Summary: [Human AU] Ludwig is on vacation with his family in Italy, when he meets the charming grandson of the resort owner. Pure, unapologetic fluff! May include some more 'adult' content later, but I will be sure to provide appropriate warnings. Currently rated T for language and some sexual undertones. GerIta, with possible sprinklings of other pairings.
When I say this story is pure fluff, I'm not exaggerating. As someone who's generally leaned more towards angst in their past writings, I just fancied writing something soppy for a change! As such, you can probably expect to see a few classic romantic cliches here and there, which I am not apologising for. I want to keep this story as upbeat as possible!
"Ow, that was my foot you idiot!"
"It's not my fault you're so slow – Come on Lud, we're on vacation"
Gilbert Beilschmidt pushed past his younger brother as he headed towards the gate of the apartment complex, suitcase in hand. In the spring of last year, their parents had made the decision to take their two boys on one last family holiday. Gilbert had recently returned from studying in the UK and was making plans to move out. Ludwig, who would be turning nineteen in October, was preparing to undertake a bachelor's degree at the same university. He had done exceptionally well in his Abitur exams and was quickly accepted onto the schools Business Management course. This stood in sharp contrast with his brother, who had to undertake several additional examinations to even be considered for his own chosen course.
In a sense, the holiday was his parent's way of recognising their son's recent achievements. Ludwig for his academic prowess – and Gilbert for actually passing his degree.
They were booked for a months stay in a quiet little Italian town, just outside of Venice. The place had looked welcoming enough to tourists, but not quite as overrun as some of the busier hotels. As Ludwig stepped away from the taxi, the warm summer sun assaulted his pale blue eyes, to which he shaded them with his free hand. He followed after Gilbert, dragging his own suitcase behind him. His parents conversed amongst themselves as they paid the taxi driver. His father then began fumbling in his pocket for their booking information.
"Ahhh here it is," he said finally, pulling out a sheet of paper and unfolding it carefully "we need to head to the poolside to check ourselves in. The bar doubles as the reception area, so we can collect our keys from there"
Almost as soon as they had walked through the gate, a slightly older Italian man looked over to the family and flashed them a welcoming smile. Ludwig was hardly surprised that they had been spotted so quickly. Their pale skin stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the bronzed bodies of the other resort guests.
"Guten morgen!" the man exclaimed, striding towards them with open arms "Mein name ist Julius – Welcome to my little resort!"
Mr Beilschmdit regarded him politely "Guten morgen" he said, outstretching his hand. The other man ignored this, embracing Mr Beilschmidt warmly and planting a gentle kiss on both of his cheeks.
"I hope you enjoy your stay, my friend" he sang happily, as Mr Beilschmidt smoothed out his shirt, feeling flustered. Julius, blissfully unaware of the embarrassment he had just caused, turned his attention to the rest of the group "This must be your family! Welcome, family!"
Mrs Beilschmidt, slightly more receptive to the traditional Italian greeting, placed her hands on Julius' shoulders and air-kissed both his cheeks "Thank you" she said, smiling "This is my eldest son Gilbert and my youngest, Ludwig"
"Such handsome young men" Julius replied "Just like my grandsons – you must be very proud miss...?"
"Sabrine" Mrs Beilschmidt clarified, nodding to Julius "and I am, thank you"
Julius led them over to the poolside bar where he reached into a cabinet and pulled out some papers for their father to sign. Ludwig stood awkwardly as the heat began to affect him, wiping the excess sweat pooling on his brow. Gilbert was already scoping out the local 'scenery'. He had spotted a group of girls wearing bikinis and chatting excitedly by the poolside. He let out a low whistle.
"Sì grazie" he mumbled, a wicked smirk spreading across his lips. One of the girls happened to glance in his direction and Gilbert shamelessly shot her a wink, to which the girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her friends. Mrs Beilschmidt clopped her son over the head and scolded him for being so rude.
Julius, who had been following Gilbert's gaze, was now laughing deeply "It is okay Sabrine, no problema! When I was young, I had a girl for every day of the week!"
Gilbert's smile grew wider and Mrs Beilschmidt stared at Julius in shock. She mumbled another scornful word under her breath, as her husband finished completing the paperwork and was handed the keys to their apartment.
"You will be staying in Apartment 4. It is on the ground floor, very nice" Julius assured. He paused for a second, before looking at Gilbert with a mischievous glint in his eyes "It has a very good view of the pool"
"Yes thank you" Mr Beilschmidt said abruptly, taking the keys from Julius "We need to unpack, have a good day sir"
"No 'sir'! Julius, please" Julius laughed, running a hand through his wavy brown hair "Yes my friend, have a good day!"
The family entered their apartment and Gilbert dashed to the room furthest to the back. Ludwig followed after him, feeling grateful to be out of the sun (if only for a moment). He was desperate to change into some more weather-appropriate clothing, having boarded the plane in Germany wearing his usual hoodie and jeans. When the two brothers were in their room, Ludwig shut the door and Gilbert surveyed the space.
"Scheisse - single beds" he whined dramatically "What am I supposed to do if I bring any babes back?"
Ludwig looked to him questioningly "We are on holiday with our parents, Gil. Are you seriously planning on getting lucky?"
Gilbert huffed, before flinging his suitcase onto the bed closest the window "I'm having this one" he said simply, before collapsing down next to his luggage.
Ludwig honestly couldn't care less, manoeuvring his own suitcase onto the available bed. He began taking out his clothes, which were already arranged in neatly folded piles. Gilbert tore through his own suitcase in search for his swimming trunks. He began to strip, without a word of warning to his brother, flinging clothes messily onto the ground.
"Jesus Christ, Gil!" Ludwig snapped, shielding his eyes "I really don't want to see your ass today"
Gilbert repeated Ludwig's words in a squeaky pantomime tone, pulling his trunks over his naked lower body "See ya later bro, I'm off to have fun"
He left the room in a flash, leaving an opened suitcase with contents spilling from every direction.
"Asshole" Ludwig mumbled, as he begun to place his folded t-shirts into their shared wardrobe. It was not long until everything had been unloaded and he began to strip himself of his own sweat-drenched clothes. He opted for a more appropriate vest and swim shorts, slipping on a pair of sandals and making for the front door of the apartment.
When he stepped outside he spotted his mum lounging on a deck chair, face covered by a straw hat and open book laid on her stomach. His father was absent – presumably because he had gone to fetch groceries. The loud sounds of splashing water and cackles from across the way informed him that Gilbert was already in the pool.
He fanned his face with his palm, still feeling a little flushed. He checked to see if his mother wanted anything from the bar, before going to order himself a bottle of water.
As he approached the bar, it became apparent that Julius was nowhere to be seen. Instead stood a young man, likely around the same age as him, with a hand pressed to his chin and his green eyes staring absently. He looked annoyed, the unpleasant expression contorting his otherwise soft facial features.
"Uh, ciao" Ludwig began, trying to get his attention "I would like..." he continued in German, to which the boy's eyes shot to him with a spiteful glint.
He mumbled something in Italian, before reaching under the counter and slamming a laminated sheet onto the surface in front of him. On it was a menu of food and drinks with clear illustrations.
"Oh, sorry" Ludwig apologised, surveying the sheet before quietly pointing to a drawing of a water bottle.
"Quanto?" the boy snapped, voice dripping with distaste. Everything about his demeanour just seemed to scream that he'd rather be anywhere but there.
"Umm, excuse me?"
The boy grunted "Quanto?" he repeated, louder this time, jamming his own finger onto the sheet of paper.
Ludwig's brow twitched, as he guessed what the boy might be trying to say. He held up a single finger, to which the boy nodded and let out an exasperated sigh. He rolled his eyes so far back that Ludwig thought they might recede into his skull. He shouted something, turning his head to the back of the bar and a bodiless voice chirped in "Sì!" in response.
Ludwig began to look in his bag for his wallet. After pushing his way through a number of tourist leaflets, he was met with the sensation of warm leather against his fingertips. He pulled out the wallet to see what he had in the way of small change. He counted out coins with his available hand, as a small voice spoke to him from across the counter:
"Ciao", the voice said.
Ludwig looked up, expecting to be met with the same annoyed looking boy. When he did, however, he was met with two orbs of rich amber brown. The eyes belonged to another young man, who was currently holding a bottle of water with a bright smile across his face.
"Ciao" he repeated, his smile never once faltering. He held out the water for Ludwig to take.
Ludwig was unable to say anything. He just stood there, staring dumbly at the boy in front of him. His lips and throat felt very dry. He could seldom hear anything, other than the beating of his heart pounding in his ears.
The boy giggled, albeit a little awkwardly, as he placed the drink down on the counter and gestured to it.
"Un euro e venti cent per favore"
"Ah, sì" Ludwig coughed, snapping back into reality. He handed the stranger his handful of change. The stranger eyed the change for a moment, before politely handing Ludwig back a 20 cent coin.
"Un po' troppo" he said kindly, as Ludwig looked at the coin.
His brow furrowed in embarrassment "Scusa, non parlo italiano" he mumbled, with it being about the only Italian phrase he comfortably knew how to say.
"Ahhh, Deutsch" the boy replied, smiling sadly "Ich spreche kein deutsch" he apologised. His hand seemed to linger for a little bit as he passed Ludwig his water. Ludwig thanked him quietly, before turning away towards the pool. There was a moment of silence until the boy spoke again.
"English?", he said.
Ludwig turned his head in confusion "I'm...sorry?"
"English?" the boy repeated, looking hopeful "Do you speak English?"
"Umm...yes...a bit. I am learning" Ludwig replied. The Italian positively beamed at this response.
"Me too! A bit" he sang, to which Ludwig was unsure what to say.
Honestly, the boy's demeanour was starting to confuse him a bit. In contrast to the other worker, who seemed to be stuck in a permanent state of anger and disdain, this boy seemed to lean towards the other extreme. There was no doubt in Ludwig's mind that the excited glimmer in his eyes was anything other than genuine, despite having only just met him. Ludwig was left feeling stunned that anyone, anywhere, could be so relentlessly and unapologetically positive. His energy was mesmerising and - as much as hated to admit it - his broad smile was completely infectious.
Ludwig felt the corners of his lips turn up without his consent. It was not quite the same cheery grin the charming brunette was giving him, but it was something.
"Very good," he said simply, nodding his head before continuing "my name is Ludwig"
"My name is Feliciano" the boy said, giving him a small wave "It is nice to meet you, Ludwig"
A few translations:
Guten morgen (German) - Good morning
Gratzie (Italian) - Thank you
Quanto (Italian) - How much?
Un euro e venti cent per favore (Italian) - One euro and 20 cent, please
Un po' troppo (Italian) - A little too much
Scusa, non parlo italiano (Italian) - Sorry, I do not speak Italian
Ich spreche kein deutsch (German) - I do not speak German
Side note: From what I can gather, Abitur exams are the end of Secondary/Highschool qualifications that are taken in Germany. I could be wrong though.
