A/N: Okay I'm back! Who missed me?...nobody okay. Yeah sorry I didn't update faster as soon as I had my shower and a good nights sleep I was like "Okay time to write"
But...then my brain went on strike. So that's why it's so late. I hope to update both Romano's and Feliciano's story once every week and to probably much to your delight I have decided to make a pairing in this. I decided to make Prucan and Gerita pairings in this story...yes but they won't be the main focus and so therefore don't expect much action...unless i feel like it. So yeah...Happy reading?
As soon as we were dropped off at the town we headed for the store's so we could buy some clothes. The stores were mostly packed so no one really paid mind to a bunch of teenagers wandering through the crowds even though we had a baby. Also Camilla had insisted that we get a stroller at least one that we could rent.
Truthfully I didn't know you could rent strollers. Well you learn something new every day.
"What about this?" Camilla said holding up some sort of pink monstrosity. I shook my head trying to get the image of the thing out of my brain. "No then, fine why don't you pick something out."
I looked around the baby clothes area and picked up a small shirt that was stripped pink and grey and then some cute leggings that were stripped only this time just hot pink and lighter pink. Then I one quick motion handed them to her.
"Hmm. Feli the Fashionista has a nice ring to it don't you agree?" Arthur said slapping me on the back and I just look at him.
"Says the guy whose girlfriend picks out his clothes."
His cheeks start to dust pink and I smirk as he begins to try to stutter out an answer. "S-She's not my girlfriend!"
"Boys! No fighting! Wait until we're at least out of the store." She says with an exasperated roll of her eyes as she examines the clothes in front of her before giving me a small smile, her eyes softening. "These are nice Feli, Thank you."
Ludwig was in charge of the money just to make sure we didn't go too overboard plus he was good at making sure we stayed within the budget. Just one look and you were putting down whatever you thought you might have wanted.
"I think we're good for baby clothes." Camilla said looking at the pile of clothes that lay at the bottom of the cart.
"Hmm. We spent less money than I thought we would." Ludwig said looking up from his notebook.
Camilla brightly smiled at that and grabbed my wrist and started to drag me to a different part of the store and a bewildered Arthur following behind although much slower than me and Camilla with the stroller and Ludwig behind him with the cart.
She drags me into an aisle that I barely catch the name of. 'art supplies' the sign reads and she keeps running to the middle of the aisle to the sketchbooks and then points at them and gives me a expectant look. "Pick one out."
I look at her and shake my head. It was true that my sketch book had gotten quite full but I didn't want to waste our money on something as stupid as a sketchbook. "Camilla, I'm fine I don't need a new one I really-"
"Of course you do! Do you think I don't notice that your drawings are taking up less and less space in your sketchbook and that I can't see most of the nice white paper?" She turns to Ludwig "And Ludwig doesn't mind if I use some of the money to get this, right?"
Ludwig looks up from the notebook and then at Camilla's fierce eyes and nodded. "I don't mind"
Not that I thought he would disagree he wasn't suicidal…at least I didn't think he was but I was pretty sure from what I know that he wasn't. I dejectedly looked at Arthur who just shrugged and gave me an apologetic look as Camilla dragged me too the sketchbooks.
The art aisle felt like home with the pastels and the charcoals calling out to me as I passed by them. Camilla looked at my awestruck face with smug satisfaction as I carefully brushed my hand over everything as if it would shatter under my fingertips. I could feel the eyes of Ludwig on me and when I turned to look at him he blushed at turned to stare at the colored pencils next to him I blushed a bit too, and returned to my staring at the different art supplies.
"You're allowed to buy one sketchbook and a pack of pencils and one thing of your choice, so pick well." She said and turned my back on the pastels and looked at all the sketchbooks. I grabbed the medium spiral bound one and a pack of pencils. Then turned to look at the different colored pencils and markers. My eyes landed on a pack of pastels they looked perfect all the right color's I liked.
I grabbed them hesitantly and showed them to Camilla who was smirking at me still. "Stop smirking at me like that, it's creeping me out." I said and she rolled her eyes at me and motioned for me to follow her.
"Okay one more stop before we head out. We're stopping in the toy aisle." Camilla said walking off leaving us rushing after her. We weaved through many aisles' to get to the toy aisle and we almost had Ludwig physically drag Camilla away from the fabric aisle in our search. We finally found the toy aisle near the sheets and comforters section. Camilla took one look at the aisle and quickly grabbed a package of blocks to add to it. Ludwig looked at her strangely.
She rolled her eyes and kissed the top of Makayla's head before answering his unasked question. "She needs something to keep herself entertained."
After a brief stare down between to the two we headed to the checkout where we were meet with a weird stare from the cashier who looked like she was barely out of high school with bobbed blonde hair and a motherly look in her eyes. We all felt a little cautious as we put the items up on the conveyer belt.
"And when we get home we can see mommy. She should be home from her doctor's appointment by then." Camilla cooed to Makayla and I could almost visibly see the cashier relax. And everybody else relax along with her. Camilla always did want to be an actor.
"That would be $102.56 the cashier said and Ludwig handed her the money and we left the store glad to be out of the prying eyes.
Line
"So what's the plan now?" Arthur asked us and I looked at Ludwig for guidance. We were carrying Makayla again since we had returned the stroller.
"Well we might as well go check out the orphanage tonight since it's not even dark out and that is what we came here to do anyway." Camilla said and I nodded vehemently
"Right!" The excitement fluttered up in my chest again maybe Romano was already there waiting for me. We walked the next couple of blocks to the orphanage in comfortable silence as I walked quietly next to Ludwig who was holding Makayla who was sleeping at the moment. Surprisingly Makayla had immediately attached onto Ludwig. It was actually kind of cute.
I could almost hear the intake of breathe as we approached the old orphanage I thought that it would still be abandoned but seeing it so broken and lacking of energy was shocking to say the least. It had almost become a second home for me while I was there. It was like staring at a ghost.
We all stopped at the front gate just staring at it. "Well you guy's ready for this?"
"You betcha!" I heard Camilla say and she opened the gate and we followed after her quietly like we were walking to a funeral. That silence that you really don't want to break. The silence that you fell heavy on your shoulders.
Line
The house was creaky and old as we walked in the door slamming behind us and we all winced as it hit the frame. Breaking the heavy silence that had descended but I couldn't help the hope that fluttered in my chest. I reminded me of the one poem the one about hope being perched on the soul.
We automatically spread out and Camilla and Arthur wandered around the first floor while me and Ludwig who was still holding Makayla wandered the Second floor.
The stairs creaked like small screams every time you stepped on one. The hairs on my arms prickled in the air of creepiness that the place seemed to generate I had a flashback to the first time I had been here. How noisy and loud it had been… how full of life it was and how empty and void it seemed now.
I automatically found my way to the room that Romano, Ludwig and I shared along with Antonio who had turned eighteen and left as soon as it struck midnight. We didn't hear from him again. I hoped he was okay; he wanted to become a teacher because of his love for little kids. He always made sure we were feed and everything.
The bunk beds were still in the rooms because of how long it would have taken to move all of them. They moved a few but the ones in our bedroom were still left intact and left here to rot. Almost in desperation I tried moving the bunk bed. With a grunt I moved it far enough to get the piece of paper from under the bed. Pulling it out I brush the dust that had collected and open up the paper. There was a scrawled note in Italian on it that I written from when we moved.
Dear Feliciano,
I'm coming for you like I promised. If you have found this note then that means I haven't found you yet don't worry I'm fine. I miss you Fratello.
-Romano Vargas
The paper dropped from my hands floating through the air as it made its way to the ground.