Feliciano looked up and down the street, smoothing out the creases on his new shirt: Ludwig was late. From what Feliciano knew of him this was very unusual.
A smile filled his face as he saw the German walking towards him, he waved happily and walked up to him, trying not to stumble in the new heels that Elizabeth had insisted he wear.
"Hi," he said happily, pulling the taller man into a hug.
"Good evening Feliciana," Ludwig purred in return, the tone of his voice making Feliciano blush slightly, though he forced himself to ignore the small pang he felt at the sound of his name.
He pulled out of the hug, still smiling, "You're late," he said pointedly, "I thought you were never late."
Ludwig held out his arm, showing the watch on his wrist, "I'm on time by my watch."
Feliciano frowned slightly, looking down at his own watch, "Oh," he said almost sadly, "Mine must be fast then…"
"Well I hope I didn't worry you," he said softly as he began to walk down the road, letting Feliciano lead him towards the art gallery he'd suggested.
It was the last day of this exhibit and Feliciano's last chance to show off his artwork to anyone in such a setting; Feliciano worked in the gallery and the painting had been included as a favour to him when he left, he doubted his work would ever get into a place like this again. He was a hobbyist, not a serious artist, it was obvious to anyone with an eye for art.
As they walked through the gallery Ludwig didn't seem to be paying very much attention to the paintings, taking his eyes off Feliciano was a rarity.
"You've had your hair cut," he observed after a few minutes.
Feliciano glance down, his smile slipping slightly, "Oh, uh, yes, do you like it?"
Ludwig nodded, "Yes, it's nice… It's quite short."
Feliciano bit his lip softly, "Yeah," he said quietly, "I might get it shorter next time." He looked up at Ludwig, "You wouldn't mind that would you?"
The blond man shook his head, frowning slightly, "Of course not, it's your hair Feliciana, you can do whatever you want."
Feliciano felt his insides twitch at the mention of his name again, he swallowed hard before continuing. "…I decided not to wear a dress today either," he said in almost a whisper.
Ludwig nodded, "I noticed… you didn't seem comfortable in your dress at dinner. You still look nice though."
The smaller man felt himself smile, a slight warmth filling his chest, he wasn't sure why hearing that made him feel so happy.
They walked around the gallery together, Feliciano leading Ludwig slowly towards his painting, stopping him in front of it and letting him look it over.
"You painted this?" he asked, gesturing to the sign next to it with the artist's name.
Feliciano nodded, frowning slightly as the look on Ludwig's face, "…Don't you like it?"
Ludwig shook his head, glancing between the painting and Feliciano, "It's sad," he stated bluntly, frowning at Feliciano, "Feliciana why would you paint something like this..?"
He swallowed hard and shrugged, glancing down at his feet, "I don't know," he said quietly.
"Feliciana there's got to be a reason."
He let out a small huff, suddenly feeling tears well in his eyes and his lip quiver, "I-I don't know," he said again, his voice cracking slightly.
Ludwig frowned, "Then why are you upset? Feliciana, please tell me."
He shook his head, "I-I…" he stuttered slightly, wiping the tears out of his eyes, "I don't know. I've just… I feel so strange and I don't know why."
Ludwig chewed his lip, "You're not ill are you?"
Feliciano shook his head, taking in a deep breath, "…I used to think everyone felt like me, but I talked to Elizabeth about it, and she doesn't feel like this."
"Like what?" Ludwig asked, frowning through confusion.
"She likes wearing her dresses, she likes her body and she likes her name," he let out a small whimper, wiping his eyes again, "I like you, Ludwig, but whenever you say my name I feel sick, I hate it."
Ludwig's frowned softened, he sucked his lip softly and let out a small hum, "Well, then, what would you prefer me to call you?"
Feliciano stilled, pursing his lips and frowning, "I don't know… I don't know, but not Feliciana."
Ludwig smiled softly, "How about Daisy? That's a lovely name."
He shook his head again, blinking rapidly, "No, that's even worse… I don't like any girls names."
Ludwig shifted uncomfortably, "Then you want a boys name..?" he asked softly, trying to sound encouraging.
Feliciano felt his fists clench, he felt so confused; how was he meant to explain how he felt to Ludwig without knowing himself?
He paused for a moment, letting himself calm down before he answered, "…Yeah. I think so."
Ludwig swallowed hard and nodded, "Ok," he said sternly, "Then for the rest of today I won't call you by your name, and when you decided what you want me to call you, I'll call you that."
Feliciano felt a smile fill his face, he nodded softly and took a step forward to hug Ludwig tightly, "Thank you Ludwig…"
Please leave a review