There was a knock on the door for about the hundredth time that week. "Feliciano! Open up!" Ludwig shouted.

That just made Feliciano cry harder. He'd gotten Ludwig angry at him. Idiot, he thought. Ludwig probably never cared about him. Feliciano was just a charity case. That was all he'd ever be.

"Feli! . . . Please! Don't ignore me! I. . . You're . . . my only friend! Stop shutting me out, dammit, I care! I want to help!" This was new. Usually, Ludwig just yelled at Feliciano to come out. "I know I get angry and yell and– All I want is to help you. I miss you, Feliciano." His voice grew softer at the last sentence.

"I miss you, too," Feliciano whispered under his breath so Ludwig couldn't hear.

"What's so bad that you can't even tell me?" Ludwig's voice cracked a little. It made Feliciano wondered if he'd imagined it.

Feliciano couldn't take any more. He stood and crossed the room to the door. "I miss you, too," Feliciano repeated, louder this time. He pressed the side of his face to the door.

Silence followed.

Feliciano unlocked opened the door, finally, to see Ludwig standing there with the most hope-filled expression Feliciano had ever seen on anyone.

"I'll tell you. I'm gay. And that's not accepted in Italy."

Ludwig looked shocked. "I—. . ."

Feliciano sat down on the carpeted floor of the hallway with a sigh. He didn't like all this seriousness. Might as well get it over with.

"My parents died just after I was born. I lived with my Nonno for a while, but then he died, too. I was in foster care and jumped from home to home for a while until Roderich and Elizaveta adopted me. Eliza was nice, I guess, but Roderich. . . He was a little mean, but he was my father for a while and all I had. He played piano really well, though. I liked to listen to him play. I used to have several older brothers, including a twin, but I got separated from them. My twin, Lovino, is gay, too. At least, as far as I know.

"Anyways, I was bullied a lot for being gay. There was this one boy. . ." Feliciano paused for a minute. "He always chased me when we were little. Then in high school, he asked me out." That was it. Feliciano couldn't say anything else without bursting into tears.

He could feel Ludwig's gaze on him. "Why did you. . . What made you start crying when I caught you?" Ludwig asked hesitantly.

"Because . . . that's how he used to dance with me," Feliciano said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"You really miss him don't you?" Ludwig asked, to which Feliciano could only nod. "Then what happened?"

"H-he left!" Feliciano started to sob. "He t-told me i-it was h-his d-duty t-to join the a-army, and he w-went M-I-A!" Feliciano let all of his feelings out in those tears as Ludwig patted his back comfortingly.

Feliciano cried until there was nothing left but an empty shell asleep across the lap of someone who cared, for once, in a hallway that could be called home.

Author's Note: Feli's a little OOC and serious, don't ya think?

Anyways, I've been riding in the car all day with only my laptop and iPod (Vampire Weekend, anyone?) to entertain me.

Ugh, you're lucky I posted this. I was holding it over LoolieRocksLobsters's head that I wouldn't post it. . .

AND I GOT THIS AWESOME SHIRT THAT SAYS "Ciao bella -Italia." Believe it or not, it's not a Hetalia shirt. Strange. . .

-TN