A/N : ItaGer. This is the prequel to 'Private Radio', so...you know how it ends, bruh.
URANUS
There was the old joke that the cooks in the restaurant were experts at wooing servers. And it was warranted, no doubt, but the tables turned a bit when the server happened to be Feliciano.
He was the wooer extraordinaire, and took great pride in that.
So lord knew that when that new cook showed up the very first day to train, nervous and shuffling and so serious and quiet, Feliciano had honed in on him instantly. A damn cute kid, for sure, tall and pale and very handsome. Platinum hair and the lightest blue eyes Feliciano had ever seen. Had taken one glance at that kid and never looked back.
Feliciano crept over, and very casually squirmed his way into the kitchen, where he knew he shouldn't be, and said, "Hey! New kid! How's it hanging? Like it so far?"
A glare from the kitchen manager, trying to train Ludwig, who barked, "He's been here for one hour. Get outta here!"
Considering that the kitchen manager was Feliciano's cranky older brother, he wasn't too worried about being written up or fired, so Feliciano hung there for a moment, smiling away at the new kid, who seemed afraid to answer after Lovino's chide.
Feliciano lifted his chin up, staring into those pretty eyes, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ludwig."
"Nice to meet ya. I'm Feliciano. This is my brother. Don't you let him scare you. He's all talk, really. He sounds mean and tough, but he's a good guy."
Lovino glared at him, and very aggressively shooed him off, but Feliciano had never taken hints very well and haunted that kid for the rest of the day, popping up around corners and out of shadows. Every time, Ludwig jumped, looked startled and alarmed, and Feliciano laughed. Ludwig was very shy, that was clear, didn't seem to really know how to speak to or interact with people, and always fumbled his responses to Feliciano's quick questions.
Feliciano thought that Ludwig was the most adorable thing on the planet.
Had never met someone so shy, and that it came from such a tough-looking kid was even funnier. Ludwig was tall and pretty broad for his age, had that very stoic face and rather intimidating air about him, and it was so endearing to see just how red his face could burn the moment Feliciano paid him attention. Talk about the book not matching the cover.
Once Ludwig was trained and Lovino no longer hovered over him, Feliciano immediately began his famous charming. Ludwig didn't exactly swoon like most people did, but damn could he ever blush. He squirmed and writhed when Feliciano tormented him, and yet never exactly responded. He just seemed rather baffled, confused, and stared at Feliciano with wide eyes like a frightened puppy whenever Feliciano reached out and rested a hand on the back of his arm.
Lovino caught him flirting frequently and laid into him, rushing in to save Ludwig from him with aggressive shouts and gestures, but Feliciano was never deterred.
Ludwig settled in over the next few weeks, got used to Feliciano, and found his place.
Feliciano tried to get to know him a little, although getting Ludwig to talk was a bit of a struggle. Apparently he was seventeen and had taken this job to save up money because he wanted to study to become an engineer. Certainly ambitious, and Feliciano was glad he was there.
He liked Ludwig quite a lot, honed in on him, and thought about him frequently when not at work. Spent most of his time at night, come to think, playing out various scenarios in his head of how he could seduce Ludwig.
Seemed an uphill battle. From Ludwig's blushing, Feliciano was very certain Ludwig liked men, but getting him was truly a separate issue entirely. Was so aloof, so hard to get close to. Ludwig had a very high wall around himself, but it was nothing Feliciano couldn't scale.
One awful Friday night, he was finally able to. Sort of.
The restaurant was slammed. The line was out the door. Every table was full. Feliciano was juggling seven tables, and everyone was pissed.
The other cooks were angry, rushing, very flustered and very annoyed, and Ludwig just stood there on the line, very focused on the order beneath him and giving away nothing. Ludwig was usually on the line nowadays, as he was the only cook who didn't scream at the servers, and Lovino had long since realized his value in that position. Feliciano loved it, because Ludwig was always in sight and therefore always available for a good ogling and tease.
Really was pretty bad that night though, and everyone was so far in the weeds it felt as if they would never crawl out.
Only Ludwig was calm.
Feliciano, knowing he was pushing the envelope dangerously, poked his head down, and hissed at Ludwig to grab his attention. Ludwig glanced up, shifted his weight upon seeing Feliciano, and Feliciano said, with a wink, "Hey, man. I know you're busy, but how's my table looking?"
As expected, Ludwig lifted his chin very primly, narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, looked a bit offended, and glanced at Lovino.
Considering that Lovino was screeching to high heaven and angrily throwing fry baskets into the oil in a rage, it was no wonder that Ludwig declined to ask and instead said, casually, "Wait your turn."
Ludwig may have been terrified of Lovino, but Feliciano wasn't, and so he said, perhaps inappropriately, "If you get my table out first, I'll take you on a date."
Ludwig's face immediately blazed unholy red, as always, and Feliciano snorted and walked away. Had pressed his luck, he knew, and didn't want Lovino to see him there and throw a bowl at his head.
...wouldn't be the first time.
He waited in the corner with the other impatient servers, all of them uneager to catch hell from their respective tables, and when the bell rang, all of them flocked over.
Feliciano felt as if he had landed on the damn moon when he saw it was his table's food sitting there. Victory never tasted so good, and Feliciano ignored the other bitching servers to meet writhing Ludwig's gaze long enough to say, "Think about where you wanna go on that date."
Ludwig quickly vanished from sight, but as far as Feliciano was concerned, this was Ludwig consenting to actually go on a date with Feliciano, and no one and nothing would stop him from making that happen.
The rest of the night passed in a blissful daze for Feliciano, as the rest of the restaurant imploded into an unholy hellscape. Up in the clouds, and there was no coming down. When it was time to close, Feliciano slunk back into the kitchen, managed to snag Ludwig alone as he mopped, and asked, "So! Did you think about it? Where do you wanna go? I think we're both free Tuesday night."
Not that he stalked Ludwig's schedule. ...but he did.
Once more, Ludwig's pale face burned red, he lowered his eyes to his mop, and grumbled something incomprehensible.
Feliciano knew that he would have to take charge if he wanted anything at all to get done, and so he walked up to Ludwig, scribbled his number down and handed it to him, and said, with no room for discussion, "Text me later. We'll meet up Tuesday, and I'll take you somewhere nice. Alright? You accepted my deal. No going back."
Ludwig tried to speak and failed, but Feliciano had what he wanted and so he turned and left, letting Ludwig breathe a little so he didn't faint.
Tuesday couldn't come quickly enough.
But come it did, and Feliciano dressed very nicely, combed his hair back, used his best cologne, and was very ready to impress. He caught the bus and went to the restaurant, where Ludwig was waiting outside, chatting nervously with the host as he waited.
When Ludwig saw Feliciano coming and dressed up, his face took on that predictable shade of red, and Ludwig glanced down at his own clothing, as if anxious that he hadn't dressed up enough.
Kid looked find whatever he wore, and to be quite frank Feliciano didn't care about Ludwig's clothes at all because he would rather have him without any.
So he took the lead, and led Ludwig down the street and into a glitzy, expensive restaurant across town. Ludwig seemed very out of place there, nervous and jittery, and it was clear that Ludwig wasn't used to being in fancy restaurants.
That first date with Ludwig was surreal, in a way. Couldn't believe he'd really managed to snag him at all, to get stoic, terrified, awkward Ludwig to ever bend and humor him at last.
All things considered, the date actually went pretty well, even if Ludwig's cheeks were always red and his eyes rarely left the table. Ludwig looked very out of his element, and so Feliciano tried to make everything as smooth as possible by ordering for him and then picking up the tab later, as Ludwig squirmed. He hoped he was coming off more as chivalrous than overbearing, but the kid looked a breath away from having an aneurysm.
Afterwards, though, when they left the restaurant and went on a walk along the park, in the dark and quiet, Ludwig seemed to gain a little more confidence and lifted his head up at last. Feliciano was bolstered and encouraged, and leaned sideways very frequently to gently ram his shoulder into Ludwig's.
They talked for a little, as Feliciano pried ever more information out of Ludwig, tried to get to know him a little beyond his handsome face. Ludwig was so shy, and it took a great deal of patience to get anything out of him, but Feliciano was up for the challenge.
He walked Ludwig back to where they had met, and said goodnight by kissing Ludwig's cheek, eliciting a jump of surprise and a blush so deep Feliciano was quite concerned that Ludwig was actually going to spontaneously combust.
Luckily he didn't, and Feliciano texted him later and asked him for a second date.
He stomped his foot and cried out victoriously when Ludwig answered with an affirmative, and Lovino shot him a look of annoyance.
That night, very late and when Lovino was asleep, Feliciano dug around his closet and pulled out his old easel and canvas, his brushes and paints. It had been years since he had touched them, having been utterly uninspired, but suddenly out of nowhere he just wanted to paint something.
Ludwig had had a profound effect on his mood, and he didn't sleep until nearly dawn, painting his hometown on the Italian coast for the first time in forever.
He felt happy. Hopeful.
When he had his second date with Ludwig, they went to a café instead, and Ludwig looked much more comfortable, was more open, and kept his eyes more frequently on Feliciano. That night, Feliciano once more kissed Ludwig's cheek, but Ludwig didn't jump that time, although the blush was almost as bad.
Come the third date, Ludwig didn't look down at the table at all, and rested his chin comfortably in his palm as Feliciano prattled endlessly.
That night, he kissed Ludwig fully, and although Ludwig was too stunned and awkward to really move or respond, Feliciano was very content, and gave Ludwig's cheek a pat as he snorted and drawled, "You're so cute."
Ludwig quickly fled, but immediately texted Feliciano later.
Feliciano painted now almost every day, and Lovino suggested that he start selling them, to make some extra money on the side although they certainly weren't hurting for money, with the large inheritance of their grandfather, as well as the huge house in which they lived.
It wasn't a bad idea, though, and it was something Feliciano actually enjoyed doing, so he started going to art shows, and worked less days in the restaurant. As for Ludwig, Feliciano had invited him at long last over to the house, and Lovino was quick to take his leave and go hit a bar before Ludwig showed up.
Ludwig was as nervous there as he had been on the first date, mumbling and tripping over his own feet and eyes down, but when he sat down and saw the easel, he lifted his eyes and seemed curious.
Feliciano had been very proud and somehow pompous, perhaps, when Ludwig had been very awed to discover that Feliciano had painted the canvases that lined the walls and floor. Like Lovino, Ludwig was quick to point out that Feliciano should really be doing that for a living instead of waiting tables, but it wasn't quite that easy.
Just a hobby.
It was nice to impress Ludwig though, given Feliciano's vanity, and he had been quick to pounce on Ludwig and pin him down on the couch for a very heavy makeout session. Ludwig, so shy and awkward, eventually came out and responded, and that was how they spent the entire night, just laying there together on that couch.
When Lovino came back, the date was over.
That became their new routine, and they fell quickly into a schedule.
Months passed in that fashion, and then, one night, Feliciano pulled back from Ludwig, disengaged his tongue somehow from Ludwig's throat, pressed their noses together, and managed to ask, huskily, "Stay the night."
A short passage of anxiety across Ludwig's face. Nervousness.
Ludwig bit in down in the end, and nodded his head.
Shortly after, when Feliciano's hands wandered a little too much, when things were far heavier than usual and he was far too riled up, Feliciano stood, hauled Ludwig upright with him, and walked him backwards to the bedroom. Didn't let warm Ludwig out of his hands for one second, keeping them very pressed against each other.
He pushed Ludwig back on the bed, and fell atop him.
When he rested his palm on Ludwig's pale neck, he could feel the pulse there hammering away, and he knew how scared Ludwig was. How nervous. Hell, the first time was always like that. Everyone had to be there once. Just a part of life.
Sure did cling to his shoulders, though, when Feliciano fell between his long legs.
Ludwig made it through, as Ludwig made it through every obstacle, and ran hands down Feliciano's back afterwards, making him shiver.
Feliciano was ever more enamored.
Afterwards, Ludwig essentially moved in, though not officially. Stayed there nearly every night, and Lovino had gotten used to his presence there.
Everything seemed on track. Perfect. Hopeful.
Feliciano could easily stand there and say that he was in love with Ludwig, all the way, and was focused on him, intent. Wanted no one else, and Feliciano began looking for a new house. Something for just him, and maybe that was because in the back of his mind he was planning out his future with Ludwig. Couldn't live with Lovino forever.
A few weeks of searching, and Feliciano found a small, cute little house that looked perfect for two people. The right price, too, a little bit outside of the city.
But when Feliciano told Lovino was he was up to, Lovino crinkled his brow, looked around, and griped, "What? You're gonna leave me here all alone, in this huge place? Pfft. Hardly. Tell you what. I think I know what you're up to. So how about I buy that house instead, and you can stay here? Ain't no way in hell I'm cleaning this place. You seem to have a good housewife lined up. Let him handle it."
A furious, burning rush of elation, as Feliciano pounced on Lovino and tried to squeeze the life right out of him.
Sometimes, when the stars aligned, Lovino could actually be something other than an asshole.
Now.
How to tell Ludwig that he wanted this to be their home.
It had been a year. Surely that was enough time for Ludwig not to run away screaming if Feliciano asked him to move in. Had been plenty of time, and Feliciano was smitten with Ludwig, taken with him, and hoped to god that Ludwig would feel the same and agree. Feliciano had put far too much of his heart and soul into planning this proposition, and Ludwig's rejection would have entirely crushed him.
That night, Feliciano took Ludwig out to that restaurant where they had had their first date, chattered away nervously, and when Ludwig was relaxed and smiling, Feliciano reached across the table and snatched his hand. He leaned in, lowered his voice, forcing Ludwig to lean in as well to hear him, and said, "Lovino is moving out soon. I wanted to ask : will you move in with me?"
Ludwig's lips parted, he inhaled, and seemed quite shocked.
Feliciano's heart was pounding.
An awful silence, hesitation, and then Ludwig woke up, squeezed Feliciano's hand, and answered, gruffly, "Ye-yeah! Yeah! I'd love to. Yeah."
Feliciano exhaled, fell back in seat, and just stared across the table and fell ever more in love with that beautiful man.
Coulda died from happiness when Ludwig showed up two weeks later with suitcases, his brother in tow. Feliciano met Gilbert then for the first time, shook his hand, and Gilbert clapped his back and then punched his shoulder, saying, "Man! Never thought I'd be able to hand my little bro off to someone else. When's the wedding? I wanna be the best man."
Feliciano's mouth fell open as Ludwig turned crimson and quickly ran away into the bedroom, and when he recovered, Feliciano was the one to punch Gilbert's shoulder, replying, "Hopefully sooner rather than later! I'll write your name in the book."
Gilbert smirked.
Feliciano was beyond elated, needless to say, that meeting Ludwig's only family had gone so damn well, because god knew he didn't need any bumps in the road. Had everything all planned out, and honestly he had already gotten it into his head to marry that dumb blond even if Gilbert had punched him instead.
When Gilbert left that night, Feliciano and Ludwig sat on the couch, and Ludwig rested his face against Feliciano's neck, and said, softly, "I love you."
Pride.
Feliciano had said it a million times by then, but Ludwig had never once said it back, had choked every time, because Ludwig wasn't able to outwardly express sentiments like that. The first time he had ever said it, and Feliciano felt then that he was exactly where he was meant to be.
His life, the way he wanted it.
Ludwig was happy, and Feliciano would have done anything he wanted, anything, to keep him that way.
But he didn't stay that way forever.
Years passed then, and it wasn't really noticeable at first because it was such a slow and gradual shift, but Feliciano eventually became aware that something in Ludwig just seemed to change. Seemed to dull. Seemed to fade. As if Ludwig had burned so brightly at the beginning of their relationship that he was now just burning out altogether.
Quiet and solemn.
It wasn't terribly drastic, really. Ludwig had always been quiet and aloof, yeah, and maybe he was just better now at not letting Feliciano shake him up. That musta been it. They were essentially married now, even though they weren't yet, and naturally things changed when you went from casual to lockdown.
Ludwig didn't smile as often, but was still fairly affectionate.
That was all that mattered.
Until the fourth year, anyway, and then Ludwig withdrew ever further. Seemed to squirm almost at times, under Feliciano's palm. Didn't speak unless spoken to. Barely responded to Feliciano's kiss, and was very still and limp within his hands.
It was so strange. Feliciano just couldn't figure it out, couldn't put his finger on it.
Feliciano was so enamored with Ludwig, so blind to anything else, that it never once occurred to him that maybe Ludwig was just falling out of love. Ludwig had never been with anyone before Feliciano, had never been out in the world, had never interacted with people. Of course Ludwig had loved Feliciano at first, because kids were like that and didn't know any better. The first love, after all, burned the brightest.
Feliciano loved Ludwig, all the way and with no question, and so he just assumed that Ludwig felt that way, too.
He was just so quiet.
Ludwig didn't wait up for Feliciano to come home anymore, didn't lean over to kiss his cheek in the morning, didn't respond when Feliciano wrapped arms around his neck from behind and kissed the top of his head.
Pensive. Distant.
Ludwig...
What was wrong with him?
Ludwig was always so deep in thought lately, always so quiet. Never smiled anymore, not like he used to. Thin smiles, halfhearted and rather false. Nothing at all like it had been.
Even Lovino noticed, and Feliciano had hung around the corner one day as Lovino asked Ludwig, during a visit, "You feelin' alright? You been lookin' a little out of it lately. You getting sick?"
Ludwig's quiet murmur.
"I don't know. Maybe. I don't feel so good, really."
Ludwig didn't feel good, no doubt, but not because he was sick. At least not physically. What was wrong with him? He had always told Feliciano everything before. Ludwig had never hidden anything from him, and yet now Ludwig was suffering with something in silence.
Just couldn't figure it out.
Didn't know what to do, and so Feliciano called Gilbert one night, and said, "Hey— Ludwig's been kinda out of it lately. He's not sick, he's just—"
"Moody?" Gilbert interrupted, and Feliciano paused.
Moody?
"Yeah," Feliciano answered. "Guess so. He's just been really quiet. Is this normal for him?"
Gilbert snorted, and waved it off with a casual, "Don't worry! He's fine, really. He's been like that since he was little. One day he's happy as a clam and then the next day you'd think the entire world had ended, from the look of him. He'll snap out of it."
Whew.
"Thanks, man."
"Sure. No wedding date yet?"
Confidence rising once more and feeling a little secure, Feliciano teased back, "Soon! Real soon. Better start looking for a suit."
Gilbert's noise of excitement.
When Feliciano hung up the phone, he crept into the bedroom, crawled in beside sleeping Ludwig, and threw an arm over him, pulling him in.
It was just a low tide for Ludwig, that was all.
He'd get better.
Naturally, Feliciano knew that he should probably try to speak to Ludwig about it, to ask him why he was feeling this way, what had set him off, but he never did.
Feliciano never asked, because in the back of his mind he was very scared of the answer he would receive. Didn't want to know if Ludwig was thinking about leaving, if Ludwig was unhappy, if Ludwig was having second thoughts about this relationship, because Feliciano still felt in that moment as he had that very first day. If Ludwig didn't feel that way, then Feliciano didn't want to know, to be quite frank.
Feliciano may have had a penchant for delusion, perhaps, because even though Ludwig was very clearly withdrawing himself, Feliciano still went out on the fifth year and bought a ring. He was very intent on spending the rest of his life with Ludwig, even if Ludwig needed a little prodding now. Perhaps Feliciano was just so taken with Ludwig that he was blinding himself to reality, fooling himself.
He clung to Gilbert's words.
Ludwig would come around again. Eventually.
Just needed to be patient.
They were great together. They were. The perfect couple. Everyone said so. Ludwig just needed to remember that, and Feliciano had convinced himself that proposing to Ludwig would be the boost Ludwig needed, the reminder, the kick in the ass Ludwig needed to wake up and regain focus.
Feliciano was intent, and nothing made him doubt himself.
Even if Ludwig was utterly silent nowadays.
For Ludwig's birthday, Feliciano took them on a long weekend trip to his own birthplace of Genoa, chose a hotel with a rooftop bar, and had everything planned out perfectly in his head.
Had fantasized about this for months and months, could see everything so clearly, had such high expectations :
He would give his speech, and throughout it he would steadily see that dullness leave Ludwig's eyes, he would lean forward, and Ludwig would follow suit subconsciously, and then Feliciano would pull that box out of his pocket, open it up, and Ludwig would light up and shine as much as the ring did when the light hit it.
Everything would go back to the way it was.
Had to be that way, had to, just couldn't fathom it not going the way he had planned it up in his head.
The first two days were a little hard, yeah, as Feliciano tried to give Ludwig a tour of his hometown, only for Ludwig to be utterly silent and just stare out blankly to the horizon. Feliciano tried hard, anyway, leading Ludwig along with a hand on the back of his arm. Ludwig, dazed and dumb, just ambled along wherever Feliciano led him.
At night, far from a romantic holiday atmosphere, Ludwig sat out on the balcony in the warm air, hands clasped in his lap, and Feliciano couldn't get up the nerve to talk to him because sometimes he swore that Ludwig's face crumpled a little and he looked so sad.
Why?
Just didn't get it.
Feliciano was jumping through hoops for Ludwig, and Ludwig just didn't seem to notice or care anymore.
They got in the elevator that night, the last night, the night, and Feliciano was so sick with nervousness and anxiety and excitement that he was dizzy. Nauseous. Coulda puked right there in the elevator but held it together, and they took their reserved table in the corner, by the window and overlooking the city.
Ludwig immediately rested his chin in his palm and turned his eyes to the window. Didn't look at Feliciano at all, but Feliciano was too high on adrenaline to care, to stop, to wait. He had planned this for months, and couldn't let anything shake him.
So Feliciano took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and leaned across the table to say, "Happy birthday, baby."
He paused, waiting for a response, but received none. A hit to his confidence, but only a little.
Couldn't stop—he had come this far.
Ludwig's pale eyes ran over the city lights, as Feliciano once more gathered himself up.
Had to be confident, had to be, however Ludwig zoned.
"Can you believe we've been together five years now? Still feels like yesterday to me that I was flirting with you through the window. Time flies when you're in love, huh? I know maybe it hasn't been... Maybe it's not everything you wanted, and I'm sorry. I'm trying my best, I am. I just want you to be happy. I— Being with you, these have been the best years of my life, they really have. I've never been in love with anyone they way I am with you. I'll do anything you want me to, anything. I know it's hard for you to say those kinda things, and it's alright. You don't need to say it, you know? I know how you feel, because that's how I feel."
Feliciano's voice shook, a little, out of sheer nervousness, and his hand was shaking too when he lowered it carefully down and into his pocket.
He took the little box into his fist, and clenched it for all he was worth.
Oh, please.
Ludwig was still staring away, hadn't uttered a word, but Feliciano hadn't expected him to, nah, and so he pushed on, after chugging a glass of wine for extra courage.
"So, I've been thinking. We've been together so long now, and I'm happy. We live together. We do everything together. I want it to always be that way. I want us to be official, really official, and I hope you want that, too, 'cause I've been kinda... Well. I've been planning things, you know? And damn! Would I ever love to have you with me for the rest of my life. So, will you—"
He started pulling his hand out, ready to spring, and then suddenly stopped short, because...
Blankness.
Ludwig was staring out at the city, completely and totally blank, lost up in his head, out in space, and Feliciano hadn't noticed really until then, that absence. It took him far too long, through his terror and anxiety, to realize that Ludwig was staring yet out over the city and sea and hadn't been listening to a single word he had said.
Ludwig wasn't being awkwardly quiet; Ludwig just wasn't listening.
Devastation.
Nothing had ever hurt quite that bad.
That awful ache in his chest, the pang of despair, heartache.
The sense of something he adored slipping right through his fingers.
He let go of the little box in his pocket, put his hands upon the table, and felt angry and annoyed then, because he was scared, and he reached out to snap his fingers crankily in Ludwig's face, barking, "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
Ludwig glanced over at him, chin still rested in his palm, and looked a bit dazed. So distant and lost. Wherever Ludwig was going nowadays off in his head, only he knew. Ludwig wasn't really there when he looked into Feliciano's eyes. A noncommittal shrug of Ludwig's shoulder, his eyes lowered, and then he turned his gaze back out to the city and stayed silent.
Hurt.
Feliciano waved down another bottle of wine, hands shaking, and drank the entire thing by himself.
His illusion was harder and harder to hold onto. Feliciano was a master of ignoring problems and pretending, but even he was beginning to have trouble clinging to this fantasy and telling himself that everything would be alright.
That night, drunk Feliciano sat out on the balcony, and Ludwig went to bed without saying one single word. Feliciano stared out over the city, feeling so stupid, that ring still in his pocket, and when Ludwig was asleep a while later Feliciano dissolved into drunken tears and buried his face in his hands.
Nothing had gone right.
The next morning, clueless Ludwig began dutifully packing the suitcases, as Feliciano sat there, hung-over and heartbroken, glowering away at the wall.
Silence.
They passed the entire flight home in utter silence, stepped off the plane, got into the car, walked back into their home, and Ludwig had yet to utter a voluntary word.
Feliciano waited until Ludwig was asleep that night, and shamefully buried the ring in the dresser, stashing it under his shirts and feeling an absolute fool. Must have been a fool, really, because even now he still had hope. He'd hide the damn thing for now, and pull it out again soon when Ludwig perked back up. When Ludwig came around, when Ludwig saw him there again, Feliciano would unbury the ring and try again.
This wasn't the end, it wasn't.
Feliciano held out hope. It was just a bad stretch. Everyone had those, everyone, and sooner or later they would get past it and put it behind them and be as they once had. They'd find that place again, that happiness, and Ludwig would smile like he used to.
He had to believe that.