Birthdayfic for: Ozbertfangirl

Beta reader is the amazing Luscinia's Lullaby

I do not own Pandora Hearts.

Vincent looked up for the first time since he had started working in their garden, his basket filled with different sorts of herbs, his gaze rested on the small frame who was sitting silently on some old wooden boxes against the walls that protected this beautiful garden from thieves. The teen was small for his age and had a rather melancholic expression on his face. His eyes were clouded and his face pale, and not only was he small, he was also very skinny… the effect of being sick for such a long time and not eating much after he had recovered. Honestly, it wasn't like Vincent could blame the small wounded prince for being upset, but it sure was a pain in the arse. He took a deep breath as he kneeled down again on the muddy ground to pick up some thyme.

His brother had put the boy there, three days had passed since he woke up and it had gotten rather obvious to both adults that the prince didn't know what to do while he was recovering. There wasn't much to do, neither was there much he wanted to do. He had offered to help many times, but Vincent had never been in the mood to teach him how, he was a prince and probably didn't know much about this sort of work, not to mention that Gilbert didn't want the Vesalius to overwork himself while he was still recovering.

He looked awful… those clothes that were too many sizes too big made him appear even smaller. It was as if the boy had tried to take up as little space as possible, hugging his knees close to his chest and gazing at nothing in particular. How long had he been sitting there anyway? The taller male wondered while his face remained indifferent, as long as he had been working… which, judging by what little sun, they could see behind those slightly gray clouds was… about two hours. Hah… well, it's better than letting him sit in the kitchen for the whole day. Vincent had often forgotten that the boy was there and almost threw a bag full of potatoes at him, he had wanted to throw them on the table but had luckily been fast enough to stop his arm midway. Honestly, the man sighed as he got up and rubbed some of the mud off his pants, putting the basket down as he walked around the plants and towards the boy. "Enjoying the weather, prince?" he asked with the slightest hint of a smile on his face,

Green eyes met his pair of heterochromatic eyes, gazing into those melancholic eyes gave him a nostalgic feeling, how often had he looked at his reflection and met the eyes of a small and weak boy that knew he was useless, weak, powerless, poor… and that everything was his fault? But Vincent didn't show any sign of empathy, didn't let the boy in, his eyes remained cold and his body posture distant, an outsider would think he was trying to be polite and start some small talk while the truth was different. Vincent only wanted the boy to get over it… but in the back of his head, he knew that that was a very hypocritical thought. It had taken him years to get over the fact he had been abandoned by his family, that the reason why Gilbert was into this mess was because of him. Years… Gilbert had been the only reason for him to stay alive, the one that never gave up, the one that always had a bright and cheerful smile on his face even though he was in more pain than Vince.

"….Yeah…" the boy offered a weak smile, though knew it really didn't matter if he tried in front of this strange young man, Vince carried the scent of flowers mixed with tea, unlike his brother who smelled of coffee, cigarettes and gunpowder. He had already noticed the pair of guns that the man always carried around.

Vincent took a deep breath, slightly bored, and put both hands into the pockets of his black dirtied pants. Honestly, why did he even bother trying to talk with this brat? The question was obvious, because in these past three days it had gotten rather obvious that Gil had taken an interest in the prince. His brother had always been gentle when helping people, but it was as if his kindness was at a completely different level when he took care of the boy's wounds, as if he was a fragile porcelain doll that could break with just the slightest touch.

Well… the blond haired young man couldn't really blame his older brother for thinking like that. Three days ago this small boy had woken up… he didn't eat much and only drank when Gilbert had ordered him to. He had offered many times to help, but it was obvious that the raven would never allow it so long as the boy did not get stronger. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his brother through the kitchen window, he was cleaning the cabinets with a focused gaze. How long before the taller male would see them talking and come to check? If you could even call this a conversation… he sighed.

"The newspapers say the princess is doing well," he then said while gazing into the distance, a bored expression on his face.

"Alice?" Oz gave him a hopeful look,

"She has been in a coma for almost a week now, unlike you… she doesn't wake up to eat and drink and be helpful when she needs to be washed... " -If this goes on, she'll eventually die.

"You… did that?"

"Oh no," he chuckled while shaking his head, "I wouldn't have the patience for that. No, my brother Gil was the one that stayed by your side this whole time." He nodded towards his brother who had finally stopped his movements to gaze at the two with a slightly troubled expression. "He's already getting worried that I might be telling you some cruel things," he hummed in amusement, as if he enjoyed the thought of making his older brother upset, the prince thought.

Oz furrowed his brows slightly, his voice was soft and seemed to come from far away while his face remained the same, his eyes red and foggy as if he was ready to burst into tears… the boy had probably already cried, Vincent noted, he hadn't got slept much either, hah. It would only be a matter of time before the boy got sick again, and this time not because of an illness caused by poison. "What sort of… cruel things?" the blond boy asked softly,

A smile appeared on the young man's face, for a second the prince expected him to ask, 'Do you really want to know?', but the warning never came, "Perhaps things like… how your younger sister died wondering why her older brother had abandoned her like that." He said with a casual shrug.

He saw those eyes widen in shock when he heard this, saw how the boy got eaten alive by guilt, the boy didn't even protest, didn't defend himself… because Vincent knew, he knew what the boy was thinking. He had run away without making sure she was safe. He was the one that murdered her. He could have saved her! It was as if something snapped inside the boy, lowering his gaze… was that a tear?

"Vince!" Gilbert ran towards the two, but Vincent didn't wait for his older brother. Turning his back away from the small frame he walked towards the house, a scowl on his face. He was nothing like that spoiled brat that was somehow blessed with all of his beloved brother's attention.

"Oz!" Gil stopped right in front of the boy,

"I'm fine!" the boy flinched away from his touch, the man had simply tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm fine… so…" the teen did not look nor sound fine at all, he couldn't even finish his sentence because that was when his voice broke. He had to hide his face behind two hands, taking in a deep and shuddering breath to try and calm himself down, he was trembling from head to toe and probably holding back tears… the raven hesitated, before gently placing his hand on the boy's soft hair, feeling how he froze under his touch.

"Did he say something?" he asked with a soft and gentle voice,

To his surprise, the Vesalius shook his head. "No… it's my fault," he said quietly. "Everything is."

"What is…? Surviving?" the man didn't even need an explanation to know what the boy meant, he had stood in his shoes years ago… how he could remember the people he met on the streets, living under the same circumstances as them yet somehow they ended up dead. Some froze to death, others from hunger and thirst, some were killed for simply being in the way… as if god had turned their back on those people. Yet, what had made Gil so special that he had lived? Why was he still alive while others had worked much harder than him to stay alive? "Never blame yourself for staying alive," he scolded the boy, "You should be proud," ah, perhaps that wasn't the right word to use… he honestly sucked at giving advice and pep talks.

"Proud?" the boy snorted, finally looked up to meet his gaze, "Why… should I… even? I should have been the one-" he stopped and looked away, it was impressive how good he was at holding back his tears, biting his lip until it bled while avoiding to meet the tall man's gaze.

"You should have been the one that died back there? Is that what you were trying to say?" Gilbert asked,

There was no response,

"It's never too late for that,"

Eyes widened when hearing those words, the boy turned his head to meet a pair of golden eyes that had turned tired and irritated, "I'm sure we have enough poison to kill you… then you can follow your family. If that is what you wish."

"…I-" the boy spoke,

Not that the raven would let him talk, Raven was coming out again, this wasn't him at all… This was not Gilbert speaking, he had once again tried his best to help someone, something he had given up on doing since he hated to read in the newspaper how someone took their life again and that said person was someone he had tried to save so badly. This boy wasn't going to be any different than those others… and he was tired of getting upset, for feeling guilty because he could have saved them if he had tried harder!

"But just for one second, use that stupid spoiled head of yours and think about all the people still alive that will miss you! Have you ever thought about the people that still read the newspaper every day, scared that one day it'll write about your own death?" his voice was louder than usual. He should probably stop talking… the boy was already emotionally fragile right now. "I might not know much about politics, honestly…"he sighed while kneeling down so that he was almost at the same eye level as the boy, "Neither do I know how to help you get back your throne, but what I do know is that I will not let you die. Not on my watch."

Those eyes only grew bigger when hearing this,

"And Oz…" he gently held onto the boy's small hands, they were so thin… "It's okay to cry, no one here is going to judge a prince for simply behaving like a normal human being."

And that was that, those were the words that pushed the boy over the edge, tears were rolling down his cheeks and he didn't even flinch away when the young man gently pulled him closer with one arm in a very loose hug, letting the boy cry his heart out against his white shirt. Soft sobs escaping his pale lips that were now tainted with his own blood. Gilbert did not whisper any soothing words, he simply let the boy cry… knowing well enough that crying like this might relieve his heart, but it might also hurt the boy's pride.

.

He didn't know how long exactly he waited there for the boy to calm down, how long he had patted his soft hair… but eventually, the sobbing stopped and the prince's breathing calmed down and finally, he looked up, his face even paler and his eyes red and swollen. He chuckled, a soft and hollow chuckle that told you how broken the boy truly was. "I'm sorry," he muttered and sniffed, rubbing his eyes, god he felt so stupid. "I really shouldn't…"

"It's fine," Gilbert smiled kindly,

It really isn't, the boy shook his head. "Still…" you've already done so much for me, how could I add more burdens to you?" How ungrateful of me. He truly was a spoiled brat.

"…What would you like for dinner?"

"Eh?" the boy looked up, a bit surprised by the sudden change of subject,

"Perhaps the reason you're not eating well is because you do not like the food I make... Of course, aside from the fact that you're going through a tough moment right now… but perhaps if I make something that's delicious, you would actually eat it." He was still holding the boy's hand, the young man noticed how much this simple gesture seemed to calm the boy down, gently opening the boy's hand and drawing circles on the palm of his hand with his index finger, "So, what would you like?"

"It's fine… whatever you want to make," the boy sighed as he gazed at the man's finger gently drawing circles on his hand,

"Promise you'll eat it?" Gilbert finally let go of Oz's hand, his eyes were kind and caring, something the teen really needed right now.

He offered a weak smile back,

"Promise."

"Elliot calm down!" Leo ran after his master… well, limped, his foot still hadn't healed and he needed to lean heavily on his crutches while following the youngest Nightray through the long corridors of the Nightray mansion, they used to be filled with warm colors and lovely memories. Right now everything was dark and quiet… thanks to the deaths of his two elder brothers and mother. A week ago, a fire had broken out at the mansion, Elliot had been lucky and got out with just a minor burn wounds and three broken fingers, his servant, whom he had tried so desperately to protect had only gotten out with a few bruises… but when they had gotten out of the building people had kept pushing them around, Leo had stumbled and people had continued to run over his leg as they all tried to get as far away as possible from the fire. God, how he had failed his valet as a master. Yet the raven haired teen had never complained about it, had remained strong and stayed by his master's side… outside in the rain when gazing at the burning mansion, holding his arm when Elliot had wanted to run after his best friend Oz who had gotten accused of treason, had stayed by his side when his two older brothers and mother got buried into the ground. Leo had stayed by his side all this time… keeping him company when his master had nightmares of the tragedy that had happened just a week ago… the gruesome things they had seen still made his stomach twist and made him want to throw up right away. Princess Aida's corpse- people running over her... People coughing up blood- he shook his head and instead met his servant's violet eyes, his glasses had gotten broken and Elliot didn't have time to go buy a new pair…

"I'm going to look for him." That was that. He had read enough of the newspaper, had listened enough to Vanessa and his father's stupid talk about how they knew that the Vesalius' were traitorous people and how disgusting Elliot was for befriending them. Oz was innocent! There was no way that stupid airhead had anything to do with this plan, how many times had that idiot saved people's lives? People he had never even met?

No.

The Nightray shook his head, there was no way his friend had known about this. God knows where he is now, the teen needed to help him!

"But you can't… Elliot, your body is still weak." Leo sighed, "I understand that you want to help him- … but, Oz would never want for you to risk your own health in order to save him."

"Why should I care about what that shrimp wants?" he asked, "Besides, like he has any say in this!" he stopped walking and glared at his servant, but Leo did not back away, the Nightray's valet knew that his anger was not directed towards him but just to life in general. "Where has he been hiding in the past few days? Also, they said the poison was in both the food and wine-" -Elliot had been lucky not to eat or drink at the party, having been too busy with hiding away from any girls that might have been interested in asking for his hand in marriage, plus he had been too occupied with admiring Xerxes Break from afar. He was lucky, though, he remembered he had been holding a glass of wine at the time… had he drank from it, he would have been in the same state as all the other victims, a lot had passed away because of the poison, it was a miracle princess Alice had survived. "I saw him drink from the same glass as Alice." Worry was written all over his face as he remembered a very ill Oz taking a few sips from the wine his fiancée had practically pushed in his face when he couldn't stop coughing. "That good-for-nothing was already sick and now has the same poison in his system as that stupid meat-eating princess…" he slowed down for a bit, Leo for a moment thought he had finally come to his senses, but no. Elliot's gaze hardened, "That's it. I'm going! Like hell that idiot can take care of himself!" he put on the coat he had been carrying and walked towards the door that led to a staircase,

"Then I'll go with you!" Leo said determined,

"Don't be stupid," Elliot stopped, holding the doorknob with his left hand, since his good hand was wrapped up in bandages. "You have a broken leg,"

"As is your hand," the raven haired teen nodded towards the hand that had been useless during these past few days, Elliot glanced at it, but quickly met Leo's gaze again. "There's a difference." He said stubbornly,

"You can't fight too well-"

"Of course I can! What kind of swordsman-"

"Shut-up!" Leo interrupted his master in a very rude way, "All I hear is blah-blah, use your stupid brain for once!" hah, so his valet had finally lost what little patience he had, "I know it's tiny but I'm pretty sure your father taught you to actually use it!"

"How dare you!?" the Nightray shouted angrily.

"Elliot. Listen!" and he did not leave any room for argument, "This is Oz we're talking about, I'm sure he has found a way to survive… and I am sure Sharon-sama and Break are searching for him as well." He calmed down again, "I understand you're worried… so am I," he smiled softly, gently patting the taller teen's short hair, "He was the only person whom ever bothered to talk to you -aside from me- after you started a fight that first day at Latowidge, so he's a special friend… am I right?"

"H-he's… really not that special to me." He muttered while looking away with a scowl on his face, his cheeks turning red. The Nightray then sighed, "But you're right,"

Leo chuckled when seeing this reaction, "One of us has to be, after all.