Alone Together

11 - One Week

"Do you want us to come too?"

Gilbert thought for a moment. Maybe that was a good idea. He nodded. He watched Matthias grab a pen and scrap of paper to leave a note for his parents.

The car ride was unbearably long. The forty minutes seemed like two hours. He watched trees turn into city lights as they neared the hospital. And Gilbert couldn't help but think they weren't going fast enough.

When Alistor parked his car, Gilbert's door was the first open before he tuned into the hospital. He ran to the receptionist. "Excuse me. I'm here to see my uncle: Frederick Hohenzollern."

After looking to the computer for a few dreadful seconds, she looked back to Gilbert. "I'm sorry, but you can't see him right now. You can take a seat in the waiting area while you wait. The doctor will update you about his condition when-"

"Gilbert."

He turned around to see his dad coming his way.

"Dad, where's Uncle Fritz?" He didn't seem mad. He seemed upset, and that scared him.

"The doctors are taking care of him. We just have to wait."

Really? That was all they could do? He didn't want to wait. He wanted to see his uncle. He wanted to see him now.

"Gilbert." He turned around at Alfred's voice. "Do you want us to stay?" Matthias and Alistor stood beside Alfred.

"If you guys need to get home, you should go. You don't need to stay."

"That's not what I asked."

He stared at Alfred for a moment. Why was he even here? His uncle couldn't be sick. He was okay, he had to be. Gilbert looked down and nodded. He felt a hand take hold of his, and he looked up to see Alfred.

"I'm here for you."

"Thanks."

If you would have later asked Gilbert, what had happened in the time they waited in the hallway, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. His dad spent the time pacing around, then sitting, then walking about again. Matthias and Alistor did their best to lift the mood despite the happenings. And Alfred only sat with Gilbert. He didn't say anything, only sat with him, and he thought that helped the most. To have just one person to just stay with him. To just have him there was a comfort. A comfort that quickly evaporated when the doctor came down with a solemn expression on his face.

-

One week had passed. The new boxes in his room had yet to be unpacked. Maybe he wasn't really gone. He sat one his bed, just staring at the boxes that sat on his bedroom floor. He looked up when he heard a knock. There in the doorway was Alfred.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." Gilbert motioned to his bed for a place for Alfred to sit.

"Stupid question: are you alright?"

"I don't know," he said quietly.

There was silence for seemed like many minutes until Alfred spoke again. "Are those from your uncle?" he asked, looking at the boxes.

"Yeah. All the things he gave to me," he muttered.

"You want to open them?"

Did he? Maybe he should. He slowly nodded and got up from his bed with Alfred. They sat down on the floor and Gilbert opened the first box, this one about a foot long. Alfred helped him cut through the tape with a pen. Gilbert wasn't sure why they hadn't gotten up to get scissors or a knife, but the own ended up working pretty well.
Inside was a black instrumental case. A shape Gilbert was quite familiar with. Underneath the case was a thick folder with an envelope on top.

"Is that a flute?" Alfred asked.

Gilbert picked up the case and opened it up to see the polished silver laying in the velvet. "Uncle Fritz's flute," he muttered. His hand gently brushed across the instrument. He carefully closed the case before picking up the envelope. From inside he took out a piece of paper and unfolded it to see his uncle's handwriting in a quick note about the flute, his flute.

"Was that his?"

Gilbert nodded. "I used to listen to him play it all the time. He actually taught me how to play." He looked up to see Alfred smiling at him. He picked up the folder that he knew would have music inside as the note had said. He out them all aside and went to the other box, much longer than the previous one. He pulled open the box to see a set a swords with a folded piece of paper lying on top: another note.

"Cool swords."

"There a family thing. Passed down to the oldest child," Gilbert explained. "My uncle didn't have any kids, so they go to me."

"That's pretty cool. You could hang them up on your wall if you wanted."

"I think I will." He looked back up to Alfred. "Hey, um... Thanks, Alfred."

"For what?"

"For just uh, kinda being here."

He smiled. "Want to know something? I lost my mom when I was ten."

"Sorry."

"My dad married Matt's mom a few years back."

"You guys are step-brothers?"

He nodded.

"For better or worse, you do look like brothers."

He smirked. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"Maybe you guys really are brothers and you just for know it. It could be like one of those stories where you guys were switched at birth or something."

Alfred laughed a bit. His arms went to his chest as he calmed himself down.

"Sorry. Forgot about your ribs."

Alfred shook his head. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." They talked for a while longer, just enjoying each other's company when Gilbert started remembering Alfred's story.

"So, you're bi?" he asked sort of randomly.

"Yeah. You?"

"Gay."

"Why'd you want to know?"

"Just keeping track of who I have to watch out for," he said with a smirk.

Alfred blushed when he looked down to his hands with a small smile.

Gilbert leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. "You're really cute, you know that?"

"Now I do."