Preface: This is a Hetalia AU where the characters are NOT countries. They are human beings. Some things you should know before you start reading this and questioning its content: My friend Katherine and I, have come up with an entire headcanon world for our favorite Hetalia characters. Before this story starts, Feliciano and Ludwig had been in a committed relationship with each other for 2-3 years, however Feliciano went behind Ludwig's back and cheated on him with an unnamed woman. Feliciano has been staying at his brother Lovino's house ever since Ludwig had kicked him out. Lovino and Bella (Belgium) are married, with a son named Eric (OC). Tino and Berwald have been friends with Feliciano and Ludwig for a year or so. Feliciano is bisexual, Ludwig, Berwald and Tino are gay, and Lovino and Bella are straight. One last thing, Tino has bipolar disorder.
"Daddy help me build a city," Eric said, as he sat down on the living room rug and picked up multiple colored blocks. He stacked about six high, until the seventh always seemed to lean and knock the tower down.
"Alright Eric," Lovino agreed as he sat down next to his son. Lovino picked up some blocks and pretended they were cars and trucks on the road of the pretend city. Some of the automobiles then turned into parts of buildings as he helped Eric even out his skyscrapers.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door when both Eric and Lovino looked up. "Who's here?" Eric asked.
"Good question buddy," Lovino smiled, as he got up from the floor and tousled his son's hair. Lovino made his way to the door and opened it up to find Tino Oxenstierna standing on his doorstep.
"Feliciano's here, right?" Tino asked cautiously. Lovino and Tino had only met a couple of times at mutual parties and get-togethers with Ludwig and Feliciano.
"Yeah, he's here. He's always here," Lovino sighed. "He's hardly left the guest bedroom since the breakup."
"May I come in? I was hoping I could get him out of the house, maybe cheer him up a bit?" Tino asked hopefully.
"Be my guest. I'll consider it a miracle if you can get him past the bathroom," Lovino rolled his eyes, opening the door and stepping aside. "If you do end up getting him out of the house, Bella and I will have a chance to clean up the room a bit. Hopefully we'll be able to get the smell out."
Tino nodded and came inside the entryway. "I'll show you to the guest room," Lovino said and led him down the hallway. Lovino opened the door to the bedroom, revealing a stench of stale food and body odor. "Oh God," Lovino exhaled. "I should have gotten you a gas mask."
"It's fine," Tino assured, although his eyes were watering. Tino walked into the room and turned on the light. He saw a large lump underneath some covers on the bed.
"Go away," he heard Feliciano utter, muffled into a pillow.
"Hey Feli, it's me. Tino," he started.
"Tino? What are you doing here?" he asked with curiosity, although his body didn't move to actually see him come through the door.
"I came to get you out of bed," he said as he brushed some crumbs from Feliciano's sheets before sitting down on the edge.
"I don't want to," he mumbled stubbornly.
"Well that's too bad!" Tino swiped the covers from Feliciano's body and threw them on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Feliciano whined as Tino grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him out of bed.
"I'm taking you to a bar. And you're going to get back on your feet. You used to tell me all of these stories about how before you met Ludwig you'd go out to any bar and pick up anyone you felt like. Where's that Feli?" Tino almost yelled.
"He's gone," he muttered.
"No he's not. He's just afraid," Tino challenged. He hadn't known Feliciano for that long, but he knew that he never liked turning down a challenge.
"I'm not afraid," Feliciano shot into an upright position in shock.
"Damn, Feli, you look awful," Tino said, finally getting a full view of the Italian. His facial hair had grown out significantly, and underneath his eyes were puffy and red. His hair looked greasy and wild, pointing in every direction.
"Wow, thanks," Feliciano snapped and rubbed his eyes.
"Get yourself cleaned up," Tino ordered. "We're going out to a bar tonight."
"Ugh," Feliciano sneered with disgust. "Do I have to?"
"Yes," Tino said without another thought. "That means you're getting up, taking a shower, shaving, and I'll pick out an outfit for you before you're ready.
"What? No! No, no, no, no, you're not picking out my outfit. I'm picking it out," Feliciano said with horror.
"Fine. But what's wrong with me picking it out?" Tino pouted.
"Nothing... I just want to pick it out," Feliciano lied. He had never liked Tino's fashion sense, and shuddered to think of what he might pick out for him.
–––
It took Feliciano painstakingly long to make it to the bathroom and clean himself up. He cut himself a few times while shaving, since he hadn't been doing it regularly. And his dazed and confused frame of mind mixed up shampoo and body wash. But eventually he came out clean and kempt. Once he emerged into the guest bedroom, Tino smiled in excitement. "Now that's what I'm talking about." He followed up his comment with a wolf whistle and Feli brushed it off. However, he did feel a bit better, not only because of the comment but also the shower helped clear up the clouds of his mind a little.
"Now get out of here, I need to get changed. Which bar are we going to?" Feliciano asked as he held the towel around his waist and headed toward the closet.
"Waterworks," he shrugged and walked to the bedroom door to leave.
"The gay bar?" Feliciano asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Um, yeah. You wouldn't catch me dead in a straight bar," Tino rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him.
Feliciano took his time picking out an outfit and putting it on. Twenty minutes had passed, and he had picked out black jeans, a dark red shirt, and a black blazer to go over it. He took a few moments to assess himself in the full length mirror. He had to admit that he looked good, especially when he topped the look off by slicking gel through his hair.
"Are you almost done?" Tino asked through the door with impatience.
At that moment, Feliciano opened the door to reveal himself. "What do you think? Passable?" he asked.
"Passable? Oh please," Tino waved a hand in dismissal. "You're going to have every man in that bar wrapped around your finger."
"I'm not looking to hook-up Tino. I'm still in love with Ludwig... I just need to get out of the house, that's all," Feliciano said, but Tino wasn't buying it.
"Uncle Feli!" he heard a small child's voice from down the hallway. "You're awake!" he ran toward Feliciano, his feet making small thuds on the wood floor.
Feliciano cracked a smile and picked Eric up from off the floor. "Of course I'm awake bambino," he accentuated his accent on the last word. Eric giggled and held on tightly to his uncle's shirt. Feliciano thought about putting him down, but he decided to wait until he could hand him over to his mother.
"Bella, your crazy child is clinging to me," he joked half-heartedly. "Bella was leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. "Well he probably wouldn't be so clingy if you came out and played with him once in awhile," she snapped a bit. "But we're all glad you're well enough to come out of your cave." Bella walked over to take Eric from him, but he resisted.
"No, Mommy! I wanna stay with Uncle Feli," he pouted and clung even tighter.
"Sorry nipote. I'm going to a grown-up place, you can't come," he shook his head and kissed the child's cheek.
"Aww," he hung his head and then looked over at his mother. "Come here Eric. Why don't I put Dora the Explorer on and I'll make us some popcorn? What do you think?" she grinned. Eric nodded with a bit of reluctance, but shifted over to Bella's arms.
"I'll be back later Bella," Feliciano shrugged and walked toward the door, while Tino followed closely behind him.
"Take your time," Bella yelled back as she brought Eric into the living room.
–––
By the time that Feliciano and Tino had arrived at the bar, a few men had gathered around some scattered tables, while what looked to be a couple were singing "L.O.V.E." by Frank Sinatra on the karaoke microphone.
"Ludwig and I used to do karaoke..." Feliciano sighed.
"Well... tonight you and I can do karaoke," Tino suggested.
"It wouldn't be the same," Feliciano pouted.
"Alright, well how about we loosen you up and get some drinks in you," Tino said and pushed him toward two empty bar stools.
"What'll you have?" the bartender asked, raising an eyebrow toward Feliciano. Anyone would be able to tell that the bartender himself was interested in him, but the Italian didn't seem to notice.
"Two Long Island Iced Tea's please," Tino requested and leaned on the counter.
"Holy shit, are you trying to kill me?" Feliciano asked in alarm as the bartender mixed the drinks.
"No, I'm trying to help you out!" he defended.
"These fuck you up so fast though," Feliciano said as the glass slid in front of him.
"Enjoy," the bartender winked as he moved on to the next customers trying to get his attention.
"Damn, that bartender is a nice piece of ass. You should hit that," Tino said and took a long sip of his drink.
Feliciano stared at his glass as condensation formed at the bottom. "Ludwig used to love this drink," Feliciano replied.
Tino frowned, trying to find a way to change the subject to something else. "Wanna go upstairs to the club and dance?"
"Ludwig liked to dance," he grimaced.
"Look, I get it. Ludwig liked to do a lot of things. But unfortunately he's not here right now, and you're just going to have to snap out of it!" Tino yelled over the karaoke and smacked Feliciano straight across the cheek.
Feliciano blinked in surprised and felt the hot skin of his cheek enflame under his fingers. "What the hell was that for?!" he shouted.
"You could have anybody in the bar Feliciano. Do you know what I would give to be in your shoes right now? You're not in a committed relationship anymore, and you're still young and hot as hell. Just go out there and have fun!"
Feliciano pursed his lips and looked toward his drink. The ice was starting to melt, causing the drink to become watered down. "Fine," he mumbled and picked up the glass to chug it. It stung his tongue and throat, as half of the glass went down his gullet. The burning soon turned into a warm feeling deep in his belly. A tingling sensation chased through his veins, and up to his brain in less than a second.
"Woo!" Feliciano yelled and slammed the drink on the counter. There was still a half of it left, and Tino stared at him wide-eyed.
"Damn, Feli... are you okay? I didn't think that my slap would affect you that much."
"Okay? Hell yeah I'm okay! I'm great! I'm... I'm ready to party. Let's go dance!" he smiled with a shout.
Tino stirred his drink with the straw. "Yeah! Let's do it!" Tino laughed and chugged about a fourth of his drink before almost choking.
"Leave that to the professionals," Feliciano laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever. He grabbed his drink and Tino's hand and practically dragged him upstairs. Feliciano felt like he was in hysterics. He was smiling and laughing, but he had absolutely no idea why.
When the two arrived upstairs loud techno remixes of popular songs were blaring through the speakers. There were rainbow lights shining on the walls, and flickering around the dance floor. They both held their drinks and danced around the people on the dance floor. Periodically they'd sip from their drinks, while dancing with random strangers. Feliciano got rather close with a shirtless man with blonde tousled hair, until Tino pulled him away. "Let's go get more tea!" he shouted over the beat, showing his empty glass. Feliciano looked down at his, and realized that all that remained were a few ice cubes.
"Kay!" Feliciano turned to the hottie he was dancing with and licked his lips. "I'll be back for you later," he shouted in his ear.
The two headed down stairs to the same bar stools again, and got the attention of the bartender. "Hey cuties, back for more?" the bartender joked.
"Hell yes!" Feliciano laughed, leaning over the counter so close to the bartender that he nearly kissed him. "Two more Long Island Iced Teas please..." he said, biting his lip.
"Coming right up," the bartender said, mixing the drinks.
"Oh God, we're not going to be able to walk back to my car" Tino laughed, patting a hand on Feliciano's shoulder.
Feliciano laughed as his drink was handed to him. "So what are you doing later tonight?" the bartender asked. "I get off my shift at three if you wanna... hang out," the bartender slid his hand over the counter and leaned into Feliciano's direction.
"You wish," Feliciano smirked flirtatiously. "What makes you think you're better than that hot blonde upstairs waiting for me?" he countered.
The bartender gave a crooked smile and chuckled under his breath. "I could show you later, if you give me the chance."
Feliciano could feel his cheeks rushing with blood, along with another region of his body. "I could show you a thing or two, I think," the Italian retorted.
"Now, now boys," Tino laughed as he got in the middle of them both. He couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. He hadn't had a man, other than his husband, flirt with him in years.
"Looks like another customer's trying to get my attention... I'll catch up with you later," the bartender said and walked down to the other end of the bar.
Feliciano smirked and took another large gulp of his drink. And suddenly, everything hit him at once. Ludwig was gone, and he hated him. He would never get to see him smile again, he'd never get to sing karaoke, cook with him, dance with him, or sleep next to him again." He couldn't help the tears that stung the back of his eyes as they threatened to fall.
"I can't... do this," Feliciano said in a sudden mood of depression. "I can't just be out here, flirting with other guys and pretending like I'm not in love with someone else."
"But Feli... Ludwig is really angry with you right now. Who knows if he'll ever let you come back," he frowned, upset at the fact that Feliciano was depressed yet again. His mood was bound to bring Tino's down, since his moods were so easily swayed.
"Well I'm going to keep trying until he picks up the phone on day..." Feliciano said, set in his ways.
"Being in a committed relationship isn't all it's cracked up to be," Tino sneered.
"What are you talking about? You and Berwald are perfect together," Feliciano sighed and stirred his drink while taking a sip every once in a while.
"'Perfect' isn't the word. Everything is so boring in the bedroom," he confessed. "We rarely have sex anymore, and when we do it's about five minutes long and then we shut the lights off and go to bed. I want excitement... sometimes I wish I had what you have," he frowned.
"Depression?" Feliciano asked.
"No. Freedom. You can have absolutely any guy in this bar without consequences. I love Berwald, but I would kill for one night of 'inconsequential and flirtatious single freedom.'"
Feliciano thought about Tino's words as he looked around the bar. None of the men looked familiar, and the room felt like it was starting to spin. His eyes landed on Tino, and he could faintly hear him asking if he was okay in the background. It took him a minute to muster up an answer. When nothing came to him, he unthinkingly grabbed the blonde's face and pressed his lips against his.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he had pulled away, but Tino's face was in shock. "I didn't mean you should get with me-" His sentence was cut off when Feliciano kissed him hard again.
He felt Tino's tongue snake into his mouth, while his did the same. He pulled Tino closer to his body, pressing their chests together. He felt Tino slide off of the barstool, and tilt his head to the side. Feliciano knew the kiss wasn't exactly graceful, but at that moment he was filled with so much need for comfort and someone to be close to, he didn't even care. He laced his fingers through the other's hair, twirling the blonde strands aimlessly.
Tino's heart was beating faster, telling him that what he was doing was wrong, but he wanted it so badly. Tino pulled his lips away just long enough to whisper, "Maybe we should get back to your brother's house..."
Feliciano shuddered but nodded in agreeance. While still lip locked, he fumbled around in his pocket for a tip for the bartender. He left a couple of bucks on the counter and led Tino toward the exit.
He almost felt empathy for the bartender who so obviously wanted to sleep with him, but he could hardly think of that while he was pushing Tino up against his car's hood with lust.