A/N: I know, it's been a while. But I'm going to try and update more often. This story is about to wrap up soon, and I'm excited to see the characters reach their own destinations. To all of you who have read my story and have liked it, I thank you. To those of you who didn't like it, I thank you for at least giving it a try. And to all of you who have read any of my stories, thank you. I appreciate it. Now, on with the story!

Love Is Complicated

Taking a deep breath, Rudolf raised his fist in the air, poised to knock, ready to take back his Tony back, whether he has to force Tony to be with him or not. He sighed and lowered his hand. He was being a coward, he knew that, but he was scared to death. After all, there were a thousand things that could go wrong with his confrontation with Tony.

Tony could reject him. He could chose to not take him back. He could yell at him, scream, assault him; Tony could do a number of things, all of which would leave Rudolf in ruins.

Usually, Rudolf would try and look on the bright side, but for some reason, he thought best to not do that. Why get your hopes up when there's more than a fifty percent chance that all your efforts will end in failure? And with a situation like this, caution would be better than optimism. He would have to tread delicately if he wanted Tony back. What with all the pain he was sure to have caused…

It was now or never. If Rudolf wanted to show Tony how much he loved the blonde, he'd have to man up and find the courage to do so. Once again, he raised his fist to the door and, finally, he knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he waited. Behind the door, he heard some shuffling, and perhaps the television, but nothing more than that. It was a few seconds before the door was answered by Mrs. Thompson, who smiled when she saw Rudolf.

"Oh, Rudolf, this is a surprise. But thank goodness you're here. Tony's in the living room. He's been playing video games nonstop, he hasn't been eating… Please, you've got to help him. I have a feeling that you're the only one who can help him." Her rushed explanation had left Rudolf's head spinning slightly. Shaking his head, he nodded.

"I'll do my best." She smiled in relief.

"Thank you, sweetie. Come on in, he's playing those video games again…"

Rudolf entered the house, sucking in a breath. He made his way quietly to the living room and his breathing hitched when he saw Tony, sitting on the floor in a baggy t-shirt and his boxers. Even from the back, Rudolf could tell that the blonde didn't look too well. His hair was messy and unkempt, he was slouching, and he looked like he lost some weight.

Quietly, Rudolf approached him, and from the side view, he saw that Tony looked tired, sad, and like he'd given up. He was barely focused on the video game due to the fact that the character was constantly tumbling or falling or dying. Rudolf was a few feet away from Tony, who had yet acknowledge his presence. Inhaling deeply, Rudolf took the risk and spoke up.

"If you keep dying, you're never going to advance to the next level." Tony practically jumped ten feet in the air, the controller flying out of his hand and landing on the floor with a load CLUNK.

"Holy crap, don't scare me like that! I mean my God, I-" Tony stopped once he looked up at Rudolf. His face, previously expressing shock and fright, now showed pain and sorrow beyond any that Rudolf had experienced before. And it killed the him that he was the one to cause all this pain to Tony.

"Oh… Hi." Rudolf's heart clenched at the tone of Tony's voice. He sat down on the couch, and bit his lip to keep himself from bursting into tears. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to begin. The air around them held a dreadful awkwardness that didn't help the silence that was between them. Rudolf, at a loss for words, said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi." Tony shifted his position on the floor. Turning off the video game, he turned his body so that it faced Rudolf, but he refused to look the other in the eye. Tired of the space separating them, Rudolf dropped to the floor and crawled a few inches over to Tony.

"There's so many things I want to say, but I don't know where to start," Rudolf confessed. Tony picked at the carpet.

"Try the beginning." Tony's response made Rudolf smile sadly and he nodded in agreement.

"All right. First off, I'm sorry. For everything. For being a cold-hearted jerk, for not telling you how I felt, for treating you the way I did, and for saying the things I said to you. I was hurt and angry and I felt betrayed. But after thinking it over, I realized that I was the one who was the betrayer. I did the one thing I didn't ever want to do: I hurt you." Tony finally looked up at Rudolf, but the other's gaze was focused downward.

Tony inched closer, wanting Rudolf to continue as he thought over everything that was being said.

"I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn't think about you or what I had made you feel. And then Anna talked me out of my selfishness, and made me realize that there is little to nothing that I wouldn't do for you. Because I love you, and I'm not going to let anything or anyone stand between us.

"I talked to Gregory - well, I actually punched him once, or twice - but we did talk." Rudolf paused when he looked up at Tony, seeing the blonde in shock. He continued. "Anyway, Gregory is confused and he needs time to mull things over, but he knows that he shouldn't have kissed you because he thinks that he made you confused or something like that. I'm not mad at you, or at Gregory anymore, and if I could go back in time to stop myself from causing you so much pain, I would.

"But I can't go back in time." Rudolf looked Tony in the eye and sighed, releasing the edgy breath slowly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you, for not trusting you when I should have, and for being so cruel to you, the person whom I love more than anything."

Tony looked like he was about to cry, and he started to after a few seconds of contemplation. Rudolf lifted a finger to Tony's face and gently brushed some tears back. Quivering, Tony scooted closer to Rudolf and leaned forward, arms wrapping around the teenager. Rudolf embraced the sobbing boy tightly, loving the way Tony fit just right in his arms.

"S-so… So does this mean… We… We're back t-together?" Tony asked in between sobs. Rudolf stroked his back, running his hands smoothly over the wrinkled shirt before answering.

"I didn't think we broke up. But yes, we're back together." Rudolf bent down a bit and kissed Tony's forehead. "I love you Tony Thompson."

"I love you t-too, Rudolf."