Week 6: Gilbert/Hendrik

That was it. He was done messing with his idiot of a little brother and his stupid boyfriend. Screw Liza and that asshole Roddy too. He was fed up with them all--too old to be feeling this way, yet immature enough to sustain his petty rages. Gilbert just needed a walk.

Which is how he ended up here...wait, where was he?

He walked along a street with several lamps out, in an unfamiliar part of town. How long had he been walking anyway? Gilbert looked around for some clue as to where he was.

Hendrik was out on one of his nightly walks ...well he was out walking blowing off steam after another fight with his younger sister. She just couldn't see that he was only looking out for her but again like always they ended up fighting and him going out for a walk.

He was lazily puffing on his pipe as he walked down a barely lighted street , he had noted that several of the lamp posts were out. But what he had really noticed was the familiar mop of silver hair that looked like he was between pissed off with the world and lost " Gilbert? "

Hearing his name, Gilbert turned with a slight start. He had been so involved in his own world, that he had no idea anyone was around. He recognized the voice and face as Hendrik's, and he tried very hard to not let his relief show on his face. Though, was fairly sure he had allowed just a bit of an expression to slip through.

He felt his shoulders relax some against the remaining tension he felt. "Hendrik," he nodded. "I'm completely lost, it would seem."

He had noticed the quick flash of relief on Gilbert's face but didn't comment on it " lost u say? dat doesn't seem like u Gilbert "

He studied the other man for a moment as he puffed on his pipe " u look like u are having a rough night... " he sighed " I know how u feel " he approached the other man.

A small crooked smile fluttered across Gilbert's face, though it seemed to hold no humor. "I was not paying attention."

He glanced around the block, still unable to find anything very familiar. "So is has been a bad night...same old crap from everyone." Gilbert turned back to look at Hendrik. "What's your sad story, my friend?"

Hendrik nodded in understanding " ah u caught up deep in thought ja?" he puffed on his pipe.

" bad nacht u say? " he sighed " ah same here, fighting with mijn zuster same old crap " he took a nice drag from his pipe. " want aan talk about it? " he made a move to walk down the street knowing Gilbert would follow even if he didn't want to talk.

And Gilbert did follow.

He did wish to walk about it, but at some point, when you have the same crap over and over, the venting becomes redundant. It feels better for a short period, sure, but nothing is fixed. You'll fall back into it and need to vent again. And the albino didn't wish to bother Hendrik with a problem that would be reoccurring. No reason to wear out a good set of ears.

And he wished he could voice that to the other man as well, but he couldn't at this time. Rather he walked behind the broad-shouldered individual, feeling better with him there.

"So, eh, you take walks around here a lot?"

He nodded at Gilbert when he saw the albino started to follow, he didn't walk very fast since he had a feeling that the prussian man did want to talk but at the same time was too tired to talk.

" ja every night het seems " truth was he was getting rather tired of the nightly walks or rather the reasons he was taking his nightly walks, he lazily puffed on his pipe as he walked towards a more familiar part of the area.

Gilbert felt himself sneer slightly. "Maybe we should just start walking together to blow off steam." He kicked a loose pebble back and forth between his toes.

The night was darker than he liked when he felt like this. Every shadow seemed to embody the shape of someone he was angry with. Someone he was...lonely without. Though he'd never admit it aloud, Gilbert hated to be alone most of the time. His mind was filled with too much that he didn't wish to have repeated again and again. Then there was the human quality thing--he believed that humans were not meant to live alone.

Hendrik nodded in agreement " ja dat sounds like a goed idea " he watched Gilbert kick a rock around from the corner of his eye, he took a long lazy drag from his pipe and exhaled the sweet smelling smoke.

He studied the emotions that crossed Gilbert's face then let out a sigh " I know how u feel " in truth he did know what it was like to be alone, he knew that others were either afraid of him or disliked him for various reasons like his questionable habits.

Gilbert relaxed a bit as a light plume of second-hand smoke fell against him and he breathed in deeply. He sighed, letting the air out.

"Alright, we'll meet nightly to walk like two old biddies and blow off steam." He found himself easily chuckling, the other man's attitude or drugs rubbing off on him. He didn't care either way, it was a welcome reliefe. "Next thing you know, I'll have cats."

Hendrik chuckled " sounds like a plan Gilbert " he saw the albino breath in his second hand smoke and offered the other man his pipe " u look like u could use het Gilbert "

He laughed " katten? I dink I have already started on dat except I have a rabbit "

"Yes, and I have my Gilbird..." He took a long drag of the pipe, grateful that it wasn't a joint. He disliked the taste. Perhaps he needed to get his own pipe, since usually the only time he smoked was with others, and usually the pass-around was a joint. He took one last short puff and handed it back to the other man.

"Thanks." He followed along with Hendrik, his mood improving more and more. He was certin it had little to do with the plant. "So, Hendrik I haven't seen you for a while. What's been going on?"

Hendrik nodded as he took back his pipe from the prussian " ja but I dink Gilbird wouldn't like u bringing home a katten though " he chuckled slightly at the thought.

He took a long drag from his pipe " well niets much Gilbert still the same " it was true he pretty much had the same routine now get angry...fight with his sister....go for a walk.. it was starting to get really old fast but no matter what he did he just couldn't break the cycle. Glancing at Gilbert from the corner of his eye he would bite his tongue though since one of the prussian's best friends was slightly involved in the fighting.

Gilbert felt that Hendrik was holding back. He'd never been very close with the man, but he'd always felt they could be pretty open with each other. Hendrik was a food friend to just mellow out with.

"Uh, you can tell me. Use me to vent. Really, I think everyone needs someone like that."

Hendrik looked slightly unsure of himself to keep his tongue in check but Gilbert had offered " well... I have been fighting with mijn zuster over her hanging out with dat Spaanse idiot " he knew that everyone knows he didn't like the Spaniard he didn't care that he was friends with Gilbert since the two knew each other far longer then Hendik knew the prussian, it was just more along the line it was his sister being friends with him.

"I see, well..."

He drifted off. He understood why Hendrik might worry over his sister spending too much time with Antonio. While the Spaniard was his friend, he truly didn't know how he could defend him, but felt the need to. Probably because a lot of the crap Antonio got into which was less than...moral was often with Gilbert himself. So, in a way, defending Antonio was like defending himself.

However, this was not the time for that. "What's your main concern regarding their friendship? If I may ask."

Hendrik took another drag from his pipe " he does some questionable dings wit her she tells me het is harmless and dat I am worrying over niets " he frowned as he remembered the conversation " den she told me aan but out of her business " he shoved his hands in his pockets.

" I don't understand why she niet get het " he frowned again then took another drag " den she told me aan get dat stick out of mijn ass and get laid and aan leave her alone " of course that was him explaining it a lot nicer then what his sister actually said.

The truth was his sister was most likely correct and that bothered him, he look at Gilbert " wat about zelf? "

"Oh uh me? Well I could always be 'laid.'" Gilbert chuckled to himself until he realized that he had made himself sort of the uke in this context. It's not that it had never happened that way, it was just rare. He decided to change topics.

"Or, I guess you mean what's eating me?" He took a breath. "I've only really--oh this is going to sound juvenile--I've only really had two crushes in my life and my brother is dating one and my childhood enemy is divorced from the other and she is still hung up on him. I guess that's what it comes down to. Now, what happened today? Ludwig asked me to marry him and Feli...of course I said yes." He grumbled to himself. "So yours is a concern for your sister and a stick up your ass. My issues are juvenile, which stem back to my awesome track record for emotional retardation." Gilbert exhaled. There let it be weird.

Hendrik looked at Gilbert slightly surprised he had heard those words fall from the albino's mouth " never gedachte I hear dat fall from uw lips Gilbert " it didn't help that Gilberts words sounded tempting.

He listened to Gilbert vent and nodded " ah so u said yes aan Feliciano and Ludwig? but u are niets happy? " he was slightly confused getting engaged was a wonderful thing was it not? " daar is iets else isn't daar dat is bothering u? " he took a drag from his pipe and as he exhaled he closed his eyes " and I don't dink dat what u said is juvenile Gilbert "

Gilbert shrugged as he walked alongside Hendrik. "It's happened before." He murmured in response to the sex question.

He cleared his throat. "I'm happy West and Feli are getting married, I guess. I just..." He groaned, trying to figure out how he wished to word this next part. "I don't think I had the transition...it was pretty fast. And now I am to preside over their ceremony?" Gilbert made a face. "But it is juvenile. That is probably why I am so upset with myself for feeling this way. That and Roddy was kinda a dick today. It just piles up."

He picked at a piece of lint on his shoulder. "So where are we going?"

Hendrik nodded to Gilbert answer.

Ah now he understood and felt bad for the prussian, he saw Gilbert make a face so he placed a hand on the albino's shoulder to give at least a little bit of comfort. He had raised an eyebrow at the mention of Roderich " but isn't Roderich always being a dick? " yes he knew what the Austrian was like and it did piss him off when he did have to associate with the other man and said man was being a dick.

He thought for a moment then pulled his cell phone from his pocket and checked the time " goed mijn zuster is gone if u want aan head daar aan mijn place "

Gilbert felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Hendrik. "Heh yeah usually he's an ass." He snorted.

When the other man asked him if he wanted to head back to his place, Gilbert nodded on impulse, then felt his skin on his back tighten. He'd never been to Hendrik's. Was this some form of come-on? He looked at the shorter but more built man, trying to figure him out. He decided that he did want to go back with Hendrik to his house. He'd see what would happen.

Hendrik nodded and turned down a different street heading towards his place, he rarely had others over since he didn't want others to see him fight with his sister but since she was going to be out all night he didn't see the harm in bring Gilbert back to his place to chill out for a while .

He lead Gilbert up the stairs to his front door and unlocked it, he headed into the house holding the door for Gilbert " if het is messy forgive me I haven't the chance aan clean up after our fight

Gilbert slid into the house past Hendrik. It was obviously lived in and slightly cluttered, but clean. The house--or what he could see of it so far--felt comfortable and homey. The albino turned back to the other man with a smile.

"It's fine, Hendrik. What would your fight have to do with it being dirty--" Then he spotted the mess. "Good Lord, do you two actually throw things at each other when you quarrel?"