Disclaimer: All characters (Including Prussia's Awesomeness) belong to Hidekaz Himaruya! IKEA isn't mine either, and the Starlight Glitter club is made-up by me.

A/N: Whee! Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter, people! Enjoy reading this chapter! ^_^

Note: The story is set in Sweden, so the currency is Krona.

Berwald felt as if Lady Luck was on his side. When he and Tino took Peter home and tucked him in bed, Berwald was tense as he slid into his and Tino's double-bed, ready for whatever stabs or punches Tino has prepared for him. But instead, he felt his wife's bare arms wrap round his waist and pull him into a lazy hug. He felt Tino's lips press against his back before he dropped off to sleep, snoring lightly.

Berwald was stunned, but his heart just melted at the warmth and love he felt for the first time in years. Instead of facing away, he turned himself around carefully to avoid waking him up and hugged Tino back, pressing a kiss to his forehead and gazed at his expression.

Tino's a child compared to him. He's just so short, that he could only reach Berwald's chest if they're standing up, yet they both have a 3 year age gap between them; with Berwald being 28 and Tino being 25. Even Peter is going to be taller than Tino by the time he starts High School. Berwald and his wife have only been together for 5 years, yet it felt like forever with the rare moments when they do give each other affection.

With all these thoughts, Berwald feels fonder about his family. Maybe he'll have a talk with Tino and try to find out why he's inflicting all the abuse against him and then they'll try to get help from a psychologist or a councillor… to save their marriage...

With the belief that things will get better, Berwald feel asleep.

It was morning when Berwald and Tino woke up at the same time because they heard a little snore coming from between their bodies. Peter was lying on his back, sleeping away.

Tino giggled. "Peter… its morning, wake up, sweet." He gently shook the boy's shoulder and he grumbled.

"I don't wanna get up, I'm so warm…"

Berwald smiled a little and he also shook Peter's shoulder. "G't up. You woke us up. It's m'rning."

"Aww…" Peter sat up; pouting and he crawled off the bed, holding his green bunny toy close to him as he rubbed the sleep off his eyes.

"I think he misses Arthur; Peter told me that he used to sleep with Arthur whenever he has nightmares…" Tino whispered as he got up.

"I'll g' talk t' him…" Berwald put on a robe and left the room, following his son into the kitchen area where he sat at the polished table, reading some manga that their Japanese neighbour kindly gave him (after it was translated). "Peter?"

The boy looked up and then he looked at his manga again.

Berwald sat next to him. "Is something th' matt'r? Did you h've another nightmare?"

Peter didn't say anything, but he did look away from his manga and glanced at the stairs that lead to his parent's bedroom.

"…I had a bad dream that mama wouldn't stop stabbing you and you were screaming," Peter whispered, looking straight in his eyes.

Icicles jiggled in Berwald's stomach uncomfortably. "Why would you dream that?"

Peter gulped a little and quickly looked at their bedroom room, which was slightly ajar. "Because…" he whispered, "I saw your back last night. You have so many scars and cuts on your back…"

Berwald's expression was neutral, except that he paled because he knows that this poor boy's mind will be as scarred as his body if he finds out the truth.

"There are a lot of nasty people in the world…" Berwald started gently, silently killing himself for lying when he added: "…But your mama is lovely, kind, passionate and protective. He'll never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose."

Peter's eyes widened. "Mama hurts you by accident?"

Berwald couldn't stop a laugh. "No, he never hurts me," he lied. "I'm just… a very clumsy person in my own time."

Peter did not ask any more questions as Tino walked over to them, giving Peter a quick kiss on his head and kissed Berwald on his lips.

"What would you two like for breakfast?" he asked brightly.

As Peter enthusiastically asked for his favourite cereal, Berwald switched on the TV where the news reporter from yesterday is standing at the entrance to a rubbish skip in the countryside near the city.

"Breaking news just in that the body of a sex worker was found in the early hours of this morning by two dog walkers when their dogs ran off and lead their owners to the body, which had been burned so badly, that it's going to take a lot of forensic scientists to identify the body," the news reporter announced. "The police believe it was a sex worker because their ID was found showing that the victim could possibly have worked for the Starlight Glitter stripper club. It is unknown whether the murder of the victim found yesterday worked at the same club or not, but for now, the police are asking for witnesses to come forward about any suspicious activity…"

"God, they found more of them?" Tino asked in disgust as he gave Peter a bowl of cereal. Tino said 'them' as if he's trying not to swear.

"Apparently…" Berwald mumbled, still watching the TV. On screen, the charred remains of a body was loaded onto a stretcher and put into the back of a forensics van. There were people surrounding the area, trying to have a peek but the police were keeping them back, shouting something about 'contaminating the crime scene'. Among the crowd of visitors, the sight of a mop of silvery hair made Berwald choke on his toast and cough violently.

"Whoa! Papa! Are you alright?" Peter exclaimed and reached over to slap his dad's back to help him not choke to death. Tino have him a concerned look.

"Ber, are you alright?"

The tall Swede took a deep breath and drank some water before glancing at the TV, but the news had changed to another headline, talking about the worldwide success of a manga artist.

"Hey! That's Mr Honda!" Peter exclaimed happily and he gently held his copy of manga as if it's holy. "He should be releasing the 4th volume of The Super Asian Five soon!" He looked so happy, his eyes were sparkling.

'It's that man again! What was he doing by the crime scene?' Berwald thought.

"Berwald, you're going to be late…" Tino remarked, glancing at the clock above the cooker.

Berwald immediately got into his bedroom and got changed, grabbing his briefcase and ran out before hugging Peter quickly and kissing Tino on the lips.

"See you later!"

"Bye, Papa!"

Berwald never felt so at ease, but when Peter was watching Mr Honda being interviewed on the TV, Tino gave Berwald the look. It was the look of Tino when he's going to hurt the Swede later. The supressed feelings of terror and fear resurfaced in his conscience and Berwald started to shake before closing the door.

The look of Tino's face terrified Berwald throughout the day. Even the hustle and bustle of customers in IKEA didn't take his mind off his wife as he was in his office, sorting out finances. Things are looking really good and the usual bank details were sent to him to sort out and even received fan mail from the people who lives in the city and are thankful that the customer service was excellent.

"I need a break…" Berwald mumbled and rested his forehead on his desk.

At lunchtime, he couldn't eat the sandwiches that Tino made for him because he felt so nervous about the look he gave him. His employees wondered why their boss didn't eat as they sat with him in the staff room. One employee, Annika, was worried enough to leave him her delicious chocolate cupcake that she made for herself before she left to work her other shift. Berwald protested that he'll be all right, but the girl insists that he should have the cupcake.

"Fan, Annika makes brilliant cakes too…" another worker mumbled, staring at the cupcake with jealousy.

Berwald was more than glad to push the cupcake across the table to be eaten by the happy worker.

"Mind y' language, I speak Swedish," Berwald raised an eyebrow and the worker laughed nervously.

That little incident lifted Berwald's spirits a little, but that was it. That was the highlight of his day.

Soon, it became evening and the city is drowned in darkness with pinprick street lamps illuminating the roads and streets. Less people went to the IKEA building and the workers are looking forward to finishing their shifts so they could get out and go home. But Berwald wasn't looking forward to tonight. He knows that Tino will be waiting for him in their expensive penthouse apartment…

"Hey, boss!" a worker exclaimed loudly. It was Alfred, one of the newbies. "Where're the cleaning supplies again? Someone puked over the bed with the long weird name!"

Berwald turned to the American, expressionless. "Ask Matthew."

Alfred blinked. "Who?"

"Y-Your brother…?" Berwald sweatdropped. Alfred and Matthew have different last names, but they ARE related, right…?

"OH! My brother from another mother! Of course! Ahahahaha!" Alfred laughed and he dashed off.

Oh well. Berwald employed Alfred because the kid has a lot of energy for someone who's 19… and energy is what every worker needs to work in a massive building like IKEA...

Closing time has arrived and all the doors closed, leaving only the staff entrances open. As the workers gathered their coats and belongings, they had last-second chats before leaving while some examined rooms before locking the doors. Berwald closed the door to his office and sighed, gripping the handle of his briefcase tightly, anticipating tonight.

Someone tapped his shoulder lightly. It was Francis, the pervert of the workplace. Of course, it wasn't Berwald who came up with the title…

"Bonjour, boss~!" Francis winked, "you look tense! Busy day, was it?"

Berwald kept an expressionless face on. "It w's."

"Oh, but of course it would! You're the best boss of the building, after all!" Francis laughed.

"What do you want?"

Francis blinked. "Nothing~ I'm just having a nice chat with the best boss in the world~!"

Berwald knew it was a lie. Not every worker knows he's married. Yes, Francis has THAT kind of reputation, even if it almost landed him in prison for sexual harassment. ALMOST…

So they're just walking out the building as Francis chatted on about his day and some gorgeous girl he met, only to find out she's a lesbian but they had a great chat as they spoke in French for almost an hour, which is what Berwald disapproves of the most. Sure, if the customer wants to know a lot about certain products, then its fine but only if it's about IKEA brands and not some social chit-chat… Not that the boss pointed out since Francis seemed to be having fun chatting away to him.

"It is dark… be careful getting home, boss," Francis nodded before taking off down the street.

Berwald looked straight up at the sky, hoping to see celestial beings, but unfortunately, it was too cloudy and the light pollution of the city wasn't making it any better.

And here, saying 'too cloudy' often means that it's going to-

Pitter-patter…

-Yes, it just started raining and Berwald realised he forgot his freaking umbrella. Fan-F*CKING-tastic…

Miserably, he walked to the car park, soaking wet.

"HEY!"

In the far corner of the car park, trapped between two people and a concrete wall, was a person with silvery hair.

Berwald's heart almost stopped. He stared at the individual, who seemed to be in a fighting position.

"Get the hell away from me! You didn't pay to have quality time with me! This is kidnapping!" the silverette spat.

"It isn't since we paid back at the club!" one of the men rebutted and stepped towards the man.

"Oh we paid alright! We paid 5000* Krona to your boss so we could have everything on the menu from you…" the other man said lecherously, grabbing the albino's arm and licked his lips. "Saadi, get his other arm, we'll have some fun…"

"Let go you creeps!" the albino yelled and kicked the one man's knee, but his partner slapped him. "Agh!"

"Shut up, you bitch! We paid perfectly good money to get you and not those ugly-ass sluts at the club!" they spat.

"My friends are not ugly! Maybe if you guys stopped slobbering over me, then you'd know how awesome they are!" the silver-haired man argued.

Berwald immediately ran over. "Leave him alone!" he shouted.

The men holding the silverette captive paused and looked at Berwald in horror.

"Shit! Let's get outta here!" one man whispered, but he still had a grip on the albino's wrist.

"No way! I'll deal with him…" his friend whispered back and sent a formal smile to Berwald, but the fake smile wasn't fooling him. He knows what a fake smile looks like. "How can we help you, sir?"

Berwald just glared at him, even though the man looks blurry thanks to these stupid glasses getting blurry from the heavy rain. Berwald is soaked to the bone, his day was bad, his stomach just grumbled from a lack of food and he is now royally p*ssed because he is going to face Hell from Tino for not eating the sandwiches that he made him.

"Let that man go and I won't call the police and report you," Berwald said.

"What? What have we done?" the man was trying to sound calm, but he was so impatient, he's quivering.

Berwald stepped to walk around the man, but the man suddenly pushed him away, shoving Berwald in the chest and winded him.

"Back off you weirdo!" the man growled and his hand curled into a fist. He threw the punch at Berwald's face, but the taller man caught it in his hand easily and twisted the hand painfully, making the attacker scream in pain.

"I'll let go and you w'll run away w'th your friend…" Berwald growled dangerously, twisting the man's hand, "and never b'ther that man again!"

The man just whimpered and yelled in pain as he felt his wrist breaking by the freak strength. "L-LET GO OF ME!" he screamed and Berwald pulled him towards him and punched him in the stomach, knocking the man out and he crumpled to the ground.

Meanwhile, the man's accomplice stared in horror as his friend collapsed to the ground like wet cardboard. While he looked on, the albino he held by the arm suddenly punched him in the face, breaking his nose and he fell back, slamming his head against the wall before sliding down to lie on the wet ground.

Berwald stared at the albino just as he knocked the accomplice out and he slowly walked over to him.

The man's red eyes pierced through the hazy heavy rain and met Berwald's gaze. The albino growled and backed up, but Berwald lunged and grabbed his hand. "Wait! I'm n't gonna hurt you!"

But the albino hissed and glared at Berwald like a feral cat. He may as well have been a feral since his clothes were ripped and bloodied and his legs had scratch marks at them. Even his silver hair was dirtied and matted thanks to the rain.

"What makes you think I'm going to trust you after these freaks tried to rape me?"

The albino's accent made him sound rough, yet there was a light undertone to it.

"I stopped them…" Berwald mumbled, transfixed by the way those crimson eyes glared at him. With the rain pounding hard against the ground, he may as well be talking to the deaf, but this albino heard him loud and clear.

"Correction – you stopped one, I stopped the other," he corrected him and pulled his hand away and walked away, but he stopped and coughed harshly. He coughed so hard, he keeled over.

He felt something on his shoulders and back and he turned sharply, but it was just his rescuer putting his suit jacket over him to try to keep him warm.

"Where do you live? I'll take you home," the Swede said with his deep voice. His arm was still around his shoulders.

The albino just stared at him. It was no longer a glare, but he was still apprehensive. "What's… your name?" he mumbled, turning his gaze away.

"It's Berwald Oxenstierna… but you can call me Berwald."

"Berwald…" Saying the name sounded foreign, but it was worth trying to say it. "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"G'lbert," Berwald said, nodding. "Nice name…"

Gilbert blushed heavily. "B-But my work name is Silver Starr, so don't call me Gilbert if you see at my workplace!"

Berwald was curious about this 'workplace' Gilbert works at, but now's not the time to worry.

"You're going to catch a cold. Let me take you home or we can call the police-"

"NO!" Gilbert exclaimed, shaking his head, "it'll mean trouble if they find out where I work! Just... take me home..."

As Berwald got into his car, Gilbert turned to him and said: "Hold on, I need to clean up the crime scene a little…"

It was the smirk that Gilbert had when he said that was what worried Berwald the most, but he patiently waited for about 5 minutes before the albino returned, sitting next to him and shutting the passenger door. "Okay! I live at the flats in the Flower Gardens street…"

"The cul-de-sac, I know," Berwald nodded. It was the most run-down area of the city where drug gangs make their trades and the council don't bother cleaning the place up because there are so many kids there who live wildly along with single parents and ambulances will often get robbed of medicines and equipment to be sold for money to buy drugs or alcohol. Tino already said how much he hates that area and wonders why the city council hasn't done anything to clear out all the druggies, the feckless single moms living on benefits and all the stealing kids who live in messy flats. Despite the pretty name for the street, there isn't a single plant that has grown besides dandelions and there are always bits of litter flying around. Berwald wonders what kind of life Gilbert leads…

The rain still thundered down as Berwald drove past the street he usually drives down to get towards home, but his heart was hammering against his chest. He knows Tino will be furious if he knew Berwald was taking someone home, even if they looked like they needed medical attention.

He glanced at Gilbert's bare legs. The poor man was only wearing a ripped shirt and boxers and no socks or shoes either. Berwald turned the heating system on and he could hear Gilbert sigh in relief, hugging Berwald's jacket close to his body as the inside of the car warmed up.

Berwald was worried when he drove to the Flower Garden's estate. His car was expensive and he doesn't want anyone stealing it, but there was nothing he could do right now.

"Here! I live in this block!" Gilbert announced and Berwald parked the car, getting out. He grumbled about the rain being annoying, but Gilbert was telling him to come in as he locked the car.

They went through the main doors and saw the grey walls, grey steps, blank doors… The only thing that's colourful about the building were the swearwords that are written on the walls.

A door suddenly opened and an old woman walked out and started shouting. "Stop slamming those doors! I ought to report this to the council!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Ignore her," he hissed to Berwald.

"How indecent!" the old woman gasped. "You shouldn't be running around naked like that! I'll call the police for that!"

"Go ahead, you old hag, I bet they'll enjoy staring at me while the kids steal the policecar! Kesesese!" Gilbert snickered and bounded up the stone stairs, followed by a worried Berwald as the old lady ranted on and on.

They climbed up more of the concrete stairs until they made it to a solid door and Gilbert searched under the worn-down doormat to get the key.

"That's not safe, what if someone gets that key?" Berwald asked, frowning.

"Pfft! Then they'd face my wrath! …I got nothing valuable anyway," Gilbert rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Come in!"

Berwald liked that Gilbert grew to trust him enough to allow him into his apartment, but he was shocked by the differences between his smart clean apartment compared to Gilbert's dull, untidy and SMALL apartment. It looked like it could barely fit the sofa and the poor excuse for a '80s TV in what's supposed to be the living room and the kitchen could barely fit one human adult in.

Gilbert raised his eyebrows as if he's daring Berwald to ask questions, but the Swede didn't say anything.

"It's not much, but it's still… well, not much," Gilbert sighed. "It was nothing compared to my awesome home back in Germany. Oh, and take your clothes off."

Berwald choked on his spit and stared at the albino. "What?"

Gilbert smirked devilishly. "You'll catch a cold. I got a bathroom, so feel free to take a shower while you're at it. At least I paid for the hot water this month…"

"O-Oh, right…" Berwald mumbled, flustered and he went to down the short corridor and noticed the bathroom door was ajar and he went in. There was already a pile of towels in there and he closed the door behind him.

The bathroom was tiny. There's just the bath with a showerhead installed above it, a sink and a toilet next to it. The floor was bare and boarded and suspiciously squeaked at every footstep Berwald took. Tino would be horrified if they had this kind of bathroom in their penthouse apartment…

Berwald undressed himself and put the clothes in a neat pile by the door, which he noticed was slightly open. The lock wasn't working and the handle was missing.

"Don't worry! I won't peek! The door is crap!" Gilbert shouted from down the corridor. "I accidentally knocked it off months ago!"

Like Berwald thought earlier: What kind of life is Gilbert leading…?

The apartment may be shit, but thank god the shower is working and the water was blissfully warm.

Berwald sighed, shuddering from having the warmth spread throughout his body, feeling as if all his stress is melting away thanks to the hot droplets of water. He breathed evenly, feeling like falling asleep, but no... that would be rude since he's at Gilbert's apartment and he's the guest.

After a couple of minutes, he finished and got out, noticing that his clothes were taken. He presumed Gilbert took them to be dried. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out, wondering where the silverette went.

Berwald peeked in the kitchen where he noticed Gilbert hanging his clothes on a thin clothes horse, concentrating as if he's trying not to wrinkle the expensive material with upmost care. Underneath the rough exterior, Berwald could see that Gilbert has an eye for details.

"…I know my arse is awesome, but do you really have to stare at it?" Gilbert stood up and turned with a grin.

Berwald blushed. "I-I finished…"

"Great! My turn! I won't be long… and help yourself to eat something out my fridge! Oh, but the beer is totally mine!" Gilbert left the kitchen area.

Berwald doesn't really want to eat anything at a stranger's home, but his stomach was growling. He knows what the rooms are like in this apartment so far, so now he's naturally worried about what's in the fridge…

He opened the fridge door and saw that every shelf was filled to the brim with different kinds of foodstuff. Huh. Not as bad as he thought. He helped himself to an apple and sat down in the living room, noticing there's more junk than useful stuff scattered about on the floor. He noticed a few photographs of Gilbert lying around on the crowded floor, but he wasn't alone in them. There were different kinds of people in each photograph, but most of them have a blonde man with Gilbert. On the back of the photo, there was something written down.

'Me and my awesome bruder Ludwig in Berlin, 2007. Best. Beer Festival. EVER.'

'So he's got a brother…' Berwald thought with a smile. 'Mine is living in Denmark with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's younger brother… I hope they're all doing okay…'

"Great photo isn't it?"

Berwald looked up to see Gilbert standing there with a soft smile; he was only wearing a towel around his waist. "There was a beer festival so we went out and got wasted, but I definitely remembered most of the day trip. My best memories come from spending time with my family."

"…Really."

"Yeah! And that was the best day because Ludwig proposed to his boyfriend that day and now they're living in Germany, married! Kesese…" Gilbert sighed. "I wish I could see him again, but I couldn't." He hugged the towel to his soaking body, looking depressed. "My stupid boss won't allow it. As long as I'm working in the Starlight Glitter club, then my arse belongs there."

Starlight Glitter club. Berwald's heart skipped a beat. That place was mentioned in the news! A sex worker from there was killed… and he saw Gilbert on the news looking at the crime scene…

"That place… it was on the ne-"

"I know," Gilbert snapped, irritated, "some girls tried to leave, but the boss wasn't having any of it. And there's no evidence to show he ordered for the crimes to be committed…" He growled. "I'm the best in the business, so it makes me trying to leave even harder!" His tone of voice rose higher. "I just want to see my bruder again and stay out of trouble! Is it too much to ask to see your family again?" He was close to crying and keeled over on the floor, trying to hide his face.

Berwald's heart lurched for him in sympathy. He leaned over and lifted Gilbert's face to look at his glassy red eyes. Their noses barely touched.

All of a sudden, he looked like the most vulnerable man in the world who needed someone to hold him.

"I'll help you," Berwald whispered. Gilbert squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head weakly.

"No, n-no you can't…"

"I want to…" Berwald whispered again. He wanted to help the silver beauty. He never felt his body or soul grow so warm for someone he just met.

And without warning, the gap between their lips closed and their eyes shut into the gentle kiss.

A/N: *5000 Krona = £465.97 (British Pounds). I don't actually know how much people pay for strippers to 'perform' for them, but I made Gilbert pretty expensive ;)

When Gilbert says 'the flats' he really means 'apartments'. In England, we call them flats even though they're tall buildings. Flats are often associated with people who cannot afford to buy their own houses or they are poor or (sadly enough) single parents who try hard to raise their child/children.

Hah~! Next chapter will be full of nothing but sex, sex and delicious sex, so keep an eye out! ;)