I've been so dead for years and I'm terribly sorry for not having updated this sooner! Thank you, dear readers. I will try my best to update faster next time ❤

Chapter 2.

Ludwig remained a statue seated on a park bench for a good few minutes. His eyes were downcast, yet they saw not the ground nor the birds eating the bread crumbs there; they saw instead something beyond the present, as his mind repeatedly played his conversation with his brother Gilbert the other day. It made him feel as though his effort to go to Italy had been for nothing, even though something important was most definitely happening where he couldn't see it.

But he wanted to see it; more so, he wanted to be a part of it. He had thought that this trip was finally his break for it, but what happened instead?

"You don't need to worry about anything, Ludi! Consider this trip our vacation!" Gilbert had told him.

The clawing frustration on his head was already unbearable as it was, but recalling the conversation over and over had made it worse. Ludwig sighed. Surrendering to the terrible feeling, he leaned back and rested his head against the bench. He meant to look up at the blinding sky while he was at it, but a shadow loomed over him instead, and there above him was an inverted face of a familiar young man smiling down at him. Their eyes met, and since both were waiting for the other to react, the contact became uncomfortably too long.

Feliciano was the first to move. "You were so distracted that it was fun to watch~" he said as he went around the bench to sit beside the German.

Ludwig's eyes followed his slim form. His mind was lagging with his reaction, and the realization that someone had sneaked up on him and surprised him was sinking in way too slowly. "How long have you been watching? And you were behind me the whole time?"

"Since you stopped moving, and yes, I was right here," Feliciano giggled. "I was planning to surprise you, if only you didn't lean back so soon. By the way, is something wrong?"

There was no way Ludwig would tell Feliciano anything. In fact, there was no way he'd tell anyone anything. In the first place, he had nothing but complaints to say, and he knew that this was how his grandfather ought it to be: he knew nothing, nothing relevant at least. So Ludwig shook his head. "I... might be regretting coming here to Italy."

Bad lie. Bad lie, Ludwig. But the man himself only realized that about his impulsive excuse after the Italian beside him had gasped so deep that his lungs might have turned inside out.

Ludwig flinched, and in panic held out his hands and waved them furiously. "Please don't misunderstand!" he said hastily. "I didn't mean to offend y- Italy's wonderful, it's beautiful, I definitely like it here but..."

"Then what's wrong?"

A frown surfaced on Ludwig's face. With every word spoken, the clawing frustration grew stronger and spread even further all over his body. He shook his head in dismissal.

He shifted his weight a bit forward and planted his left elbow on his left thigh, so that he was slightly slouching while angling his body towards the Italian. "Hey, it's 'Feliciano', right?" he asked.

Feliciano seemed to flinch some at the gesture. "V-Ve..? Well yes..."

Their eyes met once more. This time, their stares seemed to lock onto each other for as long as a few couple of seconds. After a while, Feliciano began to shift his arms, and then his legs, due to the invisible awkwardness brushing against his skin. He shifted his eyes to the birds on the ground.

"I understand if you can't tell me. But… it breaks my heart to hear that there's reason for you to be disappointed while you're here in Italy," he said. And then, he dared to look at Ludwig once more, and to his relief, the ice-blue orbs looking at him were no longer so piercing. The look in them had quickly softened as the muscles on Ludwig's face seemed to relax. "How does this sound?" Feliciano continued, his tone suddenly quite firm, "Let me show you around, just for today. By the time I've taken you to my favorite places, you'll definitely be smiling!"

"Smiling?" Ludwig's face twisted with confusion. Smiling? He only realized by then that he has, indeed, not given much of a smile since he and his brother arrived in the country. But there was no need for it. After all, they were not here for vacation or to relax. But Feliciano didn't know that, of course. And he mustn't.

And, looking at the Italian man at the moment, Ludwig felt—just a little bit—slightly jealous for being incapable of creating a bright and innocent smile just like this one currently addressed to him.

As if his frustration had been blocking his senses and had slid off only then, Ludwig's sight suddenly cleared with a late realization, and only after his irritation faded. Feliciano looked like a pure and precious angel while smiling so genuinely, with his eyes squinted close, his cheeks pink, his thin lips not parted but still stretched so wide, and yet they didn't seem to be painful, contrary to how Ludwig imagined it might feel. Ah, such vulnerable honesty. Ludwig was instantly absorbed.

"Okay," he finally managed to answer after a while. A small cough bubbled up to his throat. He covered his lips with a fist as it escaped, and at the same time finally averted his eyes from Feliciano. His face suddenly felt a tad bit hotter. He had the sudden urge to hide his face but, oh— if only he could. "So how's this going to work exactly..?"

Feliciano jumped up from his seat, a thrilled gasp escaping his lips. Ludwig flinched and even shrank backwards when Feliciano came closer, grabbed his hands, and pulled him up to his feet. It would seem that the Italian has become even more bubbly due to the question.

"Just follow me! We won't be going anywhere far, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you!"

The fact that Feliciano even had to make such a promise was already worth some worrying by Ludwig's standards, but the German decided to shrug it off. In any case, even if they were to end up getting in trouble, he was confident he would be the man standing over any assailant, and Feliciano might even begin to fawn over him if he finds out that—

No. Stop right there, Ludwig. Those are some dangerous thoughts and it's best to steer clear of them.

"...sounds good?"

"Huh?" Ludwig realized that he went into a daze, yet again. He had to stop thinking too much, really. And when he came to, he also realized that Feliciano was still holding his hands, squeezing them softly, rather; while leaning forward slightly and smiling brightly and waiting for his response.

"Yes, no problem."

...

When he absentmindedly said that there was no problem, Ludwig didn't know he'd have to seat inside a car that was speeding upto eighty miles an hour, and at moments, even faster. Feliciano was driving enthusiastically beside him, his steering careless, yet they still somehow managed to overtake all other vehicles on the road safely. Ludwig had never known, until this moment, that it was possible for him to feel completely helpless in a situation.

"...I SAID SLOW DOWN, YOU IDIOT..! SLOW DO-GAAHH! WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?"

Feliciano laughed. "This is normal driving, Ludi," he said as he made a sharp left turn and for a few seconds drove over the pavement instead of the road. "Relax. I told you, I'm pretty good at this."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"But we're not dead~"

"SO YOU'RE NOT STOPPING UNLESS WE DIE?"

"Well, not exactly. We're almost out of here."

Feliciano made a few more turns and sped up through a few straight roads until they were far enough from the town area and reached the outskirts, where not all roads were cemented and the only wheels disrupting dry dirt were theirs. Ludwig panted heavily. His heart was beating so fast and he was sweating hard even though all he did the entire trip was hold on tight and scream and scream.

Thankfully, things finally calmed down as they reached the rural-like area. Comforting silence filled the air, and even Feliciano slowed down his driving to quiet the engine, in order not to ruin the atmosphere.

"Finally..." Ludwig heavily sighed, which earned him another laughter. He finally let go of the handle beside him, only to realize that he had gripped it so tightly that his fist left a mark. He relaxed back into his seat and opened the window. The wind quickly made its way inside the car, blowing coolness against his skin, and delivering the scent of grass and dust and sun and sweet tangy grapes to his nose.

The engine completely went silent. Aside from the sound of car doors opening and closing, nothing but the calm breeze and the whispering of plants reached Ludwig's ears. He began his first steps through the infinite stretch of dirt roads. Where it ended, he didn't know, but as he gazed upon the horizon line it seemed as though the path was actually going to take him up to the clouds in the distance. To their left and right were never ending patches of vines and bushes. Ludwig took a long and deep breath. With the clean air making its way into his system, it felt as though all the negativity that had built up in him these past few days was evaporating out as he exhaled.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Feliciano was the first to break the silence. He had been walking right beside Ludwig, staring at his face as the man reacted to the seemingly new environment. Feliciano smiled in content knowing that he chose the right place for their first destination on this road trip.

Ludwig's head shot left as Feliciano spoke, and for a moment he actually let his guard down and managed to let a small smile form on his lips. "Yes," he nodded before turning back to the view before them. "We also have vineyards in Germany, you know. But as I thought… Italy is really something else."

"This is our land right here, actually." Feliciano stretched his arms open and made a slow 360-degree turn to gesture at everything that surrounded them.

At some point, the wind began to blow the Italian's hair on his face, to which Ludwig chuckled. Feliciano pouted.

"What's so funny?"

"Forgive me, it's not that it's funny," Ludwig brought up a fist to his lips and pretended to cough for a bit, to hide those suddenly burning, slightly pink, cheeks of his. "A-Anyway," he continued as he recovered, "so all of this, they're your family's?"

"Sì!" Feliciano grinned. "My brother and I grew up playing in these fields whenever our grandpa came to check up on the plantations."

"Oh?"

"Yup. How about you, Ludwig? How was it growing up?"

Ludwig quieted for a moment. Before saying anything rash, he was quick to remind himself not to reveal so much. Even though they were alone and it was impossible for anyone else to be listening, Ludwig was still not the type to run his mouth. He had to steer this conversation carefully into a safe zone. "Well, you've met my brother, yes?" Feliciano nodded. "He's a couple of years older so… he's always been there ever since I can remember. We live in the city, so no wide fields. My brother and I… we grew up spending our time inside the house, studying together, playing together, messing up together… though he was the one who caused most of the mess, figuratively speaking. He's quite the clean freak despite that."

"He sounds awesome."

"…You… actually think he's… 'awesome'?"

"Sure, why?"

"He calls himself 'Awesome Me'."

Feliciano laughed quite violently, eventually having to clutch his stomach.

The highlight of their trip to the vineyards was the storehouse in the middle of the fields, which was slightly more elevated than the main road. However, it was empty and Feliciano explained that they only ever use it during harvesting seasons. At the moment, the storehouse was nothing but an empty and quiet wooden shell of cold and silence.

"Quite nice, yes?" Feliciano asked, effectively pulling Ludwig's attention towards him. "Do you want to have a look around?"

Ludwig looked at him in search for some follow-up or explanation, not quite sure what there was to look around for, although there were some gigantic materials and containers that he found quite intriguing.

He was rewarded with a wink. "This place is perfect for messing around, you know. "

Now, Ludwig was no expert, but he could tell when someone had a certain something in mind— especially if that someone happened to be an Italian, known to lack filter and to be very straightforward when it comes to things of beauty and pleasure. He might be mistaken— in fact, he'd love it if he were— but the prejudice has already consumed him, effectively causing him to be a bit too self aware and conscious. His face went pink even before he could realize and try to hide it. "No, it's fine." He looked away and waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "I think we should go back."

His eyes were directed somewhere else, so it was impossible for him to have caught the mischievous grin that flashed across Feliciano's face for a split second. "I insist!" The Italian grabbed that rejecting hand and pulled him inside. As he continued to speak, his words began to echo. "Let me show you around, Ludi! I'm sure you're actually quite interested. Are you not?"

When Ludwig turned to study the Italian's excited smile, he immediately knew he wasn't misunderstanding this. As they went deeper and deeper into the darkness of the empty structure, Feliciano's fingers brushed lighter, yet more confidently, against Ludwig's wrist and forearm, probing bravely skin to skin, before his fingers locked themselves between Ludwig's. Ludwig shivered. It was the cold wind inside the structure, he tried to tell himself, but it was difficult to pretend that he didn't like the sensation of Feliciano's fingertips.

Ah, Italians. Were the stereotypes about them actually true? How can one young man look so pure while acting, ever so slightly, like a predator slowly luring his prey into a trap?

Ludwig could not understand how he came to be wrong in his assumptions about Feliciano; he'd thought he was an absolute angel! Lost in his thoughts, Ludwig failed to realize how and when they've reached a corner, and Feliciano had already pinned him against some cold metallic wall before pulling him down to a kiss, lips crushing against lips.

…

And then Ludwig snapped out. As he did, he quickly gripped both of Feliciano's shoulders and pushed him away. He stared confused, while the other only kept smiling.

"Your lips feel nice, Ludi."

Feliciano's lips felt nice, too. Soft, warm, skilled— no way was Ludwig going to say that. "That was rude," he said instead.

Feliciano's eyebrows wrinkled upwards, seemingly confused himself. "Rude? How so? All I did was kiss you."

"It's not normal to suddenly kiss another man like that. "

"It's not?"

"Why do you sound as if it's news to you?" Were Italians used to kissing whoever they wanted whenever they wanted? Ludwig contemplated, finding no reason to all this. Suddenly, Feliciano grunted and quickly reached for Ludwig's hands on his shoulders in attempt to pull them away. When Ludwig realized, he quickly let him go.

His grip might have been a bit too strong. Feliciano's face was twisted in pain.

"I'm sorry, Ludi… Are you angry?"

"N-No! No, I'm… I'm sorry." Slightly distressed, Ludwig wanted to help ease the pain somehow, but ended up only having his hands hang uncertain in the air, not knowing what to do or where to touch. "That must hurt… How bad is it?"

"I'm fine, but… I'm really sorry, Ludwig. I really am. It was supposed to be a joke…"

…

…

A joke..?

"…A joke?"

Ludwig's arms dropped limp to his sides. Again, he stared, frowning, confused. Those glances a while ago, the caresses, the luring— they didn't feel like a mere joke to him. But he couldn't be sure; he didn't know any other Italian, and he was willing to give Feliciano the benefit of the doubt and take his word for it.

Feliciano was still rubbing the sore areas on his shoulders when he nodded. "You're too…. nervoso, Ludi. Too nervous, tense, too distant! I thought a kiss would loosen you up to be comfortable. It's bad judgment on my part I suppose. Mi dispiace."

"Uh… yes, Germans aren't used to being too familiar with other people, let alone new acquaintances." Ludwig lightly scratched his cheek with a finger. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

Feliciano nodded meekly. "'New acquaintances', you say… I suppose that's true…"

"I think it's best for us to go back now, don't you think?"

"To our next stop, then? But Ludwig, when I said we can mess around in here, I… meant it."

…

The two left the vineyards, and soon enough, Ludwig was yet again experiencing Feliciano's hell-worthy driving. They didn't spend as much time in other places as they did in the vineyard, but Feliciano drove around town and spoke to Ludwig about his minor favorite places as they passed by. They were mostly ordinary places such as the market, a random farm, a road right beside the cliffs, so they didn't need to stay long.

They got back to the heart of town a few minutes before sundown. Feliciano skillfully parked near the plaza entrance, before noticing an unusual cluster of men in a distance.

Ludwig noticed and followed where Feliciano's eyes were directed.

"Are those…? That seems to be my brother. And the patissier from yesterday. And…"

"Antonio Carriedo," Feliciano supplied.

So that man was Antonio. It was Ludwig's first time to see the man, and from their distance there wasn't really much he could distinguish. He had dark brown hair, golden tan skin, and an easy going air around him. Ludwig was yet again reminded that he knew nothing. Gilbert had mentioned that the men Francis and Antonio were close friends from when they were all teenagers, yet Ludwig had never met them. Or maybe he simply couldn't remember?

"The three of them were apparently childhood friends, did you know?" Feliciano's voice snapped him out.

He nodded. "My brother told me. I've never met them in the past, though."

"Then shall we go greet them?"

Not waiting for any response, Feliciano quickly went outside, leaving Ludwig no choice but to follow. As they walked closer and closer, they realized that the three seemed to be engrossed in a really fun and happy conversation. Their laughs were loud and unrestrained— genuine.

"Francis, Antonio!" Feliciano called once they were close enough, while waving an arm over his head. The three, including Gilbert, turned to the Italian's direction simultaneously.

Ludwig might be wrong, but he could swear he saw, for a split second, an evidence of shock and panic crossing the faces of the two other men when Feliciano called to them. He assumed that his mind was only playing tricks on him, probably as an after effect of the kiss earlier that still managed to crush his composure until now. He decided to ignore it.

"Brother," he called to Gilbert less noisily, and only raised a palm for a second before dropping it again.

"Yo, Ludi! I was wondering where you went off to."

"Oh, hi there!"

"HI Ludwig~

Antonio and Francis quickly jumped to the conversation, moving to both sides of Gilbert and hanging an arm each over the older German's shoulders as they waved at Ludwig.

Ludwig tried to smile. He managed to make a small one, one that still felt stiff against his lips. "Feliciano here showed me around," he gestured at the said man. "You've met yesterday, remember?"

Feliciano beamed at Gilbert and offered a handshake, which the latter shook firmly. "Nice to see you again, Gilbert!"

"Nice to see you. Thanks for showing Ludwig around. Was he a handful though? I apologize if he was," Gilbert laughed without restraint, earning a scowl from his little brother.

"Veee~ I learned that Ludwig's quite the shy and dishonest guy, but he was not a handful at all. We had fun!" Two seconds of silence appeared, and Feliciano used that pause to give the two other men a good and hard stare. "How about you three? You seem to be having fun as well!"

"Just reminiscing old times, Feli," Francis answered with an easy, lighthearted shrug. "It's a strange coincidence that we're all together like this again, but we're definitely not going to waste any time to catch up on lost years."

Gilbert was definitely up to something much more than that, Ludwig was certain. While he didn't know what this was about, he knew his brother was, contrary to his external looks and personality, very serious and dedicated when it came to fulfilling his duties. Gilbert wouldn't chat nonsensically with people he hasn't been in contact with for years, not without a more important reason at least.

"This is the first time we've met, sí? Name's Antonio," Antonio spoke up, addressing Ludwig and stretching out his free hand— the one not wrapped around Gilbert's shoulder— for a shake.

Snapping out and coming back to the present, Ludwig took it firmly. "Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you." He noted of how bright and welcoming Antonio's grin seemed, and their handshake and eye contact remained locked for a couple of seconds more, with Ludwig ending up quite mesmerized by him.

And then Feliciano cleared his throat with exaggerated loudness. Antonio flinched away.

When Ludwig turned to the Italian, and saw nothing but Feliciano's pure and gentle smile, the larger man can't help but feel something churn inside his gut. Something was happening underneath all this, and it wasn't just on his brother's side. There was definitely something else. Speaking of which, Ludwig then turned to Gilbert, only to find the man void of his usual idiotic grin, and the baker beside him, though smiling, seemed the slightest bit more tense around the shoulders than before.

The air surrounding the five of them was heavy.

To be continued…