Summary: For street urchin Feliciano Vargas, it seems Christmas for him will be the same as usual. By some stroke of fate, Feliciano stumbles upon a kind stranger, Ludwig Beilschmidt, who delivers a miracle to the Italian's life- and strange feelings he's never felt before...

Pairing: Ludwig x Feliciano (Germany x N. Italy, AU)

It was the middle of December in Florence, Italy. Stores were decorated with beautiful wreaths and holly, and people were rushing through the streets to get their Christmas shopping finished.

Standing in the center of the Piazza Santa Croce was a young man, Feliciano Vargas. He wore a ragged brown coat, and his auburn hair complimented his bright auburn eyes. Feliciano had a strange curl on the side of his head, which was starting to shrivel up from the chilly breeze. Holding out his felt hat as a slight blush filled his cheeks, he began to sing in the most angelic, blissful voice to reach the shoppers' ears. A crowd of people began to gather around Feliciano as he sang:

"Astro del ciel, Pargol divin,
mite Agnello Redentor~
Tu che i Vati da lungi sognar,
tu che angeliche voci nunziar,
luce dona alle genti,
pace infondi nei cuor~"

He continued singing, some of the shoppers dropping their extra change into Feliciano's hat. "Buone feste~" he called out to the shoppers after he finished the song, glad that they enjoyed his singing. Feliciano counted the change in his hat and discovered he had nearly enough euros to buy a bread roll. He walked amongst the crowd, hoping he could find someone with a little extra change.
Feliciano slowly and carefully walked up to a taller blonde man with slicked back hair. "Potrei avere dei soldi per favore?" he asked, holding out his hat.

Ludwig had been traveling through for business and to gather a few Christmas gifts. He disliked the stress that came with preparing for the holiday, but enjoyed it when he finally got to see his brother and friends getting together, even if it eventually ended up in a small brawl outside in the end.

When he heard a voice from behind, he turned around to a smaller, auburn haired man. He didn't know much Italian, but by guessing how the man was dressed and that he was holding out a hat, he could guess what he was asking.

Ludwig reached into his pocket and pulled out his left over money from his shopping, quickly counting what he had left over plus what he had set aside to get petrol for his way home. He dropped the leftover change, enough to get a drink as well as a little extra.

"Vergeunden Sie nicht es," he mumbled before walking towards a parked Volkswagen. He stopped and turned back.
"Oi," he turned back, only a couple steps away. "Buone feste," he added on, in rough Italian.

A wide smile formed on Feliciano's face as the change clinked inside his felt hat. He dropped the change inside his pocket, before hugging Ludwig in thanks. "Grazie mille!" he cried out. "Oh, I must repay you somehow! I'm going to buy a bread roll right now, mind if I share it with you?" he asked. Feliciano needed the food, but it was the holiday season, so he felt the need to be generous to his donor.

Ludwig was a bit surprised by the hug. "Ah.. Nein, it's okay. I know you need the food." He tried to sound sincere. He didn't want to take anything from him because of how bad the economy has been. "I am just glad that you can now eat."

Feliciano nodded in agreement. "W-well can I have your name, at least? I really really want to give you something in return, even if it's not food. I could give you my scarf, my hat, or..." his voice faded away as he looked down at a locket he wore around his neck. He opened the locket to reveal a picture of his grandfather on one side, and his brother on the other side.

"...n-never mind. Just my hat or my scarf.~ Or is there anything else you want...?" he asked.

Ludwig chuckled and shook his head.
"My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt, and you don't have to do anything in return. Think of it as an early Christmas gift to you," he smiled a little at the smaller male.
He pondered a moment before asking, "Are you out of work..." Ludwig trailed off a bit. "I'm sorry may I ask your name?"

"I'm Feliciano Vargas," the Italian explained. "I've never been able to get a job because of my health, all I can do is sing and draw. My parents abandoned me a long time ago, when I was really little. I don't even remember what my parents looked like... all I have is this locket," Feliciano told Ludwig, opening the locket to show the photos inside. "The one on the left is my nonno, and the one on the right is my fratello." He stopped talking, closing the locket and gazing at Ludwig for a moment. "I really do think you deserve some sort of present, you have a good heart. And that's the most important thing~" he remarked.

Ludwig listened to Feliciano's story.
With these talents, I'm surprised no one has tried to help him more than just loose change... he thought to himself. He snapped back to reality with Feliciano's final statement.
"It's okay really," he stated once more. He may have had a good heart, but a couple years ago he might have looked down on Feliciano and walk away with giving nothing. Ludwig right now was more or less repenting for his previous actions.
"If you feel the need to repay me that bad, why don't you just work for me back at my place? I will give you a place to sleep and some food for you to eat, all you need to do is keep the place clean and try to find a steady job," he offered. It was going to just get colder for the next few week, and even though it may have been even colder where he was compared to his current location, he could at least offer a warm place to stay.

"Oh, that would be wonderful~!" Feliciano cried out with utmost joy. "I can't thank you enough!" He gave Ludwig another tight hug, letting go shortly afterwards. "No one's ever been this nice to me before. You're someone exceptionally kind, to give me money and even take me in..." he sighed happily, before observing Ludwig for a moment. Feliciano looked into Ludwig's bright blue eyes, and began to see something in the German that he had never seen in anyone else before. A strange feeling rushed through Feliciano's head as a blush formed on his cheeks, a feeling that was very new to him.

"Ah... n-never mind. I-it's nothing, I'm just not used to t-this kindness,~" he said awkwardly, placing his hands over his cheeks to hide the blush and wondering why his heart was racing at such a high speed. "R-really... g-grazie, for helping me, it means a lot~"

Ludwig noticed the Italian's blush, but shoved it off as him being so excited.
"Bitte schon, now why don't you get yourself something to eat while I load what I have into the car. I shall meet you back here, okay?" he said.

"Va bene! Don't worry, I won't get lost! I've lived here all my life, I know Firenze like the back of my head~! I'll be back in a moment~" Feliciano said cheerfully, skipping over to the bakery a few blocks away from the plaza. The smell of fresh bread was so inviting to Feliciano, so much so that he decided to spend a few moments in the store taking in the smells. The bakery owner was much annoyed at Feliciano's behavior. "You just think you can come in here and sniff up a storm like a dog, urchin!" he yelled.

"Ah-! But your food is so wonderful.~ I would like to buy a bread roll, per favore~" Feliciano asked kindly, walking up to the counter with his coins. The owner reluctantly handed over a paper-wrapped bread roll, scowling and huffing over having to deal with Feliciano.

As Feliciano walked out of the store with the roll, back towards the Piazza, he saw Ludwig again near the center. He found a blush forming on his face again, but he didn't know why. Feliciano decided to eat some of his roll while walking towards Ludwig, in order to forget about the fluttery feeling in his stomach. He focused instead, on how wonderful it was to finally eat again, something he hadn't experienced in weeks. Finishing the last of his roll as he stood by Ludwig, he felt the blush return to his face, trying to ignore it. "Okay~ Are you ready yet, L-Ludwig~?" Feliciano loved hearing that name, even having a small desire to say the German's name over and over again because of how lovely it was.

Ludwig stood at the meeting spot after he had placed his purchases in the trunk. When Feliciano got back, he nodded.
"Are you ready to go now?"

"Si~ I'm ready," Feliciano replied. "Oh, I'm so excited~! I can't wait to stay in a real house, with a real bed and delicious food~! And I can finally have a job~!" he remarked, smiling brightly before giving Ludwig another hug. "You're the most wonderful person I've ever met..." Feliciano told Ludwig, blushing a bit.

"Ah-! I-I'm sorry-! It must have slipped out..." He suddenly let go and backed away slightly, worried what Ludwig would think of his statement.

Ludwig froze a bit when hugged. He wasn't used to being hugged in public, let alone at all.
"W-well, I guess it is a bit hard to get help right now.." he said nervously. A cold chill blew through the area, causing Ludwig to shiver slightly.
"Why don't we get in the car now? I think there is a chance for ice this evening.." he looked at Feliciano and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ah-! Ice...! R-really-? W-we should go right away-!" Feliciano hopped right in the car, looking at the interior. He had only seen cars drive by, never had he been in one before. All of this was entirely new to him, and so very exciting! The Italian turned his head to the seatbelt next to him, wondering exactly what it was for. He had heard enough about car crashes to understand that it was necessary for him to wear it. He pulled the seatbelt over his body and heard a satisfying click.

Looking around a bit more, he noticed a panel with many buttons and knobs on it. He wondered what all the buttons did and what they were for, thinking he would ask Ludwig about it. But he realized Ludwig might get annoyed with all the questions, and decided not to ask. Ludwig, that name sounded so wonderful in his head. He was having those strange thoughts again, and didn't know why he had them or where they were coming from.

Should I tell Ludwig about that?

I wonder if he likes me.

I hope I'll be able to stay with him... forever...

Feliciano began drifting off again, just letting the thoughts about Ludwig pass into his mind instead of pushing them away.

Author's Notes:

EDIT 1/8/12: Fixed German grammatical error- changed "Willkommen" to "bitte schon" (grazie, iholic!)

Translations

The song is "Astro Del Ciel", the Italian version of "Silent Night"

Buone feste= "Happy Holidays" (ITALIAN)

Potrei avere dei soldi per favore?= "Can I have some money?" (ITALIAN)

Vergeunden Sie nicht es= "Do not waste it" (GERMAN)

Grazie mille= "Thank you very much" (ITALIAN)

Nein= "no" (GERMAN)

nonno= "grandfather" (ITALIAN)

fratello= "brother" (ITALIAN)

Bitte schon= "you're welcome" (GERMAN)

Va bene= "got it" (ITALIAN)

per favore= "please" (ITALIAN)