Hetalia Academy Chapter 9: The last Meeting, a hetalia - axis powers fanfic

Chapter 9: The Last Meeting.

Ludwig was drinking coffee while looking through the window. It was a rainy day. He liked this kind of day. He was relaxed; the house was silent - something strange when you live with Gilbert - and he was done with work for the day. As he sighed with relief, he heard somebody knocking on his door. He placed his cup back on the table and went to open the door.

"Um, hi..." Feliciano was standing outside the apartment. Ludwig was slightly surprised to see the boy for he had almost forgotten he had to see Feliciano today.

How could he, this kid, who had invaded his thoughts in the last days, when finally managed to find a moment of peace, be at his doorstep at this moment? "Come inside, Feliciano. I was waiting for you."

"Thanks..." The Italian walked in and they began to walk to Ludwig's study. Feliciano was truly sad. Instead of his natural cheery aura, there was a downcast one instead. He was already disappointed with Ludwig not staying at the showcase but the fact that the older man didn't even mention it when they met was driving him crazy. "Am I being too sensitive about this?"

"Feliciano, are you listening to me?"

Feliciano snapped out of his thoughts, "What?"

"I was telling you this will be the last time we meet since the exam is next week. I won't be surprised if you get a high grade, you've been doing a great job this past weeks."

Feliciano lit up. "You really think so? Thank you, Ludwig!"

The idea of not being able to spend more time with Feliciano made Ludwig feel a bit uneasy. Well, in fact, more uneasy than he would like to be. "Let's finish with this, shall we?" His speech could not reach the ears of Feliciano due to a sudden thunder which made the younger boy jump. Ludwig looked at him. "Are you afraid of thunders?"

Feliciano felt a little embarrassed, "Um, kind of."

"Don't worry, they kind of scare me too." The ability to make him feel secure with a few words...how couldn't he love this man?

After a while, they were just about to finish with their task but inside each of them, an inner fight was taking place.

Ludwig couldn't stop thinking of what his brother told him. Was he really such a coward that couldn't let out his feelings? Perhaps...just a little. Okay, maybe Gilbert was right but this guy in front of him, why was he so important to him? How could he know? Is it because his heart was beating so fast? The sudden happiness he felt by just being in his company...crap. He was so lost at heart issues.

Now, Feliciano was switching moods between, sadness, anxiety and anger. How could this man be so insensitive? He had given his all, putting all his effort into showing what was inside his heart and he seemed as affected by it as a rock with the wind. They had been working together for two hours and he had hardly paid attention to the examples they were checking. He wasn't going to take it anymore. He had been holding back for far too long. He had to know what were Ludwig's feelings.

"Ludwig!" He said louder than he wanted.

Ludwig looked up from the example with a questioning look. "Yes, Feliciano? Am I going to fast with this one?"

"No, it's not about that. I...I...why didn't you stay after the showcase?" Ludwig didn't expect this.

"Well I-" But Feliciano cut him off.

"I invited you for a reason, y'know! I changed my song for you...because...well I thought that by inviting you and singing that you'll get it! But I think you didn't. That, or you just didn't like it at all. And it's okay, well not really. What I mean is, I spend many nights thinking about it, being afraid, but I'll try for the last time because I don't want to regret never letting you know this. I wanted to tell you that...I'm in love with you, Ludwig." Feliciano who was looking at the floor now fixated his eyes on Ludwig's. "You may think this is just a bluff of mine but it isn't! I'm sure of that 'cause since I met you...I couldn't stop thinking of you. You became something very important to me and I wanted to know if by any chance...did you feel the same way..."

Ludwig stopped breathing. He was at a loss of words. He was looking at Feliciano but he just couldn't open his mouth. Feliciano returned his glance to the floor trying to hide his face with his hair, some drops of clear liquid falling from his cheeks. "I see how it is. After all, I'm just a brat for you, huh? How embarrassing..." His voice trembled slightly, "I'm sorry I put you through this after all you've done for me. Please, forgive me. I won't bother you again." With this, Feliciano grabbed his things and ran away, not looking back.

Ludwig stood still for a few more seconds, his brain not recognising what had happened. It was only just after hearing the door slam closed did the blond came out of his trance. He then looked out the window; the early rain had turned into a storm. He could feel how his body was the one in charge now as he ran to the door and left the apartment not even locking the door or taking a coat with him. Instead of using the elevator, he ran downstairs three floors in a matter of seconds.

Once outside he desperately looked for the boy. "Feliciano!" He ran towards the park, thinking it was the only way back home the Italian knew. He didn't have to go too far; the boy was sitting on a bench with a little roof, all wet holding and his knees. Ludwig approached him and when Feliciano saw him coming, he prepared to run away again but Ludwig didn't allow it. He grabbed him by the arm, preventing the younger man from running away. "Please don't go."

With these words, Feliciano turned to face Ludwig who was now as agitated and wet as he was.

"I didn't mean to..." Ludwig tried to think of the right words. "The last thing I want to do is to make you cry. I didn't answer because I couldn't believe it."

"What?" The younger man was confused. "I can't believe that you're actually interested in me..." Feliciano was the one who was speechless now.

Ludwig continued, "I didn't stay at the showcase because it was too overwhelming for me. When I saw you there, you were...just perfect. I couldn't stop looking at you. But, when your performance finished, I was afraid, afraid of not being good enough for you; of disappointing you. I'm nothing special, Feliciano, and you're incredible. When I heard you were at my door, I thought it was my imagination, but when you left, the fear of losing you was like no other fear that I have ever felt before. You don't have to apologize for anything. It's me you must forgive for hurting you. I swear to you that it won't happen again."

Feliciano looked at the taller man with his eyes wide open as he said this.

"Please don't look at me like that. By now, you should now I'm not good at this kind of thing. It's hard for me to say all of these things but it was important that you knew this."

Suddenly, they heard a loud thunder and, without thinking, Feliciano hugged Ludwig. When he realized what he had done, he let go of Ludwig, blushing. "I'm sorry. It was...I was scared and I..."

Ludwig hugged him again, feeling awkward doing it since he wasn't used to displaying affection to another person. But with, Feliciano it seemed natural. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Feliciano felt himself smile. He tried to face Ludwig. "Eh, Ludwig?"

"Yes?" The older man loosened his grip on the younger boy, only to be surprised with a kiss. It was quite awkward for Feliciano for he had to stand on his toes to kiss the other on the lips but sweet none the less. When he finished the kiss, he giggled at the view of the blond with a red face.

How could the young boy before him be so bold? It wasn't like it bothered him or anything but he wasn't prepared for something like that. Ludwig turned his face, trying to hide the blush, earning more giggles from the Italian. He then looked back at Feliciano and returned the smile. "You do know I really like seeing you smile, Feliciano?"

"V-Veh~?"

"And that tick of yours as well."

"Well I like everything about you, Ludwig."

They both could feel as if their hearts were about to leave their chest. The rain was ticker now. "I think I should take you home today."

Once they were back in the apartment, Ludwig realised there was a note on the counter. It read:

Hey, Lud. Today's Francis' birthday. I'll take your car for a couple of hours so try to be as awesome as your awesome brother and don't get mad, okay? ;).

- Gilbert.

"That idiot," he murmered to himself.

"What happened?" Feliciano asked.

"I'm sorry, Feli, but I can't drive you home. Gilbert took my car."

"Veh~! You called me 'Feli'!"

"Uh-oh, sorry I didn't mean-"

"It's okay. I like you calling me 'Feli'."

"Um, okay then." Somehow, being around Feliciano made Ludwig felt comfortable enough to do things he wouldn't normally do.

"And don't worry, I'll call grandpa to come and pick me up. Oh, may I use your phone?"

"Sure, it's at the end of the corridor." Feliciano skipped down the corridor and to the phone. Ludwig just remembered he was all wet and walked to the service room to put his clothes in the dryer.

He was taking off his shirt and pants until Feliciano suddenly appeared at the door. "Ludwig I..." Being both men, Ludwig wouldn't have felt embarrassed but the way Feliciano was looking at him drove him to instinctively cover himself. A shade of pink covered his cheeks as he asked, "C-Could you give me a minute?"

"Oh, it's okay. I was just going to ask you if I could dry my clothes." Without consent, the little boy started stripping as well.

"W-Wait I-" Without hearing Ludwig, Feliciano slowly took off his clothes, leaving just him in only his boxers. It was a good excuse to see the sculpted body of the blond. Feliciano wonder how could he be so nervous about showing it off.

Ludwig, on the other hand, aside from feeling shy of being observed, was doing his best not to look to much at Feliciano. He was slim, he had toned muscles and the tanned of his skin made him look...well... Stop those thoughts it's just a boy.

"By the way I called home but grandpa is on a business trip and Romano is still in bed so I'll take the bus once my clothes are ready."

Ludwig looked at the clock. "It's pretty late already, I don't think that's a good idea." He thought for a moment before suggesting, "Perhaps you could stay here for the night. I'll call your grandpa and explain the situation to him. I'll take you home in the morning."

Feliciano felt a little bit guilty. "I'm not giving you too much trouble, am I?"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault that you have to stay here. I should have been aware of the time or the fact that my brother would steal my car."

"Um, okay. Thank you very much."

"I'll prepare the bed for you, then." Ludwig left the service room to prepare the bedroom for Feliciano and to get away from provocative scenario.

Feliciano followed him though. "Veh~! If I'm staying here, where are you staying?"

"In the living room."

"I'm already being a bother by staying here for the night! I won't take the bed away from you!"

"Feli, it's okay."

"No, it's not. You are too big for the couch!" Ludwig was aware of this but he was afraid of leaving Feliciano to the drunken trio once they were home. "We could sleep together if you want..."

"What?" Okay, this guy had gone too far.

"I bet your bed is big enough for the two of us!"

"Feliciano, it isn't right."

"But why?" Why did he want to make things complicated?

"It isn't proper, okay?"

"Ludwig," Feliciano's tone of voice had changed, "I'm not afraid of you doing anything to me, I just don't want you to have a bad night because of me being here. And I also understand you don't want Gilbert to see me here so please try to be reasonable."

Ludwig was left gaping at the small boy. Perhaps he wasn't so immature after all. "Fine then. Over here."

"Veh~! Yay!"

The German raised an eyebrow. "What's with the sudden mood swings?"

"I get to sleep next to you! How could I not be happy?" Ludwig didn't remember the last time he had blushed so many times in the same day, but it was he also didn't remember the last time he felt so happy.

"Here, I don't know if the house is too cold for you." Ludwig handed an extra blanket to Feliciano.

"Thanks, but actually..."

"And you'll stay in your half of the bed, okay? It's bad enough I let you sleep in the same bed with me."

"Why's that?"

"Why? It's because you're still a minor and I'm your teacher. It's just wrong."

Feliciano stared at Ludwig with sweet eyes. "But, we are together now, right?"

Ludwig was taken aback by this declaration. He started babbling nervously. "Um, well..."

Feliciano jumped from the bed and hugged him by the neck. "There's nothing wrong about it."

Ludwig took Feliciano's arms away gently. "Perhaps, but we should do this slower, don't you think?" Ludwig then left the room. Feliciano thought Ludwig's shyness was adorable but he would work on gradually making him more confident.

When Ludwig came back to the room after calming himself from the wave of emotions he had experienced for the day, he found the Italian asleep in the middle of the bed. He couldn't help the smile. Preferring not to disturb the little man's sleep, he occupied a small space on the bed as he beheld what he considered a view of beauty. He felt so calm and complete at the moment that he was slowly falling asleep. After closing his eyes for a few minutes, he felt Feliciano in his chest, invading his personal space again. He first thought the boy was toying him but this time the italian was unconscious. How could he be so free about body contact? He tried to move him away but failed because every time he manage to gain some space for himself the boy came closer to him. He chose to surrender and instead hugged him tightly.

What had he got himself into? A relationship with another man, younger than him. What would his brother say? More importantly, what would Feliciano's family think about this? Many worries came to his mind. He began to feel tense until a soft, sleepy voice said, "I love you, Ludwig." Ludwig paralysed and faced the younger man to see if he was awake. He was still sleeping. Well, perhaps it wasn't so terrifying. As long as this boy was next to him he would find the way to make things work out.

Next morning, Ludwig was awoken by his cell phone alarm. "What's that?" He mumbled as he turned to look at his clock. "10:00 a.m?" Why didn't I wake up before?

He then remembered he had a guest - a peaceful man resting in his arms. As he leaned to kiss him on the forehead, his phone sounded again, signalling the message 'get the hell up'.

Ludwig got out of bed and walked to the living, not without closing the door of his room. He wasn't surprised to find the drunken idiots passed out in his living room. "Why are you in my house again?"

Francis and Gilbert who, for some reason, were sleeping on the couch hugging each other, fell to the floor when they heard Ludwig shout. Antonio hit his head on the coffee table as he suddenly got up. How could this guy stand sleeping on the floor? "Ludwig! That's no way to wake up your brother!"

"You took my car without permission, again, and you brought your stupid drinking buddies to the house, AGAIN!"

Francis displayed an expression of mock hurt. "Oh, Ludi, you really hurt me when you call me that. I thought we had an special relationship."

"You and I have nothing together, Francis."

"Oh, my heart. What have I done to be treated this way? You were so much cuter when you were younger but I must admit, you grew up to become a handsome man, aside from your brother."

"What the hell, Francis? Lud will never be as awesome as his big brother and he knows it!"

Ludwig just stared at them unamused. "How do you manage to say so many stupid things?"

"They get up early." Francis and Gilbert glared at Antonio. "Just joking, guys. You know I respect both of you."

"Anyways, I've told the three of you that if you're going to commense in one of your idiotic affairs, please remain from coming to my apartment."

"Lud, that's rude. You must not speak like that to your guests."

Ludwig grew more irritated each time. "They are not my guests, Gilbert."

"I want you out now and don't forget to..." Ludwig began giving them the usual scold but when the three men remained silent for more than a minute, he felt worried. That and the fact that the trio was staring at him with a grin on their faces. He felt the worse coming.

"Oh, my, Ludi! Now I know why you wanted to kick us out! You have a special guest, mon cher!"

Ludwig turned his face and saw Feliciano standing right behind him covered with a blanket. He quickly said, "I can explain."

"Ludwig, kesesese, I can't believe it! You're a pedophile just like Antonio!"

"Hey!" Antonio was offended.

"Hello, cutie. What's your name, mon amour?"

"Um, morning. I'm Feliciano Vargas..."

"Feli, it's so nice to see you. I'm glad Lud finally declare to you. I couldn't think of a better brother in law." Feliciano smiled and was about to shake hands with Francis and Gilbert as a greeting gesture when the blanket covering him fell to floor, revealing him only wearing his boxers.

Both men looked right at Ludwig. "What have you done to this child?"

"I didn't- I don't even- Feliciano, why are you naked?"

"I tried to tell you yesterday when you gave me the extra blanket! I usually sleep just like this or naked-"

"Gilbo seems that what people say is true."

"And what is that, Francis?"

"That those who look more innocent are the most perverted ones!"

"Oh, my friend, that would be true! Look at my brother, he turned out to be a sinner! What would our old man say?"

"I know the shame you're going through, my friend, but you must be strong."

"Could you two please shut up! Nothing happened between me and Feli!"

"Oh, you already call him Feli! So cute! Ludwig felicidades hermano! Now we can double date the Vargas brothers!" With his last words, all that attention was now on Antonio. "Oh? Didn't I tell you guys I'm dating Romanito? I can understand why Ludwig fell for Feli! They are both just so adorable! Right, Ludwig?"

"Hahahaha! You're both sick bastards!" Gilbert fell to floor, laughing, while Francis laughed along with him. Antonio just stood there smiling and soon joined in on the laughter.

Feliciano had been confused by the conversation for a long time now so he took the chance to talk to Ludwig while the trio were laughing. "Um, Ludwig? Do you want me to make breakfast?"

"Huh? You don't have to, Feli. It's okay."

"It's not a problem, really. It's the least I can do after all you did for me last night." The trio remained silent a second and then burst into laughter yet again. Ludwig just face palmed and sighed. "Veh~! I'm sorry, did I say something?"

"Don't worry, Feli, I'll help you with breakfast."