Hello I wrote this for my friend who was upset about her first day of school!
I hope you like it!
Ludwig coughed out a moan as the alarm forced his eyes to open.
"…Oh gott…" he growled loudly, thrusting out an odd wiggle on the bed as he stretched himself out and cricked his back.
Seconds later the was a string of loud thumps on the door and that ever annoying drawn out call of "West!" from his brother, "Get out from those covers or I will force you out!"
By this he meant that he would come into the room and literally pull Ludwig from the bed by his ankles.
"I am awake," Ludwig's voice cracked as he replied.
"I don't just want you away, lil' Luddy, I want you up."
Ludwig forced his legs off the bed, pressing the soles of his feet to the floor, "My feet are on the ground, brother, I am up."
"Good," came the reply, "I am making you breakfast, it will be ready shortly."
Ludwig pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the fuzziness in his eyes and head, and he pulled open the curtains. He wasn't sure what he expected to see but saw darkness. He wasn't averse to early mornings, but anything before sunrise always seemed a little much.
He managed to wake himself a little more as he walked to the kitchen.
He was greeted pleasantly by toast and orange juice, laid out on the table by his older brother as he too got ready for school.
As he ate there was no conversation between them, other than Gilbert pointing out that Ludwig's hair looked weird before it was brushed back. "Your hair always looks weird," Ludwig responded sleepily as he finished his food and got up, heading for the bathroom, putting his plate in the dishwasher as he passed it.
He washed himself, which woke him fully, washed him face and fixed his hair. He was starting to feel a lot better as he dressed, deciding on dark jeans and a smart shirt that matched his eyes.
"You ready to leave?" Gilbert asked with a soft knock at the door, "Are you feeling well enough to go?"
He was referring to the head cold Ludwig had had for the past 3 days.
"You look a little pale," Gilbert added.
Ludwig shook his head, "I am fine," he insisted. He still felt a little fuzzy headed really, but he wanted to see Kiku again, he'd not seen him all summer.
Gilbert nodded, "Check through your bags and we'll leave."
Ludwig nodded at the instruction and turned to get his bag which he'd packed the night before, "Aren't you going to check yours?" he asked his brother.
"Oh no, West," Gilbert cooed, "You know I'm too smart and awesome to forget anything, you, on the other hand, have been ill, and you get forgetful when you're ill."
"…Ja ja…" Ludwig growled as he threw his bag over his shoulder, "Let's just go."
Ludwig liked living close to the school; less than a 20 minute walk away in fact, it meant he didn't have to get up as early as the rest of his classmates, but he also hated it because it was always there. His classmates didn't have it looming over them all through the holidays…
And, his school, honestly speaking, was shit…
There was a major bullying problem, the teachers were half mad and their curriculum was sub-par.
Gilbert locked the door as they left, quickly checking his aviary; making sure his birds had food and water before they set off. They walked east, then northwest, then crossed the road outside the school, and, as they walked, Gilbert made the same stupid joke that he always did:
"Hey, Ludwig, Harvey road. Harvey rode who?"
"Who?" Ludwig growled.
"I don't know, not you though, virgin."
Ludwig couldn't wait until he had actually had sex so he could be rid of that joke.
They walked through the dingy edged glass door and into the large hall of their highschool, horribly brightly painted locker dotting the walls and the occasional printed symbol of their nonsense school mascot.
He bid his brother goodbye and made his way to his new locker. He filled it with the majority of his new notebooks and books and he stood, waiting for Kiku to find him, as he knew he would.
"Hello," Kiku's voice came to him, Ludwig straightened up and smiled lightly, offering the man a small bow of hello.
"You enjoyed going to see your family?" Ludwig asked politely; the reason the two had not seen each other lately was that Kiku's family insisted on going to see his relatives during the holidays.
Kiku shook his head, "I am afraid my grand father is not well. But I will deal with that later." He forced a small smile, "There is a new boy in our class. He does not speak English very well."
"Worse than you?" Ludwig asked, not meaning to be insulting but instantly realising that it could be taken that way.
Kiku's smile widened a little and he nodded, "Hai… Yes. Much worse. He is taking lessons though, and he seems nice."
"You have talked to him?" Ludwig asked, again missing his tone and accidentally sounding possessive.
Kiku shook his head, "No, but I saw him and his brother come in ten minutes ago."
Ludwig nodded, not really caring about the prospect of socialising. "We should go," he said to his friend, "It's getting late."
They walked quickly to their first class, English Language, and found there was no seating plan, so they picked their own seats. Last into the room was who Ludwig assumed was the new boy; light brown hair and a shirt that matched his own in colour. The boy noticed this and his eyes immediately lit up.
"That's him," Kiku pointed out as the boy's eyes fixed on the chair in front of Ludwig's.
Ludwig let out a tiny growl as the boy approached, keeping his eyes on him as he took the seat.
The boy smiled at Ludwig as he sat down, keeping his head turned he pulled a face of deep concentration, "Hello," he said finally, "Our clothes are the same," he stated happily, "We are brothers."
Ludwig smiled gently, and the boy let out a small squeak of happiness, as if the smile was clarification. "I am told to make a friend and stay with them, and learn this house," the boy continued, doing his best to not mess up the pronunciation of his words.
Ludwig sighed slightly; it was normal for the new kids to be told this, but no one had picked him before. He was too big and tall, he intimidated most students, and had been mistaken for a teacher several times.
The boy smiled widely; he had not replied no, so that must mean it was ok. "My name is Feliciano Vargas," he said perfectly, obviously the first thing he had been taught, "I am from Italia, and I have moved here while my grandfather works. I don't know English very well, so please forgive me if I do it wrong, but I am trying very hard!"
Ludwig nodded politely, then turned his head to Kiku, "The new boy wants to be mein brother," he growled.
The boy looked over at Kiku and smiled again, "I would be a good brother," he affirmed.
Kiku swallowed gently, "I think maybe he is mistaking the word brother for friend…"
"But he said friend already," Ludwig contested. He turned to the Italian, speaking slower than he would usually, "You keep calling me brother, uh…" he tried to remember what little Italian he had learned while on holiday there as a child, "Frattello?"
The boy seemed to perk up instantly, "Si, si!" he said loudly, bringing the attention of the whole class to them, "Saremo così vicini saremo come fratelli!" he jabbered out, "Sapete italiana che è così buono, avevo paura che nessuno lo saprebbe!"
Ludwig frowned at him, unable to understand him because he was talking so fast. "Slow down," he snapped, "I can't understand a thing you're saying!"
The boy seemed to recoil, closing his mouth as his smiled disappeared, he turned on his chair, seeming to deflate.
"You have upset him," Kiku said quietly.
Ludwig stared at the back of the boys head, he hadn't meant to upset him, he was about to reach out to get his attention back but the teacher walked in, and he room fell silent other than the oddly loud breaths of the Italian boy. Ludwig feared he were crying.
He kept an eye on Feliciano through the class, watching him receive books and papers but not ultimately doing anything.
He felt awful; this was this boy's first day in a new school in a new country and his first attempt to make a friend had been so rudely rebuked. Ludwig would be upset as well had it happened to him.
They were allowed ten minutes at the end of the class to read over the new notes they had been given, Ludwig took this time to lean forward and tap the boy on the shoulder.
The boy jumped at the touch, and slowly turned his head, looking at Ludwig with wide and fearful eyes. "Yes?" he said slowly, as if Ludwig would explode at him at any moment.
"I am sorry if I seemed rude," Ludwig said slowly, calm and trying to seem friendly, "I didn't mean to upset you."
The boy smiled gently, mulling over what the German had said and trying to find meaning, "That is ok… I may have been confused," he said, seeming happier again.
Ludwig nodded, unsure of what to say now, "What class do you have next?" he asked, "I could walk you there if it's close to mine?"
Feliciano's smile widened, "Ok," he pulled out a piece of paper, covered in Italian scrawl and a few numbers, "It is this," he said as he pointed at one of the numbers, the room right next to Ludwig's next.
Ludwig smiled gently, "I can walk you there," he offered kindly.
The boy squeaked gently, "Si? Oh that would be-" he paused for a second, trying to find the word to express himself, "W-…wonderful."
Ludwig nodded in conformation; that would make up for any offence he had caused, and would hopefully help the boy settle.
"Where have you moved from?" Ludwig asked, hoping to keep the conversation going until class ended to divert any awkwardness.
Feliciano seemed slightly more tentative while answering this time, not wanting to annoy his potential new friend, "I am from Narni, in Italy. I… will miss it."
"Oh," Ludwig mused, unable to say that he had heard of the place, "I have only been to Rome… It was beautiful there."
The boy nodded, "It is," he said softly, his smile dropped slightly as he remembered the places he might never see again.
"I would like to go back," Ludwig added truthfully; he had loved how it had looked in the summer, he would like to return and see it in winter too.
Feliciano gave Ludwig a listless nod, "Yes, you should, it is belle."
Ludwig really had no idea, he knew to keep the conversation simple because the boy didn't know much English, but he couldn't think of anything simple to say.
"Do you like it here?" he settled on asking.
Feliciano nodded, "Everyone is amico," he stated, "And all the girls are very… friendly and very pretty."
Ludwig nodded; he had noticed the small group of eyes that had been fixed on Feliciano since he entered the room. He thought it was odd that none of them had approached him when he had seemed upset.
"The girls are not as good as they appear to be," Ludwig advised, shaking his head a little and glancing over his shoulder towards them.
Feliciano nodded, his eyes dropping from Ludwig's own for a second, "Si," he said slowly, "Or you would have parecchi following you around."
Ludwig smiled and shook his head, "No, they have never been interested in me, nor me in them."
The boy's mouth twitched slightly and his head drooped again, "Si, me too," he said quietly.
"That is nothing to be ashamed of," Ludwig said in his own defence; learned behaviour from being picked on constantly by his brother, "It takes time for some people to find their type."
The Italian seemed to perk up at the sentence, and, after looking up at the clock, he began to pack his books into his bag, realising that it was almost time to leave. "I would like to walk with you," he said with a smile, "It would be nice to have a brother to show me the ways."
Ludwig nodded and turned his head to Kiku, who had been observing in relative silence. "Where do you have to go?" Ludwig asked.
"I have to go and talk to the head of year," Kiku stated, "They have mislabelled my name, and I must fix it."
Ludwig nodded, turning back to Feliciano, "Then it will just be you and I," he pointed out.
Feliciano let out a small squeak as his smile widened, "Yes," he squeaked, "Ok."
Ludwig, slightly confused by his enthusiasm, got up from his chair as the bell rang, flinging his bag over his shoulders as Kiku grabbed his and rushed off, along with most of the other people in the room.
One of the girls who had been sitting across the room approached them, smiling widely, "Hello," she said softly to the foreign boy, "I think I'm in the same class as you next period, would you like me to walk with you?"
The boy's face contorted in what seemed to be shock, "Oh bella," he said quickly, "Ho già un bel uomo per farmi vedere, non è necessario mi dispiace."
The girl looked at him, still smiling but seeming a little confused, "Oh," she gasped, "You don't speak English at all?"
Ludwig cleared his throat, placing himself between Feliciano and this girl. "I'm taking him, you don't need to trouble yourself."
The girl scowled at Feliciano and left the room, moving fast to catch up with her friends.
"Why did you not speak English?" Ludwig asked Feliciano once she had left.
The boy shrugged, "I would rather walk with you, as I said, I am incerto about those girls."
Ludwig let out a noise of agreement as he began to lead the boy from the room and down the sort corridor that led to Feliciano's class, "I understand," he said as they walked, feeling an odd discomfort fall over him as they moved in silence. "What are you enjoying about this country?" he asked curiously.
Feliciano smiled widely, looking up at the tall boy, "Oh, everything here is large, much more than Rome."
"Anything else?" Ludwig questioned.
The boy let out a tiny hum as he thought of things he liked, "I like the sports here… but I would rather watch."
Ludwig nodded, "I do too, I like the pole-vault."
"Do you compete?" Feliciano asked, seeming incredibly interested.
Ludwig nodded, smiling a little, happy to show off his acheivements, "Yes, I have won the past two competitions."
Feliciano let out a small squeak, "Did you get… a… prize? A prize for winning?"
Ludwig nodded again, "I have to trophies, they sit in my room."
"Oh," Feliciano cooed, "I would like to see you pole-vault, it would be fun!"
"Yes," Ludwig agreed, "Well they are doing tests today, after school. You could come and watch me then?"
Feliciano nodded happily, bouncing slightly on his feet as he did, "That would be fantastic!" he said loudly, "I will tell my fratello at lunch. This will be very fun, uh… What was your name?" he asked quickly.
"Ludwig," Ludwig smiled, "Ludwig Beilschmidt."
Feliciano nodded, stopping in his tracks as he noticed they were by the room his class was in. "Ludwig Beilschmidt… I will see you after school, and watch you do sport," he recited.
Ludwig nodded in reply again, then flinched as the smaller boy lifted himself onto his tip toes, and pressed their lips together. And his heart stopped.
The boy let out a tiny hum, and let himself fall back onto his heels before flashing a small smile and walking into the room.
"It," Ludwig stuttered, his breath catching in his suddenly dry throat, "It… was nice meeting you."
Thank you for reading. Please leave a review!