Signed Yours Truly

Chapter 1

Remembering the Past

There was never much change within the small neighborhood where Ludwig grew up in. It was a small, friendly place, with a few kids his age to play with, and a wide area to even just sit and rest under a large oak tree on a hill. There were various families living around, most having been there before the little blond boy had even been born. There were maybe two more recent moves from last year, but that was about it.

So, when he suddenly saw moving vans pull into the driveway of the home next to his own, with a small van following soon after, he couldn't help but be curious. His older brother poked his own head out a bit soon after, seeming just as curious as he was. He waved Ludwig over, a smile coming to his face. Confused, the younger ran over.

"Do you know who's moving in, Gilbert?" he asked his guardian curiously, getting a small, amused chuckle in response. The albino shook his head, before reaching down to ruffle his hair a bit.

"Not personally, nein. But I heard the person moving in has a couple of kids around your age. You may see them in a minute," Gilbert answers, nodding towards the house. The blond looks to see that he was right. Out stepped, first, a much older man with brown hair and a peculiar curl. He had a large stature, one that could be found to be rather intimidating, yet his posture showed a kind of friendly, welcoming aura. The man stepped around and opened up the door on the side, stepping aside to let out whoever it was. First to appear was a boy in a green t-shirt and blue jean shorts. He had hair that was just a bit lighter than the elder one, with a similar curl. He had his arms crossed now, giving off a kind of 'Don't bother me.' attitude. Next to appear was someone who caught Ludwig off guard and brought a small blush to his cheeks. He saw a pretty young girl in a mint green dress, a hat on her head. She had hair that was even lighter than her grandfather's, more of a copper brown color. And she had the most beautiful smile he's ever seen.

From where the blond boy stood, it appeared that the girl seemed much more eager and enthusiastic about being here than her brother, who looked to may be the older one. He suddenly felt a gentle hand on his back nudge him a bit, causing him to look up and see his own older brother smiling down at him.

"Why don't you go introduce yourself?" Gil suggests, causing Ludwig to get a bit nervous, looking from him to the little family just moving in, and back again.

"A-Are you sure that's a good idea...?" he asks, blue eyes showing just how anxious he was about it. He wasn't the best when it came to talking to others first. He was honestly really shy... He liked making friends, but he wasn't always very good at it. That earned himself a laugh from the elder, and another nudge of encouragement.

"Come on! They look nice, and I bet you the two kids will be allowed to play while things get settled into their house. Can't hurt to say 'Hallo' at least. Go for it!" the suggestions went on, and finally the younger took a small breath, giving a nod.

"A-Alright, I will!" Ludwig then agrees, puffing out his chest a bit in a way to try and make himself look a little bigger. But they both knew that when push comes to shove, that never really lasted more than a few minutes.

After taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, the German boy slowly made his way next door, though he was very cautious about not getting into anyone's way. It appeared that the movers had a walk path in mind that they took each time, which helped a lot. The older man could be more clearly heard now, as he pats both of the children on the head, kneeling beside them.

"Alright, nipoti~. Nonno is going to help the nice movers get everything inside, ok? I don't want you two to get hurt, so why don't you stay out here, but be careful not to accidentally cross into their paths, ok?" he was telling them, getting a small nod from each child.

"Ok~!" the young girl replied, making Ludwig's heart jump a bit when he heard her voice for the first time. It was a gentle, sweet kind of sound, like that of a small bell. Seeing her up close, he could also see that her eyes were bright, warm, carefree, and the color of amber. Her very look just radiated beauty... He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard another child's voice.

"We'll be fine, Nonno, I'll look after Feli," the older sibling assured the guardian figure, glancing towards his sister, who the blond boy figured was 'Feli'. A laugh came from the adult, as he first gave them each a tight hug and kiss on the cheek, before he stood up once more.

"That's my Lovi~! Always looking out for little Feli~. Grazie, just stay where I can see you both," he went on, before he went off to help move things inside. Afterwards, the blue-eyed boy swallowed hard a moment, clenching his hands tightly, before finally working his courage back up to walk over to the two children. One step... Two steps... Three...

That was when the younger girl's eyes met his own. She blinked a bit, before sending that smile towards him, the smile that shone with the warmth of the sun. Ludwig felt his cheeks begin to burn again, amazed that she would grace him with such a smile already, when they hadn't even spoken a word to each other.

"Ciao~! Do you live around here too?" she asked him, moving a bit closer to stand directly in front of him. She had a very interesting accent, one that matched the older man's, he noted. He thought that made sense, but he couldn't really place where she and her family was from yet... They were about the same height, Ludwig being just a bit taller. He gives a small, quick nod, while her brother, 'Lovi' as he heard their parenting figure call him, look over at him. He took a bit of a protective step forward, as if to show that the blond had best be careful with how he spoke to her. He wouldn't dream of wanting to ever upset her... Her smile was too precious to risk losing it.

"A-Ah, Ja! I mean, yes, I do. H-Hallo, I'm Ludwig, I live next door to you, actually," he explains quickly, also translating a bit of German for her, since he didn't expect her to know the language. He figured that, hopefully, the greeting was a little self-explanatory. It didn't sound too much different from an English 'Hello', after all. The girl's eyes seemed to light up with excitement when she heard tha he lived next door.

"Wooow, really? It's nice to meet you, Lud... Ludw-..." she tried to then pronounce his name, before pulling a small yet adorable frustrated expression, as she found she couldn't say it too well with her own accent. She then seems to ponder a moment, before coming up with something, giving another smile that sent the younger boy's heart racing. "May I call you 'Luddy'? It's easier to pronounce, but only if you don't mind!"

"I-I don't mind at all, whatever you wish to call me!" came Ludwig's immediate response, before smiling just a little himself. 'Luddy... I've only just met her, and she's giving me a little nickname...' he thought to himself.

"Ok! My name is a little hard for a lot of people to say too. So, you can call me Feli!" Feli then introduces herself, then nods to her brother. "And this is mio fratello, or my brother, Lovi!" The older boy gave a small look to the blond one, clearly not very happy to meet him. His hazel eyes seemed to try and look over him, make sure he wasn't a threat. But he didn't exactly voice that he was determining whether or not the German boy was ok to be trusted, giving the smallest nod of acknowledgement.

"It's very nice to meet you both, Feli and Lovi," the still a bit nervous young male went on, as he looked from one sibling to the next. It was amazing to think that these two were brother and sister... He had only just met them both, and while they looked very similar to one another, they acted completely opposite of one another. And then, the young girl looked to him, beaming with excitement as she suddenly took his hands, jumping up and down in an enthusiastic way.

"We're going to be good friends, best friends even, I think! We can definitely be friends, can't we, Luddy?" she then asks him, giving him a hopeful look. If Ludwig's heart wasn't fluttering and pounding in his chest before, it certainly was now. He cleared his throat just a bit, a little of a nervous habit of his, before he gives a small nod.

"Y-Yes, we can, Feli. Of course we can, i-if you want to..." he replies softly after a moment. Then came a squeal of delight, as she released his hands to clap.

"Yay, I'm so happy to hear that~!" the younger of the two newcomers giggles in happiness. While looking at her, and her brother, he couldn't help but wonder... What was it that she was making him feel? It was so strange, since no other person has ever made him feel this way... Maybe he would have to ask his older brother about it, surely he would know. But until then... He wanted to spend as much time with Feli as he could, and get to see that lovely, bright smile of hers every chance he could.

German words:

Nein: NoJa: Yes
Hallo: Hello

Italian words:

Nipoti: grandchildren
Nonno: Grandfather
Grazie: Thank you
Ciao: Hello
Mio fratello: my brother