Chapter 1.

The town was very peaceful today, Feliciano noticed as he strolled along the streets in silence. A few people passed him by, most of them he knew very well, and shops everywhere did not seem to be busy either though they had a pleasing number of customers. And speaking of shops, Feliciano had not intended to go anywhere, but as always his feet led him to that one place he never ceased to want. He opened the café's door, and as he stepped inside he was quite happy to see that Francis was having a slow day. There was not a single customer with them, meaning he will be able to talk with the French as freely as he'd want.

"Francis!" Feliciano greeted cheerfully as he approached the counter where the said Frenchman stood silently, and seemingly thoughtfully. But as the Italian called his name, his serious demeanor immediately faded away and a pleased smile replaced it.

"Ah, Feli!" Francis greeted back as he turned, his neck-level hazel-blond hair ever so slightly moving to expose his beautiful face even more; his sky-blue eyes that met the other's golden ones. And as those orbs met, Francis had to silently take note that Feliciano was in a different level of peacefulness at the moment, something obvious with how he smiled and with how he played with the stubborn curl that made the rest of the chocolate strands of his hair seem even softer than how they already were. Francis had to pause for a moment to think if he really did want to disturb that peace... but just a second later he gathered there was no point in delaying anything. "You're just the man I wanted to see, Feli. I have something to say, I just thought you might find it interesting."

"Really?" Feliciano asked excitedly as he even moved closer to the counter. "What is it you want to say then? Tell me now, tell me now, tell me now~!"

"I'm not so sure though..." hesitated Francis. But apparently, that would not stop Feliciano from wanting to hear what he had to say already. So he heaved a sigh, and paused, and said it bluntly. "Two brothers have moved into town just this week. I suppose you haven't heard of this yet after being stuck in your manor's basement to train..."

Feliciano scowled. "You didn't have to bring up the basement thingy," he said before his smile returned. "But I want to hear more, Francis. New people are, indeed, interesting."

"Of course they are," Francis agreed with another sigh as his eyes wandered the outside through the café's wide windows. It just so happened that as if on queue, one of his topic's subjects appeared in sight on the other side of the narrow street. "Speaking of which," he mumbled.

Feliciano followed Francis' eyes' direction, and as he saw a man— a man of lean and sturdy built, of light blond hair, of noticeable icy blue eyes— a hum of interest quickly escaped his lips. "German?"

"Not just any German," Francis said as he finally calmed down and let his body lean on the counter. "He and his brother are apparently, well from what I've heard, Beilschmidts."

The last word echoed in the Italian's ear. Beilschmidts... It was a name so recognizable yet so unfamiliar, a name he was taught to hate even if he never saw a reason of his own to feel that way. Feliciano smiled. "You mean he's related to..."

"Ulrich Beilschmidt, yes," Francis finished for him. "That man."

Feliciano watched as the German took a few more steps outside, and as he looked around, and took out his phone to look at it, before looking around even more. If people weren't observant enough, the anxiety on that man's face wouldn't be obvious. But even from afar, Feliciano could easily see that this scary-looking guy might actually be just someone shy. And that was going to make his presence a lot more fun for this town.

A few more seconds, and the German finally seemed to give up waiting or looking for whoever was concerned. Feliciano watched as the German walked towards the café, but just before he could enter, Feliciano turned to Francis to pretend he was not expecting the said man to enter anytime soon. The smile on the Italian's face turned even wider as the bell above the café's door rang.

"Welcome, monsieur," Francis greeted immediately. "Please do take your time picking what you think will please your tongue most... I guarantee you you'll have a hard time!"

"Yes," Feliciano suddenly agreed as he turned to the German standing just beside him now. "Francis' pastries are the best. Ve~!"

That only made the German tense up more, but he did nod and looked at every pastry in sight. Most were under the counter, protected by thick glass.

"You're new here?" Feliciano asked. Though he already knew the answer to that, he knew that it was always the best way to start a conversation with someone new.

"Yes," the German answered with his very low voice. It suited his form really well.

"Will you be staying around?" Francis asked just as he leaned against the counter. The German only nodded. "As my friend has told you, I'm Francis, monsieur. Francis Bonnefoy."

"And I'm Feliciano by the way, ve~!" the Italian added.

The two have caught the German's attention, and he replied as if only not to be rude. "Ludwig," he said before going back to the pastries. All the while this man named Ludwig didn't even dare to look both of them in the eye. "I can't quite decide."

"Then let me suggest," Francis said with enthusiasm. "My specialty would be the Profiterole, monsieur. I have new ones baked."

Ludwig paused for a few more seconds, staring at the pastries behind the glass, before briefly closing his eyes as if he's finally come up with a decision. "Ten of it, then."

Francis smiled brightly, clapping his hands together. "Ten? Coming right up!"

Francis was already putting the ten cream puffs in a paper bag when the shop's door opened, ringing the bell above.

"I'm here, Ludwig!" An albino, a couple of years older than the first German, came in with his noisy mouth and violently put an arm around Ludwig's shoulder who silently winced. Then as if he just realized something, he paused, his brows slightly meeting above his nose, and turned to Feliciano and then to Francis who froze at his presence. Then his crimson eyes flashed as his lips revealed a grin.

"Francis?"

"Gilbert," Francis muttered back, his surprise obvious all over his whole body and the way his eyes widened. "You..?"

Feliciano blinked twice, taking time to stare and listen to everyone else.

Gilbert removed his arm from Ludwig and ever so suddenly leaned against the counter, even making Feliciano back away and Francis take one surprised step back. "So this is where you are, huh?"

"It's been a while, Gil!" Francis said once he's snapped out of his surprise. His grin was just as wide as Gilbert's then, even as he walked around the counter to give the said man a quick hug and a couple of pats on the back, and Gilbert did so, too. "What brings you here?" he asked as he went back behind the counter and finished putting the remaining three Profiterole to complete the ten in the paper bag.

"You mean me and my bro," Gilbert said as he landed a hand on Ludwig's shoulder. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you some other time!"

Francis and Feliciano met glances for a second.

"Monsieur Ludwig," Francis called and gave the said man the paper bag and took the payment. "Or can I be more informal with you and call you just 'Ludwig' instead? You are my best friend's brother, after all."

"Best friend?" Feliciano mumbled, catching the other three's attention even though he only gave the words to the Frenchman.

"Yes, Feli," Francis answered with a smile. "For so long now."

"Um..." Gilbert scratched his cheek. "Sorry, Francis, but Ludi and I gotta go," he said. "I only met him here... Oh, but it's nice to see you again!"

"It is," Francis agreed, nodding. "I understand if you have somewhere to go, Gil. We'll talk some other time, oui?"

"Yeah," Gilbert said. "We'll visit again."

"And I'll be right here."

So the brothers left the shop in silence, and Francis and Feliciano followed them with their gaze until they disappeared. Feliciano's eyes then turned to Francis, and Francis' to Feliciano, their cheerfulness moments ago now entirely gone.

"Best friend, really?" Feliciano asked.

"I didn't know it would be him and his brother, honestly," Francis answered, his tone somehow revealing his uneasiness. "It's been a long time since I saw Gilbert. I never knew he was actually related to Ulrich Beilschmidt."

"They're interesting~!" Feliciano said, his smile and energy and melodic voice returning. "Make sure to find out why they're here, okay~?"

"I will," Francis answered.

"Oh, but Francis..." Feliciano looked upwards as if he was trying to analyze something. "...If that Gilbert Beilschmidt is your best friend, does that mean he's Antonio's best friend, too?"

Francis nodded now with a calm smile.

"Then Francis,"

"Yes?"

"Please do me a favor and tell Grandpa nothing."

...

Feliciano closed the double doors behind him, creating an echo of the loud thud that rang throughout the whole empty, silent manor. "Lovi~!" he called in his singsong voice, creating more echoes. He ran up the stairway at the right side of the foyer, and kept running to the end of the story to a door. A long antechamber greeted him. Almost at the other end, there Feliciano saw the person he was looking for, walking slowly to another door. "Lovino~!"

Feliciano ran towards his brother. Lovino turned around with a scowl on his face, just in time to face the impact of Feliciano suddenly hugging him. They fell to the carpeted floor, Feliciano on top, but Lovino quickly pushed Feliciano off of him.

"Could you please stop doing that!?" Lovino told Feliciano as they both sat up.

"Ve~! Lovino, I feel really excited~!"

"What?" Lovino now asked as he stood up and helped his brother up. "It's been a while since you said that. What's up?"

Feliciano only smiled brightly, clinging to Lovino's arm. "I met someone, Lovi. Someone interesting."

"That's the first," Lovino uttered flatly, no sarcasm present. He then continued his interrupted walking, and finally went in the door that led both he and Feliciano to their vast library.

"Ve~ you're surprised?" Feliciano asked as he let go. "What are we doing here anyway? Don't tell me you're finally gonna try reading some poetry~!"

"Hell no!" Lovino reacted rather violently, walking away from his brother and up the second story. "I mean, maybe next time, Feli."

"What are we here for, then?"

"You're here because you followed me here."

"But what are you here for?"

Lovino paused, and looked at Feliciano from the balcony. Even at a distance, Feliciano could see the pink taint all over his brother's cheeks.

Feliciano grinned. "Is Antonio coming tonight?"

"Damn you Feli."

"Ve~! I knew it. You were talking about cooking this morning."

Lovino looked away and headed to the area where the cookbooks can be found. "So what? I wanted to practice my cooking skills."

"Oh really?" Feliciano teased, finally following his brother to the upper story. "Cook well then, okay? I'm not going to help you."

"Yeah, and I wouldn't allow you to, even if you try to."

Lovino turned to his brother. His eyes could only widen, realizing that his younger brother did not look as cheery as he sounded. Feliciano's eyes were a bit narrowed, and the kind of grin he made was not a cheeky grin, but that devious grin he usually makes whenever he was up to something. "F-Feli..?"

"Cook well, Lovi. I mean to talk to Antonio tonight."

After that, Lovino cooked a special steak dish, alone, with only Feliciano staring at him from the other side of the counter beside him. Feliciano was smiling gleefully, a hand supporting the weight of his head, the other's fingers playing with his stubborn twirl of hair. Feliciano was humming cheerfully as well. And at times, even if he did say he wouldn't help, he guided Lovino whenever he needed it.

Lovino's face was tense the whole time; that is, tenser than usual. With the pressure of Feliciano's demand, he could not calm down. He had to perfect his cooking, even if it was just a small thing to do, because if not, nobody would know what may happen.

"Done," Lovino said with a sigh once he's finished putting all the steaks on a wide platter with all the other toppings and such. He put one steak on a small saucer so Feliciano could taste it. He gave it then to his brother. "Here," he said.

"Thank you~!" Feliciano replied as he took the steak and sliced a small piece to taste. His smile widened. "It's actually good, Lovi~! I'm sure Antonio will like it!"

Lovino sighed a sigh of relief.

Minutes later, Feliciano was preparing the dining table with the servants when his grandfather Roma came in to take a look. "Feli?"

Feliciano turned, and left what he was doing when he ran to his grandfather to give him a hug. "Grandpa~!"

Roma patted his grandson's head. "What are you doing, Feli?"

"I just wanted to help with the arrangements, Grandpa~! I wanted to make the table as beautiful as possible for dinner~!"

"That's how bored you are?" Roma asked, an amused grin on his face.

"Ve~ maybe~!" Feliciano replied. "But I'm actually really excited tonight, Grandpa~! Antonio's coming over for dinner, right?"

Roma nodded. "We'll just talk about some things," he said.

"What are those things, Grandpa?"' Feliciano asked.

"The usual, Feli," Roma answered, petting Feliciano's head again. "You don't have to trouble yourself over it. You've just finished a whole week of training. You have to relax."

Roma turned his gaze to his left, to the hall outside the dining room, when two forms have made themselves appear. Feliciano followed his gaze and saw the Spaniard Antonio Carriedo with Lovino who again had a scowl on his face, a red taint on his cheeks.

"Just in time!" Feliciano spoke first, turned to the now-finished table setting then back. "Why don't we have dinner first~?"

"I agree. Let's eat," Roma stated. He then went inside the room, the other three following behind him.

"Antonio," Feliciano whispered to the Spaniard. "I heard from Francis that you have another best friend."

For a moment, Antonio's summer-green eyes widened. "What about him?"

...

"Ah, I knew it! Francis' pastries are always the best!" Gilbert energetically shouted as he took his last bite of the last Profiterole Ludwig bought. Ludwig had unlocked their new apartment, they entered, they sat down the couches in the living room.

"You know him?" Ludwig asked.

"Yep," Gilbert answered with a proud grin. "We used to hang out when we were teens. I never had an intention of letting him in my personal life, never did, but we still became great friends! Him, me, and Antonio."

"Why not?" Ludwig pushed on.

"You know why not, Ludi. It's not like we can just involve some other people with our lives."

Ludwig nodded. "I just didn't expect you to follow that rule yourself," he said. "You were always so open when it came to Roderich."

Gilbert laughed, tapping the armrests of his couch with his hands. "That's a different story. Opa practically raised him, too. Just like us. He's part of the family even if there isn't any blood relationship between us and him."

"And you love him," Ludwig emphasized. His face was flat as if he was simply stating a fact, but Gilbert knew with his tone that he was also grinning deep inside.

Gilbert grinned back. "Hey, never forget that love changes everything, Ludwig."

"It's disgusting when you say it."

More laughter, mostly from Gilbert. Then a cellphone rang.

Gilbert reached for his pocket as he stood up. Answering the phone, he walked to the corner opposite the door where nobody else will be able to hear him but his brother.

"Opa, you called," Gilbert said. Ludwig had followed him with his eyes, and now fixed his gaze so he can keep up with the conversation.

"How's Italy? Who's with you right now?"

"It's me and Ludwig only," Gilbert answered as he briefly glanced at his brother. "Italy's nice. Sunny, cheery, welcoming..."

"Have you met anyone so far?"

"Well I did get to meet an old friend, if that counts. Remember Francis? That French guy I used to always hang out with?"

"Oh. Yes, I remember."

"Gil, what are you guys talking about?" Ludwig suddenly asked. "Stop keeping me in the dark."

Gilbert only gave him a 'just wait' sign however, before going back to his conversation on the phone. "I think Ludwig's jealous of me." Then he laughed jokingly. "He wants to talk to you, too."

"Tell him I'll see both of you soon," replied Ulrich Beilschmidt from the other line.

"Okay, I will."

The phone call ended with that, and afterwards Gilbert told Ludwig what their grandfather wanted him to say.

"I wonder why Opa trusts you more than me," Ludwig said flatly, though he was obviously bitter at the idea. "You're as careless as ever."

"Maybe it's not about trust, Ludwig," Gilbert said. "Maybe because I can do different things with a smile, while you tend to over think everything. That's why he includes you in plannings, I do the field work."

"Why did you bring me along, then?"

"Because we have to make people believe that we're brothers on vacation. Well, we really are, after all."

"I'm part of your cover, is that it?"

"Don't you like that?"

Ludwig shook his head and stood up. He walked to his room, and before shutting the door close said, "At least tell me the information you've gathered."

To be continued...