Characters:
Jett Kirkland /Australia
Benny Schmidt/Luxembourg
Matt Braginski/2p!Canada
Aldrich Bielschmidt/2p!Germania
Sarah Jones
Allen Jones/2p!America
Romeo Vargas/Ancient Rome
Feliks Łukasiewicz (Estate agent)/Poland
Oliver Kirkland/2p!England
Lutz Bielschmidt/2p!Germany
Nikolai Braginski/2p!Russia
Ekaterina Braginskaya/2p!Ukraine
Natasha Arlovskaya (Tash)/2p!Belarus
Lily Zwingli/2p!Liechtenstein
Lorenzo Armati (man in brown overalls)/2p!Veneziano

Warning for some dark/death-related humour

Jett and Benny decide to paint Matt's previous room red, using a deep red over the neon to produce a bright crimson. The attic is left plain, only the floorboards needing any work. Aldrich's room is brightened up, Sarah's room is empty.

The pair have pulled out most of the doors and windows, replacing them with a 'traditional' set that function like modern ones, with double glazing and latches and jagged keys, without losing the straight-out-a-postcard aesthetic. The driveway has been re-levelled and re-paved, the daunting metal fence replaced with a neat hedgerow, and the roof tiles reset.

It hasn't been their toughest job, but Jett and Benny will be glad if it's not their easiest.

Just over a year has passed since Matt and Allen left for good. Romeo's primroses have prospered well. (The head of the local environment agency asked what fertiliser he used. Romeo had just smiled, babbled some nonsense about hard work and lots of attention.)

Benny is doing the final checks of the house, Jett talking to Romeo over the fence.

"Feliks says that a young couple's moving in with their adopted sons," Romeo chatters away, "I can't wait! It'll be good to have some kids running around the land again, utilise it properly, y'know? I don't know how old the sons are. Hopefully I'll be able to hire one of them to mow my lawn, look how long it's been getting. I'd do it myself, but my old back I tell you!"

"The place is empty and done with," Benny announces as he leaves, locking the front door behind him. There's something very final about the way he steps away from the door.

Jett takes a deep breath. "Looks like we're off, then."

"Just like that?" Romeo marvels, "Ah, it's been good knowing you both."

"We've got to hand the keys in with the agents' first," Benny says, "And we'll be on our way to the next job."

"You've got one already?"

"Just a small kitchen renovation in a café. About a month's work, we reckon. We've got a couple more enquiries. We're doing well, I think," Benny hooks an arm around Jett's waist.

Romeo nods, smiling. "You've got my number, haven't you? If you ever need anything."

"We'll be a bit far south, I think," Jett says.

"Don't doubt my contacts."

Oliver greets them on the floor of the café, bouncing in excitement.

"Thank you so much for doing this!" he gushes.

"Now, now, your payments are thanks enough," Jett says seriously, and Oliver giggles.

"Everything's arriving at the end of the week, isn't it," Benny says, pulling his notebook out his bag.

"Yes, it is. As long as the companies pull through, of course."

Benny nods, and Jett heads through to the kitchen. It's big and drab, the ovens and stovetops dull with wear, the tiles faded and cracked. Burn marks scar the walls and ceiling.

Allen heads in through the back door, rubbing his hands together to bring some warmth into them. "Hey, Jett!"

He greets Jett with a hug. He smells of cigarette smoke and motor oil.

"Hey, mate," Jett claps Allen on the back and pulls away, "How've you been?"

"Busy. Very busy. Moving, changing jobs, saving up, you know how it is."

Jett nods. "The house has gone to a family. Little kids, they'll love it."

"I know me and Matt did." (Lutz did too.) "Y'know, I really appreciate you and Benny doing this for us."

"I already told Oliver, your payments are thanks enough."

Allen laughs. "Money makes the world turn, don't it?"

"I thought that was love."

"Well ain't you a sap?"

Jett laughs. "What about the oldest Jones boy?"

"Nah, he's a Braginski these days. But he's good. Nikolai says he's been sleeping better. Had a few nightmares, but he's okay. He's been okay. Ask about him about his new tattoo though."

"What's his new tattoo?"

"Ask him. He's only up the road."

Jett stares at Allen. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I'm an ass. C'mon, I need to go make sure Mister and Mister Braginski are eating something other than take out."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Turns out neither of them can cook. Matt can make pancakes, Nikolai can make pretty much any vodka cocktail you can think of, but nothing better than that."

"Wow."

As Nikolai had said, Matt's picture of him with ribbon bunches is up in the shop, behind the counter. A picture of Nikolai in his first school uniform is up next to it. (Ekaterina helpfully donated it. Nikolai hates it.)

A muscular young woman, already heavily tattooed, sits in Nikolai's chair, Nikolai working carefully on her finger. Another woman, slimmer and covered in flower tattoos, sits in an armchair near the window, flipping through one of Nikolai's sketchbooks.

Allen switches the blaring music off, then on, off, and on again. A few seconds pass, Allen leaning over Nikolai's shoulder to review Nikolai's work. "Cute. Are you getting something to match, Tash?"

"Natasha," the woman in the armchair says dully, "And yes I am."

"Jett, this Nikolai's little sister, Natasha. This is Natasha's fiancée, Lily. Lesbians, this is Jett."

('Little sister' is a loose term. They're related somehow, distant cousins who knows how many times removed. But 'little sister' is less of a mouthful. And with their matching dark hair and Russian accents, their American schoolmates had just accepted it.)

Lily gives Jett a wave with her free hand. Natasha sends him a nod.

Matt appears down the stairs, shirt sleeveless and cling film wrapped around his upper arm. "You will not believe how shit this film I've been sent is."

"You need to stop swearing before you even check if Oliver's here or not," Allen says, "Jett's here."

"Oh. Hey! I thought you were coming tomorrow."

"It's Wednesday, Matt," Allen says.

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred per cent. Show Jett your tattoo."

Matt looks at Jett. "Which one, I have a few."

Allen face palms.

"Your new one, apparently," Jett says.

Matt sighs, and Nikolai laughs from the chair. Matt unwraps the cling film and curls his arm behind his head.

At first it looks like a generic arrow tattoo, pointing up from his elbow and dipping 'under' his skin, the word "aufgespeiβt" written over the 'pierced' skin in a vibrant blue. Deep red blood drips down the metal arrow shaft. The arrow has a thin head, and no feathers. Instead, a small circle sits at the end, a small chunk of green pepper above it.

"Oh my god, it's a skewer," Jett dead pans.

"Yep," Allen agrees, "And that," he jabs the word, "Means 'skewered' in German."

Matt laughs, dropping his arm. "Don't, I'm ticklish!"

Allen gasps like he's been given the best news in his life.

"No! I need to re-wrap this," Matt says firmly, pushing Allen out the way to grab cling film and lotion from under the counter.

"Fetch them over here when you're done, I'm almost done with Lily," Nikolai calls.

"That is dark, mate," Jett says.

"What? The tat? Yeah, it is a bit," Matt admits, "But it helped. I've always had a dark humour, I wanted another tattoo and it was a decent break from work that wasn't staring at a wall. It was… cathartic."

Lily and Natasha both frown. (They've never questioned the meanings behind Matt or Nikolai's tattoos. It was like an unspoken agreement to never talk about their pasts or whatever their pasts might have left them with, including any strange objects or quirks or pictures.)

"What about you, though," Matt asks, "Ever considered tattoos?"

Jett chuckles. "Yeah, but I don't know. I've never really known what I wanted."

"It's your choice," Allen says, giving Jett a clap on the shoulder.

The bell tinkles as Oliver and Benny arrive.

"You locked up, right?" Allen says.

"No, love, I'm a complete idiot," Oliver says sarcastically.

Lily pulls her hand away from Nikolai, surveying the small flower on her finger with a smile.

"And you, Benny? Ever considered a tat?" Matt asks.

"Oh no, I'm terrible with needles," Benny says, shaking his head quickly.

Matt wraps Lily's finger as Natasha sits in the chair, giving Nikolai her hand.

"Keep it clean, keep it moisturised, you know the gist," Matt says, "But it's your finger, so you have to take extra care because you use your hands and your fingers a lot."

"Was that a lesbian joke?" Lily asks.

"Your face is a lesbian joke," Matt shoots back.

The corner of Lily's mouth twitch. (Allen and Oliver have learnt that Lily doesn't smile for most people. While deadpan humour sends a flash of laughter across her face, they've only seen her really smile for Natasha.)

"Oh sh-shoot!" Matt cries. He drops Lily's hand and dashes upstairs.

"Is he okay?" Benny asks.

"He's a little scatter brained sometimes," Allen says.

Matt runs back down, camera in hand. "You need your front of house photo, Al."

"The café isn't even built yet!" Allen whines.

Matt points up the stairs, "You know where the scrapbook is. Go check the first spread."

"I know!" Allen sighs.

"You're carrying the scrapbook on?" Benny asks, half smirking.

"It was Allen's idea. He just doesn't want to actually do it," Matt says.

"Come on, it'll be sweet!" Oliver says, dragging Allen out the shop.

Matt follows them, down the road to the shop. Oliver stands in front of its doors, adjusts Allen's clothes and smooths his hair down.

A man wanders up, scanning the three. He's fairly short, with brown overalls. "You're the new buyers, eh?"

"They are. I live nearby," Matt says.

"Businesses don't stay here long. It's a great place, but the kitchen's kaput."

Matt stares at the man. "I'm sure they'll make it work."

"That's what they all say. Every six months."

"Do you want something?"

The man blinks at him. "No. My apologies."

He turns and walks away quickly. Matt watches after him, confused.

"Hey Matt! You gonna take this picture?"

"Oh, yeah."

Matt raises the camera, snapping several pictures in succession. Allen smiles broadly, arm wrapped around Oliver's shoulders. The building leers over them, a challenge waiting to be overcome, empty rooms to fill with life like the untouched pages of a scrapbook.

Meh endings.
I didn't realise until I was uploading this chapter that Matt is a transgender translator. Trans trans. That wasn't intentional, just bad planning.

Random headcannnons
Romeo actually does have back problems. Too much corpse-dragging in his youth.
The family moving into the old house is SuFin with Sealand and Erland (and Hanatamago)
The switching the music off/on/off/on is a signal agreed between Allen and Matt to save Allen going up the stairs. Allen is lazy. The signal works almost everytime, unless Matt has fallen asleep.
Benny does eventually get a tattoo, designed and done by Nikolai. It features three bees. ("Beer, burgers and Benny. Three 'B's I will never turn down and always enjoy" -Jett, this fic)
The cafe is, of course, a booming success. Oliver is run ragged, and eventually Allen stops working in the factory to help. Money's tight but they're both happy. Matt sometimes helps with lunchtime rushes, and the cafe becomes popular with some immigrant populations because of him and his languages.
Romeo and Lovino visit the cafe a few times. Lovino sees the humour in Matt's latest tattoo. Romeo doesn't.
Feliciano (Lovino's brother) visits a couple of times on his brother and Nonno's word, with Ludwig (Germany, assistant detective on Allen's case). Allen hides in the kitchen from them.
Matt and Nikolai go to a highschool reunion. Once their old teachers recognise Matt (and realise the pair are gay-married) they get kicked out the party and go on a bender. As you do.
A fluffy stray dog that looks slightly like a small, shaggy bear (2p!Kumajiro) wanders around the streets where the studio and cafe are located. Matt and Allen both keep feeding it. Allen nicknamed it Calico, but Matt keeps forgetting the name and coming out with diminutives like Coco. It became a bit of a meme between the pair.

In the original epilogue, Matt and Allen sent Sarah pictures of Allen's stag do and wedding. She put the pictures back in the envelope, in the back of the scrapbook which she kept under the bed. In case you were interested. I really didn't like that ending.

And that, my darling readers, is the end. I thank you for reading, and for all your lovely reviews.
I own nothing
-Laurel Silver