"Ve, ve, Ludwig! Let's climb this one!" The Italian chirped happily as he waved the German over to the wall he had picked.

Ludwig looked up at the wall. For most of the wall, it went straight up but the last few feet tilted outward to form a sort of outcropping in the fake rock. "Are you sure? This one is tougher than the other ones you've climbed so far."

"It'll be fun!" Feliciano said. His confidence on completing the wall was practically infectious. He grabbed both ends of the rope hanging from the top and handed one end to Ludwig.

Ludwig, not able to argue with the Italian, took it and started winding the rope around his harness and the ATC to belay Feliciano up the wall.

Feliciano frowned at the end of the rope he was tying his harness onto for a few moments before smiling.

"Ready, Ludwig?" he asked.

"Ja," the German answered, gripping the rope tightly as he made sure there wasn't any loose rope that could harm the Italian later.

Silently, their third teammate, Kiku, walked over and took the end of Ludwig's rope, ready to help if something went wrong.

After a few moments, Feliciano started climbing the wall. He grinned as he made each movement, climbing up the wall. It may not have been drawing or painting, but it was a different type of art; one he could appreciate to its fullest extent.

He paused as he gripped the first hold attached to the overhang.

"Be careful!" Ludwig shouted up to him. The German male's voice was faint, but Feliciano was still able to make out what he said.

"Si!" Feliciano called back. Slowly, he started making his way up the overhang, measuring each movement carefully. It really was art…

"So far, so good," he whispered.

Smiling, he reached out to take a different rock. He was almost at the top!

Then he felt his foot slip from the one he had rested it on.

"Feliciano!"

Ludwig's cry told him something had happened. Something worse than his slip.

Once he saw the rope unwind itself from the harness around his waist, Feliciano knew exactly what was happening.

The rope hadn't been tied properly and had come undone.

He was falling...

I… I'm going to die…

The thought came to his mind unbidden, but it didn't stop him from letting out the loudest scream he could.

The air was rushing past him. He could feel it.

Feliciano already knew he didn't want to look at the floor that would become him killer. His hazel eyes slid closed.

Almost immediately, the Italian lost the sense of how far he had fallen. He just wanted for it to end.

Then he felt himself stop. Trembling, he wondered if this is what it felt like to die.

It hadn't even hurt.

"Feliciano! Feliciano! Come on, you're still alive!"

Hesitantly, the Italian opened his eyes and found that he had fallen into the grip of one of his other classmates.

Alfred… Alfred F. Jones. The self-proclaimed hero who couldn't keep his grades up for anything. There was a reason he had gotten kicked off the American Football team.

"A-Alfred…" Feliciano muttered. He didn't realize it, but his whole body had started trembling.

The whole world disappeared around him as he looked into the American's blue eyes.

Blushing, Feliciano quickly pushed Alfred away and fell to the ground. He tried standing up, but his body had started to shake so badly he couldn't even manage it, let alone getting onto his hands and feet.

"Ludwig!" the gym teacher, Legolas, shouted, scowling. "I want you in my office right now to explain what happened! Alfred, you'd better take Feliciano to see the nurse."

Feliciano's hazel eyes finally found their way back to the German who had to belay him. Ludwig was staring at the spot on the wall the rope had been hanging, his eyes wide as he stared at the spot.

Kiku looked at Feliciano and nodded slightly. "Go on," he whispered.

Feliciano nodded back, trying to stand up again.

Once he collapsed onto the ground after another pointless attempt, Alfred bent over and picked him up. "I don't want to hear you protesting," he said as Feliciano started struggling. "You can't stand, let alone walk by yourself."

"Alfred." Legolas approached them, sighing. "On your way back, could you go see the principal and tell him what happened?"

"Yea," Alfred replied. He turned and left the gym as the teacher started shouting orders to everyone else. Something about no one going on the wall and that one of the other teachers would be there to watch them momentarily.

Feliciano had given up struggling, and he was just working on trying to hide his blush. He would never admit it to anyone, but he secretly had a crush on the American carrying him at that exact moment. Ever since their first day of school, actually.

The Italian would never forget it. They had all arrived at school and Alfred started attracting attention immediately. It wasn't for good grades, though. It was for his skills in American Football.

Feliciano had been fascinated. The way Alfred moved was art in itself. An art he never would have been able to manage. An art the Italian couldn't even begin to imagine achieving.

After that, Feliciano went to every game and every practice he could to watch Alfred. His original fascination with Alfred's movement soon bloomed into something more, though. Feliciano found himself trying to see the American at every chance he could, although he was far to shy to actually start talking with the American.

Alfred wouldn't admit his feelings for the Italian, either.

His story was slightly different, though. Alfred had gotten taken to an art exhibition for new artists with Francis and Matthew and saw him there. The American saw the art piece that was there and he started watching Feliciano in turn.

Except it was far more than that. Alfred had tried to confront the young Italian before so he could confess, but Feliciano had already seemed so happy...

That's all Alfred wanted. For the little Italian he had fallen for to be happy. That was the only reason he took rock climbing; so he could see the Italian be happy and having fun. Maybe even get the guts to talk to him at some point...

The American only wished that, when he finally did get the chance to hold Feliciano Vargas like this, it was with Feliciano grinning and his hazel eyes glittering with happiness. Something that didn't seem like it would happen now or any time soon, if at all.

Feliciano was trembling badly, and his hazel eyes were too wide. Tears were barely visible in the corners of his orbs. The fall had really scared him.

For a moment, Alfred was worried he'd never get to Feliciano's bright smile again.

The thought scared him. He didn't want to see the Italian as a broken husk. He wanted to see the Italian as the happy-go-lucky artist he was. If Feliciano wasn't happy...

He quickly shook the thought away. No. Feliciano would get better!

As they walked into the Nurse's office, Alfred frowned softly. He was just glad the Italian was alive. The moment he heard Ludwig cry out he had been so scared…

"Oh, hello," the nurse, Hellas, said as she walked into the room from her office. The moment her eyes landed on the Italian, though, she gasped and ran over. "What happened? It's been such a long time since I've seen anyone shaking this terribly!"

"He fell off the climbing wall," Alfred said, unconsciously hugging Feliciano closer to him.

Hellas nodded and stated, "Set him down on the bed. Then you can go back to class."

Alfred did just that, pausing for a moment so he could relish the Italian's surprisingly light weight in his arms. Something he may never get to feel again.

Feliciano reached out and grabbed the back of Alfred's shirt.

"Please… please stay with me…" he whispered at the American. His hazel eyes were wide and desperate.

Alfred turned, looking shocked. He felt a burst of happiness in his chest, as he nodded and sat down next to Feliciano.

He blushed when Feliciano rested his head in the American's lap.

The Italian sighed softly, curling up as he felt his crush's strong and reassuring presence next to him.

Feliciano only regretted he'd never get to feel this again.

"Here we are," Hellas said, walking back over to them. She handed something to Alfred and said, "Make sure he takes it. He's going to be shaken up for a while. When you get back to class, tell Legolas I don't want this boy climbing anymore walls. At least not until I say so."

"Yes ma'am," Alfred answered, taking whatever he had been handed. He looked at the Italian and smiled softly, patting the top of his head.

Hellas smiled and, without another word, turned and left.

After a few moments, Feliciano shifted and looked up at Alfred, smiling weakly. "Grazie…"

"Hm?" the American looked at his classmate in confusion.

"Thank you," the Italian whispered. "You saved my life…" He started trembling again as he thought about it. "I- I thought I was going to die."

Alfred blushed and leaned over, close enough so their noses were practically touching. "I'll always be there to catch you, Feliciano Vargas," he claimed. "No matter how far you fall, I will never let you die."

"Y-You know my name," Feliciano gasped, blushing.

"Of course I do," Alfred told him. "You're going to be the next greatest artist, next to Leonardo Da Vinci and all of them. You're Feliciano Vargas." Blushing, he added, "And you've been my crush for such a long time." Pushing some hair away from the Italian's face, he whispered, "I love you, Feli."

The Italian's eyes widened again. This time, though, he wasn't scared. It was from something different…

Leaning over, Alfred gently kissed the Italian. "I love you," he mumbled against his classmate's lips.

Feliciano closed his eyes and kissed back happily.

When they finally pulled away, Feliciano's blush had only increased and he was looking at the American with that same look in his eyes.

Leaning upward, Feliciano pecked the American's lips sweetly. "Ti amo, Alfred," Feliciano answered.

Alfred wrapped his arms around Feliciano and kissed him again. "When we get back to class, I'm going to be the one belaying you from now on. I promise I'll never let you fall."

"I know you won't," Feliciano replied, smiling as he relaxed in the American's arms. "I would love for you to be the one belaying me..."

In the other room, Hellas smiled. She didn't mind the crushed peppermints she had told Alfred to give Feliciano had been forgotten about. They weren't supposed to do anything to help him.

No, it was Alfred's claim about his affection, his love, for Feliciano that would help him.

She smiled, asking, "What? You think I'm allowed to give medications to the children?"

/AN

And here's another oneshot finished. I loved this one so much.

Some rock-climbing terms:

Harness: A climbing device that goes around one's waist. The rope gets tied into the front so, in case of a fall, they don't fall off the wall.

Belay: Using one end of the rope to help the climber go up the wall in case he falls. There are many different ways to use the rope to belay, but people prefer different ways of belaying.

ATC: A belay device used to stop the climber from falling in case of a slip.

If I forgot something, just tell me and I'll add it in. (And for those of you who do take rock climbing, don't yell at me because I forgot this that or the other. I tried making it simple to understand for people who don't.)

Hellas is supposed to be Mama Greece and Legolas is Germania.

R&R Please!

AN/