It was late by the time Ludwig and Felicia left the cafe. To taka a shortcut, they walked down a few side streets, talking to keep the oppressive silence away. At least, Felicia talked. She chattered on about one thing or another, and Ludwig tried his best to keep up.
Up ahead, a figure stepped into the alleyway. Ludwig tensed immediately and drew Felicia close, keeping his eyes trained on the indistinct form ahead. Felicia cut off her chatter with a questioning look up at Ludwig.
"Luddy?" she questioned softly, honey eyes worried.
"Shh..." Ludwig whispered urgently, moving Felicia flat against the wall and standing directly in front of her, using his larger form to completely hide the smaller girl from sight. "Hopefully, they'll just pass by and leave us be. But if they try to start something, run and let me deal with him. Got it?"
"But Luddy, you could get hurt..." Felicia whimpered quietly, but her mouth shut audibly as the shape approached them.
Ludwig tensed on instinct and clenched his hands into fists to try to stop their shaking. The man grew closer, closer, and then he was past them, continuing on. Even so, Ludwig did not dare to relax until the man had turned the corner of the opposite end of the alley. Then he relaxed with a sigh, shoulders slumping a bit as he moved away from Felicia, who cowered against the wall.
"Is he gone?" the redheaded girl asked, peering up through thick eyelashes at Ludwig.
"Ja, he is gone now." Ludwig said. He reached out hesitantly and took Felicia's hand; the action felt almost as natural as breathing, even as he felt his cheeks heat up.
Felicia blushed prettily, the pink colour on her cheeks contrasted well with the honey tint of her irises. Forcing himself to look away, Ludwig led her out of the dark alleyway, where the sparse streetlights lit the way for the two teenagers. They walked along in silence, even Felicia's constant chatter had faded, and she began to lag behind as they approached where she lived.
"Are you okay?" Ludwig asked, turning back to see the Italian trembling, her eyes downcast and her small form shaking.
"I just don't want to go in there...?" she whispered, looking up. Her lovely honey eyes were fearful and just a bit teary.
Ludwig let out a sigh and let the girl cling to him, her arms wrapping around him. He brought his hand up to gently pat her back. "I know how you feel, Fels." he whispered. "And I wish I could help, but I'm the same as you."
"Hey!" a voice called, and Ludwig turned to see a tall man, even taller and broader than Ludwig was, heading towards them with a fast, angry pace. Felicia jumped back from Ludwig quickly, her honey eyes wide with fear.
"Oh no!" she whimpered, cringing as the man grew ever closer.
"You're late, you damn mistake!" the man yelled at Felicia, and Ludwig caught the reek of vodka on his breath. "How many goddamn times do I have to tell you to be home on time before you get it through your thick, useless skull?!" The man grabbed Felicia's wrist in a punishing grip, and Felicia barely bit back her squeak of pain. Ludwig longed to do something, yet he knew that if he dared interfere, Felicia could be hurt even more on his behalf. And he would never want that.
The man dragged Felicia towards the house, and Ludwig, peering past them, could see Lovino cowering in the doorway, his defiant eyes subdued and frightened. Felicia twisted in the man's grip, honey eyes seeking out Ludwig's. Inexplicitly, she gave him a sweet, if tremulous smile, before the door slammed closed.
Ludwig watched the house for a long moment, then turned and began the walk back to Opa's house. He crossed his arms, wincing slightly at old bruises and sort of wishing that he had had the foresight to bring a jacket with him. His school issued blazer did nothing to block the wind. The whole way home, Felicia's tortured but kind smile haunted him.
As soon as Ludwig entered the house, he recoiled at the rancid smell in the air. It smelled like something had died, but Ludwig knew better than to hope at this point. Opa lumbered in from the kitchen, peered blearily at Ludwig through alcohol blurred eyes and, with no warning, aimed a powerful right hook at Ludwig's head. Stars burst before his eyes as the blow connected squarely, making him stagger. Before he even had time to recover, Opa had twisted his arm into a surprisingly strong half nelson, before slamming the teenager to the floor. Ludwig lay there, stunned for a long moment, hearing Opa shamble off again and waiting for his breath to return.
"Lud!" A gentle hand tugged Ludwig to a vaguely upright position, and Ludwig's pain hazed vision sought out Gilbert's red eyes. "Dude, are you okay, mein bruder?" the albino asked.
"Ja..." Ludwig wheezed out, getting to his feet. "What about you?" he asked, seeing a hint of dark bruising peeking out from the shoulder of his brother's tee shirt.
"Barely hit me." Gilbert said, pulling Ludwig's arm over his shoulders, helping the younger teenager head up the stairs. Ludwig collapsed on his bed, groaning as his head throbbed dully.
"What's got Opa so worked up tonight...?" Ludwig muttered, rubbing the sore joint of his shoulder.
"He asked me some dumb question and I forgot to answer in German..." Gilbert muttered bitterly, pulling out his cell phone and texting away. "For God's sake, why does it matter?! He speaks English just as well as we do!" The albino tossed the cell phone bitterly to the floor.
"Bruder, can I tell you something?" Ludwig asked, sitting upright and wincing as it made his head throb worse than before.
"Course you can, Lud." Gilbert said, sitting down on his bed, facing his little brother. "What's eating at you?"
"That little Italian girl that the Hasser beat up, Felicia, she... I- uh..." Finally, Ludwig's nervousness when it came to women was making itself known as he blushed furiously, turning his head in hopes that his brother wouldn't see the red stain.
"I knew it!" Gilbert crowed triumphantly, before checking himself and lowering his voice. "I knew you had a thing for that little cutie!" Gilbert grinned.
"Ja, ja, so you're right! Big deal!" Ludwig protested, crossing his arms firmly and glaring at his brother, knowing his cheeks were as red as ever. "That's not the point! Gil, she's got the same home life as us!"
Finally, Gilbert's victorious laughter came to a stop. The albino actually almost seemed to pale, and his red eyes were wide as he stared at Ludwig, who met his eyes and saw an odd concern lurking in the crimson depths.
"Shit!" Gilbert choked out. "That girl is tiny! She can't protect herself! And her brother..." Gilbert's eyes darkened. "It all makes sense now..."
"What?" Ludwig asked, thoroughly lost.
"That little shithead brother of hers broke Isabel's heart." Gilbert explained. His voice was not angry, but bland, stating the facts. "She's had a huge crush on him since they moved year, but he was so cold and distant with the world, she never spoke to him. When she finally got the guts to ask him out, he turned her down, spewing some crap about how he was no good for her and that she could do better. And he went back to pretending that she didn't exist. He totally likes her, by the way. Whenever he sees her, he blushes bright red and usually drops whatever he's holding."
"Felicia told me the same thing, that she was no good for me." Ludwig said, more to himself.
"Did you listen?"
"No. I told her I was no good for her either."
"Aw!" Gilbert pounced on his brother, ruffling Ludwig's blond hair. "You're so romantic, little Bruder!" Gilbert laughed, and Ludwig pushed him off.
"Get OFF! My head hurts, Gil!" Ludwig yelled as Gilbert hit the ground with a loud thump.
Both brothers tensed when they heard shuffling footsteps on the stairs. Gilbert scrambled up off the floor, turning off the light, and both brothers dove under their respective covers, hunkering down beneath the sheets and waiting with pounding hearts and bated breath. Opa came to a stop outside their door, and Ludwig knew that the old man was listening, waiting for an excuse to rough the two teenagers up again. Eventually, however, Opa continued on his way, and Ludwig let out a quiet sigh of relief, head throbbing in time to his racing heart.
"Gute nacht." Gilbert whispered from his bed, bedsprings creaking as the albino readjusted.
"Gute nacht." Ludwig whispered back. He closed his eyes, and Felicia's pretty face swam behind his eyes. It was a long time before Ludwig found sleep.
.~*~.
Ludwig woke with tears on his face. He scrubbed at his eyes with his hands, trying hard to chase the memories and dreams to the back of his mind. He took a deep, rather tremulous breath and sat up, blinking in the harsh morning light.
"Lud..." Gilbert said softly. Ludwig turned to see the albino's face wet with his own tears. "Did you dream of them too...?"
"Ja..." Ludwig said, looking away from his brother and getting up. He changed into his slightly rumpled uniform, making a note to try to do some laundry that afternoon. He heard Gilbert get out of bed, and Ludwig sighed softly.
"I wish we could go visit their grave." Gilbert said softly from behind him. "Why do train tickets have to be so damn expensive...?"
Ludwig didn't reply; he merely straightened his tie and grabbed his backpack. Exiting the room, he kept a close eye out for his grandfather as he made his way cautiously downstairs. It seemed that Opa was still passed out. Stepping over discarded beer cans and bottles, Ludwig made his way into the kitchen and began to check the cupboards. Practically nothing to eat, as per usual, and the only thing in the fridge was alcohol.
"Hurry up Bruder, if we miss the bus we'll have to walk!" Ludwig called softly up the stairs. Gilbert came clumping down a moment later, grinning and any evidence of his earlier tears gone.
"Oh, please!" Gilbert scoffed. "I'm too awesome to miss the bus! You know that!"
"You missed the bus yesterday." Ludwig pointed out, rolling his eyes. "Now come on, let's go."
Once at the school, Ludwig veered off from his brother immediately, and less than a second later, Felicia appeared out of the woodwork, clinging to Ludwig's arm and smiling up at the German student. In a second though, her smile turned to a pouting frown of concern, and she reached up to gently touch the side of Ludwig's face. He flinched at an unexpected ache there, and realized the side of his face must be bruised from where Opa had struck him the night before.
"Luddy, are you okay?" she asked sweetly, her eyes shimmering honey pools of concern.
"Ja, Felicia, I'm fine." Ludwig said, wincing slightly as the light weight of the Italian girl pulled at his sore shoulder. "Honestly, I had forgotten about it until you pointed it out. What about you? Did that man hurt you once he got you inside?"
"No." Felicia said, turning to look at the ground. Ludwig suspected that she was lying to him, but he knew already that she would not tell if she didn't want to. A moment later, her dazzling smile was aimed back at him. "We made it through another night, didn't we, Luddy?"
"Yeah." Ludwig said, letting Felicia snuggle close. "We did."