Several months later... Feliciano was at home, sitting on his windowsill, gazing outside.
"It's kind of lonely here... but I get really nice letters from Miss Hungary so it's not as bad~! Hmm... I wonder how Ludwig's doing?"
Lovino, Feliciano's brother, was sitting on the couch behind him, with a scowl on his face.
"Dammit Fratello! Can't you just forget about the potato bastard already!" Lovino shouted. "He's probably locked up somewhere. He's not coming back for a while, get that through your head!"
Feliciano nodded hesitantly, knowing it was probably the truth. He slowly walked upstairs to his bedroom with a solemn face. With Lovino's words in his mind, he sat down at his desk, took out a pen and paper, and began to write.
As he wrote, a tiny yellow bird perched on the top of his desk.
Dear Ludwig,
I hope you know that I still love you and that I miss you very much! I miss cuddling with you, singing with you... making you pasta... sleeping in your bed... all of it! It's very lonely at my house with just Fratello but I get nice letters from everyone~! I want to know how you're doing~ You must be very lonely too...~ but maybe I can come visit you~! Because I know you miss me very much too, no matter what Fratello says... I await the day when everything will be right again~ Please reply, I miss you more than words can describe.
With lots of love,
Feliciano Vargas
Feliciano folded the letter and tucked it inside an envelope. He used a red pen to draw hearts and roses all over it, and write the name that meant so much to him.
Ludwig Beilschmidt
The little yellow bird picked up the envelope and delivered it to Ludwig, sliding it through the bars of his cell. With a "Piyopiyo" he flew off into the distance.
Ludwig had been sitting in a dark cell for the past few months. The lack of being able to be outside and proper food had caused his once blond hair to darken a bit and his skin to grow pale. All he could do while in the cell was keep up with what he could of his training to keep his muscles in shape and think back on his memories.
Most times he would end up wondering about Feliciano at some point, wondering if he was okay and possibly miss him. Ludwig missed the Italian's little quirks much more than he initially thought, even his obsession over pasta for practically every meal.
Ludwig had been thinking again when he was interrupted when he heard a little bird chirp, he looked up just as the letter it was carrying floated down from the window. He grabbed the letter and noticed Feliciano's handwriting on the envelope, slightly embarrased by the drawings on the front. As he read, he felt a small pang in his chest from missing Feliciano, but also a feeling of relief knowing that he is okay. He hid the letter under the pillow on his bed and looked around. Francis was his guard tonight and he knew he was going to regret asking but the words slipped out on their own.
"Oi, Francis, is it possible to get a notepad and a pen here?" Ludwig asked the Frenchman.
Francis looked at Germany with a slightly puzzled look. Ludwig had never said anything to him during the time that he was locked up and most likely not to Arthur or Alfred.
"Uh, sure," he said as he opened a drawer for the desired items and gave them to Ludwig through the cell bars.
"May I ask what it's for?"
"A letter that I need delivered when your shift is over, if it's not a problem. It's for Feliciano," he said, Turning away to return to his cot to write the letter.
Dear Feliciano,
I still love you too. I've missed you very much during these months and have thought about you. You are actually the first to write to me that wasn't because I owed money. Maybe you could visit, I'm not sure if they will let you, but you wouldn't believe how happy it would make me...
I hope that I can see your smiling face soon.
Love,
Ludwig Beilschmidt
Ludwig folded the paper and placed it in a makeshift envelope he made from the notepad paper before writing upon the front.
Feliciano Vargas
He handed the letter to Francis just before his shift ended and laid down on his cot, hoping the letter would reach it's designation.
Francis was tempted to look at the letter on the way to the Vargas brothers' house, but turned against it.
He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.
"Dammit, who is it now!" Lovino complained as he went to answer the door. "Oh, great, it's the wine bastard. What do you want!" Lovino complained as he saw who was at the door.
Meanwhile, Feliciano was upstairs in his bedroom, sleeping. He could almost feel Ludwig's arms wrapped around his body as he drifted off into dreamland.
"I have been asked to deliver a letter to your brother, is he home right now, mon chere?" Francis asked, holding the letter up as Pierre chirped.
As Ludwig laid on his cot, he overheard Alfred discussing with Arthur on a possible early release from his cell and to return to his home.
Lovino sighed. "Feliciano's upstairs, sleeping. Probably dreaming about the potato bastard, I'm guessing." He turned around with a huff.
"Dammit! Even under house arrest he's still more liked than me!" Lovino grumbled to himself as he walked into the kitchen. "He's already gotten fifteen letters from Hungary and twenty letters from potato bastard's brother! All I get is a long letter from Spain!"
Lovino sat down at the table. He took a tomato out of a bowl and ate it to forget his worries.
One could notice Feliciano's big smile as he slept if they were to walk into his bedroom.
"I can keep you company for a little bit after I give Feliciano his letter~," Francis said before walking upstairs.
Francis knocked on the door before quietly walking in.
"Feliciano?" he asked and stepped towards the sleeping Italian.
"Aww, he's asleep," He thought.
"...mmmm...~" Feliciano murmured as he curled up next to a fluffy white pillow. "...Ludwig...~" He mumbled, imagining Ludwig's arms wrapped around him.
"Dammit... why does Feliciano have to be in love with that potato bastard? That's all he ever thinks about nowadays, and I'm getting really sick of it. And he doesn't seem to care about all the crap macho bastardo pulled on us after we joined the Allies. Ugh..." Lovino grumbled as he started to sqeeze his tomato out of anger.
Francis smiled and placed the letter next to Feliciano on the pillow before walking out of the room, closing the door quietly.
As he walked back down the stairs, he heard Lovino grumbling in the kitchen.
"Are you sure you are not upset because Antonio has been busy lately from his people's turmoil?" he said, leaning against the doorway. "I think you are running a case of envy, mon chere. All because you now know that Ludwig has been thinking about your brother while having nothing to do as he is locked up and Antonio has yet to try to visit you."
Ludwig meanwhile was waiting for Francis to say he delivered the letter, when he sneezed.
He also heard Arthur mumble to himself where the "bloody bastard" went.
Lovino sighed, knowing that was the truth. "J-just leave me alone, dammit!" he shouted, trying to hide his feelings. "Why can't you get back to watching the potato bastard, where you're supposed to be?
Feliciano suddenly woke up from Lovino's shouting. He turned to see a letter right next to him. The Italian smiled as he read the letter and knowing Ludwig was okay.
"Veeee~ I knew Ludwig missed me too~" Feliciano said to himself as he got out of bed and began to write a letter in reply.
My dearest Ludwig,~
I'm so happy you're okay~! I would be crying right now if you weren't... but that doesn't matter now because you're safe~! Writing to you makes me happy~ it's almost like you're right there next to me~! I still wish you could hold me in your arms again~ I dream about you every night but then I miss you even more...
If you could have just one wish, what would it be? I'd wish that we could stay together forever, without war or anything to separate us... that would be the best wish ever~!
Ti amo molto~!
Con amore,
Feliciano Vargas
Feliciano folded the letter and slid it into an envelope, writing Ludwig's name on it, but then he heard some screaming downstairs...
"I do not want Fratello NEAR the potato bastard! And I'm going to make SURE he doesn't write any more letters." Lovino shouted. He then turned to Francis. "And you! Wine bastard! Get the hell out of my house!"
Feliciano ran downstairs to see his brother yelling at Francis. "Waaaahhh! Fratello! Calm down!" He quickly gave the envelope to Francis and then ran into the kitchen to give his brother a hug.
"D-dammit-! Get off of me! Enough with your hug therapy!" Lovino struggled to push Feliciano off of him, but it didn't seem to work.
"Calm down, per favore..." Feliciano asked his brother, petting his back.
Lovino sighed and submitted to Feliciano's "hug therapy".
Francis held the letter and smiled at the two Italians. "You are lucky to have a brother that cares for you, Lovino~," he smiled.
He waved to the brothers and walked out to deliver the letter.
Once he got back he got a slap in the face from Arthur for being late. Once Arthur left though, he gave Ludwig the letter and a real envelope to place his next one in.
"Danke, Francis," he nodded a little as he recieved it.
Ludwig read the letter carefully and remembered the Italian's warm hugs.
Dear Feliciano,
If I had one wish? Well, right now I would wish that I could be out so I could see your smiling face.
Hopefully by the time you reply I will be..
Ich liebe dich...
Ludwig Beilschmidt
"Fratello, I'm sick of you always thinking about the damn potato bastard! You can't even stay away from him for a month without talking about how much you miss him. Don't you remember what he did to our citizens! And almost wiping out an entire culture!" Lovino tried to knock some sense into his brother.
"It wasn't his fault, Lovino. His boss made him do these things. It's not his fault his boss was really crazy...!" Feliciano replied.
"Just let it go, and forget about him, dammit!" Lovino yelled before pushing his brother off of him and down to the ground.
"F-fratello..." Feliciano tried to reply, but he couldn't find the right words to say, with tears forming in his eyes.
A few weeks had passed since the last letter was sent.
The Allies had released Ludwig from his cell, but he had a curfew to be at his house by nightfall.
Ludwig had decided to make use of his partially returned freedom to try and visit Feliciano personally.
"Stop banging on the door, dammit!" Lovino yelled outside his brother's bedroom.
The current situation at the Vargas home wasn't well at all. Lovino had locked his brother in his bedroom. He took away every photograph of Ludwig that Feliciano owned, everything that reminded his brother of the "potato bastard".
"Why do you have to do this to me, Fratello...? Why can't you let me love Ludwig...?" Feliciano cried, still banging on the door, begging to be let out.
"You may love him, but that doesn't mean he really loves you back. After all, he was our enemy, am I correct?" Lovino reminded his brother with a smirk on his face.
Feliciano knew it was the truth, but he refused to accept it. After all, Ludwig's boss forced him to commit all those horrible war crimes.
"He never meant to do any of it! I know he still loves me!" Feliciano retorted.
"Sure he does. Just go back to bed, dammit!" Lovino shouted before walking back downstairs into the living room and sitting down on the couch. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he heard Feliciano's crying from upstairs.
Just then, he heard knocking on the door. "Crap! Not again!" Lovino complained. He hid his head under the pillow to block out the sounds from the door and Feliciano's crying.
Ludwig heard the yelling as he stood outside the door.
He hesitated before deciding he should walk away until things calmed down. He tried to pinpoint which window Feliciano's cries were coming from and what they were about. He stood back under a tree, deciding whether or not to knock on the door.
"Waaaahhhhh! Let me out!" Feliciano continued to cry from his bedroom, banging on the door. "He didn't mean it! Please listen to me!"
Lovino couldn't stand it any longer. He walked up to Feliciano's bedroom and unlocked the door. "There! The door's unlocked. Now stop crying, dammit!" He stormed down the stairs.
Looking out the window in the living room, he noticed Ludwig sitting under a tree outside.
"Ugh... it's the potato bastard. What the hell is he doing here! Shouldn't he be locked up or something?"
Ludwig looked up when Lovino saw him.
He looks a bit more pissed than normal... Ludwig thought to himself. Maybe I should leave... but I want Italy to know I am out...
Lovino sighed and turned away from the window.
Feliciano slowly opened the door, and walked downstairs, noticing his brother turned away from the window.
"Potato bastard's outside. I'm guessing he wants to see you," Lovino told his brother.
"Yay~! Ludwig's here~!" Feliciano replied, happily opening the front door and running outside with open arms.
Ludwig was just about to leave when he saw Feliciano run out of his house.
"Ah, Feliciano! Is everything okay?"
"Everything's great, now that you're here~! I missed you so much~!"
Feliciano smiled brightly as he hugged Ludwig as tightly as he could.
Ludwig smiled a bit and hugged Feliciano back tightly.
"I missed you too, Feliciano. I had to come and tell you that they have partially released me. I am free to be outside during the day, but I am to be home once night falls," he informed Feliciano.
"Oh, okay... I understand~" Feliciano replied.
Feliciano sat down in Ludwig's lap and cuddled up to him, kissing his cheek softly.
Ludwig blushed and kissed the Italians curl.
"I'm glad that you are doing okay.."
"ahhh...~ I've wanted to cuddle with you for so long...~" Feliciano told Ludwig affectionately, nuzzling him.
"The allies... are they treating you well? Y-you look a little pale..."
Ludwig smiled and help the Italian close.
"I'm fine, I just haven't been outside for awhile," he gave a reassuring smile, hoping the Italian wouldn't notice the bandages underneath his shirt.
"Oh, alright~! I'm so happy you're okay~ it almost seems too good to be true~!" Feliciano laid in his lover's arms. "It's almost like a dream, Ludwig..."
"Dammit... I'm just so sick of seeing those two together. After what the potato bastard did to Feliciano..." Lovino grumbled to himself, watching the two from inside.
Feliciano rested his head on Ludwig's shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you... I never stopped loving you~ even when..."
Before Feliciano could finish his sentence, he placed his hands on his chest and began to drift off suddenly...