the bed Ludwig was sleeping on.

Or was, anyway.

Wait, where was he?

Alfred looked back at the table and saw a plate of…food?

Where had that come from?

He also noticed that he was feeling slightly off.

Why was that?

Oh, well.

He might as well eat first, then ask questions later.

As he was eating, Alfred's hand had bumped something.

Hearing a clatter, he looked to the side.

Wait.

Were those his glasses?

He instantly began feeling all over his face, and when he didn't find anything, realization suddenly set in.

Oh.

Oh.

No wonder he felt off!

He didn't have his glasses on.

It wasn't that his vision was that bad that he couldn't go without them, but they still helped him see things a bit better.

But wait, he didn't remember taking his glasses off before he fell asleep.

Did…Ludwig do it?

But he was asleep!

Did he do it when he woke up?

"Whoa, what time is it?!" Alfred asked, panicking.

Quickly finishing his food Alfred scrambled to put his glasses back on and rushed outside to be met with the cool morning air.

Where did Ludwig go?

He didn't leave, did he?!

Alfred composed himself and walked out of their shared room, looking for Ludwig.

No, he couldn't have left yet! He wouldn't just leave without telling Alfred, right?

Thankfully, he didn't have to look for very long because he then saw Ludwig talking to another officer and sighed in relief.

The other officer walked off after nodding and Alfred began making his way over to Ludwig.

He figured that Ludwig noticed him because he looked in his direction.

And then he suddenly looked away with a strange expression.

Wait.

Is he blushing?

It must be his imagination, Alfred supposed as he made his way over.

"Good morning!" Alfred chirped."You couldn't wake a guy up?"

Ludwig turned away, muttering a low, "Good morning," before walking off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Alfred said, walking quickly to catch up. "What's the big deal? What's with you?"

Ludwig scoffed, and gave a narrowed eyed glare at Alfred. "If you haven't noticed, I have a lot of work to do. What are you doing here anyway?"

Alfred rolled his eyes, "I already told you, I came to see you. You know, to apologize and stuff."

"I don't have time for that, nor do I care to hear it." Ludwig said."Now, if you'll excuse me…"

With a tone of finality, Ludwig ended the conversation and walked off once again.

Not accepting "no" as an answer, Alfred tagged along once again, much to the taller man's annoyance.

When Ludwig refused to talk, Alfred just resigned himself to staying by Ludwig and keeping silent.

This continued for the rest of the day until dusk.

Back in Ludwig's quarters for the night, a heavy awkward silence settled over the two occupants, Ludwig pointedly ignoring Alfred and Alfred fidgeting nervously.

"So, uh, how long are you going to stay here?" Alfred asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Why do you want to know? So you can follow me again?" Ludwig asked.

"Yes." Alfred answered.

Ludwig's eyes widened.

Well.

That was definitely a bold answer.

"You have no shame…" Ludwig muttered. "If you must know, in the next few days, but I'm not telling you when. This is my last stop, so, I'll be going home after this."

Alfred looked up in curiosity. "You're going home? Really? What are you going to do?"

"What do you think? I going to relax, obviously. This trip has worn me out. I need a break." Ludwig said.

"Wait, I thought you said you were leaving today. Yesterday, you said you were leaving tomorrow, so why didn't you leave today?" Alfred asked in confusion.

Ludwig sighed. "Yes, well, I lied. I thought it would get you to leave me alone. But knowing you, it wouldn't. But I will stay for a little while longer before going home."

"Can I come?" Alfred asked.

A long pause settled over them again.

Ludwig gave Alfred a withering look before lying down on his bed.

Facing away from him like always.

"Why?" Ludwig asked, lowly, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Because I can't stop thinking about you." Alfred whispered.

Ludwig felt his heart skip a beat and his mouth go dry as his eyes widened.

"I don't know why I can't. Or why I feel this way, but it's the truth. I came all this way looking for you thinking that all I wanted was your forgiveness, but as I was getting closer, I felt…I don't know what…somewhere along the line, maybe I..." Alfred trailed off, unable to finish.

Ludwig finally turned to face Alfred, face showing absolute disbelief.

"Wait." Ludwig said, swallowing through a dry throat, feeling the foreign sensation on his tongue. Testing it. "What are you trying to say?"

Alfred looked down into his lap and blushed. "I…I-I don't know. I just know that I want to stay by your side."

Ludwig felt his face heat up and turned away from Alfred. "Go to sleep. You don't know what you're saying." Ludwig said, fully knowing the implications of Alfred's words.

Alfred jerked up, looking at Ludwig in disbelief. "Wh-Whab-but I-"

"Go to sleep. Goodnight." Ludwig gritted out.

Alfred fell into despondent silence, turning to the table and burying his face in his arms.

He paused to take off his glasses, reminded of how Ludwig did for him earlier, and settled back down, turning off the lantern.

It took a bit longer to go to sleep due to him sleeping at the table, but it eventually came.

However sleep came uneasily for Alfred, it also came uneasy for Ludwig as well.

Due to Alfred's half"confession", it ended up putting the taller blond on edge.

No.

There was no way the other could…

Right?

And what about him?

Yeah, Alfred said that he couldn't stop thinking about him, but what about him?

It is true that he couldn't stop thinking about the other either, but was it to that extent?

It couldn't be, after all he was angry with the smaller blond.

However, it seemed that during the time he spent with Alfred that anger sort of…lessened.

If only just a bit.

And he tried to push him away, say things to him that would make him leave or just not replying in the hopes of him giving up and just leaving him alone.

But he couldn't.

There was something about the man that made him feel…a little less angry.

And he tried to convince himself that he didn't want anything to do with him, but with every minute he spent with the other, the weaker his own self-reasoning became.

"Stop it! Don't think about him. Don't think about him! Remember what he did to you. How he lied to you. How he betrayed you and your trust!" Ludwig thought angrily to himself.

This continued on for what seemed like an eternity before sleep finally took him.

Ludwig opened his eyes to see golden wheat-colored blond below him.

What is this?

What's going on?

"I can't stop thinking about you." a voice rang out, seeming to reverberate around him.

Where is he?

"What matters is that I came to see you…" the same voice, louder this time.

The form against his body shifted slightly as if it was trying to get comfortable.

Ludwig then realized that he was holding that form in his arms.

It was pressed closely against his body and it fit perfectly in his arms as if it were made to be there.

For some reason, he felt the odd urge to pull the thing closer to him.

A protective gesture against some unknown threat.

"I missed you." this time the voice was coming from somewhere very close.

The form in his arms shifted again and this time, the nest of golden wheat-colored blond looked up at him and he saw bright blue eyes looking back at him.

The sight took his breath away and he smiled down at Alfred.

Alfred smiled back, blindingly bright.

"I love you, Ludwig…" Alfred spoke, reverence in his voice.

Alfred then blushed as he stood on the tips of his toes, inching towards Ludwig.

Since Ludwig was taller, he had to lean forward slightly to meet Alfred halfway.

Smiling, Ludwig slowly inched toward Alfred and it seemed like time slowed down as they closed in on each other.

And a second later, Ludwig's lips met Alfred's in a soft, slow kiss.

Ludwig's eyes snapped open and the world suddenly came back in a flash as the image of the two became a blindingly bright light and disappeared.

What was that?

Ludwig looked at the clock and saw that it was already morning.

Usually, Ludwig was an early riser, but this was slightly earlier than when he'd like to wake up.

Well, it's not like he could go back to sleep anyway.

Looking from the clock, Ludwig's gaze trailed over to Alfred's sleeping form.

For some reason, he felt his face heat up, though he couldn't place why.

There was something that woke him up suddenly, which usually didn't happen.

Was it because of a dream?

He could remember bits and pieces, but most of it was just a blur, although he could vaguely recall a blurry silhouette of something.

With a groan, Ludwig pulled himself up and sat up in bed. He looked up at the other's sleeping form once more and for a short while, found himself staring until he snapped himself out of it with a shake of his head.

Pulling on his boots and coat, he began readying himself for his daily duties.

Once he was fully dressed, he looked back down at Alfred and noticed that he looked uncomfortable.

Well, he supposed he'd be too if he had to spend the night sleeping in a chair.

And so, before he could stop himself, Ludwig bent down and picked Alfred up and his eyes widened.

Whoa, he was much lighter than he looked.

Alfred groaned sleepily Ludwig swallowed, mouth going dry again, as he stared down at the other.

If he was this light…

He could have carried him up all those stairs so long ago…

Ludwig's face darkened more as that sudden thought came up.

Why did he think of that all of a sudden?

Alfred shifted in his hold and nuzzled into Ludwig's chest with another groan.

Well, that suddenly snapped Ludwig out of his thoughts.

He decided that that was enough holding him and moved towards his bed to put Alfred down.

Once the other was situated on the bed, Ludwig moved to exit their-his-room.

He'll just eat later since it'd be much too awkward to eat in this room.

After all, what if the other woke up and found himself in his bed?

He'd obviously question why he was in bed and why Ludwig was at the table.

And since it was done when he was asleep, it would obviously implicate Ludwig as the suspect.

There would be no way he could explain himself without any embarrassing results.

He'll just send Alfred food so he can eat by himself and not have any embarrassing questions or accusations.

Giving Alfred a final once over, noting how his expression was much more relaxed, Ludwig stepped out into the cold morning air that bit at his skin before beginning his rounds.

Just a little bit more…he can get through this and finally go home…

Alfred awoke, feeling oddly rested…and at an odd angle.

What the-

Alfred shot up, looking around in a panic before looking down at himself.

Wait.

Was he in a bed?

When did that happen?

Did Ludwig do this?

Alfred mentally slapped himself.

Of course Ludwig did this, who else would?

Did he…want him to be more comfortable?

A smell hit Alfred's nostrils and he turned to see food waiting for him, feeling his stomach growling.

That was obviously Ludwig's doing as well, no doubt.

Getting out of bed, Alfred sat down at the table and dug in, the breakfast still warm and fresh. He wondered if Ludwig made if for him, though he immediately retracted that thought. With how busy the man was, he doubted Ludwig had anything to do with it.

Once Alfred was done eating, he went out in search of Ludwig, hopefully to get any information as to Ludwig's next destination. Hopefully it would be his home and not another hotel.

Although, that as easier said than done, the man wouldn't give up any kind of information whatsoever.

Alfred pouted. Dammit why was he so stubborn?

Did he really hate being around him that much?

No, that was impossible. If it was, then Ludwig wouldn't want to be around him anymore, right?

He didn't seem to mind Alfred tagging along with him for the time they've been here and didn't seem to be actively avoiding him.

But this silent treatment that he was currently giving Alfred was not appreciated at all, thank you.

All he got were non-committal grunts of agreement or disagreement, however, because they all sounded the same and Ludwig wouldn't explain himself, Alfred had to try to put the pieces together.

"You know, you could at least say, something!" Alfred grumbled.

Ludwig glanced at Alfred from the corner of his eye before focusing back on his task at hand.

"Why, so you can ask me about where I'm going after this for the millionth time?" Ludwig asked, cooly.

Alfred huffed in annoyance. "Oh, come on, it's not like I'm going to follow you home or anything."

Ludwig gave Alfred a deadpan look. "Isn't that the very reason why you want to know where I lived?"

Alfred felt his face heat up and looked away. "Sh-Shut up. I-I just wanted to know, ok?!"

Ludwig scoffed and carried on throughout the rest of the day with Alfred tailing after him like a lost puppy.

A lost, grumpy puppy.

The next day, Alfred woke up in much the same way, alone in Ludwig's bed and with breakfast waiting for him.

This has to be proof that Ludwig really cares, right, because who else would do that for him?

He had a feeling that Ludwig actually cared more than he let on; he was a lot less hostile over the last few days. Now, he just seems to be in a mood of calm acceptance.

Well, more like a begrudging form of acceptance.

Well…

At least he didn't hate him anymore?

Did he ever really hate him?

Whatever.

At least he didn't seem to hate him and that was what Alfred was sticking to.

Can't be disappointed if you never consider the potential for failure.

With that in mind, Alfred scarfed down his breakfast and headed out.

Ludwig, much the same as always, ignored him and continued on with his duties.

And that was just fine with Alfred. If he was going to ignore him then he was just going to be by his side all day no matter what he says.

Or doesn't say…

Whatever.

The point is that Ludwig won't be able to ignore him.

And so, the day continued on like that with Alfred following after Ludwig.

Though he did try to stay in the other's peripheral vision so that he couldn't ignore him completely.

However, he could swear that he saw Ludwig glance at him from time to time.

Or was that his imagination?

He couldn't really say, but he could tell that he didn't bother Ludwig as much as he let on.

The day ended with them in the room again in awkward silence.

Ludwig turned over in his bed away from Alfred and settled down.

"Jeez, sleeping in a chair every night is kinda uncomfortable." Alfred huffed.

"And whose fault is that, I wonder?" Ludwig asked.

Alfred glared at the back of Ludwig's head. He bit back the urge to bring up the fact that Ludwig was the one to put him in his bed when he got up in the morning.

As in PICK HIM UP.

AND PUT HIM IN BED.

How's THAT for not caring?

Alfred huffed and rested his head on the table.

And it was then that he had an idea.

A loud creaking and scraping noise was soon heard around the small room.

Ludwig grimaced in annoyance. What was that idiot doing?

He wanted to just ignore the noise, the other was just obviously just doing things to annoy him.

The clattering got worse, making Ludwig growl under his breath.

When he couldn't take anymore, he turned around, glaring at Alfred. "What are you doing?!"

Though the rest of the words he had died in his throat when he got a good look at the other man.

Because there he was, lying on the table as if were a makeshift bed.

Ludwig reiterated his question. "What are you doing?"

Alfred huffed. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm lying down. I told you, sleeping sitting up is uncomfortable. Though, this table isn't much better."

Ludwig sighed and turned back around. "Fine, do whatever you want."

He couldn't wait to get out of here…

And for more than just this place giving him nightmares.

After all this time not seeing the other, it took him by complete surprise that he managed to show up.

And for him to actually follow him around for the past few days was…

Well, it wasn't boring and he'd much rather prefer this than being here alone.

And although the other's incessant questions about his next destination annoyed him to no end, he didn't hate it, rather, it made him feel like…well, like he was growing on him.

He was still annoying…but the good kind of annoying, if that made any sense.

Ludwig felt his face heat up.

Thank God the other couldn't hear his thoughts otherwise he'd never let him live it down.

He could already see that stupid grin on his face if he were to ever hear that.

Stupid idiot.

God, his smile was so bright…

Just like in his dream…

NOPE!

Nope, nope, nope!

Not thinking about that!

'You don't even know his name for God's sake!' Ludwig thought angrily to himself.

Ludwig tried to look back at Alfred, almost as if he were aware of Ludwig's inner turmoil, however, all he saw was darkness.

Apparently, Alfred had turned off the lantern, so the room was pitch black.

Though Ludwig could see a faint dark silhouette lying on the table.

It did look uncomfortable…maybe he should…

No, no, stop! Abandon that thought!

What was he going to do, offer to share a bed with the other man?!

That was utterly ridiculous!

Although, it's not like the other would oppose it, his head helpfully supplied.

He might even enjoy it.

Welcome it, even.

Ludwig bit back the urge to growl in annoyance, for fear of waking the other and causing yet another awkward situation.

And it's not like he could pretend to be asleep if the other man heard and asked about the noise was.

Because who growls in their sleep?

Jesus Christ, that thought process was heading into dangerous territory.

Ok, so, he didn't hate the man and he even thought that he was slightly growing on him a little bit.

But to go from that to thinking of inviting him into his bed?!

Ludwig began wracking his brain for any possible explanation as to why he would think like that.

Maybe he grew to like him a little bit…

But only a little bit!

It had nothing to do with his stupid smile…

Or the way he pouted whenever Ludwig ignored him.

Yes, he saw that. The other may have thought he was ignoring him the whole day, but he saw it.

And he was very aware of him following him around.

And that pout didn't make Ludwig feel any warmth in his chest, not at all.

Ok, so maybe he didn't really dislike the other as much as he'd wanted to and had been trying to before the other came back.

And…he'd be lying if he said that the other man didn't make him feel less alone.

Somehow, over the past few days, he had made him feel…content.

Not with the situation he was in, but during the time they spent together.

For a brief period of time, Ludwig felt like he could almost forget about his place in this fucked up world and just exist.

It was a dream that he'd had many a night ever since he let himself be swayed by the words of a tyrant.

And by then, it had already been too late.

However, in just a short time, one person had managed to make him forget all that.

Someone who didn't see a monster when he looked at him.

It made him feel…good.

The one person who made his dream a reality in just a short time.

Although, it pained him to realize…that he didn't deserve that someone. Not after everything he's done. Everything he's enabled when he had the power to stop it.

Someone to be with him.

Someone to care for him.

Someone to love him.

Someone…who didn't snore like a goddamn animal!

The loud snores from the other woke him out of his reverie and it was then that he realized that he'd dozed off while trying to rationalize his thoughts and actions to himself.

Ludwig looked over his shoulder, this time his eyes better adjusted to see in the dark, and saw the clearer form of the man sleeping on the table.

The man who was once lying on his side, now on his back snoring up a storm.

He must really be comfortable.

Leave it to him to turn a bad situation into a good one.

Involuntarily, Ludwig smiled despite himself and huffed in fond annoyance.

He turned back over and chuckled as once final thought passed through his mind before dozing off. 'Idiot.'

Yeah…he really needed to get out of here…

He's starting to have an effect on him, which would only prove be dangerous in the long run.

Maybe it was his fault for not pushing the other way more than he should have.

If only he hadn't given him some form of escape from all of this, it would have been easier, but as it was right now, he was only falling deeper and deeper.

So much so, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to escape.

And in this line of…work, he'd only end up putting the both of them in danger.

Although he'd deserve what was coming to him, he wasn't sure about the other, though he couldn't imagine what he'd done to deserve the punishment Ludwig was assured that was coming to him.

Surely, it couldn't be as bad as being on the side of a war that most of the world found morally and ethically reprehensible.

Ludwig felt himself awaken, feeling the familiar feeling of grogginess that came with a night of restless sleep.

He wasn't sure when he'd finally dozed off.

One minute he was having an existential crisis, and the next he was waking up.

Well…at least the snoring finally stopped.

With a grumble, Ludwig pulled himself out of bed, pulling on his boots and standing up.

As it had become a frequent occurrence over the past few days, Ludwig picked up Alfred, once again marveling over how little the man weighed despite knowing how much the man ate and placed him in his bed.

Upon settling the other down, Ludwig looked over the other's features and swallowed, mouth suddenly going dry.

He couldn't stay here anymore; it was becoming too hard to not fall into this lie.

He'll just skip breakfast, he'll eat later.

Finally turning away from the other's sleeping form, he arranged to have breakfast delivered for the other.

When he was finally done preparing himself for the day, a small knock came from the door.

Opening it revealed another officer with a plate of food for him.

Thanking the smaller man, Ludwig took the food and shut the door.

He placed it once the table and straightened up again.

Unbidden, Ludwig found his gaze settling on the sleeping man.

Ludwig grimaced and bit his lower lip.

He knew his shouldn't do this and he knew that anything further between them would only lead to a bad end.

'You don't even know his name!' Ludwig desperately reminded himself again.

As if that would deter him in some way.

Ludwig didn't know how long he spent mulling over his thoughts, lost in his own head, but he was sure that had the other been awake and looking at him, it would be incredibly creepy.

And awkward.

Just standing there, staring at the other for way longer than should have been necessary.

And so, after mentally warring with himself for what seemed like an eternity, Ludwig finally made a decision.

Alfred woke up with a sleepy groan.

Damn that stupid table!

Well, at least it was more comfortable than sitting up sleeping in a chair.

Though not by much.

It did make it easier for him to fall asleep, though.

Noticing the familiar softness underneath him, Alfred noticed that he was in Ludwig's bed yet again.

And just like before, he was nowhere to be found.

Yet again…

Would it kill him to stay around and wait for him to wake up for once?

To at least say "Good morning" or something?

Maybe Alfred wanted to have breakfast with him or something and maybe ask him about his plans for the day and after he left.

Although he was sure that Ludwig wouldn't want to answer those questions and would probably dodge them anyway.

That's what he has been doing ever since Alfred came here.

Though those questions hadn't been quite as personal as asking about his future plans.

Looking over at the table and seeing food waiting for him again, Alfred pulled himself out of Ludwig's bed and lumbered over sleepily and plopped down in the chair.

However, rather than immediately digging in, he only played with the food, not very interested in eating at the moment.

Letting out a sigh, Alfred wondered, not for the first time, what he was doing here.

Chasing a man across Europe with the hope of pursuing something that was impossible given their stations in life.

Him, a spy, though admittedly not a very good one, given how he'd sorta, maybe fallen for his target.

And Ludwig, a fucking Nazi SS officer, whose thoughts he can't even get a bead on due to his conflicting nature and personality.

And it struck Alfred then.

Just, how in the world did someone as nice as Ludwig become a Nazi of all things?

He'd never asked or even considered the possible reasons.

He certainly regretted it, given how negatively he acted when associated with the word.

Even before he'd met the man, he'd just assumed they were all the same.

Just war hungry people hell-bent on killing a group of people.

But when he met Ludwig, he was introduced to the possibility that there may be people in the SS that regret being in their ranks.

He'd have to ask Ludwig how he joined.

Or rather, he wants to, but he knows that the other man would vehemently refuse.

But how could he broach the subject without making the other closed off?

Alfred then began eating, not wanting to sit in silence any longer, and once he was finished, he walked out in search of Ludwig.

However, after searching around, he noticed that Ludwig wasn't there.

He then looked for another officer to ask about the other's whereabouts and upon discovering that Ludwig had left the camp, Alfred's heart sank.

Why would Ludwig leave without telling him?

So, was it actually true that he hated being around him?

Alfred ran back to their shared room and began looking for any sign of Ludwig's presence.

When he didn't find any, he staggered to the table and slumped down, rattling the dishware.

Just as Alfred was about to break down and wallow, a movement caught his attention.

On the table was a small piece of paper that fell flat when Alfred rattled the table.

Reaching over, Alfred picked up the paper and noticing that it had writing on it, he began reading it.

'I am going back home so that I can finally get some rest. If you really want to follow me home so badly as you kept saying and annoying me with, here is my address. Do not make me regret this.'
- Ludwig

Alfred's eyes widened as he saw that Ludwig had indeed written an address on the bottom.

In pure disbelief, Alfred read over the note over and over again.

Just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

Or hallucinating.

Anything to make sure that this was real and not fake.

Unbidden, Alfred felt a giant smile take over his features and he resisted the urge to jump up and scream.

Gather up what little he had, Alfred ran out of the room and towards the camps exit and to the awaiting vehicle.

He knocked on the window, startling John out of an apparent daydream.

The man looking over and, seeing Alfred's big grin, quirked an eyebrow before rolling down the window.

"He gave me his address." Alfred said excitedly.

"Yeah, and?" John asked.

"I'm going to follow him. I think I'm getting closer to getting some good info." Alfred said.

"Jesus Christ, it's about time. Do you know how boring it was in here waiting all this time for you to be done?" John sighed.

"Yes, I know and I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you." Alfred said before getting inside.

He tingled in anticipation as John started up the limousine and began to pull off.

"Can we go back to the safe house first? I need to tell everyone else what I found and plan out what's next." Alfred said.

"Sure. Just don't take forever this time." John said.

"I won't, I promise." Alfred said.

John nodded and didn't say anything else, the rest of the ride back into Germany filled with silence aside from the occasional chatter from boredom.

This opened up a new opportunity for Alfred.

It must mean that Ludwig trusted him in some way and that was much more that what Alfred hoped for.

This was going to be a very interesting turn of events that was for sure.

And for once, Alfred was excited for this next step with Ludwig and he couldn't wait for the next events to unfold.

Ludwig trusted him.

He wondered what Ludwig's house would be like.

Would it be big or small?

Was his place cozy or would it be gloomy?

The possibilities were absolutely endless and Alfred was perfectly content with imagining the possible layout of Ludwig's house.

The very idea of Ludwig, who was so adamant about refusing to divulge such sensitive information to him, finally giving in and giving Alfred what he's being wanting for so long gave him such a good feeling that Alfred felt dizzy.

The moment the safe house came into view, Alfred felt a wave of relief wash over him and the sense of returning home filled him.

Once he finished planning, it was back on the mission for him.

And he couldn't wait.


Sorry, for the super long wait and for it being almost 3 years! I know I keep telling you all that I'll update quicker, but school and life keeps getting in the way. I hope you are all still keeping up with this story and have not forgotten about it. I promise you all that this story if far from dead. This story will be ending soon, so I hope that I will be able to keep you attention until then. I'll be damned if it let this story reach 3 years before updating.

Please let me know if there are any typos or anything and as always, please read and review and look forward to the next chapter! : ).