Title: Hide and Seek

Character(s): Italy + Germany

Summary: Feliciano Vargas never wanted to have to live his life undetected, running from the law. Ludwig Beilschmidt never wanted to have to find the Italian and take him to the authorities. However fate works in difficult ways, and the two men don't really have a choice.

Main Pairing: GerIta

Chapter One

Feliciano Vargas let out a ragged breath. Beneath him, wet grass tickled at his feet, causing an itch to appear between his toes. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his posture despite the dull ache of his legs. It had been so long, Feliciano realised, since he had relaxed and taken a break. However, the Italian knew that it would be a long time before he could even contemplate the idea.

He looked down to the bottom of the hill, wondering whether he'd lost sight of the terrifying farmer who's land he'd crossed earlier. So far there wasn't a sight of the man, and there wasn't a sign of the other man either – the one who'd been chasing him through Europe for the last five months.

Feliciano didn't know much about the man who was trying to find him – only that the man himself was very tall, blonde and German. Due to these facts, the young Italian stayed away from all people, trying to keep to the countryside as much as he could. The only downside to the country side though, was the farmers. They would leave their homes in a blunder of emotions, with their shot gun at hand, not even hesitating to shoot.

The brunette took his time to muse on how lucky he was to have not been caught by any of the bullets yet. He was quite glad that he was lucky in at least one way.

It wasn't long before Feliciano realised that he had to keep going. The sun was about to set, and he could only keep going properly for an hour or two before he was completely exhausted. He had to find somewhere he could stay for the night without putting himself in danger.

Gathering another breath, Feliciano didn't waste any more time, instead jumping slightly on his feet to wake his muscles up. He broke off into a sudden sprint – there was a forest nearby, if he could get there, he could at least have some shelter for the night. It was never safe to go to sleep in the forest, but it was safer than staying out in the open.

After all, Feliciano never really knew when the German would show up, hot on his tail again. His feet padded against the grass, his heart pounded against his chest. Already, Feliciano was breathing heavily, telling himself that he needed more stamina if he was ever going to get away.

He let out a small yelp. His foot had caught on a stone, again, and he could feel a bruise forming already. He cursed in his head – words that he'd heard his older brother yell at him over the years. It was surprising just how many different languages his brother, Lovino, had learnt to cuss in.

Feliciano's eye sight blurred slightly, tears forming in his eyes partly because of the pain in his foot and also because he missed his big brother so much. Letting out a sad sigh, Feliciano tried to brush his tears away before they could even start. Lovino would have called him a wimp already if he was there, but Feliciano was just so scared.

The woods were nearer now. Trees littered the ground in the countryside like rubbish did in the cities. Leaves seemed to cover the forest like a roof, and it was so beautiful that had Feliciano been in a different situation, he would have spent his time painting the scene in front of him, with flicks and flourishes.

It wasn't so far now, the brunette told himself, sprinting even further despite the ache in his stomach telling him he needed rest. His legs screamed out in agony, telling him to stop, but Feliciano knew that he couldn't. Not yet.

The forest didn't seem too big, but it wasn't that small either. Feliciano had been in far bigger forests before – though he'd been terrified and wanted to get out of them as soon as possible. Upon reaching the forest, Feliciano finally accepted that he couldn't run anymore. Steadying himself to a walk, he blinked away sleep quickly.

There didn't seem to be any animal tracks that belonged to dangerous animals, but still, Feliciano kept alert as he looked around for some sort of shelter to sleep in. He knew that there wouldn't be a cottage to stay in, or anything comfortable to sleep on.

It took a while, but eventually Feliciano found a tree that was surrounded in bushes. There was a small patch around the side of it that was just grass, and slowly, Feliciano lowered himself down onto it. He had about as much space as a single mattress would offer him, and he smiled softly at the amount of room he had – he hadn't had this much room to sleep in for a few weeks.

Closing his eyes, Feliciano wished desperately that he wouldn't get caught during the night.

"So where are you now west?"

The car engine hummed quietly, a background noise that was easily ignored. The voice was distorted, crackly – the phone that was built into the car system wasn't good it seemed. Ludwig Beilschmidt let out a sigh,

"Austria," he replied, taking a turn on the road. "After I cut him off in Paris, he fled to the Swiss border. Last week he crossed through to here."

On the other side of the phone, Ludwig could here Gilbert 'hmm' as he thought of a response. Ludwig blinked, waiting for his brother to come up with something that would help him on the case. It was something that the brother's had been doing for a while – they would try to make the other think of every possibility.

"Last week?" Gilbert finally asked. "How do you know?"

Ludwig replied, "Camera's on the border."

The German could hear the faint crackles through the phone that was Gilbert nodding. He took one of his hands off of the steering wheel to change the gear of the car. He sped up slightly.

"Is there any chance that he's going to cross the border back into Italy?"

Ludwig stopped for a moment to think that idea over. He hadn't thought that the Italian would try and go back to his home country – he mused over everything he knew about Feliciano Vargas, before shaking his head.

"Nein. He can't get back into Italy without me knowing. He's not in Germany either. All evidence points to him being here in Austria. I don't think he's stupid enough to head into Innsbruck, but he seems to be heading in that direction."

"Any contacts in Austria?" Gilbert asked. Ludwig knew that by now his brother had started pacing, trying to put all of the information together – in fact, Ludwig could imagine Gilbert starting to write all of the information up on the whiteboards in the office he barely ever left.

"None – an acquaintance of his called Roderich is Austrian, but lives in Hungary. He doesn't seem to want anything to do with Vargas anyway, so chances of the Italian going to him for help are low."

Gilbert seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and through the phone, Ludwig could hear the squeak of a board pen – his brother must really want to get Ludwig's case done and dusted.

"So he's headed in the direction of Innsbruck..." Ludwig heard his brother mutter. The blonde knew not to speak while Gilbert tossed the facts around. "...Perhaps then he'll double back and head in Liechtenstein after getting some supplies? Or possibly he's heading to Hungary on the odd chance that he might be able to seek refuge with the Austrian if only for a few days... Where are you now?"

Ludwig took a moment to think over what his brother had said, before remembering that he'd been asked a question. He looked up at a sign on the road.

"Twenty miles away from Landeck – I'm going to find a hotel and turn in there for the night. I doubt that Vargas is past the city yet anyway."

Ludwig changed the gear on the car again, before using his hand to stifle a yawn. His brother seemed to sense that he was tired but he didn't act on it.

"Any possible leads?" He asked, and Ludwig could imagine his brother sat back in his office chair, with his feet up on his desk and his pet bird on his shoulder.

"Nein," Ludwig replied quietly, "can you try and turn some up for me?"

Gilbert seemed to laugh through the phone, though it came out more like a crackly cackle through the phone. Tomorrow, Ludwig decided that he'd keep his Bluetooth out – he couldn't deal with the annoying car's phone again.

"I'm sure the awesome me can do that." Gilbert laughed down the phone, "I'm not in this office just to lounge around. I might not get a whole lot done tonight though – boss wants me to attend a late meeting tonight – some American agents are flying in."

Ludwig nodded, though he knew that his brother had no way of hearing him. He cursed himself for his own stupidity.

"Ja, I understand. Thanks Gilbert. I'll talk to you soon – Try and get some sleep for once."

Even over the phone Ludwig knew his brother was smirking as he said goodbye and hung up the phone. Turning the car into the road that lead into Landeck, he sped up slightly, looking out for a hotel to stay in for the night.

Author's Notes:

Hi guys. This will be the only Author's note on this story I'm thinking, so don't worry, I'm not going to lengthen my story by considerable amounts by telling you guys tonnes of unneccesary things. I loved this idea, and have decided to do it. If you like this then leave a review telling me that you do. If you want to read more of this then follow the story - and if you love this so far, then favourite it.

Not alot more I can say really... oh... I might write Gilbert's side of this story as well, if you guys want me too, but it's all up to you really. Until the next chapter, ciao! Mint~