Ludwig Beilschmidt is not the type of person to be late for work, or anything for that matter. He's found the most efficient route from the flat that he shares with his brother to his place of work exactly seven minutes away by foot. He carries everything he needs for work every day in a sleek, black briefcase. He imagines he must look important by the way he walks down the sidewalk, taking each step with purpose. He's a fit man, with blond hair slicked back into a sharp style that doesn't get in the way, and stoic blue eyes set straight ahead. Nothing can distract this man when he's truly focused.

That being said, he must not have been that focused this morning on his way to work. Or maybe there was just someone out there who could break through his concentration with such ease. He told himself it had to be the former, though, because it scared him quite a bit to think that someone could actually do the latter. In any case, there was something that distracted him from his straightforward walk when he arrived at the final pedestrian crossing. His route demanded he wait for the light to turn green and continue across, but something else told him to turn right.

A sad, beautiful song floated down the street, played on a violin from what he could tell.

The light on the crosswalk signal turned green, and the people around him, also dressed in their business best, began to cross, but Ludwig stood in his place. People bumped into him and gave him dirty looks, some of them telling him to move it, but he ignored them. He listened some more to the music coming from the street to his right. It tugged at his heart, somehow, which was very peculiar for him. He looked down at the watch on his wrist. He was running early… Maybe he could afford to check it out?

The signal blinked to red and showed the warning numbers counting down to zero, prompting the slower people in the middle of the street to speed up, but Ludwig wasn't with them. He'd turned right and followed the music until he found the source. He'd expected it to be playing from speakers in front of a building to attract customers, but didn't think there would be somebody actually playing.

Against the wall of a building, playing a seasoned violin that had probably seen better days, was a man. He was almost unhealthily skinny, dressed in ragged black dress pants with holes in the knees, and a green shirt under a patched up black jacket. The violin's case, which looked like it was in the same poor condition as the violin itself, was propped open next to him, inviting any donations. There were only a few lonely nickels sitting on the tattered red velvet. He played with emotion, swaying gently to the slow beat of the song as he dragged the bow across the strings and danced his fingers along the neck. His eyes were closed, and a single curl swept away from the rest of his auburn hair bobbed slightly as he moved to the music.

The sight was actually… quite beautiful.

Ludwig stared in awe until the song came to an end, the man lowering the instrument from its position under his chin and opening his eyes. He smiled and looked in Ludwig's direction.

"Hello!" he greeted cheerfully. "Did you like my song?"

"… It was…" Ludwig began, looking at the man's oddly amber-colored eyes. They were filled with joy despite the saddening music he'd just finished playing. Ludwig couldn't understand how he could seem so happy. "…It was beautiful." The man's smile broadened.

"Grazie! I'm so glad you enjoyed it," he chirruped. He sat the violin in its case and held out his hand. "My name it Feliciano Vargas, but friends call me Feli! Who are you?"

Ludwig looked at the hand for a moment before realizing what Feliciano wanted. He hastily shook it and gave his own name. "I'm Ludwig. Ludwig Beilschmidt."

"Ludwig! Got it!" he beamed. "Can I call you Luddy?"

"No," Ludwig immediately deadpanned.

"Oh, boo," Feliciano pouted playfully before laughing. "You're nice, Ludwig! Not many people stop by while I'm playing. Or look at me, for that matter."

"Do you play here every day?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano shook his head no.

"No, this is my first day here. The manager of the place I used to play by made me move. But that's okay! If I hadn't moved, I wouldn't have met you, Luddy!"

Ludwig blushed and glanced around to make sure nobody had heard that. It was embarrassing. "Erm… right. Please don't call me that…" He looked at his watch and noticed that he would be late if he lingered any longer. "Listen, I need to go. It was good meeting you," he said. Feliciano nodded, perhaps a little sadly.

"You too! If you can, stop by again sometime! I don't really have a home, and I like the company."

Ludwig could almost feel his heart break in his chest. He'd guessed already that the man was homeless, but hearing him say it outright, just like that… "Of course I will," he said without really realizing what he'd just promised. Feliciano brightened significantly when he said that.

"Oh, thank you so much! I look forward to it!" he said happily. Ludwig nodded and turned around, bidding him goodbye. He paused mid-stride, though, and looked back just for a moment.

"Feliciano," he called. Feliciano was about to pick up his violin and resume playing when he heard Ludwig and looked up, waiting for him to say something. Ludwig struggled with the words, trying to get them out right. Finally, he settled upon: "You should play something happier. Sad songs don't suit you."

Feliciano's eyes widened in surprise, and he blinked blankly, not seeming to understand. Ludwig didn't wait for him to respond. He turned back around and briskly walked down the sidewalk, blushing furiously. What was with him today? Introducing himself to this perfect stranger he'd just met on the side of a street (who was homeless, of all things), being late for work…

Oh dear, he was late for work…

If there was anyone in this city more punctual and uptight than Ludwig, it was his boss, Roderich Eldenstein. He was always at the office before Ludwig, no matter how early he got there. He was a man Ludwig could respect, as he seemed to be one of the very few sane people in the building. With that said, it wasn't as if he and Ludwig were the best of friends. Their relationship was strictly professional as far as Ludwig was concerned, though Roderich did seem to tolerate him more than others due to his excellent work ethic.

Maybe it was because of that "Not Enemy" status that Roderich didn't comment on Ludwig's later-than-usual arrival that morning as he would have with other workers. Whatever the reason, Ludwig was grateful that Mr. Eldenstein hadn't asked about why he was late. Ludwig was a terrible liar, and frankly he didn't want to recount his odd encounter to his boss so early in the morning when he could be getting work done.

He arrived at his small, meticulously ordered office, and sat at the desk, emptying his briefcase of its contents and arranging them in such a way that he could get to them in the order he would need them that day. The walls sported a few paintings he had collected over the years, and a plain black clock. There was also a large potted plant in the corner, but that was it. His coworkers complained that his office was too boring, but he thought it was quite lively enough. Anything more would be distracting, like Feliciano and his music— oh… That was an odd thought… Well, hopefully the strange man wouldn't be on his mind for long. It would be unfortunate to waste time daydreaming, he thought.

However, he simply couldn't stop thinking about their strange meeting the whole day. Feliciano's face kept popping up in his mind at random, and that song was stuck in his head. He'd resorted to humming it while he was in the hall, earning bewildered stares from his coworkers. Ludwig never hummed, even though he worked in the place he did. It was incredibly difficult for him to concentrate, and he just barely finished his work on time. It had been the most frustrating day of his life, and he felt ready to pull his hair out just to relieve the stress. He packed up his things quickly and left as soon as he could. He needed to get home and relax, or he would go mad!

Ludwig left the building with a harsh scowl on his face. How dare that stranger invade his thoughts while he was at work! As if his job wasn't difficult enough with the idiots he had to put up with, somebody just had to waltz in and mess with his head. He angrily hummed Feliciano's song as he crossed the car-clogged street. The rush hour was just one of the reasons why Ludwig was glad he walked rather than drove to work. He supposed it now had something to do with— Augh, NO! He had to stop thinking about him! Even now, as he passed by the street where he knew the man would be playing, but couldn't hear him due to the noisy traffic, his better judgment told him to keep walking and ignore him. But there was just something in the back of his mind that slowed him down to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. It felt like it possessed him, made him spin around and turn down the street where Feliciano would be. An odd feeling settled itself in his gut. Why couldn't he hear Feliciano playing? Even over the roar of traffic, his music should have been loud enough to be heard from this far.

He scanned the sidewalk for the place he would be playing, and finally found him sitting, slumped against a wall with his head on his knees. Immediately, Ludwig sped over to him to see what the matter was.

"Feliciano?" he asked carefully. "What's wrong?" Feliciano lifted his head to reveal tears falling down his face. Why the hell was he crying?

"O-oh, L-Luddy, it's just… ho-horrible!" he sobbed, reaching out and clinging to Ludwig, who blushed and awkwardly patted him on the back. They were attracting stares from the people passing by, so Ludwig tried to pull away, but Feliciano had a death grip on his arm.

"Erm… what's horrible? What happened?" he asked, slightly— no, definitely not concerned at all. Feliciano sniffled and tried and failed to form a coherent sentence several times before finally managing to say something that made Ludwig, for the first time in a long time, very, very upset.

"S-somebody stole my violin!"

After calming down Feliciano as much as he could, Ludwig finally arrived home, exhausted. He'd never had a day as stressful as this one, and he simply couldn't wait to collapse into bed. He felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. If he could only lie down and get a good night's sleep, he might be able to put this whole day behind him and start fresh tomorrow…

"Hey, bro, wanna— Oh, what's wrong?"

Ludwig glared up at his brother, trying to get the message across that he was not in the mood for games. "I've had a rough day, Gilbert; I don't want to do anything."

Gilbert; a man with white hair that he was strangely enough born with, and even stranger red eyes; smirked a smirk that Ludwig knew always brought trouble.

"Aw, come on! Quit being such a stick in the mud! You know what you need after a long day? We should go out and grab a few beers. You'll feel better after that, right?" Gilbert pleaded. "I was gonna invite Toni and Francis out for drinks anyway."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. There was no way he was going out tonight. Alcohol was the last thing he needed, especially when he had work in the morning.

However, Ludwig had forgotten just how convincing his older brother could be, and wound up tagging along despite his initial protest. Gilbert's two rather obnoxious friends, a Frenchman named Francis and a Spaniard named Antonio, met them at the bar as Gilbert mentioned. It was a rather shady place that Gilbert frequented, but Ludwig didn't trust it. Still, they found themselves there, surrounded by a thick cloud of cigarette smoke and the scent of alcohol. Men were throwing back drinks and laughing loudly, some already appearing to be quite drunk. Gilbert and his friends set off for a table, while Ludwig lingered around the bar, not really looking for a place to sit. He wasn't planning on drinking, not when it was a work night, but he humored his brother by coming anyway.

His eyes and ears wandered around the place, catching snippets of conversations from the intoxicated patrons.

"NAW, dude, you're too good for her!"

"Dammit, I hate my boss…"

"Oh, hey, I have a good joke!"

"Lookit this! Picked it up off the street today. How much do you think it's worth?"

Ludwig's interest piqued at that last thing, and he looked across the room at the person who had said it. It was a man with spiked up blond hair and blue eyes. He was tall, but not taller than Ludwig. It was obvious he was drunk, as he was swaying in his seat and didn't seem to be able to control the volume of his voice. He seemed to be accompanied by four others, all sitting in a large booth together. He bent down and picked up a battered black case from the floor and placed it on the table. "It's in pretty bad condition, but somebody'll want it, right?" the man slurred. He opened the case and showed off what was inside.

It was Feliciano's violin.

The people around the man seemed surprised at his find.

"Are you sure you just found that on the street?" a short man with purple eyes and blond hair asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it was just sitting there!"

"Quit shitting us. I don't believe you," another said, this one with a bored, if not somewhat irritated, expression.

"I swear! Why won't you just trust me, huh?"

Ludwig was positively fuming. What kind of sick person steals from a homeless man? He stormed over to the thief's table with an angry frown on his face. The man's friends noticed Ludwig and looked at him in confusion.

"Hey, Mattias, like, who's your friend?" a third said, with silver hair and brown eyes. "He looks angry at you."

"Why would anyone be angry at me, huh?" the man, Mattias, asked with a laugh, before turning around and actually acknowledging Ludwig. He stood and sized up the sober man with a cocky smirk on his face. "Aww, what are you so pissy about? Jealous of my sweet violin?"

"That's not yours," Ludwig growled. Mattias just rolled his eyes.

"Of course it is! I found it, so it's mine!"

"You didn't find that violin. You stole it from a homeless man on the street," Ludwig gritted out. His eyes flashed dangerously, and Mattias' friends became nervous.

"I knew you couldn't just find something like that…"

"Dude, you stole it from a homeless guy? That's just messed up."

"Why the hell would you do that?"

Mattias looked panicked at being found out so quickly, and slammed the case shut. "You guys are turning on me, just like that?" he shouted. Ludwig didn't know if the man was always like this, or if he'd really had that much alcohol that night, but when he tried to pick up the violin and run away, he stumbled, falling flat on his face. The violin dropped from Mattias' grip, and Ludwig dove to catch it reflexively.

"Ow… owowowow… What the fuck?" the fallen man moaned in confused pain. Ludwig stared down at him for a few moments before looking back up at his group of four friends. Two of them looked shocked, one scared, and the last completely impassive.

"I'm taking this back to its rightful owner," Ludwig announced to the group.

Nobody objected, and Ludwig strode out of the bar with the violin, not bothering to retrieve his brother.

"Here."

Ludwig held out the violin to Feliciano, who was sitting in his spot on the sidewalk. It was early morning; much earlier than the day before, because Ludwig didn't want to be late for work two days in a row. The poor man looked up sadly at first, but when he saw what Ludwig carried, an ecstatic grin split his face. He jumped up and took the case immediately, opened it, and studied its contents with a keen eye. After making sure it wasn't broken, he took the instrument out and placed it in position under his chin. He plucked the strings, presumably to check its tuning. He was beaming the entire time, bright eyes shining with joy.

"Oh, Luddy, thank you thank you thank you thank you! I really, really thought I would never see it again, but you brought it back for me, and I'm so happy I could just— oh, you have no idea how worried I was!" he cried. Feliciano put down the violin and wrapped his arms around Ludwig in a near-choking hug and sobbed in happiness. They were attracting stares again, but this time Ludwig didn't mind. He'd done a kindness for someone less fortunate than himself, and that alone was enough to make a fulfilled feeling spread from his head to his toes. He let himself smile. Just a little bit.

"All right, all right, that's enough," Ludwig said as he pulled away from the impromptu hug. "I expect you to take better care of that thing. It was very lucky that I happened to find it so quickly, but that doesn't mean it'll happen again! Protect it with all you have! Got that?" Ludwig instructed sternly.

"Got it!" Feliciano piped up with a little sniffle. He took up the violin and bow once more and played the beginning notes of a song. "I practiced this one yesterday morning after you left," he explained over his playing. "I thought it was happier, and you told me to play a happy song, so this is for you, Luddy!" After he finished talking, he dove into the song. His eyes closed in concentration, as Ludwig noticed he tended to do when he was playing. The tune was upbeat, and rather than smoothly and slowly running the bow over the strings, he let it bounce when it hit the taut playing surface. He played it like a fiddle rather than a violin, a style one rarely saw in New York. He all but danced along to the rhythm, his foot enthusiastically tapping out the quick beat. Some people stopped for a while to listen, but they all moved on eventually. Too soon, the song was over, and Ludwig was the only one left to wonder at the man's talent once again.

Feliciano opened his eyes and smiled brightly, the same way he had yesterday morning.

"Better?" he asked. Ludwig was quiet for a second, then nodded.

"Better."

"You'll come back tomorrow, right?"

"I will. Promise."

"And the next day? You'll come then, too?"

"Yes."

"What about next week?"

"… If you want me to, I will."

"Yay! That's happy!"

Ludwig didn't know what kind of relationship he had with Feliciano. He was obviously more than just a stranger, but he didn't want to call him a friend, either. It had been two weeks since Ludwig first met him, and every day without fail he visited the violinist. Feliciano played many different songs for him; some of them sad, but most of them were cheerful or classical. He didn't always play for Ludwig, though. Sometimes the two just talked. Feli was very good at that. So good, in fact, that Ludwig rarely had to say anything, which was just fine with him. When he did get to speak, though, Feliciano was sure to be attentive and quiet so Ludwig could get his point across.

Looking back, Ludwig realized that his life had been quite… boring before Feliciano had face-planted into it. The people who worked with him noticed he was happier. His bulletin board was becoming crowded with little drawings done on scrap paper by Feli (his talents didn't seem to be limited to just music), so nobody could complain about his office being boring anymore. He even had someone to talk to when he got lonesome (which was more often than he used to think).

Actually, Feliciano had done a lot for Ludwig. Enough to make Ludwig feel like he wasn't reciprocating. He'd read books about how to make friends, and they all said that you should give the same amount that you receive, if not more, to keep out of "friendship debt," as one book had put it. As cold as Ludwig usually was toward others, he truly did want to call Feliciano a friend.

But what do you give the man who wants nothing more than to enjoy the company of others?

"Feliciano," Ludwig said to the man early one morning during a lull in their conversation. "How would you like to see where I work?"

The question took Feli off-guard, and he simply stared uncomprehendingly until he understood what he was being asked. "You want… me to see where you work?" he asked in awe. "Oh, but what should I wear? You always wear such fancy clothes to work, and mine are all ripped up and dirty! I'll look so silly! What would your coworkers think? What would your boss think? I would be kicked out for sure!" he fretted needlessly. "What if you get in trouble? You work in a really important place, I'm sure, so bringing me would be—"Ludwig waved off his worries.

"You shouldn't concern yourself about that. You won't get kicked out; I'll make sure of that."

"And you won't get fired?"

"Of course not!" Ludwig answered incredulously. He didn't bother to ask what could have possibly given Feliciano that notion. He overreacted about the strangest things sometimes. "We can go now if you like. Don't forget your violin."

"Right!" Feliciano agreed and picked up his instrument. Ludwig took his own briefcase and led Feliciano on his route to work. "What kind of place do you work at? You never told me!"

Ludwig didn't answer immediately, debating whether or not he should keep it a surprise. Finally, he decided to just tell him. "I work at a record company in the Artists and Repertoire Department," he said as they crossed the street. Feliciano didn't seem to get it and only blinked. "In other words, I am a talent scout," Ludwig elaborated. Feliciano's mouth made a little "o" shape as he caught on to what Ludwig was trying to tell him.

"So… are you saying I… You want me to…?" Feli stumbled, coming to the correct conclusion. "But… But don't I need a demo CD first? I don't have anything to show off! Who will record something for me?"

Ludwig had been prepared for that answer and nodded ahead of him. "I have professional recording software on the computer in my office, and a high-quality microphone. It's as good as any studio. We're very early, so nobody will interrupt us."

For once, Feliciano was silent. He appeared to be mulling things over quite a bit. Ludwig let him think as they arrived at their destination. He opened the building's door for Feliciano, who quietly entered. As Ludwig predicted, there wasn't a soul in sight, and they were free to navigate the building without question. Eventually they wound up in Ludwig's office. Feliciano gazed curiously at the few paintings that adorned the walls. Ludwig could tell he wanted to ask something about them but was trying to be quiet by the way he pressed his lips together as he looked around. It's funny what you pick up about a person simply by spending time with them.

Ludwig turned on his computer and started up the recording program. Feliciano took out his violin and began tuning it. He looked nervous. Ludwig wondered if it had been a bad idea to suddenly bring the man in to play for a machine, but then Feliciano's eyes sparked with determination and he propped the violin under his chin.

"Are you ready?" Ludwig asked. "It'll be just like when you play for me on the street." Feliciano didn't hesitate with his answer.

"Yeah."

"Mr. Eldenstein," Ludwig said, striding into his boss' office. "I have someone I think you might like."

"Is that right? And so early in the morning?" commented the tired executive. "Please tell me it's not another trashy pop singer. We've already had one of those this week thanks to Mr. Jones, and I don't think I can bear to listen to another."

"No, it's not a pop singer." Ludwig knew exactly how much his boss detested modern music. It was a hatred they shared, as both Roderich and Ludwig strongly preferred classical to other genres. Ludwig withdrew the CD he'd created with Feliciano not ten minutes ago and handed it to Roderich who inserted it into his computer. "I discovered him two weeks ago. I've seen him play a wide variety of music, ranging from classical to bluegrass. He's got quite a bit of talent."

Roderich began to ask something, but then the music began playing. Feliciano's first piece was something pretty and classical. Feliciano couldn't tell Ludwig the name, because the violinist didn't know himself.

"When I hear something, I just play it. I can read music a little, but I prefer to pick the notes out by myself. That's why I don't know the names of a lot of the songs I play, because people don't tell me."

"What is his name?" Roderich asked as the song changed to an upbeat southern tune.

"Feliciano Vargas."

Roderich hummed and listened to the song some more. "I would like to meet Mr. Vargas. Very much so. When is he available?"

Ludwig's heart leapt. That was a very, very good sign. Mr. Eldenstein was rarely this agreeable. "Right now if you'd like, sir. He's just in the hallway—"

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

"What on Earth was that?" Roderich asked in shock. Ludwig was just as confused as his boss, and opened the door to the hall to find Feliciano in hysterics against Ludwig's coworker, Arthur Kirkland.

"WAA! I'm sorry! But that food is terrible! How do you choke down that tasteless lump?"

"I'll have you know my grandmother handed down that scone recipe! Your stomach was growling so loudly I couldn't focus, so I gave you something to eat, you ungrateful little runt!" Arthur retorted. "What are you even doing in this building? I have half a mind to call security and get you—!"

"That is quite enough!" Ludwig shouted at the quarrelers. The two jumped and looked up from their argument.

"Oh, Luddy, finally!" Feliciano exclaimed, completely abandoning a ranting Brit. He happily latched onto Ludwig's arm and bounced from excitement. "What did your boss say? Did he like it? Did he really really like it?"

"…Luddy?" Roderich mumbled, flabbergasted. "Mr. Beilschmidt, do you know this man?"

"He— um…" Ludwig stammered, trying to get Feli to release his arms from their vice-like hold. "What I mean to say is… This is Feliciano. Feliciano, this is my boss, Mr. Eldenstein."

Feliciano stopped bouncing and looked up at Roderich, awe filling his widened eyes. "Ohhh. You're Luddy's boss?" He finally let go of Ludwig's arm and held out his hand to greet the important man. Roderich shook it, confusion, curiosity, and a little amusement mingling in his expression. "I'm Feliciano Vargas, but my friends call me Feli! Did Luddy show you my demo? Did you like it?"

"You… You're Feliciano Vargas?" Roderich asked in disbelief, looking the young violinist up and down. He wasn't pleased with the way Feli was dressed, that much was clear by the way his nose turned up slightly. It was a subtle enough movement that Feliciano didn't notice and gave an oblivious smile, but Ludwig had been looking out for it. "Excuse me, but I was expecting a… different sort of person," he supplied, regaining his composure. "Please, come into my office where we can discuss this privately." He waved Feliciano through the door, but stopped Ludwig when he tried to go with him. "In private, Mr. Beilschmidt. This will only take a few minutes."

Ludwig and Feliciano exchanged a worried glance before Roderich closed the door behind himself and Feli.

"… Who in the bloody hell was that? The nerve of him! I don't care how well you know him, that man is rude prick for insulting someone he's just met! If I were you, I wouldn't associate myself with him anymore; no matter how 'talented' you think he might be, manners apply to all—"

Ludwig ignored Arthur's ranting and opted instead to sink down against the wall and shut out the irritating Brit. Even though his expression was kept stoic and cold as usual, an unwelcome worry clawed at his stomach. There was no reasonable explanation for why these stupid emotions of his ran rampant when it came to Feliciano. But what would he do if Feliciano was rejected? How would the man react? Would he look to Ludwig for comfort, or would he become upset with him for even trying, and then disappear from his life forever?

Even though he'd known the violinist for such a short time… Ludwig didn't think he could deal with that.

After an agonizing ten minutes, the door suddenly opened. Feliciano stepped out alone, with a strange expression Ludwig had never seen on his face before. Ludwig immediately stood and asked the question that had been eating at him:

"Did he say yes?"

Feliciano smiled up at him, a little bit sadly, but it was a smile nonetheless. Ludwig began jumping to conclusions. He didn't make it. He didn't make it and Roderich had ridiculed his unfortunate position and his clothes. He didn't make it and he'd done something to make Roderich upset enough to kick him out. The worry was back, increased ten-fold, and spreading through his body. Why the hell did he even care so much—?

"Yes," Feliciano replied quietly. "He offered me a contract for a debut single with the company…"

Ludwig's mouth twitched into a rare, relieved smile. "Feli, that's wonderful! Have you decided which song you're going to—?"

"But I turned it down."

Ludwig's excitement died down almost instantly. "You… Excuse me?" Ludwig was baffled. "Why? Why would you refuse such a great opportunity?"

"Be-because…" Feliciano stuttered, tears starting to well up. "Because I'm afraid I would get lonely…" he finally admitted. Ludwig still didn't understand. "What if I don't make it? What if nobody else will want to buy my music, and then I'll just be a stupid failure, because nobody really listens to classical or instrumental stuff anyway. And if I do get popular, what if I have to move far, far away?" he nearly sobbed. "I-I would miss you too much!"

"Feli…" Ludwig started exasperatedly, drawing the crying man into an awkward hug. "Please stop crying."

Feliciano hugged Ludwig back, but continued to sob. "I c-can't!"

"Yes, you can," Ludwig said, a bit more irritably.

"Noooo—!"

"Feliciano Vargas!" Ludwig snapped, pulling away from the hug and holding Feliciano at arm's length. "Stop crying right now and listen to me!"

Feli sniffled, but stopped crying. Ludwig sighed.

"You don't understand just how great you could be," he started. "What you can do with that violin is something some people can only dream about. You like to make people happy, right?"

"… Yes…"

Ludwig nodded. "Right. You can make people happy by playing, Feliciano. They would love you. I believe that this is what you were meant to do. Please, do the world a favor and be a musician."

Feliciano was quiet for a very long time by Ludwig's standards. He shuffled his feet awkwardly and fixed his gaze on the floor in thought. He pressed his lips together, thinking over a question.

"Would you…" He hesitated. "If I had to move far away, or travel a lot, would you… wait for me? And meet me back here?"

"Feli, I don't think—"

"Promise!"

Ludwig stared at the man for a long moment before reaching out and hugging him with a sigh.

"Okay… I promise."

In the end, Feli went back to Roderich to accept the contract. The debut CD, which consisted of a single original bluegrass tune, was exceedingly popular in the south, and as predicted, Feliciano soon had to travel to North Carolina for concerts and other gigs in small towns. Ludwig escorted him to a train station, as it would be a much cheaper way to travel. They exchanged a final hug on the platform before Feli pressed a folded scrap of paper into Ludwig's hand and ran to catch the train.

Ludwig opened the paper and read what was written.

"Please wait for me.

Love,

Feli"

Ludwig would be lying if he said he didn't cry after Feliciano's train was out of sight.

"Bruder."

"…Ja?"

"What's wrong with you? You've been moping around ever since you saw off that Feli kid. Are you sick?"

"No, Gil, it's just… I don't know what to do any more…"

"… You loved him, didn't you."

"… Yeah. I think I did."

Four years passed, and many things changed. Ludwig got promoted. His brother found someone special and finally moved out. Arthur quit his job and moved back to his hometown in England, which was something everybody at the office was glad for, as nobody was on particularly good terms with him anyway.

Some things stayed the same, though. Ludwig lived in the same flat, worked in the same building, took the same route to his job, always turned right onto the side street before the last crosswalk on his way, just to make sure…

It was the same thing today, as well. Ludwig almost dared to say his life had returned to normal. A mundane routine, a limited social life, and very few distractions were all he needed, after all.

Right?

Right.

No… distractions…

"Mr. Beilschmidt?"

Ludwig looked up from his work to find his boss standing in the doorway.

"Yes sir?"

Roderich adjusted his glasses absently. "You've been working hard lately. I think you deserve the rest of the day off," he said with a knowing smile.

Well.

That was… odd.

"Oh. Um… Thank you, sir," Ludwig said, more than a little bit surprised. Roderich nodded and left Ludwig to methodically pack his things.

That was a very strange thing for Roderich to do, Ludwig thought as he walked out through the building's glass double-doors. In all his years of working under him, not once had he ever allowed even his best and hardest working employees to simply "take the rest of the day off." It was indeed a mystery, and Ludwig didn't understand.

That is, until he stopped at the red light of the crosswalk and heard the sweet, slow notes of a sad, familiar song.

Ludwig's heart raced, and before he could think about what he was doing, he ran across the street into traffic. A few cars swerved and stopped suddenly, some drivers cursing and shouting at him, but he didn't care. He was on the other side, turning left and sprinting down the sidewalk.

There, just a little bit further ahead, was a man dressed sharply in a clean black jacket and dress slacks. Beneath the jacket was an ironed, green cotton shirt. He was slender, but not skinny. His shoes were shined to perfection. His hair, clean and soft-looking. A single curl still flew out and bounced as he swayed to the music he made. His eyes were closed in concentration, a small, serene smile on his face. Everything about him seemed to be completely different, yet hauntingly familiar to their first and last encounter.

Everything, that is, except for the worn violin he played with such beautiful emotion, and the battered case that sat open on the ground, inviting small donations.

The song brought a wave of nostalgia to wash over Ludwig.

It was a song he hadn't heard in over four years, after all, and yet he could still hum along to it.

The final notes sang out into the city street, and the man finally opened his amber eyes, looking at Ludwig for the first time in a long while.

They stared at each other in silence for a long minute, both seeming to be afraid that the other wasn't real, and that the slightest motion would make him disappear. The man in front of Ludwig lowered the violin from its position and set it down in the old case.

"Feli…ciano?" Ludwig whispered.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano cried in what Ludwig could only describe as pure joy. "You waited for me! You really did!" He jumped forward and hugged Ludwig as tightly as he could. Ludwig was slow to respond to the sudden display of affection, but eventually wrapped his arms around the smaller man anyway in a strong, loving embrace.

"I missed you, Luddy! I was so lonely!" Feliciano wailed. "It was really different down there! I got lost sometimes, but I learned a lot of new songs, and the people were nice, and nobody even shot at me! And I made a lot of money, Luddy! Isn't that good?"

Ludwig smiled fondly and patted Feliciano's back. "Yes, Feli, that's very good. I'm so proud of you."

The two men separated at last, both smiling. Four years was a long time to reflect on everything they had gone through in only two weeks. It was a long time to miss a person who had just walked into his life, and walked right back out just as quickly.

"Feli—"

"Ludwig, I love you!" Feliciano interrupted suddenly in a stroke of boldness. "I love you for noticing me, and for getting my violin back after it was stolen, and for talking to me, and for helping me start a career, and… and just everything!" His courage didn't last long, and soon he was trembling with nervousness. "But... But I get it if you don't like me back! I just thought I should let you know, and—um—I'm sorry! I really shouldn't have said that! I didn't mean it—!"

"Feliciano, shut up!" Ludwig exclaimed finally. He gripped Feliciano's shoulders, an action that made the smaller man squirm to escape at first, and pulled the man forward to place a forceful kiss on his lips. Feliciano stopped struggling and just stood there, not fighting Ludwig, but not kissing him back either. Then, slowly coming back to his senses, he pressed back, earning a soft sigh of relief from Ludwig.

Yes, he'd been waiting far too long for that, Ludwig decided.

After a few seconds, the pair broke apart, and for a time, Ludwig felt as if there was nothing else in the world besides he and Feliciano, as sappy and cliché as that sounded. The moment of blissful ignorance was brief, however, and Ludwig suddenly realized that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, attracting the bewildered and disgusted stares of bystanders. He took a quick step backwards away from Feliciano, who just looked up at him with a smile. Thoroughly embarrassed, Ludwig looked away and stuttered:

"Do you, er, have a place to stay?"

"Yup!" Feliciano chirruped. "I'm staying at a hotel just down the street!"

Ludwig mentally slapped himself. Of course he was staying somewhere! It wasn't like he would willingly spend the night on the streets again. Even Feliciano wasn't that—

"I know what Luddy is trying to ask, though," Feliciano said with a big grin, interrupting Ludwig's train of thought. "And I would love to! Just let me get my stuff!"

And just like that, Ludwig was left standing in the sidewalk with a violin case, a confused expression, a helplessly in love heart, and nothing to do but wait for Feliciano to come back.

And Ludwig knew he would.

Two years later…

"Luddy! My new album is number one for the classical genre again!" Feliciano said enthusiastically from his seat on the couch with his laptop.

"That's great, Feli," Ludwig said, looking up from his breakfast and newspaper with a proud smile. "I told you they'd love it."

Feliciano beamed. "Yeah! That's four weeks in a row!"

"And to believe you almost didn't take up Mr. Eldenstein's offer because you thought… what did you say…? 'Nobody really listens to classical or instrumental stuff anyway!'" Ludwig said, imitating Feliciano's voice at the end. Feliciano giggled and faked a pout.

"Hey! That was a serious fear!"

"Right, right."

"Hey, Luddy?"

"Hm?" Ludwig hummed through a mouthful of food; he'd gone back to eating his eggs and toast.

"Guess which song is most popular?" Feliciano asked.

"Why? You're going to tell me anyway…" Ludwig mumbled to himself. "Which one?" he said, louder this time so Feliciano could hear.

"Guess!" Feliciano insisted. Ludwig heard the musician clicking away at things on his laptop, so he guessed that he was only stalling.

"Okay, fine, I'll guess." Ludwig racked his brain for a song that he thought would be remotely popular and rattled off the name. Feliciano shook his head.

"Nope! Try again!"

Ludwig continued guessing, each time earning a shake of the head from Feliciano, until he gave up.

"I don't know, Feli. Just tell me."

Feliciano's laugh rang out as he clicked on one final thing and turned the laptop around so the screen faced Ludwig. "It's this one!"

Ludwig strained his ears to listen, hearing nothing at first. Then, the first notes of a sad, beautiful, mournful piece he knew all too well poured from the speakers. He smiled fondly at the song; the first song he'd ever heard Feliciano play. Ludwig closed his eyes and hummed along, knowing that the melody would be stuck in his head for the next few days, but he didn't mind it anymore.

"Ah… That one. It's no wonder it's so popular," Ludwig remarked. "Brings back memories."

"Yeah…" Feliciano sighed. "But now I'm not sure what to put on my next album…" he said thoughtfully.

Ludwig was quiet, letting the song playing from the laptop finish before he said anything.

"I think… You should play them something happy."

A/N: It's finally done! TRUE KOREAN ENDING, DA-ZE~

*ahem*

Anyway, I'm sorry this took so much longer than I said it would. I can't keep any promises...

I have sunburn.

I'm going to have no internet for a week, so bear with me.

Random A/N is random.

Constructive criticism and comments are welcomed. Flames will be used to heat Russia's house.

~Jel