Hello to everyone who is still reading/following this story, time for a quick chat. I'm surprised every time I get a new email telling me somebody added this to their favourites and I think 'wow, I haven't even updated in over a year!'. Well, whoever is out there reading this, I have to tell you that I will be re-writing this story from scratch because I really feel as though it could be written so much better than it has been. I don't know how long it will be before I can properly write this story again now that I'm back at uni, but I'll only write in my spare time and I'll spend longer on it so that it's better, rather than rushing it out to make people happy, plus I'm not in a very PruIta mood lately so that might make it take longer... buuuut it will happen again :D
One last thing, as an apology for not updating this story in so long, here is the first chapter completely changed and re-written, enjoy (again).
It was a crisp, cold winter afternoon and Feliciano was treading carefully along the icy pavement, frightened of slipping and not realising that his tiny cautious steps put him at even more risk of doing just what he feared. It had been a long and boring weekend, and he was glad that he had five more days back at school with his friends. He was never allowed to see them at weekends unless he went out, and even then it had to be prearranged at least a week before.
He dug his already gloved hands in to the pockets of his jacket for even more warmth as he remembered clearly how his brother, backed up by their grandfather, would refuse to let the two German boys, his two only friends, into their home, no matter how much Feliciano pleaded his case. 'The war happened twenty years ago' he would always say to Lovino, none of them were even born then. He could understand the reason for his grandfather's hostility towards Ludwig and Gilbert, but Lovino had no excuse. His mum let them do all the talking in that situation so it was no use asking her, even though he knew she was on his side.
Sighing, Feliciano became absorbed in his thoughts so much that he failed to notice someone quickly catching up to him. That was, until the over confident boy took a wrong step and his foot slipped out from under him, causing him to fall backwards. "Owwww, shiiiit..." he groaned as he lifted himself up. Feliciano turned around as quickly as the ice allowed and smiled as he instantly recognised who it was.
"Gilbeeeerrt!" Felciano grinned, the other boy always knew how to make Feliciano's good days even better. Once Gilbert got himself steady again, he suddenly found his feet were once again off the ground, although this time it was because he had been physically lifted by a hug.
"Ach, Feli..." he tapped Feliciano's left shoulder three times, a warning sign that they had arranged only a week after knowing each other. Feliciano was very affectionate, sometimes a little too much, and therefore a warning signal between them had to be arranged. "Can't breath, crushing me" he breathed out, but Feliciano was already lowering him back to the ground.
Gilbert chuckled quietly, their greetings almost always happened this way, and he couldn't say he didn't enjoy the warm feeling that spread through his chest at the close physical contact, especially not when it was winter, and he accepted the feeling with open arms, quite literally. On the other hand, though, this warm sensation scared him so much but he had absolutely no idea why.
"I'm sorry Gilbert" he said, but the grin was still there, and there was no trace of an apology to be found on his face. "I thought you were being kept behind again?" he tilted his head in confusion, he rarely walked home with Gilbert because the other boy was never around to do that. Gilbert just laughed.
"Oh, I was" he smirked "I was in there for 30 whole minutes! You just walk slow" he hit Feliciano's shoulder playfully and started to walk again, this time a little slower and a bit more carefuly. "Got off lucky this time though" he changed the subject, still smiling. "No cane this time!" he laughed, his own strange and slightly croaky laugh which Feliciano loved.
"But Gilbert... Our school doesn't-"
"Ahaha so how was your day?!" Gilbert cut him off quickly, not wanting to own up to the fact that he was lying about the punishments he gets, or rather the ones he doesn't get, at school. It was something that made him feel important, like he was that much of a bad student that they needed to bring back the cane just for him. He wasn't good at much, but he liked to think he was at least good at being bad.
"Oh, quite good..." Feliciano began, trying to remember what he had done only a few short hours ago "in history we had to hand in our essays about the recent wars" he smiled, but there was a small flicker of sadness there "I think I might get a good mark for it". He was almost certain he would, the essay was about the reality of the world wars, how they affected real peoples lives, and they were given a list of people who had survived both of them that they could talk to for research. He had thrown that list away as soon as he got home and walked straight to his grandfather's downstairs bedroom, his storys were the only ones he wanted to hear or write about.
Gilbert fidgeted awkwardly as they walked, he knew what Feliciano wrote about and who he spoke to. He would recall the stories to Gilbert the next day and all Gilbert could do was listen, listen and feel sad. And he would hope, hope that something like that would never happen to his happy little friend. "That's great" he slowed a little to match Feliciano's pace.
"Yeah... It's sad though..." Feliciano stopped and turned to face Gilbert properly. He knew that Gilbert knew who he was talking about "that you can't meet him and get to know him properly..." he trailed off, looking like he was about to cry. Gilbert never wanted to see that look on his face, ever.
"No, Feli, don't get sad" he hugged him gently "don't get sad, I know his situation, I understand his illness, I know why he can't meet me, or Ludwig" he made a soft, comforting sound. "Don't start this again, little guy" he pulled back and smiled "you know I can't stand it when you're being so silly!"
Feliciano smiled back at him "no, sorry, I'll not be silly anymore" he was silent for a moment, wondering (as he often did) why Gilbert would treat him this way, Ludwig never did, all the other guys he saw never acted that way with each other, it just wasn't the way boys treated each other... Unless they all did in secret, when they didn't have to hide behind their masculinity. Felciano would probably never know, he only had his two best friends and he wouldn't have any more. He didn't really want any more, content with what he already had. "The Beatles" the words burst from his lips quickly, wanting to change the subject.
"... What?"
"Let's go to Liverpool. Let's go to Liverpool and watch them perform"
"Right now?" Gilbert looked confused, the conversation had changed so suddenly that he wasn't really following it.
"Noooo, now who's the silly one?" he smiled "I just heard that they will be playing next weekend, I forgot to mention it but I think us three should go" he paused again before he stepped back with a grin and began to sing. "Hey Jude! Don't make it baaad, take a sad song, and make it betterererrrr" he took hold of Gilbert's hand and swung it back and forth "remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better" he spun around and smiled wider as Gilbert joined in.
"Hey Jude, don't be afraid, you were made to go out and get her."
"The minute you let her under your skin then you begin to make it better."
Then they both sang together, skipping to their favourite part of the song: "Na na na nanana naaa! Na na na naaaa! Hey Juuuuude!" they sang loudly, dancing and swaying together in the street, giggling as a woman living nearby shouted out her window for them to shut up. They went on like that for a little while longer before the same woman threatened to call the police and they just ran away, still giggling and forgetting all about the ice until they felt it underneath their backs.
"Oof!" they both looked momentarily stunned, lying there on the pavement on their backs side by side. They turned simultaniously to look at each other and, after a moment of silence, burst out laughing, continuing to do so as they stood up. Feliciano put a hand on Gilbert's shoulder as he attempted to calm himself down and stop laughing. "Hehe... Mmm... So..." he looked up at Gilbert's face and his smile instantly disappeared, his mouth hanging open slightly. Gilbert's face was so close.
Gilbert looked left, and then right, and then back at Feliciano. That scary warmth was back in his chest, and after a moment he jerked away from him as though he had been burnt. "Hahahahahahaha yeah! Let's go and see them, yeah" he laughed, pretending nothing had ever happened. Thankfully, Feliciano joined in too.
"Yay!" he grinned "I'll just have to let mum and grandpa know, but I know they won't say no this time" his grin shrunk to a smile, remembering that most things he did with his friends had to be pre-approved by his family.
"Great... No need to cross our fingers then..." he shifted from one foot to the other, noticing that they were at the street where they had to split off to get to their houses. Parting was always awkward for him, and what had just happened made it a little more so. "Well, see ya tomorrow then little guy" he patted him on the head, not knowing what else to do.
"Yeah, tomorrow" Feliciano grinned and gave Gilbert a quick hug before turning around and slowly making his way back home, walking slowly and carefuly as he had done before. Gilbert didn't move for a moment and watched him, amused, before chuckling and turning away to make his own way home, gently resting his hand over his warm chest and smiling.
Gilbert is quite out of character here, but I've never been good at writing him so this is the best you can expect from me... I'll try harder to not make him act completely different but I apologise if I do. Well, as you can see, this story has changed quite a lot. A lot more than I had expected when I started to re-write, but it just happened that way. It is now set in the swinging sixties, in England, which is completely different to the modern european generic school setting this story originally had, but the plot is going to pretty much be the same (only a little different and a lot better). Let me know what you guys think and sorry for this sudden change, forgive me!