Francine and I both looked at each other in panic. We glanced at Gil and he smirked while taking another drink.
"Hm... is it a Frenchie thing?"
We both breathed sighs of relief and nodded. I took a sip of wine and immediately relaxed. Gil was most likely not going to press us... at least not in the restaurant. I looked over at Francine and she looked like she was thinking about something. She swished around her drink, when suddenly she sat up and smirked. Her eyes were a darker blue than normal. She looked at me and Gil. Something told me there was a plan being hatched at that moment. But luckily for me, our food finally came. The plate of pasta was almost as big as the table and had I don't know how many meatballs. There were three forks around the plate. The waiter smiled at us and said something close to bon appetite and left. Gil picked up his fork first and dug in. I smiled at him and also picked up my fork, choosing to eat from the same side as him. Francine watched us for a little, before finally picking up her fork.
"So, Matthieu. You mentioned that you lived on the street?"
Gil immediately looked at me, judging my reaction to the question. I nodded, though the girl in front of us couldn't see.
"O-oui, I did... f-for five years"
"Oh? How did you live for that long, did you have any help?"
"Um... I-I had a little help in the beginning, but... that's it. A-and I played violin..."
"What songs?"
"A-anything that was popular at th-the time, or s-sometimes I did mashups of different songs"
"How did you learn? Just by ear?"
"O-oui"
"Really? How many times did it take to get the song right?"
"Hm... d-depends. In th-the beginning, it took me a little before I could find the first note, b-but now I can listen to a song a-and play it right after"
"Wow. You are talented, Matthieu! Have you thought about getting a Youtube account?"
"Actually, he already has one. The awesome us made it and his first video's got 50 views so far!"
"That... is amazing. I must hear you play sometime!"
I nodded and we continued eating. We somehow managed to finish the entire plate... I didn't think I would be able to walk for a few weeks. I looked over at Gil and he was smiling, then smirking.
"You got some sauce on your face, Birdie"
He licked his thumb and wiped it off my face. I could feel my cheeks going hot and red. They probably matched the pasta sauce, actually. Gil chuckled and chugged the rest of his beer. Francine smirked at us, making it clear she had a plan. We stood up and... somehow managed to walk out of there, thanking the people. We walked carefully because the sidewalk was icey (as it was still winter) and falling over would not be good. We walked in the house and after getting his coat and shoes off, Gil just flopped on the floor in front of the couch.
"The awesome me is tired... Francine, you staying over?"
"Ah, oui. I think Antonio will be fine. Besides, he surely won't miss me that much, oui?"
"Nein, I don't think so. He should be up, so you should probably text him"
"Oui. Ah, Matthieu, how about we go downstairs and find some pajamas for me?"
I nodded and we went downstairs. I think Gil dragged himself up and went to the puppy room. There was lots of barking and a loud bang! which must have meant that Gil was tackled to the floor. Once Francine and I were downstairs, she sat on the bed and patted the spot beside her. Confused, I sat down. She smiled, but... there was something... different about it.
"Okay. Matthieu. You want Gilbert, oui?"
"...D-didn't we already establish this at th-the restaurant?"
"Oui. But I want to hear you say it"
"Um... I-I want Gil?"
"Non! You have to be sure!"
"I-I want Gil"
"Better! Now, since you said that I am going to help you get him"
"W-what?! But what if he doesn't like me and is weirded out by m-me liking him?! I don't want to h-have to-"
"Matthieu! Calm down, there is no danger. I have been friends with Gilbert for some time now, and I can tell when he is in love. Because he's only actually been in love once, and that... that was an interesting time for Gilbert, Antonio and myself. It involved a lot of beer, I can tell you that"
"...Y-you're positive?"
"I am almost sure of it. So just let me work my magic, oui?"
"...F-fine"
She clapped and we went back upstairs. I still wasn't sure that this was going to be a good idea, but it appeared I didn't have much of a choice. We walked into the living room to wait for Gil. He came in a few minutes later and smiled at me. I think.
"So, what do you guys want to do?"
"Hm... first, I would like to hear Matthieu play"
I nodded and went back downstairs to get the violin. it was in it's case, sitting on the desk. I first took out the picture of Maman and smiled. I put it back and grabbed my violin and the bow, closing the case and running back upstairs. I walked in the room and smiled.
"Any r-requests?"
Francine thought for a little before smirking.
"Hm... how about... A Thousand Years?"
I smiled and started playing. My purple eyes closed and I moved with the song. I managed to avoid the dogs and puppies when they walked in. It appeared that my audience grew by about fourteen. I did draw the song out longer than it actually was, but only because I was enjoying playing it so much. When I finally finished, I got a round of applause. I put the violin on the coffee table and sat on the floor. The dogs all came and sat in front of me. I scratched each one on the head before looking at the two on the couch. Francine smiled and... I think she had a tear in her eye.
"Matthieu... that was beautiful! You really do have a gift"
"Hah, m-merci beaucoup! D-do you play an instrument?"
"Oui, I play a little guitar. Not as much as Gilbert, though. Has he shown you?"
"O-oui"
Francine smirked at the albino and his face suddenly matched his eyes. Huh... She looked back at me with a smile that screamed fake innocence.
"So, how about we all play a board game?"
Gil nodded and smiled, forgetting his previous discomfort. He went upstairs and brought some down, setting them in front of me. There was Clue, Monopoly and Twister. I immediately ruled out Twister, because it just wasn't the same without Feli and Ludwig. I looked at the remaining two choices, trying to decide. Eventually I just opened the box to Clue and got out the board, silently making my decision. The two on the couch came down to the floor and we chose our players. Francine chose to be Scarlet. I chose Mustard and Gil chose Plum. We started the game.
"Hm... Birdie, I think it was White in the observatory with the... dumbell"
I had... all three cards, actually. I showed him the one with the dumbell and he frowned.
"F-Francine, I think it was White w-with the trophy i-in the observatory"
"I have none of those cards"
"I-interesting..."
"Ja, interesting... kesesese!"
The game continued on for about forty five minutes before I finally got it.
"I-I think it was Peacock in the g-guest room with the trophy!"
We checked the cards and it turned out that I won! Gil gave me a hug as a reward and I smiled. But so did Francine, and not the same smile Gil was giving me. I figured she was going to put her 'plan' to action. There were butterflies in my stomach as she walked over.
"Gilbert, how about we play video games, hm? Matthieu, you stay up here"
Gil nodded and followed her downstairs. I cleaned everything up and went to the kitchen to sit down. I thought I heard two sets of footsteps coming back up the stairs, but only the Frenchwoman rounded the corner and came in the kitchen.
"Oka, before I put my plan into action, I need to know some things"
"O-okay, like what?"
"Why exactly are you afraid of telling our dear ami your feelings for him?"
I threaded my fingers together and twidled my thumbs while I answered.
"W-well... I g-guess... it's just the fear of rejection... I mean, G-Gil's been nothing but... well, awesome e-ever since we met, and... he doesn't seem to care th-that I come from almost an entirely d-different world than him. I-I don't want to ruin the friendship a-and... family I have here"
"So, you feel that not only your heart, but your living here is at stake?"
"O-oui... maybe I'm just over worrying a-about this..."
"Non, I can see where you are coming from. So... when did you realise your feelings for Gilbert?"
"U-um... well, I was in the shower when i-it hit me, actually... a-and I went to the roof to th-think about that and try to sort everything out... I-I think I liked Gil f-from the second day h-here, but... it's been so long since I was i-in love.. and it turned out b-badly..."
"Oh?"
"I.. Th-the rejection wasn't... very gentle a-at all"
"And that is where your fear comes from, oui?"
"O-oui"
"Hm... now, why do you like Gilbert?"
"L-like I said, he's b-been really nice to me, and... th-the cuddling may have something to do with it... I-I've never been cuddled with before"
"...Ever?"
"Non"
"...Well... erm, then I am glad Gil was your first...?"
I laughed at her face and her obviously awkward speech. It was pretty sad, but the way she avoided saying that was funny. She made another face that made me giggle and looked at me again.
"What has he told about his past?"
"Um... w-well, he probably left out some d-details, but... almost everything"
"Wow... so. Now that we kno- I have asked you all that, there is one thing left. What exactly are your feelings toward our friend?"
I stayed silent for a few moments, discussing with myself exactly how much I liked Gil. Maybe... maybe it was more than like, actually. I took a deep breath as I looked her in the eye and said it.
"I love G-Gil"
Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. The blood drained from my face, because there was only one person that could possibly be.
"Birdie... could you stand up for a second? The awesome me has something to say to the completely awesome you"
I slowly stood up and turned around, scared of what Gil might have to say to me. Was it the rejection I was expecting? Would I not even be let down easy? Would... would I have to leave? I avoided looking at his eyes, just in case. But... I felt surprisingly soft (and chapped) lips press against mine. Arms wrapped themselves around my waist and after standing there for a few seconds, I finally remembered that I should probably kiss back. I closed my eyes and did that, wrapping my arms around Gil's shoulders and letting him pull me closer. When we finally pulled back I got the most sincere smile I've ever seen.
"Birdie... the awesome me loves you too"
...The kiss probably should have told me that. But that didn't stop me from being shocked. Again.
"Y-you do?"
"Ja! Off course I do, vogel. You're the most adorable thing the awesome me has ever seen"
"E-even more adorable th-than the puppies?"
"I think they could take cute lessons from you, Mattie"
He winked when he said that, making me blush more than I already was. Francine tapped me on the shoulder and she was smirking.
"See? I told you there was no danger, Mat"
"Non, y-you said there was a good chance he liked me back"
"...Same thing. Anyways, I checked the list and your first customers are coming over at about twelve tomorrow. And it is one in the morning now, so going to sleep would probably be a good idea, oui?"
"W-where are we going to sleep?"
"There is a mattress under Gilbert's bed I can sleep on. And as long as you two don't go bump in the night, everything will be fine"
I hid my face in Gil's neck at the meaning of Francine's last sentence. I think Gil glared at her, because I heard her laugh. The albino kissed the top of my head and we walked downstairs. Francine pulled out the mattress from under the bed, got herself a pillow and a blanket and said goodnight. I crawled under the covers and smiled at Gil. It blew my mind that he actually loved me... but I was glad he did. He kinda flopped on the bed and smirked.
"So... the awesome us are dating now"
"O-oui"
He chuckled and held me close to his chest I kissed it before getting ready to sleep.
"I wonder what bruder and Feli are going to say? I bet they'll think it's awesome, kesesese!"
"Or that they saw it coming. Now shush, I am trying to sleep"
We smiled and held each other tight, letting a deep and peaceful sleep wash over us. Tomorrow promised to be... interesting. But Gil would be there so I had nothing to worry about.