A/N: Ok, so I've been a terrible author and it's been like…months since I updated. 57 days I believe…I'm a terrible person and what's worse is that I won't be updating any faster. The fact is, I'm a senior in high school and I have finals soon and so many things…I do hope to get the next one up a bit sooner, but no promises. Also, you might notice how much cleaner the layout of my story looks. Well thank my new beta Lady-Pyrien for that. She's been so patient and amazing. This chapter I'm dedicating to both her and a fan that sent me one of the sweetest reviews ever, thepontomyway. Your review made me so happy. So without further ado, I give you the next chapter of Lost and Found.
Work moved by painfully slow for Feliciano Vargas. All he could think about at any given point in his day was Ludwig Beilschmidt. The tall, buff, blond German was drool worthy to anybody: Male or Female, straight or gay. He was a walking piece of protective hunk. As the thought found its way into Feliciano's mind, he blushed deeply and lost track of the money he was counting. He frowned a bit and his curl drooped. It had been three days since he had seen the tall German and it was a lot harder to stay away from him than he had previously thought. He twitched and fidgeted at the desk at the front of the orphanage, constantly checking the clock. A deep, German sounding voice shook him from his trance.
"You have a date with my brother or something?" Feliciano jumped and blushed deeply at Gilbert's question. "A-ah…w-well….V-ve~ Sort of. I'm going to surprise him at work after I get off. I t-think I get off earlier than he d-does and he told me where he works so…I was just hoping…" Gilbert cut him off by raising his hand. "You're rambling Feli. Don't worry about it. You can go now. Birdie is coming over soon anyway and he can help out." The older smiled at the blushing Italian and laughed when he ran out of the building.
Feliciano smiled as he stepped inside Ludwig's office building, he focused on keeping his heart beat down as he asked the secretary where he could find Ludwig Beilschmidt. She was a very nice lady and she even offered to show him up but he politely declined and asked her not to call Ludwig. He took the elevator up and bit his lip as he knocked on his potential boyfriend's door. He heard a rustling of papers and a very attractive German accent yelling that he'd be "right there!" The twitching Italian waited another forty-five seconds before he heard the call to come in. He opened the door and smiled brightly for his favorite German. "Hello Ludwig, I just thought I'd drop in and bring you lunch." He blushed furiously as he pulled a small box out from behind his back. Ludwig looked at him wide eyed. No one had ever brought him lunch at work and he wasn't quite sure how to handle the kind offering. "W-well thank you Feli…um would you like to come in?" He sounded awkward, unsure, but he was sincere, he wanted Feliciano's company on his lunch break. The hyper young man nodded and stepped into the very neat office. He looked around and smiled when he saw a window; the German man needed some light in his life. Feliciano sat down across from Ludwig as the German began to eat. After a few silent moments, Ludwig looked up and smiled a bit at Feli. Feliciano felt a blush creep up his face. He had never seen Ludwig smile like that, and it made his delicate heart flutter. "So, shouldn't you be at the orphanage?" Ludwig laughed a bit as he asked the flushing brunette.
"W-well yes…but Matthew came in to spend time with Gil before the wedding and he said that I could leave early and…"
Ludwig stopped him there. "Wedding? What wedding?" The German was shocked. His older brother was getting married. He felt odd, feeling so protective of the man he'd met not long ago, but they were brothers after all.
Feliciano looked down, realizing that he may have spoken out of turn. "Y-yeah…M-Matthew is a good guy. He's been more than good to Gilbert and Gilbert has been more than good to Matthew Ve~"
Ludwig was silent, unsure of how to deal with the news. His brother was getting married and he wasn't involved in the wedding. He had no right to be. Inexplicable tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, trying to cover up his ridiculous sadness.
Feliciano's eyebrows furrowed and he stood, wrapping his arms around the larger man, his eyes soft. "It's ok Ludwig…I'm sure Gilbert will want you at the wedding! H-hey…how about we go out. We can go to the park or maybe downtown and have fun!" Ludwig managed a laugh at the bubbly Italian. He always managed to make the usually nondescript man smile. He nodded and finished the lunch Feli had packed and grabbed his coat. "That actually sounds really nice Feliciano. I'd like that."
Feliciano led him to a small park a few blocks from his apartment and they walked around. The weather was pleasant and it was really quiet, much to Ludwig's pleasure. Feliciano would occasionally ramble on about something (usually pasta or his brother) but they walked in relative silence, a major feat for the jumpy Italian man. As the light began to dim, Feliciano turned to Ludwig, a soft blush covering his cheeks. "A-ah…Ludwig? It's getting kind of late and…and close to dinner time. Do you…I mean would you like to come to dinner, with me, maybe? Or I could make dinner at my apartment if you'd like that better." Ludwig blushed "Kind of like a date?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them, his blush becoming deeper. "Ve~ if you'd like it to be…then I do, too!" Feliciano smiled brightly, sliding his hand into Ludwig's, pulling him along behind him.
The restaurant was small and hidden down an alley, not the kind of place Ludwig would've found on his own, but he was glad that he had let Feliciano drag him along. They sat across from each other, a candle between them, soft music floating through the air. Their waiter had been an Italian man who spoke poor English so Ludwig had allowed Feliciano to order for him. It had been sweet really; Feliciano had been so excited to order for him that Ludwig just couldn't say no.
"So Ludwig, I still don't know very much about you. Where in Germany were you born? How old are you? What exactly do you do? Why did you just start looking for your brother now? When did you realize that you were gay? A-are you gay?" A sudden, harsh realization washed over Feliciano as he realized that he may have been coming on rather strong to a man that was just polite, not gay. He paled, his mouth open in shock.
Ludwig shook his head, his own eyes wide. "I was born in West Berlin before the wall was torn down. If I heard right, Gilbert was born in East Berlin. How they managed to get across, I don't know. I'm 26 and I work for a marketing agency. I started searching about five months ago when my parents told me I had a brother. I realized I was gay when I was fourteen years old and I couldn't get enough of makeover shows. I confirmed it when I got a boyfriend the following year. So yes, I am gay." A relived smile spread across Feliciano's face and Ludwig laughed softly. "What about you Feli? Where in Italy were you born? How old are you? What do you do besides work at the orphanage? When did you realize you were gay?"
Feliciano audibly sighed in relief. "I was born in Venice and I turn twenty-four in a few months. I volunteer at animal shelters, but the orphanage actually pays me, so that's my primary job. I guess I realized I was gay when I saw how happy my brother was with his boyfriend. A sense of jealousy washed over me and I knew that I wanted that happiness; either then or when one of the women at the orphanage dressed me in women's clothes." He laughed light heartedly and Ludwig looked at him a bit shocked. "W-well now that we're on the same page…" He was cut off when the waiter set down their food in front of them. Ludwig had to smile when He saw what Feliciano had ordered him; pasta with a rich, three-meat sauce, sausage appearing to be one of the major ingredients.
They ate in relative silence, enjoying their food and the fact that the other was sitting across from them. They spoke briefly, mostly asking questions about the others life: Their likes, dislikes, passions, goals and dreams. Ludwig was pleasantly surprised by what a passionate man Feliciano Vargas really was, and Feliciano was happy to know that not only had he ordered the right thing for the burley German, but that Ludwig Beilschmidt was a kind, compassionate man. They finished their meal and before Feliciano could even think of paying, Ludwig had put money and a tip on the table, taking Feliciano's hand and leading him out.
"Y-you know Luddy…I would've paid! I was planning on it, actually…I did ask you on the date Ve~"
Ludwig blushed at the use of the word date, and then something else caught his attention. "L-Luddy?"
Feliciano blushed and nodded. "Yeah…Luddy. Is…is it ok?" Ludwig nodded and subconsciously, so he told himself, squeezed the smaller man's hand.
They got to Ludwig's apartment, and he just couldn't say goodbye. He invited the Italian in and they sat on his sofa, drinking coffee and laughing, something Ludwig realized, was something he didn't do nearly enough. They told each other jokes and stories, forgetting about the time, or any other obligation they may have. As midnight hit, Feliciano sighed. "Ve~ I'm sorry Luddy but…Lovi might get mad at me if I'm home any later."
Ludwig shook his head. "It's much too late for you to be walking home now, even with an escort. Call your brother and tell him you're staying here with me." Feliciano blushed softly and nodded, sending his brother a quick text before turning off his phone and turning back to Ludwig.
"Thank you Ludwig…I really appreciate it." "Well of course…I want you to stay safe Feliciano…" His voice grew soft and he looked down, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks. It was true though, he felt rather attached to the small Italian man. His friendly smile, his kind eyes, that random curl sticking out of his head. They continued talking a bit until Ludwig came up with his next question. "So Feli…why do you style this curl in your hair?" He reached out, pulling it slightly to see if the gel would crack and stretch out the hair.
Instead, the younger man let out a soft moan. "P-please Ludwig…d-don't touch that." Ludwig's eyebrows furrowed, pulling it again, rather confused. Feliciano moaned again and swatted Ludwig's hand away. "T-that's actually part of my hair Ludwig! It's my erogenous zone!" Ludwig's eyes widened and pulled his hand away, blushing. "I…I'm sorry!" Feliciano shook his head, smiling shakily. "It's fine…you didn't know."
He quickly steered the topic away from his hair and they talked for another hour about everything else, going in depth about where they wanted to be in twenty years. Soon, both men began to yawn. Ludwig showed Feliciano where he would be sleeping, his eyes heavy with fatigue.
"T-thanks again Luddy…I appreciate it."
"Of course Feli, anytime…" Without thinking too much longer about it, Ludwig leaned in lying a soft kiss on the younger's lips. Feliciano stood for a second, in shock, before responding with much gusto. He wrapped his arms around Ludwig's shoulders and when they parted, both men had a deep blush covering their face, their breathing a bit shaky.
"N-night Luddy…"
"Night Feli…"
A/N: Hey, so you guys might also notice, that author's notes at the top now have underlines and this one doesn't. It's a new formatting thing, just bear with me here. Anyway, Reviews make this author write faster. Not trying to bribe you or anything (actually I am a bit) but it really does motivate me. So anyway, I hope you liked it. If you did, tell me in a review and if I like it tons, you'll see your name in an author's note, if you didn't like it, review and tell me why! I like constructive criticism.