"Feliziano..." Lovino said sympathetically to his brother.
"Leave me alone," the younger silently replied, burying his face in the pillow.
"It's been three months... Etto... I mean, didn't you see it coming?"
"Leave, Lovino, please," Feliziano replied pleadingly.
Lovino sighed and, with one last glance at his brother, and the week-old letter on the bedside table, he exit the room. Outside, he saw Feliziano's good friend, Honda Kiku, waiting patiently beside the doorway. Apparently, he had returned from the war as soon as he received his own letter in order to comfort Feliziano.
As Lovino walked past him, he tapped his shoulder and murmured, "Your turn." Then he left.
Kiku silently entered the room to find Feliziano lying face down in his bed. Instead of saying anything, he sat on the floor beside the bed, grabbed the letter on the table, and read it for the umpteenth time:
Dear FELIZIANO VARGAS ,
We are truly sorry to inform you that LUDWIG BEILSCHMIDT has been declared KILLED IN COMBAT .
You have our sincerest condolences.
Always at your service,
Recruits Office.
Three months before this letter, an identical one had been sent saying that Ludwig had gone missing in combat. The bluntness and false sympathy were despicable.
Of all the people that received the letter, Feliziano was by far the one who took it worst. Even Kiku himself, who was also a close friend of Ludwig, couldn't compare his grief to the Italian's. He had practically refused to do what Ludwig would've wanted him to and move on. He had just curled up in his bed during the past week. A couple days ago, Kiku even thought he saw cuts on his arms. But he managed to join the dots - there really was no other explanation, but the Japanese was the only one who saw it clearly.
Sighing, he looked up at the young man. "You..." he started softly. "You loved him, didn't you?"
Feliziano's grip on the pillow visibly tightened. He mumbled something inaudible. "Pardon me?" Kiku asked.
Feliziano slowly shifted in his bed, much to Kiku's surprise, and turned to lie on his back. He couldn't help but gasp upon seeing his friend's appearance.
His eyes, even though they were normally closed, were usually a lively ocher, and filled with joy, naivety, and optimism. His hair was usually clean and with natural luster. His thin lips were usually curved into a cheery smile.
Usually.
Now, his eyes were bloodshot and opaque, his cheeks were puffy and wet from countless tears, his hair greasy and matted, and he bit his lip to avoid crying more.
"I still do," he whispered.
Kiku gaped at him. Even after death, Feliziano was willing to devote himself to Ludwig... He couldn't help but give him a compassive hug.
Feliziano started sobbing loudly. "I-I still love him, Kiku!" he said between gasps and tears. "And I di-didn't get the chance to t-tell him!"
Kiku couldn't feel more sorry for the man.