The door opened and Arthur quickly stepped away so it didn't look as if he had been eavesdropping earnestly before making eye contact with the German. They nodded solemnly to each other as the younger passed. Arthur waited until the other had rounded the corner to push the door open once more.

The sight inside pulled at his heartstrings.

Francis, hair still shorn, had his knees pulled up to his chest and was crying softly into them. He had never approved of the relationship between the two and thought it was ill-fated to begin with. He had seen, first hand, all of the damage Germany had done to the older nation. Why would he willingly return to someone like that? Did he not understand he could easily get hurt again?

He pulled a cream handkerchief out of his pocket and held it out. No matter how old the other was, he hated to see him cry. With a hiccup, Francis turned his head when he felt fingers brush his shoulder. He gratefully accepted the cloth and used it to wipe his eyes.

"Arthur," he breathed tiredly. "I can't."

The fingers had started to gently stroke his arm.

"Why not?" the British man asked, moving closer. "You know I would treat you better than he did. We've worked before, we can do it again." He sighed sadly. "I was so jealous while he had you."

As much as he loathed to reveal his true feelings and emotions, he knew he needed to in order to make any progress with one as emotional as the older nation.

"Arthur, please don't do this to me," Francis begged.

"What would the problem be, dove?"

At the last word, Francis jerked and rounded on the other, clearly frustrated.

"Did you hear yourself? You spent the last few months taking care of me!"

"I've done that before!" Arthur defended. "What's different this time?"

"I was a child, Arthur!" Francis cried. "I was thinking of you as a father and you were treating me like a son! Isn't that weird to you? It is to me! It can't be healthy for a relationship!" He put his face in his hands. "I really need you now, Arthur but all you want, all you can think about, is getting into my bed!" Sobs escaped from his throat, tears spilling from between his fingers. "As if I didn't have enough to deal with already with trying to reestablish myself in this world, figuring out what happened while I was…away…deciding what to do about Gilbert, or if I can forgive either German brother. I thought I could rely on my dear friend who has been there for me for so long but he, like so many others, just wants me to satisfy his own desires!"

The younger man started to pull the other into his arms to comfort him but stopped. Instead he let the man have his space and cry quietly.

"Francis, may I ask you something?" he started, trying to change the topic and hopefully cheer up the man. The Frenchman tilted his head to show he was listening. "One thing kept bothering me while you were staying in my home. You were a very quiet, docile child and while you can act that way today, it is not your usual temperament. How did you develop into the man you are now?"

The question did not seem to sit well with the other as he remained quiet for a long time, still crying. Arthur was about to take it back when he heard the man clear his throat.

"I-I told you about my parents, yes?" He agreed. "I didn't know it at the time but Rome and Germania murdered them to make them pay for running away together. The empires weren't aware that their children were so weak though. It was only meant to scare them into coming home but…" He trailed off. "As retribution they each raised me for a decade at a time but neither were particularly happy about the arrangement. Rome finally decided to officially conquer the lands I had inherited. He no longer wanted to treat me like an unwelcome guest." He took a steadying breath before continuing, looking Arthur in the eye as he spoke. "And what happens to conquered nations?"

Arthur gasped.

"But you were a child!"

"He didn't care," Francis spat bitterly. "He could stop seeing me as family and see me as a slave instead." The British man felt sick. Most nations held off on imposing that tradition until the other nation reached puberty. "And slaves were sent on errands around town so one day while I was out, a drunk Roman mistook me for a young lady and repeated the act in a side street. Rome saw no reason to punish the man when I told him about it when I returned without the supplies, instead I was scolded for wasting money."

A sudden memory surfaced in Arthur's mind. The day that those foul men had attacked Francis in the alley:

"It's over now, dove," he whispered as the boy started to shake. "We're going home now." He picked the boy up and carried him to the car. As he did, he murmured calming words to him. For some reason though, the boy continued to say, "Not again." Over and over until he fell asleep, safe in Arthur's arms.

Arthur had never understood why he had uttered 'not again' but those circumstances were incredibly similar to the time Francis had just described.

"So I grew a tough exterior to fight people off that took a long time to crack," Francis continued. "I celebrated when that man died. Then I could start to figure out who I wanted to be instead of who I was expected to be. And I could decide if I wanted to let people in or keep pushing them away."

Biting his lip, Arthur looked at the heartbroken look in Francis' eyes.

"Francis," he started seriously, causing the other to turn to him. "I apologize for overstepping my boundaries. I will be here to help you. As a friend only." Francis regarded him warily, searching his face for any possible trick. "I want to get to know you better before I decide if I want to enter into another relationship with you. I have realized in the time we have spent together that there is a lot I do not know about you."

Slowly, the first smile in weeks spread across Francis' face.

"Thank you, Arthur. I truly believe I need to be alone right now." Nodding, Arthur lowered his head but a soft hand cupped his chin and raised it to meet a pair of blue eyes. "But I always need another friend."

A rare smile appeared on Arthur's face.

"And I'll be right here."

AN: Three years later it's finally over. I'm really sad to see this one end but I'm glad to have written it out. I got to explore a lot of ideas I had about both characters and take them through some different themes than most people use. I filled an entire journal with this story and the last page was filled with plot points I wanted to remember. Honestly, I was surprised that I got through them all. Some of them changed or adapted along the way but they all made it. I hope you enjoyed it and those of you that have been here from the start I am sorry and also incredibly thankful for your patience!

Until our next adventure.

Italics- speaking in French or internal thoughts

No Italics- speaking in English

Oh and yes, after all the time spent learning English as a child, Francis did retain it when changed back into an adult.