Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 128~!

"Gil..." I said, trailing off indecisively. How was I going to phrase this? Ugh, this was so hard...

"Yeah?" my albino fiance asked while looking up at me. "What is it, Carly?"

"I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or anything, but a wedding seems... odd," I started to say.

To my surprise, he took one of my hands in one of his and looked me seriously in the eyes. "Are you sure you're not just getting pre-wedding jitters?"

I sighed. "No, I'm not sure. And with all these preparations, I just-- it's-- Gah, I don't even know what to say to all this that's happening."

"I understand if you're nervous, liebe," Gilbert said to me. "I am, too. Still, we don't need to be very nervous because this is right. Isn't it?"

I managed a smile. "Yeah, it is. Thanks, Gil."

"Any time," he promised, and I pecked his lips.

~

"Hello? Ready to go?" Gil called happily as he strode into the cafe just after closing time the next day. Francis was at the counter, and I sat in one of the bar stools next to Sera, who was not quite as lucid as I'd last seen her.

"Marbles in the dark... Marbles in the dark..." she kept muttering over and over, shooting me furtive glances every so often as if to make sure I was still there.

My hand was holding hers firmly, making sure she knew I was there. "It's okay, Sera. It's okay."

"What's going on?" Gilbert asked, going from happy to guarded and concerned in an instant. "Is everything alright?"

"Allistor's on his way," Francis reported tiredly. "Sera seemed alright, but she must not have gotten enough medication or something this time. I don't really know."

"Marbles in the dark...!"

"Shh, it's alright, Sera," I assured her, keeping my other hand on her back and rubbing slow circles in hopes to loosen her super tense muscles. She barely responded or ceased her fervent murmuring.

"How far away is Allistor?" Gilbert asked.

"He'll be here in about ten minutes," Francis answered. "You might as well have a seat, Gil. She'll be like this until he comes to take her home."

My fiance didn't look too happy about it, but he sat on my other side and asked if he could have something to drink. Francis looked grateful for the distraction and started to fix him a cup of coffee.

"Marbles in the dark... Marbles in the dark... No, no... Alice, Matthew... Marbles in the dark..."

"Did she just say 'Alice'?" I asked Francis with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, she says that sometimes. I can only assume she means my Alice." Francis put Gilbert's coffee down on the bar surface in front of him and resumed his spot in front of his younger sister. "Sera. It's alright. Take a deep breath," he advised.

Her breathing remained as ragged and uneven as it had been five minutes ago.

"There's just no getting through to her when she's like this," Francis sighed tiredly. Yes, he was very tired at this point in the day.

Gil leaned on me a bit and sipped his drink. When Sera's eyes darted over to look at me again, she made a strangled sound and shook her head rapidly. "Wrong, wrong, V, wrong!"

"Hey, hey," I said to her in a gentle voice, and Gilbert sat up straighter. Apparently this was enough to make Sera calm down, because she looked away and went back to muttering "Marbles in the dark" once more.