Warning: A little shorter than normal

Disclaimer: Hetalia = Not mine

Rating: Rating has been lowered

Chapter 25

The first thing Arthur did after running through his usual morning routine was call his vet's office. Out of pure dumb luck, there was a cancelation that hadn't been filled and if Arthur could bring Alfred by around three in the afternoon, he vet was sure they could take care of some shots and a basic check up to make sure he was healthy puppy before Arthur gave him to the happy couple on Sunday.

Following the phone call, Arthur set a time to remind him of when he would need to get ready, Arthur started cleaning. He hadn't been home for a week but there had been people in his flat trying to fix things not to mention he hadn't swept or dusted before leaving to stay with Francis. Convincing himself that the deep cleaning was necessary Arthur lost himself in the work.

He certainly didn't allow himself to think of how empty the flat seemed.

He absolutely would not dwell on how he would turn around some times and expect to see a head of blond hair in his peripheral vision.

And it was just foolish to think it odd for Alice to be without a large, white companion as she napped.

The first thing Francis did upon waking up the morning after Arthur moved back home was get ready for work. He wouldn't be there to greet Arthur if the Englishman took a walk that day, but considering Arthur still wasn't back to work Francis figured it would not be too much of an issue. He also made a point to simply ignore the thought that it would be entirely possible for Arthur to have been called back to work recently and Francis would know nothing about it.

The most surprising thing for Francis when he arrived at work was that Gilbert was also there. Sitting on the sidewalk outside the employee entrance with a forlorn expression.

"Either I am really late to start prep this morning, or you are very lost Gilbert. And I truly hope it is not the first option." Francis said as a greeting. Gilbert was hardly on time for his shifts at the restaurant. There was no reason for him to be there nearly three hours early for prep.

Silence settled over the two men and finally Francis sat down on the sidewalk beside his friend.

"I hate to say this Gilbert but I am not much help if you are not willing to tell me what is wrong. And something is obviously wrong, mon ami."

Gilbert sighed, the first sign of acknowledgement Francis had received since he arrived, and ran a hand over his face. "Liz and I are no longer involved."

Francis tried to reign in his surprised expression. "Are you…"

"We're still friends."

Francis pursed his lips. That hadn't exactly been his question. Honestly he wasn't surprised that Gilbert and Elizabeta had plans to continue being friends. For as good as friends he, Gilbert, and Antonio were, Elizabeta had still always been one of Gilbert's closest friends.

"Why had you decided to…end your other arrangement?" Francis tried to approach the topic as delicately as possible.

Gilbert sighed once again, dropping his hands away from his face in order to lean back and look up to the cloudy sky.

"We have both felt…oddly about our arrangement recently. But now…" Gilbert's expression darkened as he tried to find the words he wanted. "Liz is pregnant."

This time Francis couldn't contain his surprise. "She is?"

"It's not mine." Gilbert immediately defended. "I know you are probably hesitant to believe that Franny but it's not."

"If you say it is not your child Gil, I believe you." Francis readjusted his sitting position. "There's something else bothering you though. I know you too well mon ami for you to pretend there is not something else."

"I'm actually the one who called it off, first." Gilbert whispered. "Before I even knew about the baby."

Francis wanted to urge Gilbert on but he knew his friend. If he wanted Gilbert to tell him the whole story the only way Gilbert would do that was on his own time.

"I'm afraid I might be losing Birdie." Gilbert let out a shaky breath. "And it scares me."

The veterinarian appointment went on for a little over an hour but Alfred was released with a clean bill of health. Arthur picked up some brochures about possible shots and procedures Alfred may need in the future, including getting fixed, though he wasn't sure if they were more for him or for Alfred and Kiku. It would have been nice to get that particular surgery out of the way so that Alfred and Kiku would not need to worry about it but the vet had concluded after the check-up that Alfred the dog was still a little young for the procedure. Well it was something that could be discussed later. Arthur was just happy Alfred was healthy.

Arthur returned Alfred back to his flat. He fed Alfred and Alice their dinner before leaving once again. Having been away, Arthur didn't have anything in his flat for his dinner and he figured a grocery trip was in order.

Francis tried his best to work as if everything was normal but half way through the first shift, he had to send Gilbert home. He just wasn't himself, and was even more distracted than he had been in the past. Francis stayed for the rest of his shift, and then worked over time but he felt a bit out of it too. It was like he going through the motions without truly enjoying his time in the kitchen. Gilbert's words were weighing on him.

For one of his closest friends to be so affected, to be having such a serious issue and with a person Francis didn't know anything about. It was stressful to say the least. And admittedly he felt like a poor friend for not knowing something was going on that was bothering Gilbert this much. Even knowing that the only reason he was so in the dark was because Gilbert didn't like to let people in, Francis felt guilty.

When his shift was finally over, Francis got in his car and started driving. He didn't realize he wasn't going home until he pulled up outside of Antonio's home. A light was on in the kitchen as well as the living room. Francis knew there was a good chance Lovino was also at Antonio's but he was going to risk the Italian man's temper to speak with Antonio. Hopefully the Spaniard would know what to do for their heartbroken friend.

And of course there was another part of Francis that did not want to go home to an empty apartment. He was here because of Gilbert but he wasn't just there for Gilbert and he couldn't deny that.

Arthur settled into bed with Alice and Alfred curled up next to him but he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He wanted to believe it was his new mattress still being foreign to him. But as the night got later, it was becoming increasingly difficult to convince himself that a new mattress was all there was to his discomfort.

Devon: There's...a lot to discuss but I'll get back to that. Eventually. Hopefully.