Fools Like Us

26- At Least I Can Say I was Not Afraid

Francis stared critically at the flag for several moments, then reached out to straighten it slightly. No, that still wasn't any good. He tried again with much the same result. Frowning to himself, he took a step back and sat on his bed. Nothing he did seemed to help make the flag look less out of place.

For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if it was simply because the flag was in his room now instead of Jeanne's. She'd always wanted to go back to France, so her parents had given her a flag when her illness returned to remind her of that dream and give her the strength to fight.

A soft sigh escaped the Frenchman's lips, and he finally got up to take the flag down again. He was getting better, but maybe he still wasn't ready for a constant reminder like that. Dropping onto the bed again, he held the flag in both hands for a moment. Now that she was gone, though, maybe he should be the one to make sure he went to France.

Smiling at the thought, he moved to hang the flag again. This time, it didn't look so bad. Sighing with relief, he reached into the box again to pull out a couple books. One was a collection of pictures from the southern countryside of France, and the second was a worn copy of her favorite book. A small smile on his lips, Francis lifted them to his nose to breathe in the rich, familiar scent of well-loved paper. After a few moments, he crossed the room to put the books on his shelf with several similar ones.

The box wasn't empty yet, but Francis decided to talk a break. It was emotionally exhausting to find places for Jeanne's things in his room, though part of him was pleased to know that she'd cared enough to leave them to him.

He moved to the kitchen, making coffee simply to have something to do with his hands. The bitter smell settled heavily in the room, and at the last minute, the blond decided to grab a pastry to go with it.

Just as he was setting the piece of cake on the table, the doorbell rang. He peeked down the hall, confused-he hadn't expected anyone to come by-but the silhouette in the frosted windows didn't look familiar.

He crossed the hall and pulled open the door. A smile lit his face at the sight of Elizaveta waiting on the other side, and he gestured widely for her to come in.

"It's been a while, non?" he asked, leading the way to the kitchen, "I was just about to have coffee and cake. Would you like some?"

She nodded, smiling as she took a seat. He poured a mug for her as well and set out another slice of the cake before taking the seat across from her.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this," she apologized with a small smile, but he waved it away with a grin if his own.

"Don't worry, ma cherie. It's been a while since I've seen your lovely face, anyway."

Elizaveta's cheeks went pink, but she knew what Francis was like. "Hush, you," she told him, waving a hand dismissively, "I didn't come here to talk about myself."

Francis smiled at her response, but waited patiently for her to continue. She sipped her coffee first, nodded in approval, and then finally seemed to get down to business.

"So, Gilbert and Roderich," she began, an amused little grin teasing the corners of her lips, "You must have seen that coming a mile off, huh?"

Francis smiled and sat back in his seat, nodding slowly, "Oui, they were quite obvious," he admitted, "Though I never would have imagined Gilbert of all people would go for someone as uptight as your brother. But then, stranger things have happened, non?"

Elizaveta laughed softly, the light, bubbly sound filling the room pleasantly. Francis found it incredibly soothing, and a part of him wondered why they hadn't spent more time together. It wasn't as if they hadn't known each other long enough, after all.

"You've had another relationship to mother over though, haven't you?" she asked after a moment.

Francis nodded, a somewhat dreamy smile crossing his lips. "Ah, yes...Antonio and Lovino..." he murmured, sounding pleased with himself, "Lovino can be difficult, but I think those two are on the right track now. Last time I saw them, they were curled up on a couch with Lovino's blankets around them."

Elizaveta smiled at the mental image. She'd met Lovino a few times, which was enough to know he was sweet with women and a bit more prickly towards his own gender. Kiku probably would have called him "tsundere." She'd definitely be looking forward to hearing more about his relationship with the Spaniard.

"How are Roderich and Gilbert, by the way?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, "Gilbert's been so wrapped up in his cute little Austrian that he hasn't had time for his friends lately." He pouted, but it was fake-he hadn't exactly been the best company lately, but Antonio and Gilbert had still been there for him. He couldn't have asked for more.

"They're good," Elizaveta assured him with a smile, "I mean, they fight, but what can you expect when they're both so proud? I don't think we'll really have to worry about them, at least not now..." She gave a little nod, as if confirming her own words to herself, and took another sip of her coffee.

"Unless they break up, right?" Francis asked, a knowing little smile lighting his blue eyes, "They're so proud that it would take some help from us to get them back together, non? Though of course we couldn't let them know it was us..."

She laughed and nodded, glad Francis understood her stepbrother and his boyfriend at least as well as she did. Somehow it was reassuring, like she wasn't alone. She smiled at him again, but then they fell silent, focusing on their snacks. Francis finally finished off his cake and sat back, sipping his coffee slowly as he appeared to be deep in thoughts.

"So..." he began finally, "Would you like to go for a walk or something? I think it would be nice to get out and clear out heads for a bit, and maybe work off this wonderful cake." His smile told her is wasn't a comment on her weight, but then, she wouldn't have expected Francis to be nasty about that anyway-it wasn't really his style. "Igen," Elizaveta replied with a smile, then blushed lightly as she realized her native tongue had slipped out, "I mean, yes, please." She smiled, tucking a lock of her thick, golden brown hair behind one ear. Her face practically glowed with excitement, which helped Francis to relax-he always felt best when he was pleasing other people; it was one of the few things he actually had in common with his stubborn Italian cousin.

The two of them stood, brushing off their clothing, though neither one really needed to do so. Elizaveta wrapped her jacket around her, and Francis grabbed his own from a hook in the hall. She thanked him softly as he opened the door and held it for her, that familiar, small smile on his lips.

The skies were already graying as the day crept toward evening, and the smell of rain that had fallen earlier in the day hung heavily in the air. Elizaveta breathed in deeply, a smile on her lips-Roderich had told her about kissing Gilbert in the rain, and now she couldn't help but share the story with the blond next to her. He chuckled, but for a moment, a distant look crossed his face. Elizaveta's heart sank; she'd almost forgotten that he'd just lost someone dear to him. It was funny, really, how much could change when your father dragged you off on a tour of the world with him for a few years.

"I know it's not really my place to ask," the blond began suddenly, making Elizaveta look up at him in surprise, "But I wondered if you had anyone in your life as well? I mean, with Roderich and Gilbert around all the time, you must think about it, non?"

She fell silent, and Francis immediately regretting the question. That had been rude and incredibly forward, and he shouldn't have asked it in the first place. Before he could apologize, she spoke again.

"There's no one I'm interested in, no," she answered finally, shaking her head and giving him a small smile, "Between moving around so much and being afraid that we could leave again at any moment, well...I just thought it was better to not get attached," she admitted.

Francis nodded slowly, as if he understood her reasons despite having lived in the same place since he was three years old. Suddenly he smiled, and Elizaveta raised a brow in curiosity, wondering what he could possibly be so happy about right now.

"I have a proposition," he told her finally, sounding a bit smug and self-assured, "I know you've seen much of the world already, but why don't we take a tour of Europe once we've graduated? Unless you find someone in the next few months, of course. How does that sounds? Those of us who are single can go find someone, non? We'll have no restrictions, though I will make a point of going to France. If you find someone you like, you can take your time with him-or her, of course."

He smiled as Elizaveta continued to stare at him for a moment. Finally, she laughed and nodded, warmth rising in her cheeks at the thought. "Yes, why don't we do that?" she agreed, "It would be a wonderful trip, I'm sure!"

Francis smiled, and, linking their arms, they continued on their way.

A/N: Heyyy I'm actually getting this up on time for once! And the next chapter is almost done! Which is a really good thing, since I'll be at a convention this weekend and probably won't be writing a lot...

If you want to see more from me though, I do take requests either here or on tumblr at sayaleigh~