Chapter Text
Gilbert moves in to Roddy's mansion out in the countryside when he and Roderich try to take down some of the top nazis during the war. For once they are totally aligned on a goal in every way.
Then the war ends, and there's all the problems after that, like making sure Gil survives Prussia being erased from the map.
Now that the excitement is all over, Gilbert begins to realize what has happened in the background of all that. He has been living with Roderich as his lover, pretty much.
During everything that happened, he'd barely spared a thought to any of it, worried about Ludwig, about trying to stop the nazis, and then all the aftermath.
But now there are no distractions.
Rod's old mansion in Austria is exactly the same as it's always been, except now it has electricity, plumbing, and all that. Gil has to order, supervise the installation of, set up and teach Rod how to use the internet and wifi there. Same for iphones.
Funny how that old music room is so utterly perfect, in some indefinable way.
Roderich can't be bothered to handle anything after the war, and so Gil takes over managing the place. He does almost all of the work himself, dealing with the grounds, the plants, the gardens, and all the work that servants used to do for Roderich -- they didn't have any there while they were trying to figure out how to take down the nazis, Gilbert just did everything when they weren't busy working on their plan, or executing [literally] their plan.
Gil also does the laundry, and irons their clothes, and puts them away. He once let Roddy do it, as he claimed he could, and lets just say some pieces of clothing are still missing, never to be found again. How? Who knows.
Now in this brand new modern world of peace, they live together leisurely, he and Rod.
Roderich makes him fresh breakfast pastries every morning, as Gil makes the coffee and tea. It's always a lovely atmosphere, it's so nice to see Roddy so quietly happy and pleased with Gilbert in general.
Gil loves to watch him bake. He's distracted while he works, Gilbert can just watch him as they idly chat about nothing.
He's always found Roddy handsome. There's a reason so many immortals jumped at the chance to get to stay with him in his mansion and spend time with him when they really didn't have to [as history went on, all the immortals slowly realized that they didn't have to agree with their nation's humans, or help them, or do anything at all, actually.]
Roddy takes off his fake glasses sometimes, when it's just him and Gil, which feels like the ultimate win, the greatest, most special moment of rare intimacy.
They spend each day together in a cozy fashion, both reading a lot -- Gilbert likes to go pray at some points, and at times Roderich accompanies him.
He seems actually to like praying a lot, and Gilbert loves to share that silent, special time with him. Ludwig has little interest in Gil, or praying with him, and it hurts him, not that he mentions it.
Later on every day Roderich makes dinner for them, asking what Gil would like to eat [Gilbert is the one who stocks the mansion with groceries, who cleans it, and who handles all the daily chores stuff]. At night they snuggle and make out quite excessively.
Gilbert has never wanted to go further than that, and Rod always respected it, [in a nice unspoken way], so after they kiss for a while, Gil just holds him close, and Roderich strokes his arm.
It's Ludwig who first clues him in to how they're 'practically married', in a throwaway joke on the phone after Gil tells him that he can't go to see him and Feli in Germany on a Friday in Lent, because he and Rod have plans.
He thinks about that joke for weeks.
Then he realizes they really are practically married, and is afraid to say anything to Roddy about the topic.
If he spooks Roderich by saying anything, there's a high chance that he could hightail it back to Erzsebet post-haste.
She is everything that Gil is not; she's more suitable for Roderich, really, which Gil resents heartily. She's pretty, she's tough, she likes Roddy very much, Rod seemed to like her a lot in the past, and she's proper. She cleans up nice, she looks good on Roddy's arm.
She will always be the better choice.
Roderich has a better history with her, they lived as a married couple before, he knows. She looked pleased, proud, to be on Rod's arm.
She looked perfect on his arm. Gil has no doubt that if she showed up in Austria right this second, asking to be married again, Roddy would agree instantly.
He surely loves her in that way.
Gilbert isn't sure Rod would even go for him like that. Roddy does not do well with change [he has Gil handle all his tech for him, barely bothering to learn anything about his iphone or laptop; Gil bought both for him, and showed him how to use them] -- why wouldn't he like to partially relive some glory days by getting back with Erzsebet?
Also, he'll lose everything if he scares Roddy away: their constant meals together, their shared prayer sessions, Roddy making him daily fresh sweets for every breakfast, and then some for dessert for him later in the day, getting to be held, getting to be kissed, getting to be touched so softly, safely; he can't lose any of it. He needs it.
He can't take the chance.
Being so close to Roddy, being treated so kindly by him, wipes out all the thoughts in his mind and lets him rest, lets him feel extra, crazy good.
It's reprogrammed something inside his soul, it's changed his heart. He has to have it, or rather, he has to have him. Who knew love, being loved, could do this to you, he thinks. Jesus.
A bit after Ludwig's joke, Roddy goes out to see guess who.
Erzsebet. Speak of the devil, he thinks bitterly.
Gil's heart races when he hears about it. He does not love the timing, but tells Rod to have a good trip, and drives him to her flat in Hungary himself, making sure he acts totally normal. [He often drives Roddy around now; he rarely leaves his home, and told Gilbert he should have his car so that it gets used at all.]
Then he drives back to Roddy's mansion in Austria and broods, worrying. He's assuming that after a few days Rod will call him, asking him to pick him up.
His thoughts turn to how he's going to occupy himself in the meantime. Sigh. Ludwig has zero interest in him, to his chagrin, and melancholy. He's always with Feli anyway. Who else does Gil have, other than Roderich? Just his birds.
Instead he wakes up in the middle of the night to a beeping noise.
It's Roderich. He's calling him right now, in the middle of the night, at 2am.
What?
Roddy's whispering into the phone, which seems to bespeak problems on his end, Gilbert can't quite make out what he's saying. "I'm coming for you," Gil assures him. "Can you stay on the phone with me?"
"Yes," Roddy murmurs.
Gilbert doesn't stop to put on shoes, he runs out down to the car in his socks. He puts Rod on speaker after he gets into the driver's seat; his left ear hurts from where he was pressing the phone so hard into it on the way down, trying to hear Rod's super quiet voice.
"Why don't I play the radio, okay," Gil suggests, and Roddy makes an 'mmhm' sound, so he does.
He breaks a lot of traffic laws to get to the edge of Hungary in record time, and to his surprise, Roddy is standing on the curb when he pulls up, even though Gil didn't tell him yet that he was here.
How long has he been standing here, he thinks. What the fuck?
Roderich gets in the car himself instead of waiting for Gil to step out and put his little case in the trunk.
"Drive," Roddy tells him, laconic.
Gil snaps out of how he was staring at him for his unusual behavior, and drives. As soon as they cross the border Roderich relaxes a little, putting his seat back and laying against it with his eyes shut.
The classical station is still playing on the radio; Gilbert stays silent, reacting to Roderich's paleness and odd behavior.
At this point Gilbert realizes that Rod's glasses aren't on his face. He opens his mouth to ask where they are, and then shuts it, not saying anything. What the fuck.
Once in a while he glances over at Roderich's face, which is still tense. By the time they get to his mansion, he's already sat up in his seat and quietly tells Gil, "I'll walk with you. "
Usually Gilbert drops him off and then walks back from the car spot on his own, since at times Roderich uses a cane.
"I'll carry your bag," Gil tells him, and takes his case from him, but he moves too fast, and he can see Rod flinch, like he's scared of him.
Fuck.
Sure, there were times he hurt Roddy personally in the old days, but mostly their battles were played out by armies on the literal battlefield, and he and Rod personally didn't stab each other.
... Uh, mostly.
He tries to ignore that Rod reacted like this, and also tries to push down his nausea at seeing the person closest to him, who he loves, be scared of him, and after a second, Roderich hands him the case slowly. He clearly wants to pretend he acted normally, that he's acting normally, so Gil goes along with it.
They walk inside his mansion together, and Roderich steps inside only to just stand there, motionless. Gil scrambles to think of how to ask about all this, when Rod says suddenly, "Can I stay with you to sleep, for a while? I mean modestly, next to you."
This is a pretty shocking ask from someone who once called Gil 'unshowered and spartan, yet somehow unorganized." [Roddy had great insults back in the day.] Sure they snuggle nowadays all the time, but that's on the couch, not in bed.
"Of course," Gil tells him, and so for the first time in years Gil puts on the nice pyjamas that Feli got him as a gift once and goes and sleeps beside Roderich in the very ridiculously large and fancy bed in his room.
Roderich wears a sleeping costume to bed that looks like it came directly from 1831; Gil can't bring himself to joke about it, seeing how tense Rod still is.
He can tell hours later that neither of them are asleep.
He finally says, "Hey. Tell me what's wrong. You know I'll help you."
Roderich turns his head towards him, Gil can hear the movement against his pillow.
"It doesn't matter, it's nothing," Rod says, but even in a whisper he can't keep his voice steady. It's trembling.
Gil reaches out in the dark and finds his hand on top of the covers, and takes it.
"You'll feel better at least, if you talk about it, even if it's not to me," Gilbert points out. Rod squeezes his hand in a way he'd never do when feeling normal.
For Roderich to act so vulnerable around Gil, it means something is really wrong. He never acts like this unless something is truly dangerous; he was like this when they wondered if Gil would die when Prussia was erased, he remembers.
[Roderich had had several immortals he knew pray for Gil in their own homeland churches, and laid with Gil himself, both in their ancient-style clothes, in one of his order's churches, in case Gil really did die and vanish right then.
He'd held on to Gilbert then, close in his arms, and had prayed with him unceasingly. With him right there, so openly supporting him, Gil almost felt like he could face the end like this peacefully, and not be afraid. And then after the state of Prussia was officially non-extistent, they were both so excited that Gil was not only there still but felt great. Gil had kissed his cheek then, ecstatic, and Roderich had kissed his forehead, and crushed him in his arms.
Gilbert had just laid there with him, breathing in the scent of his neck, for quite some time; they'd gotten Feli to keep Ludwig at his favorite local church, so it had been just them. Gil didn't want him to see him die.]
They'd monitored how Gil felt for years after that, just in case, but he'd been fine. Roderich had forced him and Ludwig to accompany him to America during all of the cold war, afraid Ivan would try something personally against them [like how it would have gone in ancient times].
Ivan, like all of them old people, stopped doing personal stuff long ago, but Roddy wouldn't take the chance, he'd totally freaked out, and demanded they both accompany him. So they did. It had been fun to hang out with Alfred on his big foreign continent.
[Gil had never felt love like that before, honestly.]
He listens to Rod breathe for a few minutes next to him on the bed.
Then finally, Roderich says, "You and I ... we've. We've been spending more time together recently. Over time, we've both changed a lot. I'm very different now than I used to be."
"Yeah," Gil agrees, cautiously.
He does not love how this sounds like some type of awkward breakup-ish speech.
[Are you together if you don't have sex? No, right? So they can't break up. So that's good. That's just logic, he thinks.]
He can't go back and live with Ludwig again. [Besides, Ludwig wouldn't even want him to cramp his style, now that he has Feli.]
Not after getting to enjoy this heavenly life with Roderich alone, just the two of them, where he makes him fresh meals every day himself, and where he insists on washing and rubbing his feet if thinks Gil's been out running on concrete too much, scolding him, saying he's not taking care of himself. [He may be doing that on purpose at this point, just to get extra rubdowns.] Yeah ... it's been fucking amazing living with Roderich.
Its like a fulfillment of all his dreams, and even ones he didn't know he had.
He loves how someone is always happy to see him, and also truly needs him. Roddy sure as hell isn't going to clean his own floors, wipe down his own kitchen, take out his own trash, or buy his own sugar. He'd get lost trying to find the modern grocery store; he literally has, before, and called Gil for directional help. Gilbert does all that for him. [Pre-Gil doing everything, Rod just got humans to do it all for him.]
It's a very equal trade though, because Roderich lets him live in his mansion with him, lets him cuddle and kiss him chastely, with zero sex [which Gil knows is a weird, unmodern, unacceptable request, that most people would assuredly not entertain], makes him meals and fresh sweets every day [multiple different kinds!], plays classical pieces he knows Gil likes the most all the time, and even smiles at him all the time.
And he doesn't even get sex back. Roddy is one of a kind in his generosity, truly.
"I know it's kind of unusual, how you've been living here with me," Roderich continues, and Gil's blood runs cold. "It's kind of been a new, unusual thing."
This definitely sounds breakup-y. Roddy doesn't talk like this typically, this is more stilted and weird-sounding.
What should he do?
Hide somewhere like George on Seinfeld, because if Roddy can't find him he can't technically dump him; maybe.
Should he argue why he's worth it -- he's like a live-in servant, right, Roddy loves those, he used to have loads of them.
He suddenly finds himself instinctively crawling over to Roderich and laying on top of him, embracing him, rubbing his face against his hair [it smells so good.]
If these are their last moments together, then he has no shame, and wants to breathe in his scent, feel his body close to his. He'll need these memories to keep going.
Going back to live with Ludwig will be literal hell compared to this.
Gil's always wanted Roderich. It was only during the [last] war, when Roddy needed his help [with offing nazis], that they became closer. Maybe it was a fluke, and Roderich has changed his mind, or something.
Please don't leave me, he thinks. Please.
Admittedly, they are an odd couple, he mentally acknowledges. Gil is only too aware of that fact; Roderich should probably be with someone refined and fancy, like duh, Erzsebet. Or even Francis. [Not Antonio ... Gil's never loved how they seem genuinely fond of each other. Gil has often thanked god that Lovi exists and that Antonio is solely obsessed with him as a love interest, because that's clearly the only thing keeping him from pursuing Roddy.]
Rod recovers after a moment from the surprise bed embrace, and continues. "I know you'll think I'm being too hasty, or not making the right decision, but -- "
Damn.
He can totally see this leading up to Roddy admitting he wants Gil to move out, and Erzse to move in, and he's feeling guilty about making Gil leave, since he no longer has a 'real' nation, or whatever. Or maybe Ludwig has said he doesn't want Gil back, and Rod is hesitant to tell him to leave due to that. Worst case scenario is that Roddy wants Antonio back, honestly. Ha. Please not that, he thinks.
"You know, I can step it up," Gil breaks in. "Give me a chance, first. Okay. Listen to me, I -- "
Roderich goes silent, and then pushes him off of him. Gil reluctantly moves back, and pauses in his speech. Where it was going he's not sure, honestly.
He hates to think this will be the last time he'll ever see his dear Roddy in his silly old nightgown, or even in the kitchen in his dorky little apron with an oven mitt on his hand. How special all this is.
Sure he teases him for what he's like, but he loves it, too.
All that shit is so utterly him. He's so fucking perfect; he never gives a fuck about what anyone thinks, he just does what he prefers. Roderich's a real man, truly confident, truly strong inside.
"Can you wait for a moment, please," Roderich says, impatient, now. "I am trying to propose to you. Now, let me get back to it -- I was going to mention how I remember those first times we spoke to each other, so long ago, when we were young and -- "
He continues on talking for a while.
Gil hears none of it.
... what the fuck just happened. What?
What.
He keeps trying to figure out what he could have meant, and gives up. "What did you mean by 'propose'?" he asks him, interrupting again.
Roderich makes a half-breathy sound that means he is very annoyed at being interrupted again.
"Can you not let one thing happen without interjecting?" Roddy says, curt. "Sit there, shut up, and listen to me propose marriage to you. Honestly, it's just manners. It's like you were raised by wolves in that desert."
Oh, he thinks.
[He wasn't raised at all, just like how Roddy wasn't either, actually, since they are not humans.]
He better lock this down fast, he thinks distantly, shocked. This is unbelievable.
"If you're saying you want to marry me, then I accept," Gilbert tells him, voice way more shaky than he'd like, but he's so happy that he doesn't give a fuck.
He's willing to draw his ire on the off chance that that's what he meant.
Roddy is silent for a while. Gil starts to get nervous. Maybe he misconstrued something, somehow.
" ... Oh," Rod finally says, surprised. "You said yes. I thought I'd have to talk you into it."
Gilbert smiles in the darkness.
He's smiling so hard it hurts his face, but he doesn't give a fuck.
"I already love you, I was always going to agree," Gil tells him.
Roddy hmms. "I suppose I thought I wasn't exciting enough for you," he mutters. Gil can just barely make out the outline of him on the bed in the dark.
"You're all I want," Gilbert tells him. "You know that. I've only ever had my eyes on you. I mean, fuck the nazis of course, but thank god they prompted you to meet up with me more if it led to this."
Roderich makes an appalled noise. And then starts laughing at how inappropriate saying that is.
Gil laughs too, and searches on the covers and finds his hand, and they hold hands.
How thrilling it feels, as Roderich squeezes his hand. His heart pounds the way it never has on battlefields.
"That is terrible to say," Roddy scolds him, sounding amused. "How abhorrent. Well. We will have to sleep very late tomorrow and have breakfast at lunchtime, and skip lunch. What do you think about Ostpreußischer Honigkuchen?"
Gil smiles.
That's a very old Prussian traditional honey spice cake recipe. Rod already knows he likes that one a lot.
"And some Torten von Epffel ... " Roderich says, and Gilbert lays back down half on top of his body, and breathes in the scent of him.
Roddy strokes his hair as he muses. Before he knows it, he's asleep, drifting.
When he wakes up. Roderich is of course out cold, as he's never had a strong constitution like Gilbert. His little princess has always gotten up quite late, and eaten meals quite late [always the true sign of the elite.] He comes by it honestly.
Gil goes down and makes them some coffee, and brings two mugs upstairs. When Roddy finally wakes up, Gil ambushes him with the coffee [as a distraction], which he's clearly thrilled about, inhaling it eagerly, and then throws his true grenade at him.
"Now can you tell me what happened across the border? I was worried, when I picked you up," Gilbert says, and Rod looks chagrined, guilty.
"Well ... " he begins slowly. "I was having Basch, Antonio and her help me with my proposal speech. But then they all started arguing. At first I thought they meant you were never going to want to be with me, which I understood, but that's not what they were saying. They were all saying they thought I wasn't sincere, that I didn't love you, that I didn't know my own feelings. It kind of rattled me, really. I got offended, and had some choice words for them. Things got heated. ... I guess I thought they knew me. Trusted me. But they don't. There's a reason you, well."
Gil blinks, taking this in.
Roderich looks away from him.
"Are you trying not to say the part re how you have something to do with why my order is still going strong? Why an order even lived this long in the first place, which makes no sense?" Gil gently interjects.
Roddy looks shifty at him, and then looks away again, clearly shocked by the fact that Gil knows this.
It was Lovi who accidentally clued him in, as Lovi does not care about politics for the most part, and randomly said he would be fine with three pastas and a nap if Antonio understood as much as Roderich, or did that much for him.
That had piqued Gil's curiosity, and in time he'd looked into his own origins, and the 'why' of how he, just an 'order', can exist when none others do.
And he'd figured it out. [Arthur and Tino had confirmed it re their knowledge of magic.]
Basically Roddy had somehow magically given him some of his own energy a long time ago, and even recently, somehow locking Gilbert in being alive as powerfully as a regular immortal of their kind.
Gil remembers being super young, and how many of the immortal spirit beings disappeared in time, but he himself had always felt strong.
It'd been rough to realize that his strength, and life, might have come at the price of Roderich's random flareups of physical weakness, like he gave some of himself up and put it inside of Gil, somehow. But honestly, it also mostly just makes him feel loved.
That's just what Roddy's always been like.
Never being overt about stuff, or clear, but making his favorite foods every day. Letting him know if there's a concert going on of the religious chant Gil's always liked, and then even going with him to it, even if it's in a faraway part of Europe. Even though he's always hated traveling, and it tires him super easily.
"Anyway," Gil adds, letting Roddy off the hook re having to explain how he always cared for Gilbert. They smile at each other. "I better tell Ludwig."
"I will tell Romano, Tino, Arthur," Rod agrees, and they both send some text messages as they dress and get up.
In that immortal-person list is not Rod's actually closest people [Switz, Hungary, etc], but Gil refrains from asking. Who cares if Roddy is angry at them for the time being. He'll forgive them eventually, they're his old school crew.
Gilbert then sits happily in the kitchen watching Roderich work on breakfast, after making them more coffee and tea. After a bit, he sips his fresh orange juice [Rod likes everything they have to be homemade, and he does it all himself, nowadays], and Roddy says, "How is it? I think these oranges are not as sweet as last weeks, more acidic."
"I think today's is my favorite ever," he tells him honestly [and also metaphorically], and Rod smiles at him, amused, and picks up one of his kitchen towels and smacks Gil on the upper arm with it. But like playfully, just to tease him.
"I think I should have Antonio send me the other oranges from last month instead," Roderich opines, and goes back to his pastry-ing, and puts one tray into the oven. "Oh, go into the bedroom, to my side table, and bring in the box from there, would you. I need to wash my hands."
Gil goes off to grab whatever it is, and then when he walks back into the kitchen, Roderich comes around the kitchen island and opens the box in front of him, and Gilbert can see now that it's two rings.
Like gold rings, like wedding rings. [The box was way bigger than a ring box, so he couldn't tell.]
Oh.
How he'd been eaten up with jealousy when Rod and Erzsebet got to wear these type of things, back in the day.
Roderich puts one on Gil's finger, and then pulls up his hand higher and kisses it as Gilbert watches, stunned. He fumbles to take the other one and put it on Roderich's ring finger.
Then he just stares at Rod's hand with it on.
Finally Roddy has a wedding ring on that symbolizes Gilbert alone. Not her, not Antonio, not anyone else. From him, from Gil. He personally wanted him. He chose him.
It makes him speechless, inside.
Roderich, his friend, his old frenemy, his old love, his old everything, is wearing a ring on his hand that means he loves Gilbert, and Gilbert alone. And there's no old history stuff involved, either [not that Roddy ever did anything he didn't want in that vein, which had made Gil even more depressed about it back then.]
Holy fuck.
What a brave new world.
He finally rubs Rod's hand against the side of his own face, just to feel it, closing his eyes.
Eventually the timer goes off, and Roderich goes to save the food.
They eat together, and then Roderich grabs his arms and kisses him, and pretty soon after that Gilbert is no longer a virgin.
Well, metaphorically, as Roddy is very gentle with him, and does only simple, easy stuff with him, Gil can tell. Just because Gilbert was a holy warrior doesn't mean he doesn't know what people get up to.
He does know that Rod is making it easy for him, not doing anything that seems profane or complex. It's all simple, and amazing, letting Gil adjust to this huge change easier.
It's not like it's a secret that Roddy has real, extensive experience in this realm that Gil doesn't.
The following days are spent turning off their phones [people keep calling to congratulate them, and Gil does not have time for that because they are busy having the most vanilla sex ever together constantly. It's utter bliss. [He'd always wondered what it would be like.]]
Roderich seems to prefer the simple, beginner stuff they do, which is lucky as hell, because even that is blowing Gil's mind, rewriting it completely, and exhausting him. He can see why they tell athletes and soldiers to stay chaste, jesus.
Sometimes all he can think about is seeing Roderich like that again, face contorted in ecstasy, being the cause of it, seeing the effect he has on him. [Even if the last time was ten minutes ago.] That he's making him feel that good. It's very addictive.
And that's not even getting into Gilbert's own revelation of how orgasms make him feel like he's going to pass out. How it feels like an out of body experience for Roderich to touch him so aggressively, how he's in total control, easily playing Gilbert's body like a fiddle. How it feels to know that Roderich wants him to feel good, that he wants to do this, and is doing it, over and over. And over.
It's almost the knowledge of Roderich loving him in this extra way that undoes him before the actual physical part utterly destroys him with pleasure.
It's torture, except it feels good. It makes him feel so desperate, so utterly overwhelmed, so out of control, so unable to think.
Afterwards, the high is better than anything he's ever felt -- better than drugs, alcohol, fighting, winning, riches, having Roderich's attention, getting a little present from Roderich, Ludwig acting like he respects him, anything. Everything.
Roderich pretty much runs their sex life, which Gil likes. He prefers it that way.
He may not be person he was when the order first started, but he is still kinda that person, regardless, somehow. It's easier for him re that he and Roderich are married, and that Roderich never wants anything non-super vanilla and uncomplicated.
The important part is that he lets Gilbert manage everything else -- all the stuff Roderich would have had servants for before, basically. Gil does the cleaning, the chores, the grocery orders and pickups, everything.
Roddy cooks and plays music and lets Gil live in his mansion with him.
So in Gilbert's opinion, Rod is doing more than enough.
He knows how Roderich treated his past lovers, due to them being Antonio and Erzsebet; they've both told him before about it.
How Roderich is so reserved, so quiet, so cool. How he's never passionate, never possessive.
... Gil does not have those problems with him.
It's kind of a [good, awesome] mind fuck to realize how different he is with him versus his old lovers. Roddy is so loving with him that he's kind intimidated and overwhelmed at times. He's so passionate that Gilbert now prefers the colder months because he can cover up all the love bites he has with scarves. [On albino skin they really stand out. Eventually he resorts to buying concealer.]
Roderich is always so thoughtful, too, making his favorite foods all the time, playing his favorite music often -- even free-handing some arrangements of Gil's favorite songs in other music genres for piano and surprising him with by playing them randomly in between Corelli and Chopin and Clementi.
He also plays versions of his favorite tv shows' music on piano and harp as well, like the Only Murders in the Building score, and other shows he likes.
It always makes him smile to hear it, even if he's outside and hears it from a distance as he works on something [like the grounds, etc.]
He always seems pleased when Gilbert wants to read beside him, laying back against his chest. Gil often takes books as camoflauge and just naps while snuggled up to Roddy, which feels so, so good.
Sometimes he's even heard Roderich snap at Ludwig or others if they say something about Gil he doesn't care for, at times taking people off the 'sweets for Christmas' present list that he does each year, which ends up with random people apologizing in person to Gilbert for whatever they said that was rude about him [that he didn't know about] ... Roddy's pastries are truly in demand, no one wants to be left off the Christmas list.
Gil kinda gets off on how Roderich defends his honor in his own way, honestly.
It's surprising, but also touching, that Roderich not only gets angry at people talking shit about Gil [he's used to it, honestly], but also punishes them for it. It's hot.
It's also sweet, and he loves the idea that someone is protecting him, in their own way.
What a first. Knowing this is like crack, honestly. Gil could have, would have never imagined anyone ever protecting him. Gilbert's the soldier, after all.
It feels strange, but so good, to feel like this for the first time.
Roddy never minds when Gilbert wants to go out and do his own thing, or travel on his own, only asking him to write him at certain times so he knows he's well and having a good time.
And then when Gil comes back home to him, Rod's always there, and his mansion feels like home. It's so familiar and comfortable, Roderich always smiles when he see him, and insists he eats.
It always just so happens that he's made something [some food] just a little while ago, and Gilbert should try it and see what he thinks. To his surprise, Roderich often asks him to evaluate his recipes and suggest alterations or new ideas, and takes his opinion seriously.
It's weird, how all this affects him, hints at so much, feels so meaningful.
Gilbert's never felt this loved before.
He knows he won't ever give this up without a fight.
For so many years he and Roderich had bantered over wars in Europe, back and forth between alliances and fighting each other. How he had hated seeing Roderich and Erzsebet married, in every sense of the word.
It had grated on him, in a way he didn't totally understand back then.
He had assumed that it was because Roderich was his favorite rival, his favorite frenemy, but now he knows what it was.
He had often felt hatred for Erzsebet because she got to be with Roderich, she got to be treasured by him, cared for by him. It had always seemed like the two of them actually personally liked each other, outside of the immortal-nation stuff. And Gil wanted all that for himself. He wanted Roderich for himself.
[Antonio's brief past friendship with Roderich is one they never speak of when they hang out as a trio of friends, because he has a feeling that if Antonio says anything nice about Roddy again, Gil will have stroke.]
Now finally having Roderich look at only Gilbert is just as amazing as he always thought it would be.
He'd imagined it before, as he went to sleep, usually. What would it be like, if he got to be in Erzsebet's place? If Roderich brought him fancy pastries he just handmade, on a fancy expensive tray.
If he kissed his forehead gently and called him a sweet name. If it were Gilbert who got to hug him or cuddle with him on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
After finally getting all those things, all his old fantasies fulfilled, he can report that the reality of it's way better than he thought. Waaaay better.
Every day is a new delight, honestly.
Every moment with Roddy is so utterly satisfying; he goes to sleep feeling like he can't wait to wake up and live with Rod, be with him, talk to him, all over again.
Being alone with Roderich now is so different than when they've ever been near each other, interacting, before.
Without Ludwig or Hungary or anyone else in the way, Roderich is gentler, more relaxed, more open, [slightly] more casual than he's ever been with Gilbert.
He often gives him looks of pure appreciation, or ones where it's clear that he's thinking loving and/or lustful thoughts, or just loving, or just lustful. About him, Gil. About Gilbert, himself.
Whoa.
Roderich has never openly looked at him like that before, he's sure. It's changed everything. [No one ever looks, has ever looked at Gil like that, due to his rep, his past, his 'obnoxious' voice, his ugly, weird looks -- he knows what everyone says about him, he's not stupid.]
It feels so strange, yet so incredible to have Roddy looking out for him, thinking of him, making him lunch and snacks every day. Touching him. As soon as he puts his bare hands on Gil's skin, or his skin on his skin directly, it's game over.
Gilbert can then no longer think, can no longer function. He just writhes under his him; Roddy could easily sexually dominate him, but he doesn't, he is just gentle with him and his obvious inexperience [he is not dumb enough to think that Rod can't tell], and gets him off tenderly.
Sometimes Gil wakes up after the final orgasm and realizes his face is soaked with tears.
It can be hard, admittedly, to go from being a fierce war machine to being touched so lovingly, to be caressed and stroked and toyed with gently, teased; he feels like he's being electrocuted with pleasure.
The change is almost confusing.
No one has ever touched him like this, made him feel like this, loved him like this ... well, loved him at all, pretty much.
To his continual surprise, Roddy is very touchy-feely.
He sometimes washes his hair, combs it, dries it, and also gives him massages. Weirdly, Roddy's hands are super strong, and Gilbert lives for his rubdowns [usually on Sunday evenings; he blocks it off on his mental calendar in perpetuity just in case, cause you never know when Roddy will decide he wants to give him one then, better to be free and ready just in case.]
Gilbert almost feels like it's lucky that he rarely sees other immortals now, because they'd all figure it out immediately, that he's Roddy's pet, at this point. Fuck it, he is. Fine. Whatever.
It all feels so good that he doesn't even give a fuck. Also, in his defense, he does take care of Roderich in terms of handling all the day to day work, because you know damn well that Roderich isn't doing shit. [He plays music, and sometimes composes music. He absolutely does not do anything menial, let Gil tell you.]
Gil likes that, though, that he needs him. Roddy definitely needs him, big time. It works the other way around, too.
In private, Gilbert just can't control himself around him. It's like the dam broke. It had built up over so many thousands of years. Gil needs him constantly. He wants him unceasingly.
Roderich is very considerate and playful in private, in his way, actually, and even sometimes will do little bets with him, like 'how long can he read his book as he gets Gilbert off without being distracted' -- distracted by Gilbert's pleasured, desperate moaning and wailing [which is all very authentic; Gil is kinda embarrassed, but honestly he'd do anything if it means Roderich will allow him to keep having sex with him.] It's very fun.