The house didn't look bad in his honest opinion. Vash and Liz had done a good job of cleaning it up. Gilbert followed just behind the Austrian as he inspected his home. A bit hesitantly… but explored all the same. He held his tongue several times, trying not to remind the other that Ivan was not here. Roderich knew that… reminding him wouldn't do anyone any good.
The brunette finally made it into the music room, where much to their surprise sat a piano. Much like the old one… Roderich slowly made his way up to it, running his hand along the fine surface. "If I didn't know any better… I'd think it was my old one…"
"It might be." Gilbert said softly. "Nonsense…" The Austrian nation muttered. "You saw the state that it was in… No one could fix that… but I am impressed they found a duplicate. Ivory keys… and all." He smiled some. "Vash… must have spent a pretty penny on this. I'll never hear the end of it." Gilbert grinned at that. "That little penny pincher could spare a couple grand on your piano. We both know that." Roderich chuckled softly and glanced at the albino. "Ja… probably… I must thank him as soon as I can…"
He probably fixed up much of the house with his own money… Though Gilbert wouldn't be surprised to see a bill in the mailbox in a few days time… "Are you glad to be home?" Gilbert asked suddenly. Violet eyes glanced at the other. "I'm not sure… I do love this home…"
Gilbert smiled sadly, wrapping an arm around the brunette. "I know… in time. In time everything will be better." "So you say… so I suppose I will just have to wait and see…"
The days passed slowly. As Gilbert expected. Being in the house where the attack happened brought the nightmares back. In full force like before. The albino anticipated it though. Was prepared for them and was beside the Austrian the whole way. Whispering comforting words the entire time. It went on like this until the nightmares faded. Soon… the Prussian found himself not being needed in the bed… but he stayed anyway. Eventually Austria could stay in the house alone… and be fine. He could go out.
Go to meetings.
And of course… eventually… he could play again.
Gilbert loved the music. The first time he'd heard Moonlight Sonata without a bad note, was probably one of the greatest moments he'd had in a while. The face Austria made at his accomplishment. So proud of himself. And he should be! However… it was also at that moment… that he realized that he was no longer needed here. Austria could do everything on his own now.
Prussia swallowed… hating that feeling of no longer being needed. How long had he lived in this house now… a year… almost two. It'd been a long rode but Austria was fit and no longer needed him here. He sat at the table one evening watching Austria busy himself in the kitchen. Cooking food for him. When had that changed? When had he stopped cooking for Roderich?
As Austria had gotten better… the intimacy changed. He no longer hugged the other. And they hadn't kissed each other since that night in the hotel long ago…
He swallowed thickly and smiled up at the brunette as a plate was set before him. "Danke…" he said softly.
"Of course." Austria said warmly. Setting a beer in front of him as well. Gilbert smiled sadly. Playing house… but… "I… was thinking of leaving. And going back to Ludwig's…" He stopped speaking, wincing at the sound of the Austrian's silverware hitting the plate. "W-was?"
Gilbert felt horrible for saying anything. Those violet eyes almost looking betrayed at his suggestion. They… still didn't have that spark… did they? Still dull…
"Well…" He struggled to begin. "I… you're all better now… have been for a while. I… don't seem to be needed here anymore… I feel like I'm in the way."
"In the way…? Nonsense…"
Prussia cocked his head to the side, this reaction… it wasn't what he suspected. But then… what was he expecting? Did he think the Austrian was just going to shrug and wish him well. "I… I don't belong here Roderich."
"Whatever do you mean" There was a sadness in those violet depths. And it was his fault. And he hated it. "I thought you were going to stay here… with me…"
"Was…? Well Yes. That was the plan. But…I…"
"Aren't we…" Roderich struggled with the words. "Together… of sorts?" Gilbert stared at the Austrian with wide eyes. Together? "No… We don't seem together…"
"How don't we? We share the same bed… and… eat together. And do everything together! How is that not together?"
"Well… when you put it like that…" Prussia fought. "I mean. We're not a couple… We don't do couple things together!"
Roderich struggled to process all of this. "Gilbert… I… I just thought. You were… taking your time. Because of everything…" "Well… I was… but… it never seemed like a good time to bring it up. And you sort of just… started doing everything on your own and…" He ran a hand through his hair. Gott… this just got… confusing. "Did…"
"I care about you Gilbert… I don't want you to leave. You're not a burden. And you do fit in with my home. I must insist… you don't leave…"
The Prussian took a moment to take all of this in. "You…"
"Unless… you don't feel the same as you did back then…"
"Roderich…"
"My window of opportunity… has long since closed…"
"You love me?"
Roderich sat straighter in his chair closing his eyes. "I suppose… in a sense…"
"In a sense…" Gilbert wanted more then that.
"In a sense." Roderich repeated. Violets peeking out from under dark lashes. "Because I haven't had the chance to explore what kind of love it is."
The Prussian couldn't help but smile at Roderich's words. "You don't say…"
"So don't leave."
"I guess… this means… I should take you on a date or something~?"
"Why in the world would you do that?" Roderich said, sounding a bit scandalized.
Gilbert should be exasperated. But instead he let out a bark of laughter. "Really Roddy~ I love stayin here playin house with you. But… come on… I want to do… stuff with you. Kiss ya again~"
A faint pink appeared on the other's cheek. But also fear. Fear that still hadn't passed. "I… Well. I don't know."
Ah… so things weren't all that better. There was still something he hadn't fixed. How could he have thought it any other way? "I'm sorry Roddy… You're not all better… Sorry I was thinking of leaving."
The Austrian sighed softly, fixing the silverware that he'd dropped. "I see… I know what you want from me…"
"No." Gilbert said sternly. "I don't want what you think. Someday… yeah. But. I'm not gonna drag you upstairs… and force you. You know that."
"Of course I do."
"Good."
There was silence between them for a few moments.
"I think… before we got here… what I had for you was a little stronger… and then… I sorta… just became your friend again… just trying to get you accustomed to being here again. I wanna try… and be something with you. Someone you can't live without."
"Fool…" Roderich muttered. "You're already someone I can't live without…"
A grin spread across the albino's face. "Okay… good. But I want to be… even more then that!"
"Goodness…" The Austrian muttered softly. "Do you want to take over my whole life…?"
"I want to be your life~" The Prussian purred leaning over the table.
Again a faint flush appeared on the Austrian's face. "G-Gilbert…" he muttered.
He smiled at the other warmly. "Bitte… You remember when I kissed you~" "Ja… I do…" Roderich said softly.
"Gut. I wanna kiss you again too. A kiss where you're not scared to death~"
Violet eyes stared right back at the Prussian. "Oh really."
"Ja~ Of course."
The Austrian shifted in his seat a bit, his stare never leaving the other's face.
An almost feral grin crept on the albino's face. It was like he was asking for it. Without another moment's hesitation the Prussian was out of his seat and in front of the Austrian. Violet eyes still following. The expression not surprised or fearful. Just that same expressionless look.
He was asking for it alright.
The silver haired nation tilted the Austrian's head up, pressing his lips against the other's without a word of warning. First they were just pressed together… and slowly. Ever so slowly he moved his lips against the other's. When Roderich's lips moved against his own the Prussian's heart started pounding a million miles an hour. So slowly their lips moved against each other. Roderich's hand cupped his cheek, and Gilbert's heart soared. He kissed his Austrian with more encouragement slipping his tongue into the other's mouth. A small voice in the back of his head told him he was going to fast.
However, Roderich's other arm around his neck told him otherwise as the Austrian willingly deepened their kiss. The other's tongue brushing against his own.
Mein Gott… was all he could think. It really was. The moment felt like it lasted forever. But eventually they had to split. The requirement of oxygen to great. They pulled apart, but keeping the distance between them small. Scarlets looked into deep violets. Still… not the same… but…
"Alright…" Roderich said softly. His voice deep. Almost a purr of it's own. "You… may take me on a date."
Gilbert inhaled sharply as he saw it. A spark light up in those lovely violet hues. He grinned, pressing another kiss onto the other's lips. "Gut… Gut Gut!"
Roderich chuckled softly. Smiling softly as he was kissed. "I owe you my thanks. For taking such good care of me."
Gilbert smiled, nuzzling into his Austrian's cheek. "Returning the favor… from all those years ago…"
Roderich hummed at this. "I didn't do much…"
"Liar…"
"Sit down. Your food is getting cold."
"Even behind the wall… you were helping me."
"Nonsense…"
"You taught Gilbird a song."
"You can't teach that bird anything."
"You sent him to me."
"Ridiculous."
"You played it once I got back. The same song." "A coincidence." "You missed me while I was gone."
"I do believe I told you that."
The Prussian smiled at the other. Running his fingers through carefully combed and styled hair. Earning a look from the other. "I love you."
Roderich inhaled slowly and deeply. "I know you do…"
He hadn't expected the other to say it back. Roderich wasn't good with those things. He showed it in other ways. This whole playing house. His cooking and fussing… that was his way of showing it. Still sharing his bed. Looking after Gilberd. Making the things he liked to eat. His favorite cakes and sweets and having his fridge always filled with beer. Those were his way of saying so. He'd been saying it for a while now… He just hadn't been paying attention. "Have you been waiting long for me to come around?"
Roderich poked at his cooling food with his fork. "I just figured this was the way things were. I didn't mind it."
"You're quite easy to please…"
"What right did I have at any point… to demand anything?"
Gilbert chuckled leaning in and snatching the food from Roderich's fork.
"So will you stay?"
"Of course." He said softly. "I have a date to take you on~" "Mmm." Having picked on the other enough, his meal was getting cold after all. He took his seat once more, digging into the delicious food.
After a few moments of silence…
"I love you as well, Gilbert." The albino smiled brightly at these words. "And I thank you for all you've done."
"And will continue to do…" Gilbert chimed in.
Violet's glanced up at the other. "Yes. That too."
The former nation beamed at the other. "I'm glad the music is back."
Roderich blinked a few times. "I've been able to play for a while…"
"I didn't mean that music."
Roderich tilted his head to the side curiously. "I don't follow…"
"He hated your eyes for a reason… because they hold a melody no instrument can reciprocate. A melody all your own in every way."
The Austrian hummed at this. "Eyes… and music…?"
"Ja~ Just trust me on this one. You're music in a human form."
"And you're foolishness in a human form."
Gilbert stuck out his tongue at the Austrian. Fine. He could be that way. Gilbert was right. The music was back. And not gone like he always feared.
And hopefully… it'd continue for many long long years to come.
The end. Sorry if this seemed to end abruptly. I had a little more to go into about the house. But it seemed repetitive. And not enough to make to much out of. The last thing I wanted to do was bore everyone with Austria's slow rehabilitation. Especially since we've seen so much of that. And smut. I knooow. But to jump to that point. Would take some work. And it didn't seem to fit the light setting we had. I thought it was a jump to do this. So I hope everyone enjoyed. This has been my most successful fanfic. And I really appreciate all who viewed, faved and alerted. It means a lot. Thank you with putting up with slow updates. And bad grammar. This last chapter in particular. My Austria muse has been iffy. And my love for this pairing… has certainly been… weakened. I will continue the other one that I am writing. And will work my magic in my cardverse fic. Thank you again everyone.
~7dragons7