Author's note at the end of the chapter.

The day had come and gone, and Gilbert didn't care.

The world could have cracked open and revealed a pool of magma, and Gilbert would have gladly jumped in. If there was a thunderstorm of apocalyptic proportions, he would have climbed up onto the roof. One day without Matthew had blossomed into what felt like an eternity.

Of course, that was the most likely outcome of this whole charade.

Before he had known it, Francis was knocking on his door, bringing dinner. Gilbert didn't acknowledge him as he crept into his room and set a plate of sausages down on his bedside table.

"We made wurst for you. Thought it would make you feel better." He said, apologetically. Gilbert didn't even look up.

"Ludwig's little Perfect is coming tomorrow. He is very cute, he might distract you-." Francis tried, but Gilbert just turned his head and snarled.

"Oh really? Ludwig's little pet, who isn't rotting away in a government prison?"

Francis threw up his hands in defeat. "I meant no offense, mon ami, but-"

"Leave." Gilbert rasped. Francis fled. The albino man hung his head and his hands began to shake. Why was he reacting like this? It had been a week, a fucking week! Why, why, why did he have to be so attracted to that stupid little blonde?!

That stupid little blonde with eyes like jewels and a smile that lit up the whole room...

"Oh, shut up!" Gilbert shouted to himself, hating the fact that he had grown attached to Matthew in the way he had. If he had just treated him like a sex object, a toy, he wouldn't be like this now. No, he didn't want a plaything. He wanted a friend.

And now he was paying the dear, dear price.

...

What little of the day that was left passed in a dreary grey haze, moving from dusk to dawn, until finally Gilbert was aware of the sun rising and birds twittering cheerily outside of his bedroom window.

That, and somebody ringing the doorbell.

"Francis? Antonio? Anyone? Hello?"

Gilbert groaned and rolled over onto the other side of the mattress, which was dampened considerably from tears, pulling the blankets over his head until he effectively resembled a caterpillar in the cocoon. He really did not want to deal with Eliza today. Hopefully, Francis or Antonio would answer the door, deflect any questions about how he was doing (shitty, thank you for asking), and take care of Ludwig's stupid pet without bothering him about it. If they knew what was good for them, they'd leave him alone. They'd been pretty good at that mostly, with Francis coming into his room a few times, but only to remove the cold, uneaten food and replace it was hot, uneaten food.

Elsewhere in the house, Francis pulled the heavy door open, plastering as best a smile as he could on his weary face.

"Hello, Eliza, is Feli with you?"

Elizaveta, who looked somber, nodded, a ghost of a smile working its way onto her face.

"Sure is. He wouldn't stop talking the entire way here, about how happy he was to see his brother, and all his new pasta ideas, how mad he was at Anton-" Her voice cut off suddenly. "Well, you get the idea."

She stepped aside to reveal none other than the italian himself, trying his best to lug a heavy suitcase up the front stairs. Francis stifled a chuckle, this boy was more adorable than should be allowed.

"Do you need help, Feli dear?"

"No! I-I've got it!"

Dressed in a puffy brown coat and a matching hat, Feliciano's eyes sparkled with optimism Francis hadn't seen in a Perfect for as long as he'd been around. Even red-faced from the heavy lifting, he still managed to smile.

"What exactly did you put in that thing, Eliza?"

Elizaveta brushed him off with a flippant wave of her hand. "Just clothes and some of his drawings. I didn't want him to run out or be cold or anything."

"We do own a washing machine, you know."

Eliza was about to comment, but was interrupted by Feliciano's triumphant yell and the heavy thud of a suitcase hitting the porch.

"Hello! You must be Francis! I'm Feliciano, but you can call me Feli! I like pasta and naps and pretty people and-"

"We've told him about you, Feli." Elizaveta looked like she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Francis, is Lovino here?"

"Yes, he's eating breakfast. Come inside, both of you, and Feliciano, would you like anything to eat?"

Feliciano stepped inside the foyer and looked like he was about to reply, but his eyes fell on someone else instead.

Lovino had just exited the kitchen, dressed in his pajamas and with a serious case of bedhead. Feli let out a cry and ran towards his brother, ignoring his suitcase in the process. Lovino yelped as he was knocked to the ground in a furious hug, but soon smiled (a rare occurrence) and hugged his brother back, his grip as tight as a hungry python's. Both brothers' eyes were spilling over with tears.

"I missed you soooo much, Lovi! I thought I was never going to see you again! But I met this really nice person named Arthur, and he-"

"Arthur?" Lovino looked confused. "Does he have blonde hair and stupidly thick eyebrows like caterpillars?"

Feliciano nodded furiously. "Yeah! Is he here too?"

"Surprisingly, yeah. Hey, we're eating breakfast, are you hungry or anything?" Lovino scoffed, casually drying his eyes with his shirtsleeve. "I-I mean, not like I care or anything, but Antonio probably would."

"Antonio?" Feliciano's grip loosened on Lovino's shoulders, and they both stood up. "The guy who bought you, right?"

"Yeah, he's a total dumbass. He's way too huggy and clingy, you'd probably like him a lot."

Feliciano just nodded, his smile just a tad strained.

'Sure, if you say so. Can I have breakfast with you? It's been at least an hour since I've eaten last, and I'm super duper hungry!"

Lovino, in response, pulled Feliciano into the kitchen, where the smell of bacon and ketchup was strong, almost overwhelming. Feliciano still hadn't stopped crying, but as soon as he saw the brunette, green-eyed figure sitting at the far end of the table, nursing a cup of coffee and a sandwich, he stopped cold.

"Oh, good morning, Antonio. This is Feliciano."

Hey, everyone.

I'm gonna cut to the chase here and announce that, after this, this story will be going on a hiatus, or at the very least an "expect a long time between possible chapter updates" hiatus. It's a complicated reason why I haven't put it on hiatusbefore now, but I guess now is a good time to explain it as ever.

I really want to continue this story. I have five pages of plot planning and tons of ideas; I don't want to let this die. However, writing this story is getting pretty hard, for two reasons.

1. School

School is tough, man. Between all my assignments and extracurricular classes, I only have a small amount of time for writing every day.

2. Time constraints

What little time I have is spent writing original stories, ones to practice my writing and (hopefully) improve my skills, so that the things I post on here are better for you guys to read and enjoy.

I have not fallen out of the Hetalia fandom, I don't want to let this story die, and I haven't abandoned it for good. Updating is just going to take a lot more time now, and that sucks, but that's life. I am still writing Hetalia one-shots and short stories, so I don't plan on completely leaving this site just yet. However, I do have an Ao3 account now, which I am updating as frequently as I can. There are exclusive stories on there that haven't made it to Fanfiction . net, so go check it out if you want (my username is the same).

I am so, so sorry to have to do this. Thank you all for your support, all the faves and follows, and the reviews. Every single one makes me so happy and makes me want to do an even better job. Thank you all so, so much.

Sincerely and sadly,

Ariaprincess