A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing
Burning. He felt as if his veins were on fire. He knew the screams were his, but he couldn't do anything to stop them. He had to remind himself multiple times that he asked for this, wanted it. He had to keep that mind set or he wouldn't survive this. That's what he had to keep telling himself.
As quickly as the burning sensation had started, it stopped. He gasped for breath and a hand flew to his chest. He carefully felt the smooth skin and looked down in surprise. From what he just went through he was expecting huge welts or at least burned skin around the edges.
It was a few minutes before he could push himself into a kneeling position, when had he been on his back? Standing took more energy than he care to admit so when hands helped him up he nodded gratefully.
He looked up at the man in front of him, his mentor, the one who saved him from darkness. The older man smiled at him, relief clear on his face. He stepped forward and placed a hand on the mark, "You have survived. The magic has accepted you as I knew it would. I am proud to welcome you into the Order." The man turned and he saw the sea of faces behind him. He threw his arms out and shouted, "Welcome your brother reborn!" He turned with a flourish, "You have died and been reborn, as of this I give you a new name. From now until you no longer take a living breath, your name shall be Gilbert Beilschmidt."
Once he got home he was going to burn his clothes. He didn't mind being around werewolves, Feliciano was an excellent example of that, but over territorial wolves left a bad stench on his clothes. The more he thought about what he had just witnessed the more the pieces were put together.
To his disappointment, the wolf he encountered didn't even know what he was at first. It took him a good ten minutes of being followed for him to register what was wandering in his territory. The reaction was nothing less than amusing. Their conversation, however, was cut short by the appearance of Mattheu. The wolf was just becoming hostile when the Canadian appeared at his shoulder.
The wolf's reaction was most interesting. With only a few words from Mattheu had the wolf backing down to only growling a few words. When he left with the blonde he didn't miss the silent exchange the two had, interesting. He willingly followed Mattheu from the library, glancing at the book he held in one hand. The Canadian subtly moved the cover away from his view and he couldn't help but smirk. He looked forward, watching the streets around them, "Did you know him?" At the confused look he was given he glanced back to the library, "That kind man I happened to run into."
Mattheu sighed through his nose, "Yes. Although I'd rather not talk about him. He can be rather...rude at times."
He couldn't help the snort, "I would say he needs to touch up on his social skills." He smirked slightly at the short laugh he got out of the blonde. He looked at Mattheu from the corner of his eyes, "Find the book you were looking for?"
Mattheu hid the book from sight even more, "Not exactly...but this one seems interesting at least…" The Canadian looked around them quickly, "I found this on the first page…" I got a glance at the cover before he flipped it open. George Washington...He had to force himself to continue walking as he was shown the Hunter's insignia.
Association's today don't apply it properly to those who are part of it. He had investigated this himself when he'd run into one during the war. It was just a tattoo now. He was surprised at the amount of detail the American could draw from it. He glanced at Mattheu who was staring at him intensely. The Canadian looked at the book, "I have to admit when you first showed up I was intrigued by you. You were the first person that I had met that was close to Feliciano. His husband Ludwig didn't show up to any of his dance classes." He narrowed his eyes, "You know why don't you."
He looked over Mattheu again, from the length of his stride to the amount of pressure he was holding the book with. The man was nervous about his answer, and from his tense shoulders he was ready for a negative reaction. He couldn't help but smirk at the smaller blonde's behavior and took a step closer, one hand holding a side of the book, "I might know, but I have a feeling I do not need to tell you now do I?"
Mattheu's breath caught for a moment as he rested his hand on the Canadian's hip, easily steering him along a path. Despite his obviously nervous behavior the blonde spoke with barely a quiver, "...I want to hear you say it.."
He leaned closer to the blonde's ear, "I am far more interested in how you know this mark." He barely gestured to the drawing in the book, "Or rather where yours is?" He smirked in triumph as Mattheu's breath caught and he froze just a moment too long before following him.
The Canadian looked at him sharply, a frown on his face, voice low, "How did you know…?" So others could hear if he wasn't careful, interesting.
He stayed close to Mattheu's ear but his hand at the blonde's waist moved to the small of his back, tapping the butt of the gun that sat there, "You were not expecting to follow the other day were you?" He glanced around them and lead them down a quieter street, "I would be more careful in the future, or stick to blades."
The blonde looked forward again as his hand once again rested at his hip, "So are you going to kill me now?" He shook his head at the Canadian. There really wasn't a reason to kill Mattheu, he had the chance to do it many times already and he doubted the blonde just missed those opportunities. Mattheu frowned at him, "...Why?"
He looked back up at the street they traversed, "I have no reason to. You and your friends are far too interesting." He glanced back down at those wide purple eyes. He leaned closer, "But you will have to tell me how you found out I am...not who others think I am."
He watched Mattheu's cheeks redden slightly, "The way you danced...you moved a little too fast and...you were too elegant...when I saw you dancing with Feliciano…" He closed the book and held it to his chest. He couldn't help but smirk at the cute action and stepped a little closer, drawing a stutter from the nervous Canadian, "A-And I looked you up...there was a newspaper about you and Ludwig… when you were in World War 2. There was also a book of myths that said the war was against vampires and Hunters, and you were one of the people leading it…"
He couldn't help but laugh at that, it was absolutely ridiculous, "That is most likely the reason it is called a mythological book." He watch the blonde smile and nod in agreement.
He watched Mattheu look at their surroundings. He lead them to a rather expensive apartment building. Feliciano, Ludwig, and sometimes Lovino, lived here and the addition to him hardly made the flat itself crowded. The door was manned by a doorman who gave him and Mattheu nothing more than a dip of the head before opening the door into the marble and gold lobby.
Mattheu looked around the lobby. He glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "You live here?"
He looked around the lobby himself with a frown. He didn't really think about where he stayed because in the end, he didn't stay in one place for very long before he was tossed into, realistically, a place he suddenly didn't know anymore. He couldn't count, nor remember, the amount of times he had to relearn the world around them. He had to learn how far the humans had come a how hidden his kind had become. The encounter with the wolf in the library was a prime example. A vampire hadn't been in this city for who knows how long, it worried him how much power the humans had over his kind and other creatures.
It was then he realized he had been quiet for a minute too long. He looked at Mattheu with a sigh, "Yeah, for now."
He ignored the look Mattheu gave him and steered him towards the elevator. He stepped in and away from the blonde to press the button for the twelfth floor, not in the middle of the building, nor the top, but just high enough to see what they needed to. He stepped back to Mattheu's side but didn't touch him. He watched the number slowly climb in silence.
At Mattheu's voice he turned to him, "Why are you telling me all of this? Leading me to where you're living? A vampire hasn't been in Quebec for years, the Elders will get worried and send someone after you. How do you know I won't go and tell?"
He smirked at the blonde, "Just because I know you will not. You are too curious for your own good." He smirked at the sigh and half hearted grumble he was given. Humans were naturally curious creatures, it's what's got them killed many times. The elevator dinged, cutting their conversation there and he watched as Mattheu's eyes widened slightly.
Thanks to Ludwig's money and Feliciano's magic, they were able to buy out the floor and make it into a single floored house. They had made sure that no other humans could get into the floor. Feliciano put a spell that would activate when a human pressed that button it would take them to the thirteenth floor instead, throwing them off long enough for them not to think about it for very long.
There was a main room looked more like something seen in a mansion. There was a white and black marble that spread in an oval before leading down four halls. The center room was made to look like a sitting room, a large, plush, deep red Persian rug spread under two short, white couches, two white arm chairs that surrounded a long, black coffee table and large, elegant fireplace. He watched Mattheu's eyes roam over everything in concealed wonder and awe.
The ding of the elevator had drawn the attention of those who lived there. He saw Feliciano first. The Italian bounced towards him with a smile, "Gilbert you're back! What took you so-" He stopped short at the sight of Mattheu, who now stood at his side. Feliciano looked between him and the Canadian before smiling hesitantly, "Hello Mattie! How did you and Gilbert run into each other?"
He walked into the apartment, Mattheu following a into the center room before stopping. He nodded to Feliciano, "It is alright Feli. He knows already. Can you tell Ludwig we'll be in the kitchen?"
He led Mattheu away at Feliciano's nod. He could feel Mattheu's confusion coming off him in waves and Feliciano's worry as he walked away. He led the Canadian down the far left hall, his shoes clicking on the marble and Mattheu's squeaking behind him. The walls were a nice cream, somehow complementing the dark floors but no photographs adorned the walls, only paintings of different sceneries told a story be doubted even Mattheu could even think about.
The kitchen was the complete opposite of the rest of the house he had shown Mattheu. The floor was smooth, white, wide tile while the countertops were black obsidian. A counter ran around the far two side of the room, two sinks on each side and cabinets hung above them. On the third wall a bar stuck out, the dark chestnut a nice softening touch to the room. The fourth wall held the appliances, the refrigerator and stove, while a black island interrupted the middle space. He walked around the island and opened the refrigerator, pulling out food as he went, "I do not believe you have eaten. Is there anything you would like?"
When he didn't get an answer he turned to see Mattheu sitting at the island with a frown on his face, "What do you want from me...You know who I am and that I know what you are...so why are you being so nice?"
He closed the door with a sigh and dumped the food on the counter before sitting at the island himself, "Because I need your help...or more likely the...Association's help. You informants are among the best in the world and can find people in meer days, hours if they can." He looked down at his hands, "I need help finding someone...or two people really. As soon as possible."
He looked at and watched Mattheu stare at him blankly, into his purple eyes that stared deeply into his. It took a minute for the blonde to even blink, "I'd have to ask someone else. He's one of the French informants, if he can find anyone it's him." He frowned, "...I'm sorry but why ask us to look for someone? I'm sure you have contacts that could find a human faster than we could."
He stood and began sorting the food and putting some back. He had grabbed a knife and cutting board before answering the Canadian, "There is not a lot of people that I am close to that are alive...Plus one of the people I want you to find are not human. You would be able to get a better lead than I could." He smirks slightly, "I know how you work."
He walked over to the stove, placing a pan on it and throwing butter in it and letting it melt. He walked back over but stopped at the hand on his sleeve. He looked down at Mattheu and couldn't help the sense of triumph at the blonde's sigh, "Crepe. Something with fruit in it."
He couldn't help but chuckle and continued when the hand released his sleeve. He put up the food he got out and took out what fruits he thought the blonde would like. At a last minute thought he took out a bottle of maple syrup and placed it on the island.
He began to chop up fruits and felt a sliver of unwanted hope rise into his soul. That far corner of his mind wanted to trust in the human in his kitchen. He wanted to believe that he would finally be able to find her. That hope he had squashed down for decades, centuries, was rising up once again and all because he was able to connect with a human, trust the word of a human that was trained to kill him.
"I'm almost there...I'll find you Madeline...no matter what…"
A/N: Some of the plot has been revealed! I hope it's not going too fast but then take into account that's not what Gilbert has a lot of, time that is. So I apologize if it seems to move a little too fast but remember that's for the purpose of the situation. I'm also sorry that this is a little short, I'll make up for it in the next chapter! How does 4-5,000 words sound? Good? Great! That's a promise from me!
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Until next time my lovelies!
NatureLuvMaple