Candles. Ch. 6 Growing Flame

Silence. That was all there was in the car, except for Feliciano and Ludwig. They weren't going anywhere; Feliciano just wanted to get Ludwig away from Lovino before things got even worse. So apparently it hadn't been a date, just Ludwig getting rid of his guilt. He should've known. They had nothing in common; Ludwig was a tall, stoic soldier; Feliciano was more of a normal, cheerful, carefree citizen. They had nothing common, so why did he get his hopes up? Worse yet, he had let Ludwig get hurt. There was no way Ludwig had any chance of liking him after that.

Ludwig noticed how quiet Feliciano was. No wonder the silence was so deafening, Feliciano was usually chattering away about something.

"Feli, are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Feliciano hardly answered. He felt so guilty; he couldn't even bring himself to look at Ludwig.

"... Did you honestly mean it?" he asked quietly.

"Eh... was?" Ludwig was confused.

"Back there, you said it wasn't a date. Were you telling the truth?" Tears started to slowly seep into his voice. Ludwig felt especially guilty now. He could tell the little Italian was shaken up by the incident and that his decision to not call their dinner a date had gotten to Feliciano.

"Feli, I-"

"I mean, it would make sense if you don't actually like me. You could've just said you did to humor me. We don't have much in common; you prefer order and plans, clear-cut, black-and-white stuff. Me, I prefer colors, grey areas, abstract things. It just makes more sense that way. People don't always understand everything from the same point of view, and I understand if you don't feel the way I do. I always cry, I'm weak, and I let you get hurt just now. I wouldn't be surprised if you... hated... me..." He couldn't say anymore. Sobs wracked his body and tears raced out of his eyes, down his cheeks. Something gave out in Ludwig. He could now see that Feliciano had been broken. The unusual courage and anger that had momentarily inhabited the small Italian was gone, leaving a hollow, shaken shell.

Ludwig couldn't stand to see the Italian cry, especially when he loved Feliciano. He took the Italian into his arms, comforting him. The bruise from the enraged older Italian on his neck hurt like the dickens, but sweet, little Feliciano deserved so much more attention. Feliciano flinched at the touch like a mistreated animal that has hardly known a kind touch, but he eventually wrapped his arms around Ludwig, continuing to sob.

"Feli, ssh. It's okay; I would never hate you," Ludwig gently whispered. Feliciano stopped crying. He looked up into Ludwig's eyes, his own round, amber eyes moist with tears and his childish, round cheeks cherry-red and streaked with said tears. Ludwig sighed to himself and brought a hand up to wipe Feliciano's cheeks free of the tears, ushering a blush from the Italian at the touch.

"Wh-what...?" Feliciano's voice was quiet and sad, catching in his throat and sniffling. It broke Ludwig's heart; to him, Feliciano shouldn't have to go through such sad affairs, should never have to know the cold slap and rejection of a brother he looks up to. He should only have to lighten up the world with his sweet, bright smile.

"Nein, I can never hate you, Feliciano," he whispered softly.

"B-but I let you get hurt just now... And you said our dinner wasn't a date..." Now Ludwig could really tell that he had messed up with his earlier wording. He wiped away what he hoped would be the last of Feliciano's tears.

"Neither of those were your fault; there's no reason to beat yourself up about that. That last one wasn't your fault. That was mine; I thought if your brother didn't think it was a date, he wouldn't be as mad. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Ludwig asked softly. Feliciano gently looked into Ludwig's bright cyan eyes. There was something genuine in Ludwig's eyes. He never lied especially about matters like these. He gently hugged Ludwig, his tears finally dissipating.

"Si…." He whispered gently. Ludwig gently secured his embrace around the Italian. He loved Feliciano and wanted to make sure he was never hurt again. That was when he had the idea: he could make sure no one would hurt the precious Italian as he recovered from this sadness if he was staying at Ludwig's house. The thought caused his face to go red at first, but the Italian was just so precious, so innocent, and so loveable… He would do anything to protect Feliciano; he swore that then and there. Feliciano seemed to catch his train of thought. He sat back up in his seat of the car.

"Oh, that's right! I don't have anywhere to go…" Feliciano's face fell slightly. Ludwig took in a deep breath.

'Here goes!' "Um, you could stay at my place." The air seemed to freeze as the offer sank in. The Italian's eyes lit up.

"R-really? I can?" Feliciano asked, his eyes bright and his personality becoming normal. Ludwig kept a smile to himself; he took this as a good sign. Still, he blushed at how adorable the Italian looked. Ludwig nodded.

"J-ja… So, if you want to get your things, you can." The Italian nodded cheerfully.

"Okay, I'll be right back~" Feliciano started to get out of the car. But Ludwig stopped him.

"Should I go up with you? What if it's your brother who answers the door again?" Feliciano couldn't help but smile; Ludwig was so concerned for him. It was kind of adorable. Feliciano shook his head with a smile.

"I'll be okay; Grazie, Ludwig~" Ludwig nodded, blushing. Feliciano smiled and closed his door. He walked back up the walkway to the house and, for the first and only time in his life, wanted desperately to see his sister. Feliciano knocked tentatively, his heart racing in anticipation. The door opened. There stood a young woman, her dark brown hair short with a single skyward-pointing curl, her golden-amber eyes inquisitive, and a grey Sicilian coppola on her head. Feliciano was relieved; it was Alessandra. However, she was not as glad to see him. She folded her arms over her chest.

"Can I help you, North?" she asked, using her nickname for him. Feliciano rolled his eyes slightly. Despite the circumstances, their relations had hardly changed.

"Um, I just came to get my belongings… Where's fratello?" He looked around the house as if expecting him to appear.

"I snuck him some cold medicine to calm him down. He's out like a light right now, but don't make too much noise." Alessandra moved out of the doorway and let him in. Feliciano walked in and towards his room, pulling everything together in a suitcase; his art supplies, his clothes, etc. Once he had everything together, he left for the door. He gave a small nod to Alessandra.

"Well, sorella… Arrivederci." Alessandra nodded back.

"Yeah… Addio." Part of Feliciano felt the sting of her use of a different goodbye, but he knew it was true. He would start a new life, leaving the old one behind. He gave her a final wave and walked out of the door, closing it behind him. Feliciano dragged the suitcase down the walkway to Ludwig's car. The further he got from the house, the lighter he felt. Of course, the effects of Lovino's behavior were residual, and he still felt the effects. However, he could tell that there was a difference. Ludwig poked his head out of the car window.

"Hey, you need help?" Feliciano smiled softly. It was adorable when Ludwig cared so much about him. He shook his head.

"No thanks, Ludwig~ I'm okay!" He smiled and went to put his suitcase in the trunk, not seeing the German nod and blush. It took a little effort, but he finally got his suitcase in the trunk. After closing the trunk, he went back to his seat. He climbed in and buckled up.

"So, you ready to go?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano nodded cheerfully.

"Yup~" Feliciano smiled brightly. Ludwig smiled and started up the car. He was glad that Feliciano seemed to be returning to normal, though he could tell Feliciano was still recovering. He started driving away from the house that had recently brought Feliciano sadness.

"Just want warn you, Gilbert's usually drunk by this hour." Ludwig said. Feliciano shuddered slightly. Everyone who knew the Prussian knew he wasn't a pretty sight when he was drunk, though some said he was the life of the party in this inebriated state. Ludwig couldn't help but smile. He was glad that he could distract Feliciano from the affairs as of late, though his neck still hurt from Lovino's attack. If it was for Feliciano, it didn't matter what happened to him, so long as Feliciano was safe and happy.

"He won't hurt you, don't worry. He's usually in the basement." Ludwig added. Feliciano brightened up at the revelation.

"Phew~" He breathed, relieved. Ludwig chuckled and kept on driving in the deepening night. Feliciano gazed out at the slowly-rising moon, pale yet bright. It promised the coming morning and, with it, a new start.