A/N: This is the chapter that completes the story. Thank you all for reading, following the plot through each chapter and your lovely reviews. It really means a lot, guys. You are awesome.

Short note about chapter 4: For some reason, the whole text shows in italics even though I didn't intend it to be that way. In the preview, it looked normal but even though I deleted & reuploaded the chapter 6 times, I couldn't fix that. I assume it was a glitch of the site, but I hope you didn't have problems reading it. Hopefully, this won't happen with this instalment.

Moonlight Reminiscence

Chapter 5

It felt like he had been with Ivan there for ages, confessing to each other and sharing things he knew he would never be able to share that well again. Gilbert enjoyed looking at the moon, it always put him at ease. After a while, he looked back at Ivan and tried to smile a little, wanting to forget their pasts under an endless night sky.

The Russian was quite used to low temperatures so he wasn't affected much by the cold. He held Gilbert's hands and rubbed them gently to create some heat. As he looked up at the moon, Ivan was aware that he was going to miss these moments. Even if he came here at a later time, it wouldn't be the same. This meeting changed him. It made him much happier. Ivan felt tears welling up in his eyes but tried to ignore them and focused on the Prussian. A kind smile appeared on his face. "If there is no urgent need that forces you to leave immediately, would you like to stay in my house for the night?"

The albino couldn't help but smile more when Ivan offered to let him stay the night. He hadn't been at his house since the fall of the Wall and after that, he never saw him again. He barely remembered how he felt about Ivan during that time. But he knew that it had been painful, yet he had always felt the strange emotions that only recently he had been able to figure out.

His arms wrapped around the large nation's neck and lifted himself up a bit by his toes, leaning up to kiss him lightly. "That sounds nice. No, I don't have anything important waiting for me, so there's no reason why I shouldn't join you back at your home." Gilbert smiled dearly and gazed down at their hands, feeling his face warm up a bit and looked up at the other man.

"Ivan...It wouldn't be bad if I said that I wanted to be with you? No matter the cost...I want to be yours. Yours alone. I really have always loved you, even though I tried to deny it when I was younger." He laughed at the end for a while, thinking back on when they were both so little. He wanted to continue with what he was going to say, but he got choked up with the words in the process. It was the only time during the night when he hadn't been able to continue.

A happy expression was still present on Gilbert's face, this time more gentle and calm. "Well...I guess we should probably head to your home soon...I am starting to get very cold, and being inside your house sounds great." He shyly gave Ivan a kiss on the cheek, still being slightly nervous about kissing him, since it was new and different to him, and he never really felt this kind of feelings for someone. He loved Ivan, and always would.

Ivan could sense the other man's shyness and that made him chuckle. He leant in closer, kissing the person he loved so much. This time, the kiss was on the lips, longer and more passionate. He held Gilbert close as he began to talk. "No, it's not bad that you want to be with me. Even if the world said that being with you is wrong, they wouldn't stop me from loving you. We parted several times and I learnt what it means not to be with you. All these years, something was missing in my life. Not in a financial sense or when some of my people took refuge in the land of my former rival. It was something much more personal. A void that I felt inside me. Tonight I realised what it was..."

Gilbert smiled at Ivan and his answer. His words were like poetry and they soothed his worry and tired heart. He also couldn't agree more, because he knew this man was the missing piece. Nobody had been more close to understanding Gilbert than Ivan. Because even though in the past the were normally enemies, he always had the chance to talk with him, open up just a little bit and then return to the hard, closed book he usually was.

Ivan had one arm around his lover's waist, keeping him close for warmth while they headed to the house. The Prussian held him as well and he even let his face press a bit into the larger man's forearm to enjoy the closeness. Once inside, they released each other. Ivan showed his guest the living room and went to light the hearth. An expression of joy adorned his face. "Make yourself comfortable."

The tired Prussian looked at the current room, having a strange expression of both happiness and sadness at the memories he had from this place. But when he looked at Ivan, everything seemed to just fade away.

Gilbert then went and sat on the couch, cross legged. He hoped to get warm soon. "Thank you Ivan...for letting me stay the night at your house." He smiled sweetly at the other, then shyly looked at the ground. He knew he was definitely falling in love, if not already in love completely. He felt like life was finally looking up though, now that they had confessed their love. So now, he could untie his mind and let it float away. He looked at his beloved again and smiled, starting to feel much warmer.

The lit fireplace created a cozy and warm atmosphere. Ivan sighed when old, dusty memories returned to him; this wasn't the first time they spent a night in this house. During a period when the sovereigns of Russia and Prussia sought to establish friendlier ties, Ivan had provided hospitality to the knight. So many ages had passed since then, but some articles of furniture in this room hadn't been replaced.

The owner of the house stood up, sat near Gilbert and held his hand. He leaned closer as though he was ready to whisper a secret. There was no one there to eavesdrop but Ivan wanted these words to sound like a secret confession.

"You make me really happy. More than I can ever describe, more than I ever dared to dream or imagine. I believe we are truly meant for each other, Gilbert Weillsmidt. And this feels like a true blessing."

If their lives had been like a vast, dark sky for too many ages, then the true love that they had confessed to each other was definitively like the full moon.