"And when I saw you again, it was like a new life had been breathed into me. For you were still as fascinating now as you had been before."

Both men froze. Feliciano couldn't breathe; his breath was caught in his throat, and his heart nearly stopped, because Ludwig was kneeling down in the mud beside him. Ludwig, with his blonde hair and his intense blue eyes. Feliciano blinked. He had to make sure Ludwig was actually here, and not a figment of his imagination. Once again, Feliciano asked, "Ludwig? Is that you?"

Ludwig nodded curtly, but the look in his eyes told Feliciano he was just as surprised at seeing the brunette here as he had been to see the blonde. Feliciano pushed to sit up, but the rough treatment of his body left him without energy, and his arm gave out almost immediately. Suddenly, Ludwig's strong arm was behind around Feliciano's back, supporting him. Ludwig looked around warily, and then barked something at someone out of Feliciano's range of vision – he couldn't tell exactly what it was he said, though it still sounded English – before turning his attention back to the Italian in the mud.

"Feliciano, I'm sorry, but I have to get you out of this place. It's not safe here."

Feliciano nodded, slightly dumbfounded.

Ludwig placed his other arm in the crook of Feliciano's legs behind his knees, resituated the arm on his back, then raised the Italian off the ground steadily. A tint of color might have spread to his cheeks, but it was too dark and the rain was too thick for him to be certain. Ludwig tightened his grip on Feliciano's small form, then took a few steps back. He gave Feliciano a concerned gaze, then leaned in and whispered, "…are you ready?"

Feliciano watched Ludwig with wide eyes, and he felt himself growing anxious. "Um…for what?"

"For flight."

Feliciano couldn't respond to that. What did Ludwig mean, flight? But he trusted the other man, so he whimpered a quiet "yeah". Ludwig's muscles tensed and he started running forward, causing Feliciano to grab ahold of Ludwig's shirt and close his eyes. And then, Ludwig jumped. Feliciano felt as Ludwig left the ground, but for some reason, he didn't come back – instead, he kept going higher. Feliciano felt as Ludwig's chest beat powerfully as his muscles flexed and contracted, and when Feliciano opened his eyes, he instantly wished he hadn't.

The earth was growing smaller. The glimpse Feliciano had caught before squeezing his eyes shut was of the treetops and people small enough they could have fit in a dollhouse. His fists clenched involuntarily in the fabric of Ludwig's shirt, and he whimpered. Rain pattered against his face, and the winds howled, but none of it seemed to deter Ludwig and his flight. Regardless, he found he didn't even care how any of this was happening. All he knew was he was way off the ground, and if he fell, he was a goner. It had been almost a full five minutes of flying before the movements evened out, the unfamiliar beats settled into a rhythm, and Ludwig spoke.

"Feliciano, are you alright? You aren't…afraid of heights, are you?"

Feliciano nodded into Ludwig's chest, refusing to open his eyes. The other's hold on him tightened in an attempt to soothe him.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you. And I'm keeping us lower to the ground due to the lightning, anyway."

Feliciano nodded again, fear snatching away his voice. But, this was Ludwig who was here, holding him. And for some reason, Feliciano trusted the man whole heartedly. So, in an attempt to keep Ludwig talking, to forget about his current situation, he asked, "How are we…um…?"

Ludwig chuckled, the sound reverberating through his chest. "Feliciano, can you open your eyes, just for a moment? You don't have to look down; just up."

Feliciano opened one of his eyes just a crack, to where he could see Ludwig's shirt in his face. As he opened it wider, he caught more of Ludwig, and he tilted his head up until he could see the other's face. The man's blue eyes shone with worry, determination, and…was that amusement? Feliciano huffed, but asked nonetheless, "What now?"

"Look over my shoulder."

Feliciano furrowed his brow at the strange request, but did so anyway. He gasped in surprise as soon as he had. "Oh my goodness, Ludwig, are those wings? Ludwig, when did you grow wings?!"

Ludwig gave Feliciano an amused quirk of the lips. "Are you telling me you didn't notice them until just now?"

Feliciano blushed in embarrassment as he remembered being saved by the winged man before. Sure, it only made sense that that man had been Ludwig and hadn't teleported away or anything, but… "But, Ludwig didn't have wings the first time we met!"

Ludwig shrugged the best he could with a man in his arms and wings beating behind his shoulders. "I did, though. I just never let you see them."

"Ve?"

"Angels can hide their wings. It's kind of… like magic, I suppose. It's good for when we want to look human."

The idea was so straightforward, yet so completely out of this world, Feliciano had a hard time wrapping his mind around it all. He figured he'd have to sort through all this later, so he set this particular topic to the side for now. With a familiar silence hanging over them once more, Feliciano resumed hiding his face in Ludwig's shirt. The rain around them slowed as they flew, and finally stopped, the clouds ahead clearing away and giving Feliciano a glimpse of the moon once more. Ludwig hadn't spoken another word after their last conversation, instead opting to stare forward with a determined gaze. Feliciano had risked a peek or two at the sky around him, but for the better part of the flight, had kept his eyes tightly shut. When Feliciano felt a change in Ludwig's wingbeats, he opened one eye and looked up curiously.

"We're here, so I'm going to land, okay?"

Ludwig's wingbeats sped up as he neared the ground, keeping the two from simply crashing to the earth below. Dust kicked up as he slowly and gently lowered them to the ground, keeping his firm grip on Feliciano until his feet were flat on the surface. He carefully maneuvered Feliciano until the Italian's feet met the floor as well, but Ludwig held Feliciano's form with his hands, steadying him.

"Do you think you can stand?"

Feliciano nodded and sent Ludwig a quick smile. "Ve, I think so!"

Ludwig let go of Feliciano's arms and let his hands lower to his sides, watching as Feliciano took a tentative step forward. Instantly he wobbled and almost fell, but Ludwig managed to catch the underneath of his arm just in time to stop him from hitting the ground. Feliciano chuckled quietly, then with Ludwig's support, made his way over to a place to sit. They were in an old children's park in a wooded area, cut off by a metal fence which was probably locked at this hour. Ludwig led Feliciano over to a small swing seat, and it creaked softly as Feliciano sat himself down. Ludwig remained standing and backed away, surveying his surroundings most likely to see if anyone else was around. From where he was sitting, the Italian could finally let himself take in Ludwig's figure. It was apparent not much had changed in a year, though his wounds had long closed up and were now represented by only faded white scars. He seemed as muscular and strong as before, if not a tad burlier, and from what he had seen before, his eyes hadn't changed a bit, either. However, the most notable difference was, of course, his wings. Large and powerful, the white-feathered appendages protruded from his back, just between the shoulder blades. The tips almost dragged along the ground in graceful sweeps, instead just lightly brushing the grass as he turned. They were beautiful. Ludwig turned and walked back toward Feliciano, who noticed with a start that he had been staring, and aptly felt heat rise to his cheeks. He lowered his head as Ludwig returned.

"I think it's safe here. I've never run into anyone in this place before, but it doesn't hurt to be careful." Upon seeing the Italian with his head downturned, eyes fixated on his own shoes, Ludwig's tone grew concerned. "Feliciano, are you okay?" A pause. "Mein Gott, your injuries! Are you hurting anywhere? Is there any bleeding?"

Ludwig neared closer and frantically began to look Feliciano over for any signs of serious damage, but Feliciano quickly shook his head. "No, No, I'm okay! I really am, it's just…"

Ludwig took a step back, watching Feliciano's face with a worried look. "It's just…what?"

Feliciano averted his gaze again and silently thanked the mud for its ability to hide the blush that was no doubt betraying him. "It's just…your wings. They're really pretty."

It was now Ludwig's turn to blush, though he tried to hide it with a cough into his hand. "A-Ah, that's right…you're probably not used to seeing things like this, huh?" He turned a little, hiding Feliciano's view of the feathers some. "If you'd like, I can hide them…"

Feliciano almost jumped out of his seat on the swing. "No!" Ludwig's eyes widened in surprise, and Feliciano sat back again and started fidgeting with his hands. "I mean, no…they're great. I like looking at them, so don't hide them, please…"

Ludwig blinked, but made no move to argue. He stood in silence for a few moments before Feliciano spoke up again.

"A-Actually…can I touch them?"

"Hmm?"

Feliciano shifted, unsure if the question was a strange thing to ask an angel or not. He wouldn't know, but he desperately hoped he wasn't breaking some scary angel code or something. "Y-Your, uh, wings. Can I feel them?"

Ludwig's face quirked into a lopsided smile. "Sure," he chuckled, moving over and spreading one of his wings in order to make it easier for Feliciano to reach. Tentatively, and with a worried glance back at Ludwig to make sure it was okay, Feliciano leaned forward and brushed the feathers with his of the corner of his eyes, Feliciano saw Ludwig flinch, but the blonde made no move to stop him. The Italian hesitated, then moved closer again and carefully placed his palm onto the wing. Feliciano's eyes widened.

"Ludwig, they're so soft!" He exclaimed, turning to look back at Ludwig with an excited expression. Ludwig blushed a little, scratching the back of his head with averted eyes. With any nervousness washed from his mind, Feliciano stroked the wing, giggling softly the entire time. He ran his fingers over each of the feathers, one by one. The wing quivered under his touch, but even without it moving, Feliciano could feel how strong it was. He slowly spread one of the feathers out and examined it. The single feather was almost three-fourths the length of his arm, and his eyes grew large in surprise.

All the while, Ludwig watched him, his face unreadable save for the tiniest hint of amusement that graced his eyes. He would flinch slightly when the Italian's fingers touched, but for the most part, he remained still; eventually, seeing as how it seemed Feliciano could go on admiring his feathery appendage forever, he spoke up in a quiet voice. "Hey, Feliciano…"

The brunette paused and looked toward Ludwig, a feather caught mid-pet between his hands. "Ve? What is it, Ludwig?"

Ludwig fixed him with a hard stare, his eyes narrowing in a serious expression. "What were you doing out there?"

"Ve, I had to work late and got caught in the storm."

"No, no…" Ludwig's hand moved in a terse gesture as he waved the answer aside. "I mean, out there. On the battlefield."

Feliciano lowered his gaze to where his hand rest on Ludwig's wing. His expression unusually concerned, he took a few moments before answering in a shaky voice, "I…I heard gunshots."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow at the other man. "So you ran toward the sound of violence?"

Feliciano hesitated, then nodded. Strangely, he offered no more comments on the subject. Ludwig was just about to prod when the Italian offered his voice once more.

"Ludwig, why did that angel lady attack me? Was it because I found out she was an angel?"

Ludwig's brow creased as he paused, thinking over his words with a pensive gaze at the sky. He leaned back and sat against the children's rock-climbing wall. The action removed the wing Feliciano had been petting from his reach, despite his yelp of protest. Ludwig ran an exhausted hand through his hair, sighing. "That's…part of the reason, yes."

Feliciano tilted his head, watching Ludwig with curious eyes. "Ve…what's the other part?"

In that moment, leaned against a wall with dirt painting his face as his brow furrowed in thought, Feliciano couldn't help but think Ludwig looked suddenly quite tired. Tired from…whatever it was he had been dealing with. Ludwig's eyes slowly rose to meet his, and the stark blue seemed heavy with exhaustion. "Feliciano, we aren't the angels you've probably been imagining all this time. We aren't all…good people."

"So…the lady who attacked me was bad?"

"That's not really true, either."

Feliciano stared confusedly at Ludwig, who shook his head and straightened up again. "Look, it's…a long story. We'll save it for another time." His blue eyes ran up and down Feliciano's seated figure, filled with concern. "But right now, you should get some rest. You've been through a lot tonight."

Feliciano paused, wanting to deny it, to stay up with Ludwig more, but his eyelids suddenly felt too heavy to hold up, so he nodded weakly. Ludwig moved forward and offered the Italian his hand for support. Feliciano stared down at it, and he noticed immediately how rough his palm was, and the fine scars that were won through numerous battles. Ludwig had been through much, much more – Feliciano had barely survived one night, and that was only thanks to the man standing before him. He hesitantly took Ludwig's hand, and his fingers curled up to take ahold of the smaller man's. Ludwig then wrapped his other arm around Feliciano's torso and led him to a small crevice in the children's buildings, which was sheltered from the wind and weather by walls and a ceiling. Ludwig helped sit Feliciano down in one of the corners, and then started to back away. Feliciano's anxiety started kicking in again at seeing Ludwig leave. His breathing sped up, his eyes widened, and his mind raced. He quickly reached out and grabbed Ludwig's hand, keeping him from taking another step away.

"Feliciano?"

Feliciano looked up into Ludwig's face, fear written in his eyes. "Ludwig, don't leave me alone, please…I can't stand being alone…"

He knew he was being selfish and pathetic. He knew it, but here, in this unfamiliar place, hurt and tired, the last thing he wanted to do was be on his own. Ludwig gave him a helpless look, like he wasn't sure what to do. But then, something incredible happened.

"Move over."

Feliciano blinked, confused, but did as he was told. Ludwig settled himself beside the smaller man, nestling in against the hard plastic wall, and draped one of his wings neatly behind Feliciano's back. The tips curled around and served as a sort of blanket, and Feliciano watched with huge eyes. He whipped his head around to face Ludwig, who was shifting around nervously. He seemed caught between giving Feliciano the peace of mind he needed, and following his instincts and fleeing from the unfamiliar human touch. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and pulled Feliciano close, their shared space less cramped that way. Feliciano felt heat rise to his face at the close proximity, but when he saw Ludwig's do the same, he laughed.

"I'm glad Ludwig isn't afraid of me anymore."

Ludwig opened an eye to glare at the Italian. "I was never afraid of you."

Feliciano hummed to himself and lowered his head into Ludwig's side. "Ve…well, what are you afraid of, then?"

Ludwig didn't respond. Feliciano hugged the wing that was draped over him closer and savored the feel of the feathers between his fingers. The two sat like that for a while in silence, which Ludwig broke only once more.

"I'll keep watch. Go ahead and get to sleep."

The Italian sighed and nodded into Ludwig's side. Despite being almost complete strangers, Feliciano felt he had known Ludwig his whole life. Against what was normally considered better judgment, the Italian trusted him.

He was asleep before his eyes were closed.

So, I hoped I didn't disappoint with this chapter! They're still both not even sure if they're friends or not, but there's definitely something going on here hehe. Also, please tell me I'm not the only person who would never let go if my friend had wings. Honestly I wouldn't be able to stop petting them, so I'd probably look like a creeper. Oh well.

And for those of you who guessed who the scary lady was, almost all of you were right ;) And she'll make her appearance again later, too. we haven't seen the last of her!

I'll start working on the next chapter soon, so stay tuned! Thanks again to all of you who continue reading!

Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to me in any way shape or form. The story is my idea, however.