Fools Like Us
25- I Always Knew the Truth
The day started peacefully enough. Elizaveta was glad to be home from school and had plans to join Kiku on some game from his homeland. He'd promised to translate for her, and she couldn't wait. She'd been looking forward to this game since the first reviews reached her. As a bonus, maybe it could give her a few ideas for situations to "accidentally" get Roderich and Gilbert involved in.
Kiku was just reviewing the cast for her when the first rumble of raised voices reached the Hungarian girl. She tried to ignore them and focus on what Kiku was saying, but as time dragged on, they only got worse. She swore softly in her native tongue, then sighed and asked Kiku to pause his explanation for a moment while she went to see what was wrong with the idiots this time.
"Be careful, Eliza-san. They may be in a compromising position," Kiku cautioned, though he didn't look worried so much as hopeful.
It didn't take more than a few seconds of listening to confirm Elizaveta's suspicion that they weren't up to their usual activities this time. She listened for a moment, long enough to gather that Roderich sounded jealous and Gilbert was being as bullheaded as usual.
"You could have sent them away!" her step-brother's imperious voice barked from the other side of his door.
"What!? That wouldn't be awesome at all! Come on, babe, you know a real star's going to gather a following pretty quickly. Jealousy isn't cute," Gilbert retorted flippantly. Elizaveta rolled her eyes so hard it hurt; she didn't think Gilbert would have to worry about those things as much as he thought he would. Then again, Roderich did tend to be sensitive. Maybe she'd let him in on how effective frying pans could be against her childhood best friend.
Roderich sputtered indignantly, and Elizaveta realized she would have to intervene soon to keep him from saying something he would regret. The two of them were so stubborn and proud, they probably wouldn't be able to fix things if they broke up.
"You are absolutely not a star!" Roderich shouted finally, "You're just some screw-up who can't seem to stay out of the music room no matter how many times he's told to! You never listen to anyone, do you? You're such a-"
Elizaveta's knock cut him off as effectively as hitting the mute button on the TV. She knew that the moment he and Gilbert started shouting those things at each other may as well have been the beginning of the end.
Roderich opened the door for her, but neither he nor Gilbert looked particularly happy about it. Gilbert sat cross-legged on the bed, his shoulders hunched and a pout on his lips. Roderich, on the other hand, took his time closing the door behind her, not daring to make eye contact with either of the room's other occupants.
Elizaveta stood with her hands on her hips for a moment, looking back and forth between the two of them. Sometimes it was hard to believe they were supposed to be adults, given the way they acted. Finally she let out a sigh, tossing her hair over her shoulder with an imperious shake of her head.
"What's this about?" she asked, trying her best to sound stern. Both boys shifted awkwardly, sharing a glance in a momentary truce. Neither really wanted to come clean about their problems; saying them aloud would make them sound stupid.
"This idiot was flirting with anyone who would look at him earlier," Roderich told her finally, deciding to be the one who spoke up. Gilbert sputtered indignantly in response.
"That's part of the job! I told you, stars—"
"You're not a star!" Roderich repeated, shouting already. Unattractive pink blotches spread over his cheeks, and he looked like he might cry. Elizaveta took pity on him, stepping in.
"If you're going to stress your boyfriend out like this, you need to at least reassure him he's still your number one," she scolded the albino, staring him down. Gilbert flinched under her gaze, his eyes returning sheepishly to Roderich. Elizaveta wasn't done, however, and she reached out to grip his chin and turn his face up towards her again. Taking a deep breath, she added, "You don't have to flirt with a crowd to make them like you, anyway. Just give them some recognition and maybe mention you already have the best guy. Girls are totally weak for that kind of thing, you know."
Gilbert grinned a little and nodded, but Roderich still didn't look convinced. He sniffed haughtily, looking at Elizaveta as if she'd betrayed him. She gave Gilbert a pointed "Fix this" look and patted her step-brother's shoulder as she slipped out of the room, eager to get back to her game and share the details with Kiku.
The two still in the room waited a few minutes to make sure she was gone before turning to each other. Gilbert stood and crossed the room, pulling a protesting Roderich into his arms. The Austrian fought him for every inch, but even in his anger he couldn't help but melt when Gilbert's lips brushed the corner of his mouth.
"Look, Roddy," Gilbert murmured, speaking to the side of his boyfriend's face since Roderich wouldn't look at him, "I didn't mean to upset you, okay? But people finally seemed to be enjoying what I was doing…I got caught up in it. Maybe you don't know what it's like to be ignored and yelled at every time you try to do what you love, since you're perfect and good at everything."
Roderich turned to yell at him again, eyes flashing, but then he realized it was the German's clumsy way of complimenting him. The words died in his throat. For a moment, he studied Gilbert's earnest expression in silence, feeling his anger slip away. Finally, he leaned in to brush his lips lightly over the other's. Gilbert's grinned and pulled Roderich even closer, deepening the kiss.
Roderich was sure the bed was the next step, but then Gilbert pulled away suddenly. Confused, Roderich's gaze flickered up to see excitement shining in Gilbert's eyes. His lover's arms slipped down to take his hands, gripping them excitedly.
"Let's go on a date," Gilbert insisted suddenly, grinning so widely that Roderich was sure his cheeks were beginning to ache.
"What?" Roderich managed after a minute, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"A date," Gilbert repeated, nodding as if to confirm something to himself, "Come on, when was the last time we went? I want to show off my awesome boyfriend.
His voice went a little whiny at the end, and for some reason, Roderich couldn't deny him when he was like this. Those lovely, unpigmented eyes widened pitifully, and the Austrian sighed and nodded.
"Okay, let's go," he agreed heavily, "Where are we going, anyway?"
Gilbert shrugged, and Roderich almost groaned. Of course, he should have known Gilbert didn't have any ideas when he suggested things like this. He couldn't be angry though, not when the other still seemed so excited.
"Let's go get something to eat, and then we can decide what else we want to do," Gilbert suggested, and Roderich had to admit that it was a reasonable idea. He nodded, and Gilbert slipped his hand into the brunet's. Waving to Elizaveta as they passed, he led the way out to his car and opened the passenger's side door for Roderich. As stubborn and hard-headed as he could be, Roderich had to admit he at least had manners.
Gilbert drove them to the little shop where Antonio worked part-time. They'd begun to frequent it, though it was always better when the Spaniard was working. He'd taken up the job recently, deciding that he wanted to be able to buy things for Lovino. Sometimes, Roderich wondered if the Italian was aware that he had Antonio completely wrapped around his finger.
The older brunet wasn't there today, but that didn't deter Gilbert. He ordered their usual tea and pastries, having practically memorized his boyfriend's favorites by now. Roderich sat back and watched him, his expression softening into one that was more affectionate. Even those who had never met them would have no doubts as to what their relationship was if they had glanced over.
Gilbert sat across from him, his fingers tapping idly as he looked out the window. He had never really been one to sit still, and while Roderich normally didn't approve of such restlessness, he couldn't imagine him any other way. He sat with his own hands in his lap, his eyes tracing the line of Gilbert's jaw as if he intended to immortalize it on paper. When Gilbert suddenly turned to him, he blinked in surprise.
"Looks like it's going to rain, huh?" the albino asked, grinning, "Like on our first date…I really wanted to kiss you in the rain, you know?"
Roderich blushed at that and glanced away. He still hadn't gotten used to how open Gilbert could be sometimes. Slowly, he nodded, his gaze sliding back to the other's grinning face.
"Well, I suppose there would be nothing to hold you back if it were to rain today…" he commented, trying to sound as if it was just some meaningless thing crossing his mind. Excitement lit his boyfriend's expression, and warmth washed over Roderich's cheeks in response.
"Awesome…" Gilbert breathed simply, not sure what else to say. Roderich wasn't as pure as he liked to pretend, but such offers—even the ones as innocent as that—were still few and far between.
Their orders came soon after that, and Roderich focused his attention on his tea. Gilbert was more distracted, grinning at the brunet between bites of his Danish. Roderich's cheeks flushed under his gaze, but he couldn't say he didn't like it.
"What are you staring at?" he asked finally, frowning at Gilbert, "I'm not going to do a trick."
Gilbert laughed, the unusual sound sending a little, pleased thrill though Roderich—people didn't usually laugh at the things he said, though he rarely intended to be funny. Gilbert leaned over the table and smiled at him, cutting off that train of thought.
"Why shouldn't I?" he asked, "Maybe I just don't want to take my eyes off my amazing boyfriend. Someone could come along and steal you away, you know."
Roderich rolled his eyes, hiding a smile behind his mug as he took a sip. "I doubt you'd have to worry about that," he replied when he could keep his voice level, "I wouldn't let them, anyway."
Gathering his courage, he leaned across the table to meet Gilbert, kissing him softly. It was the first time they'd kissed in such a public place, but Gilbert's bright grin made it more than worth it.
As they'd suspected, the clouds did open up before they left the shop. That, of course, led to a tense discussion in the doorway when Gilbert tried to drag Roderich out into the drizzle.
"We'll get sick," the Austrian protested, his feet planted firmly. He knew he wasn't strong enough to resist Gilbert, but the German didn't pull too hard—he wasn't going to force his lover to do anything against his will.
"You said I could kiss you in the rain," Gilbert reminded him, pouting. He gave Roderich's arm another little shake.
"I did not," the brunet protested immediately, scoffing, "I said there was nothing stopping you."
Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Same thing. Please, Roddy? We'll go home right after, I promise."
Roderich hesitated a moment longer, but that puppy dog expression on Gilbert's face would be the death of him one of these days. He finally relented, letting Gilbert drag him out into the rain. Shivering, he immediately decided that he regretted this decision.
Still, Gilbert seemed too pleased to let Roderich's frown get him down. He dropped the brunet's hand, spinning in a circle like an excited child. Roderich rolled his eyes again, fighting the twitching of his lips that was a sure sign of an oncoming grin.
Eventually, the albino made his way back and slipped his arms around his lover. Roderich let out a squeak as Gilbert dipped him, his eyes flying wide. Before he could protest, the other's warm, chapped lips were on his, and he kissed back impulsively.
"That was uncalled for," he managed finally, breathless, when Gilbert pulled back and brought them upright again. The German didn't look ashamed at all, grinning back at him as he dragged him back to the car.
"Come on, princess," he teased, "Let's get you home before you catch a cold and blame me."
Roderich huffed loudly, but followed without protest. He should have known what he was getting into when he fell for Gilbert anyway.
A/N: I've been meaning to make chapters a little bit longer all along, so at least this one clears 2000 words. Hopefully the last 3 can do the same! But yeah, we're almost done and I've got the next few projects lined up if anyone's interested-a short Turkmano, the Prumano secret santa event, and another fic about this length for Framano.